Jeremiah 31:31-34
“The time is coming,” declares the LORD,
“when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them, ”
declares the LORD.
“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time,” declares the LORD.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the LORD.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”
For forty days following His resurrection from the grave, Jesus appeared to His disciples and followers multiple times. Before His ascension to heaven, He advised them to wait in Jerusalem until He would send to them the Holy Spirit to both empower and to comfort them in His absence. In a period of 10 days, Jesus stood by His promise and sent the Spirit as His witness. The verification of this historical event is the persistence of the Church of Jesus 2000 years later. The creation and persistence of the new Testament Church of Jesus is a verification of the Holy Spirit’s witness and power. Without both, the Church would have buckled under the persecution of the secular kingdoms of the world.
As believers in Jesus the Christ as our Savior, Jesus also promised that God’s Spirit would take up residence within the person of the believer to direct and lead his sheep. Previously we have reviewed the chilling words of Jesus in the conclusion of His Sermon on the Mount. (Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’) Those turned away by Jesus are not persecutors of the church but those who hold membership, sit the pews, and do Christlike work. Jesus demands that they depart from Him since He has no personal awareness of their fellowship with Him. When we read such, our first concern is whether we are in active fellowship with God through Jesus. Can we have assurance of such a magnitude to dismiss this potential jeopardy form our minds? What does the Bible teach us about this issue? We sing of “Blessed Assurance.” Can we truly possess it? What is the Biblical revelation of such? John in 1st John 5:13 tells us that the purpose of 1st John is to provide this very answer. (1 John 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. )
Firstly, does this issue concern you? If salvation is the furthest thing from your mind, you have no desire for assurance of such. If, however, you hunger and thirst after righteousness as a starving man hungers for food, that is fairly good assurance that the Spirit of God indwells you. The Spirit of God does not indwell you by chance. It is gifted by God. If assurance of Godliness is your concern, it is likely that you possess it.
Do you have the awareness that you have a soul? Are you concerned about your existence after this realm? Are you concerned enough to search for a solution? Or are all your thoughts exclusively on the world and its inducements? God’s Spirit leads and directs the practicing believer to direct her or his thoughts beyond comfort and entertainment.
The assurance of salvation requires an awareness of sin. This is more than the understanding of the wrongfulness of murder, theft, and adultery. It is an awareness that anger, gossip, and sexual intimacy outside of Biblical marriage offends God. If the Spirit of God lives in you, you must have an awareness of the holiness of God and your shortcomings as a sinner.
If God’s Spirit indwells you, you know that Jesus is the Son of God who lives forever. This is not just intellectual knowledge but involves the soul and results in a bending of the will and affection to the directives of God. The Spiritually unborn consider this to be nonsense or of no relevance. For them Christ is not to be followed or admired but is to be ridiculed or ignored.
Are you aware of a battle within your own person between the forces of two natures? The world agrees that anything goes, but the Spirit of God favors only those things that advance God’s Kingdom. In practical terms, and for this to be relevant it must be practical, does it matter what the designated rating is for your entertainment? If that which resides within you revolts at such, rest assured that this comes from a spiritual rather than a fleshly source.
If you find yourself drawn to that which is Spiritual, rest assured that this is the result of the activity of God indwelling you. Do you wish consciously and unconsciously to identify with Jesus as your Lord? This implies not just faith in His person and His message but a desire to have Him rule on the throne of your heart. So ruled, you observe a change in your interests so that you produce the fruit of the Sprit – love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, gentleness, kindness, goodness and self-control. This move toward holiness and a resemblance of Jesus is the result of Spiritual growth. Such growth leads to holiness.
What is your response to cross taking? Jesus warns that all of His followers must shoulder a cross if they are to follow Him. Such cross taking results in death of self and a sacrifice to the wishes of Christ. Accepting the leadership of Jesus requires that you seek His will by serving others rather than advancing yourself in the eyes of the world.
Do you perceive how radical all of these actions and choices are with respect to the world in general? The aims are clearly to show love for both God and neighbor.
If these are your aims and desires, rest assured that salvation is yours. If not, prayerfully ask God in complete confession to take control of your soul for this life and eternity. Jesus will claim you and send His Spirit to indwell you, claim you and assure you. He will give you Blessed Assurance.