Bible-Articles

Assurance of Salvation

ASSURANCE OF SALVATION

SALVATION – WHAT IT IS

While salvation refers to the redemptive act of God in plucking a sinner from the ways of death, it must not be regarded as an isolated event of the past. It is good to regard Salvation as “Saved from….”

1. Saved from eternal death—by faith….no need for knowledge. It is the logical end point of election. This position is different from Pastor Quek ( refer sermon on 3/3/19)

2. progressively saved from the attacks from the devil through knowledge of God’s words

SALVATION is one of the most precious words in the Gospel vocabulary. It embodies all the wonderful and gracious acts of GOD towards sinful man, effected through our Lord Jesus Christ. It has many facets to its meaning, which we shall shortly consider.  However, if one is asked, what do you understand by “SALVATION”,  a concise definition is

DELIVERANCE FROM THE PENALTY AND POWER OF SIN.

The above definition summarises the many blessings and benefits of GOD to man in SALVATION. We shall now proceed to examine the other meanings of this word.

SALVATION VARIOUSLY EXPRESSED

  1. Sins forgiven

1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

“… though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow”  (Isaiah 1:18).

  1. Sinner justified

“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood …” (Romans 3:24, 25).

“Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him” (Romans 5:9).

  1. Regeneration

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5).

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“Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God” (John 3:5).

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away: behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

  1. Justification

Romans 3:19-24, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 3:28, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”

  1. Glorification

Romans 8:17, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

Romans 8:30, “Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”

  1. The Results of Salvation
    1. Out of darkness into light

“… ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son:  In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13,14).

  1. From death unto life

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on

Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life”  (John 5:24).

  1. Redemption from the curse

“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13).

“In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

Christ … by His own blood … obtained eternal redemption for us (Hebrews 9:12).

  1. Enemies reconciled to God

“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Romans 5:10).

  1. We become children of God

“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12).

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.  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.  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:14-17).

1 John 3:2, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

SALVATION: A CONTINUING WORK OF GOD – SANCTIFICATION

When a sinner cries to God because of his sinful state and he accepts Jesus Christ into his heart as Lord and Saviour, the journey of his salvation begins. This is the start of his salvation “process.” It is true that his salvation is secured for all eternity but while he is on this earth there is a process called sanctification.

While salvation refers to the redemptive act of God in plucking a sinner from the ways of death, it must not be regarded as an isolated event of the past. For God’s saving grace and power continue to be operative in a believer’s life, ever effectual in his daily life “saving him, keeping him, from all sin and shame” as the Gospel chorus says.

For every believer, then, it is good for him to be reminded of God’s precious promise, that we are “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5).

Paul’s prayer expresses the same thought:  “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”  (1 Thessalonians 5:23). And the verse following says, “Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.” What a comfort it is to know that God who calls us to salvation continues to preserve us.

However, this does not exempt us from doing our part.  The Apostle Paul exhorts the professing believers to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).

Believers must be diligent and serious about their salvation: our salvation must not be neglected. To “work out” is in the present tense implying that it is a continuous working out that will last a lifetime. The believer is to take true pains, searching out his own heart and mind to make sure that he is definitely saved. Salvation is free and invisible to the naked eyes but the fruit of salvation is very real. There must be a total transformation in his life.

Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

Ephesians 5:8-13, “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.”

If our faith is not backed by works, the Bible says that it is dead (James 2:26).

James 2:26, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

The fruit of salvation must not be confused with the foundation of our salvation. The foundation of our salvation is Jesus Christ and we are saved by grace through faith in Christ. The evidence of our salvation is called the fruit. This was what James emphasized.

SALVATION: FINAL DELIVERANCE AND BLESSING – GLORIFICATION

God never intended for us to exist without a corporeal body. When a believer dies in the Lord he is absent from the body and present with the LORD. But he is in heaven in spirit form. The final consummation of our SALVATION will come when our Lord Jesus returns to “subdue all things unto Himself”. For “God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”  (Philippians 2:9-11).

In that day, our SALVATION will be complete. We know that “when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). “For our conversation is in Heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself” (Philippians 3:20,21). This is the climax of our salvation: receiving a glorified body.

We shall then have glorious immortal bodies like our Lord’s resurrection body. Then shall we be ushered unto the everlasting Kingdom of God, prepared for all the redeemed ones.

1 Corinthians 15:42-44, “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.”

HOW CAN WE BE SAVED?

This is the most vital and crucial question which each one of us must face, for if a person is not saved, then he is lost, condemned to eternal punishment.

The way of salvation is given in God’s Word. It is quite clear what one must do to be saved. Briefly stated, there are four steps to SALVATION. This is not a chronological sequence but a theological one.

  1. Admit our Sins. This is the first step one must take if salvation is to be real. A person who will not admit his own sins cannot be saved. Pride and concealment shut out the way of salvation. We must be humble and acknowledge our sins. “For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” “There is none righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:23, 10). I am no exception.  I must see my own sins and without Christ I will die and end up in Hell.
  2. Acknowledge Christ as the only Saviour. God has appointed a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, “for Him God the Father sealed” (John 6:27). “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).   “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus: who gave Himself a ransom for all …”  (1 Timothy  2:5,6).

John 3:17-18, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

JESUS IS THE ONLY WORTHY SAVIOUR.

  1. Receive and believe in Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12). “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He hath heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31).

We must believe on Jesus and none else for our salvation.

  1. Confess the Lord Jesus i.e. tell others about Christ. “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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9,10).

“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.   But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven”   (Matthew 10:32,33).

Let us not be ashamed to confess Him publicly. The best way to tell others that Christ is our only Lord and Saviour is to obey Him in water baptism.

WHAT IS MEANT BY ASSURANCE OF SALVATION?

It is the believer’s firm conviction that by faith in Christ he has been saved and will be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

While erroneous teachings abound perverting the clear teaching of Scripture, nevertheless, all true believers should know that

  1. their salvation in Christ is fully assured by God’s unchanging promises, and
  2. their salvation in Christ cannot be taken away from them.

John 10:28-29, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”

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 separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

HOW CAN A BELIEVER HAVE

THE ASSURANCE OF SALVATION?

Our assurance of salvation rests wholly on faith in the unchanging and perfect Word of God, and His precious promises.

  1. CHRIST’S FINISHED WORK ON CALVARY – THE BASIS

It must be plainly understood that our salvation is founded solely on CHRIST and HIS FINISHED WORK OF REDEMPTION on the CROSS.

“On Christ the solid Rock I stand All other ground is sinking sand”

No man or woman, no priest, no saint can purchase redemption for us. “And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; … For by one offering He had perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:11,12,14).

Jesus, by one sacrifice of Himself, paid the debt for sins ONCE FOR ALL (Hebrews  10:10).  His work is complete and perfect. We cannot add to it, nor can we work for it or pay for it.

CHRIST’S SALVATION IS OFFERED FREE. IT IS GOD’S  GRACE.

  1. FAITH IN CHRIST – THE KEY

Faith – a total, unconditional and unreserved TRUST – in CHRIST is the KEY to our obtaining GOD’S FREE GIFT OF SALVATION.  “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:  it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians  2:8,9).

We cite the example of Abraham. “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness … He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God … And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:3, 20, 22-25).

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Heb 11:6).

SALVATION IS OURS WHEN WE EXERCISE FAITH IN CHRIST, GOD’S WORD CLEARLY SAYS SO.

 

Many verses can be quoted, but we shall just take a few.  “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name”  (John 1:12).  “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” (John 3:36).  “He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John  5:24).

  1. CONSTANT FEEDING ON THE WORD AND OBEDIENCE TO IT IS OUR BEST ASSURANCE

The Christian’s life is not always smooth sailing. There will be moments of trial and temptation. Perhaps, at times his faith is sorely shaken, and he may doubt whether his salvation is secure. It is not a perfect life but a holy life. A Christian whose sin is pointed out to him will not look for a scapegoat but will humbly cry to God in repentance and ask for forgiveness like King David. 2 Samuel 12:13, “And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.”

Every child of God who has truly given his heart and life to the Saviour may rest on the sure promises of God’s Word. If he would persevere in prayer and diligently study the Word of God, he will strive to continuously conform to the image of Christ, God’s only begotten Son. Ephesians 4:13-15, “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.”

The Word of God is rich in precious promises, assuring every true believer of the Heavenly Father’s intimate and personal interest and concern in his eternal security and welfare. No earthly father will allow his child to be forcibly snatched from his care. How much more concerned is our Heavenly Father for His child’s safety!

For the comfort and assurance of the believer we quote below some of the numerous verses from God’s Word in which he may find perfect peace and confidence.

“For the Lord’s portion is His people;  Jacob is the lot of His inheritance.  He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; He led him about, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye” (Deuteronomy 32:9,10).

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:  And I give unto them eternal life;  and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.   My Father, which give them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand”  (John 10:27, 28, 29).

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  … Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us”  (Romans  8:35,37).

“Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”  (Philippians 1:6).

“But this man (Jesus), because He continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them”  (Hebrews 7:24, 25).

“… I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day”  (2 Timothy  1:12).

We are “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations”  (1 Peter 1:5, 6).

IN SUMMARY:

 

THE CHILD OF GOD, TRULY SAVED, BORN AGAIN, MAY REST IN THE FULL ASSURANCE THAT HIS SALVATION IS SEALED BY GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT UNTO THE DAY OF JESUS CHRIST THROUGH THE SHED BLOOD OF CHRIST ON CALVARY’S CROSS.

MAY WE REMEMBER GOD’S PRECIOUS PROMISES TO ALL BELIEVERS

  1. He will keep us as the apple of His eye.
  2. No man is able to pluck us out of the Father’s hand.
  3. In all sufferings and trials we are more than conquerors through Christ.
  4. Christ ever liveth to make intercession for us.
  5. He is able to keep us until the end.

WE CONCLUDE: ONCE SAVED, FOREVER SAVED. THIS IS GOD’S PRECIOUS PROMISE TO ALL BELIEVERS.

 

 

 

Lesson 8: Assurance of Salvation

BIBLE KNOWLEDGE QUIZ 8:

ASSURANCE OF SALVATION

 

Fill in the blanks:

  1. Salvation means deliverance from the __ __ __ __ __ __ __and  __ __ __ __ __  of sins.
  2. For by grace are we saved through __ __ __ __ __ ,not of  __ __ __ __ __ .
  3. Our salvation will be perfected when Jesus __ __ __ __ __ __ __ .
  4. If we confess Christ before men, He will also __ __ __ __ __ __ __us before God the Father in Heaven.
  • Our salvation is assured because of the precious __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __in God’s Word.

Underline the correct answers:

  1. Besides Christ’s redemptive work on the cross for our salvation, we need(a) the help of the priest (b) the Virgin Mary’s intercession (c) faith in Him.
  2. We may have the assurance of salvation by
    • relying on God’s promises (b) doing charitable works (c) joining a church.
  3. Our sins are forgiven
    • by confessing to the priest (b) by faith in Jesus

(c) by saying “Hail Mary” many, many times.

  1. After we have been saved we should do good works, otherwise(a) we shall lose our salvation (b) our faith is dead (c) we go to purgatory.
  2. When Jesus returns
    • Satan will rejoice (b) the world will crucify Him again (c) we shall be given glorious resurrection bodies like His.