Assurance of Salvation

Do you ever doubt you really have a relationship with Jesus?

God has a Purpose:

  • Fact – God wants us to know for sure that we have eternal life. The Bible says, “He who has the Son has life, he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life” 1 John 5:12-13.
  • Fact – God wants us to experience the joy that’s bound in a relationship with Jesus Christ, John 15:11.

Our Need: Doubting is not uncommon to Christians. Satan wants us to doubt and even plants doubts in our minds, Genesis 3:1. Even the biblical writers experienced doubts and expressed the need for renewal, Psalm 51:12. There are Four major factors which caused believers to doubt.

  • Fact – You may not have had a good explanation of what happens when you put your trust in Jesus Christ.
  • Fact – You may not have pursued God through prayer, Bible study, and worship.
  • Fact – You may have allowed sin and disobedience to cloud your relationship with Jesus.
  • Fact – You may be going through some problems at home, school, physically, or emotionally which are causing you to doubt your relationship with Jesus Christ.

God’s Provision:

  • Fact – God has promised to complete his work of salvation in us, Philippians 1:6.
  • Fact – Jesus promises assurance of eternal life. “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, he has crossed over from death to life, John 5:24.
  • Fact – Jesus said no one could take the Christian out of his hand, John 10:28.
  • Fact – The Holy Spirit tells us we are children of God, Romans 8:16.

Our Response: We receive God’s insurance by faith and express it through obedience, 1 John 2:3-5. Christians are not to trust their feelings only. We are to walk by faith, trusting in God, not by what we feel or want to see happen, 2 Corinthians 5:7. Four actions can bring us to assurance.

  • Act – Confess all known sin in your life, 1 John 1:9.
  • Act – Commit yourself to the lordship of Jesus Christ, Romans 10:9-10.
  • Act – Claim God’s promise of salvation by faith alone. It is all God, 2 Timothy 1:12.
  • Act – Obey God’s commands in the Bible, John 14:21, John 15:10.

My Commitment: Are you ready to take the four faith actions that will help you make sure about your relationship with Jesus Christ? If so you may want to pray the following prayer or a similar prayer right now.

God, I place my complete faith in you, I confess to you any known sin, I commit myself to the lordship of Jesus, I claim your promise of assurance, and I will live in obedience to your commands. Thank you for the assurance of my relationship with you. Amen.

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Assurance of Salvation

This section is part of a class that I am teaching called Discipleship 101, the Lost Art of Disciple Making, where we are going to cover the basics of the Christian faith. I have in my class those who have never been discipled as well as those who have been with Christ for a long time, but are seeking tools and strategies for helping or mentoring others toward becoming disciple makers.

This is a brief section of reasons to believe and trust, and several verses to look up, which is done easily on this site.

Assurance of Salvation
We find direct statements in God’s Word: John 5:24, 1 John 5:13, Titus 1:2

But can We Believe the Bible?
The Bible claims to be the Word of God: expressions in the Bible, like “and God said…” or “Thus says the Lord…” and “God spoke to Moses…” – Genesis 1:3, Exodus 20:1, Joshua 14:5, Luke 24:27, 44, John 10:35, Acts 1:16, 17:2, 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21

The Bible is proved to be the Word of God.

  1. Unity: recorded over 1600 years, three languages, men and women from different countries and ages, with a unified message, it is one Book.
  2. Fulfilled Prophecy: hundreds of Old Testament prophecies about Jesus, the Jews, the Gentiles.
  3. Archaeology: always proves the Bible’s story, if it hasn’t, just wait.
  4. The Test of Time: through sword and flame, atheism and paganism, cold indifference and false prophets, it’s still here.
  5. Universal Demand: the world’s bestselling book.
  6. Denunciation of Sin: evil is never tolerated, but is dealt with openly, nothing in secret, characters are recorded as fallen, never perfect (Exodus 17:5-7, Numbers 20:7-13).
  7. Power to Change Lives: George Muller of Bristol, as an example.

The Witness of the Holy Spirit – Romans 8:16.

  1. What That Means:
    1. He is a Person, not a force.
    2. He is a Trinity, co-equal with the Son and Father.
    3. We are His temple, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 1 John 4:13
  2. How This Happens:
    1. He is the believer’s teacher – John 14:26, 15:26-27, 16:12-15
    2. He is the believer’s comforter – John 14:16, paraclete, John 14:26, 15:26, 16:7
    3. He is the believer’s guide – John 16:13, to lead the way (Matthew 15:14), Romans 8:1, 14
    4. He is the believer’s helper and intercessor – Romans 8:16
  3. A New Life – Transformation, 2 Corinthians 5:17
    1. A new attitude toward sin: Romans 7:19-20, they hate it, a new heart.
    2. New desires and new friends: new primary fellowship, community and growth.
    3. Fruit of the Spirit: Galatians 5:22-23, Matthew 7:20, Acts 4:13
    4. Assurance through Christian growth: Titus 3:5, Philippians 3:14, 1 Corinthians 3:11-15

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