Helping New Believers With A Foundational Life Lesson

Continuing the line of specific crucial truths for the spread of the Lord’s recovery, we come to the assurance, security and joy of salvation.  After someone is led to the Lord, we must help him to know assuredly that he is saved and to enjoy his salvation.  In Life Lessons, which Brother Lee developed specifically as an aid for appointments with new believers, his first lesson was, “Knowing That You Are Saved.”  So, we cannot treat lightly one’s assurance of salvation.  Are we ready to give someone three proofs, with some corresponding verses, to show them the assurance of their salvation?  Here is a quick review of the assurance, security and joy of salvation:

We have three proofs to assure someone of his salvation.
1)  God says so.  While man’s word changes, God’s word never changes.  It is trustworthy and stands forever; God cannot lie.
Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that He should lie, / Nor a son of man, that He should repent. / Has He said, and will He not do it? / Or has He spoken, and will He not establish it?
Rom 10:9 – That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Rom 10:13 – For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
2) The inner witness of the Spirit.
Romans 8:16 The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God.
3) Our love for the other believers.
1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brothers.

We can use the example of a rich man depositing His money in the bank to illustrate the need for the security of salvation.  The rich man may know for certain that his money is in the bank, but if the bank leaves its vault open then his riches are not secure.  We can show people the security of their salvation by showing them that salvation is initiated by God (John 15:16), God’s love and grace are eternal (Jeremiah 31:3, 2 Tim. 1:9), God is righteous (Psa. 89:14), God is strong (John 10:28-29), we have become God’s children (John 1:12-13), God never changes (James 1:17), and Christ has promised (Hebrews 13:5).

Finally, we must help the new believers to see that the normal condition of a Christian is one of enjoying their salvation.  While we can never lose our salvation, we may temporarily lose the joy of our salvation by sinning or grieving the Holy Spirit–that is, speaking or acting contrary to the Person inside of us who is full of thought, feeling, and motive. Therefore, we must be ready to help the new ones with some verses to show them how to enjoy their salvation in the following ways.
1) Confessing their sins
1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Psa. 51:12: Restore to me the gladness of Your salvation.
2) Taking God’s word as food. We can use many passages in the Word to lead others to enjoy the Word prayerfully.
Jeremiah 15:16: Your words were found and I ate them, / And Your word became to me / The gladness and joy of my heart.
3) Praying.
John 16:24: Ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be made full.
Isa. 56:7 Even these will I cause to come to My holy mountain / And to rejoice in My house of prayer.
4) Fellowshipping in spirit with other believers.  Brother Lee says that the “greatest enjoyment for a Christian is to be together with others who love and enjoy Christ.”
1 John 1:3-4 That you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.  And these things we write that our joy may be made full.

Surely there are many other verses that can be used with the points above.  If you have some fellowship or experience sharing on these points that could be beneficial to all of us, feel free to post it.  May the Lord fill this year, and even the next 2 weeks of sowing in 30 cities particularly, with times of unveiling these fundamental truths to new believers.