Please read the text carefully. 1 Peter 1:2-5 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. It is only by His loving grace that God gives us assurance. By assurance we mean that God has shown us in various ways that we can not only know that we have been saved, but that we can know it day by day. One important thing to learn is that these signs of assurance are not unique to any one person or any group of people; they are uniquely given to all believers. Let us examine a few of these signs.
The first sign that we have is the salvation experience. What do we mean by “the salvation experience? The Bible does not record every salvation experience of His elect, but it does record some. Though the salvation experience is an unforgettable experience, everyone does not have the same experience… In Acts 9:1-9 Saul saw a light and heard the voice of Jesus calling. That was a unique experience to him, but every sinner who is called out of darkness into His marvelous light will know in some way. You will come to know that you are a sinner against God and receive Jesus Christ as you Lord and Savior. The point is, it is impossible for one to have been saved and not know it.
The next thing I believe takes place in the consciousness of the person saved, is that sin becomes a big problem. I remember that; before I was saved I really had no problem with sin. I practiced it; I enjoyed it and I was not really ashamed of it. I loved sin and loved to be with others that did the same. But after I was saved, I became very conscious of the exceeding sinfulness of sin in the eyes of my Lord and Savior. I began to be grieved by sin, not only in the world, but in myself. Does this mean that I quit sinning and began to live a perfect life? I wish! No; it means that the presence of the Holy Spirit in me took the sweetness out of sin, so that it is no longer satisfying to my soul (read carefully Romans chapter 7). The truth is, no child of God ever sins with a clear conscience (Romans 6:1). Paul said in Colossians 3:3, “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
Consequently, the believer can know that he or she is saved because of the chastening hand of God that follows after sin (See Hebrews 12:5-8). It is important to understand, that the chastening of God may not come the same moment that you sin. It may occur years down the road. The only way to appease God is to humbly confess and repent and claim the blood of Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:8-10; “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
There can be no greater security in all of this world than knowing that you are a child of God. The word of God tells us that we can both know that we have been saved, and that we are saved eternally. God does not want to keep His children in suspense about their salvation. It is the spirit of Anti-Christ which teaches people that they cannot be sure of salvation or that they can lose their salvation. There is, however, only one way to ever be sure and that is to receive Jesus Christ in repentance and faith. That faith is in His shed blood and resurrection. E-mail, johnpruitt@frontiernet.net
