Hello brethren! If I may, I would like to open this new thread for those who experience doubt about their salvation, to test ones faith, and to ask questions, and to know the truth.
Doubt: Am I Really Saved?
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I personally don't say that I'm saved or tell people I'm saved. God is the judge and he will decide that. Lately I have received encouragement from God about my salvation which has been relieving.
I understand. Do you sometimes experience doubt as well? Like the thought of dying and then realizing you're not saved and it's now too late because it's forever?
Yes. With my method of thinking I will only know I'm saved after death. So I do have doubts. But I am mentally ill and probably shouldn't be too tough on myself.
1 Corinthians 3:15
15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
Acts 2
27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Thanks Adam. That is encouraging. I guess I read all the scriptures that say sinners are damned. But there are also stories of sinners being saved too.
1stCenturyLady
Well-Known Member
In a nutshell this is the gospel and how the gospel works and why His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. He does it all! He is even the One who draws us to Himself. We just must open our hearts and become aware.
Romans 1:16
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith TO faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
To start, after we are drawn to Christ by the gospel, all we must do is repent. So, what does that mean? Let’s untwist scripture and compare scripture with scripture.
It is not repenting of individual sins as we commit them as some use 1 John 1:9. No, it is realizing that there is no way we can ever stop sinning by ourselves, as those who Moses taught who tried to live under the Law. In other words, we must realize we are sinners and give ourselves over to Jesus to save us from the sin nature that keeps us sinners. You see, 1 John 1:9 is to receive the Holy Spirit and makes us a born-again Christian whose new spirit has no desire to commit sin in the first place, therefore there should never be any willful sins to repent from. Peter said the same as 1 John 1:9 in Acts of the Apostles 2:38 “Repent…and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” But to have the knowledge to repent, we must first hear the true gospel. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." There is nothing we can do to earn salvation. Jesus did it all. Repenting is just acknowledging the truth about ourselves. It is not a “work” as some doctrines of demons twist scripture to include. Demons certainly do not want you to repent! Then it is His Spirit that abides in us and begins to change our lives forever, from glory to glory and from faith to faith. We just need to respond and abide in Him too.
Once we repent and admit we are sinners and cannot be holy as commanded, Jesus takes over and creates a new nature in us that is free from sin, making us children of God. This is level one. The first faith. We are cleansed of all unrighteousness and empowered with the Holy Spirit to live up to that first level as a baby Christian. Then the next – and the next… In God’s eyes, we may not yet be perfect, but at each level we are without sin.
Philippians 3:16
16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
Hebrews 12:2 above says that Jesus is the AUTHOR and FINISHER of our faith. He does it all. We just must obey our conscience where Jesus wrote the first level of laws for us to keep. As we learn to take those baby steps, the Spirit adds more laws of holiness to our conscience with conviction and releases more power to keep those. Faith to faith. Step by step. From glory to glory. This is called walking in the light or Spirit. We see in 1 John 1:7 that this Christian was walking successfully in the light he had been given, and the blood of Jesus cleansed him from all unknown sin. It didn’t mean he was perfect, but sinless in the eyes of God. Unlike the Old Covenant where they were accountable to keep all 613 laws, in the New Covenant we are only accountable to obey the commands He puts in our conscience as we keep growing in Him. Remember it is He, not us, who is the AUTHOR and FINISHER of our faith. This is the New Covenant.
1 John 3:21-24
21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
The bottom line is obeying your conscience. Listen to it. Obey it. Jesus has made it so easy. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Our part is to study the gospels and the letters from the apostles, and your conscience will grow. As it grows keep following it.
Romans 1:16
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith TO faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
To start, after we are drawn to Christ by the gospel, all we must do is repent. So, what does that mean? Let’s untwist scripture and compare scripture with scripture.
It is not repenting of individual sins as we commit them as some use 1 John 1:9. No, it is realizing that there is no way we can ever stop sinning by ourselves, as those who Moses taught who tried to live under the Law. In other words, we must realize we are sinners and give ourselves over to Jesus to save us from the sin nature that keeps us sinners. You see, 1 John 1:9 is to receive the Holy Spirit and makes us a born-again Christian whose new spirit has no desire to commit sin in the first place, therefore there should never be any willful sins to repent from. Peter said the same as 1 John 1:9 in Acts of the Apostles 2:38 “Repent…and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” But to have the knowledge to repent, we must first hear the true gospel. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." There is nothing we can do to earn salvation. Jesus did it all. Repenting is just acknowledging the truth about ourselves. It is not a “work” as some doctrines of demons twist scripture to include. Demons certainly do not want you to repent! Then it is His Spirit that abides in us and begins to change our lives forever, from glory to glory and from faith to faith. We just need to respond and abide in Him too.
Once we repent and admit we are sinners and cannot be holy as commanded, Jesus takes over and creates a new nature in us that is free from sin, making us children of God. This is level one. The first faith. We are cleansed of all unrighteousness and empowered with the Holy Spirit to live up to that first level as a baby Christian. Then the next – and the next… In God’s eyes, we may not yet be perfect, but at each level we are without sin.
Philippians 3:16
16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
Hebrews 12:2 above says that Jesus is the AUTHOR and FINISHER of our faith. He does it all. We just must obey our conscience where Jesus wrote the first level of laws for us to keep. As we learn to take those baby steps, the Spirit adds more laws of holiness to our conscience with conviction and releases more power to keep those. Faith to faith. Step by step. From glory to glory. This is called walking in the light or Spirit. We see in 1 John 1:7 that this Christian was walking successfully in the light he had been given, and the blood of Jesus cleansed him from all unknown sin. It didn’t mean he was perfect, but sinless in the eyes of God. Unlike the Old Covenant where they were accountable to keep all 613 laws, in the New Covenant we are only accountable to obey the commands He puts in our conscience as we keep growing in Him. Remember it is He, not us, who is the AUTHOR and FINISHER of our faith. This is the New Covenant.
1 John 3:21-24
21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
The bottom line is obeying your conscience. Listen to it. Obey it. Jesus has made it so easy. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Our part is to study the gospels and the letters from the apostles, and your conscience will grow. As it grows keep following it.
1stCenturyLady
Well-Known Member
Hi Adam:
One thing we must always do is look at the context. This passage is talking about ministers and the doctrines they may create. If they are wrong and teach an error, the error will burn, but if they are not completely a false teacher, they will be saved, but receive a stronger judgment as James 3:1 says. It is NOT talking about outright sin, referring to a common false doctrine. Sinners do not go to heaven, that is why Jesus came to take away our sin. John 8:32-36 and 1 John 3:5-9. Read my longer post above.
Luke 3
5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
1 Corinthians 15
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
I quote this a lot because it is the most informative of any chapter in the Bible, just what the true nature of our existence is.
Everything will be subject to Jesus, then Jesus will be subject to God and then God will be all in all. So - then the fundamental question is, what does it mean to "be subject" or to be "all in all"?
Luke 17:21
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
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I used to not recognize the fruit of the spirit in my life. It made me doubt if I was saved. I don't think doubting your salvation is always this horrible thing. It can help you adjust your walk with the Lord. The Bible says we should examine ourselves to see if were truly in the faith. I see nothing wrong with that.
1stCenturyLady
Well-Known Member
Yes, that is what Peter said too. 2 Peter 1:2-11
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Here is the full context:
1 Corinthians 3
9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
Verse 16 tells you exactly what he is talking about
1stCenturyLady
Well-Known Member
The heart
Proverbs 17
3 The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the Lord trieth the hearts.
Isaiah 48
10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
Genesis 9
6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
Psalm 82
6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
John 10
32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,
God wanted to experience the world, so each of us is the vessel by which God does this. This is why the Bible teaches us to treat others as if they are ourselves.
Matthew 7
12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
Psalm 82
6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
John 10
32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,
God wanted to experience the world, so each of us is the vessel by which God does this. This is why the Bible teaches us to treat others as if they are ourselves.
Matthew 7
12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
1stCenturyLady
Well-Known Member
So you believe our conscience is destroyed? We can sin our heads off?
No, the conscience isn't destroyed, it is restored. You can indeed sin your head off but the result is that you experience all the pain you had inflicted onto others. So if that sounds like a good time to you then go ahead. You won't be tortured forever, only in proportion to what you have done.
Genesis 9:6
6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
Exodus 21
24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
Matthew 25
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
That's pretty much how I read it too. It talks about not getting out of hell until you've paid the farthest penny.
1stCenturyLady
Well-Known Member
I asked you what is destroyed, and you said without further explanation: the heart.
The heart is our conscience.
Did you read my longer post, #8? You didn't respond to any of it.
BTW, I do not find anything in the New Testament that goes along with what you believe about us not being destroyed if we wind up in the lake of fire, but will live and receive torture according to our works.
There is this, but it is chastisement now.
Luke 12:47 And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.
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