THE ASSURANCE OF HEAVEN!

 

Friday, August 20, 2021

 

THE ASSURANCE OF HEAVEN!

 

1 John 5:11-13

11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

 

           Believers are often challenged about our smug certainty that we will go to heaven when we die. The truth is that we are not smug at all because smugness is born of pride in one’s own accomplishments. No, our calm assurance is in what God has done for us and not what we have done for Him. Our assurance is in THE RECORD.

 

           The Greek word for “record” is marturia and it means “evidence given of a judicial sense.” It is the testimony of a solid witness. John says that there are at least three key witnesses that give us assurance.

 

           The witness of the Word! Our assurance is in what God has said to be true. The Apostle Paul made it clear. [We preach] “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  Rom 10:9-10

 

           The witness of the Spirit! Deep inside the heart of the believer is the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is the strongest evidence we have and the least convincing to doubters. We may say an apple is sweet and not sour but the easiest way to prove one way or the other is to taste it for ourselves.

 

1 John 5:10-11

10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

 

When Sir James Simpson, the discoverer of chloroform, was on his deathbed, a friend asked him, "Sir, what are your speculations?"

Simpson replied: "Speculations! I have no speculations! 'For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.' " (See 2 Timothy 1:12)

 

Dear Lord, thank you for the witness of the Word and the Spirit. AMEN