Assured of Heaven (2)

My friend Doug recently posted on the meaning of eternal life assurances from Scripture http://lifewithoutcaptions.blogspot.com/2009/10/assured-of-heaven.html. It's both thoughtfully practical and practically thoughtful. It made me think, amongst other things, of what exactly it means to me.

I think the answer for me has two parts. Firstly, the assurance of eternal life is part of the faith of a believer. Romans 4:25 - "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification." The redeeming power of God can be seen as 1) the finished work of the cross or the declaration, "Telestai" and 2) the Resurrection of Jesus by God the Father.
God's Redeeming Power, i.e. the Power of the Gospel (Romans 1:16) is faith in the atoning life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. It is the power of God to save us through Him. How can we believe in a righteous God, claim Jesus and claim saving faith if we don't trust in Jesus for our salvation? And if we claim all these things (in some form), how can we deny the assuredness of Heaven if we believe Jesus?

Secondly, not only did Jesus testify to what the Law and all the prophets were saying (Romans 3:21), by again showing the Jews that the revolutionary way to eternal life was Him (John 14:6), but he showed the Jews what eternal life actually was (John 17:3) viz. "knowing God". Thus, having eternal life is knowing God presently, because He is Life.

We much too often (guilty as anyone) bicker over exegetical matters, in which the complete answers are beyond our comprehension. True, Scripture holds everything needed for salvation; but we rightfully struggle to understand "it all" because we live in the limitations of a small number of dimensions and with a small number of neurons. The same problem arises when we are asked, "when were you saved?" I can answer with some assuredness "it was when I believed the Gospel." But it wasn't and isn't that simple for me - and many others, I suspect, can relate. For me it was more of a process, maybe when the few neurons caught up with my heart stuck in those few dimensions, and I realized, I trusted Jesus Christ with my life because He is Life, the only Way back to God, and not my best option - my only option. For me, that is what is meant by "repentance unto life."

As the Body of Christ we can bicker amongst ourselves if this process starts at Infant Baptism or one peculiar Sunday in Church or when the piercing truth of our wretchedness drops us to our knees one night. But, I suspect, The real answer is this: "I was saved before the creation of man and earth. I was saved because God chose to love me when I was like the clay of the potter. I was saved because God chose to still love me when I was the rebel in the Garden. I was saved because God chose to still love me when I was the lover of iniquity, the Son of Satan, the worst sinner of all." I think when we start to wrap our head around the awesome assuredness of anything God does with purpose, in particular, love, it becomes an impossible thought that death, or life or angels or principalities....or anything could separate us from the Love of God (Romans 8:38-39). I suspect this is what Paul means earlier in Romans 8 ( And those he predestined he also called, those he called he also justified, those he justified he also glorified). In other words, we are assured of eternal life because we were predestined, just like we were predestined because we were glorified. Time isn't an issue with our God, thus we can say I was saved before the creation just like we can say I will be saved at the bodily resurrection.

So being assured of having eternal life is being assured of knowing God, and that can only be accomplished if we are convinced in our minds and our hearts that Jesus Christ died for our sins. And as a result, the response is to trust in the Risen Christ. Again, I suspect this is what Paul meant in Romans 10:10, "For it is with your heart you believe and are justified." And again in Romans 10:11, As the Scripture says, "no one who trusts in Him will be put to shame." And again in Romans 10:13, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." This, I strongly suspect, is a different faith than what many practice today.

David was assured of Heaven because he, like Noah, and every Godly man I have read about in Scripture, understood the Gospel before Paul could explain it. "guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." (Psalm 25:5) (italics mine)