|
God's love, assured salvation & role of the Spirit for the believer!
What was the extent of God's love to us before we believed in Him? Even though we were children of wrath (Ephesians 2v3) consider that... 'But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us' (Romans 5v8)
I have several believing friends and yes there are many others that from time to time doubt their salvation. If you ever have doubted your salvation you're not the only one of your kind! Furthermore others have never doubted their salvation but they live neither by the law or Spirit but under a license to do whatever they like and then say sorry for their wayward actions and not really mean it! This message therefore isn't a 'feel good about yourself and love yourself, me, me, me lecture' but it most certainly is an encouragement concerning the depths of God's love (which I can by no means describe adequately) and the absolute certainty of the salvation of every true believer.
Firstly what do we mean by love? Well in the Greek there are three main words used in Scripture -philo, eros and agape. Philo relates to brotherly love as in we refer to Philadelphia as the city of brotherly love, eros refers to the love between a man and a woman that should be reserved and enjoyed specially in its Biblical marital context and agape is the greatest love which is entirely unselfish and was the type of love by which Jesus was motivated to die for us, in our place.
An excellent example of that is John 15v13...
'Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.'
Moreover God loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him would not perish. Friends we just cannot comprehend the magnitude of that and neither will we ever be able to. Consider the eternal fellowship between the Father and the Son to suddenly be severed temporarily when Jesus died for us when He lived a perfect, sinless life, doing no wrong, and when speaking for myself, living without sinning for a week is a serious challenge! As the Wesleyan hymn goes 'And can it be that thou my God shouldst die for me?
Jesus suffered all five wounds known to medical science and in addition he was mocked and ridiculed by the people He came to save, but prayed 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do' (Luke 23:34). Jesus was dying an excruciating death on the cross yet He still had time to show mercy to the criminal to the right of him, promising him that he would be with Jesus that same day in Paradise!
Are we getting the picture a little more clearly now? Even though God is of purer eyes to behold evil (Hab1v13) He has no pleasure in the death of one who dies (Ezek 18v32)...Furthermore...
'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life' (John 3v16)
Whosoever believes is like the Ronseal advert! WHOSOEVER means WHOSOEVER and is contrary to the hyper-Calvinist view of Jesus dying purely for the elect!
HOW CAN WE BE CERTAIN OF OUR SALVATION?
If you have repented of your sins, truly believe in Him (are fully persuaded - even the Devil believes in His existence but fears and trembles James 2V19 ) and have chosen to receive Jesus into your life then John 3v16 should encourage you tremendously! Here's a few more salvation verses!
'Also I say unto you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God' (Luke 12v8)
'But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name;' (John 1v12)
'But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead you will be saved.' (Rom 10v8-9)
'For "whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Rom 10v13)
Also God has not left us alone but has left His Holy Spirit with us who is omnipresent and dwells inside the believer as our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 3v16, 6v19) The Holy Spirit is our GUARANTEE of our inheritance and He seals us accordingly. The Holy Spirit is the earnest down-payment! We are saved, are being saved and will be saved. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our incorruptible inheritance too!
'In Him you have 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, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory' (Eph 1:13-14-see 2 Cor 5v5 also)
And finally... If I remember correctly I think there about NINETEEN assurances of salvation for the born again Christian in Romans 8. In particular Romans 8v38-39 provides outrageously comprehensive assurance for the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ!
'For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord'
Amen! |
