Even if people set aside their religious convictions, there are compelling reasons to believe in eternal life.
It is usual for a Christian to have occasional doubts about salvation. Persistent doubts, however, are a source of significant concern.
On the contrary, it is common for non-Christians to believe they are safe when they are not and to have false hope, a false assurance of salvation.
Where do people turn for assurance? Oddly enough, even though they learn about God and salvation and Jesus in the Bible, Christians are tempted to do other things to ensure biblical salvation. They will look to rituals or experiences or parents or pastors for assurance. But the Bible not only tells about saving, it tells people where to seek proof of salvation.
Five Assurances Of Eternal Life
If you are anxious about guaranteeing your salvation, the book from the Bible you want to read and reread is the first letter of the apostle John. In 1 John, Christians are told of at least five actions and attitudes that regularly mark Christians only. Thus, if you want to know if you are going to Heaven, assess yourself and ponder upon these questions in the light of this evidence of true Christianity.
Question #1. Do you share the Christian life intimacies with other believers? The word fellowship comes from the Greek Word koinonia, which means “to share with.” In the New Testament, it means that followers of Jesus live and talk about the Christian life with other Christians. It goes beyond mere socializing, although Christians do much of that. The biblical fellowship includes participating and discussing together the intimacies of Christian living, such as Bible study, prayer, ministry, and especially the discussion about the things of God and God. It involves verbalizing spiritual failures and victories, sharing scriptural insights, and asking questions about each other’s walk with God.
Question #2. Do you have a profound realization of your sin against the love of God and the Word? Everyone will admit to being imperfect, but that is not what this question means. This involves more than just a disposition to an awareness that, on occasion, you have been wrong. Growing Christians can scarcely do or think anything without seeing their sin. They know that if corruption were blue, everything they did, said, or thought would be at least some shade of blue. They acknowledge the selfishness in their hearts, even when they do the most benevolent deeds. They know that even when they are closest to Jesus and most like Jesus, sin is still splattered over them like mud.
Question #3. Do you live in conscious obedience to God’s Word? Just as coming to Jesus is made consciously, so is living daily in obedience to the Word of God. Those who know Christ are not pointless; they obey Him purposely. They become learners of His Word and go out to attend it. Despite frequent failures, they persevere.
Question #4. Do you loathe the world and its ways? Unbelievers love and dive into the world because it is all they know and have. And the more they realize they will not be here forever, the more they submerge themselves into the world to find hope, meaning, pleasure, and satisfaction. However, Christians feel less at home in this world as they grow spiritually.
Question #5. Do you anticipate the presence of the Holy Spirit deep within you? Those who genuinely understand the holy triune and infinite God cannot help but have an instance where they find great delight in Him. The Holy Spirit of God Almighty cannot live in a person without making Himself known. Whenever a human spirit is in a body, that Spirit makes itself known. It moves the body, communicates through the body, and gives evidence that there is life within it.
Parting Words
Christians do not believe Jesus was merely an “ascended master” or a “great teacher.” They confess that, just as He claimed, Christ is the course, the truth, and the life and that there is no other way to God the Father but through Him (John 14:6).
The book God’s Existence: Truth or Fiction? by Gary Lindberg talks about a scientific study of the proof of God’s Existence and the existence of eternal life. The book’s thesis is that science proves that God exists. The author discovers why many Christians fear evolution, why they should not fear it, and how Christianity agrees with evolution. The book offers its influential theory to challenge readers to contemplate and presents its unique conclusion.
Gary R. Lindberg 