1

www.thejourneyradioministry.com1-866-777-1202

BK 001

1

My Journey to Assurance

I am thankful that God allowed me to grow up in a home where Christ was honored. My parents not only told me about Jesus, but showed me what loving and serving him looked like. Each night we gathered to read from Scripture and knelt at our couch to pray. My mom and dad were not “cultural Christians”—a relationship with the living God was woven throughout their lives and our home. As a child, I saw first-hand what following Jesus meant.

Our family was very involved in a church that exemplified true Christian community. Our small church demonstrated genuine love and care for one another. When my dad was diagnosed with cancer, our church family rallied around us. They came to our home with food and encouragement. Our pastor visited often to pray and bring the comfort of God’s Word. We knew these brothers and sisters in Christ were praying fervently for our family.

The Gospel was presented consistently in our services and most every Sunday morning there was an opportunity to walk down to the front of the church, kneel at an altar, and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I took that step of faith when I was around twelve years old. I have no doubt that my journey with Christ began with repentance and trust at that altar.

Our church was a place to grow in the Christian journey as well. Many verses I know today were memorized as a child in Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. As a teenager, we took turns teaching the lesson at our youth group. That opportunity allowed me to find and develop my gift of teaching. And, after my first year of college, even though I was not a “Religion Major,” our pastor asked me to deliver a Sunday morning sermon. That was many years

Ron Moore

RonM

oore

2 3

ago, but I still remember the preparation and nerves before the message. Our pastor prayed with me in his study and gave me a silver dollar—not as a stipend, but as a memorable keepsake.

But there was one essential, doctrinal truth that my church did not believe. Our church taught that a person could lose his or her salvation. You could be a child of God today but, because of sin, not be a child of God tomorrow. Getting spiritually settled is difficult when you believe you can live with Christ in the morning, say or do something you shouldn’t in the afternoon, and be booted out of the house by evening. I knew that I could become a Christian based only on the work Jesus did for me, but I believed that to remain a Christian depended on the good works I did for him.

After college I made plans to go to seminary. After hearing some professors from Dallas Theological Seminary speak, I decided that was the place for me. I wanted the training that would enable me to study and teach God’s Word the way these men did. In response to my application, I was sent a letter asking me to further describe my understanding of the doctrine called the Assurance of Salvation (or Eternal Security). My explanation confirmed my convictions and the administration’s suspicions. They let me know that my understanding of Scripture was not in line with the seminary’s teaching, and told me that it would be better for me to attend a denominational seminary.

Needless to say, I was very disappointed. I responded with a plea that I be allowed to come and learn the Bible at Dallas. By God’s grace they let me in if I promised to come “with an open mind.” I was ready to learn what the Bible had to say and I was convinced that DTS was the place to learn it.

I will never forget standing in a parking lot after a first-year, first-semester class. That day we had considered the doctrine of assurance. A classmate and I continued the discussion as we walked to our cars. It was there, standing in 100-degree heat, that

God lifted a burden I had carried during the entirety of my walk with him. I felt like a heavy backpack had been removed. That day I understood God’s unconditional love. I was and would always be his child.

Maybe you struggle with assurance like I did. If so, I pray that, as you read this booklet, the burden of uncertainty will be lifted.

4 5

give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

- Romans 8:31b-39

If God is for us, who can be against us?! God loved us so much that he gave us his one and only Son! God cannot bring a charge against his children because we have been justified by Christ’s work. No one can condemn us because we are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). And nothing in all creation can “separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” That’s assurance! You are a child of God and will forever be. His love for you is unconditional and irrevocable. Our salvation and security are based solely on the work of God.

I believe that an understanding of assurance allows us to love and serve God with passion and freedom. But there is one thing we have to nail down before going farther. You see, more dangerous than not having assurance is having false assurance. How sad it will be for many who lived their entire life thinking they were a child of God but learning too late that they were never truly saved. So, let’s make sure our understanding of salvation is crystal clear.

God’s Word on Assurance

There are many passages that explain the truth of assurance. But let me start with two that have spoken clearly and powerfully to me.

It was winter in Jerusalem and Jesus was walking in the temple area. The Jews gathered around him and said, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ tell us plainly” (John 10:24). Jesus told them that he had spoken plainly but neither his words nor miracles had convinced them. Then Jesus explained the action and secure position of a true believer:

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.

- John 10:27-30

Picture the words you have just read. Jesus says that no one can snatch you out of his hand. Then he added that no one can snatch you out of his Father’s hand. Your relationship with God is held fast. “No one”—no person, no thing, no circumstance—can snatch you from God’s grip. God, not you, secures your position in Christ. When you trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you belong to him…forever.

A second passage that clearly puts forth the doctrine of assurance is found in Romans 8. The chapter begins with this truth, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus …” (8:1) and ends with this great promise:

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously

6 7

for us what we could not do for ourselves. He came to Earth in human flesh and took God’s punishment for sin. It is Jesus’ work on the cross that saves us from God’s eternal wrath in hell. It cost Christ everything. It costs us nothing. Peter wrote:

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.

– 1 Peter 3:18

In my office there are bookshelves—floor to ceiling—that line one entire wall. Another large floor-to-ceiling case takes up space on another side. Four large boxes of books sit on the floor behind me. Many more books are in my office at home, not to mention all the theological information stored digitally on my BibleWorks software. Tons more information is only one Google search away. In short, I am sitting in a virtual ocean of information about God. But all of that content can be summed up in the following passage:

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.

- 1 John 5:11-13

Dr. Karl Barth was a brilliant, if not sometimes controversial, theologian. Among his writings is a twelve volume work on life and doctrine. A reporter once asked Dr. Barth if he could summarize what he had said in all those volumes. Dr. Barth thought for a moment and then said, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” We are sinners and our sin separates us from God.

The penalty for our sin is death. But, driven by perfect love, the just God became the Justifier. He sent Jesus—the only One who could provide a

What Does it Mean to be Saved?

The theologian and pastor R.C. Sproul wrote:

I was once confronted by a young man in Philadelphia who asked me, “Are you saved?” My reply to him was, “Saved from what?” He was taken aback by my question. He obviously hadn’t thought much about the meaning of the question he was asking people.

So, what does it mean to be saved?

Salvation expresses the idea of being rescued from a dangerous situation. Man’s situation is very straightforward. We are sinners and our sin has produced a great gap between God and us (Isaiah 59:2). There is nothing we can do to manage the gap. Our best effort falls short.

Suppose you and I took a trip to the Grand Canyon. As we stood on the edge looking over the vast gorge, you offered a challenge to see which one of us could jump across to the other side. You might jump farther than me. Or, I might jump farther than you; but, as the rescue workers picked up our bodies, it wouldn’t really matter. On our best day, with our best effort, neither of us would come close to jumping across the canyon. And so it is with God. The gap between sinful man and the holy God is so vast that our best effort on our best day falls short. So, God did for us what we could not do for ourselves.

Jesus came to Earth to bridge the gap. On the cross, God laid your sin and mine on Jesus (Isaiah 53:6). The Apostle Peter said, “He himself bore our sin in his body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). Jesus took the penalty of sin instead of us. Being fully God, he was the only One who could pay sin’s penalty. Being fully man, he was the only One who could die in our place. God did

8 9

Sealed by the Spirit

When I was younger there was a restaurant not far from my home called Molly Murphy’s. In the middle of the eating area was a very cool car … a red shiny Jaguar. But you know what the Jaguar had under its hood? A salad bar! Here was a car made to run, but it was stuck with a salad bar for an engine.

When we trust in Christ, we are made to run. And God gives us the ability to run the race with confidence and strength. Paul tells us that we are sealed and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. - Ephesians 1:13b-14

The Holy Spirit is God’s seal. In the days of the New Testament, you did not lick the inside of an envelope and paste it shut. Instead, you folded the document and poured wax over the fold. Families had a ring with their mark, and they would push that mark into the wax.

Seals were marks of identification and authenticity. They were marks of ownership, protection and security. When a carrier handed you a sealed document, you could see who it was from, and that it was genuine. If the seal was unbroken, you knew that the document’s contents had been protected and kept secure. In the same way, God has poured his “wax” over your heart and marked you with his seal, the promised Holy Spirit. God says, “You are mine. You are set apart for me. You are marked with my seal.”

Charles Ryrie uses a piece of registered mail to help us understand the sealing of the Spirit. When something is

sinless sacrifice—to die on our behalf. Life—now and forever—is found in Jesus alone. Being saved simply means that we come to the point in our lives where we realize we are sinners, we can’t save ourselves, and we trust in Jesus alone as the only One who paid the penalty of our sin. He sent Jesus to do for you what you could not do for yourself. Through Christ our sins are forgiven and we enter into a relationship with the holy God. Through Christ we become a child of the living God and we will be his child forever.

I grew up in Oklahoma, and during the spring and summer we had weather that birthed tornadoes. As you were watching TV, a beeping sound would come on—“We interrupt this program to bring you a weather advisory.” A weatherman would stand before a big map of Oklahoma; if he put out a tornado watch, the weather was ripe for a tornado. If he put out a tornado warning, you had better take cover. We heard the truth—we saw the Doppler radar picture of the storm. And we could respond by going to our garage and lifting a big, heavy door that led to a storm cellar, or we could just ignore the warning and stay in our house.

Maybe you have heard the warning—you are a sinner. The wages of sin is death. Not just physical death—everyone will experience that—but the Bible speaks of a final death; a separation from God. Hell. Jesus taught about hell clearly, emphatically and often. He does not want you to miss the warning. Now that you’ve heard the warning, how will you respond? My plea is that you trust in Jesus as the only One who can place you into an eternal relationship with the Father.

10 11

“But I knew someone who…”

Maybe you knew someone who was really excited about their walk with God in college, and now they are living far from God. In fact, their life is a mess. By their own admission, they don’t want anything to do with God. Are they still a believer?

Honestly, I’m not sure. But here are some possibilities:

• It is possible that your friend made a false profession. Maybe their profession was based on peer pressure, or it was a hoop to jump through for them to get married. Maybe they were just a short-term enthusiast. But if there was no root, there couldn’t be any life. Jesus tells us about these types of people:

The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.

-Matthew 13:20-22

• Maybe they were just playing the game because of tradition; they were expected to act like a Christian, so they did. They were like the hypocritical Pharisees that Jesus encountered. Jesus said, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men” (Matthew 15:9).

• Maybe it was just intellectual. They knew the facts about Jesus, but didn’t trust in Jesus. They

registered at the post office, it is sealed until delivered. Only two people can open the registered mail—the sender (if it is delivered back to them) and the recipient. In the believer’s case, God is the one who sends him on his way to heaven, and God in heaven is the recipient on the believer’s arrival. Therefore, only God can break the seal of our redemption, and he has promised not to do so.

The Holy Spirit is God’s seal on our lives, but that’s not all. Ephesians 1:14 calls the Holy Spirit a “deposit”; God’s guarantee of our inheritance in heaven. A deposit is a first installment; a down payment; a pledge that pays a part of the purchase price in advance. It secures a legal claim to the article in question. It is a payment that obligates the contracting party to make further payments.

When we hear the message of Christ and believe, we are set apart as God’s personal possession and are marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit living in us is God’s first installment; a guarantee that he will complete what he has started. God has marked you with his seal, setting you apart as his personal possession. He has given you a down payment and, since he cannot go back on his word, he is now obligated to give you the full inheritance of heaven. Paul assures us that “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29).

12 13

lapse seems to them to have been madness.

• You might know someone who prophesies or does miracles. That seems like a sure sign of salvation. Well, not according to Scripture:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” - Matthew 7:21-23

missed having a relationship with Christ by about 12 inches (the distance from your head to your heart). James confronts these types of people: “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder” (James 2:19).

• They might have liked some guy/girl in a youth group or Christian organization.

• Maybe they liked some program that the church had… but they never trusted in Christ. John writes of those who stayed in the church for a while but ended up leaving. He concluded that:

They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

- 1 John 2:19

People can show external, but not lasting, signs. Just think of Judas—one of Jesus’ own disciples who betrayed him for thirty silver coins.

• Maybe they were a child of God, but right now they are living like the Prodigal son. If that is the case, at some point, and I don’t know how long it will be—Jesus doesn’t give us a time frame in the Prodigal son story for a reason—but, at some point, they will come to their senses. Realizing who they are, where they are, and what they have done, they will get up from their sin, repent and return to the Father who will welcome them with open arms. In his Concise Theology, J. I. Packer writes about those with Prodigal-son-type behavior:

Sometimes the regenerate backslide and fall into gross sin. But in this they act out of character, do violence to their own nature, and make themselves deeply miserable, so that eventually they seek and find restoration to righteousness. In retrospect, their

14 15

Whatever you did in the past, even if you “went forward” or “signed a card” or “prayed a prayer,” the question is, do you have an active faith in Christ today? If your faith is real, then it is lasting.

2. Is there evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in my heart?Evidence of the Holy Spirit in your life can manifest itself in many different ways:

The Presence of the SpiritAnd you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

- Ephesians 1:13-14

I remember the first house that Lori and I bought. We signed what seemed like a mountain of paperwork and then wrote a really big check; the down payment. The down payment did not pay off the house. It was simply a promise that every month we would continue to pay what we owed. In Ephesians 1, Paul explains that the Holy Spirit is God’s down payment to us. “Deposit guaranteeing” is translated from a single word in Greek. It is a legal term meaning “first installment.” The word signifies the first payment, which serves as a pledge for the completion of the transaction. Paul explains that the Holy Spirit is God’s promise that the work he began in us will be carried on to completion:

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

- Philippians 1:6

The Testimony of the SpiritFor if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led

Genuine Assurance

So, what can give a believer genuine assurance? How do you know for sure that you will spend eternity is God’s presence? In his Systematic Theology, Wayne Gurdem presents some pertinent questions to consider:

1. Do I have a present trust in Christ for salvation? For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

- John 3:16

The word “believes” is in the present tense—whoever continues believing in God. It’s fine that you walked down an aisle when you were 12, or knelt at an altar when you were 20, signed a card when you were 30, or prayed the prayer last year. What about today? Today, do you have faith in Jesus as the only One who can make you right before God? In his book, The Pursuit of God, Jerry Bridges tells this story:

I recall a young man, a fairly new Christian, whose father was visiting him. He had not seen his father for several years and not since he had become a Christian. He was eager to share his new-found faith with his dad, and we prayed together that he might be an effective witness to his father.

Several days later, I asked him how the visit had gone. He told me his dad had claimed to have trusted Christ as his Savior when he “went forward” at age 10 in an evangelistic meeting. I asked the young man, “In all the years you were growing up, did you ever see any evidence that your father was a Christian?” His answer was “No.” What reason have we to put confidence in that man’s salvation? He was almost 60 and had never once given his son any evidence that he was a Christian.

16 17

Deity of Christ, we have a problem. If a person views Jesus as one of the ways to God instead of the only way to God, that’s a spiritual show stopper. Do you hold to the sound teaching of the Bible?

Regular DevotionalsDo not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

- Joshua 1:8

Do you read God’s Word regularly? Do you pray regularly? The true believer has a desire to read God’s Word and communicate with him. This is not an issue of never missing a day. The issue here is the desire and discipline to grow in your walk with God. Do you miss it when you miss a day?

Pattern of ObedienceThe man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

- 1 John 2:4

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

- James 1:22-25

No believer can perfectly obey all God’s instruction all the time. John makes it clear that the person who says he is without sin is simply not telling the truth (1 John 1:8). But in the life of a true believer there is a pattern of submitting to the commands and teaching of Scripture. A person who lives in blatant disobedience

by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

- Romans 8:13-16

The gift of the Holy Spirit, given the moment we believe, is God’s commitment to future blessings of eternal life and our great reward in heaven. The Spirit is who testifies with our spirit that we are indeed children of God—by the “Spirit of sonship,” we can cry out, “Abba, Father.”

The Fruit of the Spirit But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

- Galatians 5:22-23

You don’t have to display every trait perfectly, but are you exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit as a general characteristic in your life? Would people describe you as a loving and kind person? Would you be considered good at heart? Would people generally see an attitude of joy? Or do you consistently lose your patience? If you “flew off the handle” would the people around you be surprised or simply sigh and say, “There he goes again”?

Holding to Sound TeachingIf anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing.

-1Timothy 6:3-4

Jettisoning the sound teaching of God’s Word is a spiritual red flag. The issue is not regarding the debated non-essentials of theology. Here we are talking about the fundamentals of the Christian faith. For instance, if a person denies the Virgin Birth or the

18 19

until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

- 1 Peter 1:3-5

God himself is keeping watch on your inheritance. It is secure. It can never perish, spoil or fade. It can’t be destroyed…even by hostile forces; it won’t spoil like over-ripened fruit. The word “shielded” is a military term referring to a garrison within a city. Like a soldier guarding a city, God is guarding your salvation. He is the One who gives it to us and keeps it with us.

Sometimes this doctrine is called Perseverance of the Saints, but it rests on God’s promise to persevere us to the end, not our capacity to persist. Certainly, true believers fall into sin. But, as J. I. Packer notes:

…In this they act out of character, do violence to their own new nature, and make themselves deeply miserable, so that eventually they seek and find restoration to righteousness. In retrospect, their lapse seems to them to have been madness. When regenerate believers act in character, they manifest a humble, grateful desire to please the God who saved them; and the knowledge that he is pledged to keep them safe forever simply increases their desire.

I will never forget the day when I finally understood that my salvation was set for eternity. The burden was lifted. I was free to obey the Savior who loved me and saved me forever. I pray that through this booklet you have reached the same conclusion. I pray that you hear and accept the promises of God that declare you are safe in Christ and will always be kept secure.

Father, I pray for those struggling with assurance. I ask that you lift their burden as you did mine. May they come to grasp the powerful truth that nothing can snatch them out of your hand. I thank you for those who have come to know the certainty of your eternal salvation. May they continue to live in the freedom of obedience. Thank you for the promise that you will preserve us to the end. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

over a period of time with no desire for repentance should be questioning whether or not he or she is a true believer.

Involvement in Christian FellowshipAnd let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

- Hebrews 10:24-25

There is no such thing in the New Testament as a Christian not involved in a local church. Every believer belongs to the Church, but every believer should belong to a church. The local assembly is where we practice love and good deeds and spur one another on. Are you continuing in Christian fellowship? I know that going to church does not make you a Christian, but a true believer desires to be a part of the body.

Giving to Those in NeedIf anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

- 1 John 3:17

Are you willing to give your time and money when you see a person in need? You cannot help every person who has a need. But God will put some people directly in your path. Giving should be a natural result of the Holy Spirit living within you.

3. Do I see a long-term pattern of growth in my Christian life?

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power

20

NotesBibliography1 R. C. Sproul. Essential Truths of the Christian Faith. Wheaton, Ill: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 1992, p. 159.2 Charles Ryrie. The Holy Spirit. Chicago: Moody Press, 1965 p. 82. 3 J. I. Packer. Concise Theology. Wheaton, Ill: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 1993. pp. 242-243.4 The information regarding points of genuine salvation was adapted from Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theolgy (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. 1994.) pp. 803-806. 5 Jerry Bridges. The Pursuit of Holiness. Colorado Springs, CO: Navpress. 1978. pp. 42-43.6 R.C. Sproul. Essential Truths of the Christian Faith. p. 198.7 J. I. Packer. Concise Theology. pp. 242-243.