Assurance
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'" (Matthew 7:21-23)
To me, that passage is undoubtedly one of the scariest passages in the Bible. If, when I die, Jesus says to me "I never knew you", I will know immediately that that is The Definite End. All hope is forever lost. I would know immediately that I had lived my life thinking I was a Christian, but was never saved in the first place. I would know that I would have to spend every slow minute in hell, in total darkness, in isolation, without a single hint of hope. Worst of all, I would know that I could have spent eternity with Christ in heaven -- my real home, the place I was created to be in. How those cruel words would ring in my mind: "could have, could have, could have..."
One of my greatest struggles is the assurance of my salvation. I know I am not alone in this -- many Christians from the "regular" believer, like me, all the way to Charles Spurgeon the great preacher have had these doubts. I know that churches throughout the centuries have consisted of both the saved and unsaved. Only God really knows the state of each person's salvation.
My big problem is that I'm a sinner. Every time I sin, it clouds the assurance of my salvation. Jesus said a tree is known by its fruit (Matthew 7:15-20). If someone who professes to be a believer continually sins and produces bad fruit, it could be that that person was never saved in the first place. This is a huge motivation in my battle against sin.
I know that my works are not what earns me entry into heaven. It is God who saves, and justification is by faith alone. But most people who quote Ephesians 2:8-9 tend to miss out verse 10, which says that Christians are created for good works. In other words, we're saved first (justification) so that we can produce good works (sanctification). Therefore if I consistently produce bad fruit, and my spiritual life keeps deteriorating, it could be that I was never even saved in the first place. Faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26).
At the same time, I believe that full assurance of salvation in this life is possible. As I search the Scriptures and examine my own life, I do believe that I will be able to possess and express the full confidence that I am truly saved, just like Paul (2 Timothy 1:12).
I rest in God's many promises concerning salvation:
"...whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." (John 5:24)
"And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Acts 2:21)
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
How my whole being longs to hear Jesus say those precious words -- "Well done, good and faithful servant!" (Matthew 25:23) -- on that Day.
To me, that passage is undoubtedly one of the scariest passages in the Bible. If, when I die, Jesus says to me "I never knew you", I will know immediately that that is The Definite End. All hope is forever lost. I would know immediately that I had lived my life thinking I was a Christian, but was never saved in the first place. I would know that I would have to spend every slow minute in hell, in total darkness, in isolation, without a single hint of hope. Worst of all, I would know that I could have spent eternity with Christ in heaven -- my real home, the place I was created to be in. How those cruel words would ring in my mind: "could have, could have, could have..."
One of my greatest struggles is the assurance of my salvation. I know I am not alone in this -- many Christians from the "regular" believer, like me, all the way to Charles Spurgeon the great preacher have had these doubts. I know that churches throughout the centuries have consisted of both the saved and unsaved. Only God really knows the state of each person's salvation.
My big problem is that I'm a sinner. Every time I sin, it clouds the assurance of my salvation. Jesus said a tree is known by its fruit (Matthew 7:15-20). If someone who professes to be a believer continually sins and produces bad fruit, it could be that that person was never saved in the first place. This is a huge motivation in my battle against sin.
I know that my works are not what earns me entry into heaven. It is God who saves, and justification is by faith alone. But most people who quote Ephesians 2:8-9 tend to miss out verse 10, which says that Christians are created for good works. In other words, we're saved first (justification) so that we can produce good works (sanctification). Therefore if I consistently produce bad fruit, and my spiritual life keeps deteriorating, it could be that I was never even saved in the first place. Faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26).
At the same time, I believe that full assurance of salvation in this life is possible. As I search the Scriptures and examine my own life, I do believe that I will be able to possess and express the full confidence that I am truly saved, just like Paul (2 Timothy 1:12).
I rest in God's many promises concerning salvation:
"...whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." (John 5:24)
"And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Acts 2:21)
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
How my whole being longs to hear Jesus say those precious words -- "Well done, good and faithful servant!" (Matthew 25:23) -- on that Day.
posted by dust and ashes Permalink
1 Comments:
When you are saved, you will automatically bear good fruit in your works. And those works will not be done by your own thoughts or your own 'will' to do. I believe God will place you in the right place or right situation to shine for Christ and to help others.
A plant that has sunlight and water will bear fruit. There's no need for artificial fertilisers or minerals.
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