Confident Assurance

(From devotionals at work)

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life." 1 John 5:13

"To the question: what must I do to be saved? the old gospel replies: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. To the further question: what does it means to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? its reply is: it means knowing oneself to be a sinner, and Christ to have died for sinners; abandoning all self-righteousness and self-confidence, and casting oneself wholly upon him for pardon and peace...." -JI Packer

Life is full of uncertainty, and it often invades the Christian at the heart of his faith, causing him to ask if he really belongs to Christ. Let me point out some responses to such doubts. They are simple, but we need to repeat them to ourselves often.

First, God Himself says that He will not turn away those who come to Him (see the passage above). Isaiah 55:3 says, "Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant." God says in Joel 2:32 (also Romans 10:13), "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." These passages show that God desires to draw us to Himself more than we desire Him. And we can rest in that.

Second, we shouldn't get hung up on analyzing our faith. Faith is a means to and end, which God accomplished in Christ. Therefore our question should not be, "Do I have enough faith?'' but, "Do I believe the promises of God?" Faith only operates when it is beholding its object.

Thirdly, we shouldn't forget that we have an enemy. The name "Satan" in Hebrew means "the accuser." He will use every hint and suggestion to make us doubt we are loved by God, or maneuver us into thinking that our salvation depends on us. We can't stand up to him by boasting in our faith; our strength is in repeating to him what Christ has accomplished on the cross. Our best defense against Satan is to preach the gospel at him. (See Zechariah 3:2).

The point of this devotional and the ones that have preceded it is that the finished work of Christ for us is fixed, perfect, irrefutable, based on a plan the Trinity developed for our salvation before the world began. That plan is objective. That is, it exists and functions outside ourselves, and for that reason cannot be shaken even when we are. The imputed righteousness of Christ to His people is the rock on which we stand.

Next week we will shift gears and take a look at what God does IN us. If you have time, read 2 Peter 1: 1-15. We'll be spending some time there.