It seems as though nothing in this life is sure: houses burn down, family members are diagnosed with an illness, we lose our jobs. We are seriously not promised tomorrow.
One thing we ARE promised is that if we profess CHRIST as our Savior, Lord and God over our hearts and life, our SALVATION, our eternity in heaven, is sure. It's secure! How cool is that?! How sweet it is to know for certain where our final destination lies. One thing that I could not believe was how. How could I be sure? How could I know that no matter what I did, thought or said, it would be completely forgiven AND forgotten? After doing some research this is what I've found:
When one first calls on the name of Christ for the repentance of sin, the Holy Spirit then dwells within us (2 Timothy 1:14), sealing us with the Spirit because we have believed in Christ (Ephesians 1:13).
Philippians 1:6 holds a sweet, sweet promise for Christians: "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you [salvation] will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." Paul also says in Romans 8:38-39, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Okay--pause. Nothing? Seriously nothing? Like seriously God? So my future sins, no matter how horrible, will not keep me from Your love? Praise the Lord the answer is "correct!" Because of God's great grace He has lavished on us, there is absolutely NOTHING that can keep us from His love, let alone make us "lose" our salvation. That was the purpose of the cross: Jesus Christ became a sacrifice for all, even for those who had not yet accepted him (or who never will) [Romans 5:8].
Once we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are engraved on the palm of His hand (Isaiah 49:16) and there is nothing that can snatch us from His hand (Matthew 28:18). To know that I am engraved on Christ's hand next to the nail holes that were meant for me brings both sorrow and overwhelming joy. I obviously have joy that I am Christ's, but why sorrow? To know my God was brutally beaten, flesh ripped from his back, thorns shoved into his brow, pierced at some of the most tender muscles in the human body, to know that He got what I deserved...man, that is some great sorrow. To think of another human being doing that for me is impossible. But what great love is shown in that act, the act of laying down His life for the world; what joy that brings!
God speaks numerous words on the issue of salvation and security. There is so much more I could say to defend the statement "secure salvation", but I feel that I am sold on the idea that it's because of Him (and not anything I do) that it's a sure thing.
When one first calls on the name of Christ for the repentance of sin, the Holy Spirit then dwells within us (2 Timothy 1:14), sealing us with the Spirit because we have believed in Christ (Ephesians 1:13).
Philippians 1:6 holds a sweet, sweet promise for Christians: "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you [salvation] will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." Paul also says in Romans 8:38-39, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Okay--pause. Nothing? Seriously nothing? Like seriously God? So my future sins, no matter how horrible, will not keep me from Your love? Praise the Lord the answer is "correct!" Because of God's great grace He has lavished on us, there is absolutely NOTHING that can keep us from His love, let alone make us "lose" our salvation. That was the purpose of the cross: Jesus Christ became a sacrifice for all, even for those who had not yet accepted him (or who never will) [Romans 5:8].
Once we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are engraved on the palm of His hand (Isaiah 49:16) and there is nothing that can snatch us from His hand (Matthew 28:18). To know that I am engraved on Christ's hand next to the nail holes that were meant for me brings both sorrow and overwhelming joy. I obviously have joy that I am Christ's, but why sorrow? To know my God was brutally beaten, flesh ripped from his back, thorns shoved into his brow, pierced at some of the most tender muscles in the human body, to know that He got what I deserved...man, that is some great sorrow. To think of another human being doing that for me is impossible. But what great love is shown in that act, the act of laying down His life for the world; what joy that brings!
God speaks numerous words on the issue of salvation and security. There is so much more I could say to defend the statement "secure salvation", but I feel that I am sold on the idea that it's because of Him (and not anything I do) that it's a sure thing.
i love this! I love you! I love Jesus! thank you so much for encouraging my faith!
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