Every Christian at one time or another wrestles with that big question…am I really going to Heaven? How can Christians find confidence in their eternal salvation? Often the answers that pastors or religious leaders provide are true but can fall short of assuring a doubting believer. Why is this? Becoming confident in the eternal requires a change in perspective that many Christians have a hard time overcoming.
Am I Doing Enough?
Christians can’t earn salvation. There is no way to do enough good things on this earth to buy a ticket to God’s kingdom. Conversely there is no way to commit enough evil to cancel out an invite to spend eternity with Jesus. Human beings have an innate sense of right and wrong. From this internal compass a sense of fairness and justice is formed. This is why the very concept that we can’t do anything to earn our salvation is hard to swallow. While many people go through life following their beliefs of fairness and justice, a Christian needs to shift their mindset to follow God’s ideals.
Have You Ever Received a Gift You Didn’t Deserve?
Most people at one time or another have received something positive they knew they didn’t earn. This could have been undue praise by a boss or someone giving you credit for something you didn’t earn. Many times exhausted and weary parents will go beyond their limits to give their children a gift the child could never earn. God is our father and he has done the impossible to give us the most incredible gift of all: an eternity with him. Not much in life truly comes without a cost, but Jesus provided an absolutely free gift.
A Change in Perspective
As Christians begin to reframe their mindset to conform to God’s ideals, they begin to do the right thing because they want to, not because they feel guilty or are trying to earn something. When this change occurs, a shift happens in mindset and motivation. No longer is guilt the driving factor for good behavior. Gone are the days when Christians feel the weight of sin driving them to try to refill the hole they dug with good deeds. Freedom begins to take hold as Christians act righteously out of a desire to honor God in gratitude for the gift of Jesus.
There is only one avenue to salvation and confidence in eternity. Put your faith in Jesus Christ. While assurance of eternity is good, don’t forget to enjoy life! Help others and love your family. Use the time you have here on earth to strive toward a righteous life, knowing full well you are going to mess up. As confidence in your eternal destination grows, a godly mindset will grow, too. Guilt will have less sway and give way to doing good out of an overflowing heart changed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Watch the video together or invite someone to summarize the topic.
- What is your initial reaction to this video? Do you disagree with any of it? What jumped out at you?
- Do you ever find yourself questioning your salvation? Why? What makes you wonder?
- Have you ever tried to do something good to make up for a mistake or sin? Is this wrong?
- How could a changed mindset help you do more good?
- How do you respond when you feel guilty? Do you lash out in anger? Do you try to repay the debt?
- Name two ways your behavior would change as you grew in your confidence in salvation.
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
