Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Can You Know if you have Eternal Life? 1 John 5:13

Can we know what eternity has in store for us?  The Bible says we can know for sure.

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."  1 John 5:13, NIV.

What happens to a Christian after he dies has been asked since the first century.  The Apostle John wrote to give reasons and assurance.

WHO
He speaks to those who believed in the name of the Son of God.  Not to those who just know about Jesus or even those who have joined a church,, or have done many, or wondrous great deeds in God's name- but to those who believe.

WHAT IS SALVATION
Salvation is a promise from God, and God never breaks a promise.  He promises that if we believe in Jesus we will be eternally saved.  We think it is too easy and we need to do something, some kind of penance or good works; yet who has confidence that their penance is adequate enough for a holy God, or if our good works are good enough to take away our many sins?

Salvation is a gift- all we have to do is receive God's promise, that Jesus death on the cross is sufficient for us and his resurrection is the ratification and proof of the sufficiency of work.

YES, YOU CAN KNOW
You can know that you have eternal life.  It is a question of do you believed on the name of the Son of God.  To believe is not just an intellectual assent to historical facts; but an act of trusting in Jesus as Lord and Savior.  One can say they believe the chair will hold them, they can acknowledge the quality of the workmanship and affirm the strength of the material, but it is only when one sits in the chair that his belief that the chair is active.  To believe in Jesus is more than acknowledging in your head the facts of his life; it is when we trust him and what he has done on the cross that we truly believe.

I DON'T FEEL SAVED
Absent in this verse is any reference to feelings.  Our feelings may come and go but our faith must be in the solid promise of God that will not change.

We can know our future, not based on feelings or opinions or our efforts, but based on God's word.  If you are trusting in Jesus and what he did for you on the cross you will be eternally saved.

To learn more about how to have eternal life in Jesus see my other blog: click here.

(c)Adron Dozat 2/1/12