The Evidence of Salvation

We’ve already looked at the test in 1st John 3:10 which shows how we can measure the validity of our salvation. It shows us how we can tell who is saved and who isn’t
The verse again: 1st John 3:10 – “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”

We can tell who is saved and who isn’t by whether or not that person practices righteousness. But then John throws in this last phrase – “nor is he who does not love his brother.” Ah, love, we’ve spiraled back around to love again. Remember, the outline of the book of First John resembles a corkscrew? So we are again, talking about love, and using it as a test; and John says, “You can tell who is a Christian by their love.”

That makes sense. You can tell who is a child of God by who bears a resemblance to God, by who acts like God, by who carries the family resemblance as a child of God. And what is the most important characteristics of God? Love! 1st John 4:8 says, “God is love.”

Not only is it a characteristic of God, it is a command to us. 1st John 3:11says, “For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”
That’s right! We are supposed to love one another.

Not only is this commanded of us, it is the criteria that God permits the world to judge us by. In the Gospel of John we see these words of Jesus: John 13:34-35 – These are the words of Jesus: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” How do we love? Like Jesus loved us. He is our example.

Isn’t that scary? God gives the world the right to judge our faith (our internal salvation) by our love for one another (our external actions).

How can this be? How can God base these tests of our salvation all on our external actions? It’s very simple: Salvation is supposed to transform our lives. The new birth yields fruit within us so you can tell by our actions whether we’ve been saved or not.
That Holy Spirit that comes in and lives in the life of every believer never leaves us unchanged.

Now, the reverse is apostasy. Our actions, our works, never lead to the new birth, but new birth always leads to works, to a changed life. Do you follow this?

Maybe this will help. Ephesians 2:8-10 really show us clearly the pattern. It says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

The means of our salvation is grace, and the source of that is God. Salvation comes to our lives by faith. It isn’t by our work, or we could brag about it. But the purpose of our salvation? That purpose is work. That’s why God created us and saved us: He has work planned for us to do. He planned it for us even before we were saved. And our salvation, which is God’s work in us, always bears fruit. We will accomplish what God has planned for us or the Holy Spirit has failed at His task of bearing fruit within us.

But, that’s the paradox that so many miss. We can’t be saved by our works; that only comes by God’s grace applied to us through faith. But the purpose of our salvation, from God’s perspective, is that we work for Him. That’s the progression. And it only works in one way. Works do not work to save us, but salvation always results in works.

Therefore, works can give evidence of salvation. People can’t ever see our internal faith, but they can see our external action. And they can use those external evidences to make their conclusion about whether we are saved or not. That’s why, back in John 13:35, Jesus could say: “By this (by love) all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”