For the next several blogs I will be posting excerpts from my book, Assurance of Heaven; God’s Promise to Anyone Who Believes the Gospel. In some posts I may add some additional comments to the chapter excerpt. The following excerpt is from the introduction which frames the purpose for the book.
“Do you lack assurance of salvation? Are you one hundred percent sure you will go to heaven? Many believers do not have this assurance for a number of reasons. Some begin to doubt God’s word after they are saved. Others may be ignorant of their position as a child of God, due to a lack of personal study. Many begin to question their salvation because they are subtly taught to look at their performance. Often teachers confuse passages that speak to Christian living [walking by faith] with those that address deliverance from sin’s penalty [hell].
Today you can listen to a variety of teachers on radio and television. Some stations broadcast Christian teaching around the clock. The internet adds to this dimension of Christian broadcasting, also. But because a person is popular doesn’t mean that all of their teachings are correct. Most of those who preach via modern day media do so because they are financed by people who agree with their doctrine. Study Bibles and commentaries add to the confusion as well. These things deceived me for a time along the way.
If you are not grounded in the gospel, you may be misled. Wrong teaching concerning the gospel will cause you to lack assurance of heaven; something that God wants you to have (John 6:47; I John 5:13). There are those who teach you can lose your salvation. Others believe that baptism is necessary. Still, others think that religious sacraments are needed to get to heaven. Confusion about salvation abounds in the church, and it usually affects most everyone at some point. Many teach that you won’t go to heaven if you don’t persevere. I bought into that without even realizing what it actually meant. In addition, you may be told that a “true” believer will produce good works and be committed to serving the Lord. All this stuff was making me doubt. Had I done enough? Was I good enough? Eventually, I realized there was something askew.”
Assurance of Heaven 