how does a christian possess assurance of their salvation?

The Bible commands Christians to take a close look at themselves and ensure they are truly in the faith, to make sure they aren't self-deceived into thinking they're truly saved when they're not. What guarantee do you have that you will not fall away from Christ, remain a Christian until you die, and will in fact live with God in heaven forever? . Look with me especially at this third point as we address the question, How did the Puritan pastors use their doctrine of personal assurance of salvation to assist believers in living the Christian life? First, it indicates that assurance is given to those who are truly born again, for it reminds them that Gods power will keep them in Christ until they die, and they will surely live with Christ forever in heaven. Is there a feeling connected to salvation? God loves the world. Salvation is primarily a work of human will rather than a work of God 1) In John 6:38-40 Jesus says that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life. If we possess eternal life, then we are saved! They wrote at least forty books on how to meditate. Believers should review their lives, confess their backsliding, and humbly cast themselves upon their covenant-keeping God and his gracious promises in Christ, being sure to engage continually in fresh acts of ongoing conversion through faith and repentance. Another evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit is continuing to believe and accept the sound teaching and doctrines of the faith. We have fellowship with Christ. So those who continue to trust in Christ gain assurance that God is working in them and guarding them. We can know Jesus has received us because, quite simply, He said so! He then exhorts us to be more zealous and diligent to confirm our call and election (2 Peter 1:5-10). It warns that not everyone who claims Jesus as their Lord is sincerely saved. What assurance do Christians have with regards to their salvation? He helps you to define salvation as too broad a term. They feel that they need to keep working in order to meet Gods standards. the Beatitudes, the book of James, 2 Pet 1:5-10, etc. God's eternal saving purpose is expressed in Jesus' own words, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10); that is, He desires to save all people. Stepping out of the examination room, I wasnt sure if I was going to pass and be given a license to practice. In the context of this article, I will use their term "Bible Christians" to present what Christians since the time of Christ have believed the Bible teaches regarding eternal life and the assurance of salvation. Am I going to heaven? True 24. You are then put right before God and enjoy a personal relationship with Christ. In the book of 1 John, John makes a clear argument that some leaving the community of faith were not leaving because a loss of salvation, but because they never possessed true salvation. If Job and David recovered from their loss of assurance (Job 19:2527; Psalms 42:58; 51:12), why shouldnt the believer today? Hi Austin, I hope youre doing well by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Anyone who falls away from their profession of faith in Christ and life of obedience in Him was never really saved. Christians are to be taught that, unless they have more than they need, they must reserve enough for their family needs and by no means squander it on indulgences. Hi Robert, thanks for dropping by. The profession of our faith and growth in holiness are necessary for God's saving grace to continue its work in us, and both of these are things we must engage in for our love to be genuine and not compelled. August 2, 2010 Two Bible passages commonly cited in support of this view are: 1 John 5:13: I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life., John 10:27-29: My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. If we read Revelations 19, we see that the saints who have gone to heaven will come back with Christ for the millennial reign. Do not steal. The Puritans fleshed out the doctrine of assurance of salvation in WCF 18 with pastoral precision to undeceive the false professor of faith, to awaken the unsaved, to mature the young in grace, to comfort the mature in faith, to arrest the backslider, and to provide wise pastoral counsel for all believers in their flock, tailored to each ones spiritual circumstances. The first national survey of the worldview of Americans conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University shows that although seven out of ten consider themselves to be Christian, only 6% actually possess a biblical worldview.. Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, Latest Bible-Related Research Bible Gateway interviewed veteran researcher and author George Barna (@George . Keep it Holy. Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Your comfort. For a more detailed explanation of this event, I would like to refer you to this article: https://biblical-christianity.com/what-happens-at-the-second-coming-of-christ. Assurance of salvation means possessing salvation - possessing the Lord Jesus Christ ( John 3:36 ). Until I started to really meditate on Gods word and thats when I realized that Jesus has paid the price of my salvation in full. At the beginning of the Gospel of John, Jesus is presented as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). It is this inward transformation that provides strong confirmation of our salvation. Honor and respect your father and mother. They may have been enlightened and believed as a result. The Puritan pastor would tenderly advise the church member longing to grow in assurance of salvation, Turn to the evidences of grace that are laid out for us in Scripture; ask the Spirit to shed light on them for you; then, as you examine yourself, if you can say with assurance that even one of these evidences is your experience, you can be assured that you are a child of God even if you cant see other evidences in you.. Were on a mission to change that. Rather than skate over the surface, I want to address twelve of the most important pastoral ways that Puritan pastors, as physicians of souls, assisted the members of their flocks, helping them to gain robust measures of full assurance of faith. While Scripture repeatedly emphasizes that those who are truly born again will continue to the end and will certainly have eternal life in heaven with God, there are other passages that speak of the necessity of continuing in faith through life. Assurance grows by repeated conflict, by our repeated experimental proof of the Lord's power and goodness to save; when we have been brought very low and helped, sorely wounded and healed, cast down and raised again, have given up all hope, and been suddenly snatched from danger, and placed in safety; and when these things have been repeated to Listen to the language of the New Testament (emphasis added): Colossians 2:1-3: For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who . III. I wasnt sure of my salvation because I was not always obedient to Gods commands and often times I neglect my quiet time. Are you continuing in your faith in Christ? Pastoral Help 11: Happily, assurance of salvation can be revived. Hence, the Puritans wrote at least thirty books on how to live to Gods glory in marriage and family life. Doctrine is something that is taught; a principle or creed of principles presented for acceptance or belief; a system of beliefs. The Puritans also wrote extensively on the practicalities of living by faith, practicalities that boiled down to this: How can I live so fully by faith that I may know with certainty that I have saving faith that is to say, how can I be assured in the depths of my soul that, in union with Christ, I have been regenerated and adopted into Gods family, and will be with Christ forever in heaven? That feeling of uncertainty definitely made me anxious over the next 3 days while waiting for the result to be released. I came to a point of surrender in July 2001, that was 16 years ago, and by the grace and mercy of God Almighty I am still active in the ministry. a. Jesus stands as the inaugurator of new life. Salvation is eternal life; it is the life of God; it is Divine life. The Assurance of Our Salvation: Exploring the Depth of Jesus Prayer for His Own by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. In the Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology this explanation of doctrine is given: "Christianity is a religion founded on a message of good news rooted in the significance of the life of Jesus Christ. "So then brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh - 13 for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. The Puritans are abundantly clear in stating that the believer may, without extraordinary revelation [contrary to Roman Catholicism], in the right use of ordinary means, attain to assurance (emphasis mine). To encourage young believers who struggled with acquiring larger degrees of assurance, the Puritans stated that a true believer may wait long, and conflict with many difficulties, before he be partaker of assurance (WCF 18.3), but the relationship between faith and assurance usually strengthens over time, growing up in many to the attainment of a full assurance (WCF 14.3). search my heart and see if I possess salvation, if Jesus truly lives within. This helped Puritan pastors deal with the reality that some believers seem to possess a great deal more faith and assurance than they realize, whereas other believers seem to more easily become fully conscious of possessing a full assurance of faith. Here are the four sturdy pillars on which the assurance of our salvation rests. Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. Indeed, the child of God may be losing assurance even while he advances in grace. St. Job Description. Christians are the Sons of God 1 John 3:1. God bless! I believe that we can be assured of salvation if we are in Christ and remain in Christ. This lesson is an admonition to the Corinthians to stimulate them in the performance of their duties. Two pieces of evidence will accompany this genuine saving experience: (1) Godly affections that (2) bear Godly fruit. . (16) Hebrews 6:11, NASB. Salvation (from Latin: salvatio, from salva, 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. He generates, indwells and baptizes each believer into the Body of Christ, sealing each unto the Day of Redemption. The problem is that many followers of Jesus Christ look for the assurance of salvation in the wrong places. Of course the Divine does, such idiosyncrasies belong to the human real. Required fields are marked *, 2023 Biblical Christianity | Powered by, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. Jesus secures our salvation. But salvation is a gift received by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). True _____ means that God chooses individuals for salvation without considering what the person has done or will do. Ask yourself: Is there any way someone could escape the defilements of the world other than by Gods grace and forgiveness (what many refer to as being saved)? Assurance is your rightful possession, and God wants you to have it as your portion. It is the Spirits inward witness that persuades us of the genuineness of our salvation. Only in Christianity is there assurance of salvation because of the finished work of Christ. With regard to Christian doctrines, the Puritans were not, for the most part, great innovators, but they were great appliers. Matthew 7:21-23 is one of the most alarming passages in the Bible. The first reason we must say that assurance is essential for the Christian life is because assurance is God's will for you. The author of Hebrews was arguing for the superiority of the person and work of Christ. Revelation chapters 20-21 tell us that there will be a new heaven and a new earth and the holy city of Jerusalem will come down from heaven. They added more volumes on how to do our daily work to Gods glory, how to live a godly life in our secular professions, and how to live zealously for the glory of God in every area of life. (10) 1 John 2:12-14. Why Did the Religious Leaders Hate Jesus? The Puritan pastor used this truth to encourage believers to walk in faithfulness before God in accord with his word, and to avoid every backsliding as a serious offense to God and as destructive to their own soul. They may have experienced the the goodness of God but they did not continue. In short, God commands us to pursue assurance prayerfully, obediently, and fervently, promising that his normal way is to bless these endeavors. Pointing toward their sin of spurning their Savior, St Paul declares: They [i.e., those who lost their salvation by rejecting Christ] were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast only through faith. The Bible says, We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit which He has given us.(5) By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.(6) The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.(7) This means, the Holy Spirit who convicted, called and converted us also convinces us that we belong to Christ. The Bible is clear that, tragically, Christians can indeed lose their salvation by sinful rebellion against God. Faith is trusting in Christ as Savior, so the seeds of assurance inherently lie within faith itself. I was afraid I could lose my salvation because of my shortcomings. He will save all who call upon Jesus Christ. Assurance of salvation is necessary because a person is either saved or lost. 15 . And yes, the Word of God is clear that genuine Christians cannot lose their salvation because Jesus Himself has guaranteed it for them. 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