The Assurance, Security, & Joy of Salvation

Part 2 We Have Become God's Children

When we were saved, we not only received something; we also became something. We became children of God, born of His eternal life (John 1:12-13). A human father may be able to take back a gift he has given to his child, but he can never take back the human life which he has imparted. Although the child may misbehave, the child is still the father's. In the same way, we are God's children. Although we may have many weaknesses and may require His discipline, our sins and weaknesses cannot change the fact that we are His chil-dren. The life we received by our second birth is the eternal life, the indestructible life, the life of God, the life that can never die. Once we are born again, we can never be "un-born."

God is Strong

Another reason for the security of our salvation is God's strength. God is unwilling to allow anything or anyone to snatch us from Him. Jesus said, "I give to them eternal life, and they shall by no means perish forever, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father...is greater than all, and no one can snatch them out of My Father's hand" (John 10:28-29). The hand of the Father and the hand of the Lord Jesus are two strong hands holding us fast. Even if we try to run away from our Father, it would be impossible. Not only is God stronger than Satan, He is also stronger than we are.

God Never Changes

If it were possible to lose our salvation,many of us would have lost it long ago. As human beings, we go through many changes. One day we are hot; the next, cold. But our salvation is not based upon our erratic feelings. It is rooted and grounded in a God who is unchanging in His love and faithfulness toward us (Mal. 3:6). James 1:17 says, "The Father of lights, with whom is no variation or shadow cast by turning." Lamentations 3:22-23 says, "His compassions do not fail; they are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness." If He loved us enough to save us, He surely loves us enough to keep us in that same salvation. Great is His faithfulness!

Christ Has Promised

Finally, Christ Himself has promised to keep us, uphold us, and never leave us. Although men often are unrighteous in keeping their promises, Christ will never fail to accomplish what He pledges. Listen to His promise: "Him who comes to Me I shall by no means cast out" (John 6:37); "I shall by no means give you up, neither by any means shall I abandon you" (Heb. 13:5). The Lord's promises here are unconditional.

"By no means," that is, under no circumstances whatever, will He ever cast us out or cease to uphold us. This is His faithful promise.

What powerful security our salvation has! We have God's selection, His predestination, His calling, His love, His grace, His righteousness, His life, His strength, His unchanging faithfulness, and His promises as the foundation, guaranty, and security of our salvation. We can all declare with Paul: "I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to guard my deposit unto that day" (2 Tim. 1:12).

The Joy of Salvation

We have seen the assurance of our salvation, that is, how we know that we are saved. We have also seen the security of our salvation, that is, how we can never lose our salvation. But is that sufficient? Unfortunately, many Christians are content to go only this far having salvation, but having little joy or enjoyment of that salvation.

Our friend with millions in the bank may have the assurance that he is rich, and he may have the security of knowing that his deposit is safe. But if he never spends a dime and is content to live a pauper's life, we can hardly say he has the enjoyment of those riches. Objectively speaking he is rich, but in his practical experience he has nothing.

This is the condition of many Christians today. They are saved, but in their daily life they have little experience of the unsearchable riches of Christ (Eph. 3:8). However, God's intention is that we not only have Christ, but that we enjoy Him, even to the uttermost (John 10:10; Phil. 4:4). The normal condition of a Christian is to "exult with joy that is unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Pet. 1:8).

But nearly all of us will admit that there are times, even many times, when we do not have this overflowing joy. Does this mean that we have lost our salvation? Absolutely not! Our salvation is based upon God, not upon us. But although we cannot lose our salvation, we can lose the joy of that salvation.

The Loss of Joy

What are the things, then, that cause us to sometimes lose our joy? The first item is sin. Joy depends on our having unbroken fellowship with God, but sin separates us from Him and causes Him to hide His face (Isa. 59:1-2). The second item is grieving the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30).

When we are saved, we become God's temple and have His Spirit indwelling us (1 Cor. 6:17, 19; Rom. 8:9, 11, 16). This Spirit within is not a "force" or a "thing," but a living person, Jesus Christ Himself (1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 3:17; 13:5). Like every living person, He has feelings and attitudes. Thus, when we speak or do things contrary to Him, He is grieved within us. When the Holy Spirit is grieved, our spirit, which is joined to Him (1 Cor. 6:17), is grieved, and we lose our joy.

The Maintenance of Joy

Our salvation is like a rock, immovable, but the joy of our salvation is like a delicate flower, easily upset by a little breeze. Therefore, it is something we must cultivate and nourish. What, then, can we do to maintain this joy?

First. we can confess our sins (1 John 1:7, 9). When we confess our offenses to the Lord, His blood cleanses us, and our fellowship with Him is restored. After David sinned, he prayed, "Restore to me the gladness of Your salvation" (Psa.51:12). There is no need to wait. The precious blood of Christ cleanses us from every sin.

Second, we can take God's Word as our food. Jeremiah said, "Your words were found and I ate them, and Your word became to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart" (Jer. 15:16). Often we discover that after reading and praying over God's Word, our heart is bubbling over with enjoyment. No famished man is happy. Likewise, we should not remain famished Christians. We should continually feed and feast on God's Word (Matt. 4:4).

Third, we can pray. Often after opening our heart and speaking out to the Lord, we sense a deep joy and refresh-ment. Isaiah 56:7 says He will cause us to rejoice in His house of prayer. Real prayer is not the recitation of familiar words and phrases- it is a pouring out of our heart and spirit to the Lord. Jesus said, "Ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be made full" (John 16:24). Real prayer is releasing and enjoyable.

Finally, we can fellowship. The greatest enjoyment for a Christian is to be together with others who love and enjoy Christ. No human words can utter the sweetness we experience when we praise Him and speak about Him together. First John 1:3-4 says, "That you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write that our joy may be made full." Real fellowship is not a duty, but an enjoyment_ the greatest joy on earth.

Thus, we have the assurance, the security, and the joy of our salvation. Praise Him for such a full salvation!

Calling on the Name of the Lord

What is the meaning of calling on the name of the Lord? The Hebrew word for call means to call out to, to cry unto, to cry out. The Greek word for call means to invoke a person, to call a person by name. In other words, it is to call a person by naming him audibly. Although prayer may be silent, calling must be audible. Two Old Testament prophets help us to see what is meant by calling on the Lord. Jeremiah tells us that to call on the Lord means to cry to Him and to experience spiritual breathing. "I called upon Your name, O Jehovah, from the lowest pit. You have heard my voice; do not hide Your ear at my breathing, at my cry" (Lam. 3:55-56). Isaiah 12:2-6 also tells us that our calling on the Lord is our crying to Him. How may God become our salvation, our strength, and our song? How can we draw water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation? The way is to call on His name, to praise the Lord, to sing a hymn, and to cry out and shout.

Calling on the Lord began in the third generation of the human race with Enosh, the son of Seth (Gen. 4:26). The history of calling on the Lord's name continued throughout the Bible with Abraham (Gen. 12:8), Isaac (Gen. 26:25), Moses (Deut. 4:7), Job (Job 12:4), Jabez (1 Chron. 4:10), Samson (Judg. 16:28), Samuel (1 Sam. 12:18), David (2 Sam. 22:4), Jonah (Jonah 1:6), Elijah (1 Kings 18:24), and Jeremiah (Lam. 3:55). The New Testament believers practiced calling on the Lord (Acts 9:14; 22:16; 1 Cor.1:2; 2 Tim. 2:22). While Stephen was being stoned to death, he was calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 7:59). Saul of Tarsus received authority from the chief priests to bind all that called on the name of the Lord (Acts 9:14). This indicates that all the early saints were Jesus-callers. Their calling on the name of the Lord was a sign, a mark, that they were Christians. If we become those who call on the name of the Lord, our calling will mark us out as Christians. Paul the apostle stressed the matter of calling when he wrote the book of Romans. He said, "For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all and rich to all who call upon Him; for whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:12-13).

Why do we need to call on the name of the Lord? Men need to call on the name of the Lord in order to be saved (Rom. 10:13). Many Christians have never called upon the Lord. If you have never called, even shouted before the Lord, it is doubtful that you have enjoyed the Lord in a rich way. "Call upon His name!...Cry out and give a ringing shout" (Isa. 12:4, 6). Try shouting before Him. If you have never shouted about what the Lord is to you, try it. The more you shout, "O Lord Jesus, You are so good to me!" the more you will be released from yourself and filled with the Lord. Thousands of saints have been released and enriched through calling on the name of the Lord. Romans 14:12 says that the Lord of all is rich to all who call upon Him. The way to enjoy the riches of the Lord is to call upon Him. The Lord is not only rich, but also near and available, because He is the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). As the Spirit, He is omnipresent. We may call on His name at any time and in any place. When we call on Him, He comes to us as the Spirit, and we enjoy His riches.

How should we call on the Lord? We must call on Him out of a pure heart (2 Tim. 2:22), along with pure lips (Zeph. 3:9), and we need to have an open mouth (Psa. 81:10). We need to open our mouth wide to call on the Lord. Furthermore, we need to call on the Lord corporately. Second Timothy 2:22 says, "But flee youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." We need to come together for the purpose of calling on the name of the Lord. Psalm 88:9 says, "Lord, I have called daily upon thee." Hence, we should call daily upon His name. Furthermore, Psalm 116:2 says, "Therefore will I call upon him as long as I live." As long as we live, we should call on the name of the Lord. Calling on the name of the Lord is not merely a doctrine. It is very practical. We need to practice it daily and hourly. We should never stop our spiritual breathing. We hope that many more of the Lord's people, especially new believers, will begin the practice of calling on the Lord, Today, many Christians have found that they can know Him, that they can be brought into the power of His resurrection, that they can experience His spontaneous salvation, and that they can walk in oneness with Him by calling on His name. In any situation, at any time, call: Lord Jesus, O Lord Jesus!" If you practice calling on His name, you will see that it is a wonderful way to enjoy the Lord's riches.