Oh To Be So Sure of One's Salvation!

I had the opportunity to interact with a group of young people and our conversation focused on God's love and His wonderful gift of Salvation. I urged each one of them to tell me honestly whether they had the assurance that if the Lord Jesus Christ would come this very moment that they can enter His Kingdom. Among the nine of them, only one had the assurance of salvation. We looked at the New Testament account of Jesus and Nicodemus and their conversation one evening found in the third chapter of the New Testament book/gospel of John. We reviewed this part of Scripture and I reiterated the supreme importance of the spiritual birth (being 'Born Again') which Jesus Himself repeated three times found in verses three, five, and seven. We marveled at everyone's favorite passage, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." I challenged everyone to prayerfully and heartily memorize this passage and rest in its promises, for we have a GOD, who cannot lie. The repentant robber in the account of the New Testament book/gospel of Luke, chapter twenty-three and verses thirty-three to forty-three portrays a vivid example of the assurance of salvation of someone who personally, heartily, and honestly believe JESUS CHRIST (true God and true man) as Savior and Lord. We visited also the first letter of the apostle John where it says, "...God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life." My heart's desire and prayer to God for everyone is similar to what Paul said to king Agrippa in the New Testament book of Acts, "I would wish to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am."