In Part 1 of this series, we looked at how the promises of God in His Word give us confident assurance of our salvation. Then in Part 2, we looked at how the witness of the Holy Spirit in us also assures us that we're Christians. Today we'll look at the third and final part of this series - the work of the Spirit. Hear these insightful words from Jerry Bridges in his book, The Gospel for Real Life:
The Work of the Spirit
"In the beginning of this chapter, I referred to 1 John 5:13, where John said, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." Obviously John had given some indicators earlier in his letter for that purpose. In 1 John 5:10-12, John alludes to the first two means of assurance God has given us: belief in His testimony regarding His Son and the internal witness of the Spirit in our hearts.
However, John also adds two additional indicators that can be grouped under the category of the work of the Spirit in us. The first is found in 1 John 2:29: "If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him." This test can be a tricky one because we may understand John to say that only those who always do what is right are born of God. Though that is certainly God's standard for us, it is obvious that none of us measures up to it. And even John himself says, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8)
The New King James Version and the New American Standard Bible can help us understand what John means. Both translations say, "Everyone who practices righteousness is born of God." John, then, is not writing of sinlessness, of always doing what is right, but of our normal practice, of the dominant direction of our lives.
Sometimes our obedience is marked more by desire than by performance. So we have to ask ourselves: "Is my life characterized by an earnest desire and a sincere effort to bey God in all that He commands? What is my attitude toward God's Law? Do I find it to be holy, just, and good? And do I delight in it in my inner being even though I find my sinful nature struggling against it?" (Romans 7:12,22-23)
Accompanying our sincere desire to obey God will be a heightened sensitivity to our indwelling sin. Often it is our increased awareness of sin that causes us to doubt our salvation or to give Satan an inroad into our minds to suggest that "a Christian wouldn't sin like you do." But think about that accusation for a moment. Satan would certainly not suggest such a thought to an unbeliever. Rather, he wants unbelievers to be complacent about their sin. So turn the tables on Satan and your own internal doubts. Ask yourself if those accusations or doubts are not really a sign that you do trust Christ."
So, after all of that I hope that you truly have confident assurance in your salvation.
The Work of the Spirit
"In the beginning of this chapter, I referred to 1 John 5:13, where John said, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." Obviously John had given some indicators earlier in his letter for that purpose. In 1 John 5:10-12, John alludes to the first two means of assurance God has given us: belief in His testimony regarding His Son and the internal witness of the Spirit in our hearts.
However, John also adds two additional indicators that can be grouped under the category of the work of the Spirit in us. The first is found in 1 John 2:29: "If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him." This test can be a tricky one because we may understand John to say that only those who always do what is right are born of God. Though that is certainly God's standard for us, it is obvious that none of us measures up to it. And even John himself says, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8)
The New King James Version and the New American Standard Bible can help us understand what John means. Both translations say, "Everyone who practices righteousness is born of God." John, then, is not writing of sinlessness, of always doing what is right, but of our normal practice, of the dominant direction of our lives.
Sometimes our obedience is marked more by desire than by performance. So we have to ask ourselves: "Is my life characterized by an earnest desire and a sincere effort to bey God in all that He commands? What is my attitude toward God's Law? Do I find it to be holy, just, and good? And do I delight in it in my inner being even though I find my sinful nature struggling against it?" (Romans 7:12,22-23)
Accompanying our sincere desire to obey God will be a heightened sensitivity to our indwelling sin. Often it is our increased awareness of sin that causes us to doubt our salvation or to give Satan an inroad into our minds to suggest that "a Christian wouldn't sin like you do." But think about that accusation for a moment. Satan would certainly not suggest such a thought to an unbeliever. Rather, he wants unbelievers to be complacent about their sin. So turn the tables on Satan and your own internal doubts. Ask yourself if those accusations or doubts are not really a sign that you do trust Christ."
So, after all of that I hope that you truly have confident assurance in your salvation.