If you declare that Jesus is Lord, and believe that God brought him back to life, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9
S alvation comes in an instant: at the point when you declare and believe, your life changes, and everything you do and think comes into focus in the light of God’s Word. A lot of times you can look at your life and start to question your salvation. Was it real? Did I really mean it? The answer to that question isn’t hard to find. When God saves you, he changes you. You are no longer the same, always changing, always getting better. Like a tree producing buckets of fruit, you will start to produce spiritual fruit. Things that were once difficult for you will become easier—not all of them, but a lot of them. And you’ll find more and more evidence of God’s work in your life.
When a girl makes Jesus Lord, she makes him her master (see Rom. 6:16). That means that she takes her orders from him and not from anyone else (unless he has given them authority over her here on earth). And this position as slave to Jesus is one that proves your salvation was not a passing fancy, a seed planted in the rocky soil and choked out by the trials of life (see Matt. 13:18–23), but a real, life-saving salvation that can’t be lost. The God Girl is certain of her salvation because she wants what God wants. She wants to know him more, to know his Word and to obey it, even though she has the occasional mess-up. Forgiveness is free for those who agree with God that they sinned and who can accept the forgiveness that is there for all who believe. It’s this forgiveness and your desire to get it right next time that should prove to you that you are saved. And it’s your ever-increasing obedience that proves to the world and to God that you have truly made him Lord of your life (see John 15:14; 1 John 2:3–4; 5:3).