Assurance
of Salvation
1 John
Many People struggle with knowing for sure whether or not they are truly born again. This is called the assurance of salvation. How can I be sure that I am truly a child of God? You cannot depend on what someone else tells you. Neither can you depend on an emotional experience that you had. It must come from the Word of God. Don't settle for anything less. Many religious people will be surprised one day to find themselves in hell because they were never saved. Matthew 7:21-23 tells us that not everyone who says that they are a Christian is truly a Christian.
The Apostle John wrote his epistle to help us know for sure as to whether a person is actually saved (1 John 5:13).
Examine these evidences of salvation:
1. When you are truly saved you don't practice sin but practice righteousness. (1 John 3:9) Now without a doubt Christians sin, but they don't have the habitual desire to continue to sin. When a person is born again (John 3) he receives a new nature. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Christians are tempted as anyone else is, but the Christian wants to live a life that is pleasing to the Father by resisting temptation. (1 Corinthians 10:13) "If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him" . (1 John 2:29) After you experience the new birth you will soon discover that you have a new desire to obey God and do what is right. You will find yourself more and more sensitive to the sins that are deemed more acceptable by others like gossip, pride, criticism and many others.
2. When Jesus is alive in your heart your life is motivated by Love. (1 John 4:7-8,16, 5:1) Loving people is a continuing, lifelong challenge for Christians. Before you were converted your life was characterized by selfishness. Once Jesus has come into your heart you desire to love the Lord Jesus with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind. You also want to love people as He has loved you. You are an example of Jesus to friends and family who do not know Him and see God as church or some other idol. At least 12 times in 1 John we are challenged to love one another. God's love is what drew us to Him and we are to spread His love to others.
3. When you have been born again you will overcome the world. (1 John 5:4) The world that John wrote about is not the world of people or the world of creation. Both of these are God's creation and are declared good. It is society without God having a philosophy that this world is what is important: "me first", "I am God", "everything is relative". You could say that the world's philosophy is "Get all you can, can all you get, and set on the can". 1John 2:15-17 tells us not to love the world if you are a Christian. We set our sights on eternal matters instead of temporal. We are to look at each situation not as how it will affect us but how will it affect God's Kingdom. The Bible does not tell us that it is wrong to have things, but it is wrong for things to have us. Do you love the things of this world? The world will bombard you with it's lure to get you sidetracked and divert you away from the things of God.
4. After Jesus comes in you will be able to withstand the attacks of the Devil. (1John 5:18, Ephesians 6:11, 1 Peter 5:8) Before you were saved you walked according to the prince and power of the air that is the devil. (Ephesians 2:2) Satan is mad and hates Christ and is taking his anger out on anyone who is serving Jesus. The devil seeks to rob you of your ministry and your effectiveness (John 10:10). He is a liar and will discourage you from getting involved in the work of the Kingdom. James 4:7 says to resist the devil, turn to God, and he (Satan) will flee from you. Ephesians 6:11- 18 shows us how to stand against Satan with the Armor of God.
5. The true Christian is sensing the power of the Holy Spirit in his life. (1 John 4) Many passages tell us that the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in the hearts of men. John 16 is full of instruction concerning the power that is available to us. He guides, leads, comforts, fills and lives in you. Do you know His voice? He lives inside of you if you are a Christian. His children hear His voice. Listen… ask Him to speak to you right now.
