How to know I am saved

[LTank7]

*Deleted*

Edited April 28, 2020 by LTank7

[missmuffet]

Question: "How can I be saved?"

Answer: This simple, yet profound, question is the most important question that can be asked. "How can I be saved?" deals with where we will spend eternity after our lives in this world are over. There is no more important issue than our eternal destiny. Thankfully, the Bible is abundantly clear on how a person can be saved. The Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). Paul and Silas responded, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

How can I be saved? Why do I need to be saved?
We are all infected with sin (Romans 3:23). We are born with sin (Psalm 51:5), and we all personally choose to sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20; 1 John 1:8). Sin is what makes us unsaved. Sin is what separates us from God. Sin is what has us on the path to eternal destruction.

How can I be saved? Saved from what?
Because of our sin, we all deserve death (Romans 6:23). While the physical consequence of sin is physical death, that is not the only kind of death that results from sin. All sin is ultimately committed against an eternal and infinite God (Psalm 51:4). Because of that, the just penalty for our sin is also eternal and infinite. What we need to be saved from is eternal destruction (Matthew 25:46; Revelation 20:15).

How can I be saved? How did God provide salvation?
Because the just penalty for sin is infinite and eternal, only God could pay the penalty, because only He is infinite and eternal. But God, in His divine nature, could not die. So God became a human being in the person of Jesus Christ. God took on human flesh, lived among us, and taught us. When the people rejected Him and His message, and sought to kill Him, He willingly sacrificed Himself for us, allowing Himself to be crucified (John 10:15). Because Jesus Christ was human, He could die; and because Jesus Christ was God, His death had an eternal and infinite value. Jesus’ death on the cross was the perfect and complete payment for our sin (1 John 2:2). He took the consequences we deserved. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead demonstrated that His death was indeed the perfectly sufficient sacrifice for sin.

How can I be saved? What do I need to do?
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). God has already done all of the work. All you must do is receive, in faith, the salvation God offers (Ephesians 2:8-9). Fully trust in Jesus alone as the payment for your sins. Believe in Him, and you will not perish (John 3:16). God is offering you salvation as a gift. All you have to do is accept it. Jesus is the way of salvation (John 14:6).

https://www.gotquestions.org/how-can-I-be-saved.html

[SisterActs2]

Hi LTank7

Welcome.  Glad you asked.  I agree with missmuffet and Butero.  However, may I add to what Butero has talked about above (if someone repents and is sincerely sorry)? I want to emphasise what repentance means and how serious this is  Acts 2:37-40, Acts 11:18, Mark 1:4, 2 Cor. 7:9-10 (Godly sorrow).  Godly sorrow is not worldly sorrow (normal remorse for mistakes etc.). 

When we receive salvation, God brings us into a new life with Him and makes us a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17). When a person becomes a Christian he/she must choose to follow God on His terms, not our own.  The way God wants us to walk is the opposite of the way we conducted our lives in the world.  We come to God as we are - salvation is not obtained by works, (Eph. 2:8,9) but by believing in Jesus, as stated above. However, we must have a deep desire for change in our lives and this comes about by having true repentance.

There seems to be a serious lack of emphasis in the teaching of repentance these days, and some people have been allowed to think they can just continue on as before.  This results in Jesus Our Saviour being relegated to some sort of "optional extra" in their lives.  Of course this then results in people not understanding the most important event in history, firstly Jesus coming and then the crucifixion and resurrection.  If there is lack of conviction of what Jesus did for mankind on the cross, people backslide, not knowing or understanding the enormity of what was effected there. There is a cost to following Jesus, and this is turning from our sin, recognising the great price Jesus paid to free us from it, and walking in the way the Lord has outlined throughout the Bible.  This cannot be done in our own strength.  We must ask God to give us an understanding of repentance, to make sure we are truly sorry for sinning against Him (not treating it lightly), and a great desire to "sin no more".  He will effect it in us if we truly repent.

It is only when we get what I call a "revelation of the cross" and the price He paid to make us free, that I believe we can truly feel Godly sorrow for our sin, resulting in a hatred for it, and a deep desire to stay away from it.  See (1 John 2:1) My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin.  And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.

This is differentiated from practicing sin (1 John 3:9).  Notice "if" above, as opposed to "practicing" here.  If we have a sin that continues on into our Christian life, we must come before the Father, and in the name of Jesus, tell Him we repent from it and ask Him to help us to break the cycle of it in our lives.

In 1 John 1:9 - "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us."

I hope I have given you some understanding of how to stay away from sin.  May God bless you and give you a hunger and thirst after His Righteousness.

[SisterActs2]

Sorry, LTank7, I forgot to add this:  If we sin, God convicts us of this.  We must make sure we go before Him when that conviction occurs, and ask His forgiveness and repent.  Conviction is clear and sharp and concise.  This is differentiated from condemnation, which is heavy and continuous and is from the enemy.

[GandalfTheWise]

18 hours ago, LTank7 said:

I am doubting I am saved because i continue to sin. I know all Christians continue to sin but I give into temptation alot!! I believe Jesus died and rose again for me. I am 99% sure I have the Holy Spirit because 1 night I think God said to me tomorrow will be better and the next day it snowed and it never snows.

This is a common feeling for new (and not so new) believers.  There are the worries of not having done it right, not having been sincere enough, not having been faithful enough, etc.  We worry about about if we really prayed the sinner's prayer right and really meant it and really got saved or if we are fooling ourselves.  We worry about if we are those that have rejected God and fallen from grace.  Every failure is a sign that something is wrong.  We see so many things in our life that cannot possibly be pleasing to God.  We compare ourselves to the ideal Christian we have in our minds and find ourselves so woefully short of that.

But at the same time, we see the hopeful things.  We know that something happened at some point.  We know that God definitely seemed real at some point.  We see God answer some prayers.  We sense at times that God is speaking to us.  We see some victories.  But at the same time, the failures and doubts bring us crashing back to reality.

Ultimately, our ever increasing assurance of salvation will come from an increasing trust and confidence in God Himself.  It does not come from memorizing particular Bible verses and trying to convince ourselves of particular things.  It does not come from our own efforts to try to eliminate doubts or by  repeating certain things to ourselves over and over to convince ourselves to somehow believe more.  This increasing trust and confidence in God naturally comes to us from knowing Him more and more.  Over days, weeks, months, years, and decades of a consistent spiritual walk, we get to know God more and more.  We see those things He does in our life and others around us.  Our trust and confidence grows because we get to see more and more of what God is doing in our lives and come to know Him more and more.  Our trust and confidence is something that grows in response to God; it is not something that we can generate through our own efforts in a short time.

One of the things that we will see over time is the transformation of our lives that He brings.  There are some things in our lives that will slowly change through consistent spiritual growth over time.  Things such as love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) that grow and emerge in our lives over time.  There are other times that God will heal and change things in our lives in an instant and some compulsive behaviors and besetting sins will just vanish and no longer be a stumbling block to us.  Many young Christians assume that good works are about knowing the right Christian rules to follow and keeping them to the best of our abilities. We then beat ourselves up over our inability to conquer certain things or to adequately change ourselves.  In reality, good works (and lack of sin) is primarily the result of this transformation that God is doing in our lives over time.  Our main concern is to abide in Christ through consistent prayer, Bible reading, being with other Christians.  Over weeks, months, and years, we will be changed.  Some things are simple for us and we can simply change them with a decision.  Other things are very challenging for us and only disappear through God's power and transformation as He changes us from the inside.

Hang in there.  A consistent spiritual walk with God over time where we come to know Him more and more is ultimately what leads to more assurance of our relationship with Him.

[Igor Evgen]

Shalom,

How to know we are saved? Good question. The answer is, in Heaven.

It's easier to answer, how to know we are not saved? For it's when we sin willfully.

 

For it is impossible for those who were once Enlightened, and have tasted of the Heavenly Gift, and were made Partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the Good Word of GOD, and the Powers of the World to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto Repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of GOD afresh, and put Him to an open shame. (Hebrews 6:4-6)

 

For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the Knowledge of the Truth, there remaineth no more Sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of Judgment and Fiery Indignation which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ Law died without Mercy under two or three witnesses; of how much sorer Punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of GOD, and hath counted the Blood of the Covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of Grace?             (Hebrews 10:26-29)

 

The above two Scriptures are the Warnings. And yet not the most terrible.

It is written,

 

Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the Will of My Father which is in Heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy Name? and in Thy Name have cast out devils? and in Thy Name done many Wonderful Works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21-23)

 

Tell you what, keep going. Nothing more. Get out of the dirt you are in and move.

 

And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. (Luke 15:20)

 

GOD bless you.

 

Igor

 

 

 

 

[4LdKHVCzRDj2]

22 hours ago, LTank7 said:

I am doubting I am saved because i continue to sin. I know all Christians continue to sin but I give into temptation alot!!

You're just weak. Just continue to feed on the Word, and to seek Him through prayer, and you will grow each day.

"Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,
as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." - 1 Peter 2:1-3

 

Set your mind on good things, pure things, heavenly things.

"Abstain from every form of evil." - 1 Thessalonians 5:22

 

Feed the spirit by reading the Word, and praying... And I suggest you pray before reading. God will help you!

I felt the same as you when I started walking with Him. You're just a baby learning how to walk, soon you will be well rooted in the rock.

"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock." - Matthew 7:24-25

 

God bless you, in Jesus' name! 

[listener24]

On 1/3/2018 at 5:18 PM, LTank7 said:

I am doubting I am saved because i continue to sin. I know all Christians continue to sin but I give into temptation alot!! I believe Jesus died and rose again for me. I am 99% sure I have the Holy Spirit because 1 night I think God said to me tomorrow will be better and the next day it snowed and it never snows.

Don't worry, it'll take time, but continue to pursue good and to get rid of evil, through reading the Gospel, action and prayers!

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."

It can be a painful process, but the results are amazing, and the destination is the Kingdom of Heaven!

 

Edited January 5, 2018 by listener24

[JTC]

On 1/3/2018 at 5:18 PM, LTank7 said:

I am doubting I am saved because i continue to sin. I know all Christians continue to sin but I give into temptation alot!! I believe Jesus died and rose again for me. I am 99% sure I have the Holy Spirit because 1 night I think God said to me tomorrow will be better and the next day it snowed and it never snows.

This is very common with new Christians. One thing should be different, even though you sin how do you feel when you sin. Usually before a person gets saved they see nothing wrong with the sin unless maybe it's illegal or harmful. But usually small sins seem fine. Once you are saved any sin will make you uncomfortable. As you do it you probably feel guilty or at the least you are aware you just did something God doesn't like. A lot of people say they can't enjoy the same things they did. Those things are sins, that's why they can't enjoy them. The longer you're a Christian the more intense this becomes. If you have this happening I'd say you are definitely saved. Now you will grow in spirituality maturity as you go through life. Remember being a Christian is a life long journey.

[LTank7]

On 1/4/2018 at 2:10 PM, Igor Evgen said:

Shalom,

How to know we are saved? Good question. The answer is, in Heaven.

It's easier to answer, how to know we are not saved? For it's when we sin willfully.

 

For it is impossible for those who were once Enlightened, and have tasted of the Heavenly Gift, and were made Partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the Good Word of GOD, and the Powers of the World to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto Repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of GOD afresh, and put Him to an open shame. (Hebrews 6:4-6)

 

For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the Knowledge of the Truth, there remaineth no more Sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of Judgment and Fiery Indignation which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ Law died without Mercy under two or three witnesses; of how much sorer Punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of GOD, and hath counted the Blood of the Covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of Grace?             (Hebrews 10:26-29)

 

The above two Scriptures are the Warnings. And yet not the most terrible.

It is written,

 

Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the Will of My Father which is in Heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy Name? and in Thy Name have cast out devils? and in Thy Name done many Wonderful Works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21-23)

 

Tell you what, keep going. Nothing more. Get out of the dirt you are in and move.

 

And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. (Luke 15:20)

 

GOD bless you.

 

Igor

Edited April 28, 2020 by LTank7