Dwelling In God's House

What exactly was David referring to in verse 6 of the 23rd Psalm?  "... and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever!" (in the HCSB it says "as long as I live.")  This was a confession of faith an article of a creed, or a proclamation of victory that all was well with his soul and he knew to Whom he belonged.  There are three key doctrinal points to be made from this verse.
First,  he was assured of his salvation as it were.
Second, it commenced immediately or he owned it in the present tense (i.e., eternal life in Christ the Chief Shepherd referred to).
Third, he could not lose this confidence or his security was assured and good as God's Word.  David was emphatically proclaiming his salvation and announcing to us that he will be there in the LORD's house as a sure thing, for He is the perfect Promise Keeper.

David connected with the Lord on a personal level and sensed His presence in his life; you might say he knew that God is the One who is there, as Schaeffer called God, "The God who is there!"  As he also said, "He is there, and He is not silent."  We cannot be any closer than that--we converse with Him--in one level this psalm is a prayer of faith! David's faith expressed a deep fellowship and not just second-hand knowledge.

That is to say that we can have assurance of our salvation and don't have to wonder or just "hope" for the best; that our salvation begins in real time (it is not provisional and we are not on probation to earn our salvation or to keep it); and that our salvation is eternal and cannot be forfeited or lost--once you have it, you can never lose it--you're family and one of the Shepherd's sheep.  This is vital to know because the assurance of salvation and the eternal security of the believer are to be distinguished, but not separated!  They go hand in hand and you cannot have one without the other--we must never divorce them!

If there wasn't any security you would be presumptuous to say you had assurance or were saved, because you don't know if you might lose it by some future sin or might commit apostasy or fall away as a backslider and not recover. If there's no assurance, there's no security; if there's no security, there's no assurance--this is logic and by definition.  Just by the definition of eternal life, we say that it cannot end and begins and goes on from Day One, and from there all of one's days into eternity!  How can you have eternal life for one day?  You either partake of eternal life or you don't!  In sum, we share in God's life and are considered members of His household!

Our heritage as believers is the peace of God, which is manifest in multiple ways.  We have the peace with God, of God, and with ourselves.  This knowledge that we can rest in peace knowing we belong to God and are secure in our legacy, is really living the good life or life to the max! Our peace is the peace that surpasses all understanding!  Isaiah 57:21 says, "there is no peace, says my God,  for the wicked" and Rom. 3:17 says that "and the way of peace they do not know."  As they say, know Jesus, know peace; no Jesus, no peace!

"I was glad when they said unto mem, let us go into the house of the LORD" (cf. Psalm 122:1).     Soli Deo Gloria!