Even a child knows that January is the first month of our calendar year. For the ancient people of Israel, however, the first month of the year was the month of Abib, which roughly equates to our month of April. Speaking of Abib, God said,
βThis month shall be unto you the beginning of months:Β it shall be the first month of the year to youβ (Exodus 12:2).
If you are wondering why God chose April as the beginning of months for His chosen people, we learn the reason in the next chapter:
βMoses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egyptβ¦.This day came ye out in the month Abibβ (Exodus 13:3,4).
God wanted His ancient people to βrememberβ that their birth as a nation markedΒ a new beginningΒ for them, so he instructed them to βobserveβ this month as something special unto the Lord (Deut. 16:1). Godβs people today often do the same with their spiritual birthdays. Many who can tell you the exact date they were saved consider the day worth remembering each year.
But what if you canβt remember the day you trusted Christ as your Savior? There are many believers who grew up under the sound of the gospel and were saved at an early age. Occasionally we hear from these dear saints, who tell us they are troubled by the fact that they cannot remember the day they were saved. Since they canβt remember the date, some even wonder if they are truly saved.
When we hear from believers like this, we like to point out that while we canβt remember the day we first understood that we were born an American citizen, now that we know it to be so, we know that all the rights promised to citizens in the Bill of Rights are ours. In the same way, while you may not remember the day of your spiritual birth, now that you believe, you can be sure that the promise of eternal life and all the other blessings found in Paulβs epistles are yours.
The point is, of course, that it doesnβt matterΒ whenΒ you first believe something; what matters is what you believeΒ right now.Β If you believe you can get to heaven by something that you yourself can do, you are not saved. If you rather believe you are going to heaven because of what Christ did for you on Calvary, weβll see you someday in glory! source
