May 17, 2026

LIFE’S QUESTIONS: THE ASSURANCE OF OUR SALVATION

May 17, 2026

Teaching Pastor Charles Billingsley

How many times have you wondered if you’re really saved? Perhaps another question is, how many times have others wondered if you’re really saved? Definitely, if you’re having serious doubts, you can settle it by asking God to save you. As Charles said, if you’re already saved, God is already there—He won’t leave and come back. And if you’re not, you can make sure today is your day of salvation. It is a gift He’s holding out to you. No one can take it on your behalf, and no one can take it from you if you are. It doesn’t get much easier than that, does it? However, if you feel you are saved but others question whether God is in your life, look at your life carefully. Is fruit being produced? Do your habits speak louder than your words? What are the bad habits in your life: your language, the places you go, the people you hang with? If you’re convicted on any level, let today’s sermon speak to you.

Focal Passages: John 3:3, 16-17, 15:4; Romans 3:23-25, 6:23, 10:9-13, 28-29; Galatians 5:22-23; Hebrews 3:24-25, 9:22, 1 John.

Salvation: How do we receive it?

  • Read John 3:16-17. Why do we NEED salvation? Why do parents not have to teach their children to do wrong? Read Rom. 3:23. Why does our sin create a barrier between God and us? Read Rom. 6:23. Why can we not go to heaven without repentance of our sins? Why did God command that there must be a blood sacrifice because of our sin?
  • Read Heb. 9:22 and Rev. 13:8. Did God always plan for Jesus to die as an atonement for man’s sins? Why was this solution feasible? Why is no one else worthy to offer salvation [Read Acts 4:12]?
  • Read John 3:3. How can you be born again? What must you believe about Jesus Christ? Is it truly that easy? In verse 17, what sense of boundless love do you get from God? Read Rom. 10:9-13. Is your past a barrier between you and God? (Not from His perspective!)
  • Read Rom. 3:24-25. Why did God the Father offer His Son for our salvation? How do we RESPOND to this invitation of God? Why is it that God does not consider any of our good works? Do you know the difference between trying to let your ‘works’ get you to heaven, and the works you do for Christ after salvation in response to a desire to please Him?
  • What is meant by the word ‘faith’? What is our faith based on? Read John 10:9, 28-29

Can God lie? Then He will not allow you to be snatched out of His grip, will He?

Salvation: How can we know we are saved? 

  • Read 1 John 2:3,5,6, 24-25. What are some ways that tell you that you are saved? How do you feel when you sin? Do you have a genuine desire to do what God has planned for you? Read John 15:4. When you look at your life, what fruit is being produced?
  • Will you bear spiritual fruit if you are not saved? Read Gal. 5:22-23. If you believe you are saved, which of these fruits of the Spirit do you see in your life?
  • If you have professed belief in Christ, have you turned from your previous sins? Are there still sins in your life that you have not gotten rid of (list them in your head, if so)? Why is this important? What are some possible reasons you would tolerate continuing in sin?
  • What are some concerns that may be valid if you question your salvation?
  • Sin: For many, giving up something they enjoyed became too difficult, and the pleasure of sin won. Read 1 John 1:6, 8, 10; 2 John 2:4, 9, 11. These verses indicate some differences between the way you walk and the way you talk. Do any of them convict you?
  • You were never actually saved: Your salvation is the most important thing in your life to get right—but only you know your heart. What would be some reasons an early experience of walking the aisle might have been a case of mistaken salvation? Are you alive today? Then there is still time to turn to God.
  • False doctrine or false teaching: Most Christians know someone who left their faith because a prayer was ‘not answered’ by God, at least the way they wanted it to be. In most cases, 1 John 2:19 is the answer. One can be swayed by false teaching or false doctrine.

The Salvation Test: Faith: Do you truly believe? 1 John 5:1. Life: Do you have fruit in your life? 1 John 5:2. Growth: Are you growing in God? 1 John 5:4. Love: Do you love God more now than last year? Do you love people more now than a few years ago? 1 John 3:14, 4:7-11. Sin: Do you tolerate sin in your life, planning to get it right someday? 1 John 1:5-10, 3:4-9.

Salvation: Once I have it, can I lose it?

  • Read John 10:27-30. The Promises of God: Whose word are you depending on—yours or God’s? Read Rom. 8:38-39. If you say you trust Him, then do so. Otherwise, it is not trust. God is the author and finisher of our faith: Phil. 1:6. He won’t start, then stop.
  • Pre-destination: Rom. 8:29. If you are predestined for Heaven, you will be there. If you have been saved, you have been predestinated. You will be justified, then glorified.
  • Perfection: Heb. 10:14. We don’t get saved, then unsaved. No one can return to the womb. Position: We are adopted by God, never to be let go. Possession: John 5:24. Prayer: John 17:9, 20. Power: 1 Pet. 1:3-5. If you are trusting Jesus, you cannot lose salvation.

Close: Among the general questions which Charles received and answered today was one that has probably lodged itself in the hearts of many: the writer expressed belief that God lives, acknowledges that Jesus is where salvation is found, but ‘he’s not ready to make a commitment—yet.’ It reminds one of King Agrippa when Paul, a prisoner for the gospel, challenged him about what the King believed. Agrippa replied, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian!” What a terrible thing to be so close to eternal life but …not quite yet. There are only two classifications of people: the saved and the unsaved. There are none who are ‘almost’ saved or ‘almost’ lost. Yet when one becomes saved, experiencing the love, joy, peace, and so much more, the saved can’t understand why one would put it off. Don’t let time rob you of serving Christ. You may be on your last opportunity before God gives you over to your own desires. Or, you might die when you walk from where you are now to where you intend to go. Satan is looking over your shoulder, trying to see if he can steal, kill, or destroy you before you make that last-ditch attempt to turn to Jesus.

By Sandy Day
May 17, 2026

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