Assurance of Salvation

“And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever.” Isaiah 32:17
Assurance of salvation is for every child of God. Too many Christians are under a cloud of doubt unnecessarily because of not leaning on the sure Word of God.

1) My Need for Assurance
I need to know that I am saved because:
· I cannot depend on my feelings.
· I cannot depend on the church.
· I cannot depend on my works, keeping The Law, any set of rules in or out of the Bible, or any church tradition.
· I have an enemy, the devil, who lies to me about my salvation.
Therefore, I need assurance. God’s Word provides this.

2) Positive Proofs of my Assurance
God’s Word tells me that I am saved and that I can know it.
a) John 3:36 “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.”
b) Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
I can know by the witness of the Spirit of God.
c) Romans 8:16 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our Spirit, that we are the children of God.” God has adopted us.
d) Romans 8:15 “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba Father.” (My Father)
By a desire to do God’s will and we have a new love for the brethren.
e) 1 John 4:13 “Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit.”
f) 1 John 3:22 “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandmenst and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”
g) Romans 12:10 “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love in honour preferring one another.”

I no longer seek the world’s ways. Rather, I earnestly strive to apply;
h) Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, acceptable, and perfect (mature) will of God.”

3) I am Secure in Him
Christ has promised to keep me.
a) Jude 24 “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.”
b) Romans 8:38, 39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to remove us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The Bible says I have “Everlasting life.”
c) 1 John 5:13 “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
d) John 3:36 “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

Some people ask how a man is to know that he is saved. How does a man know anything? Suppose I am dealing with an inquirer who has accepted Christ, but has not the assurance, which a believer should have. Do I ask him to kneel down and pray until some happy feeling comes into his heart? No. I take God’s Word and put it into his hand, and say, “My friend, will you read the 36th verse of the 3rd chapter of John?”
He reads “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.”
Say to him “Who has everlasting life?”
“He that believes on the Son of God.”
“Do you believe on the Son of God?”
“I do.”
“Have you everlasting life?”
“No, I do not feel it.”
I suggest that he reread the passage.
He reads, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.”
I say, “Who hath everlasting life?”
He looks at the Book and says, “He that believeth on the Son.”
“What have you?”
Why, I do not know that I have anything.”
“What does that verse say that the one who believes on the Son of God hath? How many of those who believe on the Son have everlasting life?”
“All of them.”
“How do you know it?”
“It says so.”
“Do you believe on the Son?”
“I do.”
“What have you?”
“Everlasting life.”
“How do you know it?”
“Because God says so.”

4) Can I Lose My Salvation?
Yes.
a) Ezekiel 18:24 “But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he that done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.”
b) 2 Peter 2:20,21 “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome. The latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the Holy commandment delivered unto them.”

It is possible for us to lose our salvation. However it isn’t very likely. Abide in Christ and you shall live.