What should I do if I’m questioning my salvation?

Questioning your salvation is common, often stemming from immature faith or sin, and it comes with an opportunity to remember your salvation. Repenting of sin, praying for faith, meditating on God’s Word, and reflecting on Jesus’s sufficiency to save will strengthen your faith when you are questioning it.

what does the bible say?

Salvation in both the Old and New Testaments comes through faith in God (Genesis 15:6; Habakkuk 2:4; Ephesians 2:8–9; Romans 3:28; Galatians 2:16). Salvation is granted by God’s grace and received through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8–10). The Bible differentiates between having saving faith in Jesus’s death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins and just mentally assenting that Jesus exists. As the apostle James wrote, “Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:19). The Bible also teaches that works do not save; faith in Christ does (John 3:16–18; Ephesians 2:8–9). However, works testify to a believer’s faith (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:22–24; James 2:26). The Bible indicates that as our Savior, Christ will not forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) but will continue to perfect us in our faith (Hebrews 12:2). In short, Scripture shows that believers can be confident in their salvation if they turn from sin, trust in Jesus, and walk in step with God’s Spirit (Romans 8:4). Questioning salvation is something many people do, often arising from immature faith or unrepented sin. To strengthen faith, we should repent, pray, meditate on God’s Word, and reflect on Jesus’s sufficiency to save. Since salvation is God’s work, He will not forsake us but will continue to perfect our faith (Hebrews 12:2; 13:5).

from the old testament

Though the Israelites were under Mosaic Law, believers in the Old Testament were still justified by faith. Habakkuk 2:4 indicates that “the righteous shall live by his faith.” Paul quotes that passage in Galatians 3:11 and later refers to the Law as “our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24 [NKJV]).

from the new testament

In Mark 9, Jesus encourages the father of a demon-possessed boy to have faith that Jesus could heal his son. The man cries out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). The man had faith, but he still cried out to the Lord to increase it. Likewise, we may have moments of doubt, but we can pray for God to strengthen our faith during such times.
Acts 3 records onlookers marveling that Peter healed a lame man through Christ. Peter points them to the first step in salvation: “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus” (Acts 3:19–20). Sin can make us doubt our salvation; confessing our sins to the Lord can strengthen our faith.
The apostle Paul wrote to believers in Ephesus, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). True believers can be assured of salvation because they aren’t in charge of it: God is. He cannot fail.

implications for today

“Click here to get your free gift!” Clickbait like that still lures people to action. The optimists click. The cynics roll their eyes; they know the gift isn’t really “free.” Few things are. But Christians have been given an invaluable gift that is actually free: salvation. We didn’t do anything to earn it, and we don’t have to work to keep it. We just place our faith in Christ. When we do that, more free gifts come to us. We get the indwelling Holy Spirit who strengthens us so that we can become more Christ-like. We get cleansing from sin by repenting of it. We get a way to approach our Heavenly Father in prayer through the righteousness of Christ. We get the makeover of all makeovers because we become “new creations” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Sometimes, though, we doubt that those gifts are ours. These moments can become crises of faith. To overcome them, we must take advantage of the means our Lord has provided: prayer, repentance from sin, meditation on God’s Word, and fellowship with other believers. Most of all, we must reflect on Christ’s work on the cross. As our Savior, He will not forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) but will continue to perfect us in our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

Recap

understand

Salvation comes through faith, not works, so our salvation is dependent on God.
Questioning one’s salvation is normal; doubts often arise from immature faith or unrepented sin.
We cannot sin too much to lose our salvation, and we cannot doubt too much to lose salvation; our salvation is dependent only on trusting in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins.

reflect

Have you ever questioned your salvation, and what were those circumstances leading up to you questioning it?
How can you respond when you start to question your salvation?
How can you intentionally strengthen your faith through prayer, repentance, and reflection on God’s Word?

engage

How can we encourage one another to trust in God’s promise of salvation during times of doubt?
What biblical examples show that questioning faith can lead to deeper trust in God?
How can our understanding of salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9) help us combat doubts?