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It is important to tell others about the Lord and how you came to know him. But nowhere in Scripture is that a condition of salvation. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” It does not say, “whoever believes in him and tells others he is a Christian”.

Telling others about Christ is part of discipleship, not salvation. The first thing Christ ever taught His disciples was evangelism. In Matthew 4:19, He told His disciples, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

We are not saved on the basis of Christ plus something—such as our good life, church attendance, keeping the commandments, or taking the sacraments. We are saved on the basis of Christ period. We must be satisfied with the thing that satisfies God. The only thing that satisfied God’s anger against our sin was His Son’s death on the cross. That’s why in John 19:30 as Christ hung on the cross, He proclaimed, “It is finished!” That word “finished” means “paid in full”.

If we are trusting Christ plus anything we have done, then we are not agreeing with God that His Son’s death is sufficient to pay for our sins. Our trust must be in Christ alone as our only way of salvation.

Furthermore, the Bible makes it clear that eternal life is a free gift. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” If a person is depending on anything in addition to Christ to get them to heaven, then they are not accepting salvation as a free gift.

As Christians we ought to be willing to confess our faith to others. However, one of the clearest proofs that confession is not part of salvation is John 12:42. “Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue”. Here were people who genuinely came to Christ but were afraid to confess him.

Furthermore, examine the story of the thief on the cross who in his final moments of life recognized Christ was the one He said He was. Jesus declared to him in Luke 23:43, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” There was no way he could confess Christ publicly as he died upon that cross – yet Christ welcomed him into His paradise.

“Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 10:11)

I don’t think it would take much to convince you that we live in a culture that perpetually celebrates its fallen nature and is consistently pursuing to put to shame those who seek to live for the glory of God. For many, it feels like they must continually fight the urge to give in, retreat or stay silent when our culture is constantly shaking a rebellious fist against our Creator. But keep this in mind: The world has no power to put you to shame. That power belongs to God alone. He is the one who has bought your freedom, He alone is the author of salvation, and He has declared that if you have trusted in Christ alone, He will never put you to shame. While the world will always threaten shackles of shame when you seek to live out your faith, you’ll find they simply fall off when you turn to the Lord for strength. And in this strength, you’ll find that you are able to join in with the Apostle Paul and proclaim, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…” (Romans 1:16).

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

While even those closest to us may tire of hearing of our desires and needs, God has no such limitation. He is always willing to hear, and even better, to work for your good according to His will. That is why we can bring even our most desperate needs to Him “with thanksgiving”. We do not serve a God who only listens; the Creator of the universe is for you. You can bring every need to Him without any anxiety about how He may receive it. Because of this, we can “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:2-3)

If you have trusted in Christ alone, you can be certain of your salvation. We’ll keep this one simple and let the words of Jesus do the talking: “…if it were not so, I would not have told you.”