By Gary Ray Branscome
Consider the words, “I
have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God;
that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe in the
name of the Son of God” (1John 5:13). Those words tell
us that we can “know” (not just feel certain, but know) that
we have eternal life. They also tell us that Scripture is the source of that knowledge, and that our faith rests upon that knowledge.
The words, “Like sheep we have all have gone astray; each of us has turned to his
own way; and the LORD has laid on Him
[Christ] the iniquity of us all,” tell us that while Christ was hanging on
the cross our sins were in two places, on Him and on us (Isaiah 53:6). Then,
after He died, because He had no sins of His own, God forgave the sins that had
been “laid on Him”. And, because those
sins were our sins, and because He received forgiveness for them, that
forgiveness extends to us when we trust in Him. As it is written, “All the prophets testify of Him, that
through His name whoever believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins”
(Acts
Therefore, our salvation does not rest
on anything that we do, but on what Christ has done for us. It does not even
matter how strong our faith is. Even if it is “faith like a mustard seed,” it is enough, because it is not our
faith that saves us, but what Christ did (Luke 17:6). Our assurance of
salvation should always rest on what Christ did, not how strong we imagine that
our faith is.
The words, “Scripture, having foreseen that God would justify the heathen through
faith, proclaimed the gospel to
Abraham in advance, saying, In you
shall all nations be blessed,” tell us that Abraham was saved through
believing the same gospel that we believe, namely God’s promise of forgiveness
in Christ (Galatians 3:8). And, the words, “So then those who have faith in Christ are
blessed with Abraham, who also believed… That the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through
Jesus Christ; that we might receive
the promise of the Spirit through faith,” tell us that our faith is
faith in God’s promise (Galatians 3:9,14).
Now
I have asked certain people about the doctrine of salvation only to have them
say, “I just believe in Christ”. And, that is fine if they truly are trusting
in Christ. However, they would not even know that Christ existed if it were not
for Scripture. And even if they did know; apart from Scripture they would not
know that He died for their sins or that those who trust in Him receive
forgiveness. That is why Jesus said, “Search the scriptures; for in them you think that you have eternal
life: and they are they that testify of me” (John
One of the problems that we encounter
has to do with people who base their assurance of salvation on a “salvation
experience” rather than on the Word of God. Now I do not deny that there are
valid salvation experiences. Martin Luther had such an experience. The problem
is false experiences. Suppose that you were to base your faith on the fact that
an angel appeared to you and told you that you were saved. What would happen to
that faith if, on your death bed, Satan appeared to you and told you that he
was that angel disguised as an angel of light. Where would your faith be then? That is why our faith must rest on the sure
Word of God. And, Luther’s experience stemmed from the Joy that filled his
heart when he understood what the Bible means when it says that we are justified
by faith (see Rom.
Hold fast to the Word of God. The
opinions of men may contradict the words of Scripture, but the facts never do.