Looking to Jesus!

The other day I received a phone call from a good friend of mine. He called to ask me how I would encourage or advise someone who was questioning their salvation. I shared with him that so often (not always) our lack of assurance is due to the fact that we are looking in the wrong places for assurance. We unfortunately have been taught to look back to some date, time or experience as assurance that we are truly forgiven of our sins. I know that I was often given this kind of advice. Recently I learned from John Piper to stop asking people "have they ever trusted in Christ?" (focus on a past experience or event) and start asking them "are you trusting in Christ?" (present tense faith). If faith was real (back then), then it will still be real today and it will continue to be genuine faith in the future. (perseverance of the saints!)

The other way people often strive for assurance of salvation is by looking within. This is just as wrong as looking back and possibly even more dangerous. This is when we strive for assurance by "how much our lives are changed" or "how different we feel since Christ came into our lives". While the Bible does give us some instruction to "look within" for evidence or fruit that flows from the work of the Holy Spirit's sealing of our salvation, we must remember what it is that truly saves us! The only thing that can save me is Jesus Christ! It is the fact of "who He is" and "what He has done" that I am saved. It is the fact that He is the Son of God and He lived a perfect life in my place and died a sacrificial death on my behalf that puts to an end all my doubts and questions. The best place I will find assurance of salvation and forgiveness is in knowing what God's promises say to me about who Jesus is and what He did in my place.

Well, while I was sharing some of this with my friend I was reminded of a bookmark that I keep in the book that I am currently reading. It is so powerful that I thought I would share it with you:

"It is always the Holy Spirit's work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus. But Satan's work is just the opposite; he is constantly trying to make us look at ourselves instead of Christ. He insinuates, 'your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you do not have the joy of His children; you have such a wavering hold on Jesus'. All these are thoughts about self, and we will never find comfort or assurance by looking within. But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: He tells us that we are nothing, but that Christ is everything. Remember, therefore, it is not your hold of Christ that saves you - it is Christ; it is not your joy in Christ that saves you - it is Christ's blood and merits. Therefore, do not look so much to your hand with which you are grasping Christ as to Christ; do not look to your hope but to Jesus, the source of your hope; do not look to your faith, but to Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of your faith. We will never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our deeds, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. If we are to overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by 'looking to Jesus'. Keep your eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession be fresh upon your mind. When you waken in the morning look to Him; when you lie down at night look to Him. Do not let your hopes or fears come between you and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and he will never fail you." - C.H. Spurgeon



One final word of warning - while I do believe that the best remedy for doubts and questions comes from going to His Word and saturating yourself with the truth of the gospel, we must remember that some may battle this more than others. It may be that you will battle doubts and questions all of your life. Still the answer is to flee to Jesus and call upon Him humbly saying "Lord I believe, help my unbelief"!