Blessed Assurance

By Jeff Curtis

For years, the phrase “the assurance of the believer” has been important in denominational circles. To some, “the assurance of the believer” means “once saved always saved,” or “the perseverance of the saints,” or something on that order.

The assurance of the believer has also been related to God’s elect. These are those, it is said, regardless of their own choices, and consequently are assured of being saved eternally. The beginning of this thought is that God rules as Sovereign over the world and the universe. Were the choices of an individual to have anything to do with his or her own salvation, it would be a violation of God’s sovereignty. Free will, according to this thinking, is either explained away of dismissed as nonexistent.

What does the Bible say actually say about the assurance of the believer? It teaches that God, by His grace, has opened the door of salvation for all people. God has given the responsibility for obeying Him to each person. Peter called on those who heard him to, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation” (Acts 2:40). Those who were lost were to decide whether or not they would serve the Lord. At the same time, the Bible teaches Christians that they may be assured of the salvation. Believers have every reason to live securely because they are partners with God.

Four times in his first letter, John used the word translated “confidence” or “boldness.” (1) Confidence at Christ’s return. In 1John 2:28, he wrote that when the Lord returns, Christians may “have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame.” (2) Confidence before God. In 1John 3:21, he added, “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God.” (3) Confidence at the judgment. In 1John 4:17, the apostle returned to the theme of judgment. He wrote that Christians “may have confidence” on that day. (4) Confidence in prayer. Finally, in 1John 5:14, he assures Christians that they can be confident God hears their prayers.

To be saved in Christ is not a matter that Christians need to worry about day by day. They need to trust that Christ cleanses them from sin. Assurance comes when they live in such a way as to testify to having been born of Him.

John used the phrase “we know” four times in 1John 5:18-20. All of them have to do with the confidence Christians have, the assurance of which they partake, concerning when the Lord returns at the end of this present age.

Meditate on this:

Genesis 6:5-8

⁵ Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶ And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. ⁷ So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” ⁸ But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Three Qualities of Strong Christians

By Leland Ping

No Christian would say that he wants to merely be a “so-so” servant of God. Rather, because we take our spiritual service seriously, we want to be strong men and women of God. In Paul’s letter to the saints in Corinth, he used three powerful and descriptive words or phrases that should serve as qualities for which we should all aspire. The apostle wrote, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (I Corinthians 15:58).

First, strong Christians are steadfast Christians. Paul is the only Bible writer to use the word and he used it three times in the course of two of his letters. Elsewhere in the New Testament, the word is translated as “settled” which seems appropriate as a related root word is “sedentary.” In Galatians 1:6, Paul criticized those early Christians for turning away from the gospel’s message so quickly and easily. And in his letter to the church in Ephesus, he wrote that believers shouldn't be “tossed to and fro” by the false doctrines that so often arise in arguments for change (Ephesians 4:14). Instead, believers are to be settled, calm, and closely identified with the simple, unchanging doctrine of our Lord.

Second, strong Christians are immovable Christians. In making this point, Paul is not suggesting that we be stubborn or unwilling to listen to others. Instead, Paul uses this word (the only time in the Bible) to signify that saints are to be persistent in their belief of God and to refuse to change from what He has commanded. Of course, this may mean that others in the world would perceive us as old-fashioned or even intransient, but it’s not for us to change God’s plans or to take liberty with His commands.

Finally, the inspired writer tells us that we are to be “always abounding” in the Lord’s work. This phrase carries with it the notion of “excess” or “overflowing.” Paul wanted the first century Christians to not “do enough” to “get by” spiritually but, instead, to fully adopt their lives as servants of the only God and to completely dedicate their lives to His cause. The same is true for us 2,000 years later. In our prayer life, we should want to pray more. In our dedication to our brethren, we should want to do more. And in our obedience to the will of our Father, we should desire to be more and more pleasing to Him.

As we live in service to our God, let us never be “satisfied” with “so-so” obedience or being “average” Christians. Instead, let’s consider the timeless admonition of God’s word and work to develop these three wonderful qualities.

Meditate on this:

Exodus 24:7

Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.”