Week 1 The Experience of Life
LESSON ONE
THE ASSURANCE OF SALVATION
Hymn 296
Scripture Reading:
Romans 8:16 The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God.
Among today’s Christians there are many different views concerning salvation. Some people consider that it is impossible to know today that we are saved, while others think that after we are saved we may still perish. The Bible shows us, however, that our salvation is not a matter of speculation, nor is it a matter of uncertainty. Rather, it is something which can be confirmed with assurance and which we may know with full confidence. Moreover, our salvation is secure. Once we have it, we have it eternally. It can never be shaken or changed.
BY THE WORD OF GOD
First, the assurance of our salvation is based on the Word of God (1 John 5:13). Through the Bible God tells us and testifies to us concerning the redemption which He has accomplished for us through His Son; through the Bible He also reveals to us and bears witness concerning the salvation that has been wrought in us through the Spirit in His Son. Therefore, by the word of God in the Scriptures we know that we are saved. The Scripture verses quoted in the foregoing section concerning our receiving salvation at the moment we believe are not only God’s revelation and promise to us, but they are also His covenant and written evidence to us. By His word in the covenant and by the written evidence we can know, even with confidence and assurance, that once we believe in the Lord, we are forgiven of our sins, freed, washed, sanctified, justified, and reconciled to God, we have eternal life and shall not perish, we have passed out of death into life, and we are saved.
BY THE SPIRIT’S WITNESSING WITH OUR SPIRIT
The assurance of our salvation is based on the Spirit’s witnessing with our spirit (Rom. 8:16). We not only have the Word of God outside of us confirming the fact that we have been saved, but we also have the Spirit within us witnessing with our spirit that we are the children of God and that God is our Father. Everyone who believes in the Lord enjoys addressing God as “Abba, Father.” It is a spontaneous matter for us to call God “Abba, Father.” Moreover, every time we call Him “Abba, Father,” we feel sweet and comfortable within. This is because we are children begotten of God, we have God’s life, and the Spirit of God’s Son has entered into us. Concerning our father in the flesh, it is spontaneous and sweet for us to call him “Father.” Therefore, since we enjoy calling God “Abba, Father,” and do it spontaneously, even with a sweet and comfortable sensation, this proves that we have God’s life and are children begotten of God. Hence, by the Spirit’s inner witnessing with our spirit we can know with certainty that we are God’s children and that we are saved. This is a proof within us, which we may call the inward proof.
BY OUR LOVING THE BROTHERS
The assurance of salvation is based on the fact that we love the brothers. First John 3:14 says, “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers.” Since God is love (1 John 4:16) and since we have His life, we surely have the divine love. Furthermore, since we have been begotten of God, we certainly love those who have been begotten of Him (1 John 5:1). When a saved one sees a brother in the Lord, he has an affection for him and even loves him in such a manner that is incomprehensible to himself. Therefore, our love toward the brothers in the Lord is a proof by which we know that we have been saved. This is a proof of our experience of life, which we may call the proof of love. By our believing—believing in the Lord—we have life and have passed out of death into life; by our loving—loving the brothers—we know that we have life and that we have passed out of death into life.
Therefore, by the clear words of the Bible, by the sensation in our spirit, and by the experience of love, we can know with certainty that we are saved. (Truth Lessons, level 1, vol. 4, lsn. 47, pp. 112-115)
DRAWING WATER WITH REJOICING FROM THE SPRINGS OF SALVATION
Chapter twelve of Isaiah verses 3 and 4a say, “Therefore you will draw water with rejoicing / From the springs of salvation, / And you will say in that day, / Praise Jehovah; call upon His name!” To receive the Lord as our salvation is to draw water from the springs of salvation. As our salvation the Lord is water to us. This is emphasized strongly in the New Testament, especially in John 4 and 7. In John 4:14 the Lord Jesus says, “The water that I shall give him shall become in him a spring of water welling up into eternal life.” In John 7 this spring becomes rivers of living water (vv. 37-39). This indicates that for the Lord to be our salvation means that He is living water.
Even in the Old Testament time, Isaiah revealed to us that the way to take the Lord as our salvation is to call on His name with rejoicing and praising. Calling on His name is like deep breathing. If we call, “O Lord Jesus! Lord Jesus!” we will be refreshed and revived, and we will become very living. In order to enjoy salvation, we need to realize that the Lord Himself is our salvation, strength, and song and that by calling on His name we may draw water with rejoicing out of the springs of salvation. (Life-study of Isaiah, pp. 74-76)
References: Truth Lessons, level 1, lsn. 47; Life-study of Isaiah, msg. 11.
