One of the names for a Christian is 'Believer'. Christians are "believers" and non-Christians are "unbelievers". Why? Because we believe in Jesus Christ and in certain truths concerning Him. Believing in Jesus is also called "having faith" in Him. Faith in Jesus is expressed by trusting Him with our lives and our future.

If a Christian is one who trusts in Jesus and believes certain truths about Him, what is it that a Christian should believe? The Bible makes the answer to this simply by giving a name to what we must believe. It's called The Gospel. The Apostle Paul said The Gospel "is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16) That sounds pretty important to me. How about you?

The Gospel is the Good News about God - not man.

The Good News of Who He is, What He has done, and What He Will Do.

What, then, is meant by The Gospel? The word 'gospel' means 'good news' and that's what it is. The Gospel is the 'Good News' of God's love for us. What is this Good News? The Good News is that "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John3:16)

John 3:16 is, without a doubt, the most familiar verse in the entire Bible. It has been called 'the Bible in a sentence' because it captures the central message of Scripture. Martin Luther said, "John 3:16 is the heart of the Bible - the Gospel in miniature." Therefore, the most direct route to discovering what a believer must believe, is to examine this verse and embrace the wonderful truths it contains.

Guess what? The Bible doesn't try to prove God exists. It assumes it from the very first verse - "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Gen. 1:1)

Creation is God's first revelation of Himself to us. "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (Romans 1:20) When we look at Creation we know there is a Creator. King David wrote "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." (Psalms 19:1) Because of this, each of us has a special appreciation for nature. This is also why many people try to find God through nature. Unfortunately, they often end up worshipping creation itself, rather than the One who created all things. It's like trying to get to know a great painter by studying their paintings. Although we can learn much about them that way, we'll never be able to truly know them personally.

"The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." - Psalm 14:1

Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me." - Isaiah 46:9

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." - Heb. 11:6

God has given each of us a conscience. The dictionary defines conscience as "The awareness of a moral or ethical aspect to one's conduct together with the urge to prefer right over wrong."

God has given us this awareness so we might intuitively know and recognize the authority of His standards - His Law. The Apostle Paul said, "I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man." (Acts 24:16) Our conscience instinctively tells us that The 10 Commandments are right! It is wrong to steal or lie or murder. By writing the requirements of the Law on our hearts (Romans 2:15), the Lord has left the imprint of His handwriting upon each of us. Thus, by bearing witness to the truth of God, our consciences also testify to the existence of the God of Truth.

If we are admiring a beautiful painting and want to know the artist better, the first thing we'd do is look for his signature on the canvas. The picture reveals his existence, but we need a signature to discover who he is. Once we've discovered who he is, we can see if he has written any books, journals, or letters by which we might know him better. Through these we could learn where he lives and how we might find him.

This is what God has done through the Bible. It is called 'God's Word' because He is the Author. 1Timothy 3:16 says "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,". Elsewhere we read, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. " (2Peter 1:20-21)

God has written a Book through which we learn about Him and discover how to find and approach Him. His book, The Bible, reveals Who God is and presents the plot and purposes of His eternal plan. Paul reminded Timothy " from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." (2Timothy 3:15) It's the same for us. God's Word contains the wisdom of God for leading us to eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.

Just as the final step in getting to the know the painter of a beautiful masterpiece is to meet him and spend time together, so the final step in getting to know God is in meeting Him personally. The problem for us is that no one can approach God themselves. No one meets the qualifications necessary for coming before Him. So what can be done? God took care of it Himself. Since we could not come to Him, He came to us in Jesus Christ.

"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being " - Heb 1:1-3

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. No-one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known." - John 1:1-3, 14, 18

One of the greatest discoveries we can make about God is that He Loves Us! When we come to Jesus, He doesn't forgive our sins reluctantly but joyfully. Salvation wasn't wrestled from the Father by the Son. God doesn't love us because of the Cross - Jesus went to the Cross because God loves us.

God's love is so great - He so loved the world - that we cannot even begin to grasp it without the help of His Spirit. That's why Paul prayed that God would help us to grasp just how much He loves us. "I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Eph. 3:16-19)

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lam. 3:22-23)

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1Jn. 4:7-8)

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! " (1Jn. 3:1)

A popular saying goes, "I asked God 'How much do You love me?' and He stretched out His hands on the Cross and said "This Much!" The Bible puts is this way: "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) and "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1John 4:9-10) Jesus said, "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28).

Unfortunately, for many, God's only begotten Son has become the only forgotten Son.

There was a man who courageously saved a little child from a fierce fire. In the process, the man's hands were severely burned. Some time later, after the child's guardian died, he was put up for adoption. There was a court hearing to determine who should raise the child. After others had spoken and presented their arguments, the man who had rescued the child had his turn. Instead of speaking, he displayed his scarred hands to the court and the child became his.

The Cross is the proof of God's love for us. The wounds of Jesus settle for all time the issue of His right to our allegiance. Whenever there are doubts concerning God's love for us, all we have to do is point to the Cross. "What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:31-32)

The good news is that God does not show favoritism in either judgment or mercy. Just as all of us are sinners and deserve His judgement, so also, all of us are offered His mercy. Jesus invites everyone when He says "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Mt. 11:28)

" There is no difference between Jew and Gentile-the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:12-13)

"The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life." (Rev. 22:17)

This brings us back to the key issue: A believer is one who believes in Jesus Christ as Savior. Believing in Jesus means personally trusting Him; not just intellectually agreeing about Him.

A tightrope walker amazed a crowd by crossing Niagra Falls on a steel cable with just a balance pole. After he again reached the crowd, he asked "Who believes I could do it again with someone on my shoulders?" The crowd cried "We believe!". So he asked for volunteers, but only one man responded. Then the tightrope walker said to the crowd, "You say you have faith in me, but this man is willing to trust me with his life!"

Living faith means trusting Jesus with our life. It means putting the whole weight of our dependence upon Him and letting our hearts find rest in His faithfulness and love.

"Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12).

"Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires? Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." (Jn. 6:28-29)

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, " (Heb. 11:6)

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1).

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Gal. 2:20)

Whoever rejects Christ cannot benefit from Him because it is faith that links the sinner to the Savior. We are all guilty before God, because there is not a one of us who have kept His commandments in complete perfection. If we break even one point of the Law, we have failed to keep all of it - so we are guilty and condemned.

The Bible tells us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" and that "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. 3:23; 6:23) Immediately following the 'Gospel in a verse' the Bible says "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." (Jn. 3:17-18) In other words, Jesus doesn't condemn us, we are already condemned by our sins. Jesus calls us to come to Him and receive forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life.

"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." (James 2:10)

"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1Tim. 1:15)

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

This is the really Good News of the Gospel! Because of God's love and what Jesus has done for us, we receive Everlasting Life as a gift. Life is what Jesus is all about. Life is why He came. John 17:3 says, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

God's Word says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2Corinthians 5:17) When you give your life to Jesus He starts His work on the inside by giving you a new heart. God promised, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26) This new heart from God means you begin to change from within. You begin to see things differently and respond to situations in a new way. In some areas of your life this will happen very quickly - almost immediately. In others, it will be part of a slow, steady process the Bible calls sanctification. Sanctification is the life-long action of the Holy Spirit making us more like Jesus and bringing us into greater harmony with God's purposes for our life.

The life that Jesus gives us is not just new, it is true life. This is life of the highest quality and experience because it is sharing in the life of God in Christ. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)

Everlasting life means "ageless or endless life, beginning now and lasting forever". God loves you so much that He sent Jesus to die for you so that you will never die. Yes, your body will die, but the Bible says our bodies are just like old tents. When a believer dies, they go to be with Jesus, leaving their old 'tent' behind. Then God gives us a glorious, incorruptible spiritual body to have for all eternity. God's love brought heaven to us and His love will carry us to heaven. Wow!

"The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." (1Jn. 2:17)

"We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true-even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." (1John 5:20).

"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." (1Jn. 5:11-12)

"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." 1John 5:11-13

If you were asked "Are you a Christian?" or "If you were to die tommorrow, would you go to Heaven?" How would you answer?

Many people respond with answers like: "I hope so." - "I do the best I can to be a good church-goer." - "It would be presumptious for me to say I know for sure." - "I'm just as good as most church members I know." - "I don't think there's any hope for me; I've done too many bad things." or "I wish I knew for sure!"

But is "I wish I knew for sure?" the best we can do? Or can we know for sure? what is the answer? The answer is that the Gospel is Good News! Every believer can know that they have Eternal Life. This blessing is called Assurance of Salvation and having it makes a tremendous difference in our Christian Walk. Without Assurance our joy is conditional. With it, our joy is certain.

"Assurance is a fruit that grows out of the root of faith." Stephen Charnock

"To have grace, and to be sure that we have grace, is glory upon the throne, it is heaven on this side of heaven." Thomas Brooks

Assurance: "Freedom from doubt; certainty."

Certainty: "Something that is clearly established or assured."

Synonyms: assurance, certainty, conviction.

Assurance is a feeling of confidence resulting from personal experience.

Certainty implies confidence based on a thorough consideration of evidence.

Conviction is certainty arising from the elimination of doubt.

It's knowing that we know that we know.

"These things I write to you in order that you may know with an absolute knowledge that life you are having, eternal (life), to you who believe on the name of the Son of God." [1John 5:13 - Wuest]

"I write this to you who believe in (adhere to, trust in and rely on) the name of the Son of God - that is, in the peculiar services and blessings conferred by Him on men - so that you may know (with settled and absolute knowledge) that you [already] have life, yes, eternal life." [1John 5:13 - Amplified Bible]

The first and foremost assurance we have of our salvation is the clear promises given in the Bible. For example, in John 5:24 Jesus said "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." When it says here that the believer "has crossed over", the original language of the New Testement (Greek) uses the perfect tense which is the strongest way of saying that something has definitely and completely taken place. In other words, believers have "completely, once-and-for-all, without a doubt, already crossed over from death to life."

The perfect tense in Greek corresponds to the perfect tense in English, and describes an action which is viewed as having been completed in the past, once and for all, not needing to be repeated. Jesus' last cry from the cross - "It is finished!" - is a good example of the perfect tense used in this sense, namely "It [the atonement] has been accomplished, completely, once and for all time."

What does this mean? How does the Holy Spirit "testify" with our spirit? In the first place, remember that the Holy Spirit is a person, not just an influence or impersonal "force". When a person becomes a child of God through faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit immediately comes to live within them. That's why the Bible tells us that each believer is a "temple of the Holy Spirit" [1Cor. 6:19-20]. When the Holy Spirit lives within you, He makes Himself known. We begin to sense His promptings, feel His peace, and experience His power. This is the Holy Spirit "bearing witness" that we are God's children.

" My heart has always assured and reassured me that the gospel of Jesus Christ must be Divine Reality. The Sermon on the Mount cannot be a mere human production. This belief enters into the very depth of my conscience. The whole history of man proves it." [Daniel Webster (1782-1852), U.S. lawyer, statesman. Spoken on the eve of his death and carved as his epitaph.]

Have you experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit? Have you sensed His help in making the Bible come alive for you in a new way? Have you sensed a new awareness of His influence in your life? If so, then you have good reason to be assured of your salvation.

The moment you gave your life to Jesus and trusted Him as your Savior, the Holy Spirit came into your innermost being and gave you a new heart. This makes you a whole new person with a new relationship to God and a brand new outlook on life. The working of this new life begins immediately and continues throughout a believer's life-time as the Holy Spirit causes us to grow in Jesus.

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26)

In Philippians 2:12-13, we are shown the two sides of growing in the Lord:

"12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed- not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence- continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."

In verse 12 we see that our part is to "continue to work out our salvation". This reminds us that giving our lives to Christ includes becoming His disciples. A disciple is one who is a dedicated student and follower of Jesus. Working out our salvation is not working for salvation, it's working like a miner who is digging for gold or precious gems. The treasure is already there, provided by God Himself. Some of the gold and jewels are on the surface where they're easily seen and acquired. But others are only half exposed or even beneath the surface where we must apply ourselves and "work out" these additional blessing of our salvation. By the way, when it says we are to do this "with fear and trembling", this doesn't mean that we are be fearful, but that we are to apply all our strength to discovering and applying the blessings and resources we have in Jesus.

In verse 13, we are shown the other side of the equation: God works in us giving us a desire to do those things that please Him. So you could say that the way to continue growing in Jesus is to keep working out what God has worked within (see 2Peter 1:3-8).

The presence of new, godly desires and responses, plus the enjoyment of things like the companionship of other Christians, worship, and Bible study are evidences of our new life in Christ. They assure us that we are, indeed, children of God.

How do feelings fit into the fact that you have been born again? We must never put our Faith in our Feelings or we'll wind up in big trouble. Our Feelings are never a reliable source for Assurance.

We will only move forward in our walk with Jesus if we place our faith in the facts of God's Word.

"To make sense and feeling the judges of our spiritual conditions, what is it but to make ourselves happy and miserable, righteous and unrighteous, saved and damned in one day, ay, in one hour What is this but to toss the soul to and fro, and to expose it to a labyrinth of fears and scruples? What is this but to cast a reproach upon Christ, to gratify Satan, and to keep yourselves upon the rack? Well, doubting souls, the counsel that I shall give you is this, be much in believing, and make only Scripture the judge of your condition; maintain the judgement of the Word against the judgement of sense and feeling If you resolve to make sense and feeling the judge of your conditions, you must resolve to live in fears, and lie down in tears." - Thomas Brooks

Salvation in Christ is Sure!

The Bible Says so; the Holy Spirit tells us we are Christ's; and our changing lives tell us so. That means that Jesus has said we can't run away, He won't throw us away, and we can't be taken away. Once you're in, you're in! Let us believe it and rejoice in it. "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1John 5:13)