ASSURANCE OF SALVATION

AMAZING GRACE

God’s grace has already been mentioned eighty-one times in this series of meditations on assurance of salvation. Now we will focus on this amazing grace.

In Ephesians Paul wrote of God’s grace in superlative terms:

It is God’s ‘glorious grace’ – 1:6.
It is ‘freely given’ to us in Christ, ‘the one he loves’ – 1:6.
It is ‘the riches of God’s grace’ – 1:7.
It is ‘lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding’ – 1:8.
Paul refers to ‘the incomparable riches of his grace’ – 2:7.
It is ‘expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus’ – 2:7.
By it, believers ‘have been saved’ – 2:8.

In Ephesians 1:7,8, Paul teaches us that the salvation we have in Christ is based on and measured by God’s grace:

‘…in him we have redemption, through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.’

These words address the issue of the size (and the permanence) of our salvation:

How much ‘redemption’ was gained for us and given to us through the blood (death) of Christ?

How much forgiveness of sins was granted to us through the blood of Christ?’

And give us this answer: the salvation you have in Christ, through his blood, is as big as God’s grace: it is ‘according to the riches of God’s grace …’; it is ‘lavished on us’. It will never run out. There will always be more than enough.

But does God know all my sins? Does God understand how terrible a sinner I am? Yes. He does. When he lavished his grace upon you, he did it ‘with all wisdom and understanding’ – he knew how sinful you were and how sinful you still are; none of your sins are a surprise to him. He understands your sin even more than you do yourself. And knowing the size of your sin he poured out upon you more than enough grace to cover it all.

Paul mentions this super-abundance of God’s grace elsewhere:

That God’s grace ‘overflows’ – Romans 5:16.
That God’s grace is an ‘abundant provision’ – Romans 5:17.
That God’s ‘grace increased all the more’ as sin increased – Romans 5:20.
That God’s grace reigns, bringing eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord – Romans 5:21.
That believers are ‘under grace’ not law – Romans 6:14, 15.

Paul knew himself to be a terrible sinner:

‘I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man … the worst of sinners’ – 1Timothy 1:13, 16.

But he also knew, with great confidence:

‘… I was shown mercy … The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly…’ – 1Timothy 1:13, 14.

Knowing the greatness of God’s grace Paul, having affirmed that we are all sinners (Ephesians 2:1 – 3), wrote:

‘But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast’ – Ephesians 2:4 – 9.

Let us all live every moment with this deep assurance of salvation, grounded not in ourselves, but in God’s measureless provision of his grace to us in Christ Jesus. By such assurance, God is glorified.