How Do we know wear Saved

Excellent questions.

I would like to tell you that, through mentally assenting to a set of doctrinal statements, we can have assurance of salvation. Yet I would have to confess that mere mental assent, without an accompanying change in the way we treat others and ourselves, is not at all a trustworthy assurance of salvation. We know we are on the journey to salvation by how our actions, attitudes, motivations and passions align with the actions, attitude, motivations and passions of the Everlasting.

One of those actions is gathering together as a corporate body. It would, again, be fiendishly conveneint to say that you should find a church where you are comfortable and where your perceived needs are being met. I think, though, that comfort is never synonomous with growth, and thus a truly effective church would cause you to be uncomfortable, to be challenged in your faith journey, to learn and do the things Jesus did, those things which are new and exciting and even those things which are mundane and unpleasant.

 

Romans 8 spells it out.

If He "bears witness" or "testifies with our spirit" then we are given external, objective infallible "individual" confirmation of our saved condition.

But that SAME spirit says in Heb 10 "Do NOT forsake the gathering of yourselves together as is the habit of some".

So "walking after the Spirit (of Truth)" and accpeting Christ who is the WAY and the TRUTH and "putting to death the deads of the flesh" involves accepting things like Heb 10.

In Christ,

Bob

 

johnd there is probley more that could be added to each of your questions that I have given you answers to.

1 How Do We Know we are Saved
Do you believe in Jesus..that He was born of a virgin, died on the cross for our sins, and on the 3rd day was resurected and then was taken up to Heaven to sit on the right hand side of the Father to be a mediator for us. He shed his blood to cover our sins and He bridged the gap that sin had made between us and God. (Read the book of Romans)

2 Do you Have to go to a church to be Saved No, but fellowship with other Christians helps you to grow and with your journey. Plus you know you not the only human that struggles but can get encourage ment and have a brother or sister in Christ if needed. (For prayer, physical help, or just to listen or hang with that won't cause you to stumble.) The preacher's wife quotes this scripture alot when attendance is low.
(Heb 10:25 -
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.)

3 How would you know that the church is right
for you.
I'd like to say the Spirit leads you. But really go visit a church and if you feel comfortable this is a start but then the real work begins... study what the preacher preaches on and see if he is preaching the truth.

For me when I got truly saved, I read and then re-read the bible and would follow all leads with dictionarys and concordances just to make for sure I was hearing it be preached right. I became like a disciple (student) and I want to know more about Jesus and His ways.

BTW, have you just recently became a Christian?

 

Amen! Romans 8 is an excellent study for assurance as well as 1 John.

Again I agree. However a church can be two or three gathered together in any place for the purpose of worship, prayer and study.

God Bless!

 

Why do you care if you are saved? Is not doing what is right its own sufficient reward?

You can't know that you are saved.

Read 1 John. It is the only "so that you can know you are saved" check list in the NT. If you conform 100% then you can know. If not, keep working and trust the Master of the Universe to do what is right.

 

I John 5:12-13

12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life

Salvation has no relation to church attendance, only to the person of Jesus Christ.
As far as which church is the right one? The Bible must be the determining factor. The right church is one which preaches and teaches the whole counsel of God.

 

Brownov, preaching the whole counsel of God would include participating in a corporate worship experience, would it not?

 

Hey - I think Steaver and I agreed on something!

Break out the grape juice!

In Christ,

Bob

 

If we have heard the gospel, and through faith alone have embraced the Lord Jesus Christ, then we then can know that we are saved.

"And this is the testimony, that God has given us eternal life, and this life in in His Son. He who has the Son, has the life. He who does not have the son, does not have the life. These things I have written to you that believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life."

No.

But if you are born of the Spirit, you will want to fellowhip with other believers.

They should lift up Jesus Christ as the way, the truth and the life, and as mans only hope for salvation. They should neither exclude some of, or add to, the foundational truths of the faith.

Our sinful condition and need for repentance/embracing Christ.

The exclusivity of Christ for salvation.

The necesity of being born again.

Justification through faith alone.

The scriptures are our only inerrant truth source.

Are brothers and sisters in Christ given freedom in their christian walk, or are they in legalistic bondage?

If you find several that are OK on those sorts of things, visit them all and ask God to communicate to you when you are where He wants you to be.

He will!

God bless,

Mike

 

billwald wrote:

I KNOW that I am saved, and 1 John 5 is NOT the only "know so" portion of Scripture. Even if it were, how many times does God have to say something before it is true?

1 John 5:11-13
John 10:4 "...the sheep follow him: for they know his voice."
Romans 8:16
Ephesians 1:13-14 An earnest payment is something kept even if the buyer goes back on his original plan of purchasing.

Church membership is not required for salvation. Just ask the thief on the cross.

A good church will hold to the Bible and its teachings. I think a good, narrow-minded, KJV, independent Baptist church is best.

daktim

 

If we have heard the gospel, and through faith alone have embraced the Lord Jesus Christ, then we then can know that we are saved.
</font>[/QUOTE]Then what about the Mormon woman in the other thread? I'm sure if you'd asked her, she'd have said she was saved...