How can we know we have eternal life?

1. God's purpose
God loves us and desires that we know that we have eternal life. Romans 6:23 says, "The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." He not only wants us to know that we will go to heaven when we die but also desires that we have a full and abundant life right now. Jesus said, "I come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly." John 10:10
When we know for certain that we have eternal life, we have the assurance that God loves us, has a plan for our life, and that His promises in the Scriptures are for us.

2. Our Problem
Our sinful nature keeps us from having eternal life. The Bible says, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23. The Bible also says we cannot save ourselves, "Salvation is not of works lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:9
Sin means to miss the mark of perfection. It is a refusal to acknowledge God's authority over our lives. Everyone who does not live a life in a perfect obedience to the Lord is Guilty of sin. Since none of us are perfect, all of us are sinners. The result of sin is spiritual death, which is eternal separation from God and condemnation.
While God is holy and just and must punish sin, He loves us and has provided forgiveness for our sin through Jesus Christ. Jesus said, " I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me." John 14:6

3. God's Provision
The good news of the Bible is that Jesus came to this earth and died on the cross for our sins. He was resurrected on the third day to conquer sin, death and hell for us. Jesus has become the bridge between a sinful man and a Holy God in order to bring us together.
It is not enough to believe in Jesus with our mind, we must receive Him into our heart.. The Bible teaches " As many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become the children of God." John 1:12

4. Our Pathway
In order to receive Jesus, we simply need to repent of our sins. Repentance means more than feeling sorry for our sin, it is an attitude change of no longer running my own life but being willing to get under God's authority. Receiving Jesus also means to place my faith totally in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8 says, "By grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God."
Faith is more than merely the facts about Jesus. It is believing Jesus with our whole heart, which means trusting Jesus to save us from our sin. Faith in God is humbling ourselves before God and saying our baptism, our works, our parents cannot take us to heaven. We must place our faith in and rest totally upon the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. As we receive Him by faith we simply rely upon Him to help us become all that we can be.

A sample prayer of repentance and faith before the Lord as you receive Christ you
may pray is:
"Lord Jesus, I need you. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive you as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. I pray you'll make me the person that you want me to be."

If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, you may pray right now and Christ will come into your life as He promised. The Scripture says, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13