How can I stop questioning my salvation?

There is no uncertainty in divine things for those who, in faith, rest upon the word of God; and it is clear from the Scriptures that God desires His saints to be fully assured of His salvation, and of all that He has so graciously made known to us by the inspiration of His Holy Spirit. Defective teaching, and weakness of faith in God’s word, have very much to do with the doubts that afflict many true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Simply faith in what the Scripture says would dispel every doubt, giving assurance of God’s salvation and of the place of relationship and favour into which God, in His matchless grace, has set us before Him.

"Could I be sure," said a troubled soul to the preacher one evening, "of the very time, circumstances, and means of my conversion, I should be quite happy." Happiness resting on such a foundation, she was told, would not last long. Satan would soon beat her in argument and plunge her soul in deeper troubles than ever. Then how can I be sure, many will be ready to inquire, that I am converted? If you are now really caring to be assured that you are converted, most likely you are. Both the desire and that which satisfies it must come from God. But the word of God alone can give assurance. "Look unto me and be ye saved," are the Lord's own words. From the first moment that the eye looks to Christ as the Saviour, the soul is beyond all question saved. It may not believe it; it may be judging of its state by its feelings; it may be miserable, even on the brink of despair; but the word of God must ever be true notwithstanding. "Look unto me and be ye saved." Our unbelief cannot make the word of God untrue, but it hinders our enjoyment of Christ and salvation.

"E. H." Your case is by no means an uncommon one; but this, you will say, is poor comfort for you. We know no remedy but in looking off to Jesus. You will never be really happy so long as you continue to look at your own ever-changing feelings. You can only find rest in Jesus and His finished work. Do not be "trying" to believe. If you were to say to a friend, "I am trying to believe what you say," he would consider it a very poor compliment. Let your heart muse on the love of God, on the finished work of Christ, and on the testimony of the Holy Ghost in Scripture, and as you muse, the fire of devotion will kindle, and you will be able to sing and give thanks. May God chase away the clouds and mists, and pour in upon your precious soul the bright and blessed beams of His salvation!

We must not put feeling before faith. Feeling is based on faith; and faith is based upon the word of God. The gospel calls you to believe on the Son of God, not to feel that you are this or that. Thousands go astray as to this. They are looking at their own feelings, in place of taking God at His word. They are occupied with self in place of with Christ; hence all their darkness and confusion. We quite believe you are a regenerated person; we could not doubt it with such a letter before us. But then you must look off from yourself altogether, and rest not in any change in you, but in the finished work of Christ, and on the word of God. True, there is a real work of God's Spirit in us; but that is not the foundation of our peace. We are called to rest simply in Christ's work for us, which is a finished and unchangeable one. May your heart find its sweet repose and its satisfying object in Jesus Christ!

Remember feelings always follow faith, but are absolutely unreliable as a ground of assurance. Do you believe in Christ? Are all your hopes in Him? If so, then surely this is enough for you. “All that believe are justified from all things.”

1885 304 A practical principle of extreme importance is brought out when Abraham asks, "Whereby shall I know?" in reference to God's promise: he is instantly pointed to the covenant-victims. That is to say, when anyone needs "assurance," he is pointed to Christ — not to his own feelings, spiritual experiences, good works, resolutions or anything else. The fact is, a man's spiritual emotions are apt to be very variable and change with the barometer or the state of his health; but even if they were not so, the "feelings" form no proper ground whatever to rest on, in reference whether to assurance of salvation or to anything else. The feelings vary; but Christ is the same yesterday and to day and for ever.

So many a trembling believer is troubled by doubts and fears, but if be realised that his security lies in Christ, and in what He has done, and not in himself, his doubts would vanish. We cannot doubt Christ nor the sufficiency of His work.

God says to the awakened, restless soul, "Believe my word and you shall be perfectly happy." "No," replies the soul, "first give me to feel an inward change that the word is true to me and then I will believe it." "What!" God again says, "is not my word true, whatever your feelings may be! Can any inward change make my word more true than it is! Why should you ask for any token that my word is true?" But again the soul will venture to say, "How can I believe unless I feel?" Once more God graciously replies, "How can you feel unless you believe?" Thus the sorrowful struggle goes on, until self is lost sight of and the word of God received as the answer of His love to the anxious soul. He waits patiently in His love until His word is believed without the feelings, for that is what it must come to in all, sooner or later. In some cases the struggle is short, in others it may last a life-time. This depends on the simplicity of faith; for the feelings so much desired can only be produced by means of the written word received into the heart. Oh! that we could persuade every weary one to have done with self and to rest entirely on the sure word of God; then would they have rest and peace and joy, and then, too, they would be strong for labour in the service of Christ.

But so long as the soul keeps looking to its feelings, both Christ and the word of God, in a practical point of view, go for nothing. All that God reveals to us of His love, all that Christ has done and suffered for us, all that the Spirit bears witness to, are practically set aside, that the feelings may have undisputed authority over the poor, distressed, unhappy soul. What a fearful state of things this is, and yet it is the most common in Christendom! But God cannot alter His word. There it is written, "Kiss the Son" — be reconciled to the Son; he friends with the Son, make everything of the Son, and what then? Let the word of God answer: "Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." And, surely, when God says, "Blessed," blessed it shall indeed be! "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." (Eph. 1:3) And, surely, O doubting heart, Christ is fit to be trusted, whatever our feelings may be — nay, in spite of our feelings; ought we not to be ashamed of our ourselves, when we cannot trust the One that loves us, and died for us, and lives again in power and glory. And if we do but simply trust Him, the feelings will come all right. Let every doubt and fear then perish — yes, perish for ever, in the presence of a love which nothing could turn aside from its object — in the presence of a work that is finished — in the presence of a Saviour who has all power in heaven and on earth; and whose love knows no change.

But there may be some who do trust in Jesus, and who are yet far from being happy. Why is this? The heart may be really trusting Christ, as every believer does, however feebly; but the full truth of God is not believed. In place of looking to Jesus, and then to the word of God, they look to Jesus, and then to themselves. They think that if their prayers were answered, they must have the feelings of peace, assurance, or whatever it may be that they are waiting for. But if these feelings are not experienced, they conclude that the answer has not come — that God is not regarding them, and that peace is further off than ever. This is a snare of Satan.

Is there some reader of these lines who lacks assurance? Are you a prey to doubts and fears as to your salvation? What you need is to receive the witness of the Spirit in "full assurance of faith," as verse 22 puts it. Could more reliable witness be presented to you than that of God, the Holy Ghost? No! Could His witness be presented to you in a more stable or more satisfactory form than in the Scriptures of truth, which He has inspired? We venture to say, it could not.