I know that only God truly knows who are saved. However, is there evidence or marks that points to genuine saving faith?

This question is both simple and complicated. Jesus tells us, on the one hand, that you will know those who are and are not true worshipers of God by their fruits (Matthew 7:16-20), and, on the other, that there are clearly those who are pretenders, apostates, tares among the wheat that are deceived about their spiritual condition and, for some, will discover this only when it’s too late (Matthew 7:21-23). The good news is that it is not our responsibility to make this determination of others (Matthew 13:30), only to admonish those Christians, whose behavior is not in keeping with their confession (Matthew 18:15-19). When it comes to ourselves, however, we can do much better than that, since the only heart we can know intimately is our own. Below is a short list of evidences from Scripture that you might use to examine whether you are in the faith—something that both Paul and Peter call us to do on a continual basis (2 Corinthians 13:5; 2 Peter 1:10).

1. Do I love God and have a desire to please Christ? The desire to love and please God is perhaps the one thing that is immediate upon conversion. I have an instant love for God and desire to follow Christ. That does not mean that I shed all my sinful ways at once. No. Many of those we bring right into our Christian lives (Ephesians 4:17-32). Godliness takes training (1 Timothy 4:7). But a new love (Matthews 22:35) and desire to please God (2 Corinthians 5:9) is instant.

2. Do I hate sin and want to make godly change? Along with the desire to please Christ comes a hatred for sin and a desire to conform to the image of Christ. Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). We want to “put off” the characteristics of the “old man” and “put on” the characteristics of the “new man” in their place (Ephesians 4:22-24). Hating sin does not mean that Christians can’t be enslaved to sinful, life-dominating habits. They can. But in this case, their desire is to be rid of such behavior. Hating sin and wanting never to sin the same sin over again is a godly desire that will lead to godly action (Matthews 5:29-30). But make no mistake, “If we say that we have fellowship with God and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1:6).

3. Do I love God’s Word? God created Adam to be dependent on counsel outside himself. He was not born with innate knowledge. Therefore, every person since then is created with the same dependency and will submit to someone’s counsel. The counsel we buy into will in large part determine our thoughts and actions (Matthews 15:17-19). Christians need to resist ungodly counsel when it comes to life and godliness, realizing that they have everything they need in the knowledge of the son (2 Peter 1:3). They must be convinced that the Bible is God-breathed and sufficient to equip them for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We should, therefore, study the Word to show ourselves approved (2 Timothy 2:15). The prophets ingested God’s Word in a day when it was not popular and found it good to their taste. God’s Word is good, sufficient, and really “the only thing that is needed” (Luke 10:42). Let’s pick up our Bibles and make God’s thoughts our own.

4. Do I love God’s people? This evidence might sound out of place, but it is an important one, especially in a time when many churches have lost interest in church membership and have individualized the faith. The New Testament presents a faith to us that is communal. There are to be no “loners”, no “lone rangers”, in God’s present economy. Christians are not to live out their faith in isolation, apart from a local body of believers. The faith is about serving others to God’s glory. The apostle John told the churches in Asia, “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also” (1 John 4:20-21).

5. Do I practice a life of confession? True worshipers of God practice humility, such that when they sin and grieve God, they seek forgiveness from their heavenly Father. All the great saints of old, such as Joseph, Moses, and Daniel, practiced repentance. Jesus commands it of all believers in His model prayer for us (Matthews 6:12). We have God’s promise that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

6. Am I ashamed of the gospel? Evangelism is one of the Church’s two-fold objectives to achieving the goal of becoming mature. Up until now, we have addressed issues that fit under the category of edification, that is, building up other believers and our own souls. The other part of our faith is about telling others the greatest news for meeting the worst possible fate. It is a fact that the only activity believers will not be practicing in heaven is evangelism. We can do that only here. How am I at representing Christ in all areas of my life? Do I live Christ to the World? Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:33 are sobering, “whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven”, and His commands to everyone in the church to make disciples of all nations (Matthews 28:19) and to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16) are not optional. It is not surprising to find Paul speaking to Titus about how to keep the behavior of church members excellent before the world for evangelistic reasons (Titus 3:1-11).

These six evidences make up a small portion of a much larger list. It wasn’t my intention to provide an exhaustive list, but a small mixture of the more important and the most neglected. You will find plenty of good works on this subject if want more. For those who love the Puritans, Jonathan Edwards’ Religious Affections is by far the best work on evidences of the Christian faith. A much lighter work, but certainly good and helpful, is Don Whitney’s, How Can I Be Sure I'm A Christian?: What the Bible Says About Assurance of Salvation. May God grant you an overabundance of joy as you prove that which is good and acceptable and perfect.