Can I Know For Certain I Have Eternal Life?

The Bible's answer is "yes."  In I John 5:13, the Bible tells us that God gave us the scriptures so "you may know that you have eternal life."

Eternal life is possible because of Jesus Christ and is found only in a personal relationship with Him.  I John 5:11-12 reads, "And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life."  Since eternal life is promised to those who have Jesus in their life, it is important for you to understand how to have that kind of relationship with Jesus.  Please read the Bible verses and explanations below to learn more.

"all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"  Romans 3:23

No argument there.  All of us know we have sinned and do not compare favorably to Jesus Christ.

"by the works of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight"  Romans 3:20

People sometimes imagine God will welcome them to heaven because they have been a pretty good person...when compared to some other people they know.  Yet the Bible tells us that no one will be justified in God's eyes by keeping His law...doing what God says is good.  The reason is that all of us, no matter how good we are, have sinned.  We haven't been good all the time.  We have disobeyed God's laws many times.  When someone breaks man's laws, they become a criminal.  Similarly when you break God's laws, you become a sinner.

"the wages of sin is death"  Romans 6:23

Sin has consequences.  This "death" is more than physical death.  It is also spiritual and eternal.  Spiritual death means that sin separates us from God.  Eternal death means that if our relationship with God is never fixed in this life, when we die we will spend eternity separated from God.  The Bible calls this place of suffering hell.

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"  Romans 5:8

In spite of our sin, God loves us and wants a relationship with us.  That is why Jesus Christ died on the cross.

"All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him"  Isaiah 53:6

 "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him"  II Corinthians 5:21

When Jesus died on the cross, our sins were placed on Him.  He died in our place and voluntarily accepted the "wages" or punishment we deserved.  God now offers us as a gift the "righteousness" of Jesus Himself.  This is a beautiful picture of what happens when God forgives us for sinning.  Jesus takes our sin and we receive His goodness.  That is what makes us worthy of heaven.

"the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord"  Romans 6:23

Eternal life is a gift, not something we earn or purchase.  We simply receive as a gift offered by Jesus Christ.

"if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation"  Romans 10:9-10

"Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved"  Romans 10:13

We receive this gift by making a conscious decision to commit our lives to Jesus Christ.  We believe what the Bible tells us about Him and we acknowledge Him as our Lord.  Making Jesus Lord means letting Him have control of our life.  We call on Jesus in prayer, confessing our sins and asking His forgiveness.  Faith in the Bible is believing something enough to act on it.  So believing in Jesus is more than just believing He is real.  It is believing it enough to act on that belief by turning our life over to Him.    When we do this, we are "saved" from the "wages" of our sin and given God's gift of eternal life.

Have you made this decision?  Do you want to?

Is there any reason you would not be willing to turn your life over to Jesus, ask for His forgiveness, and receive His gift of eternal life?

Read this prayer and see if it says what you want to say to God.

"Dear Lord, I believe You are the Son of God and that you died on the cross for me and were raised from the dead.  I know I have sinned and need forgiveness.  Right now, I turn from my sin and receive You as my Savior and Lord.  I accept your gift of eternal life and I surrender my life to your control.  Thank you for loving me and saving me.  In Jesus' name.  Amen."

If this sounds like the decision you want to make, say those words or ones similar to them to God right now.  Remember that you have to mean it and believe it.  If you do, God will hear and answer your prayer.

Pray right now...

If you prayed that prayer, contact us so we may help you grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ.  Read the other articles listed on the "eternal life" page of this web site.  Those articles discuss the role of the church in your life as a follower of Jesus Christ and what baptism is all about.  It is important for you to take the next steps in your life as a Christian.