Assurance of Salvation

"How can I be sure I'm saved?" The voice on the phone conveyed urgency.
"My ex-husband says that I'm probably not really a Christian. Do you think I am?" This from an e-mail.
"I think I believe, but I don't feel any different. Maybe God hasn't really forgiven me. How can I be sure?" This question reflects doubt which, it seems, many struggle with.

Let's think about some of the biblical pictures of salvation. John 3 records Jesus' important conversation with Nicodemus and presents birth as a picture of salvation. Normally, a baby is born showing signs of life and that moment of birth will be celebrated annually as long as life continues. The birth process typically takes only a few hours, but the new life which is ushered into the world goes on for years. In the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, Jesus makes it clear that new life which follows spiritual birth is eternal. So while physical birth results in a life which will end with death, spiritual birth results in a life which will go on forever.

In John 11, Jesus calls Lazarus out of the grave. This unfortunate fellow had become sick and died. His family provided an appropriate funeral with interment in a stone hewn sepulcre. After four days, Jesus appears on the scene and after enduring the reproach of grieving family members accompanies them to the burial site. There He requests that the stone be moved out of the way and He speaks to the dead man with these words: "Lazarus, come forth." To everyone's amazement, Lazarus does exactly this. Though still wrapped in linen graveclothes, he makes his way out of the dark interior of the tomb into the light of the brilliant Middle Eastern sky. Anyone else saying the same words would not have expected the same results. Why? Because anyone else would know that he or she could do nothing to restore life to the dead man. Jesus not only commanded him to come out of the tomb, He enabled him to.

In Mark 5, we have the account of Jesus casting demons out of a man. This man is a powerful symbol of fallen humanity. Outside of Christ, we are under the control of Satan, the great enemy of God. We injure ourselves trying to find some relief from the incontrolable desires which drive us. We live in the place of the dead; no one else around us has life. We are naked; our sin is exposed and on display for anyone to see. In the passage, Jesus confronts the man and sets him free, restoring his sanity and giving him hope.

Notice that in every case, salvation is the prerogative of God. A baby does not give himself life; his parents do. Lazarus was dead and helpless; he needed divine intervention to enable him to step into the sunlight of restored life. The demon-possessed man was a pathetic character, unable to deliver himself, unable to receive the help of others, it was not until Jesus moved in power that he was set free.

All of these accounts emphasize the fact that our salvation is a work of God on our behalf. We do not save ourselves. When God gives us eternal life, it is just that - eternal. It never ends. John 10:28-30 records these words of Jesus: "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no-one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one." (NIV) Our salvation is an act of God. Assurance flows from this fact. God does not go back on His word. We are entirely safe when we place ourselves in His care.

Here's a little thought that you may find helpful. Salvation is based on a one-time decision, which, once made, remains in the past. Assurance is based on on-going faith, which is always in the present. Just as physical birth is the event which launches the child into the world, spiritual birth is just the first step into eternal life. Assurance looks back to that moment of decision, of conversion, of new birth (or however you want to describe it), but it is based on the fact that today I still believe that I was a sinner, that Jesus died for my sin, that when I accepted His offer to exchange His life for mine I got new life. It is a gift of God. I have it as my treasured possession. I cannot lose, nor can anyone take it from me. Jesus has given me eternal life; I shall never perish.

Ron Hughes
© December 2007