by Pastor Patrick Cho
One of the criticisms against churches that preach repentance and the lordship of Christ is that by saying a person’s life must show forth evidence of their salvation causes some to question the genuineness of their salvation. The critics claim that it is unloving to challenge people about their salvation or to cause them to second guess the sincerity of their confession. But this is exactly what the Apostle Paul did when he considered the possibility that some in Corinth would not repent or bear good spiritual fruit even after his warnings and rebukes (2 Cor. 13:5). When a person has reason to question the genuineness of their faith because of worldly living or unrepentant sin, it is appropriate and loving to point that out. How horribly unloving it would be to allow someone to think they are a Christian when in reality they are not!
Certainly, it is inappropriate and unkind to cause someone to question their salvation for no reason. It is not the goal of the church simply to get people to doubt their faith. We want people to be confident about their salvation, but we want their confidence to be placed in the truth. Too many people are banking on some emotional appeal they made as a child, or the fact that they cried when they first heard the gospel, or that they walked an aisle or raised a hand during an altar call. Some people will say that they were really sincere when they asked Jesus to come into their hearts. But the Bible doesn’t tell us that any of these things should be considered evidence of true saving faith. Sincerity is not the greatest proof. Certainly, the rich young ruler was sincere in wanting to gain eternal life, but he still walked away from Christ in the end (Mark 10:17-22).
This is one of the dangers of the easy-believism gospel. It gets people to a point where they understand some facts about the gospel, and hurries them into making a decision for Christ. Based on that decision, they are told that they are children of God and eternally secure in Christ. But no evidence of conversion has been seen in their lives. They may from that point completely walk away from the Lord! They have been given the guarantee of their salvation before it was truly appropriate and could continue on living life thinking they are saved when they are not.
The Bible tells us there will be many who believe they are truly saved and are mistaken about it (cf. Matt. 7:21-23), but these individuals would be known for the fruit that their lives produce (Matt. 7:15-20). Assurance of salvation was such an important issue that the entire book of 1 John was dedicated to it (cf. 1 John 5:13). The fact is that our assurance needs to be based on the truth of God’s Word, and not on our emotions. It isn’t that we are confident about our salvation because we really know we’re saved. It’s that we are confident about our salvation because God is faithful to His promises.
How do you know if you are a Christian? It must begin with “God saved me.” God promised salvation through Jesus’ redeeming work on the cross. The confidence you have in your salvation will come as a result of seeing how your life has been changed by God and you see the fruits of saving faith in your life (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17). You have died to self and now live for Christ.
It is also important to remember that you do not sustain your salvation through your deeds. At no point does God hand over the reins and ask you to take over. Salvation is entirely God’s Work – to begin, sustain, and complete. Your works merely demonstrate the genuineness of your salvation and confirm that God has saved you. You must also remember that this work of change will not be completed in this life. As long as you live this life in the flesh, you will be in a constant battle against sin. It is essential that you patiently allow God to work in you to help you live for Him.