February 06th, 2020

Before God justified you, you were helpless, ungodly, and God’s enemy. In that state, Jesus died for you. Paul says “If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life!”
Is it presumptuous to fully know you are saved? Absolutely not! It is written throughout the Scripture that God wants you to have the assurance of knowing you are saved so that not only can you be secured in your salvation but assured.
The problem is knowing a point of reference. If someone asks you, “How do you know you’re saved?” Many do not know how to answer. They say things like “I feel His presence.” “I feel the Holy Spirit bearing fruit.” “Things are great.” But what happens if things are not so great? What happens during seasons that you see no fruit? Seasons in which you do not feel His presence. Those seasons may take you to dark places. You may blame God and distance from Him when the point of reference is yourself based on how well you’re doing. This is a terrible point of reference. Yes, God’s work in your life is confirmation of salvation. However, He never intends for salvation to be based on your performance.
Your assurance and security are based on God’s ability to make and keep a promise. God says that when you trust in Jesus, He will save you. We know we are saved because God made a promise. You are secured in Jesus Christ because of the power of God, not your standard of holiness. And you are assured of your salvation because of the promise of God, not because of your performance.
You may be wondering if good works are important. What about holiness and obedience? What about the things God asks us to do? Yes, they are critical, but they do not earn your salvation. Good works flow in gratitude and obedience out of your justification. That’s how you become more like Jesus. A Christian should not be foolish and willfully sin. You cannot abuse of God’s grace without consequence. Paul says you are God’s workmanship, created in Christ for good works so that you would walk in them. Grace is the seed of spiritual growth.
God does not want you to live with fear, doubt, or insecurity. All that needs to be accomplished has already been done in Jesus Christ. When He said on the cross, “It is finished,” He meant it. If you slip, He’s got you. He will hold you. You can be assured and secured in that. That’s the way He wants His children to live. It’s a gift of God’s grace.