Assurance

"This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything." (1 John 3:19-20)

Obedience to God's Word and agape love (the fruit of the Spirit) towards people not only prove (to others) that we belong to the truth but also give our own hearts confident assurance of being in the truth. Our hearts are at rest (at peace) in God's presence because we know we are in His will; we are doing what He wants us to do.

Well, nobody (not even pastors or theologians) can obey God's Word and practice agape love perfectly all the time. Yes, we all fail at times. Our failures may make us question whether we belong to the truth. Our hearts may condemn us and make us doubt our salvation. This could be the work of the enemy (the accuser of our brothers and sisters, mentioned in Revelation 12:10) or the work of our oversensitive conscience. When this happens, we must trust what God's Word says about our standing in Christ, not how we feel. We know that God is greater than our hearts and He knows everything. God is greater than our lack of assurance. He says in His Word: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:23-24) If you have trusted in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and relied on His finished work of redemption on the cross to pay for the penalty of your sins, you have been justified (declared not guilty) and all your sins have been forgiven as if you had never sinned. In addition, Christ's righteousness has been imputed to us. God knows all the good, the bad, and the ugly in us and He still loves us, cares for us, and forgives us. We are still His children. "The believer's ultimate foundation of assurance is the character of God." (Criswell) Even when we fail Him, He will never fail us. We can always depend on Him. God's love will never let us go. We are His forever.

John's intention for these verses is to encourage us with blessed assurance of salvation. "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13) Notice that John used the word "know" many times in this letter. He really wanted us to know all these truths so that all doubts can be removed. Be confident in your salvation; know that you're saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, not by your performance.  

Don't let doubt discourage you, make you spiritually lethargic, and render you useless for the kingdom of God. Never give up pressing into God and pressing on trusting God and living for God. Authentic faith perseveres. Persistence and perseverance will eventually lead to confidence and assurance. 

1. Keep going to God in prayer. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) "Prayer crowns God with the honor and glory due to His name, and God crowns prayer with assurance and comfort. The most praying souls are the most assured souls." (Thomas Brooks)  Keep praying and asking Holy Spirit to increase your faith, to give you confident assurance, and to empower you to walk in obedience and to love like Jesus.

2. Keep going to God's Word. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1) The assurance of salvation is simply a matter of taking God at His Word.

No condemnation now I dread, 
I am my Lord’s and He is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine.
(Wesley)

3. Keep loving God and loving people. Focus on these two greatest commandments and rely on God's strength and power to do this. 

4. Keep throwing yourselves on God's mercy and grace. Again and again. Our sins are many but His mercy is more and His grace is inexhaustible!

5. Keep clinging to Christ no matter what and remembering what Christ accomplished on the cross ("It is finished!"). "For every look at self--take ten looks at Christ!" (Robert Murray McCheyne) The antidote to self-condemnation is to gaze and camp on Christ's redemption and justification. "When I cannot enjoy the faith of assurance, I live by the faith of adherence." (Matthew Henry)

"Assurance grows by repeated conflict, by our repeated experimental proof of the Lord's power and goodness to save; when we have been brought very low and helped, sorely wounded and healed, cast down and raised again, have given up all hope, and been suddenly snatched from danger, and placed in safety; and when these things have been repeated to us and in us a thousand times over, we begin to learn to trust simply to the word and power of God, beyond and against appearances: and this trust, when habitual and strong, bears the name of assurance; for even assurance has degrees." (John Newton, a former slave trader, who wrote Amazing Grace)

Confident and Unashamed

 

"And now, dear children, continue (abide) in Him, so that when He appears we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of Him." (1 John 2:28-29)

The key for God's children to be confident and unashamed when Christ returns is to abide in Christ (live in fellowship with Him). “I am the Vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5) We are to be living in the light of His imminent return. If He came back right at this moment, would we be confident (keeping a clear conscience) and unashamed (having nothing to hide) or would we feel unsure/afraid and ashamed/embarrassed? Let us examine how we live our lives. No one knows when Jesus will return. We must be ready at all times. Let us have a Maranatha mindset! 

Knowing God Who is righteous and practicing righteousness should go hand in hand. True/Right doctrine leads to true/right living (according to God's Word). Our words, our action, our character, our lives reveal who we are and Whom we belong to. God's children who have been born of God should take after God. Can people see the family resemblance? Righteous living (holiness/godliness/Christlikeness) is the proof of the new birth/being born again (which is the working of the Holy Spirit). I remember a convicting quote by Gandhi: "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." To me, it's one of the saddest statements ever. We are Christ's ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). Do we represent Him accurately? How we live our lives either draws people closer to Christ or away from Christ, whether we're aware of it or not. Do we love and serve like Christ? Do we conduct ourselves like the world or like Christ? In short, "to abide in Christ" is the call for us to live in constant fellowship with Christ and live in obedience to His Word, relying upon the indwelling Spirit for empowerment.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for rescuing me from the dominion of darkness and bringing me into Your kingdom and adopting me into Your family! Please forgive me for the ways in which I misrepresent You. Please enable to be constantly abiding in Christ, being ready for His return. Please mold me to be like Christ. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit and strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being so that I may live a life worthy of You, please You in every way, and bear fruit in every good work. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

The Test of Knowing Christ

 

"We know that we have come to know Him if we keep His commands. Whoever says, “I know Him,” but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys His word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did." (1 John 2:3-6)

The test of true Christianity (proof that we really know Christ, abide in Christ, and love Christ) is obedience (to God's Word/commandments). Do you know Christ? The word "to know" in verse 3 is ginosko in Greek, which refers to an experiential and intimately personal knowledge (as opposed to mere head knowledge). Is your behavior congruent with your beliefs? Obedience to Christ is an essential evidence that you know Christ. On the contrary, disobedience to Christ is a proof that you do not know Him. A professing Christian who disobeys God is a liar/a hypocrite. "The best evidence of our having the truth is our walking in the truth." (Matthew Henry) If we truly know Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, abide in Him, and love Him, we will want to please Him, honor Him, obey Him and His Word. We are to walk in the same way/manner in which Christ walked....walking in obedience and desiring to do our Father's will.

"If a profession of faith in Christ does not result in a changed life that hungers and thirsts for God’s Word and desires to obey that Word, the profession is only that - a mere profession. Satan, of course, loves such professions, because they give church members the damning notion that they are saved when they are not! They still belong to him, not God." (John MacArthur)

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for being patient with me and for forgiving me! I desire to know You more and to make You known. Please give me wisdom, courage, and strength to walk daily in faith and obedience. Please mold me to be like Christ and enable me to please & honor You in all I say and do. May how I live my life bring joy to Your Heart! In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

Jehovah Jireh

This upbeat song encourages my heart and is perfect for me right now :). I've been studying and reflecting on the names of God. One of them is Yahweh Yireh/Jehovah Jireh "Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means 'the Lord will provide'). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: 'On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.'" Genesis 22:14

As a parent, it's always difficult for me to imagine being in Abraham's shoes when God told him to sacrifice Isaac, the promised son Abraham waited for 25 years to receive. I really admire Abraham's faith and obedience. He obeyed God (he did what God told him to do without even questioning God for details or reasons at all). He was willing to surrender all (even if it meant his one and only son) to God. He demonstrated extreme trust and confidence in God when he said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you." (Genesis 22:5) "We" not just "I"! How did he have such confidence? Abraham completely believed God's promises to him (before Isaac was born, God promised Abraham that countless descendants would come through his son) and knew God would fulfill His promises. Besides, Abraham "reasoned that God could even raise the dead" (Hebrews 11:19a). God did provide a ram in a nearby thicket for a substitute sacrifice for Isaac.

To ponder: Are we willing to surrender all to God and trust Him for our every need/every situation?
                  Are we walking in faith and in obedience? Notice that God's provision came after Abraham's obedience, not before. Step out in a childlike faith even when you cannot understand it all.
                  Do we remember to thank God for His provision...for being our faithful Provider?
                  Do we have such confidence in God as Abraham did? If not, let's pray for that :)!
                 
God will provide for what we need (needs are not the same as wants). He already provided for our greatest need, the need for a substitute to pay the penalty for our sin and die in our place. He provided His one and only Son, Jesus Christ! "If we can trust God for our eternal salvation, how can we not trust Him to provide for the "little" things of life?" (M.E.Howard) God loves you and He will provide for what you need when you need it. "My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19) "God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." (2 Corinthians 9:8).


This post is linked up with Weekly Writing Challenge: Moved by Music, Faithful Friday @SimplyHelpingHim, Fellowship Fridays @Christian Mommy Blogger, Faith-filled Friday @Missional Women, Spiritual Sundays, Sharing His Beauty @The Beauty in His Grip, Playdates with God at The Wellspring, "Hear It, Use It", The Weekend Brew @My Freshly Brewed Life, and Inspire Me Monday @Create With Joy.