Our theme for this month: “Life on this side of the cross”
Our Bible verse for today: “It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.” John 16:7-8 (CSB)
Our thought for today: “Conviction of sin is a good sign.”
At some point most Christians wrestle with the question “Am I really saved?” Assurance of salvation is an important doctrine of the Christian faith and it’s one we could spend an entire month of devotional messages exploring. Personally, I believe the Bible clearly teaches that once a person has received forgiveness for their sins by placing their faith in Christ, that person is saved for all time. As Romans 8:28 teaches, nothing can then separate us from God. Jesus was clear about this too when He said in John 10:28, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” In other words, once saved always saved. Once you belong to Jesus you are His and He will never let you go. There’s an entire body of Biblical literature which teaches the doctrine we call “The assurance of salvation”.
But that still leaves us with the question, “How can I know I am really saved?” And again, there is an entire body of Biblical literature which teaches about how to be saved and how to know you have been saved. It’s more than we can address this morning. However, I do want to talk about how a negative situation in our lives (sin) can help us to know we really are saved.
The Holy Spirit performs many roles in our lives. He is our Counselor, our Teacher, and our Guide. He is a source of comfort and peace and joy. He leads us into worship; He equips and empowers us for ministry; and so much more. He also convicts us of our sins. In that respect then, sin in our lives can actually serve as an assurance of salvation if (and this is a big “if”), if, we fall under a sense of conviction from the Holy Spirit regarding that sin. If we do sense that strong conviction, that’s proof that He is present and working in our lives, and that’s a good sign.
Have you sinned lately? Did you feel bad about it? Did you confess it and ask God’s forgiveness for it? Well, hello Holy Spirit! That’s evidence that He is at work in your life. If you weren’t truly saved the Holy Spirit wouldn’t be at work in your heart and He therefore wouldn’t be there to convict you of your sin. The sin isn’t a good thing, but the conviction of that sin is.
So, thank the Holy Spirit for convicting you of your sins, and then rest assured that the conviction of the sin is a good sign that you really are saved.
Oak Hill Baptist Church