Questioning your salvation is common, often stemming from immature faith or sin, and it comes with an opportunity to remember your salvation. Repenting of sin, praying for faith, meditating on God's Word, and reflecting on Jesus’s sufficiency to save will strengthen your faith when you are questioning it.
Salvation in both the Old and New Testaments comes through faith in God (Genesis 15:6; Habakkuk 2:4; Ephesians 2:8–9; Romans 3:28; Galatians 2:16). Salvation is granted by God's grace and received through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8–10). The Bible differentiates between having saving faith in Jesus’s death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins and just mentally assenting that Jesus exists. As the apostle James wrote, "Even the demons believe—and shudder!" (James 2:19). The Bible also teaches that works do not save; faith in Christ does (John 3:16–18; Ephesians 2:8–9). However, works testify to a believer’s faith (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:22–24; James 2:26). The Bible indicates that as our Savior, Christ will not forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) but will continue to perfect us in our faith (Hebrews 12:2). In short, Scripture shows that believers can be confident in their salvation if they turn from sin, trust in Jesus, and walk in step with God's Spirit (Romans 8:4). Questioning salvation is something many people do, often arising from immature faith or unrepented sin. To strengthen faith, we should repent, pray, meditate on God’s Word, and reflect on Jesus’s sufficiency to save. Since salvation is God's work, He will not forsake us but will continue to perfect our faith (Hebrews 12:2; 13:5).
“Click here to get your free gift!” Clickbait like that still lures people to action. The optimists click. The cynics roll their eyes; they know the gift isn’t really “free.” Few things are. But Christians have been given an invaluable gift that is actually free: salvation. We didn’t do anything to earn it, and we don’t have to work to keep it. We just place our faith in Christ.
When we do that, more free gifts come to us. We get the indwelling Holy Spirit who strengthens us so that we can become more Christ-like. We get cleansing from sin by repenting of it. We get a way to approach our Heavenly Father in prayer through the righteousness of Christ. We get the makeover of all makeovers because we become “new creations” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Sometimes, though, we doubt that those gifts are ours. These moments can become crises of faith. To overcome them, we must take advantage of the means our Lord has provided: prayer, repentance from sin, meditation on God’s Word, and fellowship with other believers. Most of all, we must reflect on Christ’s work on the cross. As our Savior, He will not forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) but will continue to perfect us in our faith (Hebrews 12:2).