Can We Determine Who is Saved or Not?

This article comes in the form of a question. A question that many people may consider inappropriate or controversial. But it is not! This question is absolutely necessary. There are many self-deceived believers today. There are also others who were made to believe that they are saved when they really are not. So, how do we help such people to re-evaluate their salvation if we do not bring up issues like this? Being lost is bad enough. But it is worse when a person thinks he’s saved when in fact he is still lost.

The purpose of this article is not to judge anybody’s salvation or make people doubt their salvation. It is however intended to help people better understand what is required to be saved. Thinking that you’re saved alone does not make you saved. You must trust in the right thing and in the right Person. So can we determine who is saved or not? The answer is a resounding YES! Let’s see how it works.

Before anything else, let me make something clear: we are not capable of knowing who is saved or not simply by looking at them. Salvation happens on the inside of a person. Although part of the effects of salvation is the outward and noticeable changes in a person’s life, these changes in themselves are not sufficient to conclude whether a person is saved or not. True salvation is dependent on the condition of the heart. This is why is it impossible for us to know, since as humans, we are unable to see the heart, only God can!

Therefore concluding that a person must be saved because of what he/she does could be misleading. Likewise, concluding that a person must be lost because of what he/she does not do could be misleading. This is because it is simply difficult to judge a book by its cover. You will need to first read the book. So, in the case of a person, how do we properly read them?

Ask Relevant Questions

Having address our limitations to knowing the heart of man, let me now show you how you can know more about a person’s salvation or about their profession of faith. Salvation comes with the knowledge of it. God wants us to be saved and know it.

Romans 8:15-17 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

1 John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Salvation is not mystical. It is not something that takes place outside of a person’s mind. What I mean by that is that you cannot be saved and not know it. You believe that you’re saved because you’re trusting in something. But the question is whether you’re trusting in the right thing or not. Everyone is trusting in something. But you won’t know it until you ask them. What then do we ask?

We can listen to peoples’ testimonies, that is, how they became Christians, by asking relevant questions. I will address two of these questions in this section. These are also very good to use as conversation starter with people that we want to talk about Christ:

Question 1: How Did You Become a Christian?

Before you continue reading, pause for a moment and answer that question for yourself. What will you say if someone asks you that question? This is where many people will begin to tell a story about how they met a prophet who prayed for them and miracles happened and then they joined his Church. But for a person who is genuinely saved, there is no better answer to this question than the fact that you realized you were lost in your sins. You repented, and you ran to Christ for forgiveness. You believed in Jesus Christ and you’re saved. You don’t become a Christian until after you’re saved.

To the lot lost people out there who are posing to be Christians, the story of how they became Christians has nothing to do with getting saved. But without being saved, you cannot be a Christian, regardless of how much miracles have happened in your life. So becoming a Christians is all about getting saved by believing in Christ alone. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone! If anyone tells you anything outside of this, you got a great opportunity to give them the true gospel.

Question 2: Why Will God Let You into Heaven?

I will also challenge you to answer this one for yourself. Why do you think you will make it to heaven? Again, this is where many people will begin listing the things that they do for God. The sins that they do not commit. And so on and so forth. Remember what I said about us not being capable of knowing people’s mind? This is how you can dig into it. What that means is that they can reveal to you what’s in their minds.

Their responses to these questions will reveal something about them, the thing/Person in which they have put their trust. When a person begins to list the number of things they do as the reason why they are going to heaven, you just discovered a person who is trusting in his own works. When a person says it is because they no longer commit some sins, you just found a person who is trusting in his own righteousness. All these are the sign of being lost.

So the right answer to both of these questions is the blood of Jesus Christ. The reason we are saved is because our sins were washed away by the blood that Christ shed on the cross. This happened when we believed. It is also what makes us eligible for heaven, because we have been redeemed, bought by the blood, not by our works or self-righteousness. Our salvation and eternal life depend only on the completed work of Christ. We just need to believe and live.

Titus 3:5-7  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Imagine how much asking relevant questions can help you guide others to the knowledge of salvation! We do not approach people in this way because we intent to condemn them or put them down, but to help them believe right. Jesus Christ said it by Himself that not everyone who worship Him will make it to heaven. Listen to His words:

Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

These people missed heaven not because they committed sins. These are not your typical sinners, in fact the reverse is the case. (I said that bearing on mind that all have sinned.) They “prophesied”. They “cast out” demons. They did “many wonderful works”. But sadly, they lack the most important thing – the salvation of their souls. These were religious people who were never saved. Therefore Christ told them: “I never knew you.” You think they lost their salvation? Absolutely not! They were never saved.

There are still people around us today that we can help out of this self-deception. It will begin by a simple loving conversation, asking them relevant questions like the ones discussed in this article. We can thereby help someone better understand the gospel and believe right. We must not just conclude that a person is saved simply because they say so or act like it. We must endeavor to listen to their testimonies.

Parents and guardians must not be satisfied with their adult children until they have listened to their testimonies and be sure they are believing right. Pastors, leaders, and mentors must not be satisfied until they have listen to the testimonies of their followers and know that they are true. Friends must not be afraid to press this issue on one another. It is better to sometimes bother people about this, even hurt their feelings, than to allow them to feel good on their way to hell.

Again, can we determine who is saved or not? Absolutely yes! Not by knowing the heart of men, because we cannot do that. But by listening to their testimonies of salvation. This is how we know what they are trusting in and how we can help them if necessary.

We must not just conclude that a person is saved simply because they say so or act like it. We must endeavor to listen to their testimonies.

Thank you for reading!