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How do I know that I have the fruits of the Spirit? Does a superficial profession of faith in
Christ as my personal Savior mean that I am saved and can never lose my salvation. How can I know that my repentance is genuine?
Robert,
Was there a change in your life at the moment you truly believed in the Lord Jesus Christ? Paul says that we are a NEW creature in Christ,
(2Cor 5:17)Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Jesus says that we must be born again(John 3:3).
When you read through scripture do you believe that every word is inspired by God Himself? (2Tim 3:16).
Many professing 'Christians' claim that they have a relationship with Christ but yet reject the teachings throughout the Bible. They are most likely false converts.
(Titus 1:16)They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
If you truly believe the account that God gave of His Son and that how he died for our sins according to the scriptures and was buried and rose again the third day according to the scriptures, then you will be saved(1Cor 15:14).
If you are born again you will see the fruit of the Spirit manifesting in your life(Gal 5:22-23). Are you seeking spiritual things or going after fleshly things?
I KNOW that I am saved because I believe the word of God and have put my faith in Jesus for salvation, no one or nothing else! And scripture says we can know,
(1John 5:13)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, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
By-pass man and look to scripture for assurance of your salvation,
Was there a change in your life at the moment you truly believed in the Lord Jesus Christ? Paul says that we are a NEW creature in Christ, (2Cor 5:17)Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Jesus says that we must be born again(John 3:3).
I did not see an immediate change. Later, as I matured in the faith, I did.
Quote:
When you read through scripture do you believe that every word is inspired by God Himself? (2Tim 3:16).
Many professing 'Christians' claim that they have a relationship with Christ but yet reject the teachings throughout the Bible. They are most likely false converts.
(Titus 1:16)They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
If you truly believe the account that God gave of His Son and that how he died for our sins according to the scriptures and was buried and rose again the third day according to the scriptures, then you will be saved(1Cor 15:14).
If you are born again you will see the fruit of the Spirit manifesting in your life(Gal 5:22-23). Are you seeking spiritual things or going after fleshly things?
I KNOW that I am saved because I believe the word of God and have put my faith in Jesus for salvation, no one or nothing else! And scripture says we can know,
(1John 5:13)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, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
By-pass man and look to scripture for assurance of your salvation,
I believe "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" [2 Tim 3:16.] I also believe that I must have DOING THE WILL OF GOD as my primary goal in life. Thanks for the blog. [I'll leave comments when I have time to read it all.]
Last edited by Robert M Prince; 12-21-2014 at 06:37 AM..
How do I know that I have the fruits of the Spirit? Does a superficial profession of faith in
Christ as my personal Savior mean that I am saved and can never lose my salvation. How can I know that my repentance is genuine?
I don't think anyone anywhere can tell you that.
I can only tell you how I know. I can feel it. I have since I first accepted Jesus as my savior. I always know that God is here with me, but the feeling is sometimes extremely powerful. When I pray, I feel God with me, filling me with great love and warmth. For me, it is an unmistakable feeling - like none other I have ever known anywhere else. When I feel humble and small and in awe as I look out at the maple tree with its leaves of orange in the Fall, or at the Crepe Myrtles in the Summer, or the first Buttercups, or the first tiny green leaves of Spring, or stand on a ridge in the Great Smoky Mountains and my breath is taken away, I know that God is with me. When I read my Bible or in times of crisis when I ask for help, or when tears well in my eyes or there is a catch in my throat from the sights and sounds around me, or I hear certain songs and I am filled with the love of God, I know that He is with me.
This wasn't always the case with me. I searched for God and I didn't find Him. But, I continued to search anyway. As I sat in a church pew, I looked around me. I couldn't find God. I was sure that He was out there, but I couldn't find Him. I remember how empty I felt. Others didn't seem to feel that way, but I did. Then, after I had left organized religion (OR), one night in the darkness, in the deepest despair, I called out to Him. Immediately, I had found Him. There was no mistaking the feeling. I talked to Him and He communed with me. I have felt him ever since. At times, I move away from Him, but He never leaves me. It is a relationship that has to be built.
I don't know the conditions of your salvation and I don't know what you felt at the time. You should have felt something. I accepted Jesus, the Christ, as the son of God and as my personal savior. I was baptized. But that did not build a relationship with God for me. That came many years later. I don't know about anybody else. I can't tell you or anybody else what you are supposed to do or be or feel. That is between you and God.
You did say: "Does a superficial profession of faith in Christ as my personal Savior mean that I am saved and can never lose my salvation"
I think of a superficial profession as one that comes out of your mouth but not out of your heart. As if somebody was holding a gun to your head or your mother said she would disown you if you didn't say the words. If this is what you meant by superficial, and you know that you didn't mean your profession, I don't think that counts for anything. You'd be pretty much un-saved.
Once you are saved, you can only lose your salvation by the same means you found it. There are only 3 requirements to being saved. 1) You believe in God. 2) You accept Jesus, the Christ, as the son of God. 3) You accept and acknowledge that Jesus died on the cross for your sins. That He is your savior.
I guess there is a 4th one, too. You must believe these things sincerely. If you stop believing these things, then you lose your salvation. Also, Jesus was baptized.
It helps if you do your best to be a good and Godly person.
Only you can know if your repentance was genuine. Either you were (and still are) sincere or you weren't. You really can't trick God. He knows sincere when He sees it.
One can know they believe when they do the works of the son of man, keep His word, and continue in His teaching.
To know the truth is to keep the ways of the Lord, to abide in His word and walk in His righteousness.
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father who sent me.
Psalm 19:7-9
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are true, making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are all true and righteous.
The problem with putting any faith in our works is then we have to ask the question: When have I done enough, have I been good enough, have I purified myself from sin enough. Not only that, but if I am justified by the law, then what was the purpose of Christ's death and resurrection? What is the need of faith then? But the New Testament clearly destroys any idea that works save. Works are good and are expected but cannot save, which is why we rejoice at Christmas because of God's gift of our savior.
The problem with putting any faith in our works is then we have to ask the question: When have I done enough, have I been good enough, have I purified myself from sin enough. Not only that, but if I am justified by the law, then what was the purpose of Christ's death and resurrection? What is the need of faith then? But the New Testament clearly destroys any idea that works save. Works are good and are expected but cannot save, which is why we rejoice at Christmas because of God's gift of our savior.
Amen,augie
What works can we possibly offer God in exchange for salvation? God doesnt want us to mow peoples lawns, he wants us to believe on His Son(John 6:40). We trust in Jesus and then we receive His imputed righteousness. Jesus did the works that we cant do, He fulfilled the law and lived a sinless life(2Cor 5:21). Those who trust in their works to save them are trusting in themselves which will send a person to the lake of fire.
(Eph 2:8-9)For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
The problem with putting any faith in our works is then we have to ask the question: When have I done enough, have I been good enough, have I purified myself from sin enough.
But why should we ever decide that we've found a system (in this case, belief in salvation via Jesus) so that we have actually "done enough"? Why should we ever throw up our hands and decide that there's no such thing as enough, so we'll put in the belief instead? Shouldn't we spend our entire lives trying to do and be the best we can possibly do and be? Shouldn't we keep trying to do better, to help people more, to keep giving, until we die? Not so that we can reach some magic "sweet spot" of "having done enough," but simply because trying to be good people is pretty much what anyone should be aiming for - not "doing enough" or even "believing enough" in order to obtain some ultimate reward?
Why should there be some system in place where that doesn't really "count" any more?
Nor does this have to necessarily somehow negate Jesus' work on earth. But I can't believe God would want us to decide "well, we can't do enough no matter what we do, so that's not the important part." Jesus said, according to the NT, at least, over and over again that we should give up what we have, help others and love others. It was a BIG point with him. I can't imagine he would have wanted people to say "Jesus has saved me, so what I do doesn't matter much," because obviously, that's going to lead to, "I don't actually have to DO anything. I just have to press this one magic 'belief' button. I've found the secret!" At least for many people. And according to the NT, over and over again Jesus DID say we had to do things...earthly things, to help, to be good to one another and so on.
If that latter is just a "...meh, but ultimately none of that matters compared to simply believing in Jesus Christ," then I am really confused as to why he would have said them at all...much less placed such emphasis on them.
I can't believe that simply feeling miserable (repenting over and over again for exactly the same things) and trusting that someone else saved us could be the "one" thing to do - even in Jesus' eyes. Why not just try every day to be a good person, to do the right thing, and to help? You don't have to kill yourself doing these things and I don't believe there's some magic ultimate goal as far as enough. I think it's more a state of mind: I want to do the right thing and I want the world to be a better place.
If yer not careful, JerZ, people are going to think that you believe Hebrews 10:24 over the progeny of John Calvin, even though it is clear that it is not the case and you are just exhibiting good sense.
But why should we ever decide that we've found a system (in this case, belief in salvation via Jesus) so that we have actually "done enough"? Why should we ever throw up our hands and decide that there's no such thing as enough, so we'll put in the belief instead? Shouldn't we spend our entire lives trying to do and be the best we can possibly do and be? Shouldn't we keep trying to do better, to help people more, to keep giving, until we die? Not so that we can reach some magic "sweet spot" of "having done enough," but simply because trying to be good people is pretty much what anyone should be aiming for - not "doing enough" or even "believing enough" in order to obtain some ultimate reward?
Why should there be some system in place where that doesn't really "count" any more?
Nor does this have to necessarily somehow negate Jesus' work on earth. But I can't believe God would want us to decide "well, we can't do enough no matter what we do, so that's not the important part." Jesus said, according to the NT, at least, over and over again that we should give up what we have, help others and love others. It was a BIG point with him. I can't imagine he would have wanted people to say "Jesus has saved me, so what I do doesn't matter much," because obviously, that's going to lead to, "I don't actually have to DO anything. I just have to press this one magic 'belief' button. I've found the secret!" At least for many people. And according to the NT, over and over again Jesus DID say we had to do things...earthly things, to help, to be good to one another and so on.
If that latter is just a "...meh, but ultimately none of that matters compared to simply believing in Jesus Christ," then I am really confused as to why he would have said them at all...much less placed such emphasis on them.
I can't believe that simply feeling miserable (repenting over and over again for exactly the same things) and trusting that someone else saved us could be the "one" thing to do - even in Jesus' eyes. Why not just try every day to be a good person, to do the right thing, and to help? You don't have to kill yourself doing these things and I don't believe there's some magic ultimate goal as far as enough. I think it's more a state of mind: I want to do the right thing and I want the world to be a better place.
Beautiful witness, JerZ!! It is ALL about our state of mind! You definitely understand the Spirit of agape love who IS God. Those relying on magical beliefs are in for a surprise indeed.
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