This could help!
http://www.momof9splace.com/childsalvation.html
Look at the website first, and then read the commentary - God Bless!
Friends and Family,
Believe it or not, what is said about children, is also the process for adults.
HOW God brings people to conviction (convinced by THE EVIDENCE) of sin and "sinnerdom" or being a sinner, and puts the Gospel in their life, to cause repentance (change of mind) and faith (trust/belief) is as varied as there are created individuals.
BUT, there are GENERAL PRINCIPLES to be kept in mind on how a genuine salvation actually occurs.
In the general principle mindset I make the following statements:
No one is ever truly born again without trusting Christ as their Saviour that trust being based upon the FACT that He shed His Blood and died for their sin.
However, no one ever truly trusts Christ in this manner, until they are shown BY GOD (however He brings it about) that they are in fact, LOST, SINNERS, and ON THE WAY TO HELL due to their condition.
This (Conviction and Repentance) is called an "awakening" by the "old-schoolers", and whether it is for 30 seconds, or 30 years, it always precedes salvation.
We adults also, must be "awakened" convicted/convinced (cause to see - convinced by the evidence) our sins and sinfulness by the Holy Ghost. This will cause us to acknowledge that God is JUST to send us to Hell, for our rebellion.
Only strong preaching against sin, OR using the 10 Commandments to show sinners their sins, OR/AND the Holy Ghost of God can cause conviction.
The Holy Ghost is the Author of Biblical Conviction, and He uses the Conscience OR the Law, or His Own Power to convict.
Only these can "convince one as to the evidence against their hopes of Heaven" Any singular one or ALL of these can do it.
Holy Ghost Conviction (sin, righteousness and judgment in a real salvation experience) causes us to REPENT (change our mind), about our sins as ok, and our sinfulness as excusable. This will generate a TRUE desire to be free from sin (aka lifestyle) and receive Christ.
I AM NOT SAYING WE ARE SAVED OR PROVE OUR SALVATION BY WORKS. What this is all (Conviction of the Holy Ghost and Repentance) is referring to is the HEART-ATTITUDE, of the individual towards God, Sin, and Self.
Implied in this however is that we would also stop TRUSTING anything else (including a past profession of "faith" or false supernatural "experience" from Satan AND THOSE ABOUND IN THE LAST DAYS) and turn from our own way.
Salvation is not received by "asking Jesus into your heart", or merely "praying a sinners prayer" when one is not convicted of being a sinner. When you are convicted, you desire to repent.
There is nothing in Scripture about "asking Jesus in your heart", or any of those other pithy sayings that come to mind, when dealing with cruddy and wicked "mass evangelism" tactics. That is not to say the Holy Spirit does not indwell the heart of the believer (REGENERATION), and bring assurance, but He is not allowed to come in this way. The way of the cross leads home!
Once one is convicted and desires to repent, then they must TRUST the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour, based on The Gospel that He has DONE for all sinners.
The Gospel: Christ shed His Blood for all sinners, to wash their sins away/blot them out, Died for all sinners-taking their Hell and punishment upon Himself, was buried, and Rose again (as the Perfect God-Man who never sinned) for all sinners, to give out eternal life, to those who repent from their sin (as convicted by the Holy Ghost) and trust Christ as their Saviour. They then receive eternal life, justification, righteousness, and assurance, by this simple act of faith. (YOU NEED TO LOOK UP THESE BIG WORDS!)
That, in turn leads us to truly trust Christ as Our LORD and SAVIOUR. This does not mean the Christian in now sinless, but He/She does "sin-less" than before CONVICTION AND REPENTANCE, and desires (though is not perfect in completing) to do God's Will, not the self's. Desires (heart-attitudes) change!
This ACTUAL AND ORIGINAL LEGITIMATE SALVATION EXPERIENCE is evidenced to the heart of an individual by I John...Read the Book of 1st John to see the portrait of a believer.
Some of the subjective experiences, mixed in with Biblical truth could be experienced as follows:
The indwelling Holy Ghost in the heart, the "lifted load" of sins, heart-belief that Jesus Christ is God, the awareness of the nearness of God, the desire to know God from His Word, the desire to pray, the Scripture opened and understandable, the desire to hear preaching, the desire to be around other saved people, the desire to see others saved, the hunger and thirst for righteousness, sin becomes painful and "icky" and once done, causes unalleviable grief until dealt with biblically, God using the person to reach others as he/she was reached, and he/she slowly changed (or changing) personality traits, where as things that were once acceptable, are no longer are.
Also, the heart of the person will no longer be "empty", and there won't be a "void" in the heart/life like "something’s missing", because the Holy Spirit will have taken up residence in that persons body, soul, and spirit. Sin will no longer satisfy, ONLY JESUS CHRIST!
There is such a "thing" as a carnal Christian. Conviction and Repentance, Faith and Salvation, continue in the life from point of origin (salvation), until death. Also the Christian will be absolutely miserable in acts of sin, and will have "stuff happen" in their life, even maybe death, to cause them to "get right". A real Christian, when walking in the flesh, for days or weeks or any indeterminate period of time will be the most miserable person on Earth.
Regardless of how deep (not as in a period of time, but actions/attitudes) into sin a real believer may go, they have always been convicted and repented in the beginning, and will always come back to the Lord Jesus Christ in humility and contrition, desiring to make it right, and have His pardon. They don't "leave and never come back". In the South they say "Well, if he is really saved, he'll be back." In the South too, it's said a lot, "You gotta get lost before you can get saved!"
HOWEVER, 75%-90% of people who think they fall into this category, or define themselves as that (and are for months and years), have never gone through these general salvation principles and Holy Ghost led experiences in their own life, and have merely a false "faith" or a simple head-knowledge about salvation. THEY NEVER FORWARD-SLID TO BACKSLIDE! They have never been convicted, repented, and trusted Christ. John 3:17-21 states that. Read it!
Only God knows (and that individual) if a "carnal" Christian is really saved or not.
Search the scripture about the purpose-work of the Law and Conscience in Paul's Epistles (Romans 2:14 - 8:30; The Book of Galatians) and read the Law (10 Commandments) in Exodus 20
Read up about the Holy Spirit and his work in John (14-17) regarding the lost and sinners, and read up on repentance and faith in Luke and Acts (Various verses).
Also, when reading about people being saved by faith in Christ, in the Scripture (The Gospels and Acts), notice their attitude (not work - I am not a hyper-Calvinist, faith and repentance are heart attitudes, not works) of Repentance when they come to Christ.
Remember, once a person is genuinely saved, they are no longer slaves to sin, or the Law. That's why we don't use the 10 commandments on true Christians, or anything else out of the Decalogue.
Try out what has been said here in dealing with yourself, your adult friends and family, and your children. Salvation is too serious to play games with, or get wrong. Eternity depends on it. Salvation is not complicated, but it does require some understanding of these things, IN THE HEART!
Too many people have grown up in Bible-Preaching churches, or been "evangelized" and are worse for it, because of the various reasons listed here and in the article submitted.
God Bless you all, and Jesus Saves sinners (like me/us!)
The Tomlin Family
Salvation Diagrams
Discussion in 'Baptist Theology & Bible Study' started by skypair, Mar 11, 2007.
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Why is this distinction not supportable? For one reason, James indicates that faith itself fits the description you give for 'belief'. Faith itself has to be 'tested' to be of any value - faith without accompanying works is dead. So, everything you claim about belief applies equally to faith in Scripture. -
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Here's how I heard one pastor distinguish belief and faith. He used Heb 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things BELIEVED, the evidence of things not seen." Belief is not seen -- faith IS when we receive the Holy Spirit indwelling! Like you say, there is a "connector" in there though -- belief NOT in vain, repentance, reception of salvation. Whatever you want to call it, it is our "signature line" of the new covenant with God in Christ.
skypair -
Later, john -- I gotta play golf.
skypair -
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Proofs
Martin Luther's Commentary on Galatians from ccel.org is really good treatment of this subject.
Read up about the Holy Spirit and his work in John (14-17) regarding the lost and sinners, and read up on repentance and faith in Luke and Acts (Various verses).
Reading the Old Puritan writers can give a lot more insight to this part.
Also, when reading about people being saved by faith in Christ, in the Scripture (The Gospels and Acts), notice their attitude (not work - I am not a hyper-Calvinist, faith and repentance are heart attitudes, not works) of Repentance when they come to Christ.
Reading about the various Biblical revivals that took place (Jonothan Goforth, Hudson Taylor, New Hebrides) could make this more concrete. -
I wonder which of these diagrams Jesus drew out for Nicodemus, and Mary and Martha, or which one Peter drew out at Pentecost (Man, that must have been one big screen he was using!) or which one Paul drew out for the Philliapin Jailer? :rolleyes:
Ed -
dw, John,
Ah, the "faith without works" argument. Good!
You know -- we do get MORE faith as we grow in Christ, right? That has nothing to do with the belief it took to be saved which is in the gospel. In fact, as Christlifter pointed out, the repentance of coming to Christ is NOT a work as Calvin would have it.
So how would there be "belief in vain?" Look at the Pharisees. They believed the miracles of Jesus, but for political reasons, they ascribed them to Satan! How could they do otherwise? And that is where many who hear the gospel find themselves -- denying that they have to "do" anything themselves.
What happens to the one who makes no decision? He's left in the same state he was before he heard, right? Even if you believe, you have committed nothing and received nothing.
skypair -
skypair.
RO 2:12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.
Those who never heard of God are judged, not to condemnation as that was established by Adam, according to their conscience and those who have heard are judged accordingly. Judgment is on what one knows not what one does not know.
john. -
skypair -
skypair.
Hearing isn't to do with the ear but a brain connected to a heart of stone but even with regeneration it is still God who decides what one believes and what one does not. PR 21:1 The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.
Even when man makes a decision God is in there directing our steps, calling His sheep and renewing their hearts and minds. You would have it that He needs our permission to enter His Temple. :)
john. -
What you speak of is what I call the "sanctification model" of salvation. It is much like the Catholics preached only based on Bible and faith rather than traditions and works. One, even an unbeliever, can begin to approach the stature of Christ thereby but it is not salvific. "Ye must be born again."
skypair
john.[/QUOTE] -
My salvation diagram:
elect -> saved -
skypair.
john.
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