Romans 5:1-11 give us six components to the divine guarantee of eternal salvation:
- Peace with God
- Standing in grace
- Hope of glory
- Assurance of love
- Certainty of deliverance
- Joy with God
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
If you are born again in the Spirit, are you not saved? Isn’t it wrong to tell a man he has been saved by grace and grace alone, but he will spend the rest of his life in danger of losing his salvation? If that is true, I went from the realm of grace in justification to the realm of law in sanctification. That is not what Scripture reveals–Scripture assures us we stand in grace. No one, nor thing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
Thank you, Lord, that those you justify, you also glorify. (Romans 8:30)
Thank you, Lord, that the God of peace sanctifies me completely. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
Thank you, Lord, that you will sustain us to the end, guiltless in the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:8)
Thank you, Lord, that you who began a good work will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)
“None of us is impervious to the assault of the enemy in the matter of our assurance, our confidence, our certainty. All of us at some point, some of us at many points, struggle with doubt. ‘I don’t know if I’m really saved. I don’t know if I still am saved. I don’t know if I’ve lost my salvation.’ And whenever you are assaulted with doubt and you will be assaulted, that’s why you wear the ‘helmet of salvation,’ to protect you from the blows of the enemies who wants to crush your confidence in your salvation. Whenever that assault comes, you retreat to these six principles.” – John Macarthur
Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. If you are unsure of your salvation–seek Him now in the Word and in prayer.
Do you hate sin? Do you see how you have sinned against the Lover of your soul? Do you see the destruction of your sin? The heart is the most deceitful of all things and desperately wicked–who would know it? Godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to salvation, without regret. Worldly sorrow produces death.
Lord, I am a lowly sinner with a wicked, selfish heart. I believe that Jesus died on a cross for my sins and I ask you for forgiveness. Sprinkle clean water on me and clean me from all my uncleannesses; cleanse me from all my idols. Give me a new heart, and a new spirit. Remove the heart of stone from my flesh and give me a heart of flesh. Put your Spirit within me, and cause me to walk in your statutes and be careful to obey your rules. Regenerate my heart in the name of Jesus. Amen.
