46. “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” -John 14:1-6
If a person can’t be sure of his or her salvation, then Jesus’ promise here about going to prepare a place for us would be meaningless. He is being so personal! He is comforting His own with the knowledge that He’s going to come back for true believers to transport them to their reward. Jesus is working on a place in Heaven for you and me! You talk about prime real estate! Again, this will happen not because we are worthy, but because He is our Way, our Truth, our very Life!
47. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also. And greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My Name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ash anything in My Name, I will do it. If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans.” -John 14:12-18
Look at these intimate promises made by Jesus to true believers. He promises that the Holy Spirit will be with them forever! This is ludicrous unless the very presence of the Spirit indicates that believers are eternally secure. In the Greek forever means FOREVER! You can’t have forever one day and lose it the next! And Jesus won’t leave us as orphans, He’s coming back for us! This concept is only a means of encouragement if we know we are His. And here He makes clear that in contrast to true believers, who have the Holy Spirit forever and the promise of His coming for them, there are others who do not know Him. Note that if you love Him, you will keep His commands, see answered prayers in your life, and do the works He did (which together with other believers will make a bigger impact then He did on earth). If there is that kind of fruit in your life, you can and should have assurance of your faith. If not…
48. Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified. -2 Corinthians 13:5-6
We should all examine ourselves from time to time and look for the fruit of Christ in our life. It’s also a role of the church to help us know that Christ is shining through our life. It is clear from the first four verses of this chapter that when Paul speaks of being disqualified he is speaking directly to some people in Corinth that were asking for proof that Christ was speaking through Paul (see verse 3). Basically, Paul is saying, “Some among you think I’m disqualified – but you know my fruit – Christ is in me! Examine yourselves: if Christ is in you, it will show, and this talk of me needing to show you proof of my qualifications will cease!” Attempts to make this text say that “disqualification” means you can lose your salvation fail when we look at the context of Paul’s remarks! This call for believers to examine themselves, to look for the fruit of faith in their lives, goes along nicely with 2 Peter 1:10’s challenge to “be even more diligent to make your call and election sure.”