Rev (Dr) Quek Suan Yew

Assurance of Salvation – Penalty, Power and Presence

When a sinner is given the gospel in these last days, it is to be hoped that the gospel presented is truly according to Scripture as declared by the apostle Paul: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” [Emphasis added] The gospel is the most important doctrine to all sinners. It is the key to the deliverance of sin in their lives and entrance into heaven. If this key does not fit the door then the sinner cannot enter. He remains outside of heaven until he receives the right key which must be according to Scriptures! 

The “gospels” of the last days are very frighteningly real and seductive and have, tragically, snared millions all over the world. These are the gospels that say “Christ died-but-it-is-not-enough” because your salvation must be completed by doing good works such as attending church, being baptized, taking the Holy Communion, and other church ordained activities. The gospel of the Charismatics is that to believe in Christ means to be “healthy and wealthy”, which is to Christianize carnality, i.e. Christ wants you to indulge in the lust of the flesh and lust of the eyes. Such a gospel is very appealing to the sinful mind and unregenerate heart. Thus millions have jumped into this carnal band wagon designed by the evil one for the last days that promises a place in heaven as well as enjoyment of the carnal heaven on earth! “Easy believism” is another gospel, a pandemic mindset of believing in Christ with no cost counting whereby membership in a local church, especially a fundamental church, is the same as having one’s name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. These false believers are baptised and then disappear into the fun-loving world of mammon very much like the Sodom and Gomorrah of old. They immerse themselves in the cares of the world such as careers and family life which leads to the deceitfulness of riches where money is what they seek after to “solve” their problems in life; Christ is just a forgotten memory and perhaps even a useless entity that they “secured” to cover all bases just in case they die and do not end up in heaven! 

These “gospels” of the last days have spawned a generation of false believers so much so that their way of life has determined what Christian living ought to be. Due to this overwhelming global and seductive influence, even truly born again believers are caught in this snare, instead of living the true way according to the Bible. They will either over-react or under-react to their own salvation and begin to doubt if they are truly born again in Christ! When a sinner truly believes in the Christ of the Bible, having understood the gospel that is according to the Scriptures, there will be a real transformation in his life from within that is as real as breathing and as his heart is beating. He will live for Christ on earth in holiness, godliness and in righteousness, always according to the Scriptures. Doubt usually enters in when the believer falls into sin and his strive toward holiness does not seem to work as he continues to sin daily. The following understanding of what happens to sin in every child of God’s life will help all believers to experience assurance of salvation when they are truly born again in Christ. 

Penalty of Sin Removed (Doctrine of Justification) – The first thing that happens upon salvation is that the penalty of sin in the believer’s life will be permanently removed forever. Romans 3:24-26 “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” The child of God is declared just by God, as Jesus Christ has taken the punishment for his transgressions and sins when He died on the cross for him. God will not punish the sinner twice unless what Christ did was not enough. But God raised Christ from the dead on the third day after He died as a declaration to all humanity that it is indeed enough. It is enough to take away the sins of the whole world if the whole world were to receive Christ as its Saviour. Man does not need to do any works to be saved. The result of true salvation is a holy child of God who will desire for all things holy now that he is in Christ. There is a transformation within him that is real and he knows it in his innermost being. 

All the good works he does from henceforth, including praying, sharing the gospel, worshipping at services on the Lord’s day, Christian fellowship, studying the Bible, are all evidence of this holiness that is within him. Galatians 2:16-21 “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. 17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. 18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” [Emphasis added] The child of God is a new creature in Christ. All the old sinful things have been removed, and he no longer desires to sin against God. But there will be times when he will struggle to be holy and fall into sin. 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 “Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” He lives in the same old body but there is a newness or freshness in him that emanates from within his soul. He looks at the world with new eyes that he has never experienced before. He is able to see the ugliness of sin regardless of how attractive sin is. He sees through the façade of sin and its glitter is no longer gold to him but dung! This is the doctrine of justification. 

Not only has the penalty been removed forever, the power of sin that controls the sinner’s life has been removed as well. 

Power of Sin Destroyed (Doctrine of Resurrection) – If the power of sin that once controlled his whole being is still present, then the sinner would be like a dog going back to its own vomit i.e. the sinner’s thinking is that the world is still good food or like the sow that has been given an amazing hour long perfumed shower and dives back into the mire the moment it is released. The believer may still fall into sin because of the earthen vessel or the body of the flesh that he lives in as he witnesses for the Lord. But the power of sin that controlled his life has been permanently destroyed in Christ Jesus. He does have the power to not listen to the evil voice that once whispered into his ear to lust, envy and covet. That voice is dead. It has been forever replaced by the still small voice of the Holy Spirit that continues to whisper peace, joy and holiness, godliness and forgiveness to his soul every day. He has a special strength from the Lord that he never possessed before and power from the Lord to overcome sin. The power of sin that once controlled him because it owned him has been broken forever by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross of Calvary.

 1 Corinthians 15:53-57 “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The fear of death is gone because the sting of death, which is to die in sin and end up in hell, is gone forever from the believer’s life. He will die in Christ which is like sleep, absent from the body but present with the Lord, and one day he will receive from Christ the resurrected glorified body. 

The born again believer has died with Christ and is also risen with Christ upon his salvation. Colossians 3:1-4 “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” In the sense that the believer has also died when he identified with Christ at salvation, he has also risen from the dead with Christ when Christ rose from the dead. The power of sin in the believer’s life has been broken by Christ because his life is hid with Christ in God. This means that the strength of the believer to overcome the sin in his life is all through Christ’s death and resurrection which God has accepted as all sufficient to take away the power of sin in every believer’s life. However, there are some believers who think that the presence of sin is still in them because they still fall into sin as they witness for Christ on earth. 

Presence of Sin Cleansed (Doctrine of Sanctification) – The sinner must also know that he has been sanctified the moment he accepts Christ as his Lord and Saviour. If the sinner is only justified but not sanctified, it is like washing away the outward dirt of the filthy person but not the dirt within his soul wherewith he continues to lust. It is like sticking on bright red sweet apples on a thorny bush and calling it an apple tree. The believer is transformed from being an evil tree into a good tree that will bear good fruits! The sinful nature that once dwelled in his heart is now destroyed by Christ at point of salvation. Christ’s death has removed the presence of sin. If sin is present still in the believer’s life then his salvation is temporary for the sinful nature remains. Then the righteousness of the law will not be given or imputed by God to all believers. The fact that God has imputed the righteousness of the law (also called Christ’s righteousness) to all believers means that the presence of sin has been removed forever. Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” This took place at the point of salvation. There is no delay. Justification and sanctification will occur in the life of the sinner turning him into a saint the moment he is baptised with the Holy Spirit by Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 “Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: 3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” [Emphasis added] The Christians in Corinth committed many sins. Yet Paul described them here as saints, i.e. holy ones, because they had been sanctified by Christ. Jude conveyed the same truth. Jude 1-2 “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: 2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.”

Sometimes we confuse the immediate once for all sanctification (positional) with the practical aspect of the doctrine of sanctification that is for the purpose of daily witness. John 17:17-19 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” The basis for practical sanctification is the positional sanctification. Christ’s righteousness has been imputed upon the positionally sanctified. Therefore whenever a believer sins he desires to be sanctified, i.e. to be cleansed of his sin and be holy again. This desire is evidence of the positional sanctification that Christ has accomplished in his life when he was saved by Him. 

Conclusion – The moment a sinner becomes a Christian, he will experience all three deliverances in his life – the penalty of sin, the power of sin and the presence of sin. His salvation is secured, for it has been sealed by the finished work of Christ at Calvary which God accepted when He raised Christ from the dead. Do not doubt your salvation but come to Christ in all humility and with a totally surrendered heart and he will save you to the uttermost and you will not be ashamed. Romans 10:9-11 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”