This is day 2 of video series called 21 Days of Once Saved Always Saved Salvation Assurance. It’s January 2022 and, in honor of the new year, my church in Marietta GA has asked us to dedicate 21 days to the Lord to draw closer to Him.  Over these 21 days, I’m going through 1 passage of Scripture a day that proclaims our salvation assurance in Christ and shows how salvation can never be lost or forfeited, but is held securely in place for us by our heavenly Father so we can have confidence that we are eternally saved.

Today’s passage is 1 John 5:1-5:

“Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God:
and every one that loveth Him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous. 
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 
Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:1-5 KJV)

The Apostle John wrote these verses to the church as a conclusion to his first letter. John wanted the church to know with certainty that they were eternally saved and, in this passage, he shares four amazing truths about eternal salvation. Let’s walk through each of these.

1. Eternal Salvation is Available to Everyone Who Believes in Jesus
   In verse 1, John says,
   “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God” (1 John 5:1 KJV)
   
   We’re not saved by our good works, by becoming a good person, by turning from sin, by baptism, by obeying commandments or by anything else we might try to do to earn God’s favor. None of those things save us or keep us saved. John says, “whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” Salvation is open to everyone who believes. We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ alone. 

   But what does it mean when it says that you must believe He is the Christ? The word, “Christ” is the word, christos in the Greek. It means, “anointed,” “the Messiah,” “the Son of God.” To believe that Jesus is the Christ means believing Jesus is exactly Who He claims to be: the very Son of God Who took on flesh, lived a perfect live, died on the cross to pay for our sins as our sacrifice, was buried, rose from the dead and lives forever more. It means believing in Him, not just believing truth about Him. Is Jesus your Savior, your anointed one, the One Who died in your place to pay for your sins, the One who rose from the dead to give you eternal life. Is He your Christ? Is it personal to you? 
   
   If you believe Jesus died in your place and rose from the dead so that you could be saved, you are born of God, meaning you’ve become alive spiritually to God. Being born of God doesn’t require an advanced degree or obeying a long list of commands. It only requires believing in Jesus, placing your trust in Him. If you trust Him for your salvation, you are born again. And once you are born spiritually, you cannot become unborn. You can’t lose it.

2.  

   There is Observable Evidence That We Are Saved.
   
   John says,
   “every one that loveth Him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous.” (1 John 5:1-3 KJV)
   
   When we are born again, that new birth happens on the inside. Externally, salvation is not something you can look in a mirror and easily tell whether a person is saved or not. But John gives us two things we can look for as observable evidence that we are saved. 
   
   The first is that we love our brothers and sisters in Christ. “every one that loveth Him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of Him.” Loving others in the Body of Christ is a sign that we are saved. We’re not saved by loving others and we don’t lose salvation by not loving others, but our love gives evidence that God’s Spirit lives within us. 
   
   Similarly, we give evidence that we have eternal salvation by the fact that we obey His commandments. This is not a requirement for getting saved or for keeping our salvation. It says, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments.” (1 John 5:2 KJV).  Notice that keeping commandments is not presented as a condition for salvation, but as a way we can know that we are saved. It is evidence of salvation, not a requirement to be saved. If you are saved, you are changed from within. God’s Holy Spirit indwells you, seals you, and lives inside you. The result is that we start obeying God from a willing heart because we love God. That obedience is a result of salvation, not a cause of salvation. 
   
   There are those in the Lordship Salvation movement who maintain that you must obey commandments or you could lose your salvation. This is so messed up. That is not what God’s Word teaches. When they say this, they are rejecting the Gospel which says we are saved only by God’s grace through faith in Christ alone. They are saying “What Christ did is not enough. We have to secure our own salvation through our obedience.” But John clearly says here that our obedience is not a requirement for salvation, but an evidence that we are saved. Obedience is important, but it’s only an evidence of salvation, not a cause of it.

   Let me ask you: Are you giving evidence that you are saved? If you are not obeying God, what makes you think you are saved? We all fall into sin from time to time, but as we grow in faith and become disciples of Christ, we should be moving away from our former lifestyle of sin. If that’s not happening, you need to question whether you are really saved, because John lists obedience as an evidence of salvation. Are you showing evidence of salvation in your life?
   
   On the other hand, we can’t take this too far and say that if you do not obey, you lose salvation. John does not say that at all. In fact, the only requirement he lists for being saved in this passage is believing in Christ. So, what happens if we don’t obey God? Do you lose your salvation? No. Everlasting life is not everlasting if you can lose it. Instead, when we disobey God, He will start to discipline us as a faithful Parent. But we will never lose our salvation. 
   
   Instead, our obedience is an evidence that we are already saved and a proof that we love God. “”For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous.” (1 John 5:3 KJV)
   
   
3. We Overcome the World and Are Victorius Because of Our Faith.
   “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” (1 John 5:4 KJV)
   
   We don’t overcome the world by putting away sin and living obediently. Those are only the evidences of salvation. We are saved and overcome the world by our faith alone. Faith in Christ is what saves us.
   
   
   
4. Conclusion: We Overcome by Believing in Jesus.
   There is nothing more we have to do to be an overcomer than believe in Jesus. Lots of churches incorrectly teach that you must be baptised, you must obey commandments, you must put away all sin to be an overcomer. But what does God’s Word say?
   
   “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:5 KJV)
   
   Overcomers are not a special class of believers. There are not some believers who are overcomers and other believers who are not overcomers. According to John in this verse, all believers are overcomers, every one of them without exception. Even the ones who struggle with sin are overcomers. We overcome by our faith in Christ, not by our own obedience.
   
   It comes down to this:
   
   Salvation = God’s Grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
   
   Nothing more. Nothing less. There are no other requirements to be saved than to believe in Jesus.
   
   And once you believe, you are born again and you are forever an overcomer, forever victorious. 

John concludes this chapter with verse 13:

“These things have I written unto you that believe on the Name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the Name of the Son of God.” (1 John 5:13 KJV)

Salvation is not something we’re waiting till the end of our lives to see whether God will give it to us or not. John says we can know with certainty that we are saved, simply because we believe in Jesus. That’s a guarantee of eternal salvation to everyone who believes. If it were possible to lose your salvation, then you could never really know with certainty that you had it, could you? But John says we can know with certainty that we have eternal life. God is a good Father and He will never abandon even one of His children.

So how about you? Can you say with that kind of absolute certainty that you are saved? Time is getting very late. Don’t take the chance of missing out on God. Prophetically, the current “Age of Grace” where God is giving people time to turn to Him for forgiveness is almost over. When it ends, it will be too late. God’s judgment is coming. Those who are not saved will be separated from God for all eternity. Don’t take chances with God. Don’t play with Him. Take Him seriously.

If you are not 100% sure you are saved, don’t put it off any longer. You can know with certainty that you have eternal life today. Do it now before it’s too late.

Making Sure You Are Saved Is As Easy As ABC

Admit to God that you have sinned.

Believe that Jesus, God’s Son, died to pay for
your sins 100%, was buried and rose from the dead.

Call upon Jesus and ask Him to forgive you and save you.

If you make that decision to call upon Him, God gives you this assurance:

“For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13 KJV)

If you are still not sure, I’ll include a link to a video I did called, “What is the Gospel (in 6 Words)?”

Thank you for watching.