“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”— John 10:28-29
In his book Light for Anxious Souls, George Cutting shares the story of a farmer who lacked assurance when it came to his salvation. So he foolishly prayed that as an evidence of his acceptance, the Lord would cause exactly 10 sheep of his flock to gather in a certain shed out in the pasture.
Later that day, the farmer anxiously approached the shed and was relieved to find exactly 10 sheep inside. That gave him a temporary sense of peace, but doubt returned with the thought that it may have been just a coincidence. So a few days later, he prayed that 10 different sheep might gather in an opposite corner of the pasture. And they did!
When the farmer was asked, “Did this give you assurance?”, he said, “No, nothing gave me certainty until I read the Word of God on it.”
Christians often take issue with the assurance of their salvation for many reasons: they struggle with sin; they can’t remember when they accepted Christ; or, they believe they might have lost their salvation at some point because of disobedience.
One pastor said, “If you can lose your salvation, you already have!” Salvation, once given, can never be revoked. So instead of worrying about whether or not you’re saved, remember that it is a gift of God. And if you’ve trusted in Jesus Christ for forgiveness, it’s yours forever!
Prayer Challenge
Pray that God would confirm in your heart that you’re His if you’ve trusted Christ. If you haven’t, trust Jesus today and receive that free gift of eternal life!
Questions for thought
Think of some times when you’ve struggle with the assurance of your salvation. What kinds of feelings accompanied those thoughts?
What does it say about God that His free gift of eternal life can never be taken away?