CE 1 YEAR: 3 Assurance of Salvation

Week 3

Assurance of Salvation

God wants you to be certain you have eternal life

What is the most important question you need to answer in this life? Will you go to Heaven or Hell when you die. Not being certain of this is a great burden. Therefore, assurance of your salvation is very valuable. There are many things we cannot be certain of in this life. But God says He wants you to be certain that you have eternal life, and He even tells you how (1 John 5:13). This is wonderful because the eternal life Jesus promised is actually eternal and never stops (John 3:16).

Why does God want you to be certain you have eternal life? Like any good father, He wants His children to be secure in His unconditional love for them. God does not want His children to be afraid of anything, including punishment, rejection, or even death (cf. Matt 10:28; Rom 8:28; 1 Cor 1:8; 2 Cor 1:21-22). Like any good Father, God wants you to be motivated to love and serve Him out of gratitude instead of fear or guilt.

God wants you to be certain you have eternal life. Which is why He tells you to test yourself to see if your saving faith is genuine (2 Cor 13:5). God intends two important results from such a test. First, helping real Christians be more certain of their salvation. Secondly, helping false Christians recognize their need for salvation. Unfortunately, false faith is very deceptive and dangerous. Jesus even warned that there would be many people who claim to speak revelations for Him, and perform miracles and exorcisms in His name, but never even knew the Savior (Matt 7:21-23).

How can you know for certain you have eternal life?

The Bible answers this question very simply and clearly. First, God says He indwelled us with His Spirit to prove He is in us and we are saved (1 John 4:13; John 14:17; Eph 1:13). It is important to remember that becoming a Christian is not simply a decision to change religions or your life. Becoming a Christian depends on God radically changing your life. You must be born again by God’s Spirit and receive a new heart for God (John 3:3-8; Ezek 36:26-27).

This invasion of God’s Spirit into your spirit will have immediate and obvious effects (Gal 5:22-23). The clearest and simplest proof you are a Christian is that Christ has radically and permanently changed your life. Two primary results of salvation will be a righteous life and supernatural love. Therefore, God says we can know if someone belongs to God or the Devil because those who do not live righteously or love other Christians cannot be a child of God (1 John 3:6-10).

Granted, no Christian will be perfect (1 John 1:8). But the Spirit of God living in a Christian will significantly change their desires, lifestyle, and feelings.

Real Christians have holy and loving desires

The most immediate effect of being born again by God’s Spirit is a radical and permanent effect on our desires. The real Christian’s greatest desires are to please God and love people. You might struggle to follow these desires, but you will have them like never before. Likewise, you will have a new hatred for sin and selfishness in your life.

Some Christians doubt their salvation because they struggle with sin. But this may be showing they are a Christian. In fact, the indwelling of God’s Spirit begins an internal moral war that we never had before (Gal 5:17). Our struggle with sin reveals our new hatred for sin and desire for righteousness and love.

A Christian’s love for God will result in a love for God’s word. The Bible says a lack of love for God’s truth is a sign you are on your way to Hell (2 Thess 2:10). A real Christian will crave the milk of God’s word (1 Pet 2:2). They will enjoy reading the Bible and hearing it taught. They will seek to understand God’s word. And because God’s Spirit is in them, the commands in Scripture will motivate them and the promises will encourage them. People who say they are a Christian but do not have much interest in reading, learning, or obeying the Bible probably do not have the Spirit of God in them.

A real Christian’s desire to love God will mean they do not have a love for money. Jesus said you cannot serve both God and money. Being devoted to making and spending money is to despise Jesus (Matt 6:24; 13:22). Loving, seeking, and depending on money is the root of many kinds of evil (1 Tim 6:10). This is why generosity is a very important proof that someone is a Christian. If a person claims to be a Christian but has no desire to give generously to the financial needs of a local church, then they may not be a Christian.

Finally, real Christians want to have friendships with other Christians, attend church services, and be involved in ministry. They want to love the Father by loving His children. In fact, loving people becomes the drive of their life. Some claim to be Christians but do not even join a local church. Perhaps they were hurt in a bad church. And there are legitimate reasons to leave a church. But the Bible says leaving a church may a sign that you do not belong to God’s people (1 John 2:19). Especially if you never join another one.

Becoming a Christian will immediately and radically change your desires to love and obey God and bless people.

Real Christians have a holy and loving lifestyle

The holy desires of a real Christian will result in a holy lifestyle. Some approach the topic of the assurance of salvation by asking the question, “How much can a person sin and still be considered a Christian?” The Bible never answers such a question. This is because the answer is primarily intended to give false Christians some kind of false assurance. Instead, the Bible commands professing Christians to be eager and to work hard to prove they really belong to the people God has chosen for salvation (2 Pet 1:10).

So, what is the biblical test of a genuine Christians? The Bible says that no one who is born by God will live a sinful and selfish life (1 John 3:9). It is this simple. If someone claims to be a Christian but does not obey God’s commandments, they are a liar (1 John 2:3-6). People who are addicted to sinful and destructive behavior will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9-11).

A righteous life will not be what the Bible calls a worldly life. Those who love the pleasures of the world and seek the possessions and positions of the world do not have God’s love in them (1 John 2:15-16; James 4:4; Rom 12:2).

One of the things that people of the world crave is popularity and to be liked by people. Therefore, a willingness to be rejected by people because of your commitment to Christ and responding to threats with courage is powerful proof you really love God (Phil 1:28). Jesus warned of those who initially accept the Gospel with joy but quit following Christ because they are persecuted for believing and obeying God’s word (Matt 13:20-21).

Likewise, Jesus said the same people will abandon Christianity because they encounter painful difficulties. Some people join with Christians only because they believe God will give them more health, wealth, and success in the world. Therefore, when God allows their life to get hard, they abandon Christ. If a false Christian does not feel that Christ is loving and serving them, they will not love and serve Christ. The Bible says God allows hardships in people’s lives to prove if they are real Christians (1 Pet 1:6-7; James 1:12; Rom 5:3-5). A person’s response to painful difficulties is one of the best tests of true love and faith in Christ.

The most repeated test in Scripture for genuine faith in Christ is our love for other Christians. The Bible says if we love our brothers in Christ then it proves that we have been changed from being spiritually dead, to spiritually alive (1 John 3:14). Christian love is an unconditional patience and kindness toward people, including your enemies (1 Cor 13:4-5; Matt 5:43-47).

However, perhaps a better test of our love is how we treat the people closest to us. Would your spouse, children, and parents say you are a loving person? That you love them more than yourself? It does not matter if neighbors and workmates think you are a nice person. Anyone can do that without God.

A love for people obviously includes forgiving them. Real Christians have the desire and ability to forgive the people that hurt them (1 Cor 13:5). Because God has forgiven them for everything, He expects all Christians to forgive others. Therefore, Jesus said if you do not forgive those who sin against you, then God will not forgive your sins against Him (Matt 6:14-15; 18:32-33). This is because your refusal to forgive others reveals that you have not experienced the forgiveness of God and you are not a Christian.

Practical Application: Do you need to examine your life for signs of God’s Spirit in you? Would some examination further confirm your assurance? For help with both, complete the Test for Real Christian Faith. Record examples of each item.

🞏 I have a hatred for sin.

🞏 I have a desire to love God.

🞏 I experience the Spirit’s love, joy, peace, and power over sin.

🞏 I have a strong desire to study and learn God’s word.

🞏 I am committed to a local church and have a strong desire to spend time with other Christians.

🞏 I have a desire and ability to forgive those who have hurt me.

🞏 I have a concern for the salvation of those who do not know Christ.

In your small group meeting this week, share praises and prayer requests and then discuss these questions:

1. Where does the Bible say that God wants you to be certain you are a Christian with eternal life?
2. Why does God want you to have assurance of your salvation?
3. What happened when we became a Christian that will have immediate and obvious effects?
4. What are the two primary tests of genuine Christian faith? What are examples of these?
5. Are you struggling to be certain you are saved? If so, what can help you? Have you struggled in the past to be certain you are saved? What helped you to gain assurance?
6. What was especially meaningful to you in this chapter? Why?