Assurance of Eternal Life
“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).
Many Christians struggle in being assured of their salvation. One of the main problems is they look for assurance of salvation in the wrong places. We must find the assurance of our salvation in the objective truth of God’s Word. Too often, we look at ourselves, our good works, our day to day performance, or even a man-made religious system vs. the Biblical Gospel. Salvation is God’s work. He gives the grace we need. Our “saving grace” is Christ himself.
We should have confident trust that we are saved based on the promises God has declared, not because of our subjective experiences and performance. We put our trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross for our assurance. This is why we must be careful to not believe in a different gospel by mixing law with grace (see Galatians 1:6-10). The law is “DO;" the Biblical Gospel is “DONE." The believer is totally under grace.
As Christians, not only is there the witness of the Spirit within us, but there is the witness of the Word of God. The Spirit bears witness that Jesus is the Christ through the written Word of God. God has gone on record in His Word as offering eternal life to those who will place their trust in Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Romans 6:23 tells us “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Eternal life is a gift, it is not something that we earn (John 10:27-29; Ephesians 2:8-9). We receive eternal life not only from Christ, but in Christ. “He who has the Son has life” (1 John 5:12). God wants us to trust His Word and to rest in that reality. We are saved as a result of grace through faith in Christ alone.
God wants his children to know that they belong to Him. John was inspired by the Spirit to write his gospel to assure us that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31). He then wrote this epistle, so that we may be sure that we are the children of God (1 John 5:13). As you study the book of 1 John, you will quickly see how John gives us markers, or you could say fruit bearing which demonstrates how the Spirit of Christ is working in our lives. Fruit bearing is our outward actions that results from abiding In Christ, (John 15:2). I love how Jesus explains the vine, branch, fruit metaphor.
We are saved by faith based on the merit of Jesus Christ who died for us. In the great exchange, your sins were placed on Christ, and His righteousness was placed on you. The result of being born again and indwelt with God’s Spirit is that He begins to change you from the inside out. Your inner change becomes outwardly visible by continued faith and progressive sanctification. Scripture makes it clear that if you say you have faith, and the object of that faith is Christ alone, you will have evidence of a changed life. The epistle of 1 John explains this very well.
Jesus Himself assures those who believe in Him: “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” (John 10:28-29). Eternal life is just that – eternal. There is no one, not even yourself, who can take Christ’s God-given gift of salvation away from you. Christian assurance is not a matter of “working up” a religious emotion; it is simply a matter of taking God at His Word.
Many people hope that they will receive eternal life. John says “we can know we have it”. Our certainty is based on God’s promise that He has given us eternal life through His Son. Eternal life is not based on feeling but on the truth of His Word. Take joy in what God’s Word is saying to you: instead of doubting, we can live with confidence!
Your brother In Christ, Jim Nelson
Many Christians struggle in being assured of their salvation. One of the main problems is they look for assurance of salvation in the wrong places. We must find the assurance of our salvation in the objective truth of God’s Word. Too often, we look at ourselves, our good works, our day to day performance, or even a man-made religious system vs. the Biblical Gospel. Salvation is God’s work. He gives the grace we need. Our “saving grace” is Christ himself.
We should have confident trust that we are saved based on the promises God has declared, not because of our subjective experiences and performance. We put our trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross for our assurance. This is why we must be careful to not believe in a different gospel by mixing law with grace (see Galatians 1:6-10). The law is “DO;" the Biblical Gospel is “DONE." The believer is totally under grace.
As Christians, not only is there the witness of the Spirit within us, but there is the witness of the Word of God. The Spirit bears witness that Jesus is the Christ through the written Word of God. God has gone on record in His Word as offering eternal life to those who will place their trust in Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Romans 6:23 tells us “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Eternal life is a gift, it is not something that we earn (John 10:27-29; Ephesians 2:8-9). We receive eternal life not only from Christ, but in Christ. “He who has the Son has life” (1 John 5:12). God wants us to trust His Word and to rest in that reality. We are saved as a result of grace through faith in Christ alone.
God wants his children to know that they belong to Him. John was inspired by the Spirit to write his gospel to assure us that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31). He then wrote this epistle, so that we may be sure that we are the children of God (1 John 5:13). As you study the book of 1 John, you will quickly see how John gives us markers, or you could say fruit bearing which demonstrates how the Spirit of Christ is working in our lives. Fruit bearing is our outward actions that results from abiding In Christ, (John 15:2). I love how Jesus explains the vine, branch, fruit metaphor.
We are saved by faith based on the merit of Jesus Christ who died for us. In the great exchange, your sins were placed on Christ, and His righteousness was placed on you. The result of being born again and indwelt with God’s Spirit is that He begins to change you from the inside out. Your inner change becomes outwardly visible by continued faith and progressive sanctification. Scripture makes it clear that if you say you have faith, and the object of that faith is Christ alone, you will have evidence of a changed life. The epistle of 1 John explains this very well.
Jesus Himself assures those who believe in Him: “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” (John 10:28-29). Eternal life is just that – eternal. There is no one, not even yourself, who can take Christ’s God-given gift of salvation away from you. Christian assurance is not a matter of “working up” a religious emotion; it is simply a matter of taking God at His Word.
Many people hope that they will receive eternal life. John says “we can know we have it”. Our certainty is based on God’s promise that He has given us eternal life through His Son. Eternal life is not based on feeling but on the truth of His Word. Take joy in what God’s Word is saying to you: instead of doubting, we can live with confidence!
Your brother In Christ, Jim Nelson
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