| NO LONGER
HOPING (1John. Ch.5 vs. 9 - 13) The first
time I read these verses I was amazed! Verse 13, in particular, struck
me. It reads - ‘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’. The words -
‘That ye may know’ - really challenged me to examine my own heart to see if I had this
assurance of eternal life that I read of in the Scriptures. For many
generations our family had been devout Roman Catholics. One of my ancestors
had allowed her home to be used as a Chapel, where mass was said regularly.
My parents were very involved in their Church. My mother was a great
woman of prayer and regularly said Novenas and Rosaries. She devoted
much of her time to the worship of the Blessed Virgin Mary and many
of the Saints. My father belonged to the Holy Family Confraternity,
a men’s organisation which met once each week to worship Jesus, Mary
and Joseph, known collectively as ‘The Holy Family’. Our parents
had a great influence on when we were children. I remember all of us
kneeling down together in the evening time and saying the Rosary to
the Blessed Virgin Mary. I also accompanied my father to many of the
Holy Family Confraternity meetings over the years. My school
days began at the local Convent, where the Nuns educated me. After receiving
my First Communion I attended the Christian Brothers’ School. One of
the boys in my class was a Protestant. Although we came from different
backgrounds and traditions we were great friends. Both of us had one
thing in common - we HOPED
we would go to Heaven when we died. I HOPED I would get to Heaven because of
the fact that as an infant I had been baptised into the Roman Catholic
Church. Each time I went to Confession the priest told me he had absolved
me from my sins. The priest also told me I received the Body and Blood,
Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ every time I swallowed the Holy Communion
wafer. When I was twelve years old I received my Confirmation. The Archbishop
anointed me with oil. I attended Mass and received the Sacraments regularly.
As far as I was concerned I was a devout Roman Catholic and HOPED
this would get me to Heaven. My friend HOPED he would get to Heaven because of the fact that he had been baptised and enrolled as a member of the Protestant Church. He had learned the Catechism and attended Sunday - School. He had been Confirmed and was regularly attending the services in his Church. He considered himself to be a good Protestant and sincerely HOPED this would get him to Heaven. I HOPED the Roman Catholic Church would
work on my behalf and do all that was necessary to help get me to Heaven.
My friend
HOPED the Protestant Church
to which he belonged would make every effort to secure a place in Heaven
for him. Both of us HOPED
our respective Churches would be actively engaged in securing salvation
for us. After
I left school I got a job with an undertaker. At the funerals I saw
many heart - broken people crying at the graveside. They were HOPING the soul of their loved one, who was being buried, had gone
to Heaven. At Roman Catholic funerals the priest would try to comfort
the family. But he, too, was only HOPING
the soul of the person who was being buried was gone to be with the
Lord. The priest did not know. Neither did the family or any of the
mourners. Just
in case the deceased had not done enough while he or she was alive,
and had not worked hard enough to earn Salvation, the priests would
say ‘Masses for the Dead’. They were HOPING
this would help get the person to Heaven. The family and friends would
buy Mass Cards and then pay the priests to say Masses for their loved
one. They HOPED the Masses would help to get the
dear departed one to Heaven. Masses would, in fact, be said for many
years. The priests who said the Masses and the people who paid for them
sincerely HOPED they would help to save the soul
of their deceased friend. Each year, in the month of November, the priests would send out to each home in their parish a list. People were encouraged to write the names of their deceased family members on this list, which would then be returned to the priests. On All Souls' Day, Masses were said for the repose of the souls of everybody mentioned on the lists. I remember
seeing my mother writing down the names of our deceased family members
on the list. She then returned it to the priests, along with money to
pay for the Masses for the Dead. She was HOPING
that by doing this she could help to secure a place in Heaven for her
loved ones. People could also go to the Chapel on All Souls’ Day and
pray for the souls in Purgatory. They were HOPING
their prayers would help get some of the ‘Holy Souls’ released from
their sufferings in the ‘Fire of Purgation’. Everybody was HOPING that all of these efforts would work, but never knew if they
did. At Protestant funerals the Minister would try to comfort the broken - hearted mourners. Their hearts were breaking because they did not actually know if the soul of their loved one was gone to Heaven. The family members, along with the friends and neighbours, were HOPING all was well between the dear departed one and God. The Minister was also HOPING. But none of them actually knew. I wondered
what might happen at the time of my death. I could picture myself on
my death – bed. I knew I would certainly be HOPING to go to Heaven. I would definitely be HOPING I would not go to Hell. What a fearful situation to be in when
you are dying! How terrible it would be to be uncertain about where
you are going! I really longed to know for certain that I would go to
Heaven when I died. Many
years later I was still HOPING.
At this stage I was married and had a family. If my children had asked
me back then if I knew for certain I would go to Heaven when I died
I would have had to say - “I
HOPE so, but I don’t actually know.” I wished I did know! In November
1975 I met a friend of mine who told me he definitely knew he would
go to Heaven when he died. I had known this man for many years. For
quite a while he had been HOPING
that one day he would get to Heaven. But now he told me that he was
NO LONGER HOPING. He said he actually KNEW that he was going to Heaven. I asked him to explain how he could
have this assurance. He said he got it from reading and believing the
Scriptures. He told me that in the Bible God had revealed His plan of
Salvation. He then encouraged me to read the Scriptures for myself. I read in John’s first Epistle, in Ch. 5 v 13 the following words - ‘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...’ I was
amazed at the words – ‘that ye
may KNOW’. This was just what I needed! I really needed to KNOW! There is such a great difference between HOPING for something, and knowing the reality. According to what I was reading in God’s Word
it is actually possible to KNOW
that you have eternal life. But I
wondered whom these things were written to? The verse reads - ‘These things have I written unto you that
BELIEVE..’. You that believe WHAT, I asked? The answer
to my question was crystal clear. These things were written to those
who believe what God said concerning His Son. Verse 11 reads – ‘And this is the record,
that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son’.
According to the Scriptures eternal life is in a PERSON (Jesus Christ) and His work on the sinner’s behalf. For the
first time in my life I was confronted with the fact that eternal life
is in a Person, and not in a Religion. In the
Gospel of John, in Ch. 14 v 6, I read – ‘Jesus
saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me’. For many years I had believed that
Religion was the way to eternal life. But now I could see that the Scriptures
were not speaking about Religion but about a Relationship with the Lord
Jesus Christ. I was reading in God’s Word about the importance of believing
in, trusting in, and depending upon this Person. In John’s Gospel, in
Ch. 3 v 16 I read –‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life’. I noticed
in this verse the words - ‘God
so loved the world’. But did that include ME, I wondered? Did God
actually love me, as an individual? I knew I was a sinner and that my
sin had to be paid for. In fact I read in the New Testament, in Romans
Ch. 3 v 23 – ‘For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God’. I knew I was certainly included there! God’s Word
was crystal clear. It very specifically stated that we are all sinners.
But when I read Romans Ch. 5 v 8, I was really encouraged. It reads
– ‘But God commendeth his love toward us, in
that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us’. How my heart
began to warm as I read those precious words. Then I read in Peter’s first Epistle, in Ch. 2 v 24, concerning the Lord Jesus Christ - ‘Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree…’ In Galatians, Ch. 1 v 4, I read the following words, which relate to the Saviour - ‘Who gave himself for our sins…’ I had now read of God’s love for the WORLD and of how Christ had died for US. The fact that Jesus bore OUR sins and gave Himself for OUR sins was outlined very clearly in what I had read. But as far as I was concerned the important question was this - Did God love ME? It was fine to read of God’s love for the WORLD. But what about ME, as an individual? My question
was answered when I read the following words in Galatians Ch. 2 v 20
- ‘..The Son of God, who loved ME, and gave himself for ME’. This was just
what I needed to know! The Apostle Paul, who wrote the book of Galatians, knew that God loved the world. But he also knew that God loved him, as an individual. He knew that Christ had suffered and died for him on the cross at Calvary. He knew that Jesus became the sinner’s substitute and paid in full the penalty for the guilt of the sins of all who would repent and put their faith in Him. This was just what I needed to know, too! I realised I was a sinner and that my sin had to be dealt with. I longed to know if God loved ME so much that He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die for MY sin. As I
read over these verses again I could see that God DID love me. He demonstrated
the extent of His love for me at the cross. It became very clear as
I once again read Galatians Ch. 2 v 20 – ‘..The
Son of God, who loved ME, and gave himself for ME’. I could see now that God loved me as an individual.
He loved me so much that He sent His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ,
to die on my behalf. The Son
of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me, paid in full, as my substitute,
all that was required so that my sin could be forgiven. But why
would God do this for a sinner like me? The answer was very clear in
the Scriptures. It was because He LOVED me! In the
book of Titus, in Ch. 3 vs 4 – 5, I read these words – ‘But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us...’ I was really amazed when I read here of God’s
plan of Salvation. We are not saved as a result of our own works, righteous
acts or efforts. In fact, according to God’s Word, our own efforts or
merits have nothing at all to do with our Salvation. God does not even
take them into account. The Scriptures very clearly outlined the fact that we are saved, not because of what WE have done, but because of what GOD has done on our behalf. It is because of His MERCY that He saved us. He has had mercy on the sinner. In these verses it mentions the fact that the kindness and love of God ‘appeared’. But where and when did the kindness and love of God appear? According to the Scriptures God’s love appeared, or was demonstrated publicly, at Calvary, as the Lord Jesus Christ suffered and died upon the cross as a substitute for sinners. God’s Word made it clear that it did not matter what good works I did or what efforts I made to save myself. It did not matter which Church I belonged to. None of these things could ever save my soul. The message of the Bible was clear. Salvation was bestowed because of God’s mercy. What
a great challenge this was to me! For many years I had been HOPING I could earn or merit Salvation by being religious, depending
upon the Church, and doing my best. But I had reckoned I would never
know until after I died if the Church had done enough for me or if I
had done enough myself to secure my Salvation. Now, for the first time in my life, I was confronted with what God said in His Word. It was clear that the Church, regardless of which one I belonged to, could never save me. It was also very clear that my good works and best efforts could not earn or merit Salvation for me. But in the Scriptures I read the GOOD NEWS - The Lord Jesus Christ did enough, through His death on the cross, to save me. In the
book of Titus, in Ch. 2 v 11, I read -
‘For the grace of God
that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men’. Here
was the great difference between man’s way of Salvation and God’s. Man’s
way of Salvation was as follows - Belong to a particular Church; Do
your best; Work your way to Heaven. But what was the end result of this?
Both my Protestant friend and I knew only too well the end result! You
were left HOPING you would get to Heaven, and HOPING you would not go to Hell. Not only
would we be HOPING from day
to day but also, when it came to our time to die we would have nothing
to hold on to. We would have no assurance. Our respective Churches could
give us no assurance. We could get no assurance of Salvation from our
Priests and Ministers for they, too, were only HOPING
they would get to Heaven one day. But God’s plan of Salvation was so different to this. Titus Ch. 2 v. 11 reads – ‘For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men’. This verse speaks of the Grace of God, which is God’s unmerited favour to the sinner. The verse makes it very clear that Salvation is by Grace. It means that God reaches down to the helpless sinner, revealing to him the fact that He loves him so much that He sent His Son to the cross on his behalf. Jesus took the sinner’s place by becoming his substitute and paying the penalty for sin he should have paid. Christ suffered Hell on the cross so that the sinner need not go to Hell. The words
of Romans Ch. 3 v 24 summed it all up. They read - ‘Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus’. God’s Word says we are justified ‘FREELY’. This means Salvation was given freely by God to sinful man.
The sinner is not required to work for it or to earn it. Salvation is
God’s GIFT to the sinner.
God could give this free gift to the sinner because of the fact that
his sins have already been paid for, by Jesus. I could now see that
Salvation was God’s FREE GIFT to ME! By faith
I reached out to God, saying, “Lord, I know I am a sinner and that I
deserve to go to Hell. I know that there is nothing the Church can do
for my Salvation. I also realise there is absolutely nothing I can do
to merit a place in Heaven. Throughout my lifetime I have been HOPING that I could be saved as a result of a combination of the Church’s
work on my behalf and my own good works. I thank you for showing me
that this is not possible. Thank you for showing me in the Scriptures
that Salvation is a gift, which you freely give to the sinner. I am
so grateful that you not only loved the world, but you loved ME enough to send your Son to die as my substitute and pay the penalty
for the guilt of my sins. Thank you, Lord!” Now I am no longer depending upon religion or good works to get me to Heaven. I have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and I am depending upon Him to save me. He is – ‘The Son of God, who loved ME, and gave Himself for ME’. I have repented of my sins, and have been forgiven. Today,
when I read the words of John’s first Epistle, in Ch. 5 v 13, I know
what they mean. They read – ‘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...’ I am trusting
Jesus Christ as my Saviour. I am depending, for my salvation, upon Him
alone, and on the work He did on my behalf as He suffered and died upon
the cross at Calvary. Because of this I have God’s promise of eternal
life. I am
NO LONGER HOPING, but now I KNOW that I will be in Heaven some day.
This assurance is not based upon whether a person is a Roman Catholic
or a Protestant. It is based upon the fact 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’. (John Ch. 3 v 16) INVITATION
Dear
friend, perhaps you have been ‘doing your best’ for many years? Maybe
you have spent a long time HOPING
that membership of a particular Church can
get you to Heaven? But today you are still only HOPING. You have no assurance that all is well between you and God.
You may be sincerely HOPING that
as a result of your prayers and religious exercises you will earn salvation?
But you do not KNOW! Instead
of looking to religion or looking to your own good works to save you,
why not look to the Lord, who said - ‘Look
unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and
there is none else’. (Isaiah Ch. 45 v 22) The Lord
invites you to come to Him right NOW!
‘Come NOW, and let us reason
together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall
be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be
as wool’. (Isaiah. Ch. 1 v 18) Acknowledging
the fact that you are a sinner, turn to Him right NOW in sincere Repentance, asking Him to forgive you and trusting
Him to save you. Then you will be able to say – “I am NO LONGER HOPING. Now I KNOW
I am going to Heaven, because I am depending upon ‘The Son of God, who loved ME, and gave Himself for ME’.” |