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Encounter Messages  /  Once Saved, Always Saved? What the Early Christians Never Said  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 8
Many believers rest their assurance on a past prayer or on the idea that eternal life can never be lost. How does John's assurance, with its tests of walking in the light, keeping His commands, and loving the brothers, differ from that assumption, and where does godly fear fit in?
Another way to ask: Many people feel sure of salvation because of a prayer they once said. How is John's kind of assurance different, and how does godly fear fit in?

Direct Answer

John's assurance is living and present, tied to abiding in Christ now. Daniel says we have no certificate guaranteeing heaven however we live, yet we do have real assurance as long as we respond to God's correction.

Support from the Message

- Daniel argues that the things John wrote so we may know we have eternal life are the whole book of 1 John, with its tests and signs of abiding. - John's concern is to show how we can know we are abiding right now. - Eternal life is real now, yet we must remain in it. Adam and Eve walked away from paradise. - Godly fear comes from a heart that wants to please the Lord and grieves over sin, while the people given over in Romans 1 are proud of their sins. - If we drift, the solution is to repent and start running again, and despair is no answer.

Discussion Follow-up

When you ask whether you are safe, what evidence do you reach for first? How would John's tests change that answer?

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