When two parties offer one another assurance that what they expect to happen will actually transpire, a number of time-tested options present themselves.  One such option is to offer something of substantial value as security.  This may take the form of earnest money on deposit with a third party, or a tangible asset, like real property or jewelry, held in trust.  Another alternative is to put up a home, business, boat, or vehicle as collateral.  

For some purposes, a surety bond or performance bond may be used.  In other situations, witnesses to the signing of a contract or covenant, attested by the official stamp of a notary public, may suffice.  In most circumstances, two primary factors determine the lengths to which the parties may require one another to go to prove their good faith: 1) the “size” of the promise and 2) the degree of trust between the entrants into the agreement, be it formal or otherwise.

The Bible is chock full of the promises of God, and makes many representations concerning why and how one can know they will be kept.  Scripture calls the promises of God “exceeding great and precious.”  Here are a few of the better known examples:

FORGIVENESS OF SINS: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9).  Because Jesus Christ paid on the cross the full penalty for our sins, and rose again from the dead, God can be both “faithful” to His promise to forgive us our sins, and “just” in doing so.

SALVATION: “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.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him…”  (Revelation 3:20)

Notice the centrality of Jesus.  Everything hinges on Him.  In fact, Scripture says so, in so many words: “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” (II Corinthians 1:20)

“ALL” of the promises of God depend upon Jesus Christ.  They are affirmed “in him.”  Those not yet due to come true will be fulfilled in and through Him alone, no one else.  That is why we can, by faith in Jesus, shout “amen!” to each and every one of God’s promises.  His word is true.  His track record is perfect.  In His case, past performance is a guarantee of future success.

Which promise of God is of greatest value varies from time to time and from person to person (as do human needs).  At times, those promises dealing with God’s providence come into focus.  At other times, promises associated with His provision, His protection, or His presence assume greater or lesser importance.  For believers—and those who’d want to be, if only the story of a good God who loves them and sent His only Son to suffer and die to save them could somehow be true—the most meaningful promises of God are those offering assurance of salvation.

That is a commodity typically unavailable through religion, which is all about striving to be good enough for God…or to become God.  But saving oneself is a delusion, a mirage, a pipedream you can spend your whole life chasing, if you’ve a mind to, without the slightest hope of catching it.  It’s an effort doomed from the start (before the start, actually):

• “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5)
• “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  (Romans 3:23)
• “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.”  (Romans 3:10)
• “For the wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23)

By contrast, the kind of assurance that Jesus gives is truly unique, based as it is, on His unrivaled authority, power, knowledge and truthfulness.  If you do nothing else in this life, you owe it to yourself to listen carefully—very carefully—to the promise He makes and the words He chooses.

”Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24)

Notice the introduction—“verily, verily”—(a word attesting to both truth and certainty, repeated to double the emphasis).

Notice the source of the information, (“I say unto you…”).  The message is from Jesus, personally.  There is no higher, more reliable or more trustworthy authority.

Notice the use of present, not future tense “He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life…”.  Everlasting life is the believer’s present possession, not a wish or a hope that may or may not materialize down the line, someday.  Good-bye guilt, shame, fear and frustration.  

Note that those who put their trust in Jesus “…shall not come into condemnation…” (because their sin has already been dealt with, the penalty paid in full by their Master).  No charge, no accusation remains against them.  Hello, peace, joy, contentment and freedom!

Here again comes the use of present tense.  The believer won’t be damned, but instead “is passed from death unto life.”  This action or should I say “transaction” has already occurred.  “Is passed” describes the believer’s current state.  The believer in Christ, whomsoever he or she may be, is not waiting to see how things will go with them in the end, on pins and needles awaiting the Judge’s pronouncement of their fate.  Their eternal future is already secure, says Jesus (and He should know).  He goes on to explain:

”Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”  (John 5:25-29)

So, there is a coming hour in which all who are in the graves will hear and respond to Christ’s voice.  The ears of the dead will hear.  The dead will rise.  Some fearfully await His judgment of their works vs. God’s perfect standard, with the inevitable result that they will be condemned and go off to eternal punishment.  Believers will rise to receive their rewards and share in the glory of their immortal Lord.  Both of these scenarios are promised by God.  He never fails to keep an oath. 

In which crowd will you be found when the hour ultimately arrives?  Will it be among those facing certain condemnation, or among those who “shall not come into condemnation; but are [already] passed from death to life?”  There is no need to guess.  For the living, there is still an opportunity to choose.  Don’t procrastinate.  If you have not yet done so, I urge you to surrender your life to Christ and follow Him.  Don’t know how to get started?  Read on.

HOW TO BE SAVED:

• Admit to God that you are a sinner (that you have not kept His moral law to perfection; in your thoughts, words, and actions you have done what His law forbids and have failed to do what His love demands).  This is seeing yourself from God’s point of view and agreeing that He is right about you.  Be as specific as you can.
• Believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins and that God raised Him from the dead.
• Sincerely repent (turn away) from your sins, asking God to forgive you and to use His power to help you resist temptation, no matter how strong the pull of sin may be, at first.
• Acknowledge Jesus as the Lord of your life.  Invite Him to move into your heart and take up residence there, so that He can change you from the inside out.
• Trust His promise to save you and give you a new spiritual birth and a new nature (thoughts, desires, priorities, hopes, dreams, and character).

SOME KEY TRUTHS:

• “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.”  (John 3:16)
• “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8)
• “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”  (I Corinthians 15:3,4)
• “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12)
• “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  (Romans 10:13)
• “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, ye might have life through his name.”  (John 20:31) 
• “These things I have written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”  (I John 5:13)