When Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, he expressed great confidence in his eternal salvation: “I know him whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed unto him against that day” (2 Tim. 1:12).  Again, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me at that day” (2 Tim 4:7). John said, “I have written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).  And yet, in spite of so many passages that speak positively of our “blessed assurance,” there are a great number of our brethren who doubt their salvation!  That doubt is reflected in a gloomy disposition of despair and despondency characteristic of a world in darkness. 

 One sister in Oklahoma used to say, “Too many of my brethren act as if they were baptized in vinegar.” One of the most beautiful passages in all the Bible is 1 John 1:7 – “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”  There are two important truths that emerge from this passage.  First, while walking “in the light” we are still going to sin.  All too often we demand of ourselves that which we are not capable of giving, namely sinless perfection.  “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1:8).  Second, we have the cleansing blood of our Lord at our constant disposal.  Like an ever flowing fountain, limitless in its resources, and powerful in its efficacy, our Lord’s blood will wash away every single sin and remove the guilt associated with it. No wonder John could, in this same letter, write of our assurance of salvation (5:13).

 It was once said, “A joyless saint will never win a joyful sinner to Christ.”  If your lack of assurance has robbed you of the joy of Christian living, how can you ever expect to convert someone who, though living in error, has greater confidence of his salvation than do you?  No wonder Paul told us to “rejoice in the Lord always.”  And as if to drive the point home, he immediately repeats, “again, I will say, REJOICE!”  Beloved, we CAN know that we are saved, and with that assurance comes the great joy of Christian living! 

— Tom Wacaster