ASSURANCE OF SALVATION

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

OCTOBER 24, 2023

TOPIC: ASSURANCE OF SALVATION

BY T. O. BANSO

“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13 New King James Version).

The journey of a Christian starts with salvation. Being saved is different from being a churchgoer. Being saved means that you are born again, that you have given your life to Jesus, that you have invited Jesus into your life to own and direct it, and that you are now a child of God. Nobody is born a Christian; everybody must be born again on a definite day (John 3:7).

Look at the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus in John 3:3-7: “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’” (New King James Version).

It is a wrong assumption to say or think that everybody is saved because they go to church or because they claim to have given their lives to Christ. That will be false salvation. Genuine salvation is not by just saying it with your mouth or being a member of a church. Your name can be in the register of a church but not in the Book of Life – God’s register of those saved. “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15 New King James Version).

Romans 10:8-10 says, “But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (New King James Version). For you to be saved, your heart and your mouth are involved. You confess with your mouth and believe with your heart.  

How to be saved (born again)

1. By hearing and believing the Word of God. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17 New King James Version). Romans 10:14-15a says, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” (New King James Version).

2. By repenting of your sins, acknowledging you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself. “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19 New King James Version).

3. By confessing Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and believing that God raised Him from the dead. Confessing and believing go together. “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9 New King James Version).

4. By calling on Jesus to save you and believing that you are saved. If you take all the previous steps, it will profit you nothing if you don’t believe you are saved.  But without the previous steps, it will be self-delusion to say you are saved.

Salvation has nothing to do with your feelings. You must give your life to Jesus, believe that you are saved, and live by faith. The just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17b, Galatians 3:11b, Hebrews 10:38a). Paul says we live by believing and not by seeing or we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). You must hand over your life to Jesus, invite him into your heart, and believe that you are saved.

How can I be sure I am genuinely saved?

1. The authority of the word of God. The Word of God is truth (Psalm 119:160; John 17:17). If you have done what the Word of God says you should do to be saved, you are saved. God cannot lie. If God says you are saved, you are saved even if you don’t feel it. You are saved even if the devil tells you you’re not. Salvation is not about your feelings. If you have called on Jesus to save you, He has saved you. The Bible says whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13; Acts 2:21; Joel 2:32).

Jesus says in John 6:37, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (New King James Version). If God says your sins are forgiven, they are forgiven. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12  New King James Version). Isaiah 1:18 says, “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says the LORD, ‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says the Lord, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (New King James Version).

Revelation 1:5 says Jesus loved us and washed away our sins. If you accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, your sins have been forgiven and washed away. Everyone who believes in Jesus receives forgiveness of sins through His name (Acts 10:43). If you have believed in Him, your sins are forgiven, and you are saved.

2. Salvation is not guaranteed by your works but by the accomplished work of Jesus on the cross. Nobody can earn salvation. Jesus saved sinners. Colossians 1:13-14 says, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (New King James Version). Jesus has paid the price for your salvation. “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20 New King James Version).

All you need to do to be saved is to believe in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and begin to obey Him. Sinners are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:5). You are saved by grace, not by your works. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 New King James Version). Jesus saved us and called us to a holy life not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace (2 Timothy 1:9). If you have depended on Jesus for your salvation, don’t doubt that you are saved.

3. The witness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will assure you that you are a child of God. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:14-16 New King James Version). The witness of the Spirit and the authority of the Word of God are superior to the opinion of anyone or your feelings.

4. Life transformation. New life in Christ also gives you added assurance that you are saved. 2 Corinthians 5:18 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (New King James Version). That does not mean that everything about a new Christian will change overnight but he sees noticeable changes in his life in terms of his behaviour.

Life transformation is a continuous process and is determined by the renewal of your mind as you expose your mind to the Word of God. Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (New King James Version).

Those who are saved have not attained sinless perfection, and no human beings can on this earth, but they don’t willfully or deliberately sin. The Apostle John says, “We know [with confidence] that anyone born of God does not habitually sin; but He (Jesus) who was born of God [carefully] keeps and protects him, and the evil one does not touch him” (1 John 5:18 Amplified Bible).

Conclusion: Do you have the assurance of salvation? If you are not sure you are born again, probably you are not! Therefore, give your life to Jesus today. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2b).

TAKE ACTION!

If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.

PRAYER POINTS: Father, thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus, to die for my sins and save me. Holy Spirit help me to be faithful in sharing this love of God with sinners and let more sinners be convicted and come to Jesus.

(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).

T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org