Can We Know We Are Saved
Questions Of Eternal Consequence • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 5 viewsNotes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
We have been studying through the series, “Questions Of Eternal Consequences” and today we find ourselves looking at yet another very important question, “Can We Know We Are Saved?”
I say that it is important because obviously we must be saved but what I want us to focus on is our “eternal salvation.”
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling
Why would Paul write this to the church if once someone was saved they stay saved?
Because this certainly flies in the face of the false doctrine “once saved always saved” as does Galatians 5:4.
4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
However, in light of this false doctrine many have come to the conclusion that salvation is not something we can “know” but rather must have a blind faith in, which couldn’t be further from the truth.
In fact, the apostle of love in 1 John 5:13 boldly proclaimed…
13 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.
So, let’s dive right in by first examining…
Faithfulness Should Solidify Salvation
Faithfulness Should Solidify Salvation
Assurance Of Things Hoped For
Assurance Of Things Hoped For
The Hebrew writer makes it abundantly clear that our faith in God is supposed to establish our assurance in the hope we have of eternity.
Notice how the Hebrew writer begins the great Hall of Faith chapter in Hebrews 11:1.
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
The idea of the word for assurance or substance is that “this trust in God we have [faith], is the firm foundation under everything that we live towards and thus hope in, in the next life.”
This is why those that have a living faith in God will always seek faithfulness to him because it is the solid foundation upon which we live for God.
Jesus illustrated this very point in Matthew 7:24-27.
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Now, from a logical point of view this makes since in light of the promises given by God to those that live a faithful life.
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
11 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.
Our faith or trust in God should spur us on to faithfulness which should be an assurance of our awaiting eternal reward that has been promised by our God.
Summary
Summary
So, if we are to have this assurance in the hope of eternity God promised to provide us, why do so many struggle with this assurance?
We struggled because of the faithfuls…
Intellectual Conundrum
Intellectual Conundrum
Our Mental Gymnastics
Our Mental Gymnastics
Over the years, in an effort to fix this problem, many in the world of Christendom have sought to alleviate this by coming up with doctrines that appease the emotions to settle the mind.
This is why you find doctrines like “once saved always saved.”
It is easier to get people to have a peace of mind if they think they cannot lose their salvation.
This is why you find doctrines like “there is no such thing as hell.”
It is easier to get people to have a peace of mind, and like your church, if you don’t have a down side.
However, as soon as one puts in any sort of effort to find the actual truth we find why the faithful struggle with this idea of “knowing we are saved eternally.”
Again, while Jesus was here on earth he demonstrates the intellectual conundrum the faithful find themselves in.
10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ”
Every faithful child of God knows that they are unworthy of spending an eternity in heaven.
Even as Christians we know we sin and sin often.
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Because of this intellectual conundrum we often fixate on the unattainable rather than the attainable.
By that I mean the faithful all too often focus on what they cannot achieve which is meritorious salvation.
After all even if we have done “all that we were commanded” i.e., lived perfectly after having our sins washed away, we are still unworthy servants having sinned in the past.
And so we can end up focusing on what we cannot attain and therefore not even striving for what we can attain.
What we can attain is perfection in Christ.
Yes, our sin makes us unworthy servants, even as Christians.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
Yes, we cannot earn our salvation through meritorious works.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
But, we are to become “perfect in the sight of God.”
48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
We become perfect through Christ’s blood.
18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace
9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
Summary
Summary
And this is where our “faith” should lead us to “knowing we have eternal life.”
Our trust in God must be so overwhelming that we overcome our intellectual shortcomings and the mental gymnastics our mental emotions can play on us, so as to grow in our spiritual walk.
And when this intellectual conundrum is overcome our faithfulness will skyrocket.
So then…
How Do We Demonstrate This?
How Do We Demonstrate This?
We Boldly Teach Truth
We Boldly Teach Truth
Paul makes this very argument to the church at Ephesus when he writes in Ephesians 3:8-12…
8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
When we know we have eternal life, there is nothing any man can do to us that will make us shrink from lovingly and boldly preaching the truth that people need to hear.
This is exactly what Jesus was talking about when he made this statement in Matthew 10:28.
28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
How do we demonstrate that we know we are saved and thus have eternal life?
We boldly preach the truth but also…
We Boldly Go Before The Throne Of God
We Boldly Go Before The Throne Of God
We are able to boldly preach the truth because we have an advocate fighting for us with the Father above, that is Jesus the Christ.
Jesus knows what it is like to live as a human, suffer as a human, and deal with the daily struggles of sin.
Now, Jesus was perfect at this no doubt.
22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.
26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.
However, his life in the flesh allows him to “plead our case” to the Father, based on his blood cleansing us and showing us justified before God the Father.
14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
And as the Hebrew writer than states, this should spur us on to confidently or boldly go before our God in faith.
16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
We can boldly or confidently stand before the throne of grace in our time of need because we know we are saved.
How else can we “cast our anxieties on God” if we do not boldly come before him?
7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
How else can we “trust in him at all times” if we are not able to boldly stand before the throne of grace?
8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.
Summary
Summary
Being bold is not being arrogant.
Being bold is having confidence in the promises made by God, knowing God will keep his promises, and trusting in God in everything we do.
1 The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Can we know we are saved?
You better believe we can and we must not allow anyone to tell us otherwise.
This includes ourselves.
Invitation
This morning, if you have been struggling with your confidence to stand before the throne of grace, get with someone here so that we can look over why this is the case.
And if it is the case that you need to repent, then repent and rededicate your life back to a faithfulness to God and confidence in his promises.
And if it is the case that you are just in your own head, let those here help you in your confidence so that you can be as the proverb writer we just read mentions as one that is “righteous and thus bold as a lion.”
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent
33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
32 Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
