Jesus (Our Savior)

[BrassMonkey]

OK theological type people,
I want to ask a question that has had me wondering for years. This is not a specofic prayer or praise request. This is a faith question. While this board isn't centered around religion, many members choose to discuss it amongst themselves and I many times hear some of it ring true which is why I want to post this. So hear goes.

How exactly does a human male KNOW without question that they have been saved. We all know what it takes to become saved, Accepting Jesus Christ into your heart and accepting his death as one of love for us and our future sins.

This is being prompted by a question Carlson asked me lying on what could have been my death bed\, but thankfully wasn't. He asked me, Joe, If you were to go right this minute, are you going to heaven. My semi-drugged response was, "I think so, I certainly hope so, I am as sure as I think I can be."

He then stopped and said a prayer for my, ummm, "acceptance" Maybe acceptance is not the right word, he can explain the intent better then I.

My background: Mother was Jewish, Father was Catholic, I was raised predominately (sp?) Catholic. When I became an adult, (about 4 months ago if you ask Linda) I decided to go with Protestant. I have been to Methodist, Baptist, Seventh Day Aventist, and a couple of others. The only ones I have found to be somewhat comfortable for me are the newer, non-denominational more progressive, or contemporary churches. The problem is finding one, it is somewhat difficult.

So the crux of the question is, How do you tell with 100% certainty that you have hit the mark, have been saved, are going to heaven, all that stuff? I wish it were as easy as you get a letter in the mail one day confirming your reservation, but there has to be some more tangible indication that you're good to go. Thanks!

Joe

[Dougmyers5]

God’s plan of salvation brings us into the good of Christ’s suffering, death, and victory. "For when we were yet without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6). "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

http://www.saved.com/

By practicing the work of God as put forth by Jesus the son of God you will dwell in Gods House.

It is enlightenment to your soul and by the deeds and words you do and speak that will guild you to God.

If you want a letter or Pass or something of substance as prof then read the Bible and receive the words of the Lord into your Heart and practice what he preached. In doing so you will pass through the Gates of Heaven and be received unto him.

Another words its all about you and how you live your life, how you help the needy how you treat your Brother and Sisters as we are all your Brothers and Sisters in the eyes of God.

I hope that help answer your questions but I am sure Carlson or some more versed in teachings and words of our lord will do better then I have at trying to help you.

Peace on Earth and Good will toward you as one of the Lords Children!

[BrassMonkey]

Thank you Doug,
I understand the above. I DO think I get a pass. But lying there, I just kept wondering, am I really as safe as I think I am? Ya know?

[jbirds1210]

Hello friend-

I will let some of the others that are gifted with explanation do their work...I would only confuse myself Faith is central, I know what I know because I have tried to live life on my own and it did not work out so well.

One of my dearest friends (a pastor who conducted my wedding) travelled to your neck of the woods from Illinois for a behind the scenes look into the ministry of this fellow. I am also a fan of contemporary/non-denominational services......I think Ed Young might be along the lines of what you are looking for. The "watch it now" feature will help you decide. Best of luck.

http://www.edyoung.com/

[Crossfire]

Joe - different people of different faiths will all answer in different ways. Here is my take on it:

I KNOW I am saved because I BELIEVE that I am saved. You can never do enough good works to earn it. You can never be perfect enough to deserve it.

It is a gift. And all you have to do to receive it is to believe that Jesus Christ is the true Son of God.

Simple as that. Believe and be saved.

Carl's turn now.

[carlson1]

100%

[HighVelocity]

Joe - different people of different faiths will all answer in different ways. Here is my take on it:

I KNOW I am saved because I BELIEVE that I am saved. You can never do enough good works to earn it. You can never be perfect enough to deserve it.

It is a gift. And all you have to do to receive it is to believe that Jesus Christ is the true Son of God.

Simple as that. Believe and be saved.

Carl's turn now.

My thoughts exactly.

[longtooth]

Good job young lady.

[SRVA]

Joe, to build on what the great people have said above, one of Satan's favorite tools is to cause doubt in the believer. You will keep your salvation but your effectiveness as a believer and your ability to grow in the knowledge of Christ is hampered. Your question is a common one, even the apostle Paul had to deal with it and described it in Romans 7.

Steve

[flintknapper]

Joe - different people of different faiths will all answer in different ways. Here is my take on it:

I KNOW I am saved because I BELIEVE that I am saved. You can never do enough good works to earn it. You can never be perfect enough to deserve it.

It is a gift. And all you have to do to receive it is to believe that Jesus Christ is the true Son of God.

Simple as that. Believe and be saved.

Carl's turn now.

Joe - different people of different faiths will all answer in different ways. Here is my take on it:

True, different denominations have certain defining doctrines, but most mainstream Christian groups share certain Biblical tenets. There are a few very important ones.

I KNOW I am saved because I BELIEVE that I am saved. You can never do enough good works to earn it. You can never be perfect enough to deserve it.

Very good point! As you say... we are NOT saved by “works�, and are never deserving. However, we may be certain of our salvation because of Christ’s promise.

It is a gift. And all you have to do to receive it is to believe that Jesus Christ is the true Son of God.

I would only add to the above: You must also accept him as your one and only “Saviour�. Satan believes that Jesus is the true Son of God, but we already know his future fate.

Simple as that. Believe and be saved.

I find that belief and faith are made much easier and understandable through regular Bible study. I highly recommend it.


Another thing I would ask “new� Christians to do: Is give yourself time, study the Bible for yourself, check that what you are being told from the pulpit is in accordance with the Bible, recognize that we “grow in Christ� and it takes time. But, salvation can be had immediately upon a “sincere� acceptance of Jesus Christ as your Savior. All the good works, changing of one’s self…etc, are simply the “fruits� thereof.

Remember too (Concerning Churches): Choose wisely, the church you attend should be a Hospital for sinners, not a religious social club IMO.

Do not delay BrassMonkey. That was Carl's message.

[Turfspanker]

Joe,

To add to the above, I'll keep this simple.
You can't stand in God's presence with any evil sin. It was tried in Old Testament times and folks instantly died when entering the Temple where God's Spirit resided.

The system that God set up was sacrifice. A literal transmission of your sins to an unblemished animal. The young sheep died with your sins, on your behalf, and then you would be clean in God's sight...for the moment anyway.

The new system (New Testament) is similar, but your sins are transmitted to a perfect human being who died on your behalf so you can stand before God without being destroyed. Assuming you believe in a eternal spiritual life, you must be pure to exist in Gods presence.

All you need to do is accept the fact that Jesus was God (Fully God and fully Man) and he took on your sins in his body, and made the ultimate sacrifice for you. You have to accept that Jesus is alive in Spirit and you can have a personal relationship with God through Jesus. Jesus' role is to act as the intermediary between you and God.

One of the difficult things to comprehend is that God exists in three persons; The Father, The Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. Much like water exists in three forms but is still H2O.

When you accept that Christ died for you, on your behalf, there is a promise that the Holy Spirit will come and reside with you, in spirit, becoming a part of you. Thats where the "personal relationship" comes from.

Its a beautiful thing and WILL change your life for the better.

[shaggydog]

I KNOW I am saved because I BELIEVE that I am saved. You can never do enough good works to earn it. You can never be perfect enough to deserve it.

It is a gift. And all you have to do to receive it is to believe that Jesus Christ is the true Son of God.

Simple as that. Believe and be saved.

Extremely elegant explanation and 100% correct.

[Kalrog]

How exactly does a human male KNOW without question that they have been saved. We all know what it takes to become saved, Accepting Jesus Christ into your heart and accepting his death as one of love for us and our future sins.

Hey Joe - I am going to take a different tact on this question. Not so much one of a theology question because it really sounds like you know the answer that the bible gives. And others have mentioned it very well already. What I want to talk about is the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge.

Your head knows what is required. You stated it yourself. But it is also putting up some blocks from you truly believing it. My guess would be that you are thinking something along the lines of "it can't be that easy". Yes? Well stop thinking that way. It isn't any harder to understand than this... your Father loves you. Would He make it hard to be with Him? Think about this in a secular sense for a minute. I don't know your background so I hope this is appropriate to your situation. Do you KNOW that your mom and dad love you? How? Think about these things for a few minutes and see if that can't bring your head around to accepting the knowledge that it already has. Then see if that acceptance allows your heart to come to the same understanding that your head now has.

[jimlongley]

My own recent and personal experience seems to me to indicate that being saved is an ongoing process.

http://www.narrowtrail.org/albums/jimlongley.html#3

[LarryH]

Monkey, your question is the most important one you've ever asked. It can be answered very simply, but at the same time, it can be the most difficult question to answer. The answers above are all part of the solution.

There are several Bible verses that simply say, for example, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved." That includes, as said above, you must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God AND accept Him as your Lord and Savior. Savior = He paid your sin debt, so you don't have to. Lord = He's in charge of the rest of your life. Because of His love for you, and your love for Him, you try your best to please Him, just as you try to please your wife. Because you're a human being, you'll mess up, more often that any of us like to admit. But there's grace.

Grace is a gift. You can't earn it, and you don't deserve it (and neither do I or any of the rest of us). All we can do is accept it.

Also as said above, the devil is very good at making you doubt. Asking questions is his biggest weapon. "If you're really a Christian, how can you (fill in the blank)?" Testosterone is his second biggest weapon. We (men) can't help looking at women. I heard it said that the first look is free, it's the second look (and subsequent looks) that gets you in trouble. (If that's not what leads to your doubts, you can substitute whatever temptation gives you the most trouble.)

Coming face-to-face with your own mortality can lead to such thoughts. Whether it's evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision (auto or plane or boat or motorcycle) or a phone call from the doctor's office that your test results are back and can you come in tomorrow or hearing that a good friend has died in a plane crash or that another is in ICU and about to go on the "waiting for a liver transplant" list, all trigger thoughts of eternity and where you will spend it.

You're not alone, Monkey. We all have weak spots, we all have times when the devil can get to us. That's when we all need to dive head-first into the Bible and read the unchanging, ever-true Word of God. That's when we all need to pray. That's when we all need the fellowship of our Christian brothers and sisters.