MacArthur on Calvinism's (lack of) Assurance of Salvation

I'm really not planning on starting up this blog again, but I'm having trouble... the pull is too strong... trying to fight it... can't resist... help me... 😉

Anyway, after seeing some of the sad Reddit comments from people hurt by Calvinism (see here) - particularly "why-homo-sapien" who wanted assurance of salvation as a 12-year-old but couldn't find it in Calvinism - I wanted to repost this critique of John MacArthur's view on it.  The following (with some additions) is a combination of things I wrote in Exposing Calvinism: Assurance of Salvation? and Can you lose your salvation? and Is Calvinism's TULIP Biblical? (Perseverance of the Saints):

  

The Calvinist’s Security of Salvation: 

In a video clip I saw online (click here, but be warned it's from a website that looks favorably on him), a young woman - with shaky voice, on the verge of tears - asked John MacArthur (a Calvinist of the highest order) how she can know for sure that she is saved (one of the elect).  

And MacArthur’s answer is that she (that Calvinists) can know she is saved because of her desires to know God, to be known by Him, to please Him and honor Him, etc.  He says that we have to "assess the genuineness of our salvation by our desires."  He says that assurance of salvation is "the confidence I have in my mind of my salvation," and that it’s based on your desires, on if you have godly desires, because (as he says) "un-regenerated people don't have those desires."  

Basically, it all comes down to feelings.  

Yep.  Definitely stable, reliable, consistent indicators!  

Now, of course, if we are truly committed to Jesus and are filled with the Spirit, we will/should see certain godly changes and desires in our lives over time, as the Spirit helps us grow in the faith.  And if we never see those changes or desires - the fruit of the Spirit - then we should examine our hearts to see if we really did commit to Jesus or if we just convinced ourselves we did.  (Some people unintentionally substitute religious behavior or a temporary emotional high for true faith, for true commitment to Jesus.  And time will tell.)    

But our good, godly desires/works cannot conclusively "prove" that we are truly saved, nor are they the basis for our security of salvation.  Don't even worldly people have good desires that God would approve of, like taking care of orphans and feeding the hungry and keeping their promises?  Don't even nominal Christians and people who worship false gods feel like they are close to "God" and try to please Him?

Basically, all true believers should have certain indicators in their lives/heart, but not all people who have those indicators are true believers.  

Do you know who else had the desire to know God, be known by Him, please Him, honor Him, etc.?  The Pharisees.  The Jewish leaders and teachers of the Law.  They really wanted to please God, zealously studying and obeying the Law to please Him and make themselves acceptable to Him, and yet they rejected Jesus and hung Him on a cross for claiming He was God.  And what about the rich young ruler who kept the law and desired to please God but who couldn't bring himself to give it all up to turn fully to Christ (Matthew 19:16-22)?

Just because we have good desires about God and good works does not mean that we are right with God, that we are saved.  

In fact, just because we think about “God” doesn’t mean much - because “God” is vague and can mean anything to anyone.  All religions have their own version of God.  In fact, “… Even the demons believe [that there is one God] – and shudder.” (James 2:19)  

It’s not what we think or feel about “God” that determines if we are saved or not, but it’s what we think about Jesus, if we believe in Him as Lord and Savior.  That is what makes all the difference.

(I think it's telling that MacArthur focused on our thoughts about God instead of our beliefs about Jesus, when the Bible says that salvation comes through our belief in Jesus.  Does this not alert you to the subtle, satanic, "sounds close enough that you don't notice it's wrong" twistings behind such a theology?)  

But since Calvinists don’t think you get to decide what you believe about Jesus, it’s no wonder that they wouldn’t include “belief in Jesus” as evidence of their salvation.

For many people, the godly desires are there, the good thoughts about “God” are there, but the decision to commit to Jesus Christ is not.  Almost everyone in every wayward or false church out there can convince themselves they are saved because of the good things they do and feel.  Can that really be proof of true salvation?  MacArthur could just as easily have given his "assurance of salvation" speech in any type of church out there, assuring anyone who has good actions and good feelings about God that they are saved, as long as they feel it.  

Tallying up our good deeds and good desires about God to determine if we are really saved leaves us with a very flimsy, shaky, and possibly self-deceiving assurance of salvation!

Not to mention that our good feelings, desires, and works can shift with our moods and our energy levels.  Our zeal for the Lord waxes and wanes.  We obey one day but disobey the next.  The life of faith is a long journey, full of ups and downs, low points and high points, good feelings one day but bad the next.  What happens when we hit a low point and the good desires aren't there?  What happens when we get into a sinful rut that we're having a hard time getting out of?  Are we suddenly "not saved" anymore until the good feelings and works return? 

What an exhausted, discouraged mess we’d be if we had to look to ourselves - to our feelings, desires, and works - to determine if we are really saved or not.  Our assurance would change monthly or daily.

MacArthur says that Calvinists can have security of salvation because if they are one of the elect, then Calvi-god will keep them in the faith until the end.  This sounds comforting.  But it begs the question "Yeah, sure, Calvi-god will keep his elect secure, but am I truly one of the elect?  And how can I know for sure?"    

Calvinists think they find security in the idea that God will keep the elect in the faith all the way till the end, but they cannot know for sure that they themselves are truly one of the elect - not until they see if they "persevered" all the way till the end of their lives.  And so they point to their feelings and works and other such things along the way as “evidence” that they are “persevering” in the faith, which “proves” that they are one of the elect - at least for now.

Not very "secure" now, is it?

And, sadly, what ends up happening is that the Calvinist works harder and harder to have those good works and good feelings in order to convince themselves they are truly one of the elect - forever and vigorously chasing those elusive, abstract "proofs," and despairing when they don't see enough of them  - and it ends up exhausting them, discouraging them, and making them want to give up because it's just too much work and heartache, with little to no assurance that anything matters anyway.  And then, since they were brainwashed into believing that "Calvinism is the gospel," they end up rejecting Christianity altogether instead of just rejecting the Calvinism.  Because they didn't know there was a difference.  Sad.

[Also in the video clip, to comfort the woman, MacArthur essentially says that God accepts us even in our failings.  That even if we might have ungodly thoughts, He accepts us if we love Him.  This is ironic and pointless because, in Calvinism, if we fail and have ungodly thoughts it's because God "ordained" (preplanned/caused) it.  And in fact, we can only love God if He "ordains" it.  And so in Calvinism, it's not really the simple beautiful truth that God accepts us even though we fail/sin, but it's that God first causes us to fail/sin (after commanding us not to sin) and then He accepts us as long as He's first given us the desire to love Him.  How is that comforting?]

John Calvin's "brilliant" ideas:

And if that's all not enough to ruin a Calvinist's assurance, let's not forget what John Calvin himself said about some non-elect people in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 3, Chapter 2, Section 11 (emphasis added):

"I am aware it seems unaccountable to some how faith is attributed to the reprobate, seeing that it is declared by Paul to be one of the fruits of election; and yet the difficulty is easily solved: for though none are enlightened into faith, and truly feel the efficacy of the Gospel, with the exception of those who are fore-ordained to salvation, yet experience shows that the reprobate are sometimes affected in a way so similar to the elect, that even in their own judgment there is no difference between them.  Hence it is not strange, that by the Apostle a taste of heavenly gifts, and by Christ himself a temporary faith, is ascribed to them.  Not that they truly perceive the power of spiritual grace and the sure light of faith; but the Lord, the better to convict them, and leave them without excuse, instills into their minds such a sense of his goodness as can be felt without the Spirit of adoption."

And from his Book 3, Chapter 24, Section 8: "... there are two species of calling: for there is an universal call, by which God, through the external preaching of the word, invites all men alike, even those for whom he designs the call to be a savor of death, and the ground of a severer condemnation. Besides this there is a special call which, for the most part, God bestows on believers only, when by the internal illumination of the Spirit he causes the word preached to take deep root in their hearts. Sometimes, however, he communicates it also to those whom he enlightens only for a time, and whom afterwards, in just punishment for their ingratitude, he abandons and smites with greater blindness."

He is saying that Calvi-god gives some non-elect people (reprobates) a fake, temporary call/grace/faith (evanescent grace) to trick them into thinking that they are one of the elect, that they are securely saved.  And this feeling is so real that they can't tell a difference.  But eventually this "grace/faith" fades, proving that they were never elect to begin with.  And Calvi-god does this - gives them a temporary faith that they later reject (but don't forget that Calvi-god made them reject it) - to "better convict them," to make their punishment more justified, to have more reason to abandon them in hell and smite them with greater blindness.  (As if they deserved it.  And as if it wasn't enough to just predestine them to hell for his pleasure and glory, with no chance to be saved.  Calvinism's god is a twisted, sick god!)

Find me one verse - just one - that plainly, clearly teaches this garbage!

And so getting back to MacArthur's answer about basing your assurance of salvation on your feelings: If a non-elect person can feel just as securely saved as the elect - so much so that they themselves can't tell there's a difference - then how could Calvinists possibly use their desires as reliable indicators that they are truly one of the elect?  

When evanescent grace can fade at any future time in your life, there's no way to know.  When the non-elect can feel the same as the elect, there’s no way to know.  

MacArthur's testimony:

And here's something to consider: In my post MacArthur's Manipulations, I link to an interview with him where he claims that he "always believed," that there was never a time he didn't believe, that he never rebelled against the gospel, and that he can't put his finger on the exact moment when he put his faith in Jesus because when God did His "saving work" in his heart, it wasn't even discernable to him.  

MacArthur is basically saying that he always knew he was saved (one of the elect), that he never actually humbled himself and repented (if he never rebelled but always believed, what's there to repent from?), and that he never actually made a conscious decision to put his faith in Jesus (he says he went through the motions once, but it was just a formality) but that faith just happened to him without his awareness.  Sounds fishy to me.  (And tell us again, Calvinists, how Calvinism teaches that every person is born a wretched, totally depraved, rebellious, God-hating sinner who must repent.  'Cuz I don't think MacArthur got the memo.)  

Calvinism doesn't actually save anyone from hell, doesn't turn anyone from the path they're on.  The elect were never at risk of going to hell, and the non-elect can never be saved from hell.  All Calvinism does is convince some people that they were always saved without ever needing to do a thing about it (and convince others that they can never be saved because Jesus never died for them anyway).  

In Calvinism, you don't repent/believe to be saved; you repent/believe if you were already saved.  In Calvinism, you don't even get to - or have to - make the decision to repent/believe because God does it for you, to you.  All you do - like MacArthur - is wake up one day and realize you were always on your way to heaven.

Who could it be that wants people to think they were always saved without doing anything about it?  Who stands to benefit the most from convincing us that we don't - can't - make a decision to believe in and commit to Jesus, that we have to just wait to see if we won the salvation lottery, just wait and see if God causes us to believe?

What is our assurance really based on?

 

Our assurance of salvation cannot rest on our wishy-washy feelings or our good works.  Our assurance isn't found in hoping that God really did elect us and really did cause us to have real faith, instead of the fake kind, and really will keep us in the faith all the way till the end.

Our assurance is found in the promises of God, in trusting Him to do what He said He would do, if we do what He said we need to do.  That is how we can be assured of salvation.  Biblically, our assurance of salvation rests on God’s promise to save those who choose to believe in Jesus, who willingly put their faith in Him and accept Him as Lord of their lives.

John 3:16: "... whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

John 20:31: "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."

John 6:28-29: "Then they asked him, 'What must we do to do the works God requires?'  Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent [Jesus].'"

Acts 16:30-31: "...'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?'  They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved...'"

Romans 10:9, 13: "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus in Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.... Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

It always comes back to your decision to believe in Jesus, doing the one thing God said you need to do to be saved, which happens to be the main thing Calvinists tell you that you have no control over and can’t do on your own.  (How, then, can anyone really be saved through Calvinism?)  

But I say: Have you reached out and grabbed ahold of the salvation God offers us all, accepting Jesus's death on your behalf, for your sins?  Have you put your faith in Jesus, embracing Him as your Lord and Savior?  Have you willingly decided to follow Him, to commit to Him, to believe that He is who He says He is?

If so, then you can trust that God has forgiven your sins and has given you eternal life in Him.  Because that's what our trustworthy God promised.  You are a child of God now, reborn into His family.  And you cannot be unborn, no matter how messed up your life is right now, how many detours you take along the way, or how many times you falter in your good works and godly feelings.  

Our security of salvation is not found in our feelings or works, but in the promises of God, backed up by His character - His trustworthiness, faithfulness, goodness, holiness, righteousness, graciousness, mercifulness, etc.  This is where our assurance is!  

If we do what He said we need to do (believe in the Lord Jesus) then He will do what He said He would do (save our souls).

But MacArthur (and all Calvinists) leave this out - that the security of our salvation is really based on God's promise that all who choose to believe in and commit to Jesus, to make Him their Lord and Savior, will be saved.  Because they don't think we get a choice.  They think that God decides for us and that we can't do anything about it but try to figure out what God has decided for us.  

No wonder Calvinists have no real assurance of salvation!

God's Character:

And this brings us to another huge reason why Calvinists can have no assurance, even in their Calvinist idea that if God elected you then He will save you:

An absolutely necessary condition for our security, our assurance, is God's character, His faithfulness.  We are trusting Him to do what He said He would do if we do what He said we must do.  We are trusting that He will keep His Word, that He says what He means and means what He says, that He is honest and trustworthy enough that we can stake our souls on it.  

But Calvinists do not have a trustworthy god, a faithful god, an honest god, who says what he means and means what he says.  

Calvi-god says "seek me," but he doesn't mean that we can seek him.  He just means "you can't seek me, but if you are elect then I will cause us to seek me." 

Calvi-god says "believe in me and be saved," but he doesn't mean that we can believe in him.  He just means "you can't believe in me unless and until I make you believe, and only those who are already saved will believe."  

He says "don't sin," but he really means "if you sin, it's because I predestined/caused you to sin for my glory, and you couldn't not sin, but I will still punish you anyway."  

He says "I want all people to be saved and no one to perish," but he really means "I want most people in hell for my glory."  

He says "For I so loved the world...", but he really means "For I so loved only the elect enough to save them, but I show my love to the non-elect by giving them food and water until they die and go to hell for being the unbelievers I caused them to be."

He says "Jesus died for the world, for all people," but he means "Jesus died for the elect, and no one else."

He makes it sound like we have a choice when he knows we don't (in Calvinism).

He tells us in the Word what his Will is, what he wants us to do, but then he causes the opposite to happen because he also has a secondary, secret Will that opposes the Will he first told us.  But since he is God, we can't question him or his right to do this.  "Who are you, O man, to talk back to God anyway?"    

And he tells the supposed elect "I love you, saved you, and will keep you in the faith until the end" ... but given his deceptive and duplicitous character, he could just as easily have meant "Ha ha, suckers, I have a secondary, secret Will where I get more glory for tricking you into thinking you're one of the elect for a little while.  And then I get to abandon you and smite you more.  But you won't know for sure if you got real faith or fake faith until you're dead.  But it doesn't matter because you couldn't have done anything about it anyway."

Calvinism's god is a two-faced, self-contradictory, deceiving god who is constantly working against himself.  Does this show faithfulness?  Trustworthiness?  Integrity?  Honesty?  

(And what's the Bible say about people like this?  James 1:8: "he is a double-minded man, unstable is all he does."  Matthew 12:25: "... 'Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.'")  

How can Calvinists trust that a god like this really did elect them and give them real faith like they think?  How can they trust anything about him, when they never know which side of him he's operating out of?

This is why the Calvinist can have no real assurance of their salvation, that they are elect.  Just because he said he'd save them doesn't mean he meant it.

[Side note: In Calvinism, everything that happens is God's Will: good, evil, obedience, disobedience, belief, unbelief, etc.  In Calvinism, everyone is always doing God's Will all the time because, in Calvinism, God's Will is the only thing that ever happens.  Hmm?  Then according to Jesus's own words in Mark 3:35 ("Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother"), wouldn't that have to mean that everyone is part of Jesus's family, that everyone is saved, because we all do God's Will, even the non-elect?  Calvinists really need to rethink this.  They need to decide: Is Jesus lying or is Calvinism wrong?]

Why do Calvinists struggle?

In the clip, MacArthur goes on to suggest that Calvinists struggle with their assurance of salvation because they (as all Christians do) still struggle with their old, sinful natures, and it makes them feel bad, causing them to wonder if they are really saved or not.  And, yeah, this might be something that contributes to their (and maybe even our own) fears that they aren’t really saved.  

But let me take a stab at really answering the question of “Why do Calvinists struggle with assurance of salvation?":

"Umm ... let me see ... could it be that Calvinists struggle with assurance because Calvinist leaders say that they have to trust their wishy-washy feelings to determine if they are really saved or not!?!  Could it be because (in Calvinism) they have no control over their choice to believe in Jesus, and so they can only hope, pray, trust that God really does want them personally to be saved and that He gave them real faith, not fake faith!?!  Could it be because they can't know until the end of their lives if they had real or fake faith, only after they see if He caused them to "persevere" in the faith all the way to the end!?!  Could it be because Calvinism has made a mess of the gospel and has destroyed God's trustworthy, faithful, honest, righteous, just, loving character, turning Him into a monster god who doesn't love all people (but says he does), who doesn't want all people to be saved (but says he does), who causes sin for his glory (after commanding us not to sin, but then he still holds us responsible for it), who always says one thing but means another, who tricks some unfortunate souls into thinking they’re saved when they’re not, who causes most people to reject him but then punishes them in hell for what he caused them to do, etc.!?!"

Could that have anything to do with it!?!

No wonder Calvinists are scared!  

I'd be afraid of a god like that too!

The difference between Calvinism and the Truth:

The thing is, Calvinists and non-Calvinists alike struggle sometimes with doubts about whether we are truly saved or not.  We backslide and drift into sin sometimes and get into low points in our walks with the Lord.  This is normal, Calvinist or not.  

But the big, critical difference between Calvinists and non-Calvinists (biblical truth) is this:

Non-Calvinists believe that God really does want all people to be saved and that it's possible for all people to be saved because Jesus really did die for all sins of all people.  And since that includes each one of us, we can know for sure that God loves us personally, that He wants us to be saved, that Jesus died for us, that God offers us salvation, and that we can be saved if we choose to believe in Jesus.  But if we find out at some point that we didn't really commit to Jesus but just thought we did, then it's our fault, not God's.  We tricked ourselves into thinking we were saved when we weren't.  But - and this is huge! - we can do something about it.  We can "turn the ship around," choosing at that point to genuinely put our faith in Jesus, to accept Him as Lord and Savior, and then we will be saved.  God promises to save those who believe in Jesus - and anyone can believe, salvation is freely offered to all - and that is a promise we can rest in.  It's where our assurance is found.

But in Calvinism, God is responsible for whether we believe or not.  And there's nothing we can do about it.  We don't know if God really loves us specifically or if Jesus really died for us personally.  We don't know if salvation was truly offered to us.  We don't get to decide if we believe in Jesus or not.  We don't get to decide if God gave us fake faith or real faith, or if we will persevere to the end or not.  And so all we can do is hope, wonder, pray that God truly does love us, that Jesus really did die for us, that God really did predestine us for heaven, that He really did give us real faith, and that He really will keep us in the faith until we die (but we won't know for sure until the end).  And if we question our salvation or if we backslide, there's nothing we could do about it anyway.  It's God's fault if we backslide.  It's God's fault if we leave the faith, because He gave us fake faith, not real.  And there's nothing we can do about it.  We can't do anything to "turn the ship around."  God has to do it.  And so if He doesn't do it, we are hopelessly lost forever.  For His pleasure and glory.  

[The Bible says that the angels rejoice over every sinner that repents.  But in Calvinism, the angels would also be rejoicing over every sinner that doesn't repent.  Because both are equally God's Will.  Both are equally caused by God.  Both bring God glory, equally.  As Calvinist Paul Washer says, "The moment when you take your first step through the gates of hell, the only thing you will hear is all of creation standing to its feet and applauding and praising God because God has rid the earth of you."  That's sick.  And very unbiblical.]

To belabor the point, let me give a simple (imperfect) illustration of the difference between biblical assurance of salvation and Calvinist "assurance" of salvation:

The biblical, non-Calvinist version: There's a plane bound for heaven, and God says that whoever reaches out and accepts the ticket that He bought for them, that He freely offers them, will board the plane and be saved.  There's a ticket for everyone, and anyone can accept a ticket and be saved.  But God has decided to allow each person to decide if they want the ticket or not.  He will not force heaven on anyone because He wants to let people decide for themselves if they want to be with Him eternally or not.  And sadly, many will reject the ticket, and so they will not be in heaven in the end.  But it won't be God's fault; it will be theirs, for rejecting the free gift Jesus paid for with His blood, the salvation that He offers and wants them to accept.  But in humble gratitude, you reach out and accept the ticket.  And because you did so, as you walk up to gate to show your ticket, you can be absolutely assured that you will be allowed to board the plane - because God promised you so.  And God can be trusted to keep His promises.

But here's the Calvinist version, the pathetic, twisted Calvinist gospel: In Calvinism, there is not a ticket for everyone, but only for a few people, and it's all been decided long ago and cannot change.  And Calvi-god himself randomly chooses (and is the only one who really knows) who gets a ticket and who doesn't.  Of course, everyone who gets a ticket has the assurance that they will board the plane, but there's no way to know if you personally will get a ticket.  Calvi-god commands everyone to reach out and accept a ticket, even, ironically, the non-elect who were predestined to never get a ticket.  But the kicker is, no one has the ability to reach out and accept a ticket ... because that would be "works."  And so we all have to just wait and see if Calvi-god does it for us, if He makes us accept the ticket.  And even though you might feel sure that he gave you a ticket, all you can really do your whole life is wonder, hope, trust (and convince yourself) that it's a real ticket, and not a fake one, that you'll be let on the plane when you reach the gate.  And if you do eventually realize it was a fake ticket (if you lost your ticket somehow), then there's nothing you can do about it anyway.  Because Calvi-god caused it to happen to punish you more in hell and to get more glory for himself through it.  It's a roll of the dice, a cosmic lottery, and you can only hope your name was chosen.    

The Calvinist's assurance isn't in God's character (because their version of God is not trustworthy, reliable, honest, or faithful) or in His promise to save those who choose to believe (because they don't think we get a choice) or in their feelings that they are elect (because they could have gotten evanescent grace); it's in their hope that God truly did cause them to believe and that it's not a trick.  

And in their desire to know if they are really elect or not, they are always looking for evidence of whether they got real faith or fake faith, through their works and feelings, always hoping they are godly enough to prove they are truly one of the elect, always wondering if every new sin or doubt or backslidden moment is an indication that they aren't truly saved, but not able to know for sure till the end of their lives, and not able to do anything about it anyway.

Not very reassuring now, is it?  

(Calvinism makes me sad.  Can I just say that right now?  Calvinism makes me sad.  Not for me, but for the Church and for those who've been trapped in Calvinism and those who've been hurt by it.  It makes me sad.)

Having to wonder if God really does love you, if Jesus really did die for you, if God really gave you real faith, if He will really keep you in the faith all the way till the end  - and yet knowing that there's nothing you could do about any of it anyway - is not "assurance of salvation," no matter how much Calvinists claim it is.  It's "tricking yourself into thinking you are really one of the elect, when you might not be and can't know for sure and can't do anything about it anyway."  

But for the rest of us, the non-Calvinists, this is the basis for our salvation and our assurance: If we choose to believe in Jesus, if we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, then we can trust that God will save us.  Because that's what He promised to do.  And God can be trusted to keep His promises.  

John 1:12: "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." [In the concordance, “receive” and “believe” are not passive, not something God does to you or causes you to do, as Calvinists would say.  They are active: you do them yourself.  To “receive” is to actively reach out and grab ahold of something that is offered to you.  And to “believe” is to allow yourself to be persuaded that something is true and, consequently, to put your faith in it, to commit to it.]

1 Peter 1:3-5: "In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed at the last time."

Colossians 1:10-14: "And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.  For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."