How much effort is required to be sure of heaven here and now? Yes, the circumstances that lead up to sinners coming to Christ in repentance and faith for salvation may be varied and many (we all have our individual testimonies) but how much effort does it take to look with eyes of faith out of a a regenerated (“quickened” or “made spiritually alive”–Ephesians 2:1) nature or heart to Jesus Christ dying on the cross for people (put your name there) and believe (trust) in Him to save you from sin? Yes, it takes only one moment moment when, under the convicting, regenerating and drawing power of the Holy Spirit, you look to Christ in faith(trust) to save you from sin and perdition. That was the testimony of Charles H. Spurgeon, called the prince of preachers, who heard a somewhat stumbling preacher, a shoe cobbler by trade (substituting for the pastor) one Sunday evening, preaching on Isaiah 45: 22: “Look unto me, and be ye saved , all the ends of the earth: for I am God , and there is none else” . The shoe cobbler preaching that evening exhorted Spurgeon to turn away from sin (repentance) and look to Jesus in faith in order to be saved (Isaiah 45:22; Acts 16:31). Spurgeon, under conviction by the Holy Spirit, did exactly that, and the rest is history.
What is the significance of Jesus’ words “It is finished” on the cross? “It is finished” means exactly what Jesus said, specifically, He (Jesus)–the sinless Lamb of God–has “paid in full” the price required for our sin in order to satisfy divine justice and propitiate (turn away or appease) God’s righteous judgment (wrath) upon sin. By His “once forever” (“It is finished”) sacrificial death in the sinner’s place (Hebrews 10:10-14) and resurrection from death and the grave, all who believe (trust) in Him for salvation are justified (declare righteous) before God on the basis of Christ’s imputed (credited) perfect (sinless) righteousness to the believer.
Of course, I believe scripture teaches clearly that Christ’s atoning death and resurrection did not merely make salvation possible, as many believe, but actually secured (guaranteed salvation from beginning to end) the salvation of all for whom it was intended to save; namely, those chosen in Christ from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-5; Ephesians 5:25-27; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Acts 13:48; John 6: 37, 44, 63, 65; John 10: 11, 16, 26, 27-29; John 17:2, 6, 9, 11-12, 24; 1 Peter 2:9; many more verses). Yes, so as to be very clear on this matter, they still had to believe in Christ for themselves in order to be saved (human responsibility–Acts 16:31), though the enabling grace of God or power of the Holy Spirit, of course. The scriptures clearly teach both God’s sovereign election in grace and human responsibility for sin , sometimes in the same verse ; for example: “All that the Father gives me (divine election) shall come to me; and him who comes to me, (human responsibility) , I will in no wise cast out ” . Both are essential to salvation. God bless.
How much effort is required to be sure of heaven here and now? Yes, the circumstances that lead up to sinners coming to Christ in repentance and faith for salvation may be varied and many (we all have our individual testimonies) but how much effort does it take to look with eyes of faith out of a a regenerated (“quickened” or “made spiritually alive”–Ephesians 2:1) nature or heart to Jesus Christ dying on the cross for people (put your name there) and believe (trust) in Him to save you from sin? Yes, it takes only one moment moment when, under the convicting, regenerating and drawing power of the Holy Spirit, you look to Christ in faith(trust) to save you from sin and perdition. That was the testimony of Charles H. Spurgeon, called the prince of preachers, who heard a somewhat stumbling preacher, a shoe cobbler by trade (substituting for the pastor) one Sunday evening, preaching on Isaiah 45: 22: “Look unto me, and be ye saved , all the ends of the earth: for I am God , and there is none else” . The shoe cobbler preaching that evening exhorted Spurgeon to turn away from sin (repentance) and look to Jesus in faith in order to be saved (Isaiah 45:22; Acts 16:31). Spurgeon, under conviction by the Holy Spirit, did exactly that, and the rest is history.
What is the significance of Jesus’ words “It is finished” on the cross? “It is finished” means exactly what Jesus said, specifically, He (Jesus)–the sinless Lamb of God–has “paid in full” the price required for our sin in order to satisfy divine justice and propitiate (turn away or appease) God’s righteous judgment (wrath) upon sin. By His “once forever” (“It is finished”) sacrificial death in the sinner’s place (Hebrews 10:10-14) and resurrection from death and the grave, all who believe (trust) in Him for salvation are justified (declare righteous) before God on the basis of Christ’s imputed (credited) perfect (sinless) righteousness to the believer.
Of course, I believe scripture teaches clearly that Christ’s atoning death and resurrection did not merely make salvation possible, as many believe, but actually secured (guaranteed salvation from beginning to end) the salvation of all for whom it was intended to save; namely, those chosen in Christ from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-5; Ephesians 5:25-27; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Acts 13:48; John 6: 37, 44, 63, 65; John 10: 11, 16, 26, 27-29; John 17:2, 6, 9, 11-12, 24; 1 Peter 2:9; many more verses). Yes, so as to be very clear on this matter, they still had to believe in Christ for themselves in order to be saved (human responsibility–Acts 16:31), though the enabling grace of God or power of the Holy Spirit, of course. The scriptures clearly teach both God’s sovereign election in grace and human responsibility for sin , sometimes in the same verse ; for example: “All that the Father gives me (divine election) shall come to me; and him who comes to me, (human responsibility) , I will in no wise cast out ” . Both are essential to salvation. God bless.