Am I Saved?

Years ago, I read “The Applause of Heaven” by Max Lucado. I don’t remember much about the book except that Mr. Lucado used the Beatitudes to show a path to salvation. I’ve remembered that message for years.

Today, I read a sermon by John Wesley as he told his congregation how they could know whether they were saved. And it reminded me of Max Lucado’s book, but it took it one step further. It invited me to examine my life to see if I measured up.

What if we read the Beatitudes as if they were Marks on the Wall?

Jesus said:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Those who are poor in spirit recognize they are spiritually bankrupt. You can’t be saved until you understand that you are empty inside without Christ. If you’re filled up with the things of this world, there’s no room for Jesus.

⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.

Those who mourn are truly sorry for their sin. The fact they “fell short of the glory of God” (Romans 6:23) breaks their hearts. We can not be saved if we don’t acknowledge our sin. Repentance is necessary for salvation, and if our sin doesn’t grieve us, we won’t repent. As humans, we’ll just keep on sinning until it makes us feel so horrible about ourselves that we want to separate ourselves from it.

⁵ Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.

Repentance makes us meek, not weak. We feel humble because we know we aren’t worthy of forgiveness. We stand in awe that the Creator of the universe would die for us and make a place for us.

⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.

True salvation causes us to want to know the person who gave Himself for us more. Appreciation for what He did makes us want to be more like Him, to be obedient. It’s more than just a thought, it’s an inner longing to be everything He created us to be.

⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.

And then the Marks on the Wall really begin to show up. We feel merciful to those we used to judge. We still want the best for them; we still want them to recognize their own bankruptcy. But at the same time, we feel for them because we remember where we came from.

⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.

Growth in Christ changes us. It takes time, maybe as long as it takes a toddler to become a teenager. However, at some point, those who accept Christ as their Savior begin to notice their heart has changed. From merciful to pure. We see things differently. There is nothing manipulative in us. We genuinely want the best for everyone around us—even our enemies.

⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.

And that’s when we become peacemakers—not people who protest war, but people who want others to come to know Jesus. We want everyone to have the peace that comes from the Fruit of the Spirit. Our pure heart gives us that peace, and we don’t want to keep it to ourselves.

¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

When we step out of our old selves into a merciful, pure-of-heart peacemaker, the world won’t like it. Our presence will make them start to feel their own bankruptcy. A few will start to make their own Marks on the Wall, but many won’t be able to tolerate the conviction they feel, and they’ll want to fight back. Even when you don’t do anything, the Spirit within you will start to shine a light on the darkness within them. If they don’t change, they’ll feel so bad they’ll strike out. Jesus just wants us to be prepared.

Too many people who sit in church believe they’re saved, but we don’t see any fruit—ever. The enemy loves it when that happens. They are forever fooled into thinking they are righteous. Jesus said if we don’t feel that hunger for righteousness, we shouldn’t assume we are. Use the Beatitudes as a guide, a measure, one more gauge to see where you’re making Marks on the Wall.