Assurance of salvation

David Jeremiah, founder of Turning Point for God and senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, Calif., has an excellent column on the assurance of salvation here.

He does a great job of laying out the scriptural basis for the promise, protection, and proof of eternal life. His words should go straight to the heart of any genuine believer: “God has given us His Word to assure us of our relationship with Him so that we may walk as Christians with confidence, knowing that our salvation is in Him. … Your heavenly home was bought for a price, and that payment results in a title deed that can never be lost through foreclosure. You can go joyfully into your day’s activities and rest peacefully tonight knowing that your salvation is secure and your home in heaven is being prepared for you!”

He also acknowledges the fact of disobedience and affirms that obedience characterizes the genuine believer: “Christians are not perfect, and all of us do sin along the way. But genuine Christians hear His voice and follow Him. As a Christian, when you know God has told you to do something, you do it. If we love Him, we’ll keep His commandments. A person who is genuinely saved is going to obediently hear what the Lord says.”

It’s such a shame that the Christians who should be least worried about security are often the ones who fret about it the most. Their tenderheartedness is the greatest evidence that they have nothing to fear. The Gospel truth is that security is for believers and believers are eternally secure.