Search
Scripture Reading: Heb. 10:19-22
In the Scriptures that we have just read, the portion after the phrase "let us" tells us what we should do, while the portion before it tells us what the Lord has accomplished. Since we have obtained so much, we need to draw nigh unto God with a true heart and in full assurance of faith.
Here is something that deserves our special attention. There is a great difference between the New Testament and the Old Testament. In the New Testament one starts from a position to which he has already attained and proceeds step by step onward, whereas in the Old Testament one starts by advancing step by step until he attains to a certain position. In other words, in the Old Testament men did not have any position at all. It was like students taking an entrance examination for a school; there was no assurance that they had been accepted. Those in the Old Testament had no assurance before God at all; everyone was under the test. This is why they had to try their best to worship God and please Him, hoping that one day they would receive a position before God and have eternal life.
The reverse is true in the New Testament. Blessed is the man who knows that the New Testament is the reverse of the Old Testament! The New Testament is entirely different from the Old Testament. The Old Testament requires that man try his best to draw near to God and win a position. The New Testament begins by giving men a position. Furthermore, that position never changes. Every New Testament believer has received his position in Christ; he has received eternal life. After this he draws nigh to God. In the Old Testament one has to try his best to draw nigh to God before he can secure a position for himself. In the New Testament a position has been secured, and one comes to God with a true heart in full assurance of faith.
Brothers and sisters, today I wish to point out one thing. We should stand in the position that God has given us. A while ago many people were saved. Please remember that the first work a newly saved person has to do is to clearly recognize the position in which he is standing. I can tell you today that God's Word has made it plain that everyone who is in the Lord has obtained a position. This means that he is a child of God and can draw nigh to the Lord. All the work we have at present is based on the fact that we have obtained a position. We do not work hard before we become saved. All those who have this kind of concept do not know God and do not know His Word.
I would like to tell you a few stories. Once I was preaching the gospel at one place for about six to seven days. I asked the audience at the end, "Do you believe in Jesus?" Many people answered boldly, "Yes, I do." I asked further, "If you have believed, what have you received?" Many of them could not answer. Later on I said, "Whosoever knows that he is saved, please raise up his hand." There were about six hundred people in the congregation. But only three hands were raised. The three persons were not actually from that locality. They were saved through my preaching elsewhere, and I had brought them there with me. There were six hundred people who believed in the Lord, but there were not even three who were saved. This was indeed strange.
In 1924 I preached in Changchow for more than ten days and asked the same question. I asked if they had believed in Jesus as their Savior. More than a thousand hands were raised. But when I asked again, "Now that you have believed, do you know that you have eternal life, that you will not perish, and that once you believe, you are saved forever?" It was most amazing! Just a minute before, a thousand hands were raised. But now not a single hand was raised from the audience. Only my translator on the platform raised his hand. I told them, "The Lord says that he who believes has eternal life. You have believed. Why do you not know that you have eternal life?"
Another time, at a meeting with more than a thousand people, I asked if they believed in the Lord. Over a thousand hands were raised simultaneously. When I asked again if they were saved, there were only twelve to thirteen hands. Why was there such a big difference in the number of hands? There were over a thousand believers, but only slightly more than ten thought they were saved. Does this mean that Christ is not dependable? Suppose a doctor posted a sign saying, "All patients will be cured." If you ask him, "How many patients do you have?" he may say, "Over a thousand." If you ask him again, "How many have been cured?" and he says, "Eleven or twelve out of a thousand were cured," you will surely say that this doctor is not dependable. Many consulted him, but few were cured. If more than a thousand believed in the Lord Jesus but only eleven to twelve are saved, this means that He is not dependable.
Another time I was holding meetings in a certain county around Swatow. I found that even many elders, pastors, deacons, and those who were supposed to be teaching others were themselves ignorant of this fact. They preached salvation to others, yet they themselves did not understand or know their own position. They did not know that once a person believes, he has eternal life and will not perish. They did not have any assurance about this matter.
Not only in public but also during private conversations, I have met many such people. Once when a woman discussed this matter with me, I asked if she believed. She was not an eloquent person and did not have much knowledge. She told me that her grandparents and her parents were all believers and that she herself was also a believer. Having said that, she recited to me the Ten Commandments, just to show me that she knew something about religion. Then I told her, "We believers have nothing that we cannot say. May I ask you a question? If you were to die now, could you say that you are saved?" She answered, "I dare not say this. I am trying my best to behave well, help others, and serve the Lord. When that day comes, if the Lord is merciful to me and lets me go to heaven, it will be wonderful. If He is not merciful to save me, I will not be saved." I began to explain many things to her. After some time she began to understand. Had I not explained all this to her, she would still be saying, "I will try my best to behave, sacrifice, and suffer, hoping that one day I will be saved."
Once I was talking to a young, knowledgeable seminary student. He was not clear concerning the matter of salvation. He said, "I am trying my best to work and do good. In the future if God says that I am worthy to go to heaven, I will be saved. Saying that I am saved while I am on the earth today is too boastful and proud." I had to spend much time with him before he was brought to an understanding of his position in salvation.
In my public and private meetings with people, I have met many believers who dare not say that they are saved. They refuse to believe that the Bible is the Word of God. Whatever God says, it is so. Whatever God says will not change; it will definitely come to pass. Many people think, "I should try my best to work and to do good, hoping that God will save me in the future." However, hoping is not believing. Please remember that every time the Bible mentions faith, it is in reference to accomplished facts in the past and not to things in the future. All those who hope to be saved have a problem with their faith concerning the Lord's accomplished salvation. They hope to receive God's promise and grace, but they will not believe in Him. God is not pleased with such an attitude.
Now we want to examine another matter. Can a believer know that he has eternal life? Can he know that he is already saved? Concerning this matter, I would not say anything and would not ask you to say anything. Let this book — the Bible — speak to us. Let us now read a few portions of the Scriptures to see if we can know that we have eternal life.
First, please read 1 John 5:13: "I have written these things to you that you may know that you have eternal life, to you who believe into the name of the Son of God." We have to grasp the last sentence of this verse. Does it tell you to hope? Not at all. It says that we should know that we have eternal life. To whom does John write the letter? To those who believe into the name of the Son of God. Who is the Son of God? He is Christ. What did John say when he wrote to those who believe in Jesus Christ? He wrote so that they may know that they have eternal life. Does a believer have eternal life? The Bible says that we can know this. John's purpose in writing is to let those who believe into the name of the Son of God know that they have eternal life.
Next let us look at Acts 13:38-39: "Therefore let it be known to you, men, brothers, that through this One forgiveness of sins is announced to you; and from all the things from which you were not able to be justified by the law of Moses, in this One everyone who believes is justified." What does the first sentence say? Does it say, "Brothers, be hopeful"? or "Brothers, you should believe"? Not at all. It does not say to hope or to believe; rather, it says, "Let it be known to you, men, brothers, that through this One forgiveness of sins is announced to you; and from all the things from which you were not able to be justified by the law of Moses, in this One everyone who believes is justified." Can we know that we are justified and forgiven? Paul's word says that we can. He says that we should know that we are justified and forgiven. Those who believe should know this and should not need others to tell them this.
Let us see 2 Corinthians 5:1: "For we know that if our earthly tabernacle dwelling is taken down, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens." Unlike the last verse in Acts, which says that we should know, this verse is a command. It says clearly that we know. It seems to be telling us that no one needs to explain, there is no need to struggle to understand, and the matter should be very apparent. What is it that we should know? Paul says, "For we know that if our earthly tabernacle dwelling (our physical body) is taken down, we have a building from God, a dwelling (our resurrected body) not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens." Paul knew assuredly that if our earthly bodies die, we will have resurrected and eternal bodies in the heavens. In other words, Paul knew that we are saved. The words here are stated most clearly; there is no ambiguity at all. Paul was very careful in saying these words. Otherwise, others may misunderstand, saying, "Since Paul is an apostle and has worked so well, surely he will go to heaven when he dies. But I am not that fervent, and I do not love the Lord that much. If I die, I may not have a resurrected body." Paul was very careful in saying what he said. He did not say, "I know if my earthly tabernacle dwelling is taken down." Paul used we. This includes not just you and me, but all those who believe in the Lord. If our earthly tabernacle dwelling is taken down, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens. This shows us once more that whoever believes may know that he has eternal life and is saved.
Following this, verses 6 and 8 say, "Therefore being always of good courage and knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are abroad from the Lord...we are of good courage then and are well pleased rather to be abroad from the body and at home with the Lord." Paul had no doubt concerning where he would go after he departed from his body; He was certain that he would not go to the eternal dreadful place. He knew that he would be with the Lord forever. Therefore, he was confident and was not afraid of death at all. This shows us again that we do not have to wait for the future; we can know today whether we are saved.
Read again 2 Timothy 1:12: "For which cause also I suffer these things; but I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to guard my deposit unto that day." Why did Paul say, "I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to guard my deposit unto that day?" What did Paul commit to the Lord when he believed in Him? He committed his future eternal salvation to the Lord. Paul was persuaded that the Lord was able to keep that which he had committed unto Him unto that day. He knew very clearly and understood very well that all the matters that he had committed to the Lord would be kept and not be lost unto that day.
The few passages that we have read testify that we can know that we have eternal life and that we can know that we are saved while we are still on earth. Anyone should know today if he is saved. Friends, please do not take the excuse that we do not know whether we will go to heaven or to hell until we are judged before God in the future. Let me repeat: we can know today whether we are saved and whether we will go to heaven.
Now let me mention a few things. How do we know that we have eternal life and are saved? First, we have to know how one can have eternal life. If we know the way of justification and the forgiveness of sins, we will know whether or not we have passed that way. If we have passed that way, we have eternal life; if not, we do not have eternal life. Let me now tell you the way to obtain eternal life. Many people know this way, and many have heard this from others. But I still want to repeat it.
The New Testament mentions at least one hundred fifty times that those who believe will have eternal life; they will have life and not be condemned but will be saved. What does John 3:16, a verse most familiar to us, tell us? It tells us that God loves the world. How does He love? To what extent has He loved? He loved to the extent that He gave His only begotten Son. God has given His only begotten Son to the world, and Jesus has died for sinners and accomplished the work of redemption. What happens after this? It goes on to say that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life. This verse has three main points. It mentions a great fact, a great condition, and a great result. The great fact is that God has sent Jesus to the world to redeem men and to be their Savior. The great condition is the one thing that everyone should do — believe. The great result is too good; it is something man has never thought of: whoever believes will not perish, but have eternal life. The great fact is that God so loved the world. To what extent did He love? He loved to the extent that He gave His only begotten Son to the world to die on the cross for men's sins and save all the sinners. This is the great fact. Nothing is greater and truer than this. Now there is a great condition, a great demand placed before every man. Man has to fulfill this condition. What is this condition? Everyone should believe that God has accomplished such a fact and should believe in God's accomplishment. This is the unique condition and something that everyone should fulfill. The great fact is accomplished by God, and the great condition is to be fulfilled by man. What then is the great result? It is that we would not perish but have eternal life. This is to be saved. Since the Lord has said that those who believe in Him would not perish but have eternal life, do you think that after we have believed, that we will still perish? Even if the Lord could be unrighteous, He could not be unrighteous to such an extent. Of course, our God is a righteous God! Whoever believes will surely have eternal life and will not perish. God will accomplish this according to what He says.
Once there was a medical doctor who was a very good believer in the Lord. He took care of his patients well, and whenever there was the opportunity, he would preach the gospel to them. Once he was treating a widow's sickness. In the course of their conversation, he asked if she was a believer. She answered, "Yes, I truly believe in Jesus and have accepted Him as my Savior." The doctor asked again, "If you have truly believed and accepted Jesus as your Savior, do you have eternal life? Suppose this sickness does not get cured and you die, will you go to heaven or to hell?" She said, "Sir, I dare not say. I have been a Christian for many years, and I try my best to do good works. If God sees me fit to be saved and go to heaven, it will be wonderful; otherwise, there is nothing that I can do." The doctor said, "Wait. Let me ask you a question. Since you have been a Christian for so many years, surely you have memorized some verses by heart." She said, "Of course, there are many Scripture verses I can recite. The most familiar one is John 3:16. Even when I was in kindergarten, my teacher had me memorize it. I have known this verse by heart for the last fifty to sixty years." Then she recited: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that every one who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life." The doctor said, " Very good, but now do you have eternal life?" She answered, "Sir, I just told you that I try my best to do good, hoping that in the future God will approve me and give me eternal life. Then I will know if I have eternal life. Only good Christians like you, doctor, have the boldness to say that you have eternal life. I would not dare to say it." The doctor said gently, "Madam, you have memorized John 3:16 incorrectly." She said, "This cannot be. I have had this verse memorized for fifty to sixty years. How can I be wrong?" The doctor said, "Please recite it again," and she recited it in the same way again. When she finished, she asked to the doctor, "What did I say wrong?" The doctor immediately asked her, "Do you have eternal life?" She replied anxiously, "I have told you two to three times that I dare not say that I have it; I only endeavor to do good, hoping that on that day God will say that I have eternal life. While I am on the earth today, I dare not say that I have it." The doctor said gently again, "You have still recited John 3:16 incorrectly." She said, "I have just recited it to you without any error. Yet you say again that I am wrong. Please do not make fun of me. How can I be wrong after having known it for fifty to sixty years? It is you who have memorized it wrong." Then she stood up to look for a Bible and placed John 3:16 in front of the doctor, saying, "I will recite it again. Please look at it word by word to see if I am wrong." After she had recited it, she said, "Sir, who is wrong? Was I not correct?" The doctor said, "Please calm down. I just want to ask if you have eternal life." She answered in a furious way, "You said that I recited John 3:16 incorrectly; why do you ask me about this matter again? Have I not told you three to four times that I dare not say whether I have eternal life, and that I only hope God will say I have it in the future." The doctor said again, "You have recited John 3:16 incorrectly." She answered, "I give up. Would you please recite it for me." The doctor said, "Fine," and he went on to recite John 3:16. Then the woman said, "How is yours different from mine? Check and see that what you have recited was exactly what I recited." He said, "They are not the same; now let me recite your John 3:16 for you: `For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that every one who believes into Him and endeavors to do good, and after whose death God will judge and say that he may have eternal life, because God has delighted in him, such a one will have eternal life and will not perish.' My John 3:16 says, `That every one who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life.'" The woman then understood what the doctor meant. She had thought that John 3:16 had two parts with the first part ending after "believes into Him," after which one could insert any word before proceeding to the second part "would not perish, but would have eternal life." Now she knew that John 3:16 is only one sentence. Everyone who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life.
O brothers and sisters, please remember that every one who believes has eternal life. God cannot lie. What God has said must be. Whenever you believe, you have eternal life. Many years ago there was an evangelist, Mr. Chapman, who saved many souls during his preaching and was very well known. He is now with the Lord. I mention him because the story of his salvation has something to do with what we are speaking today. He was a doctor of philosophy, a highly educated man. Once he heard Mr. Moody's preaching. Mr. Moody was an uneducated laborer. When the two conversed with each other, Mr. Moody asked him, "Are you a Christian?" Mr Chapman answered, "Sometimes I am good and sometimes not. When I am zealous I am the most zealous of all men; but when I am cold there is no one colder than I. When I am zealous, I can boldly say that I am a Christian, but when I am cold, I dare not claim that I am a Christian." Mr. Moody did not say anything but asked him to read John 5:24: "Truly, truly, I say to you, He who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment but has passed out of death into life." After reading the verse, he asked Mr. Chapman, "Are you a saved Christian?" Although Mr. Chapman had a doctorate degree, he responded the same way as that old widow: "I have told you that when I endeavor to do good, I am a Christian, but when I am cold and am not doing good, I am not a Christian." Moody said, "What does this verse say? What do you have after you have heard the gospel and believed in the One that sent Christ, that is, after you have believed in the heavenly Father? Does not the Bible say that this kind of person has eternal life and has passed out of death into life? Mr. Chapman, since you are a believer in the Lord, you are a saved Christian." Mr. Chapman stopped and considered doubtfully. Then he said, "I still cannot say that I am a Christian. How terrible a person I am! Many times I am indeed zealous, but many times I am cold." Moody took the Bible in his hand and said, "Dr. Chapman, whose word is it that you are doubting?" Right then, Mr Chapman realized that he was doubting God's word. Later, he testified in his sermon that from that time on, he knew he had eternal life.
For one who believes in the Lord to say that he does not have eternal life is not humility, but unbelief. It is to doubt God's words and God's righteous and unchanging character. Everyone who is in the Lord has eternal life and is not condemned but has passed out of death into life. The day when we believe, we are regenerated and have a new life. This is the gospel! I present this matter before everyone, to let you know that you have eternal life.
Read again John 6:47: "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life." If the whole Bible were taken away and only this verse remained, it would still be sufficient to solve the matter concerning salvation. Believing is not hoping; it is not waiting for the future, or doing anything. The Bible says, "He who believes has eternal life." God's Word will not change.
Let me tell you another very simple story. Some years ago there was a very well-known servant of the Lord who was also a medical doctor. He did profound research in the medical field. In addition, he had a strong faith. At his work, he always exhorted people to believe in the Lord. One time he went to a hospital and saw lying in bed a sick young lady, whose life was almost over. He was an aged person, and he went over and asked her, "Are you happy?" She said, "No, I do not have any joy at all." He asked, "Why are you not happy? Have you believed in Jesus?" She said, "Yes, I have truly believed in Jesus as my Savior, and I have committed all my sins to Him." He then asked, "Do you have eternal life? Are you saved?" She said, "This is the very question I cannot resolve. The doctor said that my temperature is very high and that I do not have long to live. I still do not know how God will treat me when I see Him. I am very sad and am not happy at all. If a man has done good all his life, made sacrifices, endeavored to work and save people, and deserved some special merits, he may have eternal life. But I do not have many days on earth, and I have not spent much effort to save people. How can I be saved?" The doctor said to her, "Salvation is by the blood of the Lord and the redemption He has accomplished. We have no strength to save ourselves." He asked her to read John 6:47: "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life." The doctor then said, "The Lord's word can never be false. He even says `truly, truly,' which means it must be true. What does He say those who believe in Him will have?" The young lady said, "Eternal life." He asked her again, "Since you have believed, do you have eternal life?" The young lady waited for a long time and then said, "The Bible says that I have eternal life, but I say I do not have eternal life." He said, "Which is more reliable, what you say, or what the Bible says?" At last she said with tears on her face, "I believe I have eternal life." From that time on, she became a happy person. Not long afterward, she passed away to the Lord who gave her eternal life.
O friends, I present this matter before you. The Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross in order to save sinners. He shed His precious blood to cleanse us from our sins. All those who believe in Him will not perish but will have eternal life. All your problems can be solved here. Today I only ask you, "Do you believe in Jesus?" All those who believe have eternal life.
Once I met a sister in Southeast Asia and asked if she believed in the Lord. She said, "I believe that Jesus can save me." I asked again, "Are you saved?" She said, "Sometimes I am saved; sometimes I am not. When I had a very good time reading the Bible, I considered that it would be wonderful if I would die then, because I believed at that time that I was saved. After a while when I got angry with my mother or quarreled with my younger brother, I felt that I had sinned, and I said to myself that I must not die. If I died then, I would certainly perish. Day after day, I switched between moments of good and bad, being saved and not being saved." I said to her, "Sister, you really must be the most capable person in the whole world. Within a day, you can go back and forth between heaven and hell many times. You are indeed capable. Who can be as capable as you are?" She said, "Do you mean to say that once I believe, I am a saved person?" I said, "What does God say in the Bible? God says those who believe have eternal life. No one can alter this Word, not even God. If you do not believe this Word, it means you do not believe that the Bible is the Word of God."
If a person does not understand the way to be saved, he cannot know whether or not he is saved. A person who wants to be saved must first know the conditions and the basis of salvation. If you do not understand the basis of salvation you cannot know whether you are saved. Once I was in Amoy discussing the matter of salvation with a great merchant there. We discussed it from nine o'clock in the evening to half past eleven o'clock, but the matter was still not settled. All the time he dared not say that he had eternal life. He said, "Three months ago, someone came here to preach the gospel and said that those who believe have eternal life. At that time I believed, and I put aside my sins; I thought that I was saved. But a month later my faith was gone, and I fell into great sins again. Does this not mean that I became unsaved? Now you are here. When I heard your preaching, I was revived again. But I am afraid that after you leave, in one or two months, I will become cold and backslidden again and become unsaved like before. Therefore, I cannot say that I am saved." I showed him many verses from the Scriptures and told him that the Word of God cannot be wrong and that one only has to believe. He was still not clear. In the end, I stood up to say goodbye to him, "Sir, I have to leave now because tomorrow I have meetings and some guests are waiting to see me. Therefore, we cannot continue. But let me say a final word. Are you saved by yourself or by the Lord Jesus?" Having said that, I began to walk away. After taking two steps, he called me back. I asked him why. He said, "We have talked for three to four hours, and I was not clear. But now I am clear. Being saved does not depend on good deeds in the past, nor on the good deeds in the future, but rather on whether or not one believes that Jesus bore his sins and died for him. No matter how many sins one has, these sins have all been put upon Him. As long as a man will believe, he will be saved. We are not saved by ourselves. We cannot save ourselves. It is the Lord Jesus who has saved us. Why then should I still say that I am not saved?" Finally, this man knew that he was saved. How happy we both were! The few hours spent in discussions and reading of the Scriptures were all useless. But the one word at the end gave him the understanding.
Many believers do not say that they are saved because they do not understand the basis of salvation. They think that all the misconduct in the past is put on Jesus, but that if one misbehaves after he has believed, he will perish. This is to revert back to the Old Testament position. In the New Testament, one is first given the standing; by faith one is first filled with the new life and then one comes before God with a true heart in full assurance of faith. One does not come to God by doing good. Rather, one comes to God based on the position he has received. This position will never be lost. Today many do not have the joy of salvation because they are trying to preserve their ongoing salvation with good works. Salvation does not come through a lifetime of labor; that will not save a person. If you ask a genuinely saved person how he is saved, he will definitely answer, "It is Jesus who saves me. I do not have any ability to save myself. It is all from the Lord." Only this kind of person will always rejoice.
The thief who was crucified at the same time as Christ was being crucified was saved right there on the cross immediately after he accepted the Lord. His salvation was based fully on the substitutionary death of Jesus. Suppose he did not die right after he was saved; suppose he lived fifty more years and did the best work like Paul, stood firm like Peter, or had the greatest love like John. Suppose he had all the virtues of Paul, Peter, and John added together. Could any of these virtues render help to his salvation to paradise at all? Would they make him more worthy of his salvation? No, they would not. Even if the thief stopped being a thief, even if he lived to do good and save others, and even if he became as good as the apostles, that still would not form the basis for his salvation. The only basis is the Lord Jesus; salvation does not depend on the behavior of the believers. This is why a believer can say that he is saved. It is after a man is saved that he conducts himself like the Lord did, being good and holy.
Suppose a person falls into water and others on the banks save him and bring him up with great difficulty. They give him artificial respiration, a change of clothes, a burning fire to warm him, and something to eat so that he can live. Suppose you were to ask him, "Where are you now? Are you on the ground?" If he answers, "Though I am not in the water, I still feel that I am in the water. If I say I am now on the ground, it is too proud. I can only hope that I am on the ground!" Would you say that such a person is humble? This is not humility. Christ has saved the believers, yet if we still say, "I dare not say that I am saved; I still feel that I am in hell," we are too unreasonable!
When a person genuinely believes in Jesus as his Savior and in God's putting all his sins upon Him, but still says that he is not saved, this person is not humble; he is rather ungrateful for the exceeding grace of the Lord! He does not acknowledge the great work of the Lord's redemption and is saying that the Lord cannot fully save him! A Christian with this kind of thought will never praise God! I have never seen such a one utter thanks and songs of praises from his mouth! He does not know where he is going. No wonder he cannot praise or give glory to God. A person going to hell or a person who does not know that he has eternal life surely cannot praise God. It is pitiful that the praises that are due do not exist in the mouths of many Christians! Only those who know that they are saved can praise and thank the Lord! Who will praise God in Hades? Hell is filled with curses! It never has a word of praise. If you do not praise God now, when will you praise Him?
Some people say, "There is a danger in saying that once a person believes, he has eternal life and is saved and will never perish, because if a person knows that he is saved anyway, he may do whatever he wants, not be careful about anything, or not have a fearful heart." Those who say this do not know God's way of salvation and grace. Please note that the salvation as recorded in the Scriptures includes objective and subjective aspects. The Lord was crucified on the cross. God said that those who believe in Him will not go to hell but are justified and fully saved because all their sins have been put on the cross, and their sins are fully forgiven. This is the objective aspect. At the same time, within the Lord's salvation, there is also the subjective work. He has crucified on the cross the life which once loved sin, filthiness, and uncleanness. At the same time, He has given us His life — the new life. This is subjective salvation. The Lord not only saves us objectively, but He Himself also regenerates us. We are not only forgiven but also regenerated. God has put a new life and a new spirit inside us. Every believer has the Holy Spirit living within him, so that he knows what is good, what should be done, and what is right. His life is a good and joyful one. There is no one whose sins have been forgiven and who has the life of God who will feel that a holy life is a suffering and is not good. Formerly he dared not commit evil openly because he was afraid of having a bad name or reputation. Now he does not commit evil because he knows that these are sins, and that the sins themselves and their nature are stinky and filthy. Now he sees sins as something repulsive. In addition, he has the Holy Spirit dwelling within him, and he dares not do evil.
If a person has believed in the Lord and continues to sin without any hatred towards sin, this shows that he has not yet been regenerated. An unregenerated person does not have life and is not saved. God has not only given us objective salvation, but He has also given us subjective salvation. If any man thinks he has a new life and is regenerated, yet continues to sin, his faith is not genuine, and he is not really regenerated. God's life causes us not to sin. Therefore, a believer does not have to sin. Please grasp these words firmly. A believer not only has objective salvation, but also the subjective life that does not sin.
No traveler would decorate and furnish his temporary lodging beautifully and perfectly only to stay for a few days or months and then leave it to go to another place. Men only decorate, furnish, beautify, and make comfortable a permanent home; no one would furnish a temporary lodging too well, because he will not live there for long. I had a classmate who never dressed properly. His hair was very long, his face was not washed, his whole body was dirty, and he never put on proper shoes. Everyone said that he was eccentric, and those who walked with him were disgusted with him. Two years later I met him on the street. He was clean-shaven and wearing a proper suit, and his hair was nicely combed. I hardly recognized him, and I said to myself, "Is this my ex-classmate?" We had been classmates for seven years; I knew that he dressed very poorly and did not care for his appearance. Later he talked with me and asked me about life in some foreign countries and the etiquette of those countries. I was really amazed that a most casual person wanted to start learning foreign etiquette. I could not help but go to his uncle to ask the reason. I found out that he was going abroad to study very soon. This was why he started to dress well and learn etiquette. A person going to a foreign country to study would stay there for only two or three years; he would not stay there forever. Yet this person would dress up in a suit, speak with an accent, care for manners, and inquire about life in a foreign country. He was only going there to study for a few years, yet he had such a good preparation. How about us believers who will in the future live eternally in the bright, glorious, beautiful, and excellent heavenly home? Should we not all the more prepare and learn the heavenly life and manner? Is there such a person who would purposely make Chinese long gowns when he is getting ready to go to a foreign country because he thinks that, after he is in the Western country, he will not have the chance to wear this kind of clothes anymore and that he must therefore take all the opportunities to wear them while he can? Needless to say, we all know that there is not such a thing.
Every believer knows that he is saved, and it will not be long before he will be back to his home in heaven where he will see his heavenly Father. Would he still think, "There will be no more opportunity to sin in heaven, so while I am still on earth, I had better sin more and taste sins more. I had better be bound by sins more and suffer the bitterness of sins more"? Do you think that this is reasonable? This is surely unreasonable. Let us realize that we will all go to the heavenly home and will dwell in that beautiful city. Since we are saved now, we should surely forsake the pleasures of sin and the lusts of the flesh; we should not allow these things to hinder us or obstruct our way. May we know that since we are saved and have the life of God, we should express God's life and should let others know that we are saved. May we testify much before man so that more people can be saved.
This book will not be ready until summer. Therefore, purchasers need not send money too early. Moreover, according to our rule, we will not sell this book to anyone who has not mailed us the answers to our questions. Therefore, please take this opportunity to carefully read over the questions and write down the answers. (It does not matter if the answers are wrong, but there must be answers). Please send them to us along with the money for the book. When the book is published, we will send you a copy. It is published by the Gospel Book Room.
Our brother, Mr. Kwang-rung Chang, after holding meetings in May in Lanshi for ten days, has now returned to Shanghai. The missionaries of the China Inland Mission there were greatly helped by him.
Sister Pearl Wang has gone to Soochow for meetings and has done a little work in Ying Wah College. Sister Miao went to Chiuchiao in the middle of May and has worked there for a few days; the work was quite blessed by the Lord. She has now returned to visit relatives and has not returned to Shanghai yet.
In the middle of May, eleven brothers and sisters were baptized into Christ. We thank God, for He is indeed the Savior who saves sinners.
Sister Ruth Lee has returned but is physically weak. Please do not forget to pray for her.
The moves of the co-workers in the summer are not finalized yet. After they are finalized, we will announce them.
Recorded by Watchman Nee on June 15
