Assurance of SalvationLook up the following Scripture references in your Bible to find the answers.
Satan may try to get you to doubt your salvation. He may cause you to wonder if you really are a Christian, and tell you that because you do not feel any different than before, nothing really happened. And then, you might sin. You might slip back into your old ways. Satan is quick to sow the seeds of doubt by telling you that Christians don't sin. When doubts come, what will your answer be? The purpose of this study is to teach you that by accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you are saved now and forever – and you can KNOW it for certain!
WHAT IS MEANT BY "ASSURANCE"? By "assurance of salvation" we mean the intellectual and spiritual certainty that you belong to God; that you possess eternal salvation.
Read 2 Timothy 1:12. The "key words" in this verse are _________and _________.
Read 1 John5:13. On the basis of this verse of Scripture, would you say God wants you to have assurance of salvation? _________! What word in this verse indicates this? _________.
WHY DO I NEED ASSURANCE OF SALVATION?
1. Assurance brings us _________ (1 John 1:4).
2. Assurance brings us _________before God (1 John 3:19, 21).
3. Assurance brings us _________of Heart (Colossians 2:2).
4. Assurance brings us _________ (James 1:8 Use your own words).
5. Assurance enables us to _________the world (1 John 5:4-5).
6. Assurance enables us to serve the Lord by telling others about Jesus.
Read the following Scriptures:
(John 1:40-41; John 4:28-29; and Acts 16:10)
WHAT IS THE BASIS OF ASSURANCE? Many Christians base their assurance of salvation on personal FEELINGS. The problem with this is that feelings change. One day you may feel saved; the next day you may not feel saved. You have something MORE than feelings to go by – the UNCHANGING WORD OF GOD.
Examine this verse – 1 John 5:11-12 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”
Circle the following two words in the above verses: RECORD and HATH.
There Are Three Proofs For Your Assurance:
1. The PERSON of God. According to Titus 1:2 God cannot _______.
2. The PROMISES of God.
According to John 5:24 God says I _________ everlasting life, and I ______ _____ come into condemnation.
According to John 6:37 because I came to Jesus Christ He will in ____ ______ cast me out.
According to Romans 10:13 those who call upon the name of the Lord _______ be saved.
3. The PRESENCE of God.
According to Romans 5:5 when we are saved, God gives us His ________ ___________, who dwells in our hearts.
According to Romans 8:16 the Spirit of God bears _______________ with our spirit that we are God's children.
HOW CAN I KNOW I AM SAVED? Here is a Bible checklist: I know I’m saved because…
1. I _____________ed on Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31).
2. I _____________ the son (1 John 5:12).
3. I have a love for the ___________ (1 John 3:14).
4. I desire to keep God’s ___________ (1 John 2:3).
5. I desire to turn from the w_________ and all its sin (1 John 2:15).
6. I’m ______________ing the world (1 John 5:4).
7. I have the ______________ of the spirit within (1 John 5:10).
WHAT BRINGS ASSURANCE OF SALVATION INTO MY LIFE? It is possible you may have doubts from time to time. Just remember that Satan is a LIAR (John 8:44), and his first recorded words in the Bible were casting doubt upon God's Word (Genesis 3:1). Here are some ways you can get assurance, or deepen your assurance in what God has done for you:
1. Study The Word of God. Your salvation is based upon what God has said; not upon how you think or feel. Thus it is important for you to read and study the Bible (See 2 Timothy 3:14-15).
2. Thank God For His Gift of Salvation. According to Romans 6:23 you have received the GIFT of _______________ ________. Have you thanked God for this gift? Thanksgiving is evidence of faith (See also 2 Corinthians 9:15).
3. Make A Public Testimony Before Others. Have you told someone that you have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ? Look at 1 John 4:15 and see the relation-ship between confessing Christ and assurance (See Matthew 10:32 and Romans 10:9-10). One way you can confess Christ publicly is to come forward at the “invitation” at the end of a Church service. The pastor will gladly introduce you to the Church.
4. Attend Church Services As Much As Possible. Fellowshipping with your brothers and sisters in Christ will encourage you. Many of them have experienced the same doubts you may have. Hebrews 10:25 commands this, while Hebrews 10:22 talks about assurance.
5. Live A Righteous Life. Sometimes a full assurance does not come until God sees we mean business for Him. According to Isaiah 32:17 the effect of ___________________ is quietness and __________ for ___________ (See also Proverbs 10:9).
Remember your peace and assurance is based upon believing God's promises and not on your feelings.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I SIN?
1. Read 1 John 1:8. Is it possible for a Christian to sin? ________
2. Read 1 John 2:1. Does God want a Christian to sin? ________
3. Read 1 John 1:9. If a Christian sins, what is the one thing we are to do about it? _____________ it to God.
4. Read 1 John 2:1 again. When I sin, who appears before God the Father in heaven on my behalf? _________ __________ the Righteous.
5. Read 1 John 1:6-7. In your own words, what does a Christian lose if he sins?
CAN I EVER LOSE MY SALVATION?
1. John 10:28 says we shall _________ perish.
2. John 10:29 says no man is ___________ to remove us from God's hand.
3. John 6:37 says God will in ____ _______ cast out those who come to Christ.
4. John 6:39 says the responsibility of keeping us saved is the Lord's, not ours, and that Christ can __________ nothing.
5. John 5:24 says the kind of life I now have is _______________________.
6. Romans 8:38-39 says that nothing can ______________ us from the love of Christ.
7. 1 Peter 1:5 says we are __________ by the ___________ of God.
8. Jude 24 says Christ is able to __________ us from _____________.
9. Philippians 1:6 says that Christ will continue His good _________ in us until the ________ of Jesus Christ.
10. Ephesians 1:13 says our salvation has been _________ with the Holy Spirit.
11. Ephesians 2:8 says that our salvation is the _________of God. A gift taken back by the giver is no gift.
12. Ephesians 2:9 says that we have done nothing to gain salvation. If we have done nothing to gain it – we can do nothing to lose it!
13. According to Ephesians2:2-3 and 1 John 3:10, before we were saved we were in the control of Satan.
Now that you are saved, you have a new relationship with God. God is our heavenly _________________ (Romans 8:15).
Christians are the ___________ of God (1 John 3:1). In our earthly family, when a child does wrong, his parents do not cast him out of the family and disown him. They will correct and chasten their son; but he is still their son and a member of that family. When a Christian sins, he is not cast out of God's family, thus losing his salvation.
However, like any loving father, God may ____________ the erring Christian (Hebrews 12:6).