Backslidden or Never Saved

[Faithwilldo]

On 8/11/2019 at 10:06 PM, ReneeIW said:

How do you know if someone has backslid or was never truly saved in the first place? 

John says is 1 John 3:9 

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
 

So, if a professing Christian goes through a period of time where they revert to their old sinful ways, how do we know if they are backslidden or not truly saved?

 

There is only one sin that leads to spiritual death after a believer is saved.  It happens when a believer "falls away" from Grace through Faith (the New Covenant) and back to works (the Old Covenant).  All others sins that we committee are forgiven and our salvation remains intact.  The most common sin that leads to death is the sin of taking credit for making the "right choice" to accept Christ.  This "choice" becomes a work and the believer "falls away".  The Doctrine of Free Will is the cause of this deadly sin and is a lie from Satan.  Christ is our the Savior and He does 100% of the work.  When a believer takes credit for any part of His work, then the believer "falls away" and spiritually dies.  When this event happens, a believer cannot be renewed by repentance but must wait on the Lord to come a second time.

Heb 6:4-6   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.

Heb 9:28  So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

A return to works is how Satan "kills the saints".

Rev 11:7  And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

Also, "backslidden" is not a term used by scripture.  

Joe

[ReneeIW]

39 minutes ago, Faithwilldo said:

A return to works is how Satan "kills the saints".

But Christ said no one can snatch us out of his hand.
 

I have to think about the verses you quoted from Hebrews later tonight when I have time. I remember having a discussion about those verses years ago in a Bible Study. We had worked through those verses and I believed the consensus was that those passages were  written to the Jews, but I don’t remember. 

[Faithwilldo]

2 minutes ago, ReneeIW said:

But Christ said no one can snatch us out of his hand.
 

I have to think about the verses you quoted from Hebrews later tonight when I have time. I remember having a discussion about those verses years ago in a Bible Study. We had worked through those verses and I believed the consensus was that those passages were  written to the Jews, but I don’t remember. 

Yes, that is true - no one can snatch us out of His hand IF we are chosen to be saved as a First Fruit of God's harvest of mankind.  

Here is a deeply hidden truth - Paul is the pattern whereby all will be saved and that is why his conversion is very detailed in scripture.

1Tim 1:16  Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

If you study Paul's conversion and can understand the pattern that He laid down, you will find that when we first accept Christ (the Early Rain of the Spirit), we are left spiritually blind.  At that point (like Paul typed for us), we must be lead by the hand.  Because of our inability to understand the truth, Satan (masquerading as Christ) easily deceives us and we "fall away" to works.  That is when Satan kills us.  If we are chosen by Christ from the foundation of the world, then He will come a second time (the Latter Rain of the Spirit) to us and give us all the gifts necessary for us to be saved.  Those gifts include the Holy Spirit, faith, a love for the truth and spiritual vision.  This event happened to Paul after 3 days in Damascus.  It is only then that we are justified by faith and sanctified by the truth.  At that point, Christ will not let us slip from His hand.  Looking back, we can then see just how deceived by Satan we were.  Earthly Jerusalem (religion, works) is destroyed from within us in one hour (Rev 18:10). 

Christ is only working to save His Elect in this present age.  He is not trying to save anyone else now.  Those who remain lost after they physically die will be saved in the final age when the full harvest of mankind is brought into the Kingdom of Heaven.  

Joe    

[Salvation67]

On 9/5/2020 at 2:43 PM, Faithwilldo said:

Yes, that is true - no one can snatch us out of His hand IF we are chosen to be saved as a First Fruit of God's harvest of mankind.  

Here is a deeply hidden truth - Paul is the pattern whereby all will be saved and that is why his conversion is very detailed in scripture.

1Tim 1:16  Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

If you study Paul's conversion and can understand the pattern that He laid down, you will find that when we first accept Christ (the Early Rain of the Spirit), we are left spiritually blind.  At that point (like Paul typed for us), we must be lead by the hand.  Because of our inability to understand the truth, Satan (masquerading as Christ) easily deceives us and we "fall away" to works.  That is when Satan kills us.  If we are chosen by Christ from the foundation of the world, then He will come a second time (the Latter Rain of the Spirit) to us and give us all the gifts necessary for us to be saved.  Those gifts include the Holy Spirit, faith, a love for the truth and spiritual vision.  This event happened to Paul after 3 days in Damascus.  It is only then that we are justified by faith and sanctified by the truth.  At that point, Christ will not let us slip from His hand.  Looking back, we can then see just how deceived by Satan we were.  Earthly Jerusalem (religion, works) is destroyed from within us in one hour (Rev 18:10). 

Christ is only working to save His Elect in this present age.  He is not trying to save anyone else now.  Those who remain lost after they physically die will be saved in the final age when the full harvest of mankind is brought into the Kingdom of Heaven.  

Joe    

I mean no disrespect brother but I highly disagree with the last two lines of your post, To say Jesus is trying to save no one but the elect in this age is false. It is not Gods will that ANY should perish. Romans 10:13 "For WHOMSOEVER shall call upon the name of the lord shall be saved". If some one realise they have lived their life in sin and want to turn away and be saved by the Blood of Jesus, they will be saved. Gods word says (John 6:37) "Those who come to me I shall no wise cast out". He will not turn them away or deny them salvation. I think saying no one is going to be saved except the elect is very dangerous to people who are babes in Christ and struggling with sin, and especially dangerous to some one who is seeking the Lord. Beside when you die in your sins thats it. There is no purgatory or probation. Gods word makes that clear.

[Faithwilldo]

2 hours ago, Salvation67 said:

I mean no disrespect brother but I highly disagree with the last two lines of your post, To say Jesus is trying to save no one but the elect in this age is false. It is not Gods will that ANY should perish. Romans 10:13 "For WHOMSOEVER shall call upon the name of the lord shall be saved". If some one realise they have lived their life in sin and want to turn away and be saved by the Blood of Jesus, they will be saved. Gods word says (John 6:37) "Those who come to me I shall no wise cast out". He will not turn them away or deny them salvation. I think saying no one is going to be saved except the elect is very dangerous to people who are babes in Christ and struggling with sin, and especially dangerous to some one who is seeking the Lord. Beside when you die in your sins thats it. There is no purgatory or probation. Gods word makes that clear.

You said:

Gods word makes that clear.

God's Word does not make it clear because Christ hides His truth from all but whom He chooses to reveal it.  In fact, scripture is written in another language (spiritual language) that utilizes Hebrew and Greek.  The Word of God is spiritual and not literal. 

John 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

1Cor 2:7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

1Cor 2:13  These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Ecc 3:11  He (God) has made everything fitting in its season; However, He has put obscurity in their heart so that the man may NOT find out His work, that which God does, that which God does from the beginning to the end.

The truth of God must be searched for as if looking for hidden treasure.  One cannot find the truth of God in the doctrinal statements of any church.  

Prov 2:1-5  My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;  yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. 

Also, Christ only taught in parables for the purpose of keeping His truth hidden:

Mat 13:34  All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:

Matt 13:10-11  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Also, scripture is written in fragments, a little here and a little there.  It is written that way so that when we first come to Christ, we will "fall away" from the truth and spiritually die.  

Isa 28: 10-12  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:  11  For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.  12  But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

If Christ wanted to save all mankind now, the truth of scripture would not be written so that the carnal mind of man cannot understand it.  Christ did it this way so that He can reveal His truth only to those chosen from the foundation of the world - the Elect/First Fruits.

God established a pathway to salvation that we all must follow.  This pathway is deeply hidden in scripture. 

Here is the pathway:

When an unbeliever is first called by Christ (the Early Rain) to come out from the world, he is not given the ability to understand scripture.  He is left carnally minded and will reject the truth of God.  Then Satan, who masquerades as Christ, will come to this person and deceive them.  From this deception, they will fall away from the truth and spiritually die.  They will remain in that spiritual condition until Christ comes to them a second time (the second coming of Christ/Day of the Lord/Latter Rain).  But Christ will only come to them a second time if they are one of His chosen Elect.  If they are not chosen, they will not be saved in this age.  They simply were not blessed to be one of God's First Fruits of His harvest.  Their salvation will come at the end of the final age (the time of the full harvest of mankind/Feast of Tabernacles).  

You said:

Besides when you die in your sins that's it.

There is no scripture that says that Christ's work of saving mankind ends when a person dies.  Christ is not limited by death because He defeated death.  Christ will resurrect all the lost to judgment for the good and righteous purpose of saving them. 

As you said in your post, Christ is not willing that any should perish.  If God is not willing for any to perish, then who can stop Him?  Certainly not mankind.

Dan 4:35  And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and he doeth according to his will in the army of the heavens, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? 

God is love and love never fails.  

When the end of the final age comes, this statement will be "testifed" to be true:

1 Tim 2:3-6  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;  Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Joe

 

 

Edited September 8, 2020 by Faithwilldo

[David1701]

On 9/5/2020 at 6:32 PM, Faithwilldo said:

There is only one sin that leads to spiritual death after a believer is saved.  It happens when a believer "falls away" from Grace through Faith (the New Covenant) and back to works (the Old Covenant).  All others sins that we committee are forgiven and our salvation remains intact.  The most common sin that leads to death is the sin of taking credit for making the "right choice" to accept Christ.  This "choice" becomes a work and the believer "falls away".  The Doctrine of Free Will is the cause of this deadly sin and is a lie from Satan.  Christ is our the Savior and He does 100% of the work.  When a believer takes credit for any part of His work, then the believer "falls away" and spiritually dies.  When this event happens, a believer cannot be renewed by repentance but must wait on the Lord to come a second time.

Heb 6:4-6   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.

Heb 9:28  So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

A return to works is how Satan "kills the saints".

Rev 11:7  And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

Also, "backslidden" is not a term used by scripture.  

Joe

Perhaps you don't realise it, but you have contradicted yourself.  You say that the doctrine of free will is a lie from Satan, then say that someone whom God has saved by his grace can fall away from that condition.  How could that happen?  Only if you had free will...

We do not have "free will" (we are either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness), so we cannot save ourselves and we cannot cause ourselves to become lost (once saved).

[Faithwilldo]

3 minutes ago, David1701 said:

Perhaps you don't realise it, but you have contradicted yourself.  You say that the doctrine of free will is a lie from Satan, then say that someone whom God has saved by his grace can fall away from that condition.  How could that happen?  Only if you had free will...

We do not have "free will" (we are either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness), so we cannot save ourselves and we cannot cause ourselves to become lost (once saved).

There is no contradiction.  A believer falls away from Grace through Faith because it is God's will for it to happen.  God causes it.  We have no say in the matter.

Isa 28: 10-12  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:  11  For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.  12  But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

Below is a more about how God does this:

Mat 12:43-45  When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.  44  Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.  45  Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

The "unclean spirits" represent beliefs/ideas that come from Satan.  When we fall away, 7 spirits (complete deception) enter into us because they find our house free of the truth of God.  When a person first comes to Christ (Early Rain/Paul's Damascus Road experience/blind man in Mark 8:21-25), they are left spiritually blind and cannot know the truth of Christ.  And just like Paul on the Damascus Road, they must be lead by the hand.  However, those who lead the new believer by the hand are just as spiritually blind.  It truly is the blind leading the blind.  This is when the new believer "falls away" because the spiritually blind leaders teach the lies they learned from Satan, who is masquerading as Christ. 

The parable of the woman making bread (Mat 13:33), the parable of the 10 Virgins and the parable of the Wheat and the Tares also teach this portion of the pathway we must follow.  Matthew chapter 24, Luke chapter 21 and Revelation chapters 11 & 17 expand on this teaching, too.  

Also, the 7 headed beast in Revelation (which represents mankind) shows that one of its heads was healed from a deadly head wound.  This wound was caused by Christ at His first coming to a called out believer.  However, Satan causes them to "fall away" back to works and they spiritually die.  The head wound is healed and the Old Man continues to live.   That is why the head with the deadly wound is shown on the beast of mankind.  It is one aspect of carnal mankind. 

Joe    

 

 

 

 

[Billiards Ball]

On 9/5/2020 at 1:32 PM, Faithwilldo said:

There is only one sin that leads to spiritual death after a believer is saved.  It happens when a believer "falls away" from Grace through Faith (the New Covenant) and back to works (the Old Covenant).  All others sins that we committee are forgiven and our salvation remains intact.  The most common sin that leads to death is the sin of taking credit for making the "right choice" to accept Christ.  This "choice" becomes a work and the believer "falls away".  The Doctrine of Free Will is the cause of this deadly sin and is a lie from Satan.  Christ is our the Savior and He does 100% of the work.  When a believer takes credit for any part of His work, then the believer "falls away" and spiritually dies.  When this event happens, a believer cannot be renewed by repentance but must wait on the Lord to come a second time.

Heb 6:4-6   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 worl d 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.

Heb 9:28  So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

A return to works is how Satan "kills the saints".

Rev 11:7  And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

Also, "backslidden" is not a term used by scripture.  

Joe

Backslidden is used in scripture, referring to Israel/Judah, in the OT.

Assurance is scriptural. Why do you think John 5:24 includes the past tense?

[Faithwilldo]

4 minutes ago, Billiards Ball said:

Backslidden is used in scripture, referring to Israel/Judah, in the OT.

Assurance is scriptural. Why do you think John 5:24 includes the past tense?

John 5:24  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.

Belief is not just believing "in" Christ but believing what He says in scripture. 

Also, Satan masquerades as Christ.  Without spiritual understanding, we will follow the ways of Satan instead of Christ because Satan's ways are more pleasing to our carnal nature.  That is what happens shortly after we first come to Christ (the Early Rain) since Christ leaves us spiritually blind after His first coming.  It is not until Christ comes to us a second time (Latter Rain) that Christ heals our vision.  Only then can we come out from Satan's deceptions.  That is when the great city (Sodom, earthly Jerusalem) is destroyed from within us.    

Here are some verses that teach this truth:

Mark 8:15-21  And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.  16  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.  17  And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?  18  Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?  19  When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.  20  And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.  21  And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?

In these verses, Christ is giving His disciples a lesson on spiritual language - His language.  At this point in time (before Pentecost), the disciples have not received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and were spiritually blind.  They simply could not understand what Christ was teaching them.  After Christ’s short lesson, He ends it by asking them this question:  “How is it that ye do not understand”?  No response is recorded in scripture, however, Christ answers His own question in the very next 4 verses. 

Mark 8:22-25  And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.  23  And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.  24  And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.  25  After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

Christ speaks to us not only through His words which are recorded in scripture but also by the things that He did.   In answering the question that He proposed to the disciples in verse 21, He goes to Bethsaida and gives us His answer through the type and shadow of His healing of a blind man. 

In these verses, Christ leads a blind man out of the city.  These actions by Christ spiritually represent the time when an unbeliever is "called" out from the world and into the Church.  Once outside the city, Christ places spit on his eyes and touches him with His hands.  These actions occur as the blind man is looking down and they symbolize the carnal aspect of the blind man’s healing.  After Christ asks him what he could see, the blind man looks up and says that he could see men walking as trees.  "Walking as trees" is a symbol for man's truth that comes from the earth (our carnal nature).  It is not Christ's truth which only comes from heaven.  The man’s blindness was not total any longer but he was still very near-sighted.  This “first healing” of the blind man reflects our spiritual condition when we first enter the Church.  It is the time of the "early rain" or Paul's Damascus road experience.  At that time, we are left carnally minded and spiritually near-sighted.  Peter says this condition is the same as being blind:

2Pet 4:19  But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.       

In the final verse of the story, Christ lays His hands upon the man’s eyes again but this time, Christ has the man “look up”.  This second healing represents the Baptism of the Holy Spirit when true spiritual vision is given to the believer.  The man’s upward gaze represents this heavenly aspect of the healing.  From that moment onward, we know that the blind man is a Chosen believer.  He was first Called Out from the world and then he was Chosen to be “born again” as a First Fruit of Christ’s Harvest.   

Joe

[Billiards Ball]

2 minutes ago, Faithwilldo said:

John 5:24  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.

Belief is not just believing "in" Christ but believing what He says in scripture. 

Also, Satan masquerades as Christ.  Without spiritual understanding, we will follow the ways of Satan instead of Christ because Satan's ways are more pleasing to our carnal nature.  That is what happens shortly after we first come to Christ (the Early Rain) since Christ leaves us spiritually blind after His first coming.  It is not until Christ comes to us a second time (Latter Rain) that Christ heals our vision.  Only then can we come out from Satan's deceptions.  That is when the great city (Sodom, earthly Jerusalem) is destroyed from within us.    

Here are some verses that teach this truth:

Mark 8:15-21  And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.  16  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.  17  And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?  18  Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?  19  When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.  20  And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.  21  And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?

In these verses, Christ is giving His disciples a lesson on spiritual language - His language.  At this point in time (before Pentecost), the disciples have not received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and were spiritually blind.  They simply could not understand what Christ was teaching them.  After Christ’s short lesson, He ends it by asking them this question:  “How is it that ye do not understand”?  No response is recorded in scripture, however, Christ answers His own question in the very next 4 verses. 

Mark 8:22-25  And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.  23  And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.  24  And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.  25  After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

Christ speaks to us not only through His words which are recorded in scripture but also by the things that He did.   In answering the question that He proposed to the disciples in verse 21, He goes to Bethsaida and gives us His answer through the type and shadow of His healing of a blind man. 

In these verses, Christ leads a blind man out of the city.  These actions by Christ spiritually represent the time when an unbeliever is "called" out from the world and into the Church.  Once outside the city, Christ places spit on his eyes and touches him with His hands.  These actions occur as the blind man is looking down and they symbolize the carnal aspect of the blind man’s healing.  After Christ asks him what he could see, the blind man looks up and says that he could see men walking as trees.  "Walking as trees" is a symbol for man's truth that comes from the earth (our carnal nature).  It is not Christ's truth which only comes from heaven.  The man’s blindness was not total any longer but he was still very near-sighted.  This “first healing” of the blind man reflects our spiritual condition when we first enter the Church.  It is the time of the "early rain" or Paul's Damascus road experience.  At that time, we are left carnally minded and spiritually near-sighted.  Peter says this condition is the same as being blind:

2Pet 4:19  But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.       

In the final verse of the story, Christ lays His hands upon the man’s eyes again but this time, Christ has the man “look up”.  This second healing represents the Baptism of the Holy Spirit when true spiritual vision is given to the believer.  The man’s upward gaze represents this heavenly aspect of the healing.  From that moment onward, we know that the blind man is a Chosen believer.  He was first Called Out from the world and then he was Chosen to be “born again” as a First Fruit of Christ’s Harvest.   

Joe

Hi Joe, 

John 5:24 says "believe on Him who sent me", that is "trust God".

I trust God, who sent Jesus.

I agree that Jesus speaks to us through what He said, what He did, etc.

However, I hope we can agree John 5:24 and John 3:16 are truth. I've in the past trusted Jesus, so in the future I shall never perish.