The Certainty of God's Salvation

2Ti 2.19

[19] "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."

Heb 6:19

[19] "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; ”

In Roman Catholic teachings there is something known as the “sin of presumption”. The Old Catholic Encyclopedia describes as, “the condition of a soul that, because of a badly regulated reliance on God’s mercy and power, hopes for salvation without doing anything to deserve it, or for pardon of his sins without repenting of them”.

Like many errors, there is both truth and error mixed together. It’s true to say that you can’t have pardon without repentance, but it’s false to imply that anyone can deserve salvation. There must be repentance, but there can’t be effort.

The Baltimore Catechism, a Roman Catholic catechism, defines presumption as “a rash expectation of salvation without making proper use of the necessary means to obtain it.” By “the necessary means” they are referring to the sacraments of the Roman Catholic church, especially the sacrament of reconciliation, which includes confession & penance. This exposes the reliance of Roman Catholic salvation upon how diligently the “worshipper” is at living like a good Catholic.

Yet the Bible is very clear that trying to add faith to works is an insult to and rejection of the grace of God:

Ro 4:4

[4] "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

In other words, the person who tries to earn salvation isn’t accepting God’s grace, but are trying to pay off a debt - but the debt of sin can never be paid off. By the way, it’s not just the Roman Catholic church that holds to this “sin of presumption” idea. Any religion that demands some kind of input from the sinner to earn the right to salvation is holding to the idea of a “sin of presumption”, even if they don’t have such a clearly defined teaching about it.

Paul continues in v5:

Ro 4:5

[5] "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”

The person who realises that they can’t earn salvation or pay off their debt of sin, but who comes by faith, without works, trusting in the God who can make sinners right through the death and resurrection of Christ and the power of God, that’s the person who is made righteous in God’s sight.

Paul uses the Gentiles and Israel as examples in Romans ch 9:

Ro 9:30–33

[30] "What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.

[31] "But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.

[32] "Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;

[33] "As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

The Gentiles didn’t have the law of Moses to follow, but were made righteous through trusting by faith.

Israel on the other hand, had the law of Moses, but could never perfectly keep it, and so could never gain salvation. They trusted in what they could do themselves and not in the grace and mercy of God, and specifically in the grace and mercy that is available through trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ.

That’s why Paul quotes our reading from last week in Isaiah 28:16:

Ro 9:33

[33] "As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

Faith can’t be in just anything.

Faith can’t be in a church, because the church is composed of ordinary people who were all born in sin.

Faith can’t be in a religion, because religion is man trying to figure out the best way to get God to like him and accept him - that’s works and effort.

Faith can’t be in a culture, because the culture is just a man-made set of ideas and traditions that mix in a little bit of religion.

And faith can’t be in an image or idea of God that isn’t consistent with how He reveals Himself through the Scriptures, because that’s just a form of idolatry.

Faith must be in the “stumblingstone”, the “rock of offence”, whom we know as the Lord Jesus Christ - and whoever believes in, trusts in, Him alone will never be ashamed when they stand before God.

We have been thinking about “Great Certainties for Uncertain Times”.

We began with the certainty of God’s Plans - God is still in control, and even in the darkest of days His purposes are being fulfilled and He remains sovereign.

Then there was the certainty of God’s Word - the Scriptures are the revelation of God’s mind to a sinful and needy world, and they utterly true and dependable.

Last week was the certainty of God’s Son - the sure foundation upon which we can build for eternity.

Leading from that we now come to “The Certainty of God’s Salvation” - and this is why we started by answering the accusation by the Roman Catholic church that we are preaching the sin of presumption.

God’s Word teaches us that we can know for sure, here and now, that we have eternal life:

1 Jn 5:13

[13] "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

But I want us to look at our two texts for this morning, 2Ti 2.19 and He 6.19, to see the great certainty of God’s Salvation.

The Privilege of God’s Salvation

2 Ti 2:19

[19] "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his ...”

I’m sure there have been many times when we have been trying to give some kind of comfort to a brother or sister in Christ going through times of great difficulty, “Isn’t it so good to have the Lord at times like these”.

That’s good. That truth does give great comfort. It makes the burdens just a little easier to bear and the trials a little less intimidating. And it is true.

But let’s look a little closer - to “have the Lord” has the idea that we are holding on to Him, as we should.

Moses told the Children of Israel:

Dt 13:4

[4] "Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.”

Joshua told them:

Jos 22:5

[5] "But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

When Barnabas went to Antioch, we’re told that he...

Ac 11:23

[23] "… exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.”

So it’s a Scriptural principle that we are to cleave unto, cling to, hold onto, the Lord.

But our text in 2Ti 2.19 changes the perspective. When Paul writes, “The Lord knoweth them that are His”, he is emphasizing that we belong to the Lord, and that He is holding onto us.

That’s a whole other level of security.

We can take comfort from verses like:

Pr 18:10

[10] "The name of the Lord is a strong tower: The righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”

But sometimes we don’t feel like we can run anywhere. Sometimes the burden seems to be overbearing and we can’t find our way to the place of refuge.

Those are the times we need to remember that, not only can we run to the Lord for refuge, but He already is holding onto us before we’re even aware that we need Him.

So the next question we need to answer is, who are His? Who belong to Him?

Well, they are those who have trusted in Him:

Na 1:7

[7] "The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; And he knoweth them that trust in him.”

Those who have trusted in Him are those who love Him - not a superficial, ritualistic kind of love, a general respect and admiration for Him, but a deep-seeded love that grows out of appreciation for the deliverance He has provided through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ - a love that eminates from our heart, soul, mind, and strength:

1 Co 8:3

[3] "But if any man love God, the same is known of him.”

Then those who have trusted Him and love Him will also be those who follow Him:

Jn 10:27

[27] "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: “

So the Lord know those who are His - that is, those who have trusted in Him, who love Him, and who are following Him.

We can’t trust, love, and follow the Holy God, and hold onto our sin. God’s holiness is incompatible with our sin. So in order to trust, love, and follow Him we need to have repented of our sin. Only then can we say that we know God, but more importantly, that God knows us.

And that is the vital truth.

The Lord Jesus has some very solemn words for our religious, sofisticated society that ought to cause us to examine our lives:

Mt 7:21–23

[21] "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

[22] "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

[23] "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Those whom the Lord doesn’t know are cast out of God’s presence. These are the same ones who say that they know God, that claim to preach and teach in God’s name, that claim to have cast out demons and performed miracles in God’s name. These people are professing Christians, claiming to know God, but God doesn’t know them. They’ve never truly repented, never wholly trusted, never fully loved, never faithfully followed the Lord, and so the Lord doesn’t know them.

If you have repented from sin and trusted in Christ alone, if you love Him completely and follow Him fully, then you can have the certainty that you are known of God and you belong to Him.

The Privilege of God’s Salvation

The Proof of God’s Salvation

This text also reminds us of our responsibility as those who are known by God.

2 Ti 2:19

[19] "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

This isn’t just refering to an act of departing from iniquity through repentance at the moment of our conversion.

The language here is not limited to a particular point in time. It’s a frame of mind, a character trait of the ones who belong to God. They will be those who have a habit of departing from iniquity.

I don’t understand the attitude that says, “I can love God, but I can also enjoy my sin”.

There are things that the world takes pleasure in that a Christian shouldn’t have anything to do with.

For example, I’m told by those who have been there that nightclubs very often have immoral acts taking place in them. The music is designed to put people in a particular frame of mind that opens them up to certain emotions and influences. They are known as places where drugs can be found, where fights are a common occurrance, and where people tend to end up drunk.

So how can a Christian who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit feel comfortable going into such a place? No matter what the reason is!

Physical relationships before marriage, drinking alcohol, foul language, deliberately speeding, getting involved in unwise relationships that don’t honour God - these are some of the more obvious things that we ought to be departing from. Every one of them destroys relationships, lives, and reputations. It doesn’t matter if you only dip your toe into them or try to have them in moderation - they are inherently dangerous and do nothing to improve or develop your relationship with the Lord.

But there are other things that Christians may end up excusing even though they at least as wicked if not more so - things like pride, gossip, selfish ambition, laziness, stubbornness, immoral thoughts, critical attitudes, murmuring - these are the less obvious sins, and are therefore more acceptable to many. But they’re iniquities, just as much as doing drugs is an iniquity.

The closer we get to the Lord, the more sensitive we become to sin. Why?

Well, as we understand who God is, we begin to understand the kinds of things that He loves and those He hates, the things that give Him pleasure and delight, and the things that raise His anger and spoil our fellowship. Now that same God lives within us. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer, and He’s not a silent passenger. He’s the navigator, director, alarm, and applause of our lives. He shows us the way we should live, reveals the truths we need to accept, warns us when we’re going astray, and gives us peace when we’re walking aright. And as we know Him better we become more aware of Him working within us, and as a result we become more aware of sin.

Ro 7:12–13

[12] "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

[13] "Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.”

Paul is asking the question here, “Can I ignore God’s moral law, God’s Word, since I’m now under grace and not under law?”

And His reply is, “God forbid. Rather, God’s Word shines a light on sin and reveals to me how desperately sinful all of my sin is to me”.

In fact, this statement by Paul is teaching us that, the better we understand God’s Word and allow it to be applied to our own lives, the more aware of sin we’ll become. Those actions and attitudes we presently allow and excuse will then become repulsive to us, and because we know God and we’re aware that He knows us intimately, it will drive us to depart from iniquity.

Sometimes we may get discouraged by our sin. We may think to ourselves, “How could I have done that?”, or, “How could I have allowed that thought in my head?” - and we may wonder, “If I was really saved, surely I wouldn’t do that or think like that”. It can lead to doubts, and in times when our fellowship with God is already damaged, it can lead us to wonder if we’re really saved at all.

I have to be careful how I answer that dilemma.

It may be that we never repented and trusted the Saviour and we’ve been deceiving ourselves into thinking we were saved but we’re not. That is certainly possible, and it’s good to examine ourselves whether we be in the faith or not.

2 Co 13:5

[5] "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

But, it may also be true that we are simply becoming more sensitive to our sin because we have the Holy Spirit within us, and He may be working a work of sanctification in us, making us aware of our sin so we will depart from iniquity and become a bit more like the Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb 13:20–21

[20] "Now the God of peace ...

[21] "Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ ...”

Our departing from iniquity becomes the proof of God’s salvation in us, and that in itself turns failure into encouragement.

The Privilege of God’s Salvation

The Proof of God’s Salvation

The Promise of God’s Salvation

Heb 6:17–20

[17] "Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

[18] "That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

[19] "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

[20] "Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.”

There are two unchangeable things God has given that will give us assurance concerning our eternal destiny - His purpose and His promise.

His purpose

The word “counsel” in He 6.17 means God’s purpose or His will.

What God wills, will.

And God’s will sent God the Son, the Father’s only begotten, into this world and to Calvary so that He could purchase our redemption.

Calvary was the express purpose of God’s will.

Jn 6:38

[38] "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.”

Lk 22:42

[42] "... Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”

God’s will was Calvary.

And because of Calvary, I know that God loves me, I know that God was willing to give everything for me, I know that He would make sure it was done right, and that what He did would be sufficient for everyone who would need it and effective in everyone who would accept it.

His promise

The word “oath” comes from the sense of fencing something in, limiting something to a particular course.

God voluntarily limited Himself to work predominantly within His people.

But how did He do that? And what has that got to do with His promise? And what is His promise anyway?

Lk 24:49

[49] "And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”

So the promise is something that would be given to the disciples in Jerusalem.

Ac 1:4

[4] "And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.”

The promise was also something that would be given to them, and which the Lord had already told them about.

Ac 2:33

[33] "Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.”

Here’s Peter describing what the promise of the Father was - God the Holy Spirit come to dwell within His people.

Of course, the Holy Spirit could only be given once the Lord Jesus had returned to the Father.

Jn 16:7

[7] "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”

And so we have these two confirmations from God that we are His - His purpose fulfilled in the giving of His only begotten Son, and His promise fulfilled in the Holy Spirit being given to dwell in child of God.

But both these confirmations are centred around the person of Christ and the place He is preparing for us.

There is a hope set before us, a hope reserved “within the veil”, that is, already placed in the presence of God. And we have a forerunner who has already entered and who guarantees that we too will be accepted.

Our forerunner is Jesus - notice that only His earthly name is used, the name of His humanity, and remember that He is the second Adam and representative of all who are born again.

All of us who are saved have our lives hid in Christ:

Col 3:3

[3] "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

And Christ is in the presence of God:

Heb 9:24

[24] "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:”

And therefore, we are guaranteed to be brought into the presence of God, because the One in whom our lives are hid is already there - Heaven is as certain for us as if we were already there.

Folks, this world is the worst it will ever be for us who are saved. The difficulties, the trials, the tears, the pressures, the burdens will one day be gone. How much more glorious will that day be for those who have had to endure the most! Folks, could I encourage you to never look for the shortcut out of trials?! The greater the trial, the more wonderful the release when Christ comes or calls in His time. The more precious will be the reward for those who faithfully endured the worst of this world so they might enter with joy into the eternal home.

In the meantime, the Lord will never forsake us.

Ps 37:28

[28] "For the Lord loveth judgment, And forsaketh not his saints; They are preserved for ever ...”

And since we are preserved, we can rejoice in the certainty of God’s Salvation:

It’s privilege - to be know by God and held in His hands.

It’s proof - the sensitivity to sin that lets us know that God’s Holy Spirit is working within us.

It’s promise - that God has loved us completely, has given us His promise in the person of the Holy Spirit, and has accepted us into His presence through Christ who is gone before.

I trust these wonderful truths will thrill us as we rejoice in God’s great salvation.