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How can I know I have been saved?

Discussion in '2004 Archive' started by Russ Kelly, Aug 22, 2004.

  1. Russ Kelly

    Russ Kelly New Member

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    While teaching a Bible class of about 25 70-90 year old retirees, one asked me this question.

    Without going into the theology of the three tenses of salvation, and without startng an argument, I would like to know how you would answer another person asking this questiion.

    Several suggestions for comments:
    1. I can know for sure whether or not I have personally experienced salvation, but I cannot anwer for you.
    2. You must claim the promises of God's Word. If you have been convicted of sin; have recognized that Jesus died for your sins; have asked Jesus to forgive your sins and save you; have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior -- therefore, you must believe that God has kept His promise and has saved you.
    3. You don't have to FEEL saved in order to BE saved any more than you always have to feel married in order to remain married.
    4. Having been saved, you should have an active conscience which is a reminder that God expects me to serve Him. Those without an active conscience have (a) either never been saved or (b)fallen out of fellowship with God and are sure to be disciplined.
    5. Although FEELING is not part of salvation, PEACE accompanies it. You should be able to sleep peacefully knowine that you have fellowship with God (physical impairement not withstanding).
    6. Your lilfestyle and desires should be diffeent from those around you who do not profess to hve been saved. You, not they, are a new creation with new desires toserve God.

    Any additions or clarifications??

    I wrote this on the spur of the moment and want something to present to my class.
     
  2. Ben W

    Ben W Active Member
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    How we feel can be a trap, if we get suckered into basing our relationship with God on how we feel, that can lead to problems when we have times when we feel lousy, when it naturally follows in that line of thinking that all is not well with our relationship with God.

    We grow with God, we come to know Him over time, just like getting to know your partner. For me it has been a case of putting aside distractions and being sensitive to the "Still Small Quiet Voice" which I know as the Holy Spirit. I know that I am saved when I am in Relationship with God, despite all the theological stuff that goes along with it.

    Well that is my take anyway, yet we are all special to God, and He has a relationship with each of us that is personal and different. The key is to be in tune with that.
     
  3. Marcia

    Marcia Active Member

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    I think the HS's conviction when we sin, conviction to witness, sorrow for the lost, desire to see lost relatives or friends saved, desire to please God, etc. show the presence of the HS and thus that we are saved.

    I think your list is good, Russ. [​IMG]
     
  4. amixedupmom

    amixedupmom Guest

    If you couldn't use the Bible to prove salvation exists. You need to use your life. I had this problem when I got saved. A lot of my friends didn't understand what salvation was. But, they started to see simple changes in me and my lifestyle. Most of which are still going on. My husband who SWORE he would never step foot into a church, is now a saved man. My oldest daughter is saved. My friends who once didn't believe in God are slowly coming to the premis that he must exist. They look at my life before and after my salvation and agree something happened on that day. When they ask me, I tell them. I was Born into a new life, Nothing I did in the past matters, It's nailed to the cross. Jesus suffered and died for me so that I can walk into heaven. At first they thought I was nuts.

    Anyway my point is your actions speak louder than the Bible can sometimes. Sometimes people don't believe the Bible but they will believe what they can see. If you live your life in total peace with the LORD, then you are the Living word [​IMG] .
     
  5. Russ Kelly

    Russ Kelly New Member

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    Thank you.

    All three of you have amplified my statements with words that are softer and easier to understand for my class.

    Now, this is what Baptist Board.com is all about!
     
  6. GODzThunder

    GODzThunder New Member

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    we are saved into the family of God. How do you know you are saved? By the same way you know you are in a loving family...through the relationship!
     
  7. Marcia

    Marcia Active Member

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    One would hope this to be so, but it's not always true. One could get into a bad church (like a legalistic one) where the people are not loving. Or you could have my experience where after I was saved, the people in the church saw me as sort of strange because of my past (my present church is not like this). They didn't know what to say to me. I have known others coming from backgrounds like mine who were not accepted in churches and they left. They needed love, prayer, discipleship and encouragement but instead their salvation was questioned or they were reprimanded for "not fitting in" (which meant dressing a certain way, etc.). It was a struggle for me to stay in a good church when I finally found one, much less a bad one.
     
  8. Craigbythesea

    Craigbythesea Active Member

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    Not only is the tense of the verb saved of critical importance, so is the object of the preposition from.
     
  9. pinoybaptist

    pinoybaptist Active Member
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    I can identify with Marcia here. When I was first converted (and I use that word now that I have a better understanding of what salvation is) from communism and atheism I landed in a church that really confused me.

    You know how former Marxists have this dialectical way of thinking ? Cause = effect and all that stuff ?

    Well, they said I was saved by grace thru faith so why all these 'thou-shalt-nots' that are not in the Bible. Like, thou shalt not drink, thou shalt not smoke, thou shalt not go to the movies, thou shalt not wear this or that, thou shalt not speak this way or that way, thou shalt not this or that. As somebody I met later in my Christian life said:

    'Baptists (shaking his head), you make people happy by saying they are saved by grace, then you bring them crashing down with a heavy load of laws on their shoulders'.

    And the backbiting, and the bickering.

    I left that church and for a long, long time did not care to go to church. Any church.

    And many years later, when I did go to church, it was the same thing all over.

    I'm happy with the Primitive Baptists now. I've never been to a church as loving, caring, and absolutely amazing as these people.

    We have our differences, true, but the differences are conducted and treated as family would treat their differences. No hate, no animosity, no backbiting. What must be said is said to one's face, with much prayer. If separation must occur among us, it remains theological, not personal.
     
  10. Russ Kelly

    Russ Kelly New Member

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    Can we add three more to the list?
    7. Love for the brethren that controls life decisions.
    8. Forgiveness of those who have sinned against us, whether or not they deserve it.
    9. Habitually overcoming new sins as they keep revealing themselves (1 John).

    These accomplishments must fit into the category of miracles, because they are against our sinful nature.
     
  11. Marcia

    Marcia Active Member

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    Another one I thought of:
    One of the things I noticed first after being saved was that I no longer could actually hate anyone. At first this made me mad -- I know that's ironic -- but I could not build up to a hatred of anyone as I once was able to. It was very strange.

    As time went by, and as I came to know the love of Christ more and more, I was able to love people I could never have loved before.
     
  12. Craigbythesea

    Craigbythesea Active Member

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    2 Cor. 5:14. For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;
    15. and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
    16. Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.
    17. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
    (NASB, 1995)
     
  13. Salinas

    Salinas New Member

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    John 3:36: He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

    2Tim. 1:12...I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
     
  14. James_Newman

    James_Newman New Member

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    I have evidence that I am saved! Jesus said if I believe He will raise me up on the last day! What else do I need? If you are continually looking to your works to show that you are saved, then I must question your salvation. How can you say that you believe something, and then be constantly checking for hints that maybe you didn't really believe... maybe you DIDN'T really believe! Just rest in it. It is finished. He paid the price! You don't have to do anything to merit the free gift of salvation. You don't have to do anything to prove that you have it. If you believed on His finished work to redeem you, then you are redeemed!

    Now that your saved, go out and get some reward! And remember that judgment begins at the house of God. But you will not ever lose your eternal salvation.
     
  15. Plain ol' Ralph

    Plain ol' Ralph New Member

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    The Spirit beareth witness with our spirit that we are the sons of God; a definite change in your life that YOU did not make is evidence of salvation. [​IMG]
     
  16. James_Newman

    James_Newman New Member

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    If I visit a man in prison, is it evidence that Christ shed His blood for my sins? If I give food to a hungry man, is it evidence that God accepted that sacrifice? All the evidence of my salvation was displayed 2000 years ago.

    Matthew 27
    50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
    51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

    Matthew 28
    1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
    2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
    3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
    4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
    5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
    6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

    Believing this is not a magic spell that makes you holy. But it does get you raised up on the last day. Thats the evidence that our faith is based on. The Gentiles have good works, and think they will be ok because of them. Where our eternal salvation is concerned, we should not base our faith on our works. At all. This is not to discount the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer, but we cannot assume that someone who is living in blatant unconfessed sin is not saved. And we cannot assume that because God has upheld us thusfar, that He will not let us taste our own vomit again if we get haughty.

    There are two senses that we may be children of God. Positionally we are already children of God by believing. The verse in Romans is not talking about that unconditional positional sonship.

    16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
    17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

    Christ never said that we had to suffer to be raised up on the last day, did he? This says we are joint-heirs, if so be that we suffer. This is talking about being a first-born son and reigning with Christ in the kingdom.

    We should have good works, Christ commanded us to. But we should all realize that He probably wants us to have a lot more good works than we actually have. Christ talked of a standard that to the human eye is unattainable. If we apply that standard to our eternal salvation, we must acknowledge that we work for our eternal salvation, no matter how we phrase it.
     
  17. DeaconLew

    DeaconLew New Member

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    How can I know I have been saved? Well, what saith the scripture: Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Do you believe God? I mean do you believe that your best is nothing but filthy rags? Do you believe that you have offended a holy God. Do you believe that because of that offence you deserve to not only die physically, but die for all eternity in the lake of fire? Do you believe that you are worthy of being saved?

    Jesus came to save sinners. If you are not a filthy disgusting sinner that deserves to be punished in all eternity suffering God's wrath, then you are not a candidate for salvation. If, on the otherhand, you realize that you are a filthy, rotten, wicked, dispicable (sp) sinner, then there is good news. Jesus died for your sins! He took your place on the cross, suffering the wrath of God for you. When Jesus hung there and shed his wonderful, precious blood you were on his mind. And he does not ask for anything from you, it is free gift. Will you accept it? To accept you must agree with Jesus about your condition. That you are sinner that deserves to die for all eternity in the lake of fire. Once you agree with him, you will need to believe in Jesus, that is, put your trust in him as payment for your sins. Once you believe that, you are saved. Not only that but since there is nothing that you could do to earn salvation, there is nothing that you can do to loose it! If you believe this you are saved.

    Eph 2:8, 9 For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works lest any many should boast.

    John 3:16, 36 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. He that believeth on the son hath life, and he that believeth not the son hath not life but the wrath of God abideth on him.

    John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
    26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
    27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

    -DeaconLew
     
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