Blessed Assurance

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood. Frances J. Crosby 1873

You don’t hear this old song very much anymore, but oh what a valuable lesson it teaches us.  Once we accept Christ, as our Lord and Savior, there is nothing else we need to do, in terms of attaining salvation.  Neither charitable works, nor obligatory church attendance can gain for us what Jesus did, grace.  And yet, every once in a while, I’ll hear somebody say, “How do we know if we’ve been good enough to get into heaven?” The answer is, we can never be good enough.  “No one does good, not a single one.” Romans 3:12.

 It breaks my heart to think that there are folks out there, who belong to Christian churches, and still don’t have this blessed assurance.  They are  constantly fretting over their good deed lists, and beating themselves up if they miss church, as if God is going to rescind his promise.  Why?  The very basis of our faith should be the assurance that we have through Christ’s sacrifice, that our sins are forgiven and salvation is secured; FOREVER! We can not buy or earn it with works. “When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.” Romans 4:4-5.

In my own life, the day I made the choice to accept Jesus, was a day that is forever emblazoned on my heart, and in my memory.  At that point of acceptance and belief,  I knew that my future was secured, and in almost 40 years I have never had any doubts. I became an Heir of Salvation, my future was assured.  Even when I mess up, I don’t worry about losing my place, I’m an heir, purchased by God and I have the receipt written in His blood to prove it.  

So,
back to the reason for the doubt that some folks experience.  It is my opinion, that there must be a recallable time,  when you, not your parents, or anyone else, made a personal commitment to Christ. Unless you have experienced it, you can’t truly take ownership of his gift.  It’s impossible to claim the promise for yourself if your faith is merely a hand-me-down. It must be decided by you, and only after careful study, prayer and inquiry. It is, after all, a choice.  The promise, to all who choose him, is life eternal…there are no strings or doubts attached, check it out for yourselves! “This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God--who does not lie--promised them before the world began. Titus 1:2