“For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
2 Peter 1:8, 10-11
How do you know if you’re saved? I’ve met Christians who, even after years of walking with the Lord, occasionally lack assurance of salvation. Pointing to a confirmation certificate won’t do. Knowing the date you were baptized won’t do either.
True, the Spirit bears witness with our spirit, assuring us that our names are written in the Book of Life. But if the Spirit doesn’t point to a confirmation certificate or a date of baptism, to what then does He point? He directs our attention to 2 Peter 1.
As the verse says, if we want to make our calling and election sure, that is, if we want to know for certain that we are among the elect, then we should look to our lives to make certain we possess in increasing measure faith, goodness, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. A changed life is the best evidence that we are heading for heaven.
And what if your life does not reflect these godly qualities? Second Peter 1:9 has the answer: “If anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.”
Lord, I want to make every effort to add to my faith all the godly qualities that reflect Your life. As I grow, thank You for deepening my assurance that I am safe and secure in the family of God.
