how we know

I think every Christian wonders once in a while whether he or she is really saved. Often, we wonder because we look at the way we live, or maybe just all the things hidden inside.

When we do that, we’re on the right track. Look at this from 2 John 3:24: “The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”

There is, John says, a way to know for sure. If we sense the Spirit, then we know that we belong to Jesus. The Spirit, after all, is a way we know the triune God, so that evidence is as conclusive as it gets.

But how do we know if the Spirit is in us? Well, Paul told us that in Ephesians. He explained that the Spirit will produce fruit in our lives, and he even told us what that fruit would be. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

You see why we wonder?

Sometimes, in traffic or at work or when we disagree at church, we don’t see the fruit. Those are barren seasons, times of no harvest. Our spiritual tree seems bare. But even in those bad times, there are signs of green life.

Because other times we see fruit. Maybe not on every branch, and maybe it isn’t very big. But sometimes we’re thoughtful and kind and generous. Sometimes we have gentle words instead of harsh ones, and joyful thoughts instead of cynical ones. Sometimes we promote peace instead of conflict. On certain days we can even wait patiently instead of demanding answers or solutions. And we know, because that’s not how we are by ourselves, that the Spirit is at work.

There is a way to know for sure. Jesus himself told us you’ll never get good fruit from a bad tree.