Ask an Adventist This One Question...Are you saved?" Watch what usually happens. You'll often get a nervous smile and an answer like: "I'm trusting Jesus, but only God knows the final verdict." Why the hesitation?
Many Adventists were taught that saying "I am saved" is dangerous, presumptuous, or even wrong. Much of that thinking comes from several statements by Ellen G. White warning believers not to say, or even feel, that they are saved:
"If we are disobedient, our characters are out of harmony with God's moral rule of government, and it is stating a falsehood to say, 'I am saved.' No one is saved who is a transgressor of the law of God..." (Selected Messages 1:314, from Review and Herald, June 17, 1890)
"All those who say, 'I am saved! I am saved!' but do not obey God's commandments, are resting their salvation on a false hope, a false foundation. No one who has an intelligent knowledge of the requirements of God can be saved in disobedience." (Selected Messages 1:314, from The Youth's Instructor, Feb. 25, 1897)
"No man can say, I am saved, until he has endured test and trial, until he has shown that he can overcome temptation. Those who fail to do the work which God has given them to do will hear the words, 'Depart from me, ye that work iniquity.'" (Signs of the Times, Dec. 28, 1891; Kress Collection, p. 120)
"Many will say, 'I am saved, I am saved, I am saved.' Well, have they been cleansed from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit? And can they cleanse themselves by the righteousness of the law? ... Oh, yes, some say, 'We are saved in doing nothing. In fact, I am saved. I need not keep the law of God. I am saved by the righteousness of Jesus Christ.' Christ came to our world to bring all men back to allegiance to God." (Faith and Works, p. 121, from Manuscript 36, 1890)
"Those who accept the Saviour, however sincere their conversion, should never be taught to say or to feel that they are saved... Those who accept Christ, and in their first confidence say, I am saved, are in danger of trusting to themselves." (Christ's Object Lessons, p. 155)
"If we are disobedient, our characters are out of harmony with God's moral rule of government, and it is stating a falsehood to say, 'I am saved.' No one is saved who is a transgressor of the law of God..." (Selected Messages 1:314, from Review and Herald, June 17, 1890)
"All those who say, 'I am saved! I am saved!' but do not obey God's commandments, are resting their salvation on a false hope, a false foundation. No one who has an intelligent knowledge of the requirements of God can be saved in disobedience." (Selected Messages 1:314, from The Youth's Instructor, Feb. 25, 1897)
"No man can say, I am saved, until he has endured test and trial, until he has shown that he can overcome temptation. Those who fail to do the work which God has given them to do will hear the words, 'Depart from me, ye that work iniquity.'" (Signs of the Times, Dec. 28, 1891; Kress Collection, p. 120)
"Many will say, 'I am saved, I am saved, I am saved.' Well, have they been cleansed from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit? And can they cleanse themselves by the righteousness of the law? ... Oh, yes, some say, 'We are saved in doing nothing. In fact, I am saved. I need not keep the law of God. I am saved by the righteousness of Jesus Christ.' Christ came to our world to bring all men back to allegiance to God." (Faith and Works, p. 121, from Manuscript 36, 1890)
But here's the real question: Does the Bible actually teach that?
The Bible Speaks of Salvation in Three Tenses
The Bible Speaks of Salvation in Three Tenses
Past: "By grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:8)
Present: "Those who are being saved" (1 Corinthians 1:18)
Future: "We shall be saved from God's wrath" (Romans 5:9)
The Bible says believers have been saved, are being saved, and will be saved. The problem comes when all three are blended together. A Christian can confidently say: "I have been saved by grace through faith," while still trusting God for the future.
Peter's Problem Wasn't Assurance
Many point to Peter's fall as proof that believers shouldn't say they're saved. But Peter's mistake wasn't saying: "I'm saved." His mistake was saying: "Even if everyone else falls away, I never will." That's not confidence in Christ. That's confidence in himself.
Jesus didn't tell Peter to doubt his salvation. Jesus said: "I have prayed for you." Peter's hope rested on Christ's faithfulness, not his own performance.
Jesus didn't tell Peter to doubt his salvation. Jesus said: "I have prayed for you." Peter's hope rested on Christ's faithfulness, not his own performance.
What Does Scripture Say?
The New Testament repeatedly encourages assurance:
• "The Spirit Himself bears witness that we are children of God." (Romans 8:16)
• "Draw near with full assurance of faith." (Hebrews 10:22)
• "I write these things so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13)
Notice that John didn't write, "so that you may wonder." He wrote, "so that you may know."
The Big Difference
The gospel says: Obedience is the fruit of salvation.
The SDA system of uncertainty says: Obedience becomes the proof that earns confidence in salvation.
One points you to Christ. The other keeps you looking at yourself.
Think About This
The thief on the cross:
- Never kept a Sabbath after conversion.
- Never endured years of testing.
- Never proved he could overcome temptation.
Yet Jesus told him: "Today you will be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43)
- No probation.
- No investigative process.
- No waiting for a final performance review. Just grace.
Three Questions Worth Asking
1. If Paul says, "By grace you have been saved" (Eph. 2:8), why should a believer be afraid to say the same thing?
2. If John says believers can know they have eternal life (1 John 5:13), why should they refuse to feel assured?
3. If salvation depends on proving you've overcome enough, how much is enough... and who decides?
Final Thought
Many former Adventists know what it's like to live with a knot in the stomach, wondering: "Have I done enough?" But the gospel isn't: "Prove yourself, then receive a verdict."
The gospel is:
- "Christ has done enough."
- You don't climb to acceptance with God.
- You trust the One who already finished the work.
- "By grace you have been saved through faith... it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8)
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