Assurances of salvation

ASSURANCES

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CHRIST – A SUFFICIENT SAVIOR

“Christ…is the faithful interpreter…in regard to our salvation” John Calvin (ref#113, p636).

FATHER, do I depend on the merits of CHRIST? Am I confident CHRIST is a sufficient Savior (ref#63, p803)?

“What the ark was to Noah and the blood of the lamb was to the children of Israel, is what the atoning blood of Christ is to the believing soul. It forms his eternal security….Let the professor of Christ not leave the sealing of his pardon and acceptance to that fearful hour; let him earnestly seek it now, so that when he comes to die he will have nothing to do but die” Octavius Winslow (ref#135, Sept 24th).

Do I still have my original confidence in CHRIST (Heb 3:14)?

“Though God’s election is a truth,

Small comfort there I see,

Till I am told by God’s own mouth,

That he has chosen me.

 

“[Sinners, I read, are justified,

By faith in Jesus’ blood;

But when it me that blood’s applied,

‘Tis then it does me good.]” J. Hart (ref#224, #31).

ASSURANCES

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TWO STAGES TO BECOMING A CHRISTIAN

Once becoming a child, FATHER, then I must grow up. The first stage embraces a moment in time—You made me Your child

I can recognize the first stage of my new birth by a change in my attitudes. I am instantly more interested in You than in me.

The first part of the year 2018 will be dedicated to questioning myself as to whether I have changed internally and possess a new set of attitudes.

The second part of the year will be questioning myself whether I am working the new attitudes out into my actions.

“There is a period known to God

When all his sheep, redeemed by blood,

Shall leave the hateful ways of sin,

Turn to the fold, and enter in.

 

“Glory to God, they ne’er shall rove

Beyond the limits of his love;

Fenced with Jehovah’s shalls and wills,

Firm as the everlasting hills” J. Kent (ref#224,#76)

ASSURANCES

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ASSURED OF KNOWING GOD

“’It is not everyone who keeps saying to me ‘Lord, Lord’ who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the man who actually does my Heavenly Father’s will” (Matt 7:21, PHILLIPS).

“Repentance, forgiveness, water baptism, and reception of the Spirit comprise the basic pattern of conversion” ESV Study Bible (ref#125, p2080, [Acts 1:5]).

My FATHER, I understand repentance, forgiveness, and water baptism but receiving the SPIRIT is difficult to verify. I assume because I repent, am assured of pardon, and am baptized the SPIRIT will reside in me. But that is a blind jump of faith that I must resist. A joyful peace will not come unless I am convinced for sure that the SPIRIT of GOD lives in me.

How great it is that Scripture does not leave me wondering. The Bible tells of ways a person behaves when the SPIRIT lives within. These facts become my assurances. Many days this year this blog site will post questions from Scripture. The more “Yeses” I accumulate the more assured I will be.

O FATHER, to be absolutely assured! What joy and peace that will bring me!

ASSURANCES

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ARE YOU REALLY SURE?

If I say I “know” I am saved, how do I know? How would I assure someone else that I am assured of my salvation?

It is true that some who are true Christians are not assured of their true status:

“One may say that he is persuaded that nothing present, or to come, can separate him from the love of God (Rom 8:18). Another comes but this far, ‘Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief’” (Mark 9:24) Puritan Daily Devotional Chronicles (ref#225, Oct 15th).

And it is also true that some who are not Christians are assured that they are:

“Many have lived in an outward profession; they have put on Christ with external garb, have talked well of Him, have been baptized in His name, have given liberally for His cause…” Octavius Winslow (ref#135, Aug 10th).

ASSURANCES

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THREE WAYS TO CHECK

“You should be looking at yourselves to make sure that you are really Christ’s….You ought to know by this time that Christ is in you, unless you are not real Christians at all….” (2 Cor 13:5-8 Phillips)

The FATHER has included in His Book many suggestions of how I can assure myself of His salvation. He makes Himself perfectly clear so I can be perfectly clear that I belong to Him.

“The famous Westminster Assembly of the 1640’s concluded that there are three grounds of assurance of personal faith: one primary ground – the promises of God; and two secondary grounds—evidences of grace and the witness of the Spirit” John Calvin (ref#164, Nov 2nd).

The paths of assurance are three entities. And when they all agree they provide firm evidence that I am GOD’s child and always will be.

The three paths are:

The Word of GOD: “…The sure word of God lays down certain signs and marks of true grace, and witnesses these signs to be good evidences…” Puritan Daily Devotional Chronicles (ref#225, p136).

Our conscience: “…or our own spirit, witnesses that these signs are sound…” (ref#225, p136).

GOD’s own HOLY SPIRIT: “…God super-adds the witness of His own Spirit which enables us yet more fully to know the things which are freely given us of God” (ref#225, p136).

ASSURANCES

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TEST YOURSELVES

“Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay…” (2 Cor 13:5-9 MSG)

The Apostle Paul said to Timothy, “I know whom I have believed…” (2 Tim 1:12 ESV). The Apostle couldn’t be surer of his salvation.

I need solid assurance that I am a child of GOD; it will give me boldness. Take Martin Luther:

“It was because he knew he had eternal life that he could defy all those enemies the way he did, and all those who have this hope in them can say the same thing” Martyn Lloyd-Jones (ref#189, Dec 19th).

So let me test myself. On this year’s blog posts will pose questions taken from GOD’s Word. They will consist of activities where GOD demands a “Yes” answer.

Of course, since I am a sinner I will not score all “Yeses,” but as the year goes on I’ll slowly surmise whether CHRIST is active in my life—whether I enjoy obeying or whether I find the questions more and more irritating (revealing my lack of relationship with CHRIST). Before the year ends I should firmly know if I am a true Christian or faux Christian.

ASSURANCES

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DO I REALLY “KNOW?”

…FATHER, I come to You ready for You to search me. Scripture says that I can “know” that I have eternal life.

For years now I’ve been settled believing I “know.” But is that because I’ve grown up in the church? The church says I’m supposed to possess the faith to believe Scripture. Do I believe I have eternal life because Scriptures says I should believe it? Are my beliefs just facts in my head with no HOLY SPIRIT influencing my actions?

There is a reason why You include in Your Word that creatures are not to judge (Matt 7:1) and it is because we are not capable of doing it correctly. That fact is brought home by Your words in Isaiah. JESUS is both Your divine Son and the Son of Man; in Isaiah 11:3 You are speaking of Him as the Son of Man. “…He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;” (NASB).

I am not capable of making correct decisions on my own. With just my thinking I cannot make the decision that I “know” I have an eternal relationship with You. For my heart is deceitful and tells me lies (Jer 17:9). No, I require the HOLY SPIRIT to assure me that I’m going to live with You forever.

FATHER, take the literature I’ve collected for blogging this next year and allow me to wait in Your presence until You provide answers to the many questions written there. Send Yourself to me through Your SPIRIT that I may experience more and more assurances that I am bound for heaven when I die.

CHRISTMAS POST 2017

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CHRISTMAS

The celebration of CHRIST’s birth brings to an end the 1st covenant between GOD and His people—the tiny nation, Israel. No more will sacrificing and rituals be the way to GOD (Luke 2:32,34-35). No more can Israel rest on the fact that they are heirs of Abraham and thus GOD’s people (Luke 3:8-9).

John the Baptist first announces the 2nd covenant: He proclaims a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins instead of animal sacrifices (Luke 3:3). JESUS was about to challenge all men, Jew as well as Gentile.

One thing that stands out in reading the four Gospels is how the actions of JESUS create a visible distinction between people whose hearts are hard toward him (chaff) or receptive toward Him (wheat). CHRIST shook people up; they either loved or hated Him!

John the Baptist said of Him, “…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire” (Luke 3:16-17 ESV).

“Whether being baptized ‘with the Holy Spirit and fire’ will be positive (involving the coming of the purifying fire of the Spirit at Pentecost, Acts 1:8; 2:3) or negative (involving the divine judgment of fire; Luke 9:54;12:49;17:29) depends on the response of the individual person” (ref#125, p1953, [Luke 3:16]).

In our day JESUS speaks just as defining-ly through the written Word. His Presence now with us demands a response. No more assuming we are GOD’s people.

FATHER, am I wheat or chaff? If I’m ever to rest in peace I must know.

Beginning in 2018 this blog plans to address the topic of assurances of salvation. It will continually ask the question, “Am I going to heaven?”

As I celebrate CHRIST’s birth today, I thank Him for coming to earth not only to provide a way of everlasting life for me but also that I might know for sure NOW whether or not I have everlasting life.

JESUS has come. His presence divides. Am I chaff or wheat?