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This is an all-too-common question among Christians. Many people doubt their salvation because of feelings or the lack of them. The Bible has much to say about salvation, but nothing to say about "...
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For one who wants to FEEL saved: 1. HEAR the gospel, Romans 10:17, and BELIEVE. John 3:16 2. Make Jesus Christ, LORD of your life. Be committed to doing what he says. Luke 6:46 3. REPENT. Truly make Jesus Lord. Be committed to change your lifestyle to conform to Titus 2:11-13, say "NO" to ungodliness and worldly passions and live a self-controlled, righteous and godly lifestyle. 4. Be BAPTIZED (immersed) Mark 16:16 for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit Acts 2:38, washing away your sins, Acts 22:16. Burying that old man of sin, arise out of that watery grave to live and walk in a new life, Romans 6:4. Your baptism is the answer or pledge of a good conscience toward God, 1 Peter 3:21. You are clean, pure, holy. You have put on Christ, Galatians 3:27. 5. Now, live a HOLY life. Live that self-controlled, righteous and godly lifestyle to which you committed when you REPENTED. (See above.) 6. Furthermore, CONTINUE to STUDY the Bible, Old and New Testaments, but especially the New Testament covenant of God for His people who have proclaimed His son Jesus as their Lord. GROW in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, 2 Peter 3:18. 7. Embrace the teachings of 1 John, because John says: "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may KNOW that you have ETERNAL LIFE." 11 John 5:13 8. LOVE, because perfect love casts out, drives out fear of eternal judgment and punishment, 1 John 4:17-18.
If you don't feel saved, look to the cross. Your sins were forgiven ~2000 years ago by Jesus' death burial and resurrection. This event is an objective historical fact, you can know for certain that you are saved because of what Jesus did, no matter what or how you feel. Our feelings change with the wind and will often mislead us if we look to them for assurance or certainty. You are forgiven all your sins, believe it.
This question does not require a large answer. Nor does it require an intelligent approach to answering... If you - "And without trusting, it is impossible to be well pleasing to God, because whoever approaches him must trust that he does exist and that he becomes a Rewarder to those who seek him out" (Hebrews 11:6 CJB) Then, "Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9 AMP) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is proof of a person being saved. After you get saved, you must MUST MUST renew your mind. Romans 12:1. The day you got born again in your spirit, YOU WERE JUDGED! A saved persons judgement is found in Revelation 21.And the unsaved in Revelation 20. Renew your mind daily with the new covenant. According to Colossians 2:14 (AMP), "Having cancelled and blotted out and wiped away the handwriting of the note (bond) with its legal decrees and demands which was in force and stood against us (hostile to us). This [note with its regulations, decrees, and demands] He set aside and cleared completely out of our way by nailing it to [His] cross" If your born again, your NOT under the law, so the 10 commandments is no longer your guide. The Mosaic law is no longer your guide. THE HOLY SPIRIT IN YOU IS YOUR GUIDE. Spend time with him. He is IN YOU. With you, and FOR you. If your born again, you have company LIVING on the inside of you. Remind yourself of that every morning when you wake up. Say, "I am the righteousness of God, not because of what Ive done but because of Yes'Hua the messiah!" Don't forget to talk to yourself. Your mouth is divine when you have the holy spirit inside you! As a side note, remember to be cautious of becoming cold to sin. All sin is a big deal no matter how "bad" or "not that bad" the sin might be. Know who you are and where you come from! Yes'Hua be praised!
I would also add that for many Christians, when we are called to salvation, it is like a new dating relationship; the Trinity is all we think about, we study the. Word, we are at height of our passion for The Lord and His kingdom. But if this is not nurtured and pursued - in community with other believers, getting involved in corporate worship setting, seeking ways to be His hands and feet, and purposely still pursuing God just as much as when we first did. God didn't intend us to "do life" in a vacuum. It is when I try to live as a Christian without those other support systems, that's when I struggle in "feeling". Lastly, if there's any history with works-base faith systems, sometimes we don't "feel saved" because we realize the magnitude of what Jesus has done and somehow want to earn that, pay Him back or show Him how "good" we are. But God doesn't ask of works - His grace and love and mercy are what saves us - nothing I can do to earn it.
If you doubt your salvation, I will not tell you that you are saved. What if you don't feel saved because you are actually not saved? Oh what a presumptuous people we have become in these last days. We enjoy the honor we receive from men for comforting them without any assurance. If you don't feel saved then by all means start seeking God for your salvation. Err on the side of caution. God knows how to let you know for sure.
I believe that when you are saved the enemy, if given ANY opportunity will whisper to you that you are not saved wanting you to become like the plants in Jesus parable that sprouted up in shallow soil only to be choked out by weeds and shriveled up. For this reason, we should give him no opportunity. Remember, no one or anything can take your Salvation away from you unless you give it up. How can we do this? First, we should make sure that we are associating with other Christians. "Encourage one another daily as long as it is called today". The point is for as long as needed probably forever. We need each other and you can't get that help without associating with other Christians. Secondly, we need to be genuinely grateful for our Salvation. Remember to thank Jesus often for Saving you! This will not only repel the enemy but help build your love for Jesus. A friend of mine once said "I came to Jesus out of fear but I stayed out of Love. While you are thanking Jesus for saving you, ask Him to show you how to love Him more. You can't do this unless you are praying. So PRAY! A lot! He will answer these prayers and soon all your doubts will be gone and you will "feel" saved. Be like the man in the Bible who said "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!
When I was in Campus Crusade for Christ at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, I participated in evangelizing other students. One thing they (CCC) taught us is that once we led a person to Christ, he or she is to be filled with the Spirit which may or may not be felt. It is brought out in Bill Bright's train illustration. The engine is fact, the coal car is faith, and the caboose is feeling. It would be useless to try to pull the train with the coal car (feeling). The engine represents fact, God and His Word. The coal car symbolizes our faith or our trust in God and His Word. Do not depend upon feelings. The promise of God's word, not our feelings, is our authority. The Christian lives by faith in the trustworthiness of God Himself and His Word. Our feelings can be seen in the caboose which represents the result of our faith and obedience. (John 14:21) Again, this train diagram illustrates the relationship among fact (God and His Word), faith (our trust in God and His Word), and feelings (the result of our faith and obedience). (John 14:21) 2 CORINTHIANS 5:7 KJV "(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)"
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