Assurance

<<promise, guarantee>>

Assurance is a confidence or a state of certainty based on solid facts, not assumptions, presumptions or optimism.

The certainty of the Christian faith is not based on our feelings or opinions, rather the truths of the Bible and the witness of the Holy Spirit within. Assurance of salvation is necessary, as a person is either saved (in Christ) or lost. A lack of assurance of salvation

God will do what He says He will do

should cause genuine worry and concern to anyone who is backsliding or staying away from Christ for, although we don't work for our salvation, it is to be maintained by persevering to the end (Mt 10:22; Col 1:22,23; 2 Pet 1:5-10).

For a genuine believer who has repented of sin, turned to Christ for salvation and is endeavouring to walk with Him, God has given us specific and precious promises in the Bible, such as “I will never leave you” (Heb 13:5); “All thing work together for our good” (Rom 8:28); “My grace is sufficient for you (2 Cor 12:9); “As many as receive Him, to them he gives the right to be His children (Jn 1:12); “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom 10:9,10); “God is not a man that He should lie” (Num 23:19); “If we confess our sin He is faithful to forgive” (1 Jn 1:9); “Whoever believes…has eternal life…he has passed from death to life” (Jn 5:24); “No one who has left mother, father [or what is important to them] for my sake will miss out” (Mk 10:29,30); When persecuted He will give us the words to answer the charges against us (Lk 21:14,15).

The grounds for our total confidence and certainty are based on God’s word and He has the power to do what He has promised (1 Kgs 8:56; Jer 32:17; Mt 19:26; Rom 4:21).

Paul was convinced that absolutely nothing can separate us from God’s love and He would guard what he had committed to Him (Rom 8:38,39; 2 Tim 1:12). This is real assurance!

In times of testing, uncertainty and discouragement we can inspire confidence into our spirit by recalling to mind and believing the promises of the Bible which speak of His unfailing love yet does not show favouritism, but demonstrates Himself strong on behalf of those who walk uprightly (2 Chr 16:9). The power of Christianity depends upon our faith in a miracle working God rather than our efforts. Don’t let your ever-changing feelings dictate to your spirit because Satan wants to deceive, defeat and turn us aside from following Christ by bringing doubts into our minds because of ignorance in what the Bible teaches. Our faith should be built on the promises of God’s Word – facts that remain true, forming a solid always-dependable, always the same foundation.

Often new Christians lack assurance that they are really saved, and it is wise to “examine ourselves to see if we are truly in the faith” (2 Cor 13:5). Check yourself against these indicators: do you enjoy fellowship with Christ and other Christians? (1 Jn 1:3); do you prefer good or evil? (1 Jn 1:6,7); do you acknowledge and confess your sin? (1 Jn 1:8); do

If God has said it, I believe it – that settles it

you follow His commands? (1 Jn 2:4); do you try to live as Jesus did? (1 Jn 2:6); is the outworking of love a major factor in your life? (1 Jn 2:10); do you love God more than the world? (1 Jn 2:15); is doing what is right a characteristic of your life? (1 Jn 2:29); are you cleaning up your life? (1 Jn 3:3); is there a decrease in yielding to sin? (1 Jn 3:5,6); does your lifestyle confirm what you say? (1 Jn 3:18,19); do you maintain a clear conscience? (1 Jn 3:21); are you living in victory over the pull of the world? (1 Jn 5:4). Although we will regularly failure in our intentions to imitate Christ every day there should be a consistent growth in righteousness as we work on the areas where we are lacking. The Word of God and the witness of the Holy Spirit with our spirit gives us confidence we are God’s children, ‘for all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved' (Rom 8:16, 10:13).

Although Christianity is not about performance or keeping rules, rather a relationship with God, the naturally developed fruit gives a clear indication of the life source within. Jesus said the fruit our lives produce will reveal the root our lives are connected to (Mt 7:16-20). The outworking of our faith is in works that display the reality of our salvation (Jas 2:17,18).

The Bible says that we can know for certain that we have eternal life if we have believed in Jesus as our Saviour! “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (Jn 3:36). "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 Jn 3:24, 4:13, 5:11-13).