Can We Be Sure of Going to Heaven?

After 19 months of on-again, off-again lockdowns, little is sure about our future relationship to Covid-19. Only one thing is clear; it cannot be eradicated. Like the flu virus we are probably going to have to live with it. Maybe we will have to get booster shots into the foreseeable future, just as we are urged to get seasonal flu shots.

Life is uncertain. We can’t be sure what will happen tomorrow. But is there anything that we can know about tomorrow? Yes, there is one thing. If we are redeemed by the blood of Christ, we can be assured that we will never lose our salvation. Heaven is sure. Why then do so many professing Christians lack ASSURANCE OF SALVATION?

The declaration of Jesus makes it clear that we cannot lose our salvation. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27, 28. See verse 29 also). There are two aspects to assurance; Jesus’ sheep hear his voice and follow him and Jesus’ sheep are kept in his hand. Let me tackle this question then from two perspectives.

First, genuine believers can never lose their salvation because they receive eternal not temporary salvation. They are kept in the Saviour’s hand. They are eternally secure because the Father has made an irrevocable covenant with his Son to save to the uttermost all who trust in him. God keeps every single genuine believer by PRESERVING them to the end. This can be called, the preservation of the saints.

In his high priestly prayer, Jesus prayed; “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours, you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word…they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.…Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. …My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (See this whole prayer in John 17.) Is Jesus’ prayer effective? Does the Father listen to the Son’s prayer?

Why may a believer be assured? Because God is working in him a process that leads from initial faith and repentance to the glorification of the person in heaven. ”We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called, those he called, he also justified, those he justified, he also glorified…If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:28-31) Those called and justified will be glorified. No exceptions. Many other passages could be cited.

Secondly, consider this from the perspective of the believer. In that regard assurance of salvation is related to the PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS. Every saved sinner will persevere to the end and be taken to heaven. This is God’s promise.

Meanwhile in this life, we must give diligence to persevere. The Bible knows nothing of lazy, careless believers. “Brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall” 2 Peter 1;10). What are the things we should do to ensure that we are one of the elect and not self-deceived?

We should give diligence to overcome temptation, to put to death the old nature within us and to put on the new nature. (See Romans 6:5-14; Gal. 5:16-21, etc.)

We should give diligence to ask the Holy Spirit to produce in us the fruit of his presence; “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control” (Gal 5:22,23).

We should give diligence to use our spiritual gifts to minister to one another and to see the gospel spread throughout the world. (See Romans 12, 1 Cor. 12, and Eph. 4 to discern the 15 or so gifts of the Spirit distributed among all believers.)

We should give diligence to push through our troubles, even “rejoice in our sufferings knowing that suffering produces perseverance… character…hope…love” (Romans 5:4,5).

True believers do not always feel assured of their salvation. They may stumble and fall. They may go through dark times of testing and suffering. They may lament their sins and failures but when they confess their sins, as promised in 1 John 1:9, they will immediately receive from God forgiveness and the motivation to keep on keeping on. However, their temperament may be such that they have gloomy views of themselves that move them to doubt God’s love.

A believer’s sense of assurance ebbs and flows. Most often, lack of assurance is due to a misunderstanding of the role of God’s grace in our salvation. The more we focus on the grace of God, the cleansing power of the blood Christ and the love of God, the more we will be assured. We should read Romans 8 often. And we should listen to the Spirit within. “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:16,17). Listen. Don’t block out his voice.

Rejoice! Assurance of salvation is the heritage of every believer, not because of what they do, but because of what God has done!

(Let me know your thoughts on this subject. If you appreciate this blog, please pass it on. Further articles, books, and stories at: http://www.countrywindow.ca Facebook: Eric E Wright Twitter: @EricEWright1 LinkedIn: Eric Wright ––)

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