Assurance of Salvation

Eternally Secure

The unfathonabley horrific problem:

We need a Savior because…

Isaiah 59:2 “But your iniquities (sins) have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.”

Many who struggle with whether certainty that they will go to heaven when they pass on may not at all be familiar with the glorious promises of God found in the Holy Bible; the authentic promises of God regarding “eternal security.” Taking the time to look into this matter is well worth taking a serious look at what God says about going to heaven or ending up in that other place (hell). I will do my best to highlight the pinacle points that address this serious eternal issue. It is hoped that if you invest in understanding these key verses that you will reap eternal benefits. Now, let’s get started.

John 3:16

Almost everyone is familiar with the famous verse John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Let’s find out why this verse is constantly shown by folks in the stands at sports venues. You see this on signs many times through your life. There is a very important reason folks try to get this message out to you. It’s because the good news of salvation (the Gospel) is clearly defined in that verse and if you look closely, there is a very real promise about how you can be sure you are going to heaven. Let’s examine this closely.

“God so loved the world” is the first jewl here. This simply means that God loves you no matter what you have done. God loved you when “He gave His only begotten Son” who died for your sins. Having your sins paid for in full is a great gift to you. But in order to take advantage of that wonderful gift of God, there is one caveat. It ONLY applies to “whosoever believeth in Him.” If that is you, then you may be on your way to assurance of your personal salvation, that you “should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

So in order to make sure you belong to that group of individuals who will spend in eternity in heaven’s bliss. But you may say, I’m not sure heaven is real. Herein is the first problem. If you can’t allow yourself to at least seriously consider the possibility that it certainly does exist, then that door to salvation closes when you make that final decision. But if you can keep your mind open to this wonderful opportunity, please read on and imagine that God is really speaking to you directly as you read direct quotes from the promises found in His Word.

Veracity (truthfulness)

If you are still unsure, consider the possiblity that the Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth is fully capable of transmitting His thoughts clearly and completely. He is thoroughly able to supervise and maintain the complete integrity of the original scriptures through His onmipresence (to see all) and omniscience (to know all). As a matter of fact, time is no barrier for God who already knows the decision you will make regarding accepting or rejecting the offer of salvation in Christ. Allow me to give it to you straight.

My Expertise

By now, you can probably tell by the exposition (study) of John 3:16 above, that I’m not being tricky or trying to mislead you. To earn a bachelor’s degree, you typically need to complete 120 semester units or credits. That includes all support classes outside of your major. However, in my case, I have a total over 250 units of college level coursework in Bible alone (my major) from seven different colleges, universities and seminaries from New York to California. I’m also a PhD Candidate in Higher Education Administration. I have written many scholarly papers on this subject and I’m determined to carefully and deliberately make this easy for you to under stand and apply to your life.

1 John 5:13

We now venture upon one of the most exciting verses in all the Bible concerning the topic of the assurance of salvation, mainly for one reason, and that is the word “know.” Yes, this verse actually emphatically guarantees that, under the condition of you personally receiving Christ as Savior, that you can indeed know for sure you will be saved from hell. Isn’t that wonderful news? The word “Gospel” actually means “good news.” 1 John 5:13 says, “These things (from the previous verses) have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God (that’s Jesus); that ye may KNOW that ye HAVE eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” It just couldn’t be clearer. The previous veses (see verse 12) say, “He who HAS the Son (Jesus), HAS life (eternal life). If you meet just this one condition earnestly, you have one hundred percent cetainty that you will be in heaven. It’s really that easy. The hard part is making sure Jesus came into your heart to wash away your sins.

There are a plethora of pretenders out there, religious folks who go to church even and try to be good who have not really received Christ into their hearts. Evan pastors in many churches preach a “social gospel” of good works but the Scriptures are very clear that good works will not earn heaven. Why? Because the best we can do doesn’t even come close to pure holiness found in heaven. The Bible says “ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23. If you don’t believe me, look it up in a Bible or online. It’s true.

If you don’t actually posess Christ, you are not saved. He can come into your heart and exchange your unrighteousness with His righteousness (called the great exchange). He does this by the indwelling Holy Spirit. But we’ll find out more about that later. If you haven’t received Christ, it is a great idea to do that now. Realize that you are a lost sinner. Be sorry for your sins and turn in prayer to the one who paid for your sins on the cross by giving His life and shedding His blood. This sacrifice was accepted by the Father for your sins. He paid for your sins in full!

John 6:37

Once a person prays that kind of saving prayer, they become “born-again” and are moved into the family of God as a new born true Christian. Look at this verse. He who comes to Christ will never be cast out. John 6:37 “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” That means that when God sees that you have Jesus in you, He doesn’t hold your sins against you. You are set free from guilt and shame because of forgiveness.

Yes, all of your sins were paid or by Christ, past, present, and even future, all sin. If God is now your loving heavenly Father, then you will begin an new personal relationship with Him. If you pray, you are talking to Him directly in the name of His Son, Jesus. This is why we pray in Jesus’ name, because Jesus opened that door of communication when He brought you into His family. Yes, you are now a Child of God if you really accepted Him. He lives in you and He will never ever leave you. You are sealed by the Holy Spirit forever. 2 Corinthians 1:22 promises that God “Who hath also SEALED us (who have received Christ), and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” Colossians 1:27, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory” Jesus lives in the hearts of Christians, for real!

John 10:28

Amazingly, only God can guarantee eternal life in heaven. John 10:28 “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” Notice that those who have received Christ have complete forgiveness and God will never ever cast them out. God’s hands are very strong and nothing can peel the love of God through Jesus away from your life. Notice, it emphatically states, “shall never perish.” Never is a long time. That’s a joke because there is no time in heaven. After all, it’s eternity. But think of the vast majority of folks who never accept Christ, who are never born again and go to a Christless eternity in hell forever! No one is twisting your arm to accept Christ.

You must decide. After all, that’s what earth is all about. To not decide is to decide (think about it). It’s a place for folks to come to terms with their hunanity and helplessless and embrace Jesus and ultimately live with Him forever in heaven. Unfortunately, most will go to hell when they die. The phrase “broad is the road” is found in Matthew 7:13 states: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.”

By not deciding, you fall to the default of not having Christ at all and you risk entering eternity without being properly prepared. Jesus is the only ticket to heaven. Jesus is that “one mediator” (go between). 1 Timothy 2:5 states: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” The phrase “the way, the truth, and the life” is found in John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” This verse emphasizes the belief that Jesus is the sole path to God.

You actually have been given the power (by God) to save your soul by making one decision: trusting Christ to save you. John 14, “Do not LET your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me” (Jesus). In Romans 1:16 it says: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” I’m sincerely hoping that’s you, my friend.

John 5:24

Here’s another great passage that nails this down. In John 5:24, Jesus said to Nicodemus (a leader of the Jews) “Verily, verily, (truly) I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” Now let’s digest this completely. 1. “hath everlasting life,” 2. “and shall not come into condemnation;” 3. “but is passed from death unto life.” That’s self explanatory. You absolutely have eternal life, period. You won’t come under condemnation ever. You are no longer under the curse fo spiritual deal but spiritual life for ever and ever. Great news, huh?

They don’t call it the Gospel (good news) for nuthin’. And the Almighty God does NOT change His mind about this. No. Romans 11:29 guarantees “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” Repentance means to change your mind. Look, God is definitely able to keep you from falling. Yes, we stumble in life, but as far as salvation in Christ goes… (Jude 1:24) “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.” So let’s get happy!! Rejoice!

Romans 8:38-39

Check out this persuasive passage: Romans 8:38-39 “For I am PERSUADED, that neither death, NOR life, NOR angels, NOR principalities (demons), NOR powers, NOR things present, NOR things to come, NOR height, NOR depth, NOR ANY OTHER creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ (THAT’S THE LAST DAY).”

And if you have Christ, this verse also applies to you: Philippians 3:9 “And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.” God’s righteousness is yours if you have Christ in your heart. 1 John 5:10-13, “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son.” Friend, believe the Bible is true and God does not lie. The Bible states that God cannot lie in Titus 1:2: “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.”

Friend, if you have not yet received Christ, please do so today while He is on your mind. Isaiah 55:6-7 emplores you to “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.” And here’s my very favorite verse in the Bible because I used this verse to trust God to save me. Will you?

Romans 10:13

“For whosoever (that’s you) shall call (in prayer) upon the name of the Lord (Jesus) SHALL (not might be or hopefully) be saved.”

Pray, to Make Sure

To be saved, admit to God that you are a sinner. We are all sinners and because God is holy, He cannot tolerate sin. Yet because He loves us, He forgives our sins when we accept Christ. There is nothing we can do to earn salvation, but it is only by God’s grace—His undeserved mercy—that we can be saved. Trust that the Bible is true, re-read the verses above if you need to, and pray, being honest with God, and ask Jesus to save your soul.

May God richly bless you for reading this article. Please comment below.