“Salvation and Assurance”
Ephesians 2:1-9
There was a man named Thomas Johnson. During a week of meetings at his corps in St. Joseph, MO, he was the center of attention, laughing, smiling, joking, never a serious moment. After the final meeting given by the speaker, Major David Thomas, he gripped the hand of the Major and said “Powerful Message, Major. I hope you don’t think badly of me for jokin’ around so much during the week. I was 30 before I met the Lord. It was such a wonderful experience in my life that I’ve been wanting to laugh and holler ever since.”
Thomas Johnson understands the difference Christianity makes in his life. Do you? Oh he may not be able to explain it in all the theological terms that are related to the experience and probably neither can many of us. Some of the words used to describe this experience are, “got saved,” “asked the Lord into their heart,” “found the Lord.” These are just a few of the less technical terms used. Some of the more theological terms used are, “justification, regeneration, adoption, witness of the Spirit and initial sanctification” (Purkiser 275, 322).
There are at least two reasons for the wide variety of expressions. First and foremost the Bible itself uses so many different terms to refer to the change that occurs when a person becomes a Christian (NIV Thematic Reference Bible 1832-1860). Secondly we are so different, there are many ways people meet Christ. Many expressions are used to describe this blessed event. Common to every believer is the fact that a big change has taken place. Have you experienced a change in your life? Changes that make you want “to laugh and holler,” like Thomas Johnson. This change is often called conversion, the change from sinfulness to righteousness (Purkiser 276).
1. Salvation Offered. (Eph. 2:1-5)
Society doesn’t like to be reminded that they are sinners (Rom.3:23). So they don’t take the term sin very seriously. Sin, is a word that for some sounds so out of date. A term some relate to the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock. This word doesn’t paint a very positive picture and today the accent is definitely on the positive. Karl Menninger wrote a book in 1973, “Whatever Became of Sin?” In it Menninger says, “The popular leaning is away from notions of guilt and morality . . . Disease and treatment have been the watchwords of the day and little is said about selfishness or guilt or the ‘morality gap.’ And certainly no one talks about sin!” (35).
Some of us don’t realize it or we don’t want to realize it or we don’t want to hear it or we don’t want to believe what it is I’m going to say next. The Bible clearly states that people who have not accepted Christ as their Savior are sinners. “For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Rom. 3:23 NLT). We have people sitting right here, right now who deny a sin problem exists. Folks that is one of the main, characteristics of sin. To deny a problem exists.
I hear people say things such as, “I may not be perfect, but I don’t beat my children,” or “I don’t steal,” or “I pay my bills on time.” That expresses a typical attitude of today’s sinner. The problem here is that a person who talks like this assumes that a sinner is someone who breaks God’s rules. The Bible says exactly the opposite. People break God’s laws because they are sinners (Salvation Story ix).
A sinner isn’t just someone who breaks the rules. A sinner is someone who has not put God where He rightfully belongs. And where is that you may ask. At the center of one’s life (Purkiser 211).
Paul put it so eloquently in Romans 1:25, “Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they worshiped the things God made but not the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever” (NLT). Read Romans 1:18-3:20 for further study.
We have been created in the image of God to worship and obey Him. But sin has distorted the very reason for our existence. Sin twists and bends the person God made. When we are bent and twisted so far away from what we were created to be, we don’t experience the fellowship with God that we were created to have. We see all around us obsessions, addictions, perversions, uncontrollable anger, and denial. These are all signs of the lack of a relationship between the Creator and His creation. But sometimes it shows up as a person without a purpose in life (Bence 31-40).
Becoming a Christian requires a major change, a conversion. Romans 3:10-23 makes it very clear that we can’t make the change by ourselves (READ PASSAGE). Here we are faced with a dilemma. That is this. We have now been given the knowledge that we must change. But we also know that we can’t change on our own. The most devastating result of our sin is our inability to change our lives and restore the relationship with our Creator (Bence 64-66).
However, there is good news. That good news is this, God and only God is able to change us. What is that change that must take place in order to obtain salvation? It is “repentance toward God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit are necessary to salvation” (Handbook of Doctrine 118).
What we have here is a person who is turning in a new direction. The person has actually changed their way of thinking. The new thinking that has taken place and also is an evidence of repentance toward God are “conviction, sorrow, renunciation and confession of sin as well as desire for forgiveness, submission to God and willingness to make restitution.” A person may desire to do all of these things but without the power that comes with salvation it will be impossible to do them (120-121).
This is the first way that we are assured of salvation. We must change our mind from our life and sinful nature and take upon ourselves a new mind and nature.
2. Salvation Accepted. (Eph. 2:6-7)
The change happens when we take the steps necessary to actually change the patterns and directions of our lives. Many people confuse repentance and confession of sin. However, confession does not go far enough. The biblical word for confession means to agree with God that sin is wrong and harmful, and that one should stop sinning (Zodhiates 1046).
Confession is not repentance. Repentance is the decision and the action that change the direction of our lives and keeps us headed toward God. From repentance comes belief. Belief is the act of trusting God’s mercy and power (Purkiser 276). Believing or faith as it is more commonly referred to is more than just thinking or knowing that God’s Word is true. It is acting on that acknowledgment.
Some people have taken swimming lessons. Our instructors told us to relax and the water would support us. We all know this to be true because we’ve seen countless people and objects floating comfortably in the water. Before we learn to swim its hard to trust the water. So we fight against it. We try to flail ourselves afloat instead of trusting the natural buoyancy. We also stay close to the edge of the pool so we can reach it if we need to. We never learn to swim until we move from the security of the wall and put our confidence in the water’s ability to make us float.
To trust God for our salvation means that we must believe that He loves us as much as He says He does. A father sent his four-year-old son to his room for misbehaving. When dad went to talk to his son, the boy was still angry and unrepentant. So dad waited a little while longer. When he went back again, the boy was beaming, “It’s OK now, dad, I have a new brain.” That was the boys way of saying I have a new attitude. He had surrendered his right to control the situation and had given it to his dad.
In forgiveness, God has released us from the punishment due for our sins. Justification is a term that portrays God as a judge in a courtroom declaring that the charges against us have been dropped. When God forgives us, He treats us as if we have never sinned. His forgiveness sets us free from the paralyzing guilt and fear that come when we realize we have sinned against God (Purkiser 279-280).
“We are justified by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; and that he that believeth hath the witness in himself” (Handbook of Doctrine 118). When we put our faith in Jesus Christ after repenting toward God, we enter into a relationship that is commonly referred to as “being saved.” This faith has five important points. First it is personal, it looks to God alone, it is a response to the gospel message, it must be a result of repentance and the final result is a commitment (122-123).
The second way we are assured of our salvation is that we grow in our Christian faith. The result of this growth is the developing of our heart and mind. Guidance of the Holy Spirit in assuring us that God is in control of our lives. Finally, the Spirit working in our life produces Christlikeness in that we will be able to put our faith into action through the Spirit’s power (134).
3. Salvation Maintained. (Eph. 2:8-9)
For many, the first awareness of God’s “converting grace” surfaces in the form of conviction. That is the dawning awareness that life in sin is not good. Conviction is always painted in a negative light. Partly because of what goes on in courtrooms. Criminals are “convicted” of their crimes and sentenced to pay for those crimes (Purkiser 293).
For these reasons and many others, many people want to avoid settings in which they might experience conviction. God’s conviction is positive. It is a warning light that flashes. Warning us that something is wrong and disaster lies ahead if the problem is not fixed.
Everyone doesn’t experience conviction the same way. For some it is intense tightening. Others barely feel its presence. The lengths of conviction also vary. However conviction will end when conversion takes place (Purkiser 294).
Sin in my life has been extensive and destructive. I had spent a life of living to satisfy my needs. When I married my wife Dorinda, I had decided that things would be done my way or the highway. I would control every situation in our lives. During the first year of our marriage it was rather blissful but in our second year things began to change. I began to drink again and pornography also entered my life again. I began to cheat on my wife. In order to gain control over my wife so that she would not question me about anything, I began to become physically and verbally abusive. In May of 1989 I gave my life to Jesus. I was 28 years old and would probably have ended up in prison or dead, had I continued to live the way I was living. We were living in Leavenworth, KS, Dorinda who had been raised in the church decided to return to church. The pastor came to visit from the church she had attended and we talked about my life. He said that he could see the emptiness in my eyes. I didn’t pray with him that night but a few weeks later on a Sunday morning in May of 1989 I walked down the aisle of that church and surrendered my life to Jesus. My situation in life is no different from anybody else’s with the exception that Jesus is a part of my life. Without Him I am no different from anybody else because I fulfill the desires of my natural nature due to the consequence of “our first parents” (Salvation Story ix). “Continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ” (Handbook of Doctrine 135). As God’s people we must constantly be putting our trust and faith in God. When this happens, we will become solely dependent upon Him and His will. It is this partnership that allows us to step out and accomplish His work through us. This will also help deepen our faith (136). Even with deep faith people sometimes wonder if they can ever be assured of salvation. Yes we can. The answer comes in the form of continued obedience to God. “Obedience is the nature of the new life” (137). This continued obedience requires two things. First power must come from God. Second, continued growth in the life of the believer comes from God (137). Some may have some question about what happens if I sin? Does that mean I’m automatically thrown into hell? God looks at the persons’ heart. He looks at the persons’ actions once they realize that sin has been committed. Do they repent or change their mind and seek forgiveness? If so he gives it (140).
Three things lay at the heart of Christian salvation and its assurance. First we must come to the realization that we are sinners. In so doing we must turn toward God and change our relationship with Him (118). Second we must accept the gift of grace God has offered through, Jesus Christ His Son who died on the cross for our sins. (118). Third there must be a change in our life that is visible as a witness that we have indeed become new creations. That witness is a continued state of obedience (135).
Works Cited
Bence, Clarence L. Romans A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. Indianapolis: Wesleyan, 1996.
McGrath, Alister E. The NIV Thematic Reference Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999.
New Living Translation Bible. Wheaton: Tyndale, 1998.
Purkiser, W. T. ed. Exploring Our Christian Faith. Kansas City: Beacon Hill, 1978.
The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine. London: Campfield Press, 1969.
The Salvation Story. London: MPG Books Ltd, 1998.
Zodhiates, Spiros. The Complete Word Study Dictionary New Testament. Chattanooga: AMG, 1999.
