The Bedrock of Your Assurance

God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit. (2 Thessalonians 2:13)

The Bible speaks of our election — God’s choosing us — in Christ before the foundation of the earth (Ephesians 1:4) before we had done anything good or evil (Romans 9:11). Therefore, our election is unconditional in the strictest sense. Neither our faith nor our obedience is the basis of it. It is free and utterly undeserved.

On the other hand, dozens of passages in the Bible speak of our final salvation (as opposed to our election in eternity past) as conditional upon a changed heart and life. So, the question arises, How can I have the assurance that I will persevere in the faith and holiness necessary for inheriting eternal life?

The answer is that assurance is rooted in our election. Second Peter 1:10 says, “Be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.” Divine election is the foundation of God’s commitment to save me, and therefore that he will undertake to work in me by sanctifying grace what his electing grace has begun.

This is the meaning of the new covenant. Everyone who believes in Jesus is a secure beneficiary of the new covenant, because Jesus said in Luke 22:20, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” That is, by my blood I secure the new covenant for all who are mine.

In the new covenant God does not merely command obedience; he gives it. “The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live” (Deuteronomy 30:6). “I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes” (Ezekiel 36:27; cf. 11:20). Those are new covenant promises.

Election is God’s eternal commitment to do this for his people. So, election guarantees that those whom God justifies by faith he will most assuredly glorify (Romans 8:30). This means that he will unfailingly work in us all the conditions laid down for glorification.

Election is the final ground of assurance because, since it is God’s commitment to save, it is also God’s commitment to enable all that is necessary for salvation.

John Piper 

Was Jesus really human?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name. Philippians 2:8-9

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Sometimes we downplay Jesus’ humanity to prove that Jesus was God. But if you think of Jesus just masquerading as a human instead of truly being a human, then you’ve missed out on a blessing. 

You see, it is the humanity of Jesus Christ that teaches us how we are to live as Christians in this world.

And how did He live? He said, “He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him” (John 8:29).

Jesus lived in submission to His Father’s authority. And because He chose to submit, God gave Him authority.

ACTION POINT:

Here is a principle we should learn to live by: We will never be “over” until, like Jesus, we are willing to be “under.” Authority does not develop on its own. It always comes from a higher source of power.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Did You Know You Are Forgiven?

In a perfect world there would be no sin!

God created the garden of Eden to be the beginning of perfection. 

However, through the sin of one man, sin came to all!

Therefore all have sinned and are headed for eternal damnation.

God, in His precious mercy, gave us forgiveness through Christ, for in Him alone can you be redeemed. 

There is no other way that God will except.

Your works for salvation are non existent before God.

There are no works adequate!

Won't you humbly repent, bow, in faith, before Christ for His incredible grace filled gift? 

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. - Galatians 1:3-5

No Other Gospel 

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-

7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. - Galatians 1:6-10

Justified By Faith

15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners;

16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not!

18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor.

19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.

20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. - Galatians 2:15-21

Is Christ Worth It?

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26–27)

Jesus is unashamed and unafraid of telling us up front the “worst” — the painful cost of being a Christian: hating family (verse 26), carrying a cross (verse 27), renouncing possessions (verse 33). There is no small print in the covenant of grace. It is all big, and bold. No cheap grace! Very costly! Come, and be my disciple.

But Satan hides his worst and shows only his best. All that really matters in the deal with Satan is in small print on the back page.

On the front page in big, bold letters are the words, “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4), and “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:9). But on the back page in small print — so small you can only read it with the magnifying glass of the Bible — it says, “And after the fleeting pleasures, you will suffer with me forever in hell.”

Why is Jesus willing to show us his “worst” as well as his best, while Satan will only show us his best? Matthew Henry answers, “Satan shows the best, but hides the worst, because his best will not [counterbalance] his worst; but Christ’s will abundantly.”

The call of Jesus is not just a call to suffering and self-denial; it is first a call to a banquet. This is the point of the parable in Luke 14:16–24. Jesus also promises a glorious resurrection where all the losses of this life will be repaid (Luke 14:14). He also tells us that he will help us endure the hardships (Luke 22:32). He also tells us our Father will give us the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). He promises that even if we are killed for the kingdom, “not a hair of your head will perish” (Luke 21:18).

Which means that when we sit down to calculate the cost of following Jesus — when we weigh the “worst” and the “best” — he is worth it. Abundantly worth it (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17).

Not so with Satan. Stolen bread is sweet, but afterward the mouth is full of gravel (Proverbs 20:17).

John Piper 

You are loved perfectly

BIBLE MEDITATION:

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

When you read the verse, “Perfect love casteth out fear” what’s your reaction? You may be thinking, “I can never manage to achieve perfect love.” But that’s not what John is saying. Think of it this way: you have no need to fear Someone who loves you perfectly.

God’s perfect love can eliminate all dread. It’s not our love for Him, but His perfect love for us that will cast out our fears.

Are you gripped with fear about something? Do not give in to despair. There is hope. Love is the answer to overcoming your fear because love is the Christian’s security blanket.

When you were a child, did you have a teddy bear or blanket that gave you a sense of security—something you wanted to hold close and get wrapped up in? Well, dear friend, the Holy Spirit of God is the believer’s warm, loving security blanket.

ACTION POINT:

The question isn’t “Am I brave enough?” The question is “Do I trust His love enough?”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Jesus Knows His Sheep

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them.” (John 10:27)

Jesus knows those who are his. What is this knowledge?

John 10:3 is a close parallel to John 10:27. It says, “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”

So, when Jesus says, “I know them,” this means at least that he knows them by name; that is, he knows them individually and intimately. They are not anonymous, lost in the flock.

John 10:14–15 provides another insight: “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.”

There is a real similarity between the way Jesus knows his Father in heaven and the way he knows his sheep. Jesus sees himself in the Father, and he sees himself in his disciples.

To some degree Jesus recognizes his own character in his disciples. He sees his own brand mark on the sheep. This endears them to him.

He is like a husband waiting for his wife at the airport, watching as each person disembarks from the plane. When she appears, he knows her, he recognizes her features, he sees in her eyes a happy reflection of his own love. He delights in her. She is the only one he embraces.

The apostle Paul puts it like this: “God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are his’” (2 Timothy 2:19).

It is hard to overemphasize what a tremendous privilege it is to be known personally, intimately, lovingly by the Son of God. It is a precious gift to all his sheep, and it contains within it profound, personal fellowship and affection and the promise of eternal life.

John Piper 

Is anything beyond God’s control?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:11

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: 

What’s under Jesus’ control? Mark chapters 4-5 show us some of what God has placed under the authority of our Lord Jesus.

You’ll find Jesus stilling the storm (vv. 4:35-41); He is the Master over disaster. You’ll find Him healing a demon-possessed man (vv. 5:1-20); He has authority over demons.

Jesus heals a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years; disease is under His domain (vv. 5:24-34).

Finally in these chapters, He raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead; Jesus has authority over death (vv. 5:38-43).

So what’s under Jesus’ control?

    The weather/disasters

    Demons

    Health issues

    Death

Whatever befall—disaster, demons, disease, or even death—Jesus Christ is Lord!

ACTION POINT:

Friend, meditate upon this passage and rest in Him today, for He has it all under His control. 

19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might

20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,

21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, - Ephesians 1:19-22

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers