The following are six questions to be answered by each person:

1. Are you sure of your salvation? 

2. Do you desire greater assurance? 

3. Would you enjoy a deeper investigation of your assurance? 

4. Do you think that questions 2 and 3 indicate some doubt about your salvation? 

5. What is the basis of true assurance? 

6. Do you think these questions are designed to make you uncomfortable?

Read the following verses: John 10:1-3, 6-16, 26-29 and I John 5:9-15. John presented Christ and His sheep in chapter 10. "Sheep" is the outstanding word throughout this chapter. Christ leads the sheep out of human religion: "…He calls His own sheep by name, and leads them out" (10:3 NASB). He was addressing the Pharisees (John 9:35-41). Christ died for the sheep; He did not die for goats (10:11). All Christians were lost sheep chosen by God before they were saved sheep. Children of God can have assurance that they really know Him: "I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know me" (10:14 NASB). There are sheep other than chosen Jews. Christ said, "And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they shall hear My voice; and they shall become one flock with one shepherd" (10:16 NASB). He referred to the chosen Gentiles even though they are not mentioned by name. He continued talking to the religious Pharisees: "But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep" (v. 26 NASB).

The first Epistle of John not only gives assurance, but also counteracts the tendency of many who magnify knowledge at the expense of practice (I John 1:6-7; 2:3-6; 3:6-10). God's chosen ones go from regeneration to the knowledge of fellowship to practical service to the eternal kingdom. The sin problem in I John is one of sanctification, not justification. Catholicism and many Protestants make a terrible mistake in their failure to make the proper distinction between justification and sanctification.

Christ's death dealt with the judicial aspect of sin when He offered Himself once in the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. He will not die again because He said, "It is finished" (John 19:30 NASB). (See Heb. 10:10-14.) In His glorified human nature Christ is presently dealing with the practical aspect of life: "For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" (Rom. 5:10 NASB). There you have it-death and life. Christ deals with the practical aspect in Christians' lives as He makes intercession for them at the right hand of God the Father.

Many reformed theologians criticize those who distinguish between objectivity and subjectivity of salvation. They say that the character of faith resolves all tension between the two. However, faith has significance only in orientation to its object-the death of Christ at Calvary. Propitiation-favor without merit because of Christ's death, which is the means of forgiveness-is objective reconciliation. Reconciliation is subjective because it removes enmity Godward. This is reconciliation that takes place subjectively in regeneration.

Satan cannot duplicate what God gives in regeneration. The Spirit of God speaks to the inner man of the regenerated person, and the message conveyed does not contradict the objective truth He gave to inspired men to benefit His own. The Spirit of regeneration within the elect will not lead them to believe something contrary to what He has already given by inspired men that is recorded in the Bible. He gave God-inspired men for a purpose, but their work is finished. No one speaks by inspiration as Paul and the other disciples who wrote down Scripture as it was being God-breathed. "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness" (II Tim. 3:16 NASB).

There is perfect harmony between the objective word of God and the subjective truth that a person believes in his heart. Investigation of the antecedents of every experience will manifest whether the experience is genuine or false. Virtual reality means possessing the power of acting without the agency of matter. In short, it is not the real thing-it is synthetic. Matthew 5 records examples of antecedents overruling what men were saying. Christ said, "You have heard that it was said…but I say to you…." (vv. 27, 28 NASB). There was a vast difference between what they had heard and what Christ was saying. The antecedents of every religious experience must be investigated by the word of God in order to know if an experience is true or false. His witness of confirmation follows the Spirit's act of regeneration: "And we have believed and have come to know…" (John 6:69 NASB). The one who truly believes will know, but he will know only by testing his religious experience. Objective truth has been given that the children of God can have assurance.

The Holy Spirit condescended to be the witness for recipients of God's grace. Compare this with the condescension of Christ. Both Persons in the Godhead, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, were limited in their condescensions. The Son was limited in His assumption of human nature. He could not do certain things as the God-Man. The Holy Spirit dwelling in the human spirit is also restricted. The Spirit of regeneration is in every child of God, but they can grieve Him. As the Son of God was not overcome by the assumption of the human nature, the Holy Spirit is not overcome by the human spirit. However, as the Son had certain limitations in His unglorified human nature, the Holy Spirit in the elect has certain restrictions in the unglorified human spirit. The fluctuation of the Christian's witness is because he has grieved (Eph. 4:30) and suppressed (I Thess. 5:19) the indwelling Holy Spirit.

The witness of confirmation follows the Spirit's act of regeneration. The confirmation is not directed by the saints' feelings about God, but to God's feelings about them (John 10). Therefore, the often-repeated statements "I think this is what it means" or "I feel this way about it" or "I believe this" are destroyed. Either the authority of men or angels could never receive the witness of confirmation. Beware of anyone who gives assurance where none exists. All anyone can do is give the truth that God has committed to the saints' trust. The Holy Spirit uses the truth with those He has regenerated.

The spirit of the Christian is not the author of his conviction. Although his spirit possesses conviction, which is assurance, he did not originate it: "Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba! Father!" (Gal. 4:6 NASB). Are you thirsty for God? The Spirit made you thirsty. Do you hunger for God's word? The Spirit made you hungry. Are your eyes open? God enlightens. Do you hear? God made you hear. Has your affection been turned from self-consciousness to God-consciousness? God turned it. Does your will yield to God's will? The Spirit subdues. Is your heart at peace with God? The Spirit quickens, makes alive, and seals until the redemption of the body.

The Christian's spirit is the second witness in man's assurance of salvation. Distinction must be made between the Holy Spirit and man's spirit. (Read I Cor. 2:11-16.) A person's spiritual life cannot compare with the Spirit's objective testimony, but the Spirit of God bears testimony with man's spirit. The testimony is not some emotional feeling because that would be man's spirit bearing testimony with itself.

Being a child of God is a privilege marked by greatness. The following things compose the abundant life: (1) The greatness of salvation began with election. (2) It was purchased by redemption. (3) The Spirit of regeneration applied it. (4) It is confirmed by the Spirit of God giving testimony to the spirit of the one who has been made alive. Christians have the abundance of life because of the indwelling Holy Spirit: "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know" (I John 2:20 NASB). The Holy Spirit is also their teacher: "And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him" (I John 2:27 NASB).

The witness of the Spirit is further explained in I Corinthians 2:11-16. The Holy Spirit's witness to the Christian's spirit is not a vague or mystical (obscured meaning) experience. It is revealed, known, communicated, and discerned by the Holy Spirit. He accomplishes this by making the testimony of Scripture meaningful. Therefore, the Christian is assured of his identity. He is spiritual. His ability and immunity are called to account by no human being. By grace he is not afraid of men or any human tribunal when he is right and is doing what he does on the basis of Scriptural authority. The Christian's inner witness is not so much an emotional feeling as it is a possession of what he has been taught and understands.

The Spirit's ministry to the elect is twofold: (1) that they might know the Lord through regeneration that results in conversion and (2) that they might know the word through revelation that results in illumination. The assumption that one cannot have present assurance of salvation is false. (Read I John 4:13-21.) A person is no better than his conviction (II Tim. 1:8-11). He is no happier that his assurance (II Tim. 1:12). He is no more secure than his anchor (Heb. 6:19).

The Spirit of God bears witness with the Christian's spirit that he is a child of God. "The Spirit Himself bears witness with [present active indicative of summartureo, to bear witness with or testify jointly] our spirit that we are children of God" (Rom. 8:16 NASB). Please observe the preposition "with," which is the prefix to the present active indicative form of summartureo. The Spirit bearing witness "with" indicates that this is not done alone. The indicative mood is the mood of reality. The inner affirmation is not merely an abstract testimony of a Christian's feelings that is conceived apart from the concrete reality. It is an affinity with his spirit, because in regeneration, he has been given a new heart and a new spirit (Ezek. 36:25-27). The new principle of life has an affinity for God. Since the Holy Spirit is the Author of the new principle of life, He also manifests His existence and grace to those He has regenerated. This makes the Holy Spirit the first Witness and the saint's spirit, the second witness in his salvation experience. Conclusively, assurance is assured when God always comes first.