I have a lot of anxiety and fear about not being saved but don't know how to be saved. I have been afraid of the unpardonable sin (Matthew 12, Mark 3, Luke 12), the mark of the beast (Revelation I don't know what even the number six by itself sets off impulsive thoughts), apostasy and wilful sin/leaving the faith for itching ears (Hebrews 6, Hebrews 10, mentioned in 2 Timothy and 2 Peter I think I do not know where). Also Matthew 7:21 (?) makes me nervous that not all faith and not everyone who calls Lord will be saved. Proverbs 1 also causes anxiety, and the scriptures about, "These people honour me with their lips but their hearts are far from me." How can I overcome the fear, and "confirm my calling and election" and be saved and gain assurance?
Edit: Grammar mistake.
As odd as it may seem, having occasional doubts about your salvation
can be a good indication that the Holy Spirit is working in your life; I say this to encourage the one
with doubts, not to encourage doubts themselves. Conversely, such doubts can also be the result of doctrinal misunderstandings or demonic deceptions to shake your faith in the saving work of Christ. The source of the doubts are to be determined by two considerations by which you should examine yourself:
1. The present evidence of Christ’s working in your life, as manifested by growing Christ-likeness (John 15:5-6), and
2. Whether the doubts are motivating you to run in repentance to Christ or warding you away in hopelessness (John 6:37).
If such alarming doubts are from the Holy Spirit’s conviction, they will only arise from prolonged engagement in a carnal (flesh-oriented as opposed to Spirit oriented, Galatians 6:8) life for which there has been no repentance, because the Holy Spirit is warning you to repent to Christ in some area of your life. This should motivate you in righteous fear to run
in repentance towards Christ. If after examining yourself honestly you find yourself spiritually stagnant, you need to honour the Holy Spirit’s grace, determine what is preventing your growth in Christ, and repent. Jesus said all who come to Him He will never drive away (John 6:37), and no one can snatch us from His hand (John 10:28-29). So you should not be anxious from a lack of assurance of God’s love or the efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice for your justification, which is evidence of ignorance or satanic deceptions, but only on account of continual unrepentant sin. Remember, while good works cannot save, they are the evidence of genuine salvation. Regarding securing the authenticity of our salvation, Paul wrote in Philippians 2:12-13:
"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose." Concerning the Holy Spirit's conviction, he wrote in Ephesians 4:30-32: "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you have been sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Again, concerning the severe nature of ignoring Christ’s purpose of making you holy, Paul sternly warns: “How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:29)
It can't be emphasized enough that Christ is the one who saves you from condemnation, not you with your works; righteousness cannot be gained by obedience to the law (Galatians 2:21, Romans 3:20). However, obedience to God is the consequence of a genuine salvation, for anyone who accepts Christ is freed from the power of sin and continues to bear fruits of righteousness. Jesus declared, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you,
you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me,
you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned (John 15:5-6)."
Salvation does not result from works (Ephesians 2:8-9) but works do result from salvation (Ephesians 2:10). When God saves us, He saves us for His glory and to enjoy His glory forever. It is to God's glory to demonstrate His perfectly holy nature in both His perfect righteousness and His perfect love. The power of God is going to be revealed in your life in one of these ways, and it is your choice which way that will be. But if you have sincerely chosen Christ, the only way of salvation to the Father, the power of God's love
will become increasingly manifest in your life; this
will happen (Ezekiel 36:25-27). Sometimes you may fall, and sometimes you may regress, but you will always recover, repent and return to the way, the truth and the life, and your life in Him will increase abundantly (John 10:10). Then, when you are already in or have restored yourself in repentance to the obedience of Christ, you should no longer have any fear:
"But if anyone obeys His word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did. (1 John 2:5-6)" John continues, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love (1 John 4:18)." The Scriptures summarize these truths in 1 John 3:5-10:
"But you know that He appeared so that He might take away our sins. And in Him is no sin. No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him
. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister."
"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness...My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One (1 John 1:8-9, 2:1)."
If you sin, repent to Jesus Christ and you will have God's forgiveness. If you stumble many times in a day, Christ will continue to offer you forgiveness through the justification that He provided. But do not be deceived; forgiveness and patience are
for leading you to repentance (Romans 2:4), not accommodating sin. If Christ remains in you, you are already sinning more than you want to
right now, and so will not find abandoning further sin to be an enduring burden.