Introduction
Have you ever encountered someone who doubts their salvation because they cannot remember when they first came to faith in Jesus for everlasting life? Or have you encountered someone who wonders whether a prior profession of faith was genuine? Are you wondering about the validity of your own salvation because you cannot recall the date or time when you first understood and believed the saving message?
In these situations, is trying to remember our past helpful to having assurance of our salvation in the present? When we want assurance of salvation, where should we look? The Bible does not teach us to look at our past works for proof of our salvation, but does the Bible teach us to recall our past experiences in order to know that we are saved today?
Humans Are Finite
While it may be a nice memory or beneficial to reminisce about when we first came to faith, proper assurance of our salvation in the present should always come from what is currently believed, instead of trying to recall what we once believed. Humans are finite beings. We live in the present. None of us has the ability to time travel or alter the past. Nothing we do today can change what has already occurred.
In addition, with our current bodies and minds, none of our memories are perfect. None of us remembers perfectly what we have believed throughout every moment of our existence. I’ve had the embarrassing experience of learning someone’s name when meeting them for the first time but failing to remember their name when I later met them again. We fail to remember what we once believed, and we can also forget times in the past when we doubted.
Although we do not have the ability to change the past, we do have the ability to change the present and the future. If you are struggling with assurance today, don’t focus on trying to remember what you may have believed in the past. Instead, look to Jesus’ promises on how to be sure today that you have everlasting life that can never be lost:
“For God loved the world in this way: that He gave His unique Son, so that whoever believes in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16 (FMT)
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” – John 5:24
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” – John 6:47
“I am the Resurrection and the Life…He who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never ever die, even to eternity.” – John 11:25-26
Notice that in none of these passages does Jesus say, “Try to remember what you believed in the past.” Jesus is saying, “If you want to know for sure that you have everlasting life here and now, believe in Me right now for the free gift of everlasting life.”
Conclusion
The answer for assurance today, regardless of whether one has believed in the past, is to believe in Jesus right now. And when you believe in Jesus for everlasting life today, your future destiny is certain. Believers have eternal life and an eternal destiny with Jesus that can never be lost, even if they later stop believing and later forget that they ever believed in Jesus.
So don’t look for assurance by examining your past testimony. Instead, look to the truth found in Jesus’ promises in God’s Word today. At this very moment, do you believe Jesus guarantees everlasting life to all believers in Him?