Have you ever wondered, “How secure is my salvation?”
Once you accept Jesus as your savior, is it possible to lose that salvation?
The study of 1 John teaches us about the Triad of Assurance.
1. Faith
1 John 5:15 tells us, “And if we know that He hears us in what we we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of Him.”
Faith gives us hope and courage. It gives us strength when we genuinely go to God and put our trust in Him.
2. Love
A true Christian will not be filled with selfish hatred toward another brother or sister in Christ. To claim faith in Christ while harboring hate is an insult to God.
1 John 3:10-11 tell us it is our responsibility to love one another. Love is proof of genuine salvation. “By this it may be seen who are children of God and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother. For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”
3. Obedience
1 John 5:3 tells us “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not burdensome.”
What are the things that keep you from living a life for Christ?
- PRIDE
We may live in a fear of being shamed or judged for not going to church, so we never go. Or we live in fear of being judged by others for the sins they know we have committed in the past. Or maybe we let our pride of not forgiving others for judging us in the past block us from believing we will be accepted in church now. Maybe we let our fear of being judged for being a Christian prevent us from freely and openly sharing the gospel with others. - IDOLATRY
When we begin to give our hearts away to other things besides God, we lose our testimony to the world. It is easy to get away from God and idolize the things of the world. - SATAN
He is not the red guy with the horns. He is all of the things in the world that tempt you or pull you away from living a life for Christ. He is all of the earthly things you idolize. Once you have salvation, all of the ways Satan and sin try to control you go through God. He will guide you if you let Him.
1 John 5:18 says, “We know that anyone born of God does not sin, but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.”
