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. (John 3:16, NIV)
Coming into the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont, Dustin Johnson was winless in his prior 28 major tournaments. His three-putt on the last hole of the 2015 Open at Chambers Bay was only the latest of his Open failures.
As he stood over a short putt on the 5th green on Sunday, two shots behind the leader, Shane Lowry, Johnson noticed that his ball had moved ever so slightly.
He backed off, called over a rules official, and explained that he believed he did not cause his ball to move. After further discussion, the rules official informed him that he could play his ball from the new location without penalty.
As Johnson played holes 6 through 12, other USGA rules officials began talking about the situation and reviewed video footage of the incident.
While they were inclined to assess Johnson with a penalty stroke for the 5th green incident, they merely talked with Johnson, who was now leading the tournament by two strokes, on the 12th tee.
They “decided not to decide” whether to overrule the prior decision until Johnson finished his round, thereby placing Johnson in an untenable limbo—is he still the leader? If so, by how many strokes?
One can only imagine the doubt that was created in the minds of the other golfers, the viewing audience, and, most of all, Johnson himself as he played the remaining seven holes, unsure precisely where he stood in relation to the rest of the competition. As one commentator noted: “It was unsettling, and it plunged the whole tournament into chaos.”
Golf psychologists recognize doubt as a significant mental barrier that can significantly impact a golfer’s performance. It can lead to stress and anxiety, which in turn hinders concentration, fine motor skills, and decision-making. It is the biggest killer of all golf shots.
Beyond our golf pursuits, doubt can creep into our thinking about relationships, careers, finances, or medical situations. Doubt is insidious and undermines, erodes, and detracts from the joy we ought to experience in our daily lives.
I have lived with and battled doubt my entire life. But there is one area where I have absolutely no doubt—my salvation. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins and, as a result of my repentance and acceptance of Him as my Lord and Savior, by God’s grace and mercy, I have received the gift of eternal life.
John 3:16 provides us with all the certainty we need regarding salvation. Similar passages—John 3:36, John 6:40, and John 10:28-29—make the same point: our salvation is secure.
As we read in Romans 11:29, our salvation is irrevocably secure. Scripture is filled with many of the same promises—something that is “eternal” cannot, by definition, be lost or taken away.
1 John 5:13 sums it up quite succinctly: And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
My reliance on these promises leads me, and I hope you as well, to only one solid conclusion that contains no doubt: “If Saved, Always Saved.” We should daily praise and thank God for His wonderful gift of eternal life.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we praise you for the gift of your Son, who died for our sins so that we might believe, be saved, and live in your promise of eternal life.