How do I know I'm saved?
Because God said so. IF you have confessed with your mouth (made a public statement) the Lord Jesus Christ, and you believe (know and are willing to ACT on it) that God raised Jesus from the dead, then you are saved. "Yeah, but what if I don't feel like I'm saved?" What are you supposed to feel like? The Word of God doesn't say we're supposed to get heartburn, turn cartwheels, turn blue, or anything like that. We're just supposed to believe. Jesus said "blessed are you (talking to thedisciples) who have seen, but MORE BLESSED are those who have not seen, AND YET BELIEVE." "Yeah, okay, but what if I don't act like I'm saved"? Well, then you might have a serious problem, and you need to take a long hard look at whether or not you REALLY believe. While we are saved by grace (an undeserved gift), and through faith (life-changing belief) and NOT of works, there is still one thing that is true, true, true....if you really believe, then you will be willing to do whatever the Lord
asks of you. That means you will work for His glory, for His kingdom, and for the salvation of everyone you can find.
While salvation is a life-changing experience, it is not tied to an emotional experience, although it can be quite emotional. When I first realized, fully, what God had done for me through Jesus, I couldn't stop crying. Crying with joy at the thought of forgiveness and eternal life...sobbing with pain over the time that I had wasted in ignoring Him, grinning from ear to ear over the weight that I no longer carried on my back. But now, many years down the road, while I still cry sometimes when I look at my failures
and smile at His successes, I have peace, knowing that because He said I was saved, I am saved....and for no other reason. Besides, that, He can't lie!
"Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God." (1 John 4:15)