LifeÕs Greatest Questions Answered

Life’s Greatest Questions Answered

Can I Have Assurance Of My Christian Faith?

Faith Community Church, Pipestone, MN

September 30, 2001

I John 5:11-13; And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

This Biblical text from John’s first letter speaks of the assurance of faith. He that hath the Son hath life, I John 5:12a. This life is not the end; there is life beyond the grave. History is not without meaning or purpose; it is moving toward a glorious climax in the plan of God.

The Christian Faith is about a relationship with God; a Heavenly Father, who loves us and wants the very best for us. C.S. Lewis used the expression “surprised by joy,” as a description of his own experience with Jesus Christ. Becoming a Christian is the start of the most exciting relationship in this life. Paul describes that relationship in this way; Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new, II Corinthians 5:17.

The New Testament makes it clear that it is possible for us to be sure that we are Christians and that we have eternal life. As believers, we can have the assurance of salvation; These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God, I John 5:13. God wants us to be sure of our salvation. This assurance comes through a threefold cord;

1. The promises that the Father gives us in His Word.

2. The sacrifice of the Son for us on the cross.

3. The assurance of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

King Solomon reminds us in Ecclesiastes 4:12; a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Through this three-fold cord, the Lord gives to us the assurance of salvation, personally.

I. The Word Of God Offers The Assurance Of Faith

There are 7,000 promises in the Bible, which is the Word of God. Since God cannot change, Malachi 3:6, His Word cannot change and His promises are totally reliable, Hebrews 10:23.

It is the Lord’s faithfulness to His promises in the Word of God, which can give to us the assurance of faith;

Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

I Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

I Thessalonians 5:24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

II Timothy 2:13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

The Lord is faithful who has promised!

In the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the Apostle John sees a vision of Jesus speaking to seven different churches. To the church at Laodicea, Jesus identifies Himself with this description; the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God, Revelation 3:14. Then He makes this beautiful promise; Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me, Revelation 3:20. The door that Jesus is knocking at is that of the human heart. Only Jesus can satisfy the individual’s hunger and thirst for the spiritual. He is waiting patiently for our response.

Our Lord described this spiritual experience of receiving Him into the human heart by this description; Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever, John 6:53-58.

Artist Holman Hunt (1827-1910), inspired by Revelation 3:20, painted ‘The Light of the World.’ Today, the painting hangs in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. John Ruskin called it ‘one of the very noblest works of sacred art ever produced in this or any other age.’

Jesus, the Light of the World, stands at a door, which is overgrown with ivy and weeds. The door clearly represents the door of someone’s life. This person has never invited Jesus to come into his or her life. Jesus is standing at the door and knocking. He is awaiting a response. He wants to come in and be part of that person’s life. Apparently, someone said to Holman Hunt that he had made a mistake. They told him, ‘You have forgotten to paint a handle on the door.’ ‘Oh no,’ replied Hunt, ‘that is deliberate. There is only one handle and that is on the inside.’

In other words, we have to open the door to let Jesus into our lives. Jesus will never force His way in. He gives us the freedom to choose. It is up to us whether or not we open the door to Him. If we do, He promises, I will come in and eat with him and he with me, Revelation 3:20. Eating together is a sign of friendship that Jesus offers to all those who open the door of their lives to Him. Once we have invited Jesus to come in, He promises that He will never leave us, Hebrews 13:5. He says to His disciples, I am with you alway, Matthew 28:20.

This promise of the presence of Jesus with us is closely related to another marvelous promise that comes in the New Testament. Jesus promises to give His followers eternal life, John 10:28. As we have seen, eternal life in the New Testament is a quality of life that comes from living in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, John 17:3. It starts in this life, when we experience the fullness of life that Jesus came to bring, John 10:10. Yet it is not just in this life; it goes on into eternity.

We can be sure that we have eternal life through Jesus Christ because that is the promise of the Bible. And God in His character and nature is faithful who has promised, Hebrews 10:23.

II. The Work Of Christ Gives The Assurance Of Faith

Not only does the Word of God offer to us the assurance of faith, but also the work of Christ gives the assurance of faith. We can possess God’s free gift of eternal life because of the completed work of Jesus Christ on the cross and His Resurrection from the dead.

The Resurrection of Jesus from the dead has many implications. First, it assures us about the past; that what Jesus achieved on the cross was effective. The Resurrection is not the reversal of a defeat, but the proclamation of a victory. Secondly, it assures us about the present. Jesus is alive. His power is with us, bringing us life in all its fullness. Thirdly, it assures us about the future. This life is not the end; there is life beyond the grace. History is not meaningless or cyclical; it is moving towards a glorious climax.

Our Lord Jesus Christ has fulfilled His mission of redemption; This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, I Timothy 1:15. Here is what Jesus did for us;

• We have reconciliation through the cross.

Ephesians 2:16; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.

Reconciliation means that we have been brought into a state of favor with God after mutual estrangement.

• Our old man is crucified with Christ.

Romans 6:6, 12; Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Romans 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

We must consider our old nature to be dead to sin in order to have dominion over sin.

•Our new life in Christ is manifested in our moral flesh.

II Corinthians 4:11 For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

We must yield to Christ in order to have the power to live the Christ-life.

•Our observance of the Old Testament sacrificial (ceremonial) laws is abolished by the cross.

Colossians 2:14-20; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances.

Jesus fulfilled these laws in His completed work on the cross.

• We are crucified to the world and the world to us.

Galatians 6:14; But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

The cross is a symbol of my crucifixion to the world and the glory of what Jesus has done for me personally.

¥ We have peace with God through the cross of Christ.

Colossians 1:20; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

We can personally know the God of peace and God’s peace.

• We have the forgiveness of sins through His work on the cross.

Ephesians 1:14;Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

• We shall live with Christ.

II Timothy 2:11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:

When he was an old man, John Newton, the author of ‘Amazing Grace,’ said, ‘My memory is almost gone, but I remember one thing: that I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.’

The Apostle Paul assures us that the Resurrection is merely the divine acceptance of the victory which came through the finished work of Christ on the cross; Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead, Acts 17:31. We have assurance of eternal life through the work of Christ because there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, Romans 8:1.

III. The Witness of The Spirit Affirms The Assurance Of Faith

When someone becomes a Christian, God’s Holy Spirit comes to live within that person. We are born spiritually from above, John 5:3, 7. The Spirit makes a person spiritually alive, John 6:63; II Corinthians 3:6. The Holy Spirit is the believer’s seal (down payment, guarantee) unto the day of redemption, Ephesians 4:30b.

The Holy Spirit bears witness to our spiritual adoption as believers;

Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Galatians 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

I John 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit, which he hath given us.

I John 4:13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

I John 5:6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

This is the great work of the Spirit’s assurance in our lives.

There are three aspects in particular of the many activities of the Holy Spirit that help us to be sure of our faith in Christ.

First, He transforms us from within. He produces the character of Jesus in our lives. This is called ‘the fruit of the Spirit:’ love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, Galatians 5:22-23. When the Holy Spirit comes to live within us this fruit begins to grow.

The Spirit transforms our character. Changes in our character should be observable by other people, but obviously these changes do not occur overnight. The changes come over a lifetime as we are transformed into the image of Jesus Christ, Romans 8:29.

The Spirit transforms our relationships. As well as changes in our character, there should be changes in our relationships, both with God and with other people. We develop a new love for God. Spiritual things become important to us. The Holy Spirit, also, brings an inner experience of God. He creates a deep, personal conviction that we are children of God, Romans 8:15-16. This experience is different for everyone.

The Spirit transforms our attitudes. We begin to see other people and their needs through the eyes of Jesus. We also become more concerned about other Christians and their personal needs, especially the persecuted Church.

These changes can be observed in our lives. The witness of the Spirit affirms the assurance of faith; that we are the children of God and have eternal life.

In these ways (the Word of God, the work of Jesus, and the witness of the Spirit), those who believe in Jesus Christ can be sure that they are children of God and have eternal life.

Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine!

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God;

that ye may know that ye have eternal life,

and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

I John 5:11-13