Assurance of Salvation by Dr. G
Am I Going to Heaven?
Dr. G
I think every individual at some point in their life wonders about God’s gift of heaven and can I know with certainty that I am going there? For the believer in Christ, the answer is - yes! This is what we call assurance of salvation. For those who are in Christ, who have already committed their life to Jesus as their Savior and Lord, there is no need to wonder or hope if I will make it some day. Instead, there are three evidences we can receive as confirmation from the Lord that we belong to Him and life eternal has already been granted. These three evidences are not based on feelings, but upon 1.) the trustworthiness of God and God’s ability to fulfill all His promises; 2.) the confirmation or internal witness of the Holy Spirit; and 3.) the powerful testimony of a changed life in Christ. However, to receive assurance, it will be important to have a high view of Scripture. Meaning, you need to see the Bible as God’s divinely inspired Word. (2 Tim 3:16-17 - “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”) You also need to believe that the promises of God are true and that God would not lie (Hebrews 6:18).
I make the assumption in writing this paper that you have already made your faith commitment to Christ and trust in Him in alone to forgive you of your sins and to save you completely in His kingdom; receiving God’s gift of life eternal. If you have not made that first step, assurance is not possible. The following Scripture references tie in with the initial act of salvation, what Jesus referred to Nicodemus as being spiritually born again in John 3:3ff. The Scripture tells us plainly that all who call upon the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:9-13). Salvation has nothing to do with your ability to save yourself or accumulating good deeds or earning God’s favor and being able to boast, look what I have accomplished on my own (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). Our good deeds follow salvation (James 2:14-26) and are a proof of our commitment to the Lord. Our works or good deeds show that our faith in Christ is alive and we will be rewarded according to what we have done (Revelation 22:12).
John 5:24 - "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”
Acts 4:12 - "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved."
John 10:27-28 - "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.”
John 3:36 - "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
Once the initial faith commitment has been made, the follow-up question many Christian disciples have is this: “How can I know with certainty I am going to heaven, especially when I go through periods of doubt when I don’t feel saved?“ To me, the most important thing is to look at the Word of God and see what it has to say. What are the promises God has made that shall come to pass that I can believe and accept by faith whether I feel it or not (because as we all know, feelings come and go based upon the circumstances of each day). One such beautiful promise, the beloved disciple of Jesus (John) wrote down so all may know and not just hope they have life eternal.
I John 5:11-13 - “And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.”
John boldly proclaims that eternal life is found in the Son. Then he goes on to say, there are two types of people. Those who have the Son, and those who do not. But, he also says as a part of this, if you have the Son you also have life. It’s a package deal. The two go together. It’s like a common #2 pencil with an eraser. If you have the pencil, you also have the eraser because they go together. Well, if you have the Son, you also have life. And if you know you have been saved then you have the Son. Therefore, it’s settled, whether you feel it or not, because it’s not about your ability to hold on to a promise, it’s about God’s. And God will always fulfill His Word.
A second evidence or confirmation of eternal life, is an internal witness from the Holy Spirit. In other words, we will just know. We will have a peace and an inward assurance from the Holy Spirit that we belong to God. If you will recall, Jesus said He would send us another Helper to guide us into all truth: "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17) The Holy Spirit has many functions, including to teach us, convict us, anoint us for service, and bestow upon us a particular gift we can use in service for the body of Christ. But we also read, the Holy Spirit will witness to us personally that we belong to God; that God is our true Father because we have become His true spiritual children. Which also means - we become a joint heir with the Son. “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,….” (Romans 8:16-17a)
The third evidence I mention is a changed life demonstrating the Spirit of Christ lives within you. Coupled with this, is a strong desire to live for God and obey His Word. There should be evidence of the fruit of the Spirit (call it the character development of Christ) growing within you and demonstrated in service to others. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;….(Gal 5:22-23) Also, the person who says they belong to God should have a walk similar to Jesus. “the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” (1 John 2:6) The good news is, we don’t have to do this on our own. This is something God desires to do within us, for what God started, God will perfect - “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)
What we really need is the filling of the Holy Spirit to empower us in our daily walk of faith (Acts 4:31). Look at the disciples before and after Pentecost (Acts 2). Before, the disciples were locked away in an upper room; afterward they boldly preached (even after beatings) and thousands were saved (Acts 2:41;4:4). But probably the most dramatic account of a changed life is the Apostle Paul. [Read Acts chapters 8 & 9]. Read how Saul persecuted the church and then was transformed by Christ into Paul. Read what Paul endured so others could hear the good news (2 Corinthians 11:22-28). Now perhaps your transformation of a changed life will not seem as dramatic as these accounts in Acts, but you, and others who work and live with you, will notice a change if Christ’s Spirit lives within you and you have decided to obediently grow.
