John wrote in I John 5:13 to the Christians who need their faith shored up the following words: These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. The people to whom John wrote had been baptized into Christ (the point of beginning faith) and by being in Christ it was proof of possessing eternal life. When one possess eternal life it is another way saying one is saved. Yet so many don’t believe it and use the scriptures to prove they are not saved.

    In order to believe that one is not saved after obeying the gospel, the idea would have to fall into two categories related to belief; one, a failure to understand the truth; and two, a deliberate turning back to the old life of sin. The latter one is understood by most, so we will deal with the first and then bring the latter into the picture briefly, as it pertains to a misunderstanding of sinful behavior as result of being imperfect humans. The following question must be asked. If one can know that he or she is lost, what is the reason then that it can’t be known that one is saved? There is no in between with salvation. One is either saved or one is lost. Did God bring confusion on the matter or is it clear?

    The verse of scripture in I Corinthians 14:3 while not addressing this issue of knowing saved or lost has a principle that applies to the discussion: For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. God didn’t call us to salvation to leave us in a state of confusion and doubt about whether we are saved after obeying the gospel. Faith in Jesus causes us to follow his way and that is one more proof that we know we are saved. If one can’t know salvation why bother trying to be saved in the first place?

    In Galatians 3:26-27 Paul wrote: For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. That is how the believer knows he or she has salvation. Paul wrote in Romans 6:3-11: Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Here we see more proof of the knowledge of salvation. After Paul explained the death and burial represented by baptism and what the believer was to do shown in verse 4, plus what the believer can know found in verses 5-8, the one who so follows and responds to the teaching is saved.  Then in verse 11, Paul gave the attitude the believer is to hold. Consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God through Jesus Christ. Salvation continues with an attitude of knowing that God saves and will save those who follow his reaching.

    Many arguments that one can’t know he or she is saved crop up for several reasons. One centers on verse 25 in Romans 3:22-26: Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. The sins that are past refer to the sins of those that lived before the cross under the law but believed in Jesus Christ. His death provided their salvation, Abraham and his family being the examples of the teaching.

    The NIV translates verse 25 as follows: God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. God didn’t punish any believer for sins that occurred before Jesus Christ and now in Christ they are saved. That is the teaching for the sins that are past for both versions of the translation. Also those living before his death and after the cross in the First Century had to obey the gospel to receive remission of those sins and people now must do the same.

    Verse 25 then becomes the stumbling block again because it says sins that are past. Those are sins of believers who died before the cross or before baptism was preached, as the case may be. The question then is how are the sins this side of the cross and baptism taken away? The answer is grace through continued faith in Christ, doing good works to show that faith, and walking in the light which is following the teachings of Christ in newness of life. First Paul said, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. A Christian is created in Christ to do good works and that is the same as walking in the light. It is the same as Paul’s words in II Corinthians 5:17: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. Then Paul says in verses 20-21, Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Again Paul says the believer is to have the belief or attitude that salvation is real. That in Christ the believer is credited with the righteousness that God requires to be saved.

    Paul told Timothy In II Timothy 1:12: For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Paul’s attitude was one of surety for salvation in Jesus Christ. That was his attitude. He expected to be saved because he had faith in the work of Christ, which kept him walking in the light since he was a new creature. Then in I John 1:5-7: This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

    Can we know we are saved? Absolutely, without a doubt for God’s love lets us know as found in I John 4:18-19: There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19 We love him, because he first loved us. All believers in Christ rejoice. We are saved by God’s grace in Christ daily.

© 12-31-2011 DEC

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