To be sure

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. — 1 John 5:13

Evangelist Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899) said, “I believe hundreds of Christians are being deceived by Satan now on this point. They don’t have the assurance of salvation just because they are not willing to take God at His Word!”

John 5:24 says the person who believes on the Son “has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment.” Our assurance, then, is not based primarily on how we feel but on what God says. And when we take God at His Word, the feeling often follows.

This is illustrated in the story of a man who was carrying a sack of potatoes on his back. A skeptic asked him, “How do you know you are saved?” The man let the potatoes fall and replied, “How do you know I have dropped the bag? I didn’t see it fall.” “No,” replied the skeptic, “but you can tell, I suppose, by the lessening of the weight.” “Exactly,” said the Christian. “That’s how I know I’m saved too. I have lost my load of sin, and have found peace in my Lord and Savior.”

If you will first trust in Christ and believe His Word, your burden of guilt and doubt will fall. Then and only then will you feel the difference. Don’t make the mistake of trying to get the feeling before you do the believing. — Henry Bosch

I do not rest on shifting sand,

Or fear the storm that rages;

For calm and sure, I stand secure

Upon the Rock of Ages.          — Anon.

READ: 1 John 5:1-13

Because God’s Word is trustworthy, your salvation is secure.

The Bible in one year:

• 2 Chronicles 20-22