THE question that troubles many souls is, “How am I to know that I have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ?”
We are brought up with the Bible in our hands; we are taught the gospel by heart; religion—man-made religion—has become a part of our very nature; but faith is not a mere assent to the propositions of a Christian creed; for “except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3). To be saved you must take your true place before God; in simple language, you must feel your need of a Saviour. Do not trouble about the amount of sorrow you feel for your sin; nowhere does Christ make the depth of our repentance a condition for granting us salvation. Are you afraid to die, afraid to meet God, afraid as to how the approaching coming of Christ will affect you? This proves that you believe at least two things—God’s word and your own guilt. Now read this: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:14, 15). “There is none other Name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12). Turn your eyes to Jesus, hanging on the cross. Cast yourself with the burden of your sins upon Him; for this is believing on Him.
Do not trouble about the amount of your faith; it is because you believe yourself a lost sinner that you have turned to the cross of Christ as the sole remedy for sin; and it is because you have turned to Christ that you are saved. Do not make your feelings a test of your salvation; do not trust to them at all. Be sure you are saved, but oh, be sure why you are saved; and, above all, do not dare to build up in some remote corner of your heart any ground of acceptance before God, other than that which He Himself has set forth—Christ crucified for sin.
E. G. M.