InTruth
08-01-2008, 09:57 PM
Do You Know You Are Saved?
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having a great priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience: and having our body washed with pure water. (Heb. 10.19-22)
This passage of the Bible tells us first what the Lord has accomplished for us, and then what we ought to be. Since we have received so much, we should draw near to God with a true heart in fullness of faith.
Here is something special which requires our attention. We should know the difference between the New Covenant and the Old. Under the New Covenant men proceed step by step from the position which they have already obtained, whereas under the Old Covenant they must advance step by step until they attain the right position. In other words, during the time of the Old Covenant men had absolutely no position before God. It was similar to students taking an entrance examination who do not know whether they shall make it through or not. Men in olden times had no assurance before God but were constantly being tested in their attempt to please Him. They had to exert their utmost effort to draw near to God in worship and service—thereby hoping that one day they might at last reach the position of eternal life in the future.
But under the New Covenant, the reverse is true. And if anyone knows this reversal, he is indeed blessed. The New Covenant is totally different from the Old for under the New Covenant a position is first given to men, a position which never changes. Thus all believers today under the New Covenant have already been granted a position in Christ. And on the basis of this position of eternal life already given, they draw near to God with a true heart in fullness of faith.
Today we who are believers in Christ must stand on the position which God has given us. After a person is saved, the first step for him is to recognize what the position he now stands in truly is. The word of God says that whoever is in Christ has already obtained this position. In other words, having become the children of God, we now approach Him. All the works we now do are based on the position we first have received. We do not strive to do good in order to be saved. All who still embrace such a concept neither know God nor understand His word.
Once I was preaching the gospel at a certain place for about six or seven days. Later I asked my audience if they believed in Jesus. Many people bravely confessed that they believed. I next asked them what they had obtained after they had believed. Many of them could not answer that question. So I then asked all who knew they were saved to raise their hands. Out of about six hundred people in the meeting, only three hands went up. Ironically, these three had been saved during my preaching at another place and had been brought here with me! About six hundred had believed in the Lord but only three knew they were saved. This was indeed strange.
In 1924, I preached in Chuanchow for over ten days and asked the same question. I asked those assembled whether they believed in Jesus as Savior. Over a thousand hands were raised. But when I asked those who were believers if they knew they had eternal life and would not perish, not a single hand was raised in the audience except that of my interpreter on the platform! Hence I told them what the Lord Jesus himself had said: "He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life" (John 3.36). How, then, could they be so ignorant of their having eternal life since once believing?
Another time well over a thousand people were at the meeting. I asked again who had believed in the Lord. Over a thousand hands were raised simultaneously. I asked again if they were saved. Only twelve or thirteen hands went up. Why was there such a difference in the number of hands raised? Over a thousand believed, yet only little over ten were saved. Is Christ not dependable? Suppose a physician puts out a sign that he can cure all sicknesses. You ask him how many patients he has seen, and he replies that he has cared for over a thousand. You then inquire how many he has cured. He answers that out of the thousand or more patients twelve or thirteen will certainly be cured. Would you not certainly label that physician an incompetent? He treats so many patients but cures so few of them! Yet, at the above-mentioned meeting, over a thousand believed but only twelve or thirteen were saved. Would you not conclude as well that Christ was also undependable?
Once I was holding a meeting in a city in South China. And to my surprise, many elders, pastors, deacons and teachers were numbered among those who did not understand this matter of the assurance of salvation. They preached to others, but how ignorant they were of their own position! They did not know that by believing in the Lord they had eternal life and would not perish. They themselves had not the slightest assurance of salvation.
Many such people I meet not only during the public speaking sessions but also in private conversation. Once a lady was talking with me on this subject. I asked her if she believed in the Lord. She was unlearned and slow of speech. She related how her grandparents and parents all believed in the Lord and that she too believed. She recited the ten commandments to show that she knew a lot about religion. Later I spoke to her that since we believers were not superstitious, would she know she would be saved if she were to depart from this world at that very moment? Her reply was that she dared not say so, but that she was doing her best to serve the Lord and hoping that one day He would be merciful to her and permit her to go to heaven. But, she added, if the Lord refused to show mercy, she would not be saved. I talked with her at length until finally she understood the assurance of salvation. Otherwise, she would have continued to say that she would do her best to do good, to sacrifice, and to suffer—with the hope of being saved in the future.
On still another occasion I was talking with an intelligent seminary student. He too was unclear on this matter. He said he was trying hard to work and to do good. If in the future God reckoned him worthy for heaven, he would be saved; but for him to declare that he was saved now would be bragging and make him proud. I spent much time helping him to a proper awareness of his salvation.
Alas, how many believers I have met both in public and in private who today dare not say they are saved. In so doing, such people are actually refusing to believe that the Bible is the word of God. Do let us see that whatever God says, the thing is done. What He declares shall be accomplished and will never change. Yet numerous believers think they must do their best in this life with the hope that in the future life God may save them. But hoping is not believing. Let us understand and never forget, though, that every time the Bible uses the word "believe" it refers to the finished work of the past and not the anticipated future. Consequently, all who expect to be saved have a problem with respect to their faith towards the accomplished redemption of the Lord.
You expect God’s gift as well as His promise, but you do not believe Him. God is not pleased with such an attitude.
Let us therefore carefully examine this issue of whether or not a believer can know he has eternal life. Can a Christian know with absolute certainty that he is saved? Concerning this vital subject, however, I do not want to say anything out from myself but to allow the Sacred Book—the Bible—to speak. Let us read and discuss together a few passages from the Scriptures to see if we can truly know we have eternal life.
"These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God" (1 John 5.13). Let us hold fast to what is said here. Does it say that you may expect? Not at all. It says instead that you may know you have eternal life. To whom does John write this letter? To those who believe on the name of the Son of God. Who is this Son of God? He is Christ. Hence John writes to those who have believed in Jesus Christ so that they may know they have eternal life. Hence the Bible states that we may know this matter. Everything John writes is for the purpose of causing those who believe in the name of the Son of God to know definitely that they have eternal life.
"Be it known unto you therefore, brethren, that through this man is proclaimed unto you remission of sins: and by him every one that believeth is justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses" (Acts 13.38,39). How does this passage begin? Does it read, Let it be expected, or, May you believe? No, it says neither of these. Rather, it begins as follows: "Be it known unto you therefore, brethren, that through this man is proclaimed unto you the remission of sins." Can we know we are forgiven and justified? Paul in the above passage declares unequivocally that we may know and ought to know that we are the forgiven and justified. All who believe should know this and they need no one to tell them so.
"For we know that if the earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens" (2 Cor. 5.1). This passage is unlike the one in Acts above which says as a word of command that a person ought to know. Here instead it clearly states that we already know—that is to say, we know without the need of anybody telling us how. What do we know? Paul says we know that if this earthly tabernacle (our physical body) is dissolved, we will have a building from God, a house not made with hands that is eternal in the heavens (our resurrection body). Paul knows conclusively that after our earthly body dies, we will have an eternal, resurrected body in heaven. In other words, we shall be saved.
Paul is very careful in making the above statement lest anyone misunderstand him by thinking that he, an apostle who knows how to serve, would himself definitely go to heaven after death, but that people such as we who are not zealous and do not love the Lord would probably not receive a resurrection body after death and thus not be saved. But Paul is most careful in the way he phrases his words. He does not say, "for I know that if the earthly house of my tabernacle be dissolved"; rather, he says, "for we"—not just I but also you; that is to say, all who believe in the Lord will have a building from God, all will have a house not made with hands which is eternal in the heavens after the earthly house of our tabernacle is dissolved. And hence, it is shown here that whoever believes may know he has eternal life and thus is saved.
This thought is continued in verses 6 and 8: "Being therefore always of good courage, and knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord . . ., we are of good courage, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord." Paul has no doubt as to where he will go once he becomes absent from the body. He knows that he and all others who believe will never go to the eternally dreadful place but will rather go to be with the Lord forever. This is why he could be of good courage and have no fear of death. It also shows that in the matter of salvation, we do not need to wait until the future to know these things but we can know now.
"For which cause I suffer also these things: yet I am not ashamed; for I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed unto him against that day"
(2 Tim. 1.12). Why should Paul say this? What had he committed to the Lord at the time he believed? He had committed his future, the eternal life, and salvation to the Lord. He fully believes and is persuaded that the Lord is able to keep what he has committed unto that day. He knows for sure and clearly understands that all which he has committed into the Lord’s hands will be fully preserved.
These few Scripture passages which we have just considered testify to the fact that we may know while here on earth whether or not we have eternal life and are saved. Therefore, every believer should know today if he is saved or not. Hence do not make the excuse by saying: "I will know whether I am going to heaven or to hell after I am judged by God in the future."
With respect to the assurance of salvation, we need to discuss a few more things. How can we know who has eternal life and is saved? We need to know how we can have eternal life. If we know the way of justification and the forgiveness of sins, we will be able to determine whether we have already made it through. If we have traveled through this way, we have eternal life; if we have not, we do not have eternal life. Accordingly, let us consider this way to eternal life.
In the New Testament there are at least one hundred and fifty places wherein the writers declare that he who believes has eternal life, has life, is not judged, or is saved. What does John 3.16, the verse with which we are most familiar, have to say about this? It tells us that God loves us. How does He love us? To what extent is His love? God so loved the world that He has given His beloved and only begotten Son Jesus, who has died for sinners and has accomplished the work of redemption. So that now, "whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have eternal life."
This precious verse raises three points: a great fact, a great condition, and a great consequence. The great fact is, God sent Jesus to atone for men’s sin as the Savior of the world. The great condition is, what every man ought to do—which is to say, to believe. The great consequence is actually so good, it is beyond human thought: whoever believes shall not perish but have eternal life. There is no other fact in the world greater or more real than this we have mentioned. The great condition or demand is now put before every man for him to fulfil—to believe in the fact of what God has done and accomplished. That is the one and only condition. The great fact is done by God but the great condition is fulfilled by men. And with the great consequence of not perishing but having eternal life, a person is in possession of salvation. Now once the Lord has said this in His word, can anyone possibly think that if any person believes, he or she will nonetheless perish? This would make God unjust, which He is not. For He is the God of righteousness. Hence the word of God stands sure: whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life.
Once there was a physician who was a good believer in the Lord. As he treated sick people, he would use every opportunity to share the gospel. Once he was treating a widow. He asked her if she was a believer. She acknowledged the fact and said she had received Jesus as her Savior. Whereupon the physician inquired: "If you have really believed and accepted Jesus as Savior, do you have eternal life? If you are not healed and die, will you go to heaven or to hell?" "Sir, I dare not say," replied the widow. "I have been a Christian for several decades. I only know this, that I try my best to be good. If God considers me worthy to be saved to heaven, that is good; otherwise, I can do nothing more to be saved." "Well, you must know some Scripture passages by heart, since you have been a Christian so long," said the physician. "Indeed, I can recite many passages from memory," assured the lady. "The one I am most familiar with is John 3.16, for I learned that verse when I first entered kindergarten. I have recited that verse for about sixty years."
Upon hearing her recite it, the doctor remarked, "You said it well. But do you at this moment have eternal life?" "Sir," the widow repeated, "I have just told you that I am now doing my best and perhaps in the future God will consider me good enough to have eternal life. At that time I will know whether I have eternal life. Such a good doctor as you are may dare to say that you have eternal life, but I dare not say so." The doctor quietly replied: "Madam, you have recited John 3.16 incorrectly." "But how can I be wrong?" I have recited this verse for sixty years. Could I possibly make any mistake?"
The doctor asked her to recite the verse again, and again he inquired if she had eternal life. Once more she answered that she dared not say she had but would keep trying to do her best in life. And once more the doctor softly said, "You have recited John 3.16 incorrectly." By this time the widow was so exasperated that she found a Bible, turned to John 3.16, put it before the doctor, and said, "I will recite again, and this time you may check word for word to see if I am correct." After she recited, she asked, "Sir, am I right? Who is wrong?" The doctor responded with: "Don’t be impatient. Let me ask you again, Do you have eternal life?" She was really angry now, so she retorted, "You say I have recited John 3.16 incorrectly and you continue to ask me about eternal life. I have told you three times now that I dare not say so, I can only hope that in the future God will say that I have it!"
The doctor repeated himself once more: "You do not recite John 3.16 correctly." The widow said, "I am not going to recite the verse; instead, you say it for me." So the doctor recited it once, and immediately the widow challenged him with the assertion that their versions were exactly the same. But he replied, "Yours is different from mine. Let me recite your John 3.16 for you: ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him and tryeth his best, may not perish but have eternal life if after death God judgeth him as being pleasing to Him.’ But note that my John 3.16 says this: ‘Whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have eternal life.’" Upon hearing this from the doctor, the woman suddenly came to her senses and finally understood.
Formerly this widow woman had always conceived John 3.16 as being two separate sentences. The first for her ended at "whosoever believeth on him," to which she could add any words she wanted. And then the second sentence followed with "should not perish but have eternal life." Now, though, she realized that John 3.16 was one continuous sentence: He who believes in the Lord shall not perish but have eternal life. Do please remember that God never lies. Whatever He says stands. Whenever you believe, you are saved.
Years ago there was a famous evangelist by the name of Wilbur Chapman. Many were saved through his preaching. He was well-known at that time. He has since fallen asleep in the Lord. Why do I mention him? Because the story of his salvation is closely related to what we are considering together.
Wilbur Chapman was a doctor of philosophy and was quite learned. Once he went to hear Dwight L. Moody, the world-famous evangelist. Moody had come from the laboring class and did not have much education. Afterwards Chapman talked with Moody. Moody asked him if he were a Christian, and Chapman’s answer was as follows: "Sometimes I am very good, sometimes I am very bad. When I am zealous, I am most zealous; but when I am cold, none can be colder than I. During the period of zealousness, I dare say I am a Christian; but at the time of coldness, I dare not say I am a Christian."
Instead of reasoning with him, Moody asked him to read John 5.24 which says this: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life." After Chapman finished reading, Moody asked him if he were a saved Christian. Although he was a learned doctor of letters, his answer was similar to that of the elderly widow—"I have told you that when I am zealous and good I am a Christian, but when I am cold and bad I cannot be reckoned as a Christian." "But what does the Bible say?" asked Moody. "What would the person have who hears the word of the gospel and believes in the Heavenly Father who sent Jesus? Does not the Bible declare that such a person shall have eternal life and has passed out of death into life? Mr. Chapman, you have believed in the Lord, therefore you are a saved Christian." Chapman hesitated and then replied: "I still dare not say I am a Christian. How very bad I am. I have been up in zeal and down in coldness so many times." Moody therefore took the Bible in his hand and said, "Dr. Chapman, do you know whose word you are doubting?" Then and there Chapman realized he was doubting the word of God. Later he testified from the pulpit that thereafter he knew he had eternal life.
Having believed in the Lord but then saying you do not have eternal life is not a sign of humility but a mark of unbelief. Such a position is doubting God’s word and doubting His righteousness and unchangeable character. Whoever is in Christ has eternal life, is not judged, and has passed out of death into life. On the day he believes, he is born again of new life. This is the gospel. I lay this matter before you that you may know you have eternal life.
Let us also consider John 6.47: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth hath eternal life." Were all the Scriptures to vanish except this one verse, the latter would be enough to solve the problem of salvation. Faith is not expectation. It neither waits for the future nor requires the performance of any work. For the Bible says, "He that believeth hath eternal life." And God’s word never changes.
Let me relate another, yet quite simple story. Some years back there was a famous servant of the Lord. He was a physician who was deep into medical science and strong in faith. Each time he treated people he would exhort them to believe in the Lord Jesus. Once he visited another hospital. There he saw a young woman lying in bed whose life was fading away. Upon approaching her he asked, "Are you happy?" "No," answered the woman, "I do not have a bit of happiness." "Why are you not happy?" pursued the doctor. "Have you believed in the Lord Jesus?" "Indeed, I have truly believed in Jesus as Savior and I have committed all my sins to Him," she replied. So the doctor asked, "Do you have eternal life? Are you saved?" "That is a problem I cannot solve," she responded. "My doctor told me I have high fever and that my days on earth are numbered. Even now I do not know how God will treat me when I see Him. Hence I am most miserable and unhappy. If a person spends his lifetime doing good, serving people sacrificially, and accumulating special merits, he may have eternal life; but my days on earth are quite limited, and I have not done any life-saving work. How then can I be saved?"
The doctor explained to her how salvation was through the blood of the Lord and His accomplished redemption, since we could not save ourselves. He then asked her to read John 6.47: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth hath eternal life." He continued by saying, "The word of the Lord is never false. When He says ‘verily, verily,’ it must be doubly true. What does He say here about the one who believes?" The young woman replied: "Hath eternal life." "You have believed," observed the doctor. "Do you have eternal life?" The woman hesitated a long while and answered, "The Bible says I have eternal life, but I say I do not have eternal life." "Which is trustworthy—what you say or what the Bible says?" Finally, with tears streaming down her face, she said, "I now believe I have eternal life." Thereafter she became a very happy person. And not long afterwards she departed from the world to see the Lord who had given her eternal life.
I today lay this matter before you all. The Lord Jesus was crucified in order to save sinners. He shed His precious blood to wash away our sins. Accordingly, all who believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. All your problems may be solved right here. Today, I would simply ask you this: Do you believe in Jesus? All who believe have eternal life.
When I was in the South Seas I met a sister whom I asked if she believed in the Lord. She answered, "I believe Jesus can save me." So I next asked: "Are you saved?" Her reply was, "Sometimes I am saved, but sometimes I am not saved. When I spend a good time reading the Bible, I imagine how wonderful it would be if I were to die at that time because I believe I would be saved at that moment. But if sometime afterwards I were angry with my mother or would quarrel with my brother, I know I would be guilty of sin; and I therefore could not afford to die at that juncture; because if I were to die at that point I would no doubt perish. So that from dawn to dusk I toss between good and bad, saved and unsaved."
In response I said to her, "Sister, you are the most capable person in the world since you can go from heaven to hell and from hell to heaven many times over in a single day. Who has such power as you have?" "Do you mean to say that if I believe, I am a saved person?" she inquired. "Let us see what God says in the Bible," I answered. "God declares that ‘whoever believes has eternal life.’ No one can alter this word. Even God himself cannot change it. If you do not believe this word, you do not believe that the Bible is the word of God."
If a person does not understand how to be saved, he cannot know whether or not he is saved. In order to be saved, one has to know first the condition and ground of salvation. Without a clear knowledge of the basis of salvation, how can he know if he is saved?
One day I was talking with a very influential businessman in Amoy. We conversed for a long time in the evening but we could not resolve this problem of salvation. He insisted that he dare not say he had eternal life. He told me: "Three months ago someone came and preached that whoever believes has eternal life. I believed, and I put my sins away. I therefore thought I was saved. But within a month my faith disappeared and I again greatly sinned. Did that not prove I was not saved? Now, sir, you too come along. I have listened to you tonight and I am revived. But I am afraid after you leave and in one or two months’ time I will grow cold and fall again. I will be as unsaved as before. Hence I dare not say I am saved."
I showed this businessman many Scripture verses and assured him that God’s word was true and that all he needed to do was to believe. Yet he remained confused. Finally, I stood up to say goodbye. "Sir, I have to leave because there will be a meeting tomorrow, and I also have other appointments. But allow me to say a final word: On whom do you depend for your salvation—on yourself or the Lord Jesus?" Upon saying this I walked towards the door. I had not taken two steps when he called me back. I asked him for the reason, and he said, "I have talked with you for two to three hours, and during that time I was not clear. Now, though, I am clear. I now see that a man is not saved through his past good nor by his future merits; he instead is saved by believing in Jesus who has died for him and has borne away his sins. No matter how many sins a person has committed, they are all laid upon Him. Therefore, whoever believes in Him shall be saved. I am saved not by depending on myself, since I cannot save myself. It is Jesus who saves me. Why, then, must I say I am not saved?" At last, he knew he was saved! How joyful both he and I were together.
Many who believe are unwilling to say they are saved because they do not understand the ground of salvation. Invariably people know that the bad things which they did before believing in the Lord are indeed laid upon Jesus, but they incorrectly imagine that whatever bad things they will do afterwards will cause them to perish. And thus do they revert to the position of the Old Covenant.
The New Covenant, though, gives us a position first. Through faith we are filled with a new life, and then we approach God with a true heart in fullness of faith. Men do not come to God through good works; rather, they are given a position before they ever draw near to God. And this position will never be lost, not for eternity.
Today people do not have the joy of salvation because they trust in their good deeds to keep the salvation they have once received. But salvation is not earned by a lifetime of doing good. If you were to ask a truly saved person how he is saved, he would doubtless answer: "It is Jesus who saves me because I have absolutely no strength by which to save myself. It is all given by the Lord." Only those such as this can always rejoice.
We know how the robber who was crucified with the Lord was saved on that day. As he accepted Jesus, he was instantaneously saved on the cross. His salvation depended entirely on the substitutionary death of Jesus. Suppose he had not died that day but had been able to live on for another fifty years. And suppose he had been able to do such good works as Paul did, to stand as firm as did Peter and to manifest such great love as did John. In other words, suppose all the strengths of Paul, Peter and John had been concentrated in this robber. Do you think these abilities and good works would have helped him to be saved to Paradise? Would these endeavors have made him more worthy to be saved? No, even if he could have lived and done good and saved people as did those apostles, these works would not have been reckoned to him as ground for salvation. For the only ground of salvation is the Lord Jesus, not the robber’s own works. Consequently, he who believes can dare to say he is saved. And he can henceforth live a holy and good life as did his Lord because he has been saved.
Let us suppose that a man falls into the water, and some people on the shore try very much to rescue him, then successfully give him artificial respiration, provide dry clothes for him to wear, make a fire by which he may warm himself, and give him food to eat so that he may live. If subsequently someone were to ask him, "Where are you now? On the shore?", and he were to answer: "Though I am not in the water, yet I still feel as though I am in the water. But if I claim that I am now on shore, I would be guilty of arrogance; therefore, I can only hope that I may be on shore.", do you think this man were truly being humble? Let me say that that is not humility. Likewise, if one who has really believed in Jesus as Savior dare not confess he is saved, that is not a sign of humility but of ingratitude towards the amazing grace of the Lord. Further, it is a denial of the great work of the Lord’s redemption. Such an attitude insinuates that the Lord is unable to save this believer completely.
Let me observe that Christians who subscribe to such an attitude can never praise God. There will not be the sound of thanksgiving coming out of their mouths, for if such ones do not know where they are heading, it is no wonder they cannot praise God nor give glory to Him. How sad that the praise of the lips is missing from the lives of many Christians. But those who know they are saved will continually praise and thank God. Who can praise God in hell? Hell is only full of the noises of cursing. There is no word of praise. If people do not praise God now, when will they ever praise Him?
I am well aware of the contention of some people that it is dangerous for anyone who believes to say he has eternal life, is saved, and shall not perish. For after he knows he is saved, contend these people, he will dare to do anything without a heart of fear and caution. Yet those who voice such sentiment have exposed themselves as being woefully ignorant of the salvation and grace of God.
Let it be clearly known and understood that salvation according to the Bible has its subjective as well as its objective side. Christ was crucified, and God declares that the sins of all who believe in Christ were borne by Him on the cross; therefore, their sins are completely forgiven and they shall not go to hell but are justified and saved. Such is the objective side. At the same time, though, the salvation of the Lord has its subjective work, which is to crucify unto death our former life which loves to sin and takes pleasure in uncleanness. Furthermore, God gives to us His life—a new life. And such is salvation on the subjective side.
The Lord not only grants us salvation objectively, He also regenerates us. It is not merely that our sins are forgiven, we are also born again. God puts a new life, a new spirit in us. Each believer has the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. And thus he knows what is good and right. His life is one of goodness and joy. Never will a man feel uncomfortable towards something holy and good after his sins are forgiven and He has received God’s life. Formerly he had dared not openly sin for fear of a bad name; now he will not do evil because he knows it is sinful and unclean. He today looks at sin as despicable, since the Holy Spirit now dwells in him and he dare not sin.
If a person professes to believe in the Lord Jesus but continues to practice sin without any sense of hating it, he has not been born again. And one who is not born again does not have life and is therefore not saved: His faith has not been real. Let us see that the life of God will not permit one to sin. Hence all who believe may not sin, though all believers are not sinless perfect. So let us take hold of this word: a believer has not only been given objective salvation by God; he has also been granted a subjective salvation as well.
What traveler would decorate his hotel room—which he only temporarily occupies—to the perfection of beauty and balance? But he would decorate his permanent home to a high degree of beauty and comfort. Earlier in my life I had a schoolmate who never dressed decently. His hair grew long, his face was unwashed, his body was filthy, and his shoes were untied. Students criticized him as not being human. Even people on the street despised him. But two years later, when once I met him on the street, I noticed that his face was shaved, his hair was neatly combed, and he wore a decent Western suit. I could hardly recognize him. I thought to myself, Was this the same one who had been my schoolmate for seven years? And then when I talked with him, to my surprise I was asked about the life and manners of the Western world. Why would such a careless person now desire to learn about Western etiquette? I could not contain myself, so I went to inquire of his uncle. I learned from him that the reason for such interest was because he would soon be going abroad temporarily to study. So that he began to dress well and wished to learn all about Western manners.
If a person who goes abroad to study for only two or three years will garb himself in Western style, will learn to speak with a foreign accent, inquire about Western life and pay attention to foreign etiquette, how much more should we believers—who in the future will dwell permanently in our shining, beautiful, glorious heavenly home—prepare to learn heavenly living and manners?
Every believer ought to know that he is saved and that he will soon return to his heavenly home to meet his Heavenly Father. And. if such be the truth (and it is), then is it conceivable that any believer would think that since he will not have any opportunity to sin in heaven he may as well sin more and experience more the bitterness and bondage of sin while still on earth? No, never! Knowing we are going to our heavenly home to dwell in the beautiful city of God, we who are saved will seek instead to forsake the pleasures of sin and the things of the flesh and its lusts so that these may not hinder or disturb our progress.
May we all know that we are saved and have the eternal life of God. And let us manifest this life of God in us and out from us as evidence of our salvation. By our life we must testify before men and be used by God to save many.
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having a great priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience: and having our body washed with pure water. (Heb. 10.19-22)
This passage of the Bible tells us first what the Lord has accomplished for us, and then what we ought to be. Since we have received so much, we should draw near to God with a true heart in fullness of faith.
Here is something special which requires our attention. We should know the difference between the New Covenant and the Old. Under the New Covenant men proceed step by step from the position which they have already obtained, whereas under the Old Covenant they must advance step by step until they attain the right position. In other words, during the time of the Old Covenant men had absolutely no position before God. It was similar to students taking an entrance examination who do not know whether they shall make it through or not. Men in olden times had no assurance before God but were constantly being tested in their attempt to please Him. They had to exert their utmost effort to draw near to God in worship and service—thereby hoping that one day they might at last reach the position of eternal life in the future.
But under the New Covenant, the reverse is true. And if anyone knows this reversal, he is indeed blessed. The New Covenant is totally different from the Old for under the New Covenant a position is first given to men, a position which never changes. Thus all believers today under the New Covenant have already been granted a position in Christ. And on the basis of this position of eternal life already given, they draw near to God with a true heart in fullness of faith.
Today we who are believers in Christ must stand on the position which God has given us. After a person is saved, the first step for him is to recognize what the position he now stands in truly is. The word of God says that whoever is in Christ has already obtained this position. In other words, having become the children of God, we now approach Him. All the works we now do are based on the position we first have received. We do not strive to do good in order to be saved. All who still embrace such a concept neither know God nor understand His word.
Once I was preaching the gospel at a certain place for about six or seven days. Later I asked my audience if they believed in Jesus. Many people bravely confessed that they believed. I next asked them what they had obtained after they had believed. Many of them could not answer that question. So I then asked all who knew they were saved to raise their hands. Out of about six hundred people in the meeting, only three hands went up. Ironically, these three had been saved during my preaching at another place and had been brought here with me! About six hundred had believed in the Lord but only three knew they were saved. This was indeed strange.
In 1924, I preached in Chuanchow for over ten days and asked the same question. I asked those assembled whether they believed in Jesus as Savior. Over a thousand hands were raised. But when I asked those who were believers if they knew they had eternal life and would not perish, not a single hand was raised in the audience except that of my interpreter on the platform! Hence I told them what the Lord Jesus himself had said: "He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life" (John 3.36). How, then, could they be so ignorant of their having eternal life since once believing?
Another time well over a thousand people were at the meeting. I asked again who had believed in the Lord. Over a thousand hands were raised simultaneously. I asked again if they were saved. Only twelve or thirteen hands went up. Why was there such a difference in the number of hands raised? Over a thousand believed, yet only little over ten were saved. Is Christ not dependable? Suppose a physician puts out a sign that he can cure all sicknesses. You ask him how many patients he has seen, and he replies that he has cared for over a thousand. You then inquire how many he has cured. He answers that out of the thousand or more patients twelve or thirteen will certainly be cured. Would you not certainly label that physician an incompetent? He treats so many patients but cures so few of them! Yet, at the above-mentioned meeting, over a thousand believed but only twelve or thirteen were saved. Would you not conclude as well that Christ was also undependable?
Once I was holding a meeting in a city in South China. And to my surprise, many elders, pastors, deacons and teachers were numbered among those who did not understand this matter of the assurance of salvation. They preached to others, but how ignorant they were of their own position! They did not know that by believing in the Lord they had eternal life and would not perish. They themselves had not the slightest assurance of salvation.
Many such people I meet not only during the public speaking sessions but also in private conversation. Once a lady was talking with me on this subject. I asked her if she believed in the Lord. She was unlearned and slow of speech. She related how her grandparents and parents all believed in the Lord and that she too believed. She recited the ten commandments to show that she knew a lot about religion. Later I spoke to her that since we believers were not superstitious, would she know she would be saved if she were to depart from this world at that very moment? Her reply was that she dared not say so, but that she was doing her best to serve the Lord and hoping that one day He would be merciful to her and permit her to go to heaven. But, she added, if the Lord refused to show mercy, she would not be saved. I talked with her at length until finally she understood the assurance of salvation. Otherwise, she would have continued to say that she would do her best to do good, to sacrifice, and to suffer—with the hope of being saved in the future.
On still another occasion I was talking with an intelligent seminary student. He too was unclear on this matter. He said he was trying hard to work and to do good. If in the future God reckoned him worthy for heaven, he would be saved; but for him to declare that he was saved now would be bragging and make him proud. I spent much time helping him to a proper awareness of his salvation.
Alas, how many believers I have met both in public and in private who today dare not say they are saved. In so doing, such people are actually refusing to believe that the Bible is the word of God. Do let us see that whatever God says, the thing is done. What He declares shall be accomplished and will never change. Yet numerous believers think they must do their best in this life with the hope that in the future life God may save them. But hoping is not believing. Let us understand and never forget, though, that every time the Bible uses the word "believe" it refers to the finished work of the past and not the anticipated future. Consequently, all who expect to be saved have a problem with respect to their faith towards the accomplished redemption of the Lord.
You expect God’s gift as well as His promise, but you do not believe Him. God is not pleased with such an attitude.
Let us therefore carefully examine this issue of whether or not a believer can know he has eternal life. Can a Christian know with absolute certainty that he is saved? Concerning this vital subject, however, I do not want to say anything out from myself but to allow the Sacred Book—the Bible—to speak. Let us read and discuss together a few passages from the Scriptures to see if we can truly know we have eternal life.
"These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God" (1 John 5.13). Let us hold fast to what is said here. Does it say that you may expect? Not at all. It says instead that you may know you have eternal life. To whom does John write this letter? To those who believe on the name of the Son of God. Who is this Son of God? He is Christ. Hence John writes to those who have believed in Jesus Christ so that they may know they have eternal life. Hence the Bible states that we may know this matter. Everything John writes is for the purpose of causing those who believe in the name of the Son of God to know definitely that they have eternal life.
"Be it known unto you therefore, brethren, that through this man is proclaimed unto you remission of sins: and by him every one that believeth is justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses" (Acts 13.38,39). How does this passage begin? Does it read, Let it be expected, or, May you believe? No, it says neither of these. Rather, it begins as follows: "Be it known unto you therefore, brethren, that through this man is proclaimed unto you the remission of sins." Can we know we are forgiven and justified? Paul in the above passage declares unequivocally that we may know and ought to know that we are the forgiven and justified. All who believe should know this and they need no one to tell them so.
"For we know that if the earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens" (2 Cor. 5.1). This passage is unlike the one in Acts above which says as a word of command that a person ought to know. Here instead it clearly states that we already know—that is to say, we know without the need of anybody telling us how. What do we know? Paul says we know that if this earthly tabernacle (our physical body) is dissolved, we will have a building from God, a house not made with hands that is eternal in the heavens (our resurrection body). Paul knows conclusively that after our earthly body dies, we will have an eternal, resurrected body in heaven. In other words, we shall be saved.
Paul is very careful in making the above statement lest anyone misunderstand him by thinking that he, an apostle who knows how to serve, would himself definitely go to heaven after death, but that people such as we who are not zealous and do not love the Lord would probably not receive a resurrection body after death and thus not be saved. But Paul is most careful in the way he phrases his words. He does not say, "for I know that if the earthly house of my tabernacle be dissolved"; rather, he says, "for we"—not just I but also you; that is to say, all who believe in the Lord will have a building from God, all will have a house not made with hands which is eternal in the heavens after the earthly house of our tabernacle is dissolved. And hence, it is shown here that whoever believes may know he has eternal life and thus is saved.
This thought is continued in verses 6 and 8: "Being therefore always of good courage, and knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord . . ., we are of good courage, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord." Paul has no doubt as to where he will go once he becomes absent from the body. He knows that he and all others who believe will never go to the eternally dreadful place but will rather go to be with the Lord forever. This is why he could be of good courage and have no fear of death. It also shows that in the matter of salvation, we do not need to wait until the future to know these things but we can know now.
"For which cause I suffer also these things: yet I am not ashamed; for I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed unto him against that day"
(2 Tim. 1.12). Why should Paul say this? What had he committed to the Lord at the time he believed? He had committed his future, the eternal life, and salvation to the Lord. He fully believes and is persuaded that the Lord is able to keep what he has committed unto that day. He knows for sure and clearly understands that all which he has committed into the Lord’s hands will be fully preserved.
These few Scripture passages which we have just considered testify to the fact that we may know while here on earth whether or not we have eternal life and are saved. Therefore, every believer should know today if he is saved or not. Hence do not make the excuse by saying: "I will know whether I am going to heaven or to hell after I am judged by God in the future."
With respect to the assurance of salvation, we need to discuss a few more things. How can we know who has eternal life and is saved? We need to know how we can have eternal life. If we know the way of justification and the forgiveness of sins, we will be able to determine whether we have already made it through. If we have traveled through this way, we have eternal life; if we have not, we do not have eternal life. Accordingly, let us consider this way to eternal life.
In the New Testament there are at least one hundred and fifty places wherein the writers declare that he who believes has eternal life, has life, is not judged, or is saved. What does John 3.16, the verse with which we are most familiar, have to say about this? It tells us that God loves us. How does He love us? To what extent is His love? God so loved the world that He has given His beloved and only begotten Son Jesus, who has died for sinners and has accomplished the work of redemption. So that now, "whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have eternal life."
This precious verse raises three points: a great fact, a great condition, and a great consequence. The great fact is, God sent Jesus to atone for men’s sin as the Savior of the world. The great condition is, what every man ought to do—which is to say, to believe. The great consequence is actually so good, it is beyond human thought: whoever believes shall not perish but have eternal life. There is no other fact in the world greater or more real than this we have mentioned. The great condition or demand is now put before every man for him to fulfil—to believe in the fact of what God has done and accomplished. That is the one and only condition. The great fact is done by God but the great condition is fulfilled by men. And with the great consequence of not perishing but having eternal life, a person is in possession of salvation. Now once the Lord has said this in His word, can anyone possibly think that if any person believes, he or she will nonetheless perish? This would make God unjust, which He is not. For He is the God of righteousness. Hence the word of God stands sure: whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life.
Once there was a physician who was a good believer in the Lord. As he treated sick people, he would use every opportunity to share the gospel. Once he was treating a widow. He asked her if she was a believer. She acknowledged the fact and said she had received Jesus as her Savior. Whereupon the physician inquired: "If you have really believed and accepted Jesus as Savior, do you have eternal life? If you are not healed and die, will you go to heaven or to hell?" "Sir, I dare not say," replied the widow. "I have been a Christian for several decades. I only know this, that I try my best to be good. If God considers me worthy to be saved to heaven, that is good; otherwise, I can do nothing more to be saved." "Well, you must know some Scripture passages by heart, since you have been a Christian so long," said the physician. "Indeed, I can recite many passages from memory," assured the lady. "The one I am most familiar with is John 3.16, for I learned that verse when I first entered kindergarten. I have recited that verse for about sixty years."
Upon hearing her recite it, the doctor remarked, "You said it well. But do you at this moment have eternal life?" "Sir," the widow repeated, "I have just told you that I am now doing my best and perhaps in the future God will consider me good enough to have eternal life. At that time I will know whether I have eternal life. Such a good doctor as you are may dare to say that you have eternal life, but I dare not say so." The doctor quietly replied: "Madam, you have recited John 3.16 incorrectly." "But how can I be wrong?" I have recited this verse for sixty years. Could I possibly make any mistake?"
The doctor asked her to recite the verse again, and again he inquired if she had eternal life. Once more she answered that she dared not say she had but would keep trying to do her best in life. And once more the doctor softly said, "You have recited John 3.16 incorrectly." By this time the widow was so exasperated that she found a Bible, turned to John 3.16, put it before the doctor, and said, "I will recite again, and this time you may check word for word to see if I am correct." After she recited, she asked, "Sir, am I right? Who is wrong?" The doctor responded with: "Don’t be impatient. Let me ask you again, Do you have eternal life?" She was really angry now, so she retorted, "You say I have recited John 3.16 incorrectly and you continue to ask me about eternal life. I have told you three times now that I dare not say so, I can only hope that in the future God will say that I have it!"
The doctor repeated himself once more: "You do not recite John 3.16 correctly." The widow said, "I am not going to recite the verse; instead, you say it for me." So the doctor recited it once, and immediately the widow challenged him with the assertion that their versions were exactly the same. But he replied, "Yours is different from mine. Let me recite your John 3.16 for you: ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him and tryeth his best, may not perish but have eternal life if after death God judgeth him as being pleasing to Him.’ But note that my John 3.16 says this: ‘Whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have eternal life.’" Upon hearing this from the doctor, the woman suddenly came to her senses and finally understood.
Formerly this widow woman had always conceived John 3.16 as being two separate sentences. The first for her ended at "whosoever believeth on him," to which she could add any words she wanted. And then the second sentence followed with "should not perish but have eternal life." Now, though, she realized that John 3.16 was one continuous sentence: He who believes in the Lord shall not perish but have eternal life. Do please remember that God never lies. Whatever He says stands. Whenever you believe, you are saved.
Years ago there was a famous evangelist by the name of Wilbur Chapman. Many were saved through his preaching. He was well-known at that time. He has since fallen asleep in the Lord. Why do I mention him? Because the story of his salvation is closely related to what we are considering together.
Wilbur Chapman was a doctor of philosophy and was quite learned. Once he went to hear Dwight L. Moody, the world-famous evangelist. Moody had come from the laboring class and did not have much education. Afterwards Chapman talked with Moody. Moody asked him if he were a Christian, and Chapman’s answer was as follows: "Sometimes I am very good, sometimes I am very bad. When I am zealous, I am most zealous; but when I am cold, none can be colder than I. During the period of zealousness, I dare say I am a Christian; but at the time of coldness, I dare not say I am a Christian."
Instead of reasoning with him, Moody asked him to read John 5.24 which says this: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life." After Chapman finished reading, Moody asked him if he were a saved Christian. Although he was a learned doctor of letters, his answer was similar to that of the elderly widow—"I have told you that when I am zealous and good I am a Christian, but when I am cold and bad I cannot be reckoned as a Christian." "But what does the Bible say?" asked Moody. "What would the person have who hears the word of the gospel and believes in the Heavenly Father who sent Jesus? Does not the Bible declare that such a person shall have eternal life and has passed out of death into life? Mr. Chapman, you have believed in the Lord, therefore you are a saved Christian." Chapman hesitated and then replied: "I still dare not say I am a Christian. How very bad I am. I have been up in zeal and down in coldness so many times." Moody therefore took the Bible in his hand and said, "Dr. Chapman, do you know whose word you are doubting?" Then and there Chapman realized he was doubting the word of God. Later he testified from the pulpit that thereafter he knew he had eternal life.
Having believed in the Lord but then saying you do not have eternal life is not a sign of humility but a mark of unbelief. Such a position is doubting God’s word and doubting His righteousness and unchangeable character. Whoever is in Christ has eternal life, is not judged, and has passed out of death into life. On the day he believes, he is born again of new life. This is the gospel. I lay this matter before you that you may know you have eternal life.
Let us also consider John 6.47: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth hath eternal life." Were all the Scriptures to vanish except this one verse, the latter would be enough to solve the problem of salvation. Faith is not expectation. It neither waits for the future nor requires the performance of any work. For the Bible says, "He that believeth hath eternal life." And God’s word never changes.
Let me relate another, yet quite simple story. Some years back there was a famous servant of the Lord. He was a physician who was deep into medical science and strong in faith. Each time he treated people he would exhort them to believe in the Lord Jesus. Once he visited another hospital. There he saw a young woman lying in bed whose life was fading away. Upon approaching her he asked, "Are you happy?" "No," answered the woman, "I do not have a bit of happiness." "Why are you not happy?" pursued the doctor. "Have you believed in the Lord Jesus?" "Indeed, I have truly believed in Jesus as Savior and I have committed all my sins to Him," she replied. So the doctor asked, "Do you have eternal life? Are you saved?" "That is a problem I cannot solve," she responded. "My doctor told me I have high fever and that my days on earth are numbered. Even now I do not know how God will treat me when I see Him. Hence I am most miserable and unhappy. If a person spends his lifetime doing good, serving people sacrificially, and accumulating special merits, he may have eternal life; but my days on earth are quite limited, and I have not done any life-saving work. How then can I be saved?"
The doctor explained to her how salvation was through the blood of the Lord and His accomplished redemption, since we could not save ourselves. He then asked her to read John 6.47: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth hath eternal life." He continued by saying, "The word of the Lord is never false. When He says ‘verily, verily,’ it must be doubly true. What does He say here about the one who believes?" The young woman replied: "Hath eternal life." "You have believed," observed the doctor. "Do you have eternal life?" The woman hesitated a long while and answered, "The Bible says I have eternal life, but I say I do not have eternal life." "Which is trustworthy—what you say or what the Bible says?" Finally, with tears streaming down her face, she said, "I now believe I have eternal life." Thereafter she became a very happy person. And not long afterwards she departed from the world to see the Lord who had given her eternal life.
I today lay this matter before you all. The Lord Jesus was crucified in order to save sinners. He shed His precious blood to wash away our sins. Accordingly, all who believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. All your problems may be solved right here. Today, I would simply ask you this: Do you believe in Jesus? All who believe have eternal life.
When I was in the South Seas I met a sister whom I asked if she believed in the Lord. She answered, "I believe Jesus can save me." So I next asked: "Are you saved?" Her reply was, "Sometimes I am saved, but sometimes I am not saved. When I spend a good time reading the Bible, I imagine how wonderful it would be if I were to die at that time because I believe I would be saved at that moment. But if sometime afterwards I were angry with my mother or would quarrel with my brother, I know I would be guilty of sin; and I therefore could not afford to die at that juncture; because if I were to die at that point I would no doubt perish. So that from dawn to dusk I toss between good and bad, saved and unsaved."
In response I said to her, "Sister, you are the most capable person in the world since you can go from heaven to hell and from hell to heaven many times over in a single day. Who has such power as you have?" "Do you mean to say that if I believe, I am a saved person?" she inquired. "Let us see what God says in the Bible," I answered. "God declares that ‘whoever believes has eternal life.’ No one can alter this word. Even God himself cannot change it. If you do not believe this word, you do not believe that the Bible is the word of God."
If a person does not understand how to be saved, he cannot know whether or not he is saved. In order to be saved, one has to know first the condition and ground of salvation. Without a clear knowledge of the basis of salvation, how can he know if he is saved?
One day I was talking with a very influential businessman in Amoy. We conversed for a long time in the evening but we could not resolve this problem of salvation. He insisted that he dare not say he had eternal life. He told me: "Three months ago someone came and preached that whoever believes has eternal life. I believed, and I put my sins away. I therefore thought I was saved. But within a month my faith disappeared and I again greatly sinned. Did that not prove I was not saved? Now, sir, you too come along. I have listened to you tonight and I am revived. But I am afraid after you leave and in one or two months’ time I will grow cold and fall again. I will be as unsaved as before. Hence I dare not say I am saved."
I showed this businessman many Scripture verses and assured him that God’s word was true and that all he needed to do was to believe. Yet he remained confused. Finally, I stood up to say goodbye. "Sir, I have to leave because there will be a meeting tomorrow, and I also have other appointments. But allow me to say a final word: On whom do you depend for your salvation—on yourself or the Lord Jesus?" Upon saying this I walked towards the door. I had not taken two steps when he called me back. I asked him for the reason, and he said, "I have talked with you for two to three hours, and during that time I was not clear. Now, though, I am clear. I now see that a man is not saved through his past good nor by his future merits; he instead is saved by believing in Jesus who has died for him and has borne away his sins. No matter how many sins a person has committed, they are all laid upon Him. Therefore, whoever believes in Him shall be saved. I am saved not by depending on myself, since I cannot save myself. It is Jesus who saves me. Why, then, must I say I am not saved?" At last, he knew he was saved! How joyful both he and I were together.
Many who believe are unwilling to say they are saved because they do not understand the ground of salvation. Invariably people know that the bad things which they did before believing in the Lord are indeed laid upon Jesus, but they incorrectly imagine that whatever bad things they will do afterwards will cause them to perish. And thus do they revert to the position of the Old Covenant.
The New Covenant, though, gives us a position first. Through faith we are filled with a new life, and then we approach God with a true heart in fullness of faith. Men do not come to God through good works; rather, they are given a position before they ever draw near to God. And this position will never be lost, not for eternity.
Today people do not have the joy of salvation because they trust in their good deeds to keep the salvation they have once received. But salvation is not earned by a lifetime of doing good. If you were to ask a truly saved person how he is saved, he would doubtless answer: "It is Jesus who saves me because I have absolutely no strength by which to save myself. It is all given by the Lord." Only those such as this can always rejoice.
We know how the robber who was crucified with the Lord was saved on that day. As he accepted Jesus, he was instantaneously saved on the cross. His salvation depended entirely on the substitutionary death of Jesus. Suppose he had not died that day but had been able to live on for another fifty years. And suppose he had been able to do such good works as Paul did, to stand as firm as did Peter and to manifest such great love as did John. In other words, suppose all the strengths of Paul, Peter and John had been concentrated in this robber. Do you think these abilities and good works would have helped him to be saved to Paradise? Would these endeavors have made him more worthy to be saved? No, even if he could have lived and done good and saved people as did those apostles, these works would not have been reckoned to him as ground for salvation. For the only ground of salvation is the Lord Jesus, not the robber’s own works. Consequently, he who believes can dare to say he is saved. And he can henceforth live a holy and good life as did his Lord because he has been saved.
Let us suppose that a man falls into the water, and some people on the shore try very much to rescue him, then successfully give him artificial respiration, provide dry clothes for him to wear, make a fire by which he may warm himself, and give him food to eat so that he may live. If subsequently someone were to ask him, "Where are you now? On the shore?", and he were to answer: "Though I am not in the water, yet I still feel as though I am in the water. But if I claim that I am now on shore, I would be guilty of arrogance; therefore, I can only hope that I may be on shore.", do you think this man were truly being humble? Let me say that that is not humility. Likewise, if one who has really believed in Jesus as Savior dare not confess he is saved, that is not a sign of humility but of ingratitude towards the amazing grace of the Lord. Further, it is a denial of the great work of the Lord’s redemption. Such an attitude insinuates that the Lord is unable to save this believer completely.
Let me observe that Christians who subscribe to such an attitude can never praise God. There will not be the sound of thanksgiving coming out of their mouths, for if such ones do not know where they are heading, it is no wonder they cannot praise God nor give glory to Him. How sad that the praise of the lips is missing from the lives of many Christians. But those who know they are saved will continually praise and thank God. Who can praise God in hell? Hell is only full of the noises of cursing. There is no word of praise. If people do not praise God now, when will they ever praise Him?
I am well aware of the contention of some people that it is dangerous for anyone who believes to say he has eternal life, is saved, and shall not perish. For after he knows he is saved, contend these people, he will dare to do anything without a heart of fear and caution. Yet those who voice such sentiment have exposed themselves as being woefully ignorant of the salvation and grace of God.
Let it be clearly known and understood that salvation according to the Bible has its subjective as well as its objective side. Christ was crucified, and God declares that the sins of all who believe in Christ were borne by Him on the cross; therefore, their sins are completely forgiven and they shall not go to hell but are justified and saved. Such is the objective side. At the same time, though, the salvation of the Lord has its subjective work, which is to crucify unto death our former life which loves to sin and takes pleasure in uncleanness. Furthermore, God gives to us His life—a new life. And such is salvation on the subjective side.
The Lord not only grants us salvation objectively, He also regenerates us. It is not merely that our sins are forgiven, we are also born again. God puts a new life, a new spirit in us. Each believer has the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. And thus he knows what is good and right. His life is one of goodness and joy. Never will a man feel uncomfortable towards something holy and good after his sins are forgiven and He has received God’s life. Formerly he had dared not openly sin for fear of a bad name; now he will not do evil because he knows it is sinful and unclean. He today looks at sin as despicable, since the Holy Spirit now dwells in him and he dare not sin.
If a person professes to believe in the Lord Jesus but continues to practice sin without any sense of hating it, he has not been born again. And one who is not born again does not have life and is therefore not saved: His faith has not been real. Let us see that the life of God will not permit one to sin. Hence all who believe may not sin, though all believers are not sinless perfect. So let us take hold of this word: a believer has not only been given objective salvation by God; he has also been granted a subjective salvation as well.
What traveler would decorate his hotel room—which he only temporarily occupies—to the perfection of beauty and balance? But he would decorate his permanent home to a high degree of beauty and comfort. Earlier in my life I had a schoolmate who never dressed decently. His hair grew long, his face was unwashed, his body was filthy, and his shoes were untied. Students criticized him as not being human. Even people on the street despised him. But two years later, when once I met him on the street, I noticed that his face was shaved, his hair was neatly combed, and he wore a decent Western suit. I could hardly recognize him. I thought to myself, Was this the same one who had been my schoolmate for seven years? And then when I talked with him, to my surprise I was asked about the life and manners of the Western world. Why would such a careless person now desire to learn about Western etiquette? I could not contain myself, so I went to inquire of his uncle. I learned from him that the reason for such interest was because he would soon be going abroad temporarily to study. So that he began to dress well and wished to learn all about Western manners.
If a person who goes abroad to study for only two or three years will garb himself in Western style, will learn to speak with a foreign accent, inquire about Western life and pay attention to foreign etiquette, how much more should we believers—who in the future will dwell permanently in our shining, beautiful, glorious heavenly home—prepare to learn heavenly living and manners?
Every believer ought to know that he is saved and that he will soon return to his heavenly home to meet his Heavenly Father. And. if such be the truth (and it is), then is it conceivable that any believer would think that since he will not have any opportunity to sin in heaven he may as well sin more and experience more the bitterness and bondage of sin while still on earth? No, never! Knowing we are going to our heavenly home to dwell in the beautiful city of God, we who are saved will seek instead to forsake the pleasures of sin and the things of the flesh and its lusts so that these may not hinder or disturb our progress.
May we all know that we are saved and have the eternal life of God. And let us manifest this life of God in us and out from us as evidence of our salvation. By our life we must testify before men and be used by God to save many.