We all need assurance that one is a child of God forever. In 1 John 5:13, we read, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” John’s first epistle was written to Christians to assure them that they were in the faith and that God was true to His word. This same man wrote, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Satan loves to undermine our confidence. He wants to plague us with doubt. “Am I really saved?” “Will I go to be with Jesus when I die?”
Listen to what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Before his conversion, Paul was a tyrant. He hunted Christians down and put them in prison. Some even died. But after his amazing encounter with Christ, he was radically transformed. In the verse I just shared, there is no sense of doubt or lack of assurance. He said, “But the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” If you have received Jesus into your heart and life, then you should have the same assurance.
God is not temperamental like humans tend to be. In Malachi 3:6 He says, “I am the LORD, and I DO NOT CHANGE. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.” They had certainly given Him plenty of reasons for Him to destroy them, but He didn’t.
Why do we doubt or lack assurance? I think there are several reasons …
1. There may be sin in our lives.
A person who is truly born again will not continue to live a sinful life. He/she may occasionally sin, but when they do they will be filled with remorse, repent, get back on track with God, and go forward by faith. 1 John was written to Christians, and in chapter one, verse 9, John wrote, “But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” Isn’t that reassuring? In 1 John 3:9 (NASB) the Apostle wrote, “No one who is born of God practices sin, because God’s life is in them.”
2. Another reason a person may lack assurance is due to false teaching.
Many liberal pastors do not believe the whole Bible is the Word of God. They pick and choose what they will believe and even then put their spin on it. How can anyone in a church like that have any assurance of their salvation or that they will go to heaven when they die?
3. Many people rely on their emotions.
“I don’t feel like I am saved.” “I’m not sure God cares about me.” (etc. etc. etc.) It is so important that we rely on Biblical truth rather than on our feelings or emotions. Proverbs 3:5-6 is so important at a time like this. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.” What a great way to fortify our assurance!
4. Another reason people lack assurance is a failure to take God at His word.
Folks, if we do not listen to God, why should He listen to us? In Jeremiah 11:11, the prophet impugns God’s people for failing to listen, and then he records God’s message to them: “Therefore, thus says the LORD, ‘Behold I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape. Though they cry to Me, I will not listen to them.”
What a somber message God gave to His people —“If you won’t listen to me, I won’t listen to you.”
5. We may lack assurance because of satanic attacks.
His primary target is our minds. If he can control the way we think, he can influence the way we live. In Proverbs 23:7 NKJV, we read, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. Eat and drink, saith he to thee. But his heart is not with thee.” Psychologists for years have said, “Man is in the process of becoming what he spends his time thinking about.” So how do we counter these attacks? Paul’s counsel in Colossians 3:1-2 says, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of the earth.” What great advice!
In closing, here are several ways you can test your assurance.
1. Do I believe God’s word? For a long time, I have taken this position: “God said it, I believe it. That settles it.”
2. Do I have the witness of the Holy Spirit in my heart? Paul, in Romans 8:16-17, wrote — “For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are His children, we are His heirs. Together with Christ, we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering.”
Do you have the witness of His Spirit that you are one of God’s children? If not, right now, ask our Lord to save you and take over your life.
3. Am I living or walking as a Christian ought to live? When we receive Christ, He transforms our lives. We are different and we are to live differently. In Romans 6:3-4 Paul wrote, “Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined Him in His death. For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we may also live new lives.”
I have been so blessed in my soul in preparing this meditation. I pray that you will be as you read.
In His Love,
Pastor Leonard
