"Whether He is a sinner or not, I don’t know; one thing I do know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see" (John 9: 25).
Some believers I’ve talked to wonder about the reality of their salvation. They are in doubt of it because they cannot, with certainty, point to the day and hour of their conversion.
But does that matter?
It does if one holds to decisional regeneration, (i.e., we get saved by making a decision). In that case, it would seem that indeed it matters much to know when one went from darkness to light. Concerning decisions made for salvation, I like what John Stott says on the matter. He says, “A decision is involved in the process of becoming a Christian, but it is God's decision before it can be ours. This is not to deny that we 'decided for Christ', and freely, but to affirm that we did so only because he had first 'decided for us.'
Yes indeed, we love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19)! We decided for Him because He had decided for us (see Ephesians 1:11; 3:11).
Salvation is of the Lord! He purposed to save His people.
Why?
There’s one word that adequately explains it … GRACE
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, always comes, in grace, looking for His sheep. Sometimes, when He finds us, we have a dramatic conversion experience. Other times there is a quiet and gradual realization that the Shepherd has died and risen again for us. We are not always able to pinpoint the exact moment we passed from death unto life. But we know that it has happened.
It’s no wonder then if you cannot point to the day, nor the place, nor the means which the Lord used to bring about your conversion. These are deep mysteries. But, here’s the thing … can we in honesty say, "One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see?" Has the Spirit of God shown us our utter helplessness and ruin? Do we realize that in and of ourselves we are hopelessly incapable of performing a single act whether of doing or believing which would recommend us savingly to His favour?
Once we were blind to Jesus, now we see.
Once we were blind to the beauty of Jesus; we didn’t see our need of Him.
Once we were blind to our need of Jesus.
Once we were blind to the Jesus’ glory.
Once we were blind to the wonders of Jesus’ love.
Once we were blind to the infinite value of Jesus’ precious blood.
Once we were blind to the perfection of Jesus’ work of redemption.
As believers, we can say that we once were blind, but now we see! Since we are no longer blind to the gospel, we are propelled to thank and bless the God of all grace (Acts 8:39). To open our blind eyes and give us life required the omnipotent power of the One who once stood by that grave in Bethany and cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth! And Lazarus came out, bound hand and foot with grave clothes.
I don't believe for a moment that we will be questioned at the gates of the celestial city as to the day and the hour of our conversion. If we are in Christ, we will enter heaven with His righteousness upon us. And that perfect righteousness will be a passport which neither earth, nor hell, nor heaven itself can dispute.
And that’s the Gospel Truth!