Beginning with Christ: Part 1 (Assurance of Salvation)
How to actually know you’ve been saved
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And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
1 John 5:11-12 (ESV)
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The first lie the Enemy (i.e., the devil, Satan, etc.) tells a new believer is usually something along the lines of:
“You’re not really saved.”
He slinks around whispering sweet nothings about how God can’t actually cover your sin … that you’re too broken … the formula for salvation is too simple … yada yada.
It’s a series of tested, and unfortunately somewhat effective, lies.
Even I get hit with waves of doubt about my own salvation from time to time — and I’ve been walking with Jesus for three decades!
So, what can you do to counter-attack these lies?
Memorize 1 John 5:11-12
The weapon of choice for attacking the Enemy is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). Jesus used it when Satan tempted him in the desert before His ministry began.
You can wield it to slash at the fibs of the devil and his minions.
The reason I’d like you to memorize this?
Because the Enemy rarely attacks us when we’ve got the Bible in hand, ready to counter-strike. He’d rather creep around, waiting for a weak moment, and attack. But if you’ve got a verse locked away in your memory — and hidden in your heart — you can always fight back.
Anyway, I hope this inspires you today.
I’ll be sharing another quick assurance for the new believer tomorrow.
— Ricky Ketchum
P.S. If you want a deeper dive in the Lessons on Assurance, NavPress publishes a book by that name. I’ve found it helpful and encourage you to grab a copy for yourself.
Copyright © 2025 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
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Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV®Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.