So.. One more thing If the Divine/Jesus/God saved me then the doubt must come from me? I hope you will share your testimony here? To be assured of salvation, we need to have Christ in our lives. Necessarily so, for it would be neither an act of holiness nor of righteousness were He to grant full pardon to one who was still a rebel against Him, loving . Adoption has been rightly stated to be the highest blessing for the Christian. God's eternal saving purpose is expressed in Jesus' own words, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10); that is, He desires to save all people. 8:28-29), but you can do it, if you decide to willfully rebel against God through mortal sin (1 John 5: 16-17), and if you die unrepentant in that state, you will have lost your salvation because you will have, in effect, snatched yourself out of Christs hand. If you are concerned about . But you and I are entirely capable of going back on our word by abandoning Christ and, thereby, forfeiting his gift of . His work of redemption now completed, our entire sin debt is paid in full. Assurance is your rightful possession, and God wants you to have it as your portion. Matthew 7:21-23 is one of the most alarming passages in the Bible. (15) As we see this spiritual fruit produced in our lives, we may be confident that Christ lives within us. No matter how great your sin, Gods grace is greater still. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! Puritan pastors taught their hearers that though self-examination is important, they should nevertheless take ten looks to Christ for every look they take to their inner spiritual condition. The only "action" necessary for us is to turn to Jesus and place our lives in his hands. Were on a mission to change that. Then too, the Puritan stress on duty reinforced the conviction that assurance must never be regarded as the privilege only of exceptional saints, but that at least some degree of it is normative for every believer. True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as, by negligence in preserving of it, by falling into some special sin which woundeth the conscience and grieveth the Spirit; by some sudden or vehement temptation, by Gods withdrawing the light of His countenance, and suffering even such as fear Him to walk in darkness and have no light: yet are they never utterly destitute of that seed of God, and life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart, and conscience of duty, out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may, in due time, be revived; and by the which, in the mean time, they are supported from utter despair. The faithful Christian will find satisfaction in Christ alone, which reminds me of Ps. The embers burn, although barely and subtly at times, but can be fanned into the full flame of assurance by the persevering use of Gods appointed means. You make a number of valid points about the assurance of salvation and why the genuine Christian cannot lose it. While many Scriptures help one develop assurance of salvation (i.e. Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app.You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music. Assurance of salvation means possessing salvation - possessing the Lord Jesus Christ ( John 3:36 ). I see now that this two things come together: being in Christ will lead you to live in sanctification; on the other hand, living in sanctification is a proof that you are in Christ Excellent!!! Your email address will not be published. But you and I are entirely capable of going back on, But first, lets consider St. Johns other statement: No one can snatch out of Christs hand, those whom the Father has given him. If you doubt your salvation, does that mean you are not truly saved? I want to reach the world with the Good News by equipping the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association with resourcesincluding personnel, materials, support services, buildings and moreto urgently respond to every opportunity to share Jesus Christ with others. Romans 8:16 says the Holy Spirit bears witness within our hearts that we are Gods children and this is just one aspect. Its message is based on the Bible. The church was the only channel of God's grace 2. The Bible says, Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.(1) This is a promise! Pastorally, this helped Puritan pastors maintain in their people the conviction that though full, robust assurance of salvation may not be common to all believers, some degree of assurance is (even if it is only in seed form) and is always inseparable from saving faith in Christ. Its mission is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination. They feel no assurance that they are Christ's, and so feel a hesitancy about breaking with the world. . But how do we know if we have been truly born again and have received Gods seal of ownership? Hence, the Puritans wrote at least thirty books on how to live to Gods glory in marriage and family life. When Jesus died on the cross, He bore our iniquities, enduring Gods wrath, and cried out, It is finished!(3) By this, He meant that the full atonement for all our sins-past, present and future-has been made. Further to encourage believers pastorally, the Puritans stressed that the more we know experientially of all three kinds of assurance, the more robust our assurance will be and the more we will live entirely for God. Their laudable goals can still help pastors today to assist their church members in developing assurance, all the while recognizing the individuality of each one. First off, I want to thank you for all of the work you put into this website, its fantastic that you have chosen this topic to build a site. (4) Isaiah 1:18, NASB. 15 . However, you keep on saying that the born again Christians when they leave this world they end up in heaven. What assurance do Christians have with regards to their salvation? The author of Hebrews was arguing for the superiority of the person and work of Christ. Do you see these character traits exemplified in your life? Repentance then becomes impossible when a person has been fully exposed to the truth about Jesus sacrifice and blessing but falls away through deliberate unbelief and denial of Christ. Does it matter if I cant remember precisely when I was saved. If we are ever wavering between confidence and doubt with regard to our standing with God, it will be difficult if not impossible to be decisive in spiritual matters. Similarly, Jesus says in Matthew 10:22 that he who endures to the end will be saved as a means of warning people not to fall away in times of persecution. Note well the warning he gives these gentile Christians regarding the possibility that they too could lose their salvation. 8;24-25; 1 Cor. When a person gets born again, the Holy Spirit will start to indwell him and will testify that he belongs to God. There is assurance of salvation to everyone who has truly been born again and we should never doubt that. (3) John 19:30, NASB. Many Protestants understand being saved as a one-moment-in-time act of repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ as ones personal Lord and savior (a phrase that nowhere appears in the Bible, by the way), a life-changing transformation of lost sinner who becomes a saved child of God. Are the fruit of the Holy Spirit evident in your life? The Bible is clear that if we received Jesus as Lord and Savior of our life then we are saved because he who has the Son has eternal life. . Anyone who falls away from their profession of faith in Christ and life of obedience in Him was never really saved. 4:11-16). He generates, indwells and baptizes each believer into the Body of Christ, sealing each unto the Day of Redemption. Salvation is eternal life; it is the life of God; it is Divine life. Here, the Westminster divines clarify the hope of assurance, the ground of assurance, the means and fruits of assurance, and the loss and recovery of assurance all with an eye toward offering wise pastoral counsel for all the believers in their flocks, whatever their spiritual circumstances. As I told the woman on the plane, we can be wrong about earthly directions but not about our eternal destiny. Many Christians place their faith in Christ alone for redemption but still live wi And what God said, He will surely do. First of all, we need to distinguish between one's eternal security and his assurance of salvation. Topics: Salvation. The Puritans are abundantly clear in stating that the believer may, without extraordinary revelation [contrary to Roman Catholicism], in the right use of ordinary means, attain to assurance (emphasis mine). In short, God commands us to pursue assurance prayerfully, obediently, and fervently, promising that his normal way is to bless these endeavors. I was raised in the traditional faith (RC) but Ive always considered myself to be a Christian until such time that God opened my understanding on what it really takes to be a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. a. What about you Robert? The promises ground our assurance, and our assurance emboldens our faith to make further appropriation of the promises, which brings us into fuller, more intimate communion with Christ. When I was a new believer I was always fearful that I will not make it to heaven because I might stumble along the way and get lost. Jews who practice Judaism are doing their best to follow the Law while Muslims could only hope that at the end of their journey here on earth, their good deeds will far outweigh their bad deeds. This aspect of the doctrine must be well understood and kept in mind to avoid giving false assurance to people who were never really believers in the first place. Once-saved-always-saved is a slogan many Protestants use to describe their belief in a Christians absolute assurance of salvation. That again speaks of relationship. The Assurance of Our Salvation: Exploring the Depth of Jesus Prayer for His Own by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. But its important to note that the most forceful phrase they shall never perish (v.28) is emphatic and might be translated more explicitly as and they shall certainly not perish forever.. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Hi Alice, Assurance of salvation is something many believers struggle with. How we live our life will determine that. But here's another question: Does it make any difference whether we knowwe can't lose our salvation? 5. [2] [3] The academic study of salvation is called soteriology . According to 1 John 2:19, some believers who leave the faith, never truly had faith. Matthew 7:22-23 is about believers who performed miracles in the name of Jesus and yet at the last day Jesus says He never knew them. At what point in their life can they say that they are saved and will go to Heaven? Im sure it will bless many souls and encourage them to continue in their walk with God. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. The Bible teaches that the assurance of salvation rests securely upon four unshakable pillars: First, assurance is based on the absolute trustworthiness of Scripture. Saved Without a Doubt: Being Sure of Your Salvation, he Assurance of Our Salvation (Studies in John 17): Exploring the Depth of Jesus Prayer for His Own Kindle Edition, The doctrine of the assurance of salvation, https://biblical-christianity.com/what-happens-at-the-second-coming-of-christ, https://biblical-christianity.com/the-three-phases-of-salvation. The quest for full assurance of salvation has long plagued the people of God. If we read Revelations 19, we see that the saints who have gone to heaven will come back with Christ for the millennial reign. Question 21 2 out of 2 points How does a Christian possess assurance of their salvation? They were once branches on a cultivated olive tree (i.e., the Chosen People of Israel) that symbolizes in this analogy those who were saved. Joel Beeke is president of the Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, and a Pastor of Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids. Either hes in Christ or outside. Matthew 27:3-5 talks about Judas who felt remorse after what he has done but he was not saved. Hence, they wrote dozens of books on faith and assurance, and called their hearers to practice self-examination to make their calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10). Youre right, if we are in Christ we have assurance of salvation and we should never doubt that. (8) 1 John 2:3, NASB. The Puritans stress in WCF 18.4 that even in the believer's darkest struggles for assurance of salvation, the Holy Spirit abides in him and bears him up, keeping him from "utter despair.". How does a Christian possess assurance of their salvation? The Puritan pastor would tenderly advise the church member longing to grow in assurance of salvation, Turn to the evidences of grace that are laid out for us in Scripture; ask the Spirit to shed light on them for you; then, as you examine yourself, if you can say with assurance that even one of these evidences is your experience, you can be assured that you are a child of God even if you cant see other evidences in you.. God freely grants us new birth and initiates us into the body of Christ in baptism. ABSTRACT: The Puritans wrote dozens of books on faith and assurance, seeking to clarify and apply these doctrines for the members of their churches, and especially for the weakest of the sheep. If we possess eternal life, then we are saved! A second reason for the loss of assurance is not in the believer as such but in God. God is faithful and there really is assurance of salvation to those who are truly born again and will keep on til the end. Pastoral Help 5: Assurance of salvation is strengthened by the Spirit shedding light on the believers biblical marks of grace such as the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:2223, and the various evidences sprinkled throughout 1 John so that the believer can clearly see at least some of these saving marks of grace being worked out in his or her own heart and life by the very grace of that same Spirit, and thus cannot but conclude he or she is a child of God. The line of demarcation must be clearly drawn if we are to enter experientially into the joy of salvation. Read the following Scriptures: John 1:40-41; John 4:28-29; and Acts 16:10. In God the Holy Spirit, the third person of the trinity, whom the Father sent into the world to reprove it is of sin, righteousness and judgment and to testify of Jesus Christ. (14) 1 John 3:13. Pastoral Help 8: God normally uses the spiritual disciplines he has appointed for his people as the means to grow assurance of salvation. The second way Satan causes you to doubt your salvation is to have you wrongly define salvation. Toll Free: 1-877-247-2426. False 23. In a word, assurance enables faith to reach greater heights, from which all other aspects of Christian character flow. Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. But the more important question is, can those who fall away be restored again into repentance (Hebrews 6:4-6)? This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. I still remember the day when I took the board examination for Medical Technologists years ago. Should you have further questions, please feel free to reply back to this comment thread. Throughout the New Testament, we read God's promises to save all who will believe upon His Son. You did raise an excellent point that I seldom get to raise myself:- you are saved when you were saved by being born again so where is the doubt? E. Assurance enables us to effectively serve the Lord by telling others about Jesus. So while its true that we may indeed have salvation, whether or not we keep our grasp on it is another matter, as St. Paul will demonstrate below. a. ), 1 John was specifically written for this purpose. Assurance of Salvation S alvation is a work of God. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. God gives this warning (you can never be restored) to prevent Christians from falling away. But you and I are entirely capable of going back on our word by abandoning Christ and, thereby, forfeiting his gift of salvation. See these additional verses for more study: Matt. The Puritans stress in WCF 18.4 that even in the believers darkest struggles for assurance of salvation, the Holy Spirit abides in him and bears him up, keeping him from utter despair. Indeed, the child of God may be losing assurance even while he advances in grace. Pastoral Help 11: Happily, assurance of salvation can be revived. This invigoration of faith results in a new release of spiritual energy at every point in a persons Christian life. The second half of the definition makes it clear that continuing in the faith is one the evidence that a person is truly born again. The profession of our faith and growth in holiness are necessary for God's saving grace to continue its work in us, and both of these are things we must engage in for our love to be genuine and not compelled. But salvation is a gift received by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). If we were saved by works then they would be correct. Assurance is not a self-given persuasion, but a Spirit- In Christianity there are two types of . Thanks for your comment. The words are easily enough said, but execution is difficult and practice rare. Do not misuse the name of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination. Until I started to really meditate on Gods word and thats when I realized that Jesus has paid the price of my salvation in full. And the believers in Jesus will truly inherit the Kingdom of God here on earth. It says in verse 1, "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.". Thus, young believers can have a stronger assurance of their salvation as they grow over the years toward Christian maturity. Assurance grows by repeated conflict, by our repeated experimental proof of the Lord's power and goodness to save; when we have been brought very low and helped, sorely wounded and healed, cast down and raised again, have given up all hope, and been suddenly snatched from danger, and placed in safety; and when these things have been repeated to Assurance, like salvation, is double-sided. We can know Jesus has received us because, quite simply, He said so! It has been around for 2000 years.long before the Protestant Reformation took place some 500 years ago. Assurance of salvation in Christ comes out of faith growing up and maturing in our walk with God (Eph. 3) Pauls writings and other New Testament epistles also indicate that those who are truly born again will persevere to the end such as in Romans 8:1 where it says that no condemnation remains for those who are in Christ Jesus, for the entire penalty of their sins has been already paid. 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