Belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died as the substitute for our sins is the only requirement for salvation. The following are not tests of our faith, because we cannot be good enough to merit God's salvation. We can be encouraged that we do have eternal life because God says so, because changes have taken place in our lives, because we want to share Christ with others, and because we desire to live lives that would be pleasing to God.
- We know that we have eternal life because God says we do.
God's Word tells us that we have eternal life if we have received Christ as our saviorI write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13).
- We know that we have eternal life because changes have taken place in our lives since we became a Christian.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17).
These may be small changes. At first, they may not even be noticeable to others. But this verse tells us that positionally, we become a new person when we accept Christ and changes in our life are inevitable.
- We know that we have eternal life because we want to share Christ with others.
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile (Romans 1:16) - We know that we have eternal life because we want to live godly lives.
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age… (Titus 2 :11-12)
