When I was young, I was afraid to die and haunted by hell. Many times, I invited Jesus into my heart and prayed the “sinner’s prayer.” Also, I was baptized into the Christian faith, but I had no assurance of God’s pardon and salvation. Perhaps, our family’s focus on holiness and the notion, spread by my young peers, that unconfessed or unacknowledged sins would end in hell inflamed the fear and intensified my search. Whatever the case, after experiencing assurance of salvation, I found my fear of judgment was common to most youth and many “Christ believers.” Although they believed Jesus is the Son of God, crucified for their sins, risen, and coming again, they had no peace. They were afraid to die, lacking assurance of their salvation.
Even worse, many of them created false assurances. They told themselves, “No one can know if God will receive them,” or “If God is really loving, he will reward my efforts and good deeds.” Sadly, they ignored God’s Word and arrogantly decided the terms of salvation themselves. Jesus kicked the crutches of false assurance away from his listeners as he addressed circumcision, obedience to the Law, and even confession of him as Lord. He stated, “…unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3, NLT) He explained, “…no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life” (John 3:5-6, NLT).
In my struggle, I was envious of those who had peace and joy in their salvation. I knew their peace was the work of God’s Spirit, and I was alarmed by the Scripture verse: “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children” (Romans 8:16, NIV). My spirit lacked that testimony. I was looking for the feeling of peace to which others testified. I understood a Christian is not just a believer of some facts. Christians have experienced forgiving love through the Holy Spirit. They are born of the Spirit.
Then one day God opened my eyes to the truth that in my search, my hope was in a feeling, not God’s trustworthiness to deliver on his promises. In his discourse on being born of the Spirit, Jesus said, “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, NLT). Jesus did not say, “SOME who believe in him MIGHT NOT PERISH, BUT MIGHT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.” He said, “EVERYONE who believes in WILL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.” There is no uncertainty in Jesus’ promise. The uncertainty is whether you believe he is faithful to fulfill his promise to you.
When I stopped looking for a feeling and focused on Jesus’ trustworthiness, I was relieved. I was grateful. I was finally at peace, healed by God’s Spirit of love. I was saved because Jesus promised it, and he is good to his word. My peace was both with God; and better still, it was from God.
Do you lack this assurance? How about those around you? Have you checked with them? John and Charles Wesley did not have this peace until they were well into their ministry.
Trusting the faithfulness of God to fulfill his promise to you is saving faith. That is why the Apostle John in his first epistle discussed eternal life and wrote: “I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13, NLT). It is time to know you have eternal life! The Spirit is testifying to your spirit with the promise of Jesus. Know his promise; and trust Jesus to fulfill it.
