Was I really saved?

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Larry:
What in the world are you talking about?
Could you give chapter and verse?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

John 3:16-18

You must believe in Jesus to receive God's offer of salvation/eternal life. Even though it can happen in a moment, sometimes believing can take a bit of time as you wrestle with an idea. For me, believing in Christ took a few years. Even though I realized that Jesus was God's Son, I did not take it as true at first. Slowly, my mind accepted the idea. I went through many stages of doubt, uncomfortableness, and indecision. I even got a little scared of being "left behind". Ultimately, I left any reservations I held about Christ behind and decided to trust Him even if I did not completely understand him.

Sometimes, you must go through a series of mental stages (or a process) to come to terms with your belief in Jesus. Only then, as John 3:16 states, will you have eternal life.

Believing though does not stop with psychological conditioning. Belief in someone means that you trust and rely on that person. If you believe in Christ, you will trust and rely on Christ. If you trust and rely on Christ, you will follow Him. If you follow him, then you will walk as he walked. If you walk as he walked, you will try to pattern your life and mind as closely as you can based on His.

I hope this clears things up. Please let me know if I can explain things better.

God Bless You Larry,
Jamal5000

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chris Temple:
You are confusing salvation with sanctification. Salvation is an immediate moment occurrence; a person is given the gifts of repentrance and faith and is saved from above.

I agree that a person is given the gifts of repentance and faith and is saved from above, but you still must willfully choose to believe in Jesus Christ. That can be tough sometimes especially if you are an analytical thinker that constantly looks to the scientific process for reasoning things out.

Sanctification is a process of beign conformed to the image of Christ over one's lifetime.

I agree that sanctifiation is a process. I believe God sanctifices us by setting us apart. Our conformity is a choice that we make when we decide to listen to the Holy Spirit that God has gifted us with. God sanctifies us through His Spirit.

Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Yes, the Holy Spirit is a gift that we receive for our edification, but this edification is not forced on us. We choose to listen to the Spirit who reminds us of God's teachings as revealed to us through Christ. Once we decide to trust Him, God then can sanctify us through His Spirit.

John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

A key word to focus on is "received". We cannot become His children unless we receive Him (Jesus). We cannot receive Jesus unless we do so by our own decision. In other words, we must choose to receive Jesus. For me, I could not have chosen Christ over my former worldly life unless I trusted and relied on Him as a better way. I could not have trusted and relied on Him like this unless I believed in Him. I, as well as lots of disciples of Christ I know, did not come to believe in Him until I went through a lot of soul searching. Honestly, it can take a long time, Chris.

But Thanks Be to God For Being Chosen, right?

God Bless You Chris. Thanks for your great comment!


Jamal5000

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jamal5000:
I, as well as lots of disciples of Christ I know, did not come to believe in Him until I went through a lot of soul searching. Honestly, it can take a long time, Chris.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I agree that one can spend a long time wrestling with the truths of Christ and the Bible before one comes to saving faith. Merely believing "facts" does not lead one to salvation. "You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!" James 2:19 (ESV)

Yet conversion is in a moment - when one repents of their sin and turns in trust to Christ alone - and His righteousness is imputed to you and you are justifed in Christ.

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chris Temple:
Yet conversion is in a moment - when one repents of their sin and turns in trust to Christ alone - and His righteousness is imputed to you and you are justifed in Christ.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks for the input. I really appreciate it.

Yes. When I first gave my life to God at age 16 (I'm now 24), all I knew is that I wanted to trust what the Bible told me about Jesus Christ. I did not understand everything, but I trusted God to lead me, anyway. Over the years, I learned more and more about Jesus and about what baptism meant. In my junior year of college, I met a disciple who told me that because I did not fully understand who Jesus was and what baptism was at age 16, my baptism was just "a rush of emotion" rather than legitimate. That hurt me so much. How dare we believe that we have authority to judge exactly when somebody truely believes Jesus Christ in their heart. I look back at 16 and realize that I did not know very much when I compare it to what I now know. However, I utilized all the information I had--as meager as it was--to responsibly decide to turn away from my former life and follow God. I realize more and more each day that believing is an individual process and that God not only exclusively knows that exact moment when we believe but also smiles on us for overcoming the sometimes long mental journey of doubt that we must overcome to reach that blessed moment.

Do you think God understands that trusting and believing in His Son can be really hard for some people while really easy for others?


Keep the Faith, Chris...and I know you will.
Jamal5000

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jamal5000:
I utilized all the information I had--as meager as it was--to responsibly decide to turn away from my former life and follow God. I realize more and more each day that believing is an individual process and that God not only exclusively knows that exact moment when we believe but also smiles on us for overcoming the sometimes long mental journey of doubt that we must overcome to reach that blessed moment.

Do you think God understands that trusting and believing in His Son can be really hard for some people while really easy for others?


Keep the Faith, Chris...and I know you will.
Jamal5000<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Jamal:

God understands all his children go through. He knows all things. Not only that, he determines all things.

Ephes. 1:11 (ESV)
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will

Although you exercised cognitive faith in him, that faith was not your own doing but a gift from God, who granted you repentance and faith:

Ephes. 2:8-9 (ESV)
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Philip. 1:29 (ESV)
For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

2 Tim. 2:24-25 (ESV)
And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, [25] correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth

If you are a believer in Christ, praise His grace and mercy, for your were chosen by Him for salvation from the beginning:

Ephes. 1:3-8 (ESV)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, [4] even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
[5] he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, [6] to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. [7] In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, [8] which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight