Blessed assurance,
Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of
glory divine!
Heir of salvation,
purchase of God,
born of his Spirit,
washed in his blood. – Stanza 1
Incredible as it may sound, the Hymn, Blessed Assurance is not without its
controversy. Right from the early days of its composition, a certain section of
the church had their reservations about its wording. Paul Westermeyer wrote in
his book on the history of hymn music, some persons in the church were “offended
by what they perceive as smug and self-assured inwardness” that the song seemed
to invoke.
This controversy remains even today. Many
believe that the best platform for Christian living is when your salvation is
in a state of perpetual jeopardy: when you’re never truly in Heaven, and always
one step away from Hell.
This is strange indeed, considering that the
creation of anxiety and uncertainty over one’s salvation has traditionally been
the preserve of the Devil. After evangelism, new converts are often told to
watch out for the questioning of the Deceiver. That train never misses its
stop. As sure as x is x, every convert goes through a season
when they begin to doubt the veracity and authenticity of their salvation
experience. Entire sections of hymnals (“Assurance and Testimony”, “Assurance”,
etc.) are devoted to this aspect of our faith.
Rom 8:16 says, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God”; and 1John 5:10 says “He
that believes on the Son of God has the
witness in himself.” Our job as Church leaders and brethren is to side with
the Holy Spirit in encouraging the Saint in his or her faith-walk and not with
the Accusing Spirit in making them question their standing in God.
The Lord says in John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
believes on me has everlasting life! This is more than assurance, to Ms.
Crosby it’s a “Blessed Assurance”. If you are saved, if you have asked Christ
to come into your heart, then join the community of saints in the Body of
Christ and proclaim – with boldness and conviction:
Blessed assurance, JESUS IS MINE!
AMEN.
More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.
GREG ELKAN
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