No Longer Hoping

NO LONGER HOPING

"If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." ( 1John. Ch.5 vs. 9 - 13 )

The first time I read these verses I was amazed! Verse 13, in particular, struck me, for it reads: "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life." These words, "That ye may know", really challenged me to look at my own heart, to look at my own life, to see if I knew for definite, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that I had eternal life. I was challenged to examine my own life and to see if I had this assurance that I read of in the Scriptures.

For many generations, our family had been devout Roman Catholics and, in fact, one of my ancestors had opened her home to be used as a Chapel, where Mass was said regularly. My parents were very much involved in their Church. My mother was a great woman of prayer, who regularly said Novenas and Rosaries. Much of her time was given to the Devotion of the Blessed Virgin Mary and many of the Saints. My father belonged to the Holy Family Confraternity, a men's organisation which met once each week to worship Jesus, Mary and Joseph, who were known collectively as 'The Holy Family'.

Our parents had a great influence on when we were children, and I remember all of us kneeling down together in the evening time, and saying the Rosary to the Blessed Virgin Mary. I also accompanied my father to many of the Holy Family Confraternity meetings over the years.

My school days began at the local Convent, where I was taught by the Nuns. After receiving my First Communion, I attended the Christian Brothers’ School. One of the boys in my class was a Protestant. In fact, he was the only Protestant in the whole school. Although we came from different backgrounds and traditions, we were great friends. We both had one thing in common; both of us HOPED we would go to Heaven when we died.

Now, I HOPED that because I was a Roman Catholic I would get to Heaven. I HOPED that because I had been baptised as an infant, and had later on gone to confession, where I had received absolution from the priest for all my sins, that I was on my way to Heaven. I was very much depending upon the fact that I had received Communion, believing I was receiving the Body and Blood of Christ each time I swallowed the Host. The fact that I had, at the age of twelve, received Confirmation, and had been a regular Mass - goer, were all in my favour, as far as I was concerned. So, I definitely HOPED that because of the fact that I had received the Sacraments, I would get to Heaven.

Meanwhile, my friend HOPED that because he had been Baptised, and had been enrolled as a member of the Protestant Church, that all was well with his soul. He was depending upon the fact that he had learned the Catechism, attended Sunday School, had been Confirmed, and was attending the services in his Church regularly. He really HOPED that all of these things would ensure a place in Heaven for him.

Now, I HOPED that the Roman Catholic Church would work on my behalf, and would do all that was necessary to gain a place for me in Paradise. My friend HOPED that the Protestant Church to which he belonged would make every effort to secure a place in Heaven for him. Both of us HOPED our respective Churches would be actively engaged in securing salvation for us.

After I left school, I got a job with an undertaker. At the funerals I saw many heart - broken people, who were HOPING that their loved one, who was being buried, had gone to Heaven. I saw the broken - hearted families crying at the graveside, HOPING that their deceased relative was gone to be with the Lord. At Roman Catholic funerals, the priest would try to comfort the family. But he, too, was only HOPING that the person who was being buried was gone to Heaven. The priest did not know, and neither did the family, or any of the mourners. Just in case the deceased had not done enough while alive, and had not worked hard enough to earn Salvation, the priests would say 'Masses for the Dead', HOPING this would help get the person to Glory. The family and friends would buy Mass Cards, and then pay the priests to say Masses for their loved one. They HOPED the Masses would help to get the dear departed one to Heaven. Masses would, in fact, be said for many years, with both the priests who said the Masses and the people who paid for them sincerely HOPING that all their efforts would help to save the soul of their dear friend.

Each year, in the month of November, the priests would send out to each home in their parish a list, upon which the people were to write the names of their deceased family members. These lists would then be returned to the priests, and on All Souls' Day, Masses would be said for the repose of the souls of everybody mentioned on the lists, in the HOPE that the Masses would help to save them.

I remember seeing my mother writing down the names of our deceased family members on the list, and then sending the list to the priest, along with the money to pay for the Masses for the Dead. She was HOPING that by doing this she could help to secure a place in Heaven for her loved ones. People could also go to the Chapel on All Souls' Day, and say set prayers, HOPING that by so doing, they would help get some of the 'Holy Souls' out of Purgatory. Everybody was HOPING that all of these efforts would work. They were HOPING, but never knew.

At the Protestant funerals, the Minister would try to comfort the broken - hearted mourners. Their hearts were breaking because they did not actually know if their loved one was gone to Heaven. The family members, along with the friends and neighbours, all HOPED. The Minister, too, HOPED that all was well between the dear departed one and God. They were all HOPING, but none of them actually knew.

Now, I said to myself, "What will happen when it comes to my time to die?" I could picture myself on my death - bed, only HOPING I would get to Heaven, and HOPING I would not go to Hell. What a fearful situation to be in when you are dying, to have a terrible uncertainty about where you are going. Oh, how I longed to know for certain, to know for definite, beyond a shadow of a doubt that I would go to Heaven when I died.

Many years later, I was still HOPING. At this stage, I was married, and had a family. If my children had asked me back then, "Daddy, will you go to Heaven when you die?" I would have had to say, "I HOPE so, but I don’t actually know". I wished I did know!

Then, in November 1975, I met a friend of mine who told me that he actually knew for definite that he would go directly to Heaven when he died. I had known this man for many years, and I knew that for a long time he, like I, had been HOPING that one day he would get to Heaven. But now he told me that he was NO LONGER HOPING, but that he actually KNEW he was going to Heaven. I asked him to explain how he could have this assurance, and he told me that he got it from reading and believing the Scriptures. He told me that in the Bible, God had revealed His plan of Salvation. He then encouraged me to read the Scriptures for myself.

I read in John’s first Epistle, in Ch. 5 v 13, these wonderful words: "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life..."

I was amazed at the words, "that ye may KNOW." Now this was what I needed! I really needed to KNOW! There is such a great difference between HOPING for something, and knowing the reality. So, here it was in God’s Word; it is actually possible to KNOW that you have eternal life.

But who were these things written to, I asked myself? And then I saw the answer written so clearly in the Scriptures: "These things have I written unto you that BELIEVE..". You that believe WHAT, I asked?

The answer to my question was contained in the verses I had just read. These things were written to those who believe what God said concerning His Son. Verse 11 reads, "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." So, here it was! Eternal life is in Christ, in a PERSON. According to the Scriptures, eternal life is in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and His work on the sinner's behalf. For the first time in my life I was confronted with the fact that eternal life is in a Person, and not in a Religion.

Then, in the Gospel of John, in Ch. 14 v. 6, I read these words: "Jesus saith unto him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’" I had believed, for many years, that Religion was the way to eternal life, the way to Heaven. But now I could see that the Scriptures were not speaking about Religion, but about a Relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. I was reading in God's Word about the importance of believing in, of trusting in, and depending upon this Person. In John’s Gospel, in Ch. 3 v. 16, I read: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

I noticed in this verse the words: "God so loved the world". But did that include ME, I wondered? Did God actually love me, as an individual, I asked myself? You see, I knew I was a sinner, and that my sin had to be paid for. In fact, I read in the New Testament, in Romans Ch. 3 v. 23, these words: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Well, I knew I was certainly included there! God's Word was crystal clear. It said that all of us have sinned. It very specifically stated that we are all sinners. But when I read Romans Ch. 5 v. 8, I was really encouraged, for it says: "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." How my heart began to warm as I read those precious words.

Then I read in Peter’s first Epistle, in Ch. 2 v. 24, these words, concerning the Lord Jesus Christ: "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree.." The words "Our sins" really struck me! In the book of Galatians, in Ch. 1 v. 4, I read the following words, which relate to the Saviour: "Who gave himself for our sins-". I had now read of God's love for the WORLD, and of how Christ died for US. The fact that Jesus bore OUR sins, and gave Himself for US was outlined so clearly in what I had read. But, as far as I was concerned, the important question was this; Did God love ME? You see it was fine to read of God’s love for the WORLD, but what about ME, as an individual?

My question was answered when I read the following words in the book of Galatians, in Ch. 2 v. 20: "..The Son of God, who loved ME, and gave himself for ME." This was just what I needed to read! It was just what I needed to know! The Apostle Paul, who wrote the book of Galatians, not only knew that God loved the world, but he knew that God loved him, as an individual. He knew that Christ had suffered and died for him on the cross at Calvary. Paul knew that the Lord Jesus Christ became his substitute as He hung upon the cross, paying in full the penalty for the guilt of the sins of all who would repent and put their faith in Him. This was just what I needed to know, too! I realised I was a sinner, and that my sin had to be dealt with. I longed to know if God loved ME so much that He sent His blessed Son to die for MY sin.

As I read over these verses again, it began to become very clear to me. God DID love me and, in fact, demonstrated the extent of His love for me at the cross. Once again I read in Galatians Ch. 2 v. 20, these words: "..The Son of God, who loved ME, and gave himself for ME." Yes, I could see now that God loved me as an individual. He loved me so much that He sent His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die on the cross at Calvary, there paying in full the penalty for the guilt of my sin. Jesus Christ, who loved me, and gave Himself for me, paid in full, as my substitute, all that was required so that my sin could be forgiven.

But why would God do this for me, a sinner, I asked myself? The answer was crystal clear in the Scriptures. It was because He LOVED me!

In the book of Titus, in Ch. 3 v. 4 - 5, I read these words: "But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us...".

I was really amazed when I read here of God’s plan of Salvation. It was not religion that saved us, but God Himself. But why did He save us, and how did He save us, I asked myself? In the verses I had just read it was very clearly stated that God saved us, but not because of our own works, righteous acts, or efforts. In fact, according to God’s Word, our own efforts have nothing at all to do with our Salvation. God does not even take them into account.

The fact that we are saved, not because of what WE have done, but because of what GOD has done on our behalf, was outlined very clearly in the Scriptures. It is because of His MERCY that He saved us. He has had mercy on the sinner. In these verses it mentions the fact that the kindness and love of God "appeared". Now, where and when did the kindness and love of God appear, I asked myself? According to the Scriptures, God's love 'appeared', or was shown, by being demonstrated publicly at Calvary, as the Lord Jesus Christ suffered and died upon the cross. There was nothing here in what I was reading, about religion or good works having anything to do with Salvation. In fact, according to God’s Word, it did not matter what good works I did, or what efforts I made to save myself. It did not matter which Church I belonged to. Not one of these things, or all of them together, could ever save my soul. The message of the Bible was clear. Salvation was bestowed because of God’s mercy.

What a great challenge this was to me, a man who had been HOPING for many years that by being religious, by depending upon the Church, and by doing my best, I could be saved. I had been HOPING, but I never KNEW, and I had reckoned I would never know until after I died, if the Church had done enough for me, or if I had done enough myself, to secure my Salvation. Now, for the first time in my life, I was confronted with what God said in His Word. It was clear that the Church, regardless of which one I belonged to, could never save me. It was also very clear that regardless of what efforts I made, or what good works I did, these could not earn or merit Salvation for me. But in the Scriptures I read the GOOD NEWS, that the Lord Jesus Christ did enough, through His death on the cross, to save me.

In the New Testament, in the book of Titus, in Ch. 2 v. 11, I read: "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men." Here was the great difference between man’s way of Salvation and God’s. Man’s way of Salvation was as follows; Belong to a particular Church; Do your best; Work your way to Heaven. But what was the end result of this? My school-friend, the member of the Protestant religion, and I, knew only too well the end result! You were left HOPING that you would get to Heaven, and HOPING you would not go to Hell. The outcome of trusting in man’s way of Salvation was that, not only would we be HOPING from day to day but, when it came to our time to die, we would have nothing to hold on to. We would have no assurance, or no security. Our respective Churches, Priests, and Ministers could give us no assurance or security, for they, too, were only HOPING that we, and they themselves, would get to Heaven one day.

But God’s plan of Salvation was so different to this. Titus Ch. 2 v. 11 says, "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men." This verse speaks of the Grace of God, which is God’s unmerited favour to the sinner. The words,"The Grace of God that bringeth Salvation", make it very clear that Salvation is by Grace. It is God reaching down to the helpless sinner, revealing to him that He loves him so much that He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, to the cross. There, He took the sinner’s place, by becoming his substitute. He paid the penalty for sin that the sinner should have paid. Christ suffered Hell on the cross, so that the sinner need not go to Hell.

The words of Romans Ch. 3 v. 24, summed it all up. They read: "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." I was really struck by what I read here. It said we are justified "FREELY." That word 'freely', meant so much. It meant that Salvation was given freely by God to sinful man. The sinner was not required to work for it, or to earn it. Salvation was God’s GIFT to the sinner. God could give this free gift to the sinner because of the fact that his sins have already been paid for, at Calvary. This meant that Salvation was God's FREE GIFT to ME!

I reached out, by faith, to God, saying, "Lord, I know I am a sinner, and that I deserve to go to Hell. I know that there is nothing the Church can do for my Salvation. I also realise that there is absolutely nothing I can do to merit a place in Heaven. I have been HOPING, all my life, that the Church’s work on my behalf, along with my own good works, was enough. But now I know that I had been believing man’s plan of Salvation. I thank you for showing me clearly in the Scriptures that Salvation is a gift, which you freely give to the sinner. I am so grateful that you not only loved the world, but you loved ME enough to send your Son, Jesus, to die for me. Thank you, Lord!"

Since that day, I am no longer depending upon religion or good works to save me. I now have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, and I am depending upon Him to save me. He is "The Son of God, who loved ME, and gave Himself for ME." I have repented of my sin, and have been forgiven.

Today, when I read the words of John’s first Epistle, in Ch. 5 v. 13, I know what they mean. They read : "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life..." I am trusting Jesus Christ as my Saviour. I am depending, for my salvation, upon Him alone, and on the work He did on my behalf, as He suffered and died upon the cross at Calvary. Because of this, I have God’s promise that I have eternal life.

I am NO LONGER HOPING, but now I KNOW that I will be in Heaven some day. This assurance is not based upon whether a person is a Roman Catholic or a Protestant. It is based upon the fact that "..God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." ( John Ch.3 v 16 )

INVITATION

Dear friend, perhaps you have been 'doing your best' for many years. Maybe you have been depending, for your Salvation, upon your membership of a particular Church or Denomination. And yet, today, you are still only HOPING, and have no assurance that all is well between God and you. You may be sincerely HOPING that you will go to Heaven when you die, but you do not KNOW.

Instead of looking to religion, or looking to your own good works to save you, why not look to the Lord, who said, "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else." ( Isaiah Ch. 45, v 22 )

The Lord invites you to come to Him right NOW! "Come NOW, and let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." ( Isaiah. Ch. 1, v 18 )

Recognising you are a sinner, turn to Him right NOW in Repentance, and trust Him to forgive you and to save you. Then you will be able to say; "I am NO LONGER HOPING, but NOW I KNOW that I am going to Heaven, because I am depending upon ‘The Son of God who loved ME and gave Himself for ME’ ".

Revised Edition.

If you would like to receive any of the following, free of charge

A Bible;

Literature explaining the Way of Salvation;

Gospel Music and a message on Cassette Tape.

please contact:

Dick Keogh,

Cherith Gospel Outreach,

email - Israel@esatclear.ie

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO THE MAIN MENU