Posted on 01/04/2013 7:15:20 AM PST by xzins
11 Biblical Tests of Genuine Salvation -
In 1746, about six years after the Great Awakening, in which Jonathan Edwards was the primary instrument of God to preach the gospel and bring about the greatest revival in American history thus far, Edwards wrote A Treatise Concerning the Religious Affections. He wrote it to deal with a problem not unlike one we face today: the matter of evidence for true conversion. Many people want the blessings of salvation, especially eternal security, but no more.
In the explosive drama of the Great Awakening, it seemed as though conversions were occurring in great numbers. However, it didn't take long to realize that some people claimed conversions that were not real. While various excesses and heightened emotional experiences were common, scores of people didn't demonstrate any evidence in their lives to verify their claim to know and love Jesus Christ, which led critics to attack the Great Awakening, contending it was nothing but a big emotional bath without any true conversions.
Thus, partly in defense of true conversion and partly to expose false conversion, Jonathan Edwards took up his pen. He came to this simple conclusion. The supreme proof of a true conversion is what he called "holy affections," which are a zeal for holy things and a longing after God and personal holiness. He made a careful distinction between saving versus common operations of the Holy Spirit. Saving operations obviously produce salvation. Common operations of the Holy Spirit, he said, "may sober, arrest and convict men, and may even bring them to what at first appears to be repentance and faith, yet these influences fall short of inward saving renewal" (lain H. Murray, Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography [Carlisle, Pa.: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1987], p. 255).
How can you tell whether the Holy Spirit has performed a saving operation? As the principle evidence of life is motion, Edwards wrote, so the principle evidence of saving grace is holy practice (pp. 262-63). He said true salvation always produces an abiding change of nature in a true convert. Therefore, whenever holiness of life does not accompany a confession of conversion, it must be understood that this individual is not a Christian.
In the very year Edwards' treatise was published, popular teaching asserted that, to the contrary, the only real evidence of true salvation is a feeling based on an experience--usually the experience at the moment of the alleged conversion. That teaching introduces the prevalent but erroneous concept that a person's true spiritual state is known by a past experience rather than a present pursuit of holiness. Edwards flatly contradicted that notion: "Assurance is never to be enjoyed on the basis of a past experience. There is need of the present and continuing work of the Holy Spirit ... [in] giving assurance" (p. 265). This is no esoteric theological debate: the substance of your assurance is at stake.
A number of New Testament writers, of course, were very concerned about this matter of true salvation, as was our Lord Jesus Himself. The apostle John dedicated his first letter to the subject, stating his theme at the end: "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13). Throughout the letter is a series of tests to determine whether you possess eternal life. If you don't pass these tests, you'll know where you stand and what you need to do. If you do, you'll have reason to enjoy your eternal salvation with great assurance.
1- Do You Enjoy Fellowship with Christ and the Father?Jesus is Lord!
This is an essential element in true salvation and the first test John presented. Look with me at chapter 1, which begins: "We [John and his fellow apostles] have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us--what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ" (vv. 2-3). Obviously he was going beyond just the earthly acquaintance he had with Jesus because he had no such earthly acquaintance with the Father. Rather, he was presently enjoying communion with the living God and the living Christ.
Now at first you might be tempted to think, Well, good for John, but his was not an isolated experience. In 1 John 5:1, he says, "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him" (emphasis added). It is characteristic of any believer to love God and Christ. It is a sign of the holy affections Jonathan Edwards spoke of. A relationship with God is basic to salvation. It is what we as believers were called to. "God is faithful," Paul says, "through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Cor 1:9).
Paul described what that fellowship meant to him personally: "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself up for me" (Gal 2:20). There's something very experiential about that truth--it's not just a cold fact that we as believers have divine life living in us; there's an experience to be enjoyed in knowing God intimately.
Jesus implied as much when He said, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10: 10). If He had just said, "I came that you may have life," we could conclude He was talking only about His gracious provision of eternal life. By adding that life could be abundant, Jesus was moving into the dimension of experience. The Christian life is a rich life. We're meant to experience joy, peace, love, and purpose. When someone who's about to be baptized testifies about coming to Christ, you won't hear, "The fact is, folks, I'm saved, and I'm just here to announce that." Invariably the person will describe to you the feeling--the overwhelming sense of forgiveness and purpose in his or her life.
Here's a taste of the abundant life Scripture describes in terms of our fellowship with the Lord. The "God of all comfort" (2 Cor 1:3); "the God of all grace" (1 Peter 5:10); the God who supplies all [our] needs according to His riches in Christ (Phil. 4:19); the God who leads us to speak to one another in psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our hearts to Him (Eph 5:19); the God to whom we cry "Abba! Father!" (Rom 8:15) like little children to the daddy we adore; the God we draw near to in time of trouble (Heb 4:16)--He Himself so greatly enriches us. Our fellowship with Him is the abundant life we experience.
Have you experienced communion with God and Christ? Have you sensed Their presence? Do you have a love for Them that draws you to Their presence? Have you experienced the sweet communion of prayer--the exhilarating joy of talking to the living God? Have you experienced the refreshing, almost overwhelming sense of grace that comes upon you when you discover a new truth in His Word? If you have, then you have experienced the fellowship of salvation.
Those false believers, mouthing words but not having the spirit in them..... I call them “the tares”. The older I get the more I realize the church has many tares in it.
Bflr= bump for later reading
Thanks, fish
We pray, Lord Jesus, in the power of Your Spirit, that our brother be relieved from the illness that has beset him these last few days. Amen.
Right, but God knows who is going to finish 1, 2, and 3 at thr 3rd race at Santa Anita this afternoon, because he is not bound by time, he knows the future, but that does not mean he fixed the race.
Yes, God knows the future in detail.
As you say, that doesn't mean God fixed the race, but it also doesn't mean He didn't. For example, knowing your future, he went ahead and created this world with you in it, anyway. If you are a believer, then He created this world knowing ahead of time that you would be a believer.
He predestined you.
I am with you Chaplain, because when you truly surrender all of your life to Christ, it changes you from the inside out. The way you look at life is different, and the value of everything is different, what you want to do with your time, your life, how you want to be in response to God’s word and everyone around you.
The danger to me its that we can all have that change but we can all have varying degrees of growth. That is why it is dangerous, and in my opinion, when you get people judging other people as to their success in living a Christ-like, Christ-centered, life. Undoubtedly, the people advocating and judging will see themselves at a higher percentage rate than others they judge. And I just don’t think it works that way. Moreover, I believe that is reserved for the BEMA, the Judgement Seat of Christ.
And the Lord, who knows the future before it happens, and what we will pray before we pray it, answered your prayer - yesterday!
Thank you for the prayer. And thank God for His answer, in His timing. I’ll let the more contentious worry if that means Calvin or Arminius is right...I’ll just be glad that God is beyond my imagination.
That’s why Paul in 2 Co 5 says we should examine ourselves. He doesn’t tell others to examine you.
His instruction is that we should be willing to engage in self-evaluation. It makes sense to me from a self-management standpoint.
But, I think Paul’s point is that true believers will see themselves doing these things, and that will give them assurance of their salvation.
-He predestined you-
I respectfully disagree. I feel it’s more like a timeline thing. God can view the timeline (past, future, present), but allows us to do things in that timeline. He knows and allows what is going to occur, but he does not determine it. Just my thoughts.
If God knows everything, then He knew whether you’d choose Him or not. And, then, when He created everything it was inevitable that you’d choose Him because He already knew it.
—If God knows everything, then He knew whether you’d choose Him or not. And, then, when He created everything it was inevitable that you’d choose Him because He already knew it—
God KNOWS it, He doesn’t CHOOSE it. As you just said “you’d choose Him”. (Caps are for emphasis, not yelling).
God chooses to choose those who choose His Son.
So you have to make a choice. Then God will then choose you? Isn’t that what I said. He doesn’t choose for you.
Yes, I agree, but at the same time we must realize that God did not have to create a world with justice14 in it. He could have picked a different world, but by the very act of creating this world with you in it, He foreknew you would be a believer. Therefore, by the very act of creating, He predestined you.
That’s what the bible means when it says, “those He foreknew, He predestined.”
In short. He created a world. Then we sinned. So He allowed free-will. He KNOWS who will be believers or not, but we CHOOSE whether we are not. He doesn’t CHOOSE for us.
You said, “So you have to make a choice. Then God will then choose you?...”
Yes. And before all of this, God has chosen this as His means of salvation (Peter talks about the “elect according to the foreknowledge of God”). IOW, while there is predestination involved (”For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” - Romans 8), God leaves it up to the sinner to entrust his confidence in The Son (God “is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance,” and “Whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”).
A preacher once likened it to a doorway to Heaven emblazoned with the words “Whosoever will” on the outside of the door, and on the inside “The elect of God” on the inside. We choose to follow God, receive His Son as Lord and Savior this side. In eternity, we will see that it was all part of His designed plan.
Wrong sequence.
Jesus is “The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” In other words, in creating God already knew that Christ would have to die.
He already knew humanity would fall.
Therefore, it goes something like this:
God anticipates our world.
Realizes Jesus must be slain to save it.
Creates our world knowing everyone who would ever be and their choices.
The fall happens.
Consider, for example, that Judas was born to betray Jesus. It was foretold that it would be by a friend for 30 pieces of silver, etc. Peter even drew lots to determine the replacement apostle for Judas because he saw the prophecy in scripture that someone else had to take Judas’ place.
Some are NOT saved, Justice. God knew that, too.
Just to add clarification in my answer to justice14’s question. The “choice” a person makes that God “chooses” to honor is the appropriation/acceptance by faith of His Son’s finished work on the cross. This is the only “choice” of ours that fits the sinner for being one of those “chosen by God”. And all of this occurs within His full foreknowledge. Nothing takes God by surprise. He knows those who will “choose” the free gift of salvation. The offer is on the table for all. Christ died for the sins of the world. Every sinner (that means every living human being) has the opportunity to be saved. But not every sinner will. And God knows this.
—Creates our world knowing everyone who would ever be and their choices.—
He KNOWS are choices. We CHOOSE our choices. This is what you just stated in the sentence above.
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