Preschool
Live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:18).
Assurance of Salvation
Memory Verses
Primary
If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:18).
Junior
If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:18).
Background Scripture: 1 John 5
Lesson Scripture: 1 John 5:1-5, 9-15, 20
Introduction
Too many Christians live with a nagging misgiving about their salvation. By the witness of his Spirit, God grants the knowledge of being forgiven and assurance of being saved. Salvation is a gift from God and will not be conferred upon us based on our own merit, because perfection is found in Christ alone. When a person surrenders all to Christ, that person is set free, and the peace of Jesus dawns upon the soul.
We do not need to live in uncertainty. Christians should be the most joyful of all people. Jesus says, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11). By the authority of God’s Word, we can declare that we have peace with God and are saved.
Key Verse
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved (Rom. 10:9).
Lesson Scripture
1 John 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
Studying the Lesson
John was the beloved disciple and a close friend of Jesus. He wrote the Gospel of John; 1, 2, and 3 John; and the Revelation. In these books he endeavors to show us that Christ ushered in a new dispensation of love: love for God and loving each other. John’s writings also validate the divinity of Christ. He instructs us of the simple way of salvation by believing on Jesus as the Son of God, and that He is the redemption for our sins.
The authority of Christ is verified by water and by blood. All the sacrificial blood shed on an altar could not satisfy the demands of the law. God proclaimed his Son was acceptable to Him when Jesus was baptized with water. The Spirit of God descended in the form of a dove and lighted on Jesus, declaring that He was fulfilling God’s plan of redemption for the sins of the world. Jesus was the sinless sacrifice, and salvation came through his shed blood.
John was close to the heart of Jesus, close enough to lean upon Him at the last supper. He did not completely desert Jesus at the crucifixion but was near to the cross with Jesus’s mother as He spoke to him from the cross. John’s life points us to a relationship with Christ. Jesus is the closest friend we can have. Like John, we can be Jesus’s friend and be in Christ’s inner circle.
Practical Truths for Today
The way of salvation is not difficult; the Bible says a fool need not err therein. The Golden Text (John 3:16) states that whoever believes in God’s Son can have eternal life. If we come to God, confess our sins, and submit our will to Him, we can, in faith, claim his forgiveness. An assurance of salvation is a product of a living and vibrant faith. The realization of having one’s sins forgiven, a heart with changed desires, and a new walk with Christ may come in different ways. Some may experience an infilling of God’s peace; others may receive a special confirmation that they have committed everything to God and in faith believe that they are free. Believing is not just an act of the intellect. Faith and believing are part of submitting our will and giving our life into the hands of the Father. First John 3:21 tells us that if our heart does not condemn us, we should have confidence toward God. God has given us a beautiful way to know that our heart is truly free. This is a faith that does something for us and breathes meaning into life. We should earnestly contend for this peace and not ever let it slip away.
When we have an assurance of salvation we love the Bible. As we read from its holy pages, the Word becomes alive to us and gives us direction for life. This is a witness of God’s approval—He is speaking to us personally.
Satan brings doubt and fear in the form of thoughts that lead into darkness, anxiety, and uncertainty. These are not from God. Satan wants us to feel lost and stay lost, but the Lord would have us reside in peace. Our choices will either hinder or assure us of that peace. If we are not sincere in our commitment and make questionable choices, we can expect to have doubts about our salvation. Doubt and fear will deny us of a hope in heaven. Such a hope, placed deep within our heart, means not just hoping to make it to heaven but is instead a certain hope, knowing Jesus personally saved me. The wind may blow, the circumstances of life may be contrary, but we can have a solid assurance that someday we will be with Jesus. This hope will emanate from our life and radiate to those around us. When Satan plagues us with doubts, we should remember the conditions of how we initially found the Lord. We were justified by our faith and surrender to Christ. “Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). In Selected Editorials, the late Minister Reuben Koehn relates the story of Minister Ed Frank driving home from town one summer day when he saw Brother Tobias Unruh out taking a walk. This was a short time before Brother Tobias passed away. Brother Ed drove up beside him and asked, “Brother Tobias, are you saved?”
“Yes, I am,” Tobias said.
“How do you know?”
“Because Jesus died for me and I confessed my sins, and I believe I am justified by faith.”
That is justification by faith. We can stand before God completely free as if we had never sinned. 1 Such a life brings complete joy to the Christian.
Matthew 7:20 says, “By their fruits ye shall know them.” As our lives are in harmony with our brethren and the church, our hearts flow together. Young converts stand before us and tell their conversion experiences. They say they felt lost, prayed to God, and confessed their sins, and God forgave them. The experience is so simple, yet we can see and feel their free expression. Our hearts are touched, the tears may rise, and we have no doubt they are saved and have begun a new walk with Christ. As long as we make an honest endeavor to live completely committed to God, our salvation is secure. He has promised to keep us from falling (Jude 24), and we are going to make it. Some glorious day we will stand before our Maker completely free because we have been forgiven by Jesus’s blood, wearing a spotless robe of righteousness. We will hear those words, “Enter in, faithful one.” This is the Christian’s hope.
Questions
- When God forgives, there should not be any questions. Can we make an experience of forgiveness and peace too difficult?
- Some people are plagued by doubts and fears. Are these the attack of Satan, or do they come from an uncommitted will?
- “When we are ready to die, we are ready to live.” How much thought should we give to being saved? How do we comfortably live each day being ready to go?
- We desire to be at peace. Should we be asking God to fill us with his peace, or should we first grasp forgiveness by faith? Is there a difference?
- 1 Reuben Koehn, Selected Editorials, pp. 626, 631
Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).