Assurance of salvation is necessary if a believer is to help others spiritually. In the church some think that they are Christians, most of them hope so, some say so, and a few know that they are saved (Rev. H. Hildebrand said). Let me ask you simple question. Are you married? Are you sure? You are either married or not. There is no halfway place. A person is either saved; or lost. Either "in Christ” or “outside Christ”. Salvation is a miracle change. Has the miracle taken place ? Yes, or no ?
If we are "in Christ" then we ought to have the full assurance of salvation.
Many church people do not believe that it is possible to be sure of salvation now.
They feel that it is sacrilegious to make such a statement Faith believes God If we were saved by works then they would be correct, for one would need to keep working and furthermore, the quality of the works would need to meet a standard
But salvation is a gift (Eph, 2:8) which we receive and then we possess salvation.
To have assurance of salvation is to be absolutely confident that we are saved and that if we died suddenly, we would go immediately to heaven.
Assurance of salvation is possessing salvation—possessing the Lord Jesus Christ. ^Salvation is eternal life; it is the life of God; it is Divine life. If I possess eternal life, then I am saved—saved for time and eternity. John 10:28,29, "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall Sever perish, “neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand”
John 1:12, "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power (authority) to become the sons of God."
Can assurance be based on feelings ? No, never. Satan might control or influence our feelings. Health, weather, circumstances, and environment affect feelings, To some entering salvation It is a real emotional thrill. No feelings at all to others God has given us three things upon which to base our assurance:
Rom. 8:16, "The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God “Previous to conversion, the Spirit will have been convicting of sin, righteousness and judgment to come. Now His gracious ministry is changed. In a believer, the Holy Spirit speaks peace to the soul and grants an inner rest that confirms to the individual that he really belongs to Jesus now. Gal. 4:6, “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." "Abba* is a term of close relationship. The Holy Spirit gently whispers to my spirit, "You are a child of God now"
I John 5:10, “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself." I John 5:13, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life, and that ye “MAY BELIEVE” on the name of the Son of God." Condition, "believe": result, "know”.
If the devil comes and tempts you to doubt your salvation, put your finger on this verse and rebuke the devil in the name of the lord and Satan will flee from you. Say to Satan: The Word of God says that if I believe on Jesus Christ I have eternal life. On (give the date) I believed on Jesus, therefore I have eternal life, I am saved. My sins are forgiven.
I am on my way to heaven. Let the Word of God be the foundation on which you build a strong assurance. Then others will come to you seeking one who speaks with authority of eternal things.
Other verses of Scripture upon which to base assurance of salvation: John 5:24, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, HATH everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (Believeth—Hath) Acts 13:39, "And by Him all that believe are justified from all things." (those who meet the condition of believing are justified) Luke 7:48, "And He (Jesus) said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven." (When the sins are removed, the path to heaven is open and clear.) Rom. 10:13, "For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved". If I have called on the Lord Jesus, then I am saved)
Everyone around sees the change in us and assures our own heart that we are saved—truly a child of God—truly born again. I John 3:14, "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." This is a positive sign, exemplifying salvation. The Christian is a new creature in Christ (n Cor. 5:17) and this is manifested in new affections, new likes, new dislikes, new loves and new hatreds. The power and presence of evil habits are gone, confirming that I am truly saved.
Since the Word of God and the Holy Spirit are so clear that it is possible to have the assurance, why do so few have assurance? "With some it is because they have listened to the devil's accusations. The acid test boils down to answering two questions:" Have I received Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour? . Do I truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? tf I can answer a definite "yes"'to both questions, then on the basis of the Word of
God 1 am saved.
To doubt the Word of God is a terrible sin casting shame on God's Holy Bible. & is not presumption to believe the Word of God It is faith that honors and pleases God that rejoices His heart, Heb. 11-.6.
If I am truly saved, then I must pray that God will increase my faith and help me to believe what the Bible says. - Liberal education often undermines faith in the Bible. Pray that this will be re¬moved and that God will give me an old-fashioned faith in the Word.
In Pilgrim's Progress, Pilgrim fell asleep and lost his scroll, Often Christians fall asleep and lose both their joy and assurance of salvation. If it has happened you must confess your sins according to I John 1:9, and start again.
3# 3. Worldliness:
The love of the world chokes out desires for God, the word and prayer.
John 7:37-39. This is often caused by lack :: surrender to the control of the Spirit in my life. Do not try to serve two masters. Yield your will to Him and He will guide,
Lord, search my heart and see if I possess salvation—if Jesus truly lives within ff I am truly saved, help me never to doubt the plain statements of the Bible. If I am not saved, O Lord, take away a false security. I want to know the truth. Caution: Be careful in persuading people that they are saved. This is the work of the Holy Spirit and He is the one that knows and searches the heart. Assurance of salvation made me a much stronger Christian. Assurance is not presumption or pride, it is simple trust in God's Word. To say "I know I'm saved" requires humility, for it can only be done by His grace and mercy; He saves me; He keeps me; He will bring me to heaven.
