Featured I need some help with my assurance.

Welcome to the board Cephas.

I hope this link will help you out. Consider the woman spoken of in the link, and the rest of the words.

https://reformedreader.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/forgiveness-vs-feelings-of-forgiveness/

 

John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Just remember, my friend, you are forgiven and you're loved!

 

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

Think back to your time when you were first saved and the years afterward. I'm guessing that you loved going to church, loved serving the Lord, loved witnessing, Bible reading and prayer. You did all of these things with enthusiasm. YOU KNEW YOU WERE SAVED. Am I right?

Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God

All your sins were forgiven when you became a believer. Past and future.

Colossians 2:13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made youa]" alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

If you are truly saved you are forgiven. If Jesus can forgive Saul of Tarsus, a man who murdered Christians and actively tried to thwart the establishment of God's church on earth, he has forgiven you.

I believe this is an attempt of Satan to keep you doubting, keep you ineffective. Read John 14, it is very comforting.

 

Hello Cephas

Another possibility exists .
Maybe you were not saved at first. You might have been talked into a religious formula of making a mental assent to the facts of the gospel but it is possible that you were religious but not saved by GOD AS OF yet.
Now.....saying you have repented over your sin and have sought to set things right.....it is very possible that the Spirit of God Is NOW saving you.
That is between you and God.
Many young people feel pressured to make a false profession and then drift into sin, later to repent and turn to God.
You are in a better place in life now. You can examine where you are
Moving forward praying and asking God to open His word to you in a solid bible preaching church.
Are you in a solid church now? Have you had any pastoral oversight?

 

Here is a better understanding of the biblical teaching;
A Faith to Confess: The Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689
Rewritten in Modern English
©1975, Carey Publications, Ltd., 75 Woodhill Road, Leeds, U.K., LS16 7BZ
Reprinted here by permission

CHAPTER 17 – THE PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS

1. THE saints are those whom God has accepted in Christ the Beloved, and effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit. To them He has given the precious faith that pertains to all His elect. The persons to whom such blessings have been imparted can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace, but they shall certainly persevere in grace to the end and be eternally saved, for God will never repent of having called them and made gifts to them. Consequently He continues to beget and to nourish in them faith, repentance,love, joy, hope, and all the graces of the Spirit that issue in immortality. Many storms and floods may arise and beat upon them, yet they can never be moved from the foundation and rock on which by faith they are firmly established. Even if unbelief and Satan’s temptations cause them for a time to lose the sight and comfort of the light and love of God, yet the unchanging God remains their God, and He will certainly keep and save them by His power until they come to the enjoyment of their purchased possession; for they are engraven on the palms of His hands, and their names have been written in the book of life from all eternity.
   
   Ps. 89:31,32; Mal. 3:6; John 10:28,29; 1 Cor. 11:32; Phil. 1:6; 2 Tim. 2:19; 1 John 2:19.
   
   
   
   
2. It is on no free will of their own that the saints’ perseverance depends, but on the immutability of the decree of election, which in its turn depends upon the free and unchangeable love of God the Father, the efficacious merit and intercession of Jesus Christ and the saints’ union with Him, the oath of God, the abiding character of the Spirit’s indwelling of the saints, the divine nature of which they are partakers and, lastly, the terms of the covenant of grace. All these factors guarantee the certainty and infallibility of the saints’ perseverance.
   
   Jer. 32:40; John 14:19; Rom. 5:9,10; 8:30; 9:11,16; Heb. 6:17,18; 1 John 3:9.
   
   
   
   
3. In various ways-the temptations of Satan and of the world, the striving of indwelling sin to get the upper hand, the neglect of the means appointed for their preservation-saints may fall into fearful sins, and may even continue in them for a time. In this way they incur God’s displeasure, grieve His Holy Spirit, do injury to their graces, diminish their comforts, experience hardness of heart and accusations of conscience, hurt and scandalize others, and bring God’s chastisements on themselves. Yet being saints their repentance will be renewed, and through faith they will be preserved in Christ Jesus to the end.
   
   2 Sam. 12:14; Ps. 32:3,4; 51:10,12; Isa. 64:5,9; Matt. 26:70,72,74; Luke 22:32,61,62; Eph. 4:30.
   

 

You've most likely gotten that sense from easy-believism doctrine, although it is a false system. It generally comes with a false dichotomy between believer and disciple, when there is no distinction in Scripture. In other words it's like a drive-thru menu, you can choose whatever 'salvation meal' you want: 1) Obey Christ; 2) Not obey Christ; 3) Be a Disciple, 4) Just be a believer with no change.

I'm sure they've expanded their menu by now. Being born again, to them is like Burger King -'Have it Your Way'.

Also keep in mind Jesus said His sheep follow Him, obey Him, this camp says not so. There is no need to wonder who is correct.

By the way, Christ knows no such believer, who only claims belief, as gaining eternal life. Note John 8:30. Now some would stop there at that verse and say 'they believe, they're going to Heaven!!!!'

But note the context, go to John 8:31 and following and see that 'belief' was not proving them to being born again, and they were just as lost then as ever. If you have time pick up your Bible and note how Jesus says they are not His, and their father is actually Satan, thus you will see that these were in fact not converted (verse 44).

You may want to look into Free Grace Theology teachings as this is the camp where it is taught that a saved person may never bear fruit or signs of conversion, and, that said persons can even apostate from Christ and still expect to go to heaven because at some point they prayed a prayer, or believed a verse.

 

A true believer will not continue in sin, read 1 John in its entirety. Most jump to 1 John 5:13 and declare all who prayed as saved taking it out of context. That verse qualifies what a true believer is. The rest of the book shows what a believer isn't, those who are truly saved, those who are lost and are the children of the devil. After passing the tests of whether or not one bears evidence of genuine conversion, 5:13 is given, and only to them as assurance.

Galatians 5:22 also. 'Those who do such things' means 'makes a practice' (of sin) or it is their lifestyle and habit. These are lost and Galatians is written to professing believers so the warning is to them, and to not be deceived, Gal. 6:7-8. The Scriptures always have the answer when used in context.

 

Absolutely!

When ANY humankind sows of the flesh, they will of that flesh reap corruption. For example: Martin Sheen deserved what he caught. His life style of the flesh is providing him with a great harvest.

The believer has the same body as any other humankind. The mind, the heart, the soul, the strength of the body must be not only brought under subjection to the authority of Scriptures and the Holy Spirit, but also be filled with and for love of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Some modernists would like to provide some means of escape to excuse, but Paul states that job is the responsibility of God.

The responsibility of the believer is to mature in the things of God, acquire the gifts of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, ...), and live a life in which honor and praise to the God of all creation is displayed.

 

One of Christ's sheep may wander from the Shepherd and the flock and become a lost sheep for a while. In that case, the Good Shepherd will go and search for it and find it and bring it home (Luke 15:3-7). That is what has happened to you.

Of course, if the sheep is not recovered, one has to face the possibility that it is not one of the Lord's flock after all. The unforgiveable sin is, basically, impenitence. You have repented, the Lord has brought you home and there is rejoicing in heaven. You have no reason at all to doubt your salvation.

 

I agree and this old hymn says so and if you not heard it take a listen!... You just need to believe it is so for you!... Brother Glen

1. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
   Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
   Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
   Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
   • Refrain:
     This is my story, this is my song,
     Praising my Savior all the day long;
     This is my story, this is my song,
     Praising my Savior all the day long.
2. Perfect submission, perfect delight,
   Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
   Angels, descending, bring from above
   Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
3. Perfect submission, all is at rest,
   I in my Savior am happy and blest,
   Watching and waiting, looking above,
   Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

 

Hi Cephas,

I believe this chapter of this great book will help you greatly if you will take 15 minutes of your time to read it. It will help to put things into biblical perspective. In fact I recommend not only this chapter, but the entirety of the book 'Knowing God' to you.

https://books.google.com/books?id=0...d loses touch with the purpose of God&f=false

 

When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin.

Because the sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free,
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

 

I would first tell you not to seek assurance from men. God the Spirit is the only One who will give true assurance.

Second, it is impossible to be saved and return to sinning. Read 1John 3. The teaching of backsliding into sin is a false doctrine made of men. There is no such thing in the NT. In fact the NT teaches it cannot happen.

Now about your claim of salvation and lacking proper assurance. Ist john was written so the reader could could have assurance. Read it and believe it and do not believe what men say. After reading it and you realize you are not saved do what is needed to ge saved.

Lastly there is basically three reasons why someone might doubt their salvation.
One is they are not saved and usually the biggest reason.

Another is the person has some kind of sin in their life that they have not dealt with and the Spirit is withholding assurance.

Lastly the person could be under conviction of a call to service and they are ignoring that call.

Do not believe the claim that all we have to do to be saved is ask Jesus into our hearts or just accept Jesus as our personal Savior. The bible never teaches such. Here is how we get saved and the only way anyone is saved;

Salvation takes repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Acts 20:21. The word repent means a change of mind or direction. It is not 50%, 75% or 99%. It is 100%. God is not interested in us almost repenting. It is like the command “about-face which is a 180 degree turn. When any person comes to the point in their life that they are broken over their sin and ready to get right with God no matter what it will cost them they are in a state/spirit of repentance toward God.

We then take that heart that we have toward God and place it on the Lord Jesus Christ, for there is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved, and that becomes faith. At that point God's grace through Christ is applied to us and we are saved, born again, and will never turn back into the practice of sinning. It is a repentance/faith that is lived daily and never turned from as we are kept in that state by the Spirit. Acts 20:21, 1John 2:19 and 1John 3:9,10.

Repentance of sin is the result of our salvation (Our new birth), and will be part of the sanctification process in our new life with Christ Eph. 2:10. While we may sin from time to time after being saved no one continues in the practice of sinning or returns to it after salvation 1John 3:9,10.