How sure are you of your salvation? I worry that in this age of shallow spirituality, people are failing to understand the assurance of their salvation and believe that they can become "unsaved" in an instant. But our salvation has never been dependent on us except for the decision to believe. I know I have been harping on this all week but if we do not understand the nature of our salvation the enemy will always be able to rob us of our peace.
Abraham is the definition of salvation by grace. This is how his righteousness (for the sake of a simple definition, a right relationship with Yahweh) is described:
He was fully convinced that God was able to do what he promised. Therefore, it was credited to him as righteousness. (Romans 4:21-22)
"Fully convinced" is the phrase we should use in examining our own faith. Are we fully convinced when Jesus said:
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life. (John 3:16)
No other requirements than to believe. It is when we believe that a transformation takes place and we become a new creation. These are two different issues but salvation is a simple matter of belief. It is not dependent on our behaviour or actions or thought process. Believe. Such belief should produce faith which is to act on your belief, as Abraham did.
Paul the apostle told us that there is a direct relationship here between Abraham and us:
But the scripture that says it was credited to him wasn’t written only for Abraham’s sake. It was written also for our sake, because it is going to be credited to us too. It will be credited to those of us who have faith in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. (Romans 4:23-24)
And that is the assurance of our salvation. It is not dependent on behaviour, we can't earn it, we didn't buy it, it was a gift purchased for us by Jesus. So you aren't saved today and tomorrow you are not. This assurance is important as we grow and mature spiritually. We no longer focus on our salvation but growing strong in Jesus, of allowing the transformation to take place, to obey the conviction of the Spirit, to see Jesus become more and us become less.
Jesus said our sins are forgiven by his sacrifice. He said we only need to believe him in order to be saved. This is the assurance of our salvation. There is no other path, no other source, no other condition. We were the enemy of Yahweh and he sacrificed himself, laying down his life, so that we may be reconciled to him. You are not perfect but he is. You cannot measure up to him but by his grace he has declared that you do. C'est tout! It is finished.
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