A Know-So Salvation

Many years ago a young pastor was building a great church in Cincinnati, Ohio. The congregation was growing by leaps and bounds. One of our nation’s leading magazines picked up the story and did a featured piece about it. Shortly after, the youthful preacher became an extreme hyper-Calvinist. He taught God’s elect could only hope they were saved, but couldn’t know it for certain.

The story is told, the first Sunday he preached this doctrine, one of his leading men in the church got up to leave; upon which, the pastor asked the reason for his departure. The gentleman replied, “If you can’t know you’re saved, how can you know you’re called to preach? I’m not going to listen to a man who does not know for sure he’s been called.”

Paul did not teach any such doctrine as the above mentioned. On the contrary, he wrote to the new believers in Christ at Thessalonica, “Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.” (1 The. 4) Notice, it was not a hope so, but, a know-so salvation. It’s worth repeating, if one does not know he or she is saved, how then can they be assured of anything else in their Christian life.

“Think, think, think,” says Winnie-the-Pooh. Does it make sense that God would let you know in no uncertain terms you are lost, but not give you the same surety you’re saved?

Know a thing and know you know it!

“And hereby we do know that we know him…”~ 1 Jn. 2:3

“…for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”~ 2 Tim. 1:12

by an Aged Saint

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