“The work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.” Isaiah 32:17 NKJV
Have you ever had this experience where you woke up to an empty house and you immediately started frantically searching the house because you were wondering if the rapture had happened and you were left behind?
For many reasons, some christians struggle to answer the question of where they will be for eternity because of an underlying uncertainty in the authenticity of their salvation. This shouldn’t be so. The Bible is very clear on the standards of salvation and the requirements for eternal life.
Romans 10:9-10 tells us explicitly that when one believes the Gospel, the death and resurrection of Christ, that person is saved and has become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). John 3:16, goes ahead to let us know that a direct consequence of salvation is eternal life. Listen, if you have received Christ in your heart, be rest assured that your eternity with God is guaranteed.
In our anchor scripture, the prophet Isaiah was prophecying about the reign of Christ and he said one effect of righteousness would be assurance forevermore. This implies that with righteousness comes peace, an assurance that one has eternal life.
While good works are very important in our Christian journey, just as salvation is not dependent on good works, the assurance of your salvation is not in what you do but in what Christ has done (John 8:36, Romans 3:20, Galatians 2:16).). Jesus clearly said that no one can snatch us from His hands (John 10:28).
God wants us to be assured of our salvation and eternal destination and filled the Bible with veres to reassure us. One of such verses is 1 John 5:11-13 (NIV): “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 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” Receiving Christ is what guarantees eternal life.
Moreso, once you believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of the eternal life we have received (Ephesians 1:13). Hence, the Spirit of God in you serves as a mark that you are for God and nothing can break that seal.
Dear believer, you can be assured of your salvation because He who has called you is able to keep you till the very end. Death and sin have no hold over you; you can live fully and freely in Christ, knowing you are kept by His grace.
Bible Reading Plan: 2 Samuel 23-24; 1 Peter 2.18-3.12