How can I know?

I confess - I'm a Whitney Houston fan. And one of my favorite songs, from back in her pre-Bobby Brown days, is one in which she questions how she can really know "if he loves me." In fact, the title is, "How Can I Know?"

And that's a question that many of us have. How can I know that I'm really a child of God? How can I know for certain that I'm going to heaven when I die? I'd be willing to assert that most Christians deal with such doubts from time to time. As a matter of fact, one of our friends is dealing with this issue right now. She is struggling with whether or not she is really saved.

Maybe you've had similar doubts.

There are two important things to remember:

First, the Bible tells us that we're secure in Christ. In that wonderful passage in John 10, he states, "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 can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." As I understand this passage, Jesus is telling us that we're not only secure in his hand, but that we're also secure in the Father's hand. In other words, we're doubly secure; so secure that nothing can snatch us away. We can't even snatch ourselves away.

Although the security of the true believer is stated emphatically here and elsewhere in scripture, some of us struggle with being sure that this is true. We lack the assurance of our salvation. There could be any number of reasons why someone is not sure whether or not he belongs to Christ. On the bible.org website, several of these reasons are listed. Let me share them.

(1) People often lack assurance because they cannot remember or point to a specific time when they received Christ.

(2) People often lack assurance because they question the procedure they went through when they accepted Christ.

3) People often lack assurance because of struggles they have with certain sins.

4) The primary reason behind a lack of assurance is doctrinal misunderstanding and the consequent lack of faith in the finished work of Christ.

(5) Finally, people often lack assurance because they have erroneously been taught that they should look to themselves and their works as the primary proof of their salvation.

Over the next couple of weeks I'm going to address this issue, and hopefully provide some evidence that will help readers understand how they can know for sure that they belong to Christ.