Forgiven — E.A. Johnston

The Question of Knowing Sins Are Forgiven

I was in a pastor's home, in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, and this pastor asked me a question while I was sitting in his living room. He asked, Tell me, can you point to a day in your life when you knew your sins were forgiven?

John Wesley’s Assurance of Forgiveness

I hemmed and I hawed, and finally I said I believed it was a time when I was 14 years old, where I went forward in a revival meeting and gave my heart to Jesus, but he didn't ask me that. He didn't ask me to point to a time in my life where I decided for Jesus by going forward in a meeting.

He simply asked me if I could point to the day when I knew my sins were forgiven. I couldn't do that. But John Wesley could. He wrote in his diary for May 24, 1738,. In the evening I went, very unwillingly, to a society in Aldersgate Street where one was reading Luther's Preface to the Epistle to the Romans about a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ.

I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.

Conversion Through Faith Versus Modern Evangelism

Wesley spoke of the change that God works in the heart through faith in Christ that was written by Wesley 280 years ago. I believe our modern evangelism has muddied the water when it comes to our understanding about what conversion is.

We confuse salvation with a time where we responded to an emotional appeal by a preacher, and we did a physical act and believed that that got the job done in regard to our salvation, but that doesn't answer the question of can we point to a day in our life where we knew our sins were forgiven.

I can point to that day now, friends, and it was a long time in coming, but before that I was just assuming something was so. It's amazing how many men in ministry that I have spoken with in regard to their testimony, and their reply typically falls into the category of, when I was such and such an age, I went forward in a meeting and invited Jesus into my heart, or I responded to an appeal and decided for Jesus.

Testing the Invitation System by Genuine Conversion

Under deeper examination, does it really cut the mustard as far as a genuine conversion? I believe a big evangelist made the invitation system popular in crusades, and we all sat there and watched it on television and saw that it got results, and we wanted the same results, so we adopted his methodology, but is it really biblical?

Does it get the job done as far as genuine conversion? I know there are ministers who swear up and down they got saved that way, and I'm not going to argue with them, but do the majority of the people who respond to an emotional appeal really pass from death to life, or do they mistake a physical response for forgiveness of sin?

God’s Work in Salvation and the Holy Spirit’s Regeneration

Now, this is a serious matter, friends, and a solemn subject indeed. Is God the agent of salvation, or is it man? Are men saved as a result of a decision they make, or as the result of the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit?

Are multitudes who make a decision for Jesus brought into the kingdom of God, or are they merely escorted into the church and mistake church membership for salvation? Are we short-sighted in our evangelistic efforts in an attempt to grow our congregations?

Do we employ methodologies that are more of man than of God, or the physical acts of raising your hand to accept Jesus, or walking an owl to make a decision for Jesus, or repeating a prayer to accept Jesus really result in forgiveness of sin?

Examining Personal Assurance of Salvation

Let me ask you, friend, can you point to a day in your life when you knew your sins were forgiven, or can you just remember a time when you accepted Jesus? There lies a great gulf here that separates heaven and hell for all eternity.

Paul’s Description of Genuine Conversion

The apostle Paul in Colossians describes genuine conversion along these terms. Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins?

The Need for Personal Assurance

John Wesley could answer that question. Can you? Let us pray.