December 11, 2000 By JERRY FIGUEROA You're Assurance of Salvation [EDITORIAL NOTE: Our Youth Bible Lessons are studies that are written especially for young people. The style of writing and the language used may be a little more informal, but we pray that the message gets across.] For those of us who have grown up in church, we didn’t always feel like sinners. Yet, by Jesus’ standards we are and because of this we need to have His salvation. When we were small, church amounted to nothing more than memorizing verses for little golden stars. As we got older, the pastor no longer seemed so dry and boring, sermons began to have some meaning. The Bible suddenly seemed exciting and we starting to figure out that it had answers to some of our questions. When it comes to that time in our lives to make our own decision about serving Christ and having His salvation - without our parents or Sunday School teacher's help - asking Jesus into our lives can be scary. This happens because we’re sometimes too afraid to simply get up in front of the church and go through the public step of being baptized in water. Yet once we do, we feel relieved and protected, like you do belong to God and safe from Satan’s grasp. Once we start our new Christian life, the church and the Pastor will seem like your lifeline to God, but gradually you’ll learn that the Lord teaches you directly through His Word and through life’s little experiences. And as we get to know the Lord we’ll see the real change in our lives and the reasons why we need to do more growing and learning. At this point in our walk, we have truely become a new person. But sometimes we doubt our salvation. Is God really real? If so, why hasn’t He answered my prayer or why hasn’t He healed that certain person who has a need in my family. Doubting your salvation can be the most demoralizing event in our young Christian walk. Here’s a great story I came across recently: A young mother was invited to a Bible study where she began learning the Word of God. Many of her questions were answered. Later she attended an evangelistic service, went forward during the invitation, and had a deep experience with Christ. Her life was turned around. All the way home she sang the hymns she had learned. She threw her arms around her husband, saying, “Honey, I got saved.” She gathered her family together and told them the thrilling story. A week later she broke her leg on the back steps. Her housework piled up, the kids fought when they did their chores - the young mother got discouraged. She went from the height of her new found experience in God down to the depth of her everyday problems. “Was it real?” she wondered. She had let her emotions prop up her Christian life to the point where she depended on them. The Basic Assurance Of Your Salvation What new Christians need is to be assured of their salvation, let’s take a look at a few points: 1. Assurance of salvation comes because you have Christ in your heart. 1st John 5:12 states clearly, “He that hath the Son hath life . . . .”. Jesus Christ came into your heart when you invited Him in. If you have the Saviour and have gone through the steps of salvation outlined in Acts 2:38, you are saved: “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’.” Christ says in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in . . . . “. With His entrance in your heart comes eternal life. “Christ in you, the hope of glory” - Colossians 1:27. Certain verses in the Bible make the offer of salvation crystal clear. These should remove any doubts you have about your relationship with God. - “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” - John 3:16 - “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” - Acts 16:31 - “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” - Romans 10:9 Assurance is based on accepting these promises and acting upon them. 2. Assurance of salvation comes because God answers your prayers. The Lord has promised to answer the prayers of His children. “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” - John 14:14. Of course, there are conditions to prayer, but when you meet these conditions, God will answer your prayers. “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” - I John 5:14,15. 3. Assurance of salvation comes when you want to keep His commandments. God’s commandments are based on who He is; they're what He wants us to do. The natural man (that’s what we are without Jesus) has a sinful nature and doesn’t want to follow God. When you were unsaved, you didn’t want to do God’s will. But after you received Jesus, you suddenly wanted to do the Lord’s will (II Corinthians 5:17). The Results of Your Assurance of Salvation 1. Your fear of being eternally lost is gone. It’s a terrible thing to constantly wonder whether your future destiny is Heaven or the Lake of Fire. A person lacking assurance is likely to become so discouraged that he gives up and begins to backslide (that means someone who has stopped their relationship with God). 2. The assurance of your salvation will build your confidence in God. When you read your Bible, you can accept and believe all of it’s verses. When you pray, you come to the throne of grace where the Lord is seriously waiting to have one on one contact with you. You'll find the help that every believer should expect from a loving and bountiful Heavenly Father. Now, the time you once spent worrying about your salvation in Christ can be devoted to service for Christ. 3. When you're sure of your salvation, you'll be able to talk to others about Jesus. You can tell others that you have no doubt about having had your sins forgiven and you know where you'll spend eternity. Asking a friend to accept Christ as their personal Savior must be totally backed up by the conviction that you yourself think it's worthwhile. It has to be said that your search for assurance must find its conclusion in God. First, His Word provides the basis of salvation. Second, His Spirit provides the comfort to you. Finally, the fact of a changed life convinces you of salvation. Remember, the changed life is not self-improvement (that is, by doing it yourself); righteousness cannot be earned or self-induced. Your new “person” must be given by God, and it will give assurance to those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. March on young Christian soldier and God bless you. Jerry Figueroa is co-executive producer of Inspired Christian.org and has 4 boys (including a young teen ager). You can send him your thoughts or questions on this lesson to jerryfig@inspiredchristian.org. We're listening! Send us your comments, staff@inspiredchristian.org. Home | Site News | Reviews | Churches | CyberReading | Bible College Copyright, Inspired Christian.org