Posted on 12/29/2006 4:47:11 AM PST by cowboyfan88
Edited on 12/29/2006 8:32:56 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
The assurance of salvation is the most important thing in life. It should be the number one concern of every human being. Sadly, too often it is not.
The good news is, the Bible teaches that you can know for sure that you are going to heaven. I John 5:13 says: "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW THAT YE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE..." Notice that this verse doesn't say, "that ye may HOPE that you can GET eternal life." It says that you can know that you have it, as a present possession.
How do you get it?
Acts 16:31 says: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved..." Notice again that it doesn't say, "Believe and you will someday be saved." It rather says, "Believe...and BE saved." Of course, the word "saved" makes a lot of people nervous.
A man told me once, "We don't speak in those terms at our church." But that's a shame, because the Bible uses this word over and over again. John Newton used it hundreds of years ago when he wrote that most beloved of all Christian hymns, "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that SAVED a wretch like me." You've probably even sung that song! Well, it was written by a man who was saved, and you can be saved too. Ephesians 2:8,9 says: "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” “Not of works, lest any man should boast."
Here we see that people are saved "by grace," and "through faith." By God's grace. Through your faith. Faith and believing are the same thing. If you believe something, it means you have faith in it. Notice also the contrast to "works." Works are things that we can DO.
Most people think that they can be saved by the things that they do. If they don't do bad things, if they instead do good things, they think that they will be saved. The problem with this system is that you can never be SURE that you've done enough good things, and avoided enough bad things, to be saved. That's why the people who believe this are generally not sure they are saved. But Romans 4:16 says, "Therefore it is OF FAITH, that it might be BY GRACE, to the end THE PROMISE MIGHT BE SURE..." The only way you can be sure of salvation is by faith. If you had to do as little as lift your finger to be saved, you could never be sure that you had done it right.
But by faith we can believe that the Lord Jesus Christ did it right. We can be sure that He lived a sinless life. He never did anything wrong, He did everything right. A person like that didn't deserve to die. The Bible says that "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). But He was no sinner. Why did He have to die? Ah, He died OUR death. He died our death so that we could have His righteousness and be saved. II Corinthians 5:21 says: "For God made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."
Two thousand years ago, God laid all of our sins on Christ as He hung on Calvary. But that doesn't mean that everyone is saved! Two thousand years later, WHEN YOU BELIEVE that Christ paid for all of your sins, God then takes Christ's righteousness and puts it on you, completing the transaction that must be completed for the redemption of your soul.
I like to explain it this way. God says to us in the Bible that Christ paid for all of your sins. The only question is,
Do you BELIEVE God when He says that all of your sins are paid for? Do you TRUST Him when He says that?
If you do, the Bible says that you are SAVED.
If you don't, well, you just have to go on trying to pay for your sins in your own way. By being good. By not being bad. But these are things the Bible says you can't do well enough to be saved. Romans 4:5 says: "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, HIS FAITH is COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS." Titus 3:5 says: "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."
That big word "regeneration" is just a big word that means to be "born again," as the Lord talked about in John 3. But in both of these verses, you can see that salvation is by faith alone, and has nothing to do with your conduct. Most people think that we are all born GOOD, and on our way to heaven, and that we have to do something REALLY BAD to blow it and go to hell. But the Bible teaches the opposite. The Bible teaches that we are all born bad, and have to get saved by faith to go to heaven. Sometimes when we explain this, people then ask, "Why then should I be good?"
The answer to this question is, we should be good out of gratitude for God for saving us. Earlier I quoted Ephesians 2:8,9 to show that we are saved "by grace" and "through faith." But the NEXT verse in Ephesians 2 tells us where "being good" comes in: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus UNTO good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).
When we are saved, we are made "new creatures" in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17). But Ephesians 2:10 here says that we were "created in Christ Jesus UNTO good works." That is, we were saved by faith, but we were saved FOR A PURPOSE, for a reason. God saved us and made us new creatures in Christ so that we would THEN do good works.
Most people get the cart before the horse, as the saying goes. Most people think you do good works, then God saves you. The Bible teaches that instead we are saved by believing, then we SHOULD do good works. Right after Titus 3:5 says we are saved "not by works of righteousness," three verses later it says, "...these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful TO MAINTAIN GOOD WORKS. These things are good and profitable unto men."
Do you see it? We are not saved by good works, but after we are saved by faith, we are told we should do good works to please the One who saved us. Romans 6:23 says: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Here there is a contrast drawn between "wages" and a "gift." Wages are something that we EARN. We go to work, and work all week, and the boss pays us. If we want to be polite, we can say "thank you" when he hands us the check, but we don't have to. He OWES us that money, we EARNED it.
But a gift is something altogether different. You can't earn a gift. If you did, it wouldn't be a gift. That's why the verses BEFORE Romans 4:5 says, "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." You can't earn a gift, you can only receive it. And the way you receive the gift of salvation is by faith, by believing God when He says your sins are paid for. Suppose you were a gambler, and racked up a debt of a million dollars to the Mafia. They threatened to kill you unless you paid up. A wealthy friend learns of your plight and comes to you and says, "Don't worry, I've paid your debt."
Now in this case, you must REALLY BELIEVE that your friend paid your debt. You must really TRUST your friend when he says that. That's why the other word that the Bible uses besides "believe" is "trust." Ephesians 1:12 talks about people... "...who first TRUSTED in Christ "In whom ye also TRUSTED, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13).
If you DON'T trust that your friend paid your gambling debt, then you will most likely continue to make payments to your bookie or loan shark. But if you DO trust your friend when he says that your debt has been paid, then you will rest comfortably in that knowledge, knowing that you've been "saved" from an awful fate, and you will be forever grateful to the one who saved you. That's how salvation works too.
In John 5:24, the Lord said: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, HATH EVERLASTING LIFE, and SHALL NOT COME INTO CONDEMNATION, but IS PASSED FROM DEATH UNTO LIFE." Here we see that the Bible teaches that not only are you saved if you believe on the Lord, you already possess eternal life, and it is NOT POSSIBLE for you to ever be condemned for your sins, for you are ALREADY passed "from death unto [eternal] life." Remember, Acts 16:31 says, "believe...and...be saved." It DOESN'T say, "Believe and be good." It doesn't even say, "Believe and be religious." It just says believe and be saved.
If you believe that Christ died to pay for all of your sins, and that you don't have to pay for any of them, the Bible says you are saved. In I Corinthians 15:1-4, the Apostle Paul identifies “the gospel” that he preached to the Corinthians, by which they were “saved”: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; “And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” You too can be among those who are “saved,” if you will simply put your faith in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 3:25).
If you don't want the rewards that have been predestined for you, then you don't have to ask for forgiveness.
If you want to be further sanctified, then yes, you do need to return to God and confess sins to Him privately.
The life in Christ only begins with salvation. It doesn't end there.
If you killed someone or took an extra newspaper at the vending machine without paying you are just as guilty of sin. The price is the same. Can you walk the perfect walk? Think long and hard about what you do daily, what you say, what you think. No we can not do it. GOD knew we could not do it. That is the reason for Christ. We can not save ourselves through our behavior. We are saved by Grace and by Grace alone when we except Christ. We should try to be Christ like in our lives for our own sakes as it brings peace. But you, me, the Pope, the Preacher Smith, will still sin till we die. The difference being our sins are placed upon Christ.
1Cor 2:9-14
Discern between the spirit and the things of the soul.
You have no priesthood to offer Sacrifice
We have Jesus. He paid the only sacrifice that would satisfy a Holy God. How can your or anybody else's sacrifice come close?
The veil has been rent from top to bottom and we have access to the father from the ultimate sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter is not the rock of scripture. The rock has always been a picture of Jesus Christ. No priest in your religious system can get you closer to God. It is a man made system just like the tower of babel. I attend a baptist church that believes a lot of things that I don't and we can argue and debate those things but if you think you can please a holy God with your works instead of accepting his free gift you are blinded.
friend, killing someone is not the same sin as stealing a newspaper. when you get that through your head, come back and talk some religion/theology.
The life that ends as a murderer, never having asked for forgiveness, ends in hell.
If you don't understand that, you're misguided at best.
"If we fail to forgive, we are in danger of not being forgiven."
If we fail to ask God for forgiveness before we die, we are in danger of permanent separation from God in the next life.
God will judge, and there is no doubt he will judge murderers more harshly than traffic-violators.
When is man judged to be sent to the Lake of Fire?
Which person of the Godhead is going to judge you to send the believer to hell?
I'd rather learn and practice instead the Words of Christ. Who did Christ condemn the most? The theologians of the day. The ones demanding purity of all others. The ones being their brothers accuser whom had planks in their own eyes. The ones who tried to ENSLAVE and accuse the brethren condemning them to the laws and ignored mercy and forgiveness. Their making demands against the believers demanding perfection that THEY THEMSELVES could not even uphold. Sin is sin. One sin makes us as unwashed as a dozen. If we die in one we die in them all. But as believers our sins are already dead and have passed from us.
Some sects demand such strict righteousness of their church they make certain their people fall by setting church doctrines so strict and rigid the believer looses hope and gives up.
The judgment of (theologians and) humans means nothing.
We are forgiven of our sins by God when we ask him for forgiveness. A murderer who does not ask for forgiveness, although "saved", will surely go to hell.
Some sects have their believers follow doctrine that says that after you are saved, you are already forgiven for anything you might do. They can cheat on their spouses and never have to ask God's forgiveness, for they surely are going to heaven, anyway.
The man who dies without asking God for forgiveness for murder, adultery, suicide, and probably several other grievous sins, is judged by God in the next life.
Which person, ...God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit?
With all due respect, that is a little bit silly.
When God judges, He judges.
God cannot contradict Himself.
*You think Paul was not a Bishop/Priest who offered the Holy Sacrifice/oblation as Malachias prophesied...
For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation: for my name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts.
*The protestant revolutionaries changed the words of Scripture and abandoned Holy Orders and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass...and so it is you who have a totally man made service.
Only we Catholics and Orthodox have the Sacrifice of the Mass - the action of Jesus, as both priest and victim, offering Himself to God as a Sacrifice of Propitiation on our behalf.
Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Gal 1:9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any [man] preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
Paul's gospel is the gospel that saves. If you read 1 Cor 15:1-4 that is the gospel that saves.
Don't worry about what other people say or claim. The Bible tells us not to boast. If you have asked Jesus into your life ... if God has graced you with the desire to walk with Jesus, you will not be allowed to 'fall'. Jesus died for your sins. Pray without ceasing that the blood of Jesus protect you from the Evil One. You can stumble and sin, for sin is all around us and sometimes we are too young in our walk to have a firm grasp of the principles of what it takes to bend our will to God's, but once we realize our sins, they become abhorent to us, and we find we cannot continue on the sinful path. God calls us back to Him. So no, you cannot fall, because a Christian will not continue in sin. Life is only long because God will's it so, for you. It could be short. He could call you to Him at any time. His desire is for every soul to come to Him. If anyone commits egregious, repetitive sin, then he/she is Satan's child, not God's.
Shake it easy, baby
No hard feelings...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.