You Can Be Sure
You’re Eternally Secure (John 11:25-27)
Bob Wilkin
www.faithalone.org
Read John 11:25-27.
For years I believed in heaven and hell and I was scared to death I was going to die and spend eternity in hell.
Like most Americans, though I believed that Jesus died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead, this gave me no confidence that I’d miss hell. I thought I had to do my part to make it to heaven, and I was afraid I’d wouldn’t be good enough to make it.
After nearly 15 years of this frustration, at the age of 20, God showed me that we can be sure we are eternally secure if we believe what God says in His Word on the subject.
I’ve found many people struggle with this concern. There has been and remains a crisis in assurance in American Christianity. Very few people “Christians” know for sure that they are going to heaven when they die, that they are eternally secure.
The reason is that they have the same problem I had. They are looking in the wrong places for assurance. They look in their commitment, which is imperfect. In their works, which are imperfect. In their fervor for God, which sometimes wanes. In their hatred of sin, which sometimes is not as strong as we’d like. In their love for other believers, which oftentimes is not what it should be.
There really is only one place to look for assurance.
I. Jesus Promises the Believer Certainty
about His Eternal Destiny
Look at John 11:27. Martha knew she believed that all who simply believe in Jesus will never die spiritually. She didn’t hem and haw. She expressed no doubts. She was certain she had eternal life and would be raised on the last day just as she was sure that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.
Point: assurance is not like having 100 lottery tickets out of 10 million. It’s not even like having one million tickets out of ten million. It is like already having the lottery money in the bank and having a receipt proving it.
II. When You Believe What Jesus Said,
You’re Sure
Read John 11:25-27.
When a person believes in Jesus, he is certain he has eternal life. And as long as keeps on believing, he stays sure.
As “the resurrection” Jesus guarantees that all who simply believe in Him will be part of the resurrection of the righteous. That is, He guarantees they will be in His eternal kingdom with glorified bodies.
As “the life” Jesus guarantees that all who simply believe in Him will never die. Clearly He is referring to spiritual death here.
In other words, the promise Jesus makes is that the one who believes in Him is eternally secure, no matter what happens in his or her future.
DO YOU BELIEVE THIS? Jesus’ question asked Martha whether she was sure she was eternally secure?
Note: it is impossible to believe what Jesus said and not be sure that you yourself are eternally secure.
Notice Martha’s response. Martha was certain she believed in Jesus and she was certain she was eternally secure.
Martha does not hesitate to affirm her belief in Jesus and His promise of eternal security to her and all who simply believe in Him.
But note as well: A person may believe many things about Jesus and not be sure of his eternal destiny. He can believe that Jesus existed, that He is God, that He died and rose again, and that He is coming again, and yet be unsure whether he will be in Jesus’ kingdom or not.
Such a person will say he believes in Jesus, but he will also admit he is not sure of his eternal destiny.
The reason is simple. Most people believe in some form of works salvation. Most people believe that only those who persevere to the end of life in faith and good works will actually make it into the kingdom. Some believe in what I call “Lose it theology.” That is, you lose eternal life if you fail to persevere. Others believe in what I call “Prove it theology.” That is, you prove you never were born again in the first place if you fail to persevere. Either way, persevering in faith and good works is, in this way of looking at it, a condition of eternal life.
And, since none of us can be sure we will persevere in faith and good works, if assurance is based on perseverance, then we can’t be sure. As one 5-point Calvinist told me, “While I see what I think are the works of God in my life, I must admit I might fall away and fail to persevere. And if do, then I will go to hell.” That’s why I call by lose it and prove it theology “Daisy theology: He loves me; He loves me not; He loves me; He loves me not…And you hope you end your life on “He loves me.”
Biblically to believe in Jesus is to believe His promise of everlasting life that can never be lost to all who simply believe in Him.
Another way of saying that is that “believing in Jesus” means believing in Him for something specific: eternal salvation, everlasting life, guaranteed eternity in His kingdom. See 1 Tim 1:16 where Paul says he is an example of those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.”
Whenever a person says he believes in Jesus and yet admits he isn’t sure of his eternal destiny, it is great to ask, “Would you like to be sure, if that were possible?” Then after they say yes, show them John 11:26.
Here is how the conversation can go:
You say you believe in Jesus, right?
According to Jesus in John 11:26, what do we know is true of every living human being who believes in Him?
That’s right, we know that all who simply believe in Jesus will never die spiritually.
So, if you indeed believe in Jesus, then you will never die spiritually. Right? And if you are not sure of your eternal destiny, that means you are not right now believing what Jesus says here. In other words, to believe in Jesus in the way Jesus uses it here is to believe in Him for everlasting life that can never be lost.
So why not take Jesus at His word? Assurance of your eternal destiny is as simple as believing the promise Jesus makes. As this verse and John 3:16 and many others make clear, Jesus doesn’t promise everlasting life to whoever behaves in Him, but to whoever believes in Him.
III. Assurance Can Be Lost,
Since It’s Possible to Stop Believing Jesus’ Promise
Assurance can be lost by ceasing to believing the promise. However, since the person who believes in Jesus “shall never die,” eternal life cannot be lost, even if assurance is lost. The question concerning eternal salvation is, has a person ever believed the promise? The question concerning assurance is, does a person believe the promise right now?
Thus often we are not sure if the person we are talking with is a confused believer or a well-intentioned unbeliever. However, in either case, we should seek to lead them to assurance.
Notice that if our attitude is that the person may be a confused believer, it takes the pressure off in evangelism. We are not trying to say the person is unsaved. We are trying to say that he needs assurance. It is true that if he understands what we are saying, he will realize he may well be unsaved if he has never been sure of his eternal destiny. However, some people can’t remember what they believed at the date they refer to as the day they were saved. So the issue comes back to what I believe right now, not to what I believed or did at some point in the past.
IV. Assurance Is Based on What I Believe Now,
Not What I Believed or Did in the Past
Many people err by pointing to some past experience as the basis of their assurance. They prayed some prayer and wrote the date in their Bible. They walked an aisle and wrote the date on a wooden stake which they drove in the ground behind their house. They felt a feeling and carved the day in a tree by their church.
The problem with looking back to some prior event for assurance is that we don’t live in the present. We live in the present. We can only have assurance now if we believe the promise of God now. Even if we remember a time when we believed it in the past, if we no longer believe the promise, then we aren’t sure we are saved because the only way to have assurance is to believe the promise.
I taught an evangelism course at Woodcrest College in East Texas in 1985. About mid way through the semester, I had all of my students write up their testimonies. They were to make it crystal clear how they became Christians.
One young man submitted a confused testimony. He spoke of a time when he committed his life to Christ and came forward at a service. He didn’t indicate believing in Christ for eternal life. I asked him to redo it and make it clear this time.
A few days later I received the revised paper. He had changed the wording in places. But the essential content was the same. He committed his life and walked an aisle.
I called him into my office and asked him why he wasn’t making it clear. He responded in this way:
“Well, I’m just telling you what happened when I got saved. It wasn’t until this semester in your class that I learned that the Lord Jesus gives eternal life to all who simply believe in Him. Prior to this semester I was not sure I was saved. I thought I could lose it. So when you ask me to change my testimony, I’m stuck. That is what really happened.”
I then asked him when a person is saved. He said, “Well, I now know it is when they believe in Christ for eternal life.”
“And when did you do that?” I asked.
“This semester in your class.”
“Well, then,” I asked, “when did you get saved?”
“Wow. I got saved this semester in your class!”
“Right. You had some experience year’s ago when you made a commitment and went forward. You drew closer to God. But it wasn’t until you believed the gospel that you were born again.”
He rewrote his testimony and then it was clear.
V. Focusing on Your Works for Assurance
Guarantees You Won’t Be Sure
The Lord Jesus does not say those who behave will never die. He instead says that those who believe in Him will never die. He focuses on believing in Him.
Most people think they should look at their works to see if they saved. Yet that approach contradicts what Jesus says here and throughout John’s Gospel. And it contradicts the entire Bible.
Romans 3:23, for example, is true of every person on earth, including Christians. We all fall short, present tense, of the glory of God. None of us is perfect. Compare 1 John 3:2 or 1 John 1:9.
Unless the Bible gave some objective way to evaluate our works, then assurance would be impossible prior to death. And sadly it is for millions of “Christians” today. This is obviously true when we link assurance to perseverance in good works since no one can be sure he will persevere until he has died.
Look to Christ and you’ll be sure that you have everlasting that and that you will never die spiritually.
After one of D. L. Moody’s evangelistic services, a man named Chapman came up to him saying that he lacked assurance of his eternal destiny.
Moody asked him to read John 5:24. The man did: “He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent me has everlasting life, shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” Moody then said, “Any other questions?”
Chapman said, “But I’m still not sure.”
Moody, annoyed, said: “Read it again.”
Chapman did and then he said, “I’m sorry, but I’m still not sure.”
“Read it again!”
Chapman did and this time he said, “Wow. Are you saying that if I simply believe in Jesus that I will have everlasting life and that I’ll never come into judgment about my eternal destiny?”
“No,” Moody said, “the Lord Jesus Christ said that.”
Look to yourself and you’ll never be sure. You and your works are flawed. Jesus and His works and His promise are not flawed.
VI. Be Prepared:
Many Think Assurance Is Actually a Bad Thing
Many people in Christianity not only feel that it is impossible to be sure before you die, they also feel that it would be a bad thing.
So when you are trying to lead friends to be sure of their eternal destiny, realize they may raise an objection.
Many think it promotes sin. Why would anyone obey God if they knew won’t go to hell?
You can share with them that such a view, while wildly held, and while it is something you once believed (if you did), misses the point entirely.
The Bible and experience shows us that sin is bad for you.
People go to 12 step programs, Christians and non-Christians, because they come to realize that sin hurts you, it hurts your spouse, it hurts your kids, it hurts everyone around you.
Obeying God is good for you. The Bible and life show this clearly. Only a fool would live in rebellion against our Creator, the One who loves us and tells us the best way to live.
Assurance doesn’t promote sin. It promotes gratitude and godly behavior.
The fact that I am sure of my eternal destiny moves me to perseverance. I long to have the approval of my Lord and Savior.
My Dad was an alcoholic and he never approved of me. That hurt. He died 20 years ago and for years I kept seeking of the approval of other men as sort of surrogates of my Dad. Finally I realized that the approval I really need and want is that of the Lord Jesus Christ.
While all believers are accepted by Christ, not all will be approved by Him. We should long to hear, “Well done, good servant” (Luke 19:17).
Assurance is a great thing. That is why the Lord Jesus told Martha, and through her, all of us, the person who believes in Him will never die spiritually!
VII. Conclusion
How does John 11:25-27 impact the way you will live this very week?
It can revolutionize your week, your month, the year, the rest of your life, and the rest of your eternity.
Knowing for sure you have eternal life gives you certainty that you are eternally significant. No more fear of hell. Gratitude for what Jesus has given you.
If you are certain you should have a strong desire to be a faithful employer, employee, spouse, parent, child, neighbor, driver, etc.
Certainty of our eternal destiny gives us an eternal destiny.
It allows us to shoot for eternal rewards, abundance of life forever, ruling with Jesus forever, hearing Him say, “Well done, good servant.”
Without assurance you will be afraid, unsure, facing tomorrow with no certainty of forever. What a lousy way to live.
Here’s how to be sure: Focus on what God has said. That is how we are sure about anything in the Bible.
Are you sure Jesus is the Son of God? Yes. Why? Because the Bible says so. And because the evidence from history backs it up.
Are you sure Jesus is coming again? Yes. The Bible says so. The evidence of fulfilled prophecy backs it up.
Are you sure that Jesus will raise the dead? Yes. The Bible says so. The resurrection of Jesus guarantees it.
In the same way, are you sure that all who simply believe in Christ are secure forever? Yes. The Bible says so. And He proved we should believe Him.
Jesus guarantees eternal life to all who simply believe in Him. No one who believes in Jesus will ever die spiritually (John 11:26).
Here’s how to be unsure: Focus on what you have done.
Imperfect works can’t give assurance. Even perfect works couldn’t give assurance since no one can be sure he wouldn’t fall away in the future. We can only have assurance by believing Jesus’ promise to the believer.
Assurance is found in believing in what God has promised. It is not found in examining our works, our commitment, our desires, or our feelings. Those are undependable. God’s Word is totally dependable. Stand on His promise and you will be sure you are eternally secure.
The Lord Jesus said, “He who lives and believe in Me shall never die.” Then He asked, “Do you believe this?” I pray you do. Knowing for sure you have everlasting life is the single most important thing you can ever know.
