Why Do So Few Have Assurance of Their Salvation? - I John 5:11-13
Assurance of Salvation - To be absolutely confident that God will act on His promise to save us from hell, death, sin and destruction through the substitutionary atoning death of Jesus Christ. I know that if I were to die today I am certain that I will spend eternity in heaven based on His scriptural promises.
Illustration:There are four basic categories:
1) Those who think they are saved, but aren’t. Matthew 7:21-3
2) Those we think are saved, but aren’t. 1 John 2:18-19
3) Those who are saved, but don’t act like it: Corinthians.
4) Those who are saved, and they act like it.
1. Why Many Have Doubts of Their Salvation many people really know God’s attributes and Character well enough too fully trusts Him. (Phil. 3:1)
2. Many people assume that their salvation is somehow based on their good works. (Eph. 2:8,9)
3. Many immature Christians have not disciplined themselves to grow in all aspects into Christ. (Eph. 4:11-15)
4. Many churchgoers have merely been hearers of thc word and not doers of the word, thereby deceiving themselves. (James 1:22)
5. Others have failed to grow in faith and so have staggered at the promises of God through unbelief unlike Abraham. (ROM. 4:20.21 )
6. Some have failed to learn the full meaning of God’s promises for forgiveness and cleansing from unrighteousness. (I John 1:9)
7. Many are still living by the flesh rather than in the Spirit. (Gal. 5: 1-21
8. Others have failed to habitually develop a spiritual discipline that allows them to be controlled By the mind of Christ rather than by the flesh desires. (ROM. 8:6-8)
9. Inconsistent Christians fail to get regular assurances in their devotions of the Spirit’s promise that we are children of God. (ROM. 8:27) I John 3:24)
10. Some Christians fail to engage in regular Christian fellowship and so grow discouraged, frustrated and introspective. (He. 10:24,25) By merely relying on our own insights we lose sight of God’s control perspectives and values. (Prove. 3:5,6)
11. Peoples’ accusations can cause us to feel guilty and ashamed for the things we have done wrong. (ROM. 8:1,2)
12. No one except Jesus Christ has ever come back from thc grave and publicly declared victory as Jesus Christ did. (I Cor. 15:57) Worldliness can dull our spiritual senses and cause us to question God. (I John 2:15,16)
13 A lack of the filling of the Holy Spirit can cause us to feel useless, devoid of power and empty h1side. (John 7:37-3~))
14 Failure to obey God in all things can cause us to feel unworthy of the Lord’s assurances as the Holy Spirit is convicting us of our sins obedience and submission to His will. (John 16:8)
15 Devilish forces sometimes cause us to doubt our salvation and the permanence of the love of God. (ROM. 8:37,38)
16 Failure to love, serve and honor the Lord causes one to distance himself from God’s nearness, dearness and assurances. (John 14:21)
17 Christians will remain carnal and fail to grow do not evidence much of a changed life. (2 Cor. 5 :17)
2. Foundations for Having Assurance of salvation -
1. Whoever has Jesus, the Savior. Whoever does not have the son of God does not have life. (I John 5:11-13)
2. Whoever believes - trusts in Christ for the forgiveness of all Sins HAS eternal life. It is not conditioned on anything that we can do. (John 3:16)
3. If you confess with your mouth Jesus as the only Savior for your sins and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord, you will bc saved from hell. (ROM. 10:9,10)
3. You are completely justified and made right and holy in God’s sight through your faith and have complete peace with God. (ROM. 5:1,2)
4. The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are truly sons and daughters of God. (ROM. 8:16)
5. The Holy Spirit helps us have close relationship with the Lord. (Gal. 4:6)
3. Means of Gaining Greater Assurance of Our Salvation -
1. Do the opposite of the factors mentioned in the first section
2. Claim His promises, act on them and share their benefits with many in helping to complete Christ’s great commissiol1 of Matthew 28:19,20.
3. Useful Illustrations to Help Others Gain Greater Assurance of Salvation -
1. If you trusted Christ as the substitutionary payment for all of your sins, you are a child or daughter of God one cannot "unborn" you from a place in God’s family. (John 1:12)
2. Nothing you or any other human being can do will add anything to completed work of atonement and redemption provided to us by Jesus Christ our Lord. (Eph. 2:8,9) God’s grace is completely sufficient to supply the answer to frustration, doubt, or uncertainty that comes to any human mind. (2 Cor. 12:9,10)
3. No devilish or supernatural power can separate us from the love of God. (ROM. 8:37,38) The Holy Spirit lives inside of our bodies, making it the temple of God making himself a permanent resident of your soul for all of eternity. (I Cor. 3: 16)
4. Assurance of salvation is not presumption or pride it is a simply to trust that God will do what He says He will do in His word and resting on that conviction. (I John 4:7,8)
5. We have a written contract assuring us of our eternal salvation in the Bible. (I John 5:13) Once God gives the gin of salvation to a person. He never withdraws His pledge. No one can snatch us out of the eternal protection of God’s almighty hand. (John 10:28,29)
6. Everyone who is born of God will overcomes thc world and all of its discouragement. (I John 5:4,5)
7. All those who have publicly acknowledged Christ as their Savior may rely on the love of God. (l John 4:14-16)
8. We will have supreme confidence on the judgment day because Christ will be at the right hand of God standing as our ultimate advocate. (I John 4:16,17)
9. We may take God at His word and be assured that we have eternal life since we have asked Christ in to our life as our Savior and Lord, repented of our sins and trusted Him to give us the gift of eternal life. (I JOhn 5:11-13) "These things have been written that you may know that you have eternal life and so that you may believe in the name of the Son of God."
Conclusion:Sometime when you’re in an airport, observe the difference between passengers who hold confirmed tickets and those who are on standby. The ones with confirmed tickets read newspapers, chat with their friends or sleep. The ones on standby hang around the ticket counter, pace and smoke, smoke and pace. The difference is caused by the confidence factor. If you knew that in fifteen minutes you would have to stand in judgment before the Holy God and learn your eternal destiny, what would your reaction be? Would you smoke and pace? Would you say to yourself, "I don’t know what God’s going to say--will it be ’Welcome home, child,’ or will it be ’Depart from me; I never knew you’?
Bill Hybels, Too Busy Not To Pray, IVP, p. 113.
