Why are there warnings in
the Epistle of Hebrews and other New Testament Epistles about the importance of
chequing yourself to be sure you are saved? The New Testament Epistles were
addressed to professed believers and among professed believers are those who
are yet unsaved but believe they are saved, and the church ought to be reaching
out to unsaved church members as well as the unchurched instead of always
assuming that every profession of faith is genuine. (Matthew 13:24-30)
While there may be
occasions in which a child of God may have doubts about salvation, this
probably does not happen as often as supposed. Many professed believers have
doubts about their salvation simply because they are not saved, and many
unregenerate professors of faith are convinced that they are saved because they
believe myths, misconceptions, and unscriptural theories about salvation. Many
believe they are saved merely because they had a religious experience, but a
religious experience does not necessarily mean salvation. You can bathe and
brush your teeth religiously (and you should), but this won’t save you from
Hell. It worries me when someone says they were so young that they don’t
remember much about the experience: For one thing, if you had an experience
that you don’t remember much about then you didn’t have much of an experience.
Many refer to certain works or ceremonies as the reason to believe they are
saved, but this tends to indicate the opposite: Salvation is a personal
experience with Jesus Christ and is through the finished work of Calvary, not
the shed blood of Jesus Christ and additional supplements. (John 3:13-16; Acts
2:21; 10:43; Romans 4:5; 5:1-2,8-11; I Corinthians 15:1-4; II Corinthians
5:17-18; Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:5-6; Hebrews 5:9; I Peter 1:3; I John 5:20)
What about religious
experiences or spiritual gifts manifested after salvation, doesn’t that confirm
salvation? Not necessarily. While there is more to life in Christ than the
initial experience (new birth) that occurs at faith and repentance, keep in
mind that if your religious or spiritual experience does not make you love
more, have a burden for lost souls, and hunger for God’s Word that is a good
sign that you are on the wrong track and need to do some prayerful self-examination.
Did you repent? (Mark
1:14-15; Luke 13:3) Many describe a salvation experience that did not include
repentance, which indicates that they are not saved. A mere belief without
genuine repentance is not saving faith. (Acts 3:19; also consider Psalm 34:18;
Isaiah 55:6-7; 57:15; 66:2) Faith and repentance can be described as the two
sides of the same coin, as they are inseparable; repentance is the turning from
sin to God, and faith is the turning to Jesus Christ (God in the flesh) for
salvation. (Acts 20:21) Repentance is necessary for salvation; it is the
effective agent for forgiveness and remission of sins through the power of the
cross. (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 11:18; 17:30-31; I Corinthians 1:17; II
Corinthians 7:10)
In which Jesus did you
believe and how do you describe Jesus Christ? Many describe Jesus Christ as
everything but God in the flesh, Who was born of a virgin, lived a sinless
life, died, was buried, was bodily resurrected, and in heaven today has a
glorified human body. Faith always has an object and the proper object of
saving faith is Jesus Christ, and more specifically, the Jesus Christ Who is
presented in Scripture. (John 3:13-16; I Corinthians 15:1-4; II Corinthians
11:4; I Timothy 2:5; I John 4:2,3; II John7)
Was there a change in
your life? “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John
10:27) “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new. (II Corinthians 5:17) “For the
grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us
that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly,
righteously, and godly, in this present world.” (Titus 2:11-12) “And every man
that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” (I John 3:3)
Do you know that you are
a child of God? “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons
of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye
have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit
itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”
(Romans 8:14-16) Many believe they are saved because they said a certain prayer
and they have more faith in the sincerity of that prayer than they have in
Jesus Christ. When you pray for salvation you should repent and believe in Jesus
Christ and keep praying for his mercy and grace until God touches you and you
KNOW you are a child of God.
If you have doubts about
salvation you should go to Jesus as a lost sinner seeking salvation. What if
you go to Jesus for salvation and don’t need to? God will forgive you. It would
be better to seek salvation and not need it than to finish this life hoping in
a counterfeit salvation.
The problem is often a
result of wrong directions to lost sinners. Note that in Acts 16:30-32 Paul and
Silas responded to the jailer's question by leading the jailer and his
household to Jesus Christ. Multitudes neglect the issue of salvation
altogether, and multitudes of unregenerate feel assured of salvation, because
of improper directions. All too often someone is assumed to be saved, even
assured that he is saved, because of works and appearances. For example, in
many religious circles someone is often assumed to be born again if he merely
says a repeat-after-me prayer, affirms some basic truths, and decides to live
right; this does not necessarily mean that he was convicted over sin, that he
genuinely repented, that he knows he cannot save himself, that he has a
personal experience with Jesus Christ, or that he even knows which God and
Savior to whom he should pray. In many cases there was no genuine conversion,
but merely a yielding to pressure from concerned friends or relatives or acting
in accord with myths or misconceptions about God and salvation. When such
people "backslide," losing what they never had, they are likely to
assume that Christianity is vanity or meaningless. Preachers and lay members
alike need to remember that we all have an obligation to spread the Gospel, but
regeneration is an act of God (not man). We must be careful that we are
directing people to genuine salvation.
Charo Washer's Testimony - Paul Washer's Wife
True Repentance Will Lead to Salvation
What is repentance and is it necessary for salvation?
What does it mean to be chastened?
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