YOU CAN HAVE ASSURANCE

YOU CAN HAVE ASSURANCE

"And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end." (Hebrews 6:11)

HERE IS A BLESSING all of God's people can realize–"the full assurance of hope unto the end" of life, or this world, whichever comes first. These days, "assurance" is a rare commodity in any measure, to say nothing of a "full" measure of it. For some people, "hope" waxes and wanes, comes and goes, and is rarely, if ever, consistent. But "every one" of us can have a full-grown assurance that escorts us all the way to "the end," when there will be no further need of assurance in the midst of difficulty.

IN OUR TEXT, "assurance" is associated with "hope."Later in Hebrews, it is connected with faith (Heb 10:22). The "full assurance of hope" has to do with being confident of our destiny, and of Divine enablement to safely arrive on the other side. "Hope" is a firm persuasion, an anchor for the soul (Heb 6:19), that brings the believer to live expectantly, confident of good things to come. Assurance convinces the heart of safety, security, and the guarantee of glory.

THE HOLY SPIRIT EXTENDS HIMSELF to assure the saved of God's favor toward them. The reason for this procedure is obvious: Satan works tirelessly to deprive the saints of this persuasion. He realizes that his effectiveness is brought to an abrupt halt by the "full assurance of faith" (Heb. 10:22), the "full assurance of hope" (Heb 6:11), and the "full assurance of understanding" (Col 2:2). He simply cannot dethrone one of God's king-priests (Rev. 1:5-6) that has embraced the truth of Divine acceptance. Little wonder our adversary is so aggressive to distract believers to things that make absolutely no contribution to faith, assurance, or hope. Under his leadership, much, I fear, of the dialog that goes on among professed Christians has very little to do with the Divine agenda.

ANCHORING YOUR FAITH. Ephesians 1:3-6 anchors our faith in an eternal God. With determination that characterizes Deity alone, He has blessed us with "ALL spiritual blessings." These are benefits required to overcome this world and obtain the one that is to come (Matt 12:32; Heb 2:5; 6:5). They are "spiritual" because they are effectively brought to us by the Holy Spirit. They are "blessings" because they bring joyful and undeniable advantages to those who receive them.

THE REGIONS IN WHICH these benefits may be realized are called "heavenly places." These are realms uncontaminated by sin. They are real, and are therefore called "places." They are transcendent to time and sense, and are therefore called "heavenly." Because of the exceeding broadness of this domain, it is called "places." This is more a term of diversity than of quantity, and is intended to underscore the availability and extent of the blessing of God.

AS A PERSON IN CHRIST JESUS, God has "raised" you up together with other believers to "sit together with Christ in heavenly places" (Eph 2:6). From another perspective, this is the grand place to which we have come in Jesus. How wonderfully it is stated in Hebrews 12:22-24. "But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel" (NASB).

CAN YOU BELIEVE, child of God, that you have come to such a holy place? It is not that you SHOULD come there – it is that you ARE come there. That is where God has placed you, by His matchless grace. There is no need to question the reality of this placement, it has been made known to us through the Holy Scriptures. "But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption" (1 Cor 1:30, NASB). He, and He alone, has "placed the members in the body as it has pleased Him" (1 Cor 12:18).

YOU HAVE BEEN PLACED where unspeakable advantages are provided. With shouts of joy, you can identify with the Psalmist, "Thou hast set my feet in a large place" (Psa 31:18b). There is no reason why you should lack confidence, be fearful and timorous, or reluctant to "draw near" to God. In Jesus, you have been accepted by God--and that acceptance is total, and without any reservation whatsoever! If you have received His Son without any reservation (John 1:12), He has received you without any.

FOR THOSE WHO IMAGINE receiving Christ (Col 2:6) allows for disobedience and a sloven life, they greatly reproach both the Father and the Son by such distortion of the truth. It is written, "The love of Christ constrains us . . . " (2 Cor 5:14), and indeed it does! An understanding of Divine acceptance will never gender slothfulness. That is the fruit of unbelief, never of faith! "Full assurance" will bring joy and consistency to your life. It will reduce debilitating cycles of discouragement and fear. It will put strength and determination into you, and give you a reason to live confidently and expectantly. Make it your personal aim to have "the full assurance of hope," and to have it "to the end."

– Given O. Blakely