CAN WE KNOW WE’RE SAVED? Practically all of my life I have heard members of the Church of Christ; faithful, dedicated, and diligent members, say: “I just don’t know if I’ve done enough…” or: “I don’t know if I’ve been good enough…to go to Heaven.” I have tried to relieve their uncertainty and assure them that there’s just no doubt about it. They haven’t done enough and they have never been good enough! There is really no use in trying to convince me that we haven’t taught a salvation by works doctrine rather than salvation by grace through faith. I’m sure there have been exceptions and perhaps some have not shared the sort of experiences that many have and do. But in my lifetime and experience, at least ten times more emphasis has been put on man’s part in salvation than on God’s part. I know that I followed this path in my earlier years of preaching. And, let me say, I believe as strongly as anyone that faith—of which obedience is a fruit—is a necessary factor of salvation. I have heard seasoned Christians in Bible classes and private conversations boldly proclaim, “We can’t know that we’re saved. We can only hope.” And the “hope” they speak of seems to be no more than a forlorn prospect. I hear people thank God in prayer for His grace and forgiveness which gives us a chance of being saved. Not “assurance,” mind you, but a “chance.” I wonder if they think that “chance” has better odds than, say, playing the lottery. We sing, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine, Oh what a foretaste of glory divine.” But, we very often sing better than we believe. Those who wrote the songs apparently believe in grace more than we do. Folks, this is absolutely and unequivocally a false doctrine. It is as dangerous as any false doctrine out there and much more so than most. Do we not know what the apostle John said about this? “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God” (I John 5: 13). Notice that John here states his reason for writing this epistle. It is different from his reason for writing his Gospel. He wrote his Gospel so “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30,31). But he wrote this epistle to those who were/are believers. He wrote the Gospel to evangelize the sinner and to further reinforce the believers. He wrote this epistle to Christians…saints…that we may KNOW that we HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. This tells me we can be saved and know it. It also tells me we can be saved and not know it. If this were not true there would be no value in John’s writing “that you may know…” He does not say: “that you may hope,” or “that you may wish,” or “that you may think.” He says: “that you may know.” John provides three tests in the epistle that we may know we have eternal life. ONE TEST IS THE COMMANDMENT TEST: “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (I John 2:3-4). Does this mean if we ever break any of God’s commandments that we are not saved? If so, who could be saved? None would pass this test. What is meant by “keep”? An ancient navigator on the high seas kept the course. He kept his eyes on the stars and steered by them. Did he ever get off-course? Did no winds or storms blow him off course? Did he nod at the wheel at times? Likely so. But he strived to stay the course and make correction as needed that he might safely reach the destination. I used to be in Air Traffic Control in the Air Force. Sometime I worked in what was then called GCA, the Ground Controlled Approach unit. I would have constant radio contact with the pilot for the final ten miles of approach and landing. As I watched his approach and descent on the radar screen I would constantly advise him he was so many feet above or below the guideline and so far left or right. I would tell him to turn so many degrees to make correction. I never saw a plane come perfectly down the final approach. There was a constant need of correction. Those who kept the course landed safely. Keeping God’s commandments does not demand sinless perfection. But if we care nothing for the commandments of God and if we are not charting our course by the word of God we have no right to call ourselves children of God. A SECOND TEST IS THE LOVE TEST: “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death” (3:14; see also 3:16-18; 4:7-8, 17-21). If we love Jesus we must also love His children. Some are not easy to love like I am. Some are not lovely. Some are not nice. But we must love them. A THIRD TEST IS THE FAITH TEST: “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. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God (5: 10-13).” I John 5:13 gives another reason that John wrote this. It is so believers will continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. The proof is not in the past. It is in the present; the person you are now. KG
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 19:34:40 +0000
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