The Assurance Of Eternal Life Series

The Assurance of Eternal Life

Series – The Creed

1 John 5:11-13

John 5:24 - "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

Intro

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Last week we began a new series called The Creed. We saw that formal creeds typically came about due to a false teaching that was being put forward by a person or group of people so the church sought to clearly articulate a belief based on Scripture to help teach truth so people could live in light of that truth.

We started by talking about the Truth of the Trinity and the importance of and help in understanding the Trinitarian view of God.

This week I want to talk something else that is vitally important to how we walk with the Lord and how we experience the Life He gives us and that is in regards to the Assurance of Eternal Life

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for those that believe in Jesus Christ – the fact that you are eternally secure in your salvation if you have truly believed in Jesus Christ in your heart.

If I asked you if you died today, would you go to heaven, what would you say?

Some people would say, I sure hope so, or I think so.

That answer is indicative of a problem

in understanding salvation or

in knowing the truth of God’s word.

It is my hope that we can clear that up today so we can have a firm grasp in understanding salvation, in knowing what God’s word teaches regarding this issue, and that we might be able to live in the grace and truth of knowing Christ’s all sufficient sacrifice for those who trust Him and that we are eternally secure in Him when we have put our complete hope and trust in Him.

I want to begin in the first letter of John, chapter 5

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1 John was written to Christians because there are some who had recently left the church and were working to lead people astray with false teaching and their own example.

John was writing to confront their false teaching, to encourage his readers in truth and to assure them of their salvation if they had indeed believed in and received Jesus Christ as their Savior.

In fact, much like in his gospel, he gives the purpose of his writing toward the end of his letter in the verses we are about to read.

It says

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1 John 5:11-13

11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

13 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.

Look at that last line again. I am writing this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God. If that is you, if you have truly put your trust in Him and Him alone, he tells them that you can know you have eternal life.

Now this is not a pride thing that says, I know I have eternal life because I am better than most, or that I have lived a life that is more positive than negative.

Let me clear that up for you.

You probably aren’t better than most, but even if you were, salvation is not determined on a bell curve.

And also, salvation is not given to those who have done more good than bad. The reality is that as unbelievers, the good we do is still bad because it is typically done for some sort of selfish motive.

So, the assurance of salvation is not a matter of pride.

It is a matter of fact for those who have put their faith and hope in the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

Today, my hope is to give you a basis of knowing why, through Christ and His grace, we can be assured of our eternal destiny with Him and that if we have it, it cannot be lost.

To truly understand and know why this is so, we have to start by understanding salvation.

We need to know that

We are saved by Grace

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Ephesians 2:8-9

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Many of you have heard that and many of you know that, but what does that really mean?

It means that there is no works you do to obtain your salvation. It is a free gift of God given through His grace through faith in Jesus Christ.