Encouragement From The Word

God has done!

There are some Christians who have doubts about their salvation.

Even within those traditions (including my own Reformed tradition) that uphold the doctrine of “the perseverance of the saints” – the idea that once we make a true profession of faith in Christ, our salvation is sealed for eternity – there are people who go through seasons in which they doubt that they could possibly be saved.

While we journey with people through the valleys of doubt, it’s important to remember that salvation is a gift from God alone that no one can take away.  God could, but he has promised us that he will not take it away.

It’s important to remember that, unlike other world religions that involve human action to earn salvation, the Christian faith is not about “we do.”

It’s about “God has done.”

If you and I have sincerely, with a full heart, given ourselves to Jesus as Lord and Saviour – with as much understanding as we had at the time – at that point our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life in indelible ink.  We can’t undo our salvation.

We may mess up at some point, and mess up badly; but the grace of God that entered our lives to enable us to say ‘yes’ to Jesus does not go away.  Our sin cannot undo the work of Jesus on the cross.

Of course, as the apostle Paul points out in Romans 6, we should not willfully engage in sin and thereby take advantage of the grace of God at work in our lives.  Not at all!  But we should not worry about whether sin or anything else can separate us from God and thereby remove our salvation.  When grace is given to us to believe, it cannot be taken from us.

The apostle John reminds us of this when he writes to the early church:  “See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!” (1 John 3.1, NLT).

If you have professed faith in Jesus as Lord and Saviour, you are a child of the Father.  You want to talk about identity?  That’s your identity:  child of God.  And if that profession, at whatever point in your life, was real, nothing can snatch that from you.So walk today in assurance that what God has done in bringing you salvation is a gift that will not be taken away!

Biblical Messages

The Powers That Be

In this worship gathering, we hear a message from Revelation 13.1-10 that illustrates how the apostle John shared his vision with the early church, illuminating the Roman Empire for what it was – an ugly beast. We apply the passage to our own situation as we learn to discern what really constitutes persecution. You can watch the whole gathering below, or just the message below that.