Assurance of Being God’s child

The first thing I read after opening my online Bible was, ‘How can I know I’m a Christian?” My first thought was, “If you don’t know, you likely aren’t.”

Most people know what they believe. Yes, there are worry warts, and Satan lies to us with whispered thoughts such as, “Look what you did. How can you be a Christian?” And others will point to our weaknesses with the same question, but God says this:

I write these things 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)
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, (John 1:12)

The Word of God says it. Those who know what it says either believe it or not. However, if a Christian is not reading the Word, assurance will likely go missing. This indicates a better question could be, “If I am a Christian, why am I not reading this book from God?”

He does tell His people to “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:22) This indicates another question: Am I convinced of sin and confessing those things that bother my conscience? If not, then true faith could be missing.

Being a Christian involves putting my faith in Jesus Christ. What then is faith? God says:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Faith is that inner ‘I just know’ that this Word of God is true. I was not at Calvary, but I know that Jesus died. I did not see the empty tomb, but I just know that it is empty and that Jesus is alive. I also have assurance, based on the promises of God, that Jesus died for my sin and all are forgiven. It is an inner thing, not based on present performance or the swarm of doubts that come when the God who is good allows me to suffer. It is based on what Jesus did, not what I do.

Perhaps that is the biggest test: what do I base ‘being a Christian’ on? What I do, or what God has done?

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)

Am I His workmanship (verse 10) or am I looking at my lack of works and thinking I am not good enough? No one is ‘good enough’ otherwise Jesus would not have needed to die.

One more question: “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” (Hebrews 2:14–15) If that fear of death is overwhelming, it may be that way because there is no assurance that Jesus conquered it.

And that assurance is not an outward thing but comes from the Holy Spirit. If He lives in me, He tells me who I am:

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:15–17)

Personal sin, Satan’s lies, and suffering can take eyes and hearts off what God has done and rob His children of their assurance of being His children, but the salvation of God is more powerful than all three of those negative S’s. If the human  heart is not responding to His Spirit, then it is vital to get down on those knees and talk to the Lord.

PRAY: Jesus, I’ve no idea how many are duped into thinking they are believers but are not, or how many are believers but without assurance. You know how to right all errors and bring doubters to the truth. Today I pray for those whose assurance or lack of it is messing with their minds. May they hear and know truth and be set free from crippling doubts.

Update: Our granddaughter is home. She is cheerful and clear-headed, but looks like a train hit her. Black eyes, bruises all over, a smashed foot, broken arm and broken kneecap that looks terrible, but she is joyful and thankful to be alive, spared, and in many prayers.

No unconfessed sin, no doubt

 

Faith not only believes God exists, but also that He rewards those who seek Him. This means faith is a huge part of answered prayer. This means that when I pray, I’m asking God to do what I cannot do without doubt that He can and will help me.

Take the reverse of that. If my prayers go unanswered, it could be that I am praying without faith and could even be trusting myself (or someone else) to do what I want done. This is a problem because “going my own way” is the essence of sin, and God does not listen to the prayers of those who harbor sin. I might think I’m praying because this is something I cannot do, but I also might be praying because I think my goodness is worthy of an answer. Note the contrasts in these prayers:

I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. (Daniel 9:4–5)

Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you; this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 18:10–14)

Daniel and the tax collector both saw themselves as woeful sinners and God heard them. The ‘good’ guy lost out. His faith was in himself. This ‘faith in me’ can lurk behind any claim to these promises:

Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:24)

Jesus said,  “. . . truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)

I’m thinking of what could happen if I had no unbelief in my life and no trust in my own resources. What if I relied on God one hundred percent. Would I go to doctors or borrow money? Would He change lives all over the world because I prayed in faith?

Charles Allen, in All Things Are Possible Through Prayer, writes, “We believe in prayer. Then why don’t we pray? The real reason is, we have nothing to pray for. We have everything we want without praying. The supreme tragedy of most people is that they want so little, and they are satisfied with almost nothing.”

Abraham is called the founder of faith. God told him,  “I have made you the father of many nations” and Paul referred to him when speaking of faith in God “who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.” (Romans 4:17) What could that mean in my prayer life? Or if I were not so blessed as to be satisfied. I often call myself, ‘God’s spoiled brat.’ What if all my blessings were gone? Would I panic? Or pray?

Doubt shows up in wavering. James wrote about asking for wisdom: “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:6) Doubt is recognized by thoughts like, ‘God cannot . . . .’ or ‘I’m not worthy’ as if that had anything to do with it.

Instead, both Daniel and the tax-collector approached God with an attitude of confession and self-denial. Daniel’s years of faithful service in Babylon didn’t enter his mind. He thought only for mercy for himself and his people. It follows that prayer is “drawing near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience . . . .” (Hebrews 10:22)

Jesus, the privilege of talking with You, and asking You to hear and respond to my requests is rooted in grace and Your sacrifice. Prayers are not answered when offered in presumption or self-righteousness or even doubt because they do not honor You and You alone. Besides, You have already given Your life for me. Everything I can ask for is nothing compared to that. May I honor You when I pray. May I always be aware of my sinfulness and Your forgiveness. May I also pray with confidence that You hear and answer every prayer that conforms to Your will without any hint of doubt or selfishness.

MORE: Memorize Psalm 117 and put my focus on His faithfulness as I pray.

 

 

He is right here, right now

 

 

Whatever I thought about God before vanished from my mind that day when He walked into my life. His presence was real and with it I knew that Jesus Christ was God the Son and was now making God AVAILABLE to me. It was a whole new world!

Available means “able to be used or obtained; at someone's disposal” in the dictionary, but in the Bible it means the Lord is close by to listen, help, aid, advise and to be all that I need. But I don’t use Him; He uses me!

Of course my first need was redemption because the reality of God’s presence and availability is blocked only by unforgiven sin. Romans 3:23–25 says it this way:

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God made publicly available as the mercy seat through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness, because of the passing over of previously committed sins.”

What a wonder. In the OT, being able to approach God was always in connection with sacrifices and priests as the means by which people could draw near to God. The foreigner, who has no part in the sacrifices of Israel, is “far off.” Only when he joins the people of God may he “come near.” God was available in no other way.

Not only that, the ritual was not enough. Isaiah 29:13 makes the distinction of who can experience God and who cannot. The Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men . . .” and went on to describe that their wisdom would perish because they were blind and needed Him to open their eyes. In other words, religious ritual without a faithful and true heart does not make God available.

The NT book of Hebrews explains the difference between that former sacrificial system with OT priests and sacrifices serving as access and the NT good news that Jesus Christ the Messiah is now (and has always been) the one who makes access to God possible. He said Himself, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Looking at Hebrews, God says about His availability to His people:

Hebrews 4:15–16. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Hebrews 7:23–25. “The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

Hebrews 10:22. “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Hebrews 11:6. “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

God is available to me, to His people, to anyone who believes in Him, not just OT Israel: Acts 28:28 says, “Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen” and Ephesians 2:13 adds, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. God is as near as the air that I breathe. Jesus removed the guilt and power of my sin that had been a barricade between. Now I can draw near. Now He is always available, and should I sin, He invites me to remember: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8). His presence (“I will never leave you or forsake you”) and keeping my heart open and confessing sin as it happens is His amazing gift to me, a mercy and a grace that keeps His availability a wonderful reality.