1. “Restore to me the gladness of Your salvation”; “You surround me with the ringing shouts of deliverance” (Psa. 51:12; 32:7; see also Luke 15:24, 32; Acts 8:39; 16:34).
The second testimony of a person who has been saved is joy. Salvation causes sinners to be forgiven, to be released from the burden of sin, to be reconciled to God, to be released, to obtain the life of God, and even to obtain God Himself. Moreover, it causes people to obtain a heavenly inheritance and an eternal hope. Salvation makes people rejoice. How could a person who has received so many great, high, extraordinary, and wonderful blessings not rejoice? When the prodigal son returned home and tasted the great love of his father, he could not refrain from rejoicing together with his father. When the Ethiopian eunuch received the Lord’s salvation, he went on his way rejoicing. When the Philippian jailer and his entire household received the Lord’s salvation, they all exulted. Joy in those who are saved is a testimony of God’s salvation.
1. “Zaccheus...said to the Lord, Behold, the half of my possessions, Lord, I give to the poor, and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore four times as much. And Jesus said to him, Today salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:8-9; see also Matt. 3:8).
The third testimony of a saved person is a change in his living. When someone encounters the Lord and is saved, he gains the Lord’s life through the Spirit’s entering into and abiding in him. The Lord’s life, which passed through death and resurrection, has great power. When the Lord’s life enters into a person, it changes him and is manifested in his outward living. No one who experiences this can remain the same. Zaccheus was a great sinner who was greedy and stingy. But as soon as he encountered the Lord, he changed and gave half of what he had to the poor and restored fourfold what he had taken from others by false accusation. This came from the Lord’s salvation, and it testified that the Lord’s salvation had come to him.
1. “Eternal salvation” (Heb. 5:9).
We are saved once for all. Our salvation is not based upon our works or ourselves; instead, it is based upon the Lord and His work. We ourselves and our works can change and are not reliable, but the Lord and His work will not change and are eternally reliable. We cannot obtain the Lord’s salvation by our works, and we cannot lose the Lord’s salvation by our works. The Lord did not save us because of things that we have done, and He will not take away His salvation because of things that we will do. Since our salvation is apart from works, our works have absolutely no effect on our salvation. The Lord’s gift of salvation issues from the grace of His unchanging love and is based upon His eternal work of redemption which He accomplished on the cross. Therefore, it cannot be changed with respect to us because of our works. The Lord, His love, His grace, and His work are all eternal and unchanging. Therefore, the salvation He gives is also eternal and unchanging. Because His grace and His work have saved us, our salvation is once for all.
2. “By no means perish forever” (John 10:28-29).
The greatest blessing we obtain when we are saved is the life of God. This life is the same as God Himself and will by no means perish forever. His life makes us those who will never perish. God gives us His life once for all; He will never repent and take His life from us. Once we obtain His life, we cannot lose it. We have received the eternal life, and we will never perish.
We not only have eternal life, which prevents us from perishing forever, but we also have the powerful hands of the Lord and the Father keeping us; no one can snatch us out of these powerful hands. Our salvation is as secure as God is. (We will examine the details concerning this matter in chapter 16.)