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T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
June 1930
The Salvation of Scripture—The Assurance B y B. B. S utcl iffe , D.D. (Portland, Oregon) (All rights reserved)
as “those whom thou hast given me” (Jno. 17:11). The Father then draws them to Christ as Jno. 6:37, 44, de clares: “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me . . . no man can come to me, except the Father . . . . draw him.” And finally, it is the Father who keeps them for Christ, for they are “kept by the power of God” (1 Pet. 1:5) in answer to the Lord’s prayer, “Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me” (Jno. 17:11). The work of God the Son is seen in redemption. Hence it is not of the Father nor of the Spirit, but of the Son that it is written, “in whom we have redemption through his blood” (Eph. 1 :7). And again, “ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, . . . but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Pet. 1:18, 19). It is the Son who “was once offered to bear the sins of many” (Heb. 9:28). It is the Son who “his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree” ( l Pet. 2:24). It is the Son of whom it is said, “the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6). Many other like Scrip tures could be quoted showing the truth that redemption depends upon the work of God the Son. The work of God the Holy Spirit is seen in sealing those who believe. It is written to believers that when “ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1 :13). It will greatly help in the matter of assurance to briefly trace the meaning of the “seal.” It conveys the thought of security as in Matt. 27 :66, they made “the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone,” i.e., the seal, which represented the power of the Roman empire was placed upon, the stone; to break that seal meant the over throw of the authority of that empire. The lions’ den into which Daniel had been thrown was also sealed to pre vent his escape (Dan. 6:17), and that seal represented the power and authority of the Babylonian empire. So each one who believes is sealed in Christ by the Holy Spirit and is as secure from being removed therefrom as the power and authority of heaven can make him. In the second place, the seal stands for validity. When, at Corinth, Paul’s apostleship was called in question, he declared that the very fact that the Corinthians were Christians was proof of the validity of his apostleship: “The seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord” (1. Cor. 9:2). When Esther wrote her famous letter and signed it with the king’s name, it was not valid until “sealed” with the king’s ring, or signet. But when so sealed it be came valid through all the kingdom (Esther 8 :8). In the third place, the seal is the mark of proprietor ship, as in 2 Tim. 2:19, “The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal.” Thus the sealing with the Holy Spirit, which every be liever upon believing receives, speaks of the security of the one sealed, the validity of the transaction whereby he is sealed, and it is the mark of God’s proprietorship of those who are sealed. T h e W ord of G od M akes S ure Among the Israelites, sheltered under the blood of the passover lamb during that fearful night of judgment in Egypt, some perhaps remained trembling and afraid until
ECAUSE of the spirit of legalism, from which the Church has never been wholly free, the question of the assurance of salvation is an ever recurring one. Is it possible for one to know that one has salvation today, and is it possible for one to know that one will have salvation tomorrow, and the next day, and through eter nity ? The importance of this question can hardly be over estimated. Until it is settled, peace of mind and enjoy ment in the Christian life are rarely known. There is a certain destiny for everyone toward which they are constantly moving. The road that leads to the grave side does not end there, nor does the traveler on that road stop there, That road continues on and the traveler moves forward. But whither? The Bible knows of but two terminals—heaven and hell. To be fully assured of one’s eternal destiny brings quietness to the mind and rest to the heart. The effectiveness of the Christian’s service also largely depends upon whether or not this question is settled. When the Philippian jailer asked Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul replied, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Suppose that the jailer had asked if Paul had believed, and Paul had answered, “Yes.” Then the jailer might inquire, “Are you then cer tain that you are saved?” If Paul had been like many are today he would have had to reply something like this: “Well, I do not want to be presumptuous; I would not be too sure about it; I really,cannot say beyond peradventure that I am saved; but I know if you will believe you will be saved.” Such testimony would not tend to awaken confidence in the jailer’s mind. Again, those who lack assurance are more easily moved from one theory to another not having come to a place of stability. They are continually being swayed by every wind of false doctrine that blows. The Holy Spirit, knowing that there can be no real progress,.no settled enjoyment, no proper service, no con fident walk, as long as this question remains unsettled, writes expressly that we may know regarding our salva tion. He says, “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” (1 Jno. 5:13). • The method of coming to full assurance is twofold. There must be some understanding of the work of God which makes the believer safe, and there must be some knowledge of the word of God which makes the believer sure. The believer must know something of what God has done for him, and something of what God has said to him. T h e W ork of G od M akes S afe The work of God which makes the believer safe is one in which each person of the Trinity has a part. The believer has nothing to do with this at all; God does everything. The work of God the Father is seen in choosing the believers before the foundation of the world— “Accord ing as he [the Father] hath chosen us in him [Christ] before the foundation of the world” { Eph. 1 :4). Having chosen them He gives them to Christ who speaks of them
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