THE ASSURANCE OF A CHRISTIAN
INTRO.
Do you sometimes feel unsaved?
Even though you are trying to live right?
The devil will challenge your security in Christ through condemnation.
Relax and be assured that God will do everything within his power to keep you save till the end.
ASSURANCE OF SALVATION
1. How was your salvation acquired? (Acts 20:28)
The great price for our salvation has been paid for by the blood of Christ. There
is nothing we can add or take away from that payment. Therefore, our salvation
is not based on our merits, but on his grace.
2. How can we be sure we will make it to the end? (Jn 10:28-29)
We are now in the hands of our Savior from which no diabolical power can
snatch us. It is he, and he alone that has given us eternal life, and not our own
righteousness. So falling short of divine perfection makes no grounds for a
release from our relationship with God. Holy living is essential for reasons of
being separated for God’s service, but has no bearing on having earned our
salvation. We can be sure that as long as we desire to be saved, no power on
earth or hell can take away that security. His promise to hold us in his hand is the
warrantee provided by God to secure us to the end.
3. How has our salvation been secured? (Eph 1:13-14)
Christ has locked in our salvation by sealing us with the Holy Spirit of promise.
He has been given as the earnest of our salvation. This is compared to one who
gives earnest money when buying a home, no one else can usurp into that
business deal because it has now been secured through your good faith deposit.
It is a guarantee that the home by law cannot be sold to anyone else. This is a
word picture of our salvation. The indwelling Spirit in us is that earnest money
paid in advance and given to secure us eternally, whereby the devil is no longer
able to legally claim us as his own anymore.
The security of our soul is now in the hands of God. We are the purchased
possession sealed with an irrevocable salvation.
4. How can we be sure we will continue with God? (Phi. 1:6, 2:13)
The salvation God blessed us with, he will progressively continue to work in us till
our earthly departure. Because of our fallen nature we will never be perfect,
nevertheless we strive to reach the fullness of maturity in Christ.
5. How are we kept saved to the end? (1 Pet. 1:5)
It is by God’s power that we are kept saved to the end and not by our own merits.
He it is who has taken on the responsibility to make sure we remain saved till the
day we die. Our shortcomings and rebellious disobedience are dealt with here on
earth through his loving hand of discipline that we may be partakers of his
holiness.
WHO WE ARE
1. Jesus became sin, so we could become the __________ of God in
him. (2 Cor. 5:21)
There is the righteousness of man, and there is the righteousness of God. Man's
righteousness is despicable before God. The righteousness of Christ is what we
obtain upon salvation. This is the only righteousness God accepts. It is the one
bestowed upon us through the sacrifice of Christ. Jesus said that unless our
righteousness would exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees, we would in no
wise enter into heaven. The righteousness of Christ is what exceeds this
righteousness. We are now the righteousness of God in Christ. He has made us
acceptable without the help of religious efforts on our part.
2. Because we are God’s children, we are also _________-_________ with
Christ, if so be that we _________ with him. (Rom. 8:17)
Not only are we now in right standing with God, but we are joint-heirs with Christ.
This means that we received an inheritance through the work Jesus fulfilled on
the cross. An inheritance he now shares with us. In other words, what Christ paid
for at the cross, he has now freely given to us.
3. You are no longer a ___________ but a _______ and if a son then also an
________. (Gal. 4:6-7)
The O.T. law made us servants, but Christ came to make us children. The law
educated us of a need of a Savior. Now that the Savior has come, we are no
longer servants, but sons and daughters with an inheritance.
4. What did the prodigal say he was willing to become? (Lk 15:19)
When the prodigal son came to his senses, he realized that being his father’s
servant was far better than a beggar. He was willing to return and become a
servant.
5. But how did the father respond? (Lk 15:20-24)
Upon his return, the father received him as a son, not a servant. Only sons have
benefits, not servants.
WHAT ABOUT OUR IMPERFECTIONS?
1. How does God deal with our sins and imperfection? (Heb. 12:5-11)
No one will enter heaven in a state of sin. So how will we make it in, since through
our imperfections we all fail to meet the standard? God deals with our sins here
on earth, not after we die. He dealt with our original sin imputed upon us from
Adam at the cross, and he deals with our post-salvation sins through discipline.
God’s love is shown to us through the paternal care of a father who corrects his
wayward children.
2. What is the purpose for discipline? (1 Cor. 11:32)
He does it because he loves us, and uses it as a preventive measure to keep us
from being condemned with the world. God’s correction brings us to a place
where we can learn to live holy. Chastisement is never pleasant. But, its final
result yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. Chastisement must be endured.
This means that we are to take God’s correction gracefully and repent when we
are convicted of our sins.
3. How do we get restored when we sin? (1 Jn. 1:9)
When we repent and confess our sins, we are brought back into a state of
fellowship, both with God and with one another. Our sins are erased, and we are
cleansed from any sentence over us.
4. How does Jesus help us when we sin? (1 Jn. 2:1-2)
We are blessed to have the grace of being forgiven through the intercessory
work of Christ. He stands between the judgment of God and us, pleading our
case as our attorney. He does so based on the worthiness of his blood, not
through our merits. Since he already took our punishment upon himself on the
cross, we no longer need to bear the consequences of our sins.
5. ________ is our justifier, and ________ makes intercession for us.
No one has the power to condemn us because of this. So God now has justified
us and accepted us in the beloved Christ.