Christians will fall into one of three categories, those who think they’re saved, those who hope they’re saved and those who know they’re saved. Any Christian worth their salt needs to know they’re saved and they’re absolutely sure they’re going to heaven when they die. If you call yourself Christian which category do you think you fall under and why do you think so? A true Christian is someone who knows without a doubt they’re saved. So, are you going to heaven, to hell, somewhere in between or are you just not sure? If you don’t know your eternal destination for sure it’s imperative you find that out right now while there is still time. To effectively work for the kingdom of God every believer must first seek and find their own “full assurance” of salvation unto eternal life before they can help others. Every believer needs to know for certain they’re heaven bound otherwise they’re of little use to God. How can any Christian gain this “full assurance” of being saved and of being heaven bound? The answer, of course, is with God’s help. God tells us in the Bible how believers can know him and have “full assurance” of their salvation through daily prayer and a careful, thorough, systematic study of God’s Word.
1 Timothy 4:13 – Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
Isaiah 32:17 – The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.
Isaiah 46:13 – I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger.
Isaiah 44:22 – I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.
If you’re not praying daily and reading your Bible daily then, of course, you’ll start to have doubts about your faith. It’s just our human nature. Most human beings need repetition and consistency to really learn something well and to internalize that knowledge so it becomes a part of who they are. Neglecting regular Bible reading leads to a stunted and dwarfed spiritual life. Neglecting regular prayers to God will make us fearful, doubtful, and more susceptible to false doctrine. Our regenerated soul needs the constant nourishment of God’s Word like a newborn baby needs its mother’s milk. Satan feasts on believers who have let their faith grow cold. Satan never stops trying to destroy the Christian’s faith so we need regular prayer and the daily reading God’s Word in order to stop the fiery darts of the wicked one. Why is that? When you pray you are talking to God one on one and he always hears the prayers of believers. When you read the Bible God is talking to you and the Holy Spirit always comes on the scene to help you understand the Word of God. That’s why the Holy Spirit is called the Helper.
Romans 10:17 – So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
John 17:17 – (Jesus speaking) – Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
Matthew 4:4 – (Jesus speaking) – It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
John 10:27-30 – (Jesus speaking) – My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of His hand. I and My Father are one.
If you don’t have full assurance of heaven yourself how can you effectively resist Satan and, at the same time, witness for Christ to other people? The answer is you can’t because your motivation and your confidence won’t be where you need it to be. People can sense whether or not you’re passionate about God and whether or not you know what you’re talking about. Without “full assurance” of eternal life and forgiveness of your sins you may still do some good works before God out of a sense of duty or guilt, which is commendable. But when you truly have the peace of knowing your salvation is certain then your good works will be so much more; then your witness will be so much more powerful and effective; not because you feel you have to but out of the abundance of love you have for the Lord. You won’t be able to contain the joy you have for God in your heart.
Hebrews 6:10-12 – For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that each of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Acts 17:30-31 – Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.
Hebrews 10:19-22 – Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
John 6:37 – (Jesus speaking) – All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
As a believer, when I think about God’s salvation plan for man these words keep popping up in my mind, “this is perfect.” What dawned on me is only the mind of God could ever have conceived of such a thing! The Holy Spirit communed with my spirit so that the truth of God and his word were confirmed in my heart first and then it was settled in my soul forever. God confirms this in John 8:32 when he says, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Our spirit knows God the Father because we received our eternal spirit from God. Our spirit is a part of God that he gives each person at conception. Just imagine it; God, the King of the universe, coming off his throne to take on flesh and live a human life in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Just imagine God volunteering to die a horrible death on the cross in our place to remove our sins; so his creatures wouldn’t have to suffer eternal death in the lake of fire.
1 John 5:11 – And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
Isaiah 53:25 – I, even I, am He who blots out your transgression for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.
Mark 1:15 – (Jesus speaking) – The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent, and believe in the gospel.
John 3:36 – (Jesus speaking) – He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
Oh, what love our Father has for us! I know the gospel can only come from God and it’s not something made by human hands because the human mind cannot comprehend the perfect love of God and the perfect justice of God. The entire Bible is God’s love letter to us. One of the spiritual laws of God is the wages of sin is death. The shed blood of Christ was the only possible way for a righteous God to uphold his perfect love while at the same time uphold his perfect justice. If you want proof of God and proof of your salvation look no further than the Bible, and especially the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 5:24 – (Jesus speaking) – Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
2 Timothy 1:8-10 – Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Romans 8:16 – The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
Jesus came to earth to be a sin offering to God the Father for the forgiveness of all sins. Nothing else would satisfy the justice of a holy God and allow us to enjoy eternal life in heaven. The sins of the whole world were placed on Jesus Christ, the Son of God, at his crucifixion because, as the sinless Lamb of God, he was the only person worthy enough to be a sacrifice for all sins for all time. I’m talking about your sins, my sins, the sins of every person who has ever lived in the past from Adam up to now and every person who will ever live in the future up to the time of the Second Coming of Christ. Crucifixion was the most cruel way to die ever devised by man, so cruel in fact that the Romans banned it after 200 years in use.
Ephesians 5:26 – That He might sanctify and cleanse her (the church) with the washing of water by the word.
John 3:27 – A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.
Acts 10:13 – To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.
Matthew 22:37 – (Jesus speaking) – You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
No doubt Jesus suffered tremendous physical pain and anguish on the cross but that pain and anguish paled in comparison to the spiritual torture Jesus endured in his Spirit as he was separated from God the Father for the first time while absorbing the full brunt of the unfiltered wrath of God for the sins of all mankind, past, present and future. The wrath God intended for all sinners, including us, was instead channeled through Jesus. We can’t comprehend what Jesus endured for us and he did it voluntarily because of his great love, mercy and grace toward us. Yes, Jesus is indeed our Savior! We need to remember daily what Jesus has done for us and offer up praise, worship, honor and glory to his name!
2 Corinthians 5:21 – For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
John 3:36 – He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
John 11:25-26 – (Jesus speaking) – I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.
The death of Jesus made the forgiveness of sins possible for all men. The next step is for each person to receive remission of their individual sins by believing in the gospel message of Christ and accepting Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. This is done by making a conscious decision to turn away from sin and turn toward God (repentance) and by a profession of faith in the Lord (sinner’s prayer). God put eternity into the heart of every person so they would know deep down there is a God and instinctively search for God. It’s a universal need of every people, nation and tribe on the face of the earth. No person will ever be truly happy until they find the true God that created them; the only God that can fill the void in their soul. If the gospel were reduced to one word it would be “resurrection.” Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ there would be no Christianity and our faith would be in vain.
1 Peter 5:8 – Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
James 4:7 – Therefore submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.
1 Peter 1:3 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Romans 12:1 – I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice; holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
The death and resurrection of Jesus is proof from God that he has accepted full payment for our sins. The fact that Jesus rose from the dead gives every believer “full assurance” that their sins have been forgiven and that they will also rise from the dead on the last day in glorified bodies and then live with Jesus forever in heaven. We know God doesn’t allow sin in heaven. If God had not accepted Jesus’ sacrificial death for forgiveness of the sins of all men he never would have raised Jesus from the dead and we would all still be in our sins. If the sins of the world were still on Jesus then he wouldn’t be in heaven right now at the right hand of God. All believers have “full assurance” of eternal life in heaven and the remission of their sins because Jesus is risen and sits on his throne in heaven as our Mediator. A righteous God is satisfied with the finished work of Jesus on the cross. God won’t demand payment twice for your sins. God is not mocked. Your sin debt has been paid in full forever by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. That’s what the word “savior” means. This should give us inner peace and “full assurance” of our salvation.
Luke 19:10 – (Jesus speaking) – For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Romans 6:14 – For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Romans 6:11 – Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 5:10 – For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
The Bible is the inerrant word of God. People have tried for two thousand years to prove the Bible wrong and they have failed to find any errors in it. God claims the Bible is his word and we know God cannot lie. God is ever faithful to fulfill the promises he makes in the Bible. The Bible is one third prophecy with over 1000 prophecies, over 500 of which have already come true in their appointed time and have been documented at fact. The theme of the Bible is all about the revelation of Jesus Christ and believers can only find the “full assurance” of the salvation they seek by daily reading and studying the Bible themselves along with daily prayers to God. As a believer, if you doubt your salvation you’re calling God a liar to his face. You’re telling God his word is false. In Scripture God say, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Scripture also says the word of God is forever settled in heaven which means God will never change his mind.
Luke 6:17 – (Jesus speaking) – And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.
Luke 21:33 – Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
John 3:6 – (Jesus speaking) – That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
In fact, God never changes at all so we can abide in God and trust his word to be true. Every believer will occasionally have doubts because we’re all human. When that happens immediately look to the Bible and to the cross; and have faith in Jesus. Trust in God because he is faithful. God is the only thing you can count on in this world. It’s the blood of Christ that saves us and the Word of God that confirms it in our hearts and minds. Believe in God because he cannot lie and he is ever faithful. Rest your hope on the finished work of Christ for your salvation. Rest your faith in the naked Word of God. Nothing else will do. The Bible believed gives “full assurance” to us of our salvation unto eternal life in heaven where we’ll be in the presence of Jesus forever.
1 Corinthians 1:30-31 – But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption – that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”
1 John 5:10 – He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.
John 6:40 – (Jesus speaking) – And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
God created us all and he’s been fair to everyone by giving each of us the same small amount of initial faith which is all we need to accept his saving grace. Anyone who wants to be saved can be saved. It’s true, God wants you! God never turns anyone away and he makes it easy to come to him. All you have to do is ask. Even the feeblest faith in Christ is saving faith because God wants all of us in heaven with him. That’s why God created us! The thief who died on the cross with Jesus had the feeblest faith I’ve ever seen yet it was enough to save him. God gave that example to prove to us anyone can come to God at any time, even when our faith is weak. It’s up to believers to grow the faith they were initially given through daily prayers to God and by reading their Bibles daily for knowledge, understanding and wisdom. Always remember this when you have doubts, which all of us will have at one time or another. Disregard how you may feel and just trust in what God says in the Bible. Salvation is not about us, it’s about God and what he wants for us. God made us especially for heaven. Salvation is about the love, mercy and grace of Almighty God!
Matthew 5:18 – (Jesus speaking) – For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
Romans 5:18 – Therefore, as though one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
Psalm 119:89 – Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.
Matthew 5:16 – (Jesus speaking) – Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
The closer a believer gets to God the more they realize the holiness and glory of the Lord while at the same time they also see their own wretched sinfulness. Once a believer sees the vast gulf between holy God and sinful man the first thing they think is, “I’m not worthy of salvation,” and they’re right. Sinful man is an unclean thing to God, a filthy rag before the Lord. The thing is, none of us are worthy of God’s grace. We’re all in the same boat. But God in his love and mercy has decided to forgive us of our sins through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Once we have been reborn in Christ Jesus, when God looks upon us he sees only the righteousness of Jesus, his dear Son. Our sins were washed away by the blood of Jesus, In the eyes of God the death of Jesus was also our death and the life of Jesus is also our life. We were resurrected with Jesus therefore we are forever linked together. Because Jesus Christ lives forever and dwells in us, we too will live forever. Because Jesus lives eternally all who believe in him have “full assurance” of their eternal salvation in Jesus. Believers will live forever in heaven because Jesus is there.
Ephesians 1:11 – In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.
Colossians 3:1-4 – If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
1 John 4:13-16 – By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in Him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
Romans 8:29-30 – For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
When we see the word predestined in Scripture it doesn’t mean God intended for some people to go to heaven and others to hell. God wants all men to go to heaven which is one of the reasons he is holding off on the rapture of the saints until the last possible moment; hoping more will come to Jesus before it’s too late. The word predestination means that God will conform believers to be like Jesus (sanctification) over time. The goal is for us to obey God and assist in this process through prayer and abiding in God’s Word. When we were reborn God forgave our sins and gave us a new spirit but the corrupt flesh remains. Sin in the flesh is not destroyed. We still have a sin nature in our physical bodies inherited from Adam’s original sin in the Garden of Eden. That means we all will continue to sin and be “sinners” because of that. The difference is that on earth we can’t keep from sinning but once we’re in heaven we’ll be unable to sin because God himself will “glorify” us and keep us from sinning forevermore.
Ephesians 1:5 – Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.
Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Isaiah 53:5-6 – But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Titus 3:5-7 – Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
As believers we should be sinning less and less over time as our fellowship with God deepens. Believers should hate sin and should find no satisfaction when they do sin (or at least not as much as they used to). Satan loves to tell Christians that because of their ongoing sin they can’t possibly be saved and that God doesn’t love them anymore. That is not true! Don’t believe it for a second. In the eyes of God every saint is priceless. Once a believer is saved their salvation is irrevocable. To prove it God indwells the believer with his Holy Spirit upon salvation as an earnest deposit on their soul. God will fulfill his promise and redeem believers when they die. Scripture says, “Precious in the eyes of God is the death of His saints.” The Scriptures also say Satan is a liar and the father of it (John 8:44). Believe what the Bible says. Have faith in God, push back against Satan, and trust in the Lord for his salvation and protection. God cannot lie; God is ever faithful; God will never leave you nor forsake you. Believers can have “full assurance” that they are saved and will go to heaven. Believers are secure in God’s hands forever and Satan can’t pluck us out no matter how hard he tries. All praise, worship, honor and glory to God our Father in heaven for our salvation unto eternal life, for those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Ephesians 1:13 – In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.
1 Corinthians 1:18 – For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Titus 2:15 – Speak these things (the gospel), exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.
1 Thessalonians 4:18 – Therefore comfort one another with these words.