Have you ever wondered if you are truly saved? Some of us question at times that we might not be counted among the redeemed, while others are so confident in their standing that they rarely, if ever, examine their faith. Encountering characters like the Pharisees in Scripture who believed they were walking in obedience to God, yet Jesus revealed that their faith was in vain. When they finally met Jesus, it was revealed that they trusted in their own righteousness rather than truly surrendering to God. Luke 18, tells the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector, where the Pharisee stood in confidence before God while the tax collector beat his chest, crying out for mercy. Jesus declared that the humble man, not the self-assured one, went home justified. With stories like this, how can we really know if we've truly received the good news of the Gospel? How can we be confident in our salvation?
There is a tension in the Scriptures that we are meant to live in, a tension I call a Holy Insecurity. This is not an emotional insecurity that leaves us anxious or doubting every moment of our walk with Christ. Rather, it is a refusal to become so confident in our own profession of faith that we never examine whether we are truly walking in step with the Spirit of God. The Apostle Paul would encourage the church in Corinth to make this a regular practice when he writes in both his letters to the church to “examine themselves”. He writes in his second letter chapter 13; "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”. It is a humility that guards against spiritual presumption and keeps us dependent on Christ and His Gospel.
The Evidence of the Spirit
So where does my confidence come from? It is not from a past prayer I prayed, nor from mere outward behavior that might align with what scripture calls the fruit of the Spirit, because the evidence of patience, kindness, or self control can appear to manifest in our behavior with a little self help, discipline, and good counseling. Transformation is important, but the true evidence of salvation runs deeper.
Jesus tells us in John 16 that the Spirit of God convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment and leads us in truth. Paul reinforces this in his first letter to the Corinthian church where he teaches that “godly grief produces repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” The evidence of the Spirit is not just external moral improvement. It is the continual experience of godly sorrow over sin, conviction for our moral failures, and an ongoing response of repentance and faith in Christ to heal and transform us.
This rhythm of conviction, repentance, and belief is the regular pattern of a disciple’s life. As we walk in step with the Spirit, our desires begin to change. Over time, the fruit of the Spirit as outlined in Galatians 5 becomes increasingly evident. This does not happen through forced behavior modification, but through a heart that is repeatedly shaped by the Gospel. Growing increasingly convicted of sin and falling more in love with the righteousness of Jesus.
This is where our Holy Insecurity plays a role. It is not about doubting God’s ability to save, but about resisting a complacent faith. It is the ongoing self examination that keeps us from becoming like the Pharisees, who were blindly confident in their own righteousness yet far from God. Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 7 that many will stand before him on the last day and claim they knew him, only to hear him say that he never knew them.
The Call to Perseverance
This is what gives me confidence in my salvation. I see this process at work in my life and in the lives of those who walk faithfully with Christ. But when I stand before God, I will not claim my good works, my pastoral ministry, or even my own sense of assurance. My only plea will be the cross. Like the tax collector who beat his chest and cried out, “God be merciful to me, a sinner” I will stand before Christ knowing that my hope is in him alone.
I firmly believe in eternal security. Jesus said that those the Father gives him cannot be taken from his hand. It is our perseverance in the faith, not for a time but until our inevitable end, that provides the evidence that we are truly saved. Salvation is not about a one-time profession of faith, but a life that continues in faith demonstrating that the Spirit of God is alive in them through conviction, repentance, and belief.
This is why Paul exhorts believers to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. Not because we earn our salvation, but because a true relationship with God cannot be marked by apathy toward sin. A believer does not grieve the Spirit by remaining unmoved by their sin. Instead, they mourn, repent, and believe in the Gospel again and again. When this pattern of repentance and faith defines a person's life, we can have confidence in the genuineness of our salvation and trust that by God's grace, we will finish our race faithfully. Paul writes in second Timothy that he has “fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith.” That is the picture of true assurance, from a man who had run his race and was looking death in the face.
Shaking the Tree
As a pastor, I often feel compelled to shake the tree of people’s faith. Not because I want them to live in fear, but because I do not see evidence of the Gospel at work in many who claim to follow Christ. There are many reasons people participate in church, and unfortunately, some have little or nothing to do with Jesus. I do not want lukewarm believers to stand in ignorant confidence, assuming they are secure in Christ when in reality, they may one day be separated from the sheep and counted amongst the goats as Jesus describes in Matthew 25. That, to me, would be a tragedy. It would be a failure of my responsibility as a pastor.
The question we must ask ourselves is not just whether we prayed a prayer or whether we are doing good things. The better question is whether we continually respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Am I seeing the fruit of the Spirit, not just in my actions, but in my heart? Am I repenting and believing daily?
This is the posture of a true disciple. A life of faith, humility, and ongoing surrender.
Final Thought
The believer’s confidence does not come from a moment of decision but from a lifetime of God’s sustaining grace. As we persevere, we do so knowing that our security is in Christ, not in ourselves. Yet, rather than growing complacent, we walk in humility, examining ourselves, and ensuring that we are truly surrendering our lives to him.
This is the rightful tension. Confidence in Christ, yet a reverent humility that never assumes salvation lightly. That is Holy Insecurity. Not fear, but faith with self-awareness.
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