Certainty of salvation
I've recently been having anxiety about what if I don't end up going to heaven when I die. How do I know for certain that I'm saved? Can you also recommend some Bible passages that I should look up?
When it comes to the certainty of our salvation, we want to look to God and not ourselves. Here are some Bible passages that you can think about.
“You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory” (Psalm 73:24). This is the confidence we can have because salvation is God’s work.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Notice God’s promise. Notice “whoever believes.”
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28). Jesus said he gives his followers eternal life.
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25). You have Jesus’ promise of eternal life.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Eternal life is God’s gift to you.
“He [God] saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (Titus 3:5). If any part of salvation were up to us, there would be reason for doubt. Because salvation is God’s work, there is every reason for certainty.
“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). When you receive the Lord’s Supper, recognize the forgiveness of sins the Lord is giving you.
“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26-29). Remember what your baptism says to you each day of life: “I am a child of God.”
These are some Bible passages that come to mind. “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). That is what a man said to Jesus one day. It is safe to say that the unnamed man speaks for Christians. We believe, but our faith is imperfect. Again, look to Jesus for the certainty of your salvation. Continue to use God’s gospel in word and sacrament to deepen your faith and bolster your certainty of eternal life. God bless you.