Are You Sure You Are Saved?
Many years ago my father-in-law was one of two ministers who were conducting a funeral. The other minister made a startling statement to my Father-in-law. As they were making small talk before the funeral began, he said, “You know we just never know if we have done enough until we face God in judgment.” My father-in-law was a member of a church that believed in once saved always saved. He was amazed that someone could preach the good news of Jesus and fail to grasp the assurance that goes with the Christian life.
1st John teaches many great truths. Among them is the concept of the assurance of one’s salvation. In 1st John 5:13 Scripture says, “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.” This passage is one of many that allows us to know without a doubt the condition of our souls at any given moment in time. I may not know what the future holds for my salvation but I can be assured where I stand at this present time. 1st John 1:7-10 is also a remarkable section of truth. In this section John by inspiration is telling us that so long as we continue to walk in Christ the blood of Christ cleanses us from our sin. The implication is overwhelming! He is telling us that even though we sin Christ takes care of that sin as long as we walk in Him. Perhaps part of the problem with many of us is found in the latter part of this chapter. In verse nine He says if we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins. Some have taken this to mean that before any sin can be forgiven it must be confessed before God. The implication of this misunderstanding is that without a confession the blood of Christ can’t cover the sin. The context isn’t telling us that we must confess each sin. The context is teaching that we must confess that we are sinners in the need of Christ’s blood. Both verse 8 and verse 10 tell us that if we claim we have not sinned we deceive ourselves and make Him a liar. It is implied by the context that He wants us to admit our sin and our need for His cleansing blood.
We will address one additional text for this thought. In Romans 4:8 Scripture says, “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” What a tremendous promise! According to Paul in this passage there is a man who commits sin yet the Lord never counts that sin against him! Never even lists the sin! Who is the man? He is the man who is walking in the light of the Lord.
What makes this great promise possible? If you are in Christ your salvation is made possible by your relationship with the Lord. This restoration of fellowship came about by the blood Jesus shed on the cross bound together with our acceptance and obedience of His commands. So long as you continue to walk in Christ, God will declare you righteous. If salvation was in our hands we would never know if we had done enough. We would always wonder, is there some sin I need to make right? Forgiveness of sin is not in our hands. Our sins are covered by the blood of our Saviour. As a result the Lord declares us righteous. This makes it possible for me to know I am saved! Praise God for that assurance!
1st John teaches many great truths. Among them is the concept of the assurance of one’s salvation. In 1st John 5:13 Scripture says, “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.” This passage is one of many that allows us to know without a doubt the condition of our souls at any given moment in time. I may not know what the future holds for my salvation but I can be assured where I stand at this present time. 1st John 1:7-10 is also a remarkable section of truth. In this section John by inspiration is telling us that so long as we continue to walk in Christ the blood of Christ cleanses us from our sin. The implication is overwhelming! He is telling us that even though we sin Christ takes care of that sin as long as we walk in Him. Perhaps part of the problem with many of us is found in the latter part of this chapter. In verse nine He says if we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins. Some have taken this to mean that before any sin can be forgiven it must be confessed before God. The implication of this misunderstanding is that without a confession the blood of Christ can’t cover the sin. The context isn’t telling us that we must confess each sin. The context is teaching that we must confess that we are sinners in the need of Christ’s blood. Both verse 8 and verse 10 tell us that if we claim we have not sinned we deceive ourselves and make Him a liar. It is implied by the context that He wants us to admit our sin and our need for His cleansing blood.
We will address one additional text for this thought. In Romans 4:8 Scripture says, “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” What a tremendous promise! According to Paul in this passage there is a man who commits sin yet the Lord never counts that sin against him! Never even lists the sin! Who is the man? He is the man who is walking in the light of the Lord.
What makes this great promise possible? If you are in Christ your salvation is made possible by your relationship with the Lord. This restoration of fellowship came about by the blood Jesus shed on the cross bound together with our acceptance and obedience of His commands. So long as you continue to walk in Christ, God will declare you righteous. If salvation was in our hands we would never know if we had done enough. We would always wonder, is there some sin I need to make right? Forgiveness of sin is not in our hands. Our sins are covered by the blood of our Saviour. As a result the Lord declares us righteous. This makes it possible for me to know I am saved! Praise God for that assurance!
