How can we know we are saved?

When my youngest son was 14 years old, he joined a Christian youth group and Bible study in preparation for baptism. At the end of the class, the pastor asked the students how they could be sure that they were saved. There was silence. Then my son simply said: “Because the Bible tells me so!”

Later, the pastor told me of his answer and said, “I have taught these classes for many years and very few people have answered that question so correctly!” I felt proud of my son, but at the same time, I felt sad that the subject of the salvation of our souls is misunderstood by so many.

I grew up in a Christian family. I knew the Ten Commandments, some gospel stories, and many traditional prayers by heart, but still no one had told me how I could be forgiven of all my sins and have the assurance that I would go to heaven when I die.

When I was 18 years old, I said a simple prayer to receive Jesus in my heart and saw a big change in my life. I started to feel more peace and joy, I was delivered from a drug vice, and I felt God’s presence much closer than before. But I only connected the dots between this change and my prayer for salvation when someone gave me a New Testament and I read the Gospels.

The Bible says: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). As the children’s song goes: “Jesus loves me! This I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong; they are weak, but He is strong.” We are indeed too weak to face life, with its ups and downs, all by ourselves, but with Jesus in our hearts, we have wonderful strength and peace from above, and a guiding light for our path.

A friend of mine, after receiving Jesus as his Savior, had a dream where many voices were speaking different opinions and philosophies, but then another voice started to speak, while the other voices began to fade away. This voice, which he understood was Jesus, said: “From now on, you will serve Me all the days of your life.” After this dream, he dedicated his life to Jesus.

Some people have supernatural experiences like this one, others don’t, but as the Bible says, if you receive Jesus in your heart and accept Him as your Savior, you will have eternal life (John 3:16). Salvation is a gift of God to each one of us.