You Can Know for Sure! Who Can Know?

God wants people to know for sure that they are saved. Although many deny that a person can know, the Bible says that we can. The Apostle John writes, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life…” (I Jn. 5:13). The Word know means “to know for sure.” Who are the ones who have assurance of their salvation? Those “that believe on the name of the Son of God.”

To believe on is to be convinced of Biblical evidence and to place one’s complete confidence in; to trust entirely in; to depend solely on. “The name of” refers to the character of the Son of God: Christ’s attributes in action. Jesus saves us based on His perfect obedience, His sacrifice on the cross for our sins, and His bodily resurrection. There is only one Son of God—the Lord Jesus Christ. Complete faith in the Jesus of the Bible, in who He is and in what He has done, is required for us to have eternal life.

While we can use I John 5:13 to show people that they can know for sure they have eternal life, we can also use this verse to show them that faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God is what brings salvation.