Basic Truths: Assurance of Salvation - Why People Have Doubts #3
- we've been studying the topic of assurance of salvation
- Word of God makes it clear that God wants you to be saved
- ...and he wants you to know for sure that you're saved
- cf. I John 5:13
- in this study we've said that God wants you to have
assurance of your salvation three ways
1) historically
2) theologically
3) experientially
- - we've discussed the first two in the last two weeks,
today and the Sunday after the NANC conference, we want
to talk about the issue of having assurance
experientially
- let's begin by turning to II Cor. 13:5 (READ)
- INPUT - what is Paul concerned about in this verse?
- now, James 2:14
- INPUT - what is James concerned about in this verse?
- both Paul and James are concerned about an individual who
says he/she is a Christian but there's no evidence
- thats what we're talking about today...false professions
- people who've mouthed some words historically
- haven't been careful theologically
- and there's little/no change experientially
- the good news is that God has given us us one book in
particular in His Word that deals with the issue of knowing
experientially that you're saved
- the book of I John
- INPUT - what phrase is repeated several times in I John
that goes along with what we're talking about?
(here's how you "know that you know")
- its important for us to understand what John is talking
about with his use of the word know
- in the Bible, there are several original words that are
translated "know" in our English Bibles
- 2 most prominent:
- 1) oida - objective knowledge, no experiential proof
necessary
- much of what we believe is "oida"
- we know that God exists by faith in what He's
revealed in His Word
- thats what faith is all about
- what we've talked about the last couple of
weeks is oida
- knowing historically and theologically
- 2) ginowsko - experiential knowledge
- we can look around and observe what's
happening and "know" in a different way
- the book of I John deals with both
- In I John 5:13 - the word know is oida
- "I want you to know objectively"
- often in the book in the phrases "here's how
you know that you know," the word ginowsko is
used
- point is - I want you to examine your life and
and have experiential knowledge added to
your objective knowledge
- let's start looking at some of the experiential tests or
proofs God gives us in this book
I. The Test of Fellowship With God
- read 1:5-2:2
- Paul's speaking in these verses about genuine believers
having a close, growing, intimate relationship with God
- he describes that relationship with a very important
principle
A. The principle stated
- Fellowship with God comes from walking in the light
- argument is - a person who is saved has fellowship
with God, and a person who has fellowship with God
walks in the light
- so the question I need to ask myself is - am I
walking in the light?
- of course, that leads to this question - what does
that mean? (often we use Christian phrases
without thinking about their meaning)
B. The principle explained
- verses 8, 10
- Walking in the light means I have an open attitudse
toward admitting sin
- develop - "translucent"
- INPUT - evidences of a person who is growing in
this characteristic?
- open to confrontation
- looking for exposure to Word (hit faithfulness)
- Blessed are they that hunger and thirst
after righteousness
- cf. Matt. 7:3
- INPUT - how important is it to develop this
attribute in children and what are some
ways we can do this?
- cf. Prov. 15:5
- a good question to ask here - how can I know if I'm
growing in this area? (see next point)
C. The principle in action
- 1:9
- fellowship with God comes from walking in the light
- walking in the light means I have an open attitude
toward admitting sin
- an person who has this attitude will regularly be
confessing sin
- dev. homologeo - saying the same thing - agreeing
with God
- undoubtedly, most if not all of us would say, "this is
hard"
- thats true, but...
D. The principle made attainable
1. Jesus is our advocate
- dev. - "lawyer"
- not arguing on the basis of our own merit
- couldn't be our advocate unless He was also
our:
2. Jesus is our propitiation
- satisfaction
- dev: picture in "heavenly courtroom"
- so the first question we need to ask when irt comes to
the experential proofs of salvation
- Do you have growing fellowship with God through walking
in the light?
- (deal with those who don't)
II. The Test of Obedience To God's Word
- read 2:3-5
- point is - a person who says he/she is saved is
obedienct to God's Word, he keeps the commands
A. What commands?
- using the word in a very broad way - "what God has
revealed to us in His Word"
- this is a tall order
- we're talking about a lifestyle that "keeps" the
things God has commanded
B. What does it mean to keep?
- not keep perfectly
- same word used to describe the guards assigned to
Christ's tomb (which is a good illustration of the
fact that we're not talking about perfection)
- we're talking about "guarding"
- a cautious stance toward the commands of God
- same principle (not same word) as in Eph. 5:15
walk circumspectly (develop)
- cf. Sam
- cf. "precipice living"
- INPUT - in broad terms - trends in today's church
that violate this principle? (music, standards,
dress, etc.)
C. What is the result of this kind of lifestyle?
- INPUT - (from verse 5) - love of God perfected
- point - if you were trying to communicate to
someone about the love of God, what would be the
best example to use?
- several possible answers - but one of the best
examples is a changed life
- develop - evangelistic concern and opportunities
that grow out of change
- thats the second question we need to ask - Do you have
assurance of salvation because of a cautious stance
toward the commands of God?
III. The Test of Love
- read 2:6-11
A. loving brothers more
- develop meaning of love
- good question to ask - what evidence is there in
your life of love for the brethren?
B. evidence of that brotherly love
- cf. "abiding in the light"
- develop - not clumsy and careless with other people
C. loving world less
read 2:15-17
