In a world where millions claim to be Christians while living lives indistinguishable from anyone else, it’s critical to understand the importance of authentic faith. It’s a bit more than “all you have to do is believe” (explained here), which is an unsupportable position according to scripture and Jesus’ own words.

But a companion misunderstanding is that you should never question your own faith. Some even say it’s a sin to do so.

As you examine your thoughts and attitudes and actions in the clear light of scriptural teaching, the Spirit will show you things to work on — guaranteed.

But again — that’s not what the Bible says.

The apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians, told them to test themselves to see if they were in the faith — “examine yourselves!” he exclaimed (2 Corinthians 13:5). It’s never wrong to thoughtfully examine our own hearts to ensure we’re on the right track.

So having established that it’s not wrong — and in fact, it’s desirable to examine ourselves — let’s answer the million-dollar question: How do we know we are saved?

1. Understand what happens at salvation

Obviously, you won’t know if you’re saved if you don’t know what being saved means. It means that God has freely given you:

Eyes to see the truth of the gospel. You sincerely believe that Jesus lived, died, and rose again to pay for your sins.A heart to repent. You recognize your sin separates you from a holy God, and you want to pivot to a life in relationship with your creator. You want to align with His plans for your life, not your own.

In that moment when those things happen, God does a miracle:

He brings a dead person to life.He wipes your slate clean (even the sins you’ll still commit) because they were all nailed to the cross, so you are now justified — you are officially “righteous” because you are cleansed.You are saved from eternal separation from God (hell).God Himself, the Holy Spirit, comes to dwell in you, and the process of your sanctification (becoming more like Christ) begins. (It will take your whole life!) The Holy Spirit also seals you in Him, which means you will never lose this salvation.You are promised that one day you will be glorified, which means when you die, you will be free of all worldly cares and sins and will be in the very presence of Jesus.

So in light of the mind-boggling gifts you, the new believer, have just been granted — how else do you know you’re saved?

2. Learn to recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul says:

In Him, you also, after listening to the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14)

The Bible is clear that the Holy Spirit indwells us at the moment of salvation. It is not something that comes later, as some mistakenly teach. His presence in us is indeed proof of our salvation:

However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. (Romans 8:9)

And later in that same chapter:

For as many as are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. … The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. (Romans 8:14, 16)

So — the Holy Spirit in us helps us know that we belong to God. How, exactly?

Well, are you different than you were before you believed? Or more accurately, do you desire to be different, to love and serve the God who saved you? (Because it’s always about the heart’s desire, not some perfect behavior.)

If you want to change your life to align with God, that prompting is coming from the Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s assurance works in tandem with something else though.

3. Use scripture as a mirror

Are you reading and studying the Bible? Again — more precisely — do you have the desire to do so, even if you struggle to find a place for that in your busy schedule? Because the Holy Spirit will convict you of your need to be in the Word. If you’re feeling that prodding, that is itself an assurance of salvation. The Holy Spirit is in you, working.

And when you obey that prompting, He will illuminate the Bible for you to help you begin to become more like Jesus. As you examine your thoughts and attitudes and actions in the clear light of scriptural teaching, the Spirit will show you things to work on — guaranteed.

If you are wanting to be in the Word and wanting to obey the Spirit’s leading to change as you learn — that is a powerful assurance of your salvation.

RELATED: The laws freaked-out AI founders want won’t save us from tech slavery if we reject Christ’s message

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4. Seek out other believers

Are you in relationships with other believers? Are you going to or at least looking for a church? This life can’t be lived sitting on the sofa watching screen church — it requires real human interaction due to (among other things) the commandment Jesus gave us to love one another, which is impossible from your comfy couch.

Again, it comes down to obedience. The Spirit will prompt you to seek out other believers, because God designed us to be in those relationships, serving and loving each other, and being served and loved.

If you’re obeying Him in this, that is also a powerful assurance that you are saved, because stepping into an entirely new group of people we’ve never met before —which is how most of us start finding a church — does not come particularly easy to anyone.

5. Check your life for ‘fruit of the Spirit’

The Bible brims with teaching about fruit — we’re supposed to produce good fruit as followers of Jesus. More on this here, but for now, let’s look at what the Bible explicitly calls out as the “fruit of the Spirit” living in us (Galatians 5:22-23):

LoveJoyPeacePatienceKindnessGoodnessFaithfulnessGentlenessSelf-control

John MacArthur calls this “attitude fruit” — the attitudes we should begin to exhibit once we are saved. So that’s the fruit of the Spirit — attitudes the Spirit helps us develop.

But in that same chapter of Galatians, Paul also lists some opposites. “Deeds of the flesh” he calls them, which include:

Sexual immoralityImpuritySensualityIdolatrySorceryEnmitiesStrifeJealousyOutbursts of angerSelfish ambitionFactionsEnvying dissensionsDrunkennessCarousing“and things like these”

So are you more characterized by deeds of the flesh or the Spirit?

Or again let’s ask the right question — which do you desire to be more characteristic in your life? If it’s the good stuff, that is a desire implanted by the Holy Spirit within you — again, an assurance of salvation. And He will help you transform that desire more and more into reality, which will strengthen your assurance as well.

6. See how others have tackled this question

Q: What are some of the signs of genuine saving faith?
A: From the excellent website gotquestions.org

Q: What kind of things do and do not prove the genuineness of saving faith?
A: From Grace to You, John MacArthur’s website

7. Take heart from the words of Jesus

As I’ve written before, the question isn’t “will you believe in Jesus?” The question is “will you follow Jesus?”

If you repented and believed (described above), and now your desire is to follow Him and become more like Him — that desire is from the Holy Spirit within you, and you are assuredly saved. As Jesus said:

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish — ever; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one. (John 10:27-30)

A version of this essay previously appeared on She Speaks Truth.

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BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey recently revisited a question the late Charlie Kirk often asked her in interviews — one that is often the topic of heated debate among Christians.

“For some reason, every time I did an interview with Charlie Kirk, he loved to ask this question because he knew what I was going to say, but he loved for me — I guess as a Christian woman — to answer it,” Stuckey recalls.

The question, Stuckey says, is “Can women be pastors?”

“The short answer is no. No,” she says, citing 1 Timothy 2:12-14.

“He is speaking within the context of talking about the orderliness of the local church. ‘I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor,” the verse reads.

“He goes all the way back to creation. And whenever we see anyone in scripture in the New Testament go back to creation, that tells us that this is grounded in something that is unchanging,” Stuckey comments.

“For example, in Genesis 9, when God commands the death penalty for a murder, he goes all the way back to the creation reality that man was made in God’s image. That is still true today, which is why I believe we should still give the death penalty for murder,” she explains.

“The simple fact that he goes back to Adam and Eve tells us something really important. So the question is, ‘What can women do biblically?’ Women are encouraged to teach other women and to teach children,” she continues.

And while Stuckey herself notes that she speaks out publicly, she says that “capability does not equal calling.”

“Obviously, I can talk. Obviously, I can explain things. I like to communicate. I love the word of God. I love breaking things down. But I am not called to be a pastor in a local church. I am not called to preach in a pulpit in a local church,” she explains.

“That is not my role. That is not any woman’s role,” she adds.

Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?

To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice is moving to denaturalize a former mayor in Florida for allegedly misrepresenting his identity and immigration history to become a U.S. citizen.

Philippe Bien-Aime was first elected mayor of North Miami in 2019, but resigned in 2022 to lead an unsuccessful bid for the Miami-Dade County Commission.

‘The complaint alleges that this defendant built his citizenship on fraud — using false identities, false statements, and a sham marriage to evade a lawful removal order.’

The DOJ filed a denaturalization case against Bien-Aime on February 18.

Prosecutors state Bien-Aime “willfully misrepresented his identity and immigration history throughout the naturalization process,” WTVJ reported.

Department of Homeland Security records, including fingerprint comparisons, found that Bien-Aime was previously ordered removed from the U.S. under the name Philippe Janvier, court documents claimed.

An immigration judge found in 2000 that Janvier entered the U.S. by fraudulently using a photo-switched passport. The judge ordered his deportation to his country of birth, Haiti.

RELATED: Kentucky driver’s licensing scandal: 5 charged for allegedly illegally issuing licenses to immigrants in exchange for cash

Photo by J. David Ake/Getty Images

“In 2001, Bien-Aime was placed in removal proceedings and ordered removed under the Janvier identity,” a DOJ press release read. “He appealed the removal order, but he withdrew the appeal, representing that he had returned to live in Haiti. In reality, Bien-Aime remained in the United States and, using the new name and date of birth, married a U.S. citizen to obtain permanent resident status.”

The DOJ claimed the marriage was fraudulent and invalid because he was already married to a Haitian citizen.

“After making numerous false and fraudulent statements in adjustment and naturalization proceedings, he naturalized in 2006 under the Bien-Aime identity,” the department stated.

RELATED: Stopping the steal: Sen. Lee, Republicans demand Election Day integrity ahead of SCOTUS fight over ‘rolling’ ballot counts

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If the DOJ’s denaturalization case against Bien-Aime is successful, it could raise legal questions about his time in office, WTVJ reported.

Peterson St. Philippe, Bien-Aime’s attorney, told the Miami Herald, “We believe it is appropriate to address the allegations through the judicial process rather than through public commentary. We trust that any reporting will reflect that the matter remains unresolved and that no findings have been made.”

North Miami Mayor Alix Desulme told the news outlet that he and his administration were unaware of the claims against Bien-Aime.

“The complaint alleges that this defendant built his citizenship on fraud — using false identities, false statements, and a sham marriage to evade a lawful removal order,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The fact that he later served as an elected mayor makes the alleged deception even more serious, because public office carries a duty of candor and respect for the rule of law.”

“This administration will not permit fraudsters and tricksters who cheat their way to the gift of U.S. citizenship,” stated Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the DOJ’s Civil Division. “The passage of time does not diminish blatant immigration fraud.”

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A 27-year-old male allegedly stole a car in Chicago with a boy in the back seat after the child’s father stepped away from it — then soon bailed out of the vehicle while it was still moving.

Authorities said the scary incident took place around 9:20 p.m. last Friday night in the 800 block of North Milwaukee Avenue, CWB Chicago reported.

Investigators recovered surveillance video that allegedly linked Miller to the incident, the outlet reported.

Prosecutors said a 34-year-old man stepped out of his 2014 Hyundai Elantra, leaving his 12-year-old son in the back seat, the outlet reported.

Just moments later, the suspect — identified as Jordan Miller of East Chicago, Indiana — allegedly got behind the wheel and drove away southbound on Milwaukee with the boy still inside the vehicle, the outlet said.

It’s not clear from the outlet if the dad left the car unlocked with keys inside it or not.

The boy asked Miller where his father was, but Miller responded by pushing the boy back into his seat and tossing the child’s phone out of the car, the outlet said, citing police.

Prosecutors said Miller soon bailed out of the car without putting it in park, after which it rolled out of control with the child inside, the outlet said.

The Elantra crashed into another car in the 900 block of West Fry Street, the outlet said. The location is less than a half mile from the spot where the vehicle was stolen.

Emergency responders took the 12-year-old to Lurie Children’s Hospital for treatment of pain in his head, back, and eye, the outlet said.

Officers found Miller in the 1000 block of West Chicago Avenue, the outlet said, adding that he matched a description the boy and witnesses provided.

RELATED: Florida man steals car from gas station with 1-year-old in back seat — then soon returns car, apologizes to mother: Cops

Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune

Investigators recovered surveillance video that allegedly linked Miller to the incident, the outlet reported.

Miller was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was treated and released for cuts on his left hand, the outlet said, citing a police report.

Miller was charged with robbery, aggravated kidnapping of a child younger than 13, and possessing a stolen motor vehicle, the outlet said.

Cook County Jail records indicate Miller was booked Sunday on no bond; his next hearing is scheduled for March 13.

Judge Anthony Calabrese during a detention hearing ordered Miller held pending trial, the outlet said.

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In a major blow to the Trump administration, the Supreme Court has ruled against Trump’s use of tariffs, a major part of his economic strategy in his second term.

On Friday morning, the Supreme Court published its decision in the case Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump.

The Supreme Court split 6-3, with the majority ruling that President Trump does not have the authority to impose the tariffs under the IEEPA.

The case, which was argued in November, challenged the legality of Trump’s imposition of tariffs through the invocation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

The Supreme Court split 6-3, with the majority ruling that Trump does not have the authority to impose the tariffs under the IEEPA, despite the pretext of declaring a twofold national emergency to address the drug influx from Canada, Mexico, and China and to address the trade deficit, which the administration argued had hollowed out America’s manufacturing base.

RELATED: Trump threatens Republican lawmakers after 6 defy him in House vote on Canada tariffs

Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images

The majority opinion was written by Chief Justice John Roberts, except for a few sections. Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson joined the concurrence on only a few of the sections.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the dissenting opinion and was joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.

Thomas wrote a separate dissenting opinion, though he noted that he joined Kavanaugh’s opinion in full. Thomas wrote separately “to explain why the statute at issue here is consistent with the separation of powers as an original matter,” citing the nondelegation doctrine.

President Trump announced a broad array of tariffs on April 2, which he declared “Liberation Day,” with the signing of Executive Order 14257.

Last month, Trump warned the American people of the economic dangers that could be coming to the United States if the Supreme Court ruled against his tariffs.

“The actual numbers that we would have to pay back if, for any reason, the Supreme Court were to rule against the United States of America on Tariffs, would be many Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and that doesn’t include the amount of ‘payback’ that Countries and Companies would require for the Investments they are making on building Plants, Factories, and Equipment, for the purpose of being able to avoid the payment of Tariffs. When these Investments are added, we are talking about Trillions of Dollars!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on January 12.

In the same post, Trump stressed the dire straits the country would be in in the event of a negative decision: “It may not be possible but, if it were, it would be Dollars that would be so large that it would take many years to figure out what number we are talking about and even, who, when, and where, to pay. Remember, when America shines brightly, the World shines brightly. In other words, if the Supreme Court rules against the United States of America on this National Security bonanza, WE’RE SCREWED!”

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Carter Camacho, who was arrested after he allegedly charged the United States Capitol with a loaded shotgun on Tuesday, told Capitol Police he “was just there to talk.”

Camacho, 18, was detained by Capitol Police after he exited his vehicle and allegedly ran toward the Capitol carrying a loaded 12-gauge shotgun and dressed in a “tactical-style vest” and “camouflage-style clothing.” Officers also reportedly recovered additional rounds of ammunition in Camacho’s possession.

‘Please avoid the area.’

The Georgia teenager was later charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm within the United States Capitol grounds.

Once officers placed Camacho in handcuffs, the teenager told Capitol Police that he was “just there to talk to a member of Congress,” according to a DOJ press release.

RELATED: Suspected gunman arrested outside Congress

Police also located a “fixed-blade knife” about 40 feet from the suspect’s vehicle but noted that the case is still being investigated. Camacho made his first court appearance Wednesday and is expected to return to court on March 2. He will remain in custody until then, WTOP reported.

Capitol Police initially announced the incident on social media on Tuesday, saying officers had arrested an individual with “what appears to be a gun” outside the Capitol.

RELATED: FBI forced to release damning docs revealing chilling new details on Trump’s would-be assassin

Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

“Our officers just arrested a person with what appears to be a gun near the West Front of the U.S. Capitol Building,” the statement reads. “Please avoid the area. We will provide more information when new information is confirmed.”

Capitol Police also temporarily closed Maryland Avenue between First and Third Streets Southwest before concluding there was no further threat.

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