The only reliable evidence that you have saving faith is that you right now are believing in Jesus Christ for Eternal Life. Eternal Life is at the point of believing. John 3:3 through 3:21 is the sermon that Jesus preached to Nicodemus. Those verses are the very words of Jesus except where Nicodemus asks questions. In 3:16 Jesus was speaking of Himself as being the Son of God, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life So, God gave Jesus for us but He gave Jesus to Himself because Jesus is His sin-bearer for our sin. We could not offer Jesus as our offering, He is not ours to give. He is ours to believe in for everlasting life. Jesus is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the World. For Jesus is God's sacrifice for sin, all sin for all time, once for all. 1Jn 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation [ to be the satisfactory sacrifice] for our sins. [Jesus is God's chosen sacrifice].
Being saved is at the point of believing. The word believe is used one hundred twenty-four times in the Book of John. There was a time when believing was just believing but in this day it is believing plus surrender, sanctification, discipleship to receive the Gift of Eternal Life. But that is not correct: the Gift of God is received by faith alone in Christ alone. Surrender, sanctification, and discipleship are for the believer.
Jesus, as the sin-bearer, endured the Cross carrying all our sin in His own body, "tasted death for every person". Eternal Salvation is to anyone who will believe on Christ for His promise of life, Joh 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. Jesus never made a promise He could not keep and He never made a promise He did not keep. Jesus guarantees you eternal life; He is the Resurrection and the Life, and He promises Eternal Life to the one that believes Him for His promise of life. "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
Salvation is to the one who believes Him for His Promise of Every lasting Life.
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