Q: Dr. Mike, After I Witness Christ To Someone, Should I Immediately Assure Them Of Their Salvation?
Q: “Dr. Mike, after I witness Christ to someone, should I immediately assure them of their Salvation?”
A: That’s a good question! However, Biblically, it isn’t up to us to grant the new convert their assurance of Salvation, but it is the work of the Holy Spirit to grant the believer that assurance, as expressed in Romans 8:16, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
Throughout sacred Scripture, there are many promises that the Holy Spirit will use to help the new believer gain full assurance of their eternal future. Such promises are found in verses such as, John 3:16, “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;” and in 1 John 5:1, “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth Him that begat loveth Him also that is begotten of Him.” These two promises mean the world to a genuine believer.
Their assurance of who they are “in Christ” will grow stronger and deeper as they consistently walk upright before the Lord and keep His commandments. The reverse is also true: if the person you witnessed to professed Christ as savior, and later, returned to a lifestyle of sinful behavior, and remains in that state for an extended period of time, without conscious or remorse, their assurance is in doubt, because they are grieving the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God emphatically declares in 1 John 1:6-10, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”
In conclusion, no Salvation formula can assure a person of their Salvation. But, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that bears witness with the new believer’s spirit, that he/she is a son/daughter of Jehovah God.