“Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of the promised possession.” Ephesians 1:13-14
How can I be sure of my salvation? There are so many different religions and viewpoints; which one is right? If I accept Christ as my Savior, how do I know I won’t slip up and be lost again? Today, there are three approaches we commonly see that sum up every one in the world: Religious ritualism, Law keeping, and Faith in what God has done.
Religious ritualism believes that if you do certain things in a certain way, God will accept you. Represented today by things like penance, baptism, holy orders, confession, circumcision, ashes on your forehead, and if you are a Hindu, bathing in the Ganges at a certain time of the year.
Law-Keeping – the belief today is if I follow the 10 Commandments to the best of my ability, God will weigh my good deeds and intentions against my bad deeds. If the good outweigh the bad, I will be allowed into heaven. For the Jews of Paul’s day, their two pillars were Law and Circumcision. They believed their salvation was dependent on being circumcised. One of their esteemed rabbis wrote: “Our rabbis have said that no circumcised man will ever see hell.” Another wrote: “Abraham sits before the gate of hell and does not allow any circumcised Israelite to enter there.” The problem with that teaching….Abraham had already been declared righteous before God years before he was ever circumcised and it was on the basis of his faith! Genesis 15:6. “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him for righteousness.” Circumcision was a physical mark of identity that set them apart as God’s people. Both religious ritualism and Law-keeping can be put under one category: WORKS!
Faith in what God has done – Faith and works are opposite!
- Rituals vs. Cross of Christ
- Doing it all vs. Done-finished work
- Works earned vs. Grace through faith
- Wrath of God vs. Glory to God
- No assurance vs. Guaranteed assurance
- Credit to self vs. Credit to God
- No peace vs. Peace of God
Law and Faith language are incompatible! No one can be perfect 100% of the time. Faith and promise language is totally different. Faith is based upon God keeping His promises! The Law condemns the best; Grace justifies the worst. Under the Law, the sheep died for the shepherd, under grace the Shepherd died for the sheep. When God gave Moses the Law, 3000 died, when Peter preached grace on the Day of Pentecost, 3000 were saved! “The Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ!” John 1:17. Since the promise came by faith, it is by grace. And because it is by grace (all a gift of God) it depends not on you but on God’s Word. Therefore Salvation is guaranteed! The guarantee rests totally upon God…His grace…His promise…His Word and even the faith to believe because Jesus is the Author of Faith.
A guarantee is only as good as the company or person who gives it! When we accept Christ as our Savior, God gives us the Holy Spirit as a Seal guaranteeing our inheritance! He comes to live in us and He is the guarantor! He is completely trustworthy! Will you receive Him today?
Your friend, Jean (taken from a sermon by Pastor Terry)