One of the most joyful promises in Scripture is the assurance of our salvation. In times like these, the assurance of almost anything seems far-fetched, yet God reveals that we can be confident of His love and our eternal security in His arms.

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13

Leading up to this passage, the Apostle John had been writing to the regional churches, warning about false teachers, encouraging Christians to love one another deeply, and reminding them, in no uncertain terms, that Christ was God incarnate and the only Savior of the world. His exhortation to believers is profound, and powerful, and as a side note, I encourage you to take 20 minutes and read this beautiful epistle.

As a believer, we should never doubt God’s love for us, and if we are abiding in Christ and walking in obedience to Him, which John previously tells us revolves around loving God and other believers (1 John 3:11-18, 4:7-12), we can KNOW we have eternal life.

Jesus touched on assurance many times in the gospel accounts, such as in John 5:24 where He said, “truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Notice the past tense “has” … has eternal life… has passed from death. For another reference, see Ephesians 2:6 where Paul writes that God has seated us with Christ in the heavenly places - again, past tense – it already happened! There’s no questioning or doubting here; we already possess our full salvation in Him and can rest assured that we are His, if we have placed our faith and trust in Him as our Lord and Savior. Now that we are sealed in Christ by the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13) all we need to do is joyfully worship Him through our obedience and submission as servants to His sovereign will and purpose.

What an encouragement in these times of uncertainty! Praise God for His grace, mercy, and His mighty ability to rescue us from the grave! To Him be the glory and honor, forever and ever!