So you are a Christian. You might have become a Child of the King years ago or days ago. How can you really know the prayer you recited worked? After all, you might not have felt any different. Sometimes you look at the chaos around you and wonder if there really is a God who loves and cares for you.
My
sweet friend, I am here to tell you that you can be absolutely sure of your
salvation.
John, the disciple Jesus loved, wrote 1 John to show
us the blessed assurance of salvation.
There are
usually signs of things happening around us. One sign of spring is budding
trees. A sign of inclement weather is gathering storm clouds. Below are only a
few signs of salvation.
- Are you a sinner? If you are, you are probably saved. John tells us that if we say we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and His word is not in us (1 John 1:10).
- Do you love the things of the world? John reminds us that loving the world and the things in the world - the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life – are signs that the love of God is not in us (1 John 2:15-16).
- Have you given up your pet sin? 1 John 3:6-10 tell us that we are of the devil if we keep sinning after salvation. Those are pretty harsh words, but it does not mean that Christians will be perfect. It means we will give up that which grieves God. We will stop drinking, swearing, smoking, lying, and the thousand other things God brings to our minds. Not because we have to, but because we want to please God.
- Do you believe Jesus Christ came in the flesh, was fully God, and fully man? Jesus is not just a good teacher or a moral leader; He is God Almighty, and according to 1 John 4:2-3, if you do not confess that, you are not of God.
- Finally, do you love? Not just your spouse or
children, but the noisy neighbor down the street, the homeless woman on the
corner, or your co-worker who spreads rumors about you. Do you say you love, or
do you show you love? Jesus showed His love by dying for us; John says we show
our love, not in word or talk, but in deed and in truth (1 John 3: 18).
My
friend, how sweet it is to trust in Jesus, to have the blessed assurance that God
loves us, to know we have eternal life. Now we can have the confidence
of knowing that we can ask God anything according to His will, He will hear us
because we are His beloved children (1 John 5: 13-14).
Dear Lord God,
I praise you for the Blessed Assurance
For the gift of mercy and grace
For the love you give me, so I can love others
I pray for the blessing of certainty for each person
reading this today.
In Christ alone, Amen
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