Identifying a Believer (Am I Saved?) (Study Outline)

Written on 09/09/2024


Main Point: You know a person by their fruit (Matthew 7:15-21). A person who is truly saved will have signs of salvation in their conduct.

 

What is the fruit of a saved person—a true believer?

A saved person is someone who repents and believes (Mark 1:15). The fruit of a believer is therefore the evidence that a person is repenting (turning away from sin) and believing (putting faith in Christ into practice). 

The following list shows the evidences of a repentant and believing person:

 

Fruits of Repentance:

  • A saved person will openly confess that they have sinned against God, and express that they need Jesus to save them and God to forgive their sins (Acts 19:18, 1 John 1:8-10, Luke 18:9-14). 

  • A saved person will be progressively quitting all the sin in their lives that they're aware of, in order to practice doing what is right (1 John 3:5-9 NIV, 2 Corinthians 7:10-11).

    • An unsaved person will not care enough about their sin to truly stop it, or they will repent from some sin as a way to justify or cover for the sins they're still continuing in. 

      • But no matter the sin, we're commanded to repent from all of it (Luke 13:1-5). 

    • Others will try to make themselves appear repentant, but behind closed doors they're still willingly in sin (Matthew 23:26-28). 

  • A saved person will strive to follow Christ simply to love and obey Him, because He is Lord (John 14:21-23, Psalm 45:11b). They will not follow Christ merely for their own benefit or self-centered wants (John 6:24-27).

    • An unsaved person will sometimes try to follow Christ for their own gratification. Some will see Christianity as another means of self-help. 

  • A saved person, when confronted with hard truth from the Word, will accept the truth (for “he who is of God hears God's words”) (John 8:31,37-47). 

    • An unsaved person will often be offended, angered, or will deflect hard truth when they hear it. They will not accept it. There are many who believe in Jesus, to an extent, but because they do not repent of their pride, their belief is not enough to save them. 

 

Fruits of Belief:

  • A saved person will express that they trust in Christ to save them, knowing they cannot save themselves by their own good deeds (Luke 18:9-14, Ephesians 2:7-9, Titus 3:5).

  • A saved person will agree that everything in the Bible is true, and all of it should be obeyed (Matthew 5:17-20, Luke 24:25-27,44-45, John 5:46-47, Acts 26:22-23).

    • An unsaved person will often say they agree with certain parts of the Word, but reject or disagree with other parts. This just proves that their own mind is still their authority.

  • A saved person will pursue learning and doing what the Bible says (John 8:31-32, Matthew 7:21, Luke 6:46-48, James 1:22). 

  • A saved person will have good speech—habitually talking about Christ and how Scripture is influencing their life ([Matthew 12:33-35]).