Dealing with Doubts About Salvation

Thunder Peel · Oct 18, 2013

I'd like to get some thoughts on this because it's something I've battled for as long as I can remember and I suppose this is my way of checking to see if I'm normal or insane. I guess either is possible but I'm really hoping for the former. My question deals with doubting your salvation. Do you do it? How do you overcome it? Has God used it to teach you something or draw you back to Him?

A brief history about this: I was first saved when I was 7. My heart was stirred during our church's VBS that summer and I wanted to know more about Jesus. It was exciting at first but over time I didn't grow in my faith. I assumed that Christianity was the finish line and that I had somehow accomplished the ultimate goal in life, which was to become a Christian. As the years went by I didn't really grow in my faith at all. I didn't like going to church and there wasn't much about Christianity that really motivated me. At 13 I rededicated my life to Christ and realized that following Jesus is actually the starting gate, the beginning of truly living and things like going to church, praying, Bible study, and evangelizing are things that should accompany a Christian life in some form. I'm not perfect in those areas by any means but since that summer I've certainly found more joy and interest in those things than I ever did as a child.

However, something has always bothered me since that time: how can I know beyond a doubt that I'm really saved? I've read the various verses in the Bible and God's promises but it's still something I wrestle with. I question my own motives much of the time. Am I witnessing, giving money, and seeking God because the Holy Spirit is moving within me or am I doing those things out of selfishness as a way to try and prove to myself that I'm really saved? Did I accept Christ because I know I'm a sinner or was it simply because I was frightened of hell and knew Jesus was the only way to avoid it? Am I truly sorry for my sins or am I just sorry that I got caught? Obviously none of you can answer those questions for me, nor do I expect you to, but those are real things that I wrestle with and have for the better part of 15 years. My walk with God has always been marred by crippling fear and a doubt that I'm really saved or that I didn't accept Jesus for the right reasons.

If there were a world record for the number of times that someone has said the sinner's prayer, repented, cried out to the Lord, and spent time soul-searching then I'm pretty sure I'd have a medal. And it would probably the be the gold at this point. Despite rededicating my life on an almost daily basis that inkling of doubt never quite goes away: what if I didn't really mean it? What if I'm not one of the elect and therefore can't have a relationship with my Creator? That may sound silly to some and I certainly envy those of you who never doubt or struggle with any thoughts or worries about your standing with Christ. Trust me, that is a HUGE blessing and I wish I could get there. I believe without a doubt that Jesus is who He says He is, that the entire Bible is infallible and true, and that faith in Christ alone is the only hope for salvation. I believe it all without a doubt but often I wonder if I'm not believing hard enough or leaning too much on head or heart knowledge. It's confusing!

Do any of you have experience with this or resources that you would recommend? I've made a public profession and been baptized twice. I really don't want to get in the habit of doing that every 10 years but I will if that's what it takes to ensure that on that day I don't hear the Lord say, "Depart from Me. I never knew you."

aiki · Oct 18, 2013

You know, the simplest way to grow confident in your salvation is to obey God's commands and invest yourself first and foremost in your relationship with Him. In my experience, people who have serious doubts about their salvation are doing neither thing very well - if at all. This may not apply to you; I don't know. If it doesn't, well, just ignore these comments.

I believe without a doubt that Jesus is who He says He is, that the entire Bible is infallible and true, and that faith in Christ alone is the only hope for salvation. I believe it all without a doubt but often I wonder if I'm not believing hard enough or leaning too much on head or heart knowledge. It's confusing!

So, how is your relationship with God? Do you love Him? Is your love for Him growing steadily as you walk with Him? Or is God just a theological concept, an idea, a religious fact? Is God speaking to you in His Word daily? Are you talking with God in prayer throughout each day? Do you delight in God? Do you take joy in living obediently to His commands?

Selah.

Autumnleaf · Oct 19, 2013

I don't know if we can know. I think the Bible says God will say he never knew some people. If he says that to me I might argue otherwise, but can anyone argue successfully with God.

I think God understands everything and he knows us better than we do.

football5680 · Oct 19, 2013

Thunder Peel said:
My question deals with doubting your salvation. Do you do it? How do you overcome it? Has God used it to teach you something or draw you back to Him?

Salvation is not guaranteed because we are supposed to work it out with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12), but we can feel confident that we will be saved if we avoid mortal sin that kills the soul. If you read 1 John 5:16-17 it says that all wrongdoing is sin but it makes a differentiation between sin that leads to death and sin that does not. Mortal sins deals with stuff like Murder and adultery so these are not sins that you would unknowingly commit.

However, something has always bothered me since that time: how can I know beyond a doubt that I'm really saved?

You can't. From a purely hypothetical view we can never say that God will do something because if we knew that we are saved without a doubt then it means God does not have power over us. God can do what he wills. We can only have faith that we will be saved. If you avoid mortal sin and never reject God then you can be confident.

I question my own motives much of the time. Am I witnessing, giving money, and seeking God because the Holy Spirit is moving within me or am I doing those things out of selfishness as a way to try and prove to myself that I'm really saved?

Don't listen to the people who say works are evil. Jesus didn't waste his time preaching to us and teaching us how to live so that we can just ignore what he said and be saved. If Jesus said help the poor then help the poor to show your love for God. Works are an expression of faith.

James 2:24-26
24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
25And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?
26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

The only way that helping people is selfish is if you are seeking earthly glory. If you give away a bunch of money just to get in a newspaper and get recognition from people then that will not be credited to you because you received your reward on Earth. But if you do it because you want to express your faith and love to God then it will be credited to you and you will receive a heavenly reward.

Everything we do is in our own self interest but if your interest is directed toward doing the will of God then that is not selfish in God's eyes. Every being with a will acts in self interest. Jesus committed the most selfless act possible by giving his life for us but it was still done partially in self interest because he loves us so much that he wants us to be with him.

Did I accept Christ because I know I'm a sinner or was it simply because I was frightened of hell and knew Jesus was the only way to avoid it?

The fear of hell is righteous fear. The true punishment of hell is separation from God so if you fear hell it is because you fear separation from the love of God. For some people this may be the major motivation but you should grow in your faith and instead of fearing hell you should begin to strive after heaven. When I was younger I was afraid of hell but now I rarely think about it. My motivation isn't to avoid hell, it is to enter heaven so I can be with God.

what if I didn't really mean it?

Only you and God can answer that.

What if I'm not one of the elect and therefore can't have a relationship with my Creator?

Everybody is called, you are the one who makes the choice whether you come or not.

steve_bakr · Oct 19, 2013

football5680 said:
Salvation is not guaranteed because we are supposed to work it out with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12), but we can feel confident that we will be saved if we avoid mortal sin that kills the soul. If you read 1 John 5:16-17 it says that all wrongdoing is sin but it makes a differentiation between sin that leads to death and sin that does not. Mortal sins deals with stuff like Murder and adultery so these are not sins that you would unknowingly commit.

You can't. From a purely hypothetical view we can never say that God will do something because if we knew that we are saved without a doubt then it means God does not have power over us. God can do what he wills. We can only have faith that we will be saved. If you avoid mortal sin and never reject God then you can be confident.

Don't listen to the people who say works are evil. Jesus didn't waste his time preaching to us and teaching us how to live so that we can just ignore what he said and be saved. If Jesus said help the poor then help the poor to show your love for God. Works are an expression of faith.

James 2:24-26
24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
25And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?
26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

The only way that helping people is selfish is if you are seeking earthly glory. If you give away a bunch of money just to get in a newspaper and get recognition from people then that will not be credited to you because you received your reward on Earth. But if you do it because you want to express your faith and love to God then it will be credited to you and you will receive a heavenly reward.

Everything we do is in our own self interest but if your interest is directed toward doing the will of God then that is not selfish in God's eyes. Every being with a will acts in self interest. Jesus committed the most selfless act possible by giving his life for us but it was still done partially in self interest because he loves us so much that he wants us to be with him.

The fear of hell is righteous fear. The true punishment of hell is separation from God so if you fear hell it is because you fear separation from the love of God. For some people this may be the major motivation but you should grow in your faith and instead of fearing hell you should begin to strive after heaven. When I was younger I was afraid of hell but now I rarely think about it. My motivation isn't to avoid hell, it is to enter heaven so I can be with God.

Only you and God can answer that.

Everybody is called, you are the one who makes the choice whether you come or not.

Karl Rahner, in agreement with the First Vatican Council, said that we have "good reason" to hope for our salvation. In fact, we are required to have an attitude of hope and expectation. As Rahner succinctly puts it, Our hope should be greater than our fear.

parsley · Oct 19, 2013

The exercise of acting on faith in His Word is as important as any other lesson in scripture. If we do not learn how to trust what He says, then we teach human self-confidence to others when presenting Christianity.

It is all about hearing Him, listening for His voice, seeking Him, and then trusting Him.

When we revert back to our own logic of whether we deserve salvation or not, then we put it back into our own terms. The contract stated that repentance and accepting forgiveness were the terms for redemption. We are trying to rewrite the contract when we don't take God at His word.

It's sort of like chasing our own tails, trying to figure out how to resolve the problem. Everyone deals with it, but it seems the crisis of faith is also the way we learn how to connect with God.

We lean not on our own understanding...
The struggle is not against flesh and blood...
Not by might, not by power...

God has a different way of doing things. He wants us to know how He works. We rely on muscle, intellect, wealth, sensibility... but the supernatural kingdom of God adds new tools to the mix. The authority of His contracts, statements, promises, commands, warnings ...they come with His voice and position in the universe. He is Lord of all. What He says, comes into existence.

He has said that if you repent and truly believe in this offer of forgiveness, you are saved.

GardenOfEdenWithYou · Oct 19, 2013

I think we all have moments when we are afraid we might not be saved in the end. Personally, i have days when i realise that if God doesnt have mercy on me, i stand no chance to be with him. And i dread to think that in the end i might hear from God: depart from me, i never knew you. God it without doubt the love of my life, but i upset him every day, every minute of my life. But we must remember god knows how frail our condition is, he knows the circumstances, trsimas and everything else that might make us to sin in a way or another. So i think some sins are forgiven. The problem is that many times we know we sin, we could stop but we still do it because it gives us pleasure( lusting, etc). That is what upsets God in my opinion. But as long as we fight these avoidable sins, as long as we do what is in our power to do and as long as we put our total trust and love in Jesus that it should be ok.

I dont believe in instant salvation that cant be lost. I think you get the gift of it if you are loyal to god in the lifelong fight( according to your power) against sin.

And even if you dont sin purely for being afraid of god rather than gor love of him it is still good. Im sure god will warm your heart with love for him at a certain point.

And one more thing. Put all your trust in him completely( your health, career , family).
God must be the centre of your universe. And if that is the case god will not abandon you and he will save you.
Moments

aiki · Oct 19, 2013

1 John 5:11-13
11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

The apostle John here states very clearly that one can know that one is truly saved. It doesn't have to remain a mystery, a hopeful possibility, an uncertain goal until one is told by God on Judgment Day that one is saved. This sort of unassured thinking leads to fear rather than to love of God. And God makes it crystal clear in His Word that He desires our love, not our fear.

1 John 4:15-19
15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
19 We love Him because He first loved us.

The apostle John declares that we may have "boldness in the day of judgment" because we have "confessed that Jesus is the Son of God" and "believed the love that God has for us." John did not think that we should be waiting with bated breath at the Final Judgment for God to decide to save or reject us. No, we should be prepared to stand confidently, with boldness, before God on that day, knowing our salvation is secure, not because of our performance, but because of our faith in Christ's perfect, saving work on the cross.

We are told by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians: "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (2:12) Not surprisingly, many who like to suggest that salvation is an uncertain thing neglect to include the very next verse which says,

Philippians 2:13
13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

We can only work out what God has worked into us; our salvation has been worked into us by God and it is only because this is so that we can "work it out."

Here's another passage that indicates that we can know that we are truly saved:

Romans 8:14-17
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Clearly, Paul understood that salvation was not something a person could only hope to have. He speaks here of the "Spirit of adoption" that every Christian believer has received (past tense - a done deal), not "may receive." He states that as a result of one's adoption into God's family (aka salvation), one has the witness of God's Spirit confirming with one's own spirit one's spiritual adoption.

Here's a short list of things the Bible tells us mark one who is genuinely saved:

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Specific marks of a genuine believer.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]1. A love of the brethren.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]1 John 3:14
14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]2. A hunger for the Word of God.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Jeremiah 15:16
16 Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]1 Peter 2:1-3
1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,
2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]3. The inner witness of God's Spirit.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Romans 8:16 (NKJV)
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God...[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]1 John 5:10 (NKJV)
10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]The “witness” is not merely a sensation, a feeling of being saved, but an unshakeable confidence in one's membership in God's family which results from the knowledge and experience of God and His truth in one's life. (2 Tim. 1:12) And this knowledge and experience can only come by way of the Holy Spirit's illuminating and empowering work in the believer's life. (Jn. 14:26; 16:13; 1 Cor. 2:9-14) Thus it is described by Paul as the witness of God's Spirit. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]4. A love for God expressed in obedience to His commands. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]1 John 2:3-6
3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
4 He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. [/FONT]

5. The development of spiritual fruit.

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Romans 6:22
22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.[/FONT]

Selah.

Emmy · Oct 19, 2013

Dear Thunder Peel. In Matthew 22: 35-40: Jesus tells a Lawyer: " The first and great Commandment is: Love God with all thy heart, with al thy soul, and with all thy mind. The second is like it: Love thy neighbour as thyself." Then Jesus points out: " On these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." Jesus also tells us in Luke 10: 25-28: A certain Lawyer asked Jesus:
" What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus asked him?" What is written in the Law? " The Lawyer answered: " Thou shalt Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbour as thyself." Then Jesus answered him: " Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live."
Here Jesus Himself gives us the answer. To be saved we have to accept and follow the two Commandments: Love God with all our beings, and our neighbour as ourselves. We have to accept that Jesus died for us, and now we can live for God and for our neighbour. God is Love, and God wants our Love, freely given and No tags attached.
Jesus will give us His Love and Joy, and the Holy Spirit will empower us with His Love, also. We ask and we shall receive: ( Matthew 7: 7-10) We ask God for Love and Joy, then we thank God, and share all Love and Joy with our neighbour: all we know and all we meet, friends and not friends. The Bible tells us to " Repent," and to " Be Born Again." i.e. ask for forgiveness and
change into the men and women which God wants us to become. Love is very catching, and gradually we will become as God wants us to be: Loving children/sons and daughters, of our Heavenly Father who is all Love. Jesus our Saviour will help and guide us: JESUS IS THE WAY.
Everything we say or do, everything we advice or stand for, should be from
Love and Compassion. We stumble or forget at times, but then we ask for forgiveness and carry on loving and caring. A Christian`s great weapon is Love
with love we will overcome all enmity and wrong behaviour.
I say this with love, Thunder Peel. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

TheyCallMeDavid · Oct 19, 2013

Thunder Peel said:
I'd like to get some thoughts on this because it's something I've battled for as long as I can remember and I suppose this is my way of checking to see if I'm normal or insane. I guess either is possible but I'm really hoping for the former. My question deals with doubting your salvation. Do you do it? How do you overcome it? Has God used it to teach you something or draw you back to Him?

A brief history about this: I was first saved when I was 7. My heart was stirred during our church's VBS that summer and I wanted to know more about Jesus. It was exciting at first but over time I didn't grow in my faith. I assumed that Christianity was the finish line and that I had somehow accomplished the ultimate goal in life, which was to become a Christian. As the years went by I didn't really grow in my faith at all. I didn't like going to church and there wasn't much about Christianity that really motivated me. At 13 I rededicated my life to Christ and realized that following Jesus is actually the starting gate, the beginning of truly living and things like going to church, praying, Bible study, and evangelizing are things that should accompany a Christian life in some form. I'm not perfect in those areas by any means but since that summer I've certainly found more joy and interest in those things than I ever did as a child.

However, something has always bothered me since that time: how can I know beyond a doubt that I'm really saved? I've read the various verses in the Bible and God's promises but it's still something I wrestle with. I question my own motives much of the time. Am I witnessing, giving money, and seeking God because the Holy Spirit is moving within me or am I doing those things out of selfishness as a way to try and prove to myself that I'm really saved? Did I accept Christ because I know I'm a sinner or was it simply because I was frightened of hell and knew Jesus was the only way to avoid it? Am I truly sorry for my sins or am I just sorry that I got caught? Obviously none of you can answer those questions for me, nor do I expect you to, but those are real things that I wrestle with and have for the better part of 15 years. My walk with God has always been marred by crippling fear and a doubt that I'm really saved or that I didn't accept Jesus for the right reasons.

If there were a world record for the number of times that someone has said the sinner's prayer, repented, cried out to the Lord, and spent time soul-searching then I'm pretty sure I'd have a medal. And it would probably the be the gold at this point. Despite rededicating my life on an almost daily basis that inkling of doubt never quite goes away: what if I didn't really mean it? What if I'm not one of the elect and therefore can't have a relationship with my Creator? That may sound silly to some and I certainly envy those of you who never doubt or struggle with any thoughts or worries about your standing with Christ. Trust me, that is a HUGE blessing and I wish I could get there. I believe without a doubt that Jesus is who He says He is, that the entire Bible is infallible and true, and that faith in Christ alone is the only hope for salvation. I believe it all without a doubt but often I wonder if I'm not believing hard enough or leaning too much on head or heart knowledge. It's confusing!

Do any of you have experience with this or resources that you would recommend? I've made a public profession and been baptized twice. I really don't want to get in the habit of doing that every 10 years but I will if that's what it takes to ensure that on that day I don't hear the Lord say, "Depart from Me. I never knew you."

1. Salvation isnt based on how we feel at any given moment .
2. Satan wants to get people to doubt they are truly saved.
3. Its Gods Word that must be trusted, 100%, on the issue of salvation ; make sure you have GENUINELY done what it is listed in my signature passage below . And if you have, then you should see evidences that a change has occured in your life thru the turning away from lifestyle sin plus you should be zealous to serve The Lord to the best of your ability. Thats the clear evidence that youve become a Born Again person.
4. If youve backslidden to some degree, then fan the flame of your salvation and relationship with Jesus . Get the coals nice n hot again thru commitment and following thru with action . Leave the things that caused you to backslide from Christ.
5. Nurture your relationship with Jesus constantly. Feed it, fuel it, get excited about it, rejoice in it, serve God daily, read the Word and get it into your heart to ponder it , attend Church every week , mingle with Chrisitans thruout the week, stay away from things that try to get you to compromise your Christian walk.
6. Talk to God all the time and let him have the reigns of your life.
7. Thank him all the time that you are a Child of the Most High God.

Thunder Peel · Oct 19, 2013

Thanks everyone! All of the responses have been very helpful.

I have certainly seen signs that God is at work in me. I feel bad when I sin and there's a since of genuine grief over knowing that I've disobeyed the Lord and sinned against Him. I'm far from perfect but I definitely feel a pull to grow and be closer to God. I just want to make sure that it's authentic and that my faith in what Christ has done for us is the real deal.

David Sylvian · Oct 20, 2013

Man, this is something that can be repeated ad infinitum but you have to have a **personal** relationship with God. John well puts this that if you keep the word of Jesus, then you keep the Spirit. Stick to the words and life of Jesus, very simple.

Where people get confused is because they become adulterous and go to groups that teach everything but what Jesus actually said and did -- ironically while saying "Jesus this", "Jesus that".

You wouldn't get confused if you stick to the words and life of Jesus.

paul1149 · Oct 20, 2013

"These things are written that you may know that you have eternal life"

Frequently saying the sinner's prayer and rededicating your life actually can be done in the right spirit - a spirit filled with faith and gratitude, as well as acknowledgment that you are not yet where you want to be in Christ. Indeed, both are part of the model Lord's Prayer! But it also can be done outside of faith, morbidly, toxically. That latter surely does not please the Father, since it effectually denies the power of the Blood to save.

We all have big motivational issues. If our salvation depended on our inner perfection we would be in perilous waters indeed. But it doesn't. It depends on God's faithfulness and on the way made for us by the Blood.

This may be area where the dividing of soul and spirit, as described in Heb 4, has to take place. Take authority over the doubts and resolve to go on without allowing them to impede you (2Cor 10). Ignore them. It is not God's voice that reproaches you (James 1). If instead you focus on your salvation and the assurance it brings, you will be empowered to do what God has called you to.

tonyRebornInChrist · Oct 20, 2013

Thunder Peel said:
Thanks everyone! All of the responses have been very helpful.

I have certainly seen signs that God is at work in me. I feel bad when I sin and there's a since of genuine grief over knowing that I've disobeyed the Lord and sinned against Him. I'm far from perfect but I definitely feel a pull to grow and be closer to God. I just want to make sure that it's authentic and that my faith in what Christ has done for us is the real deal.

Guilt and regret when we sin is a good indicator of the Holy Spirit dwelling in you. Also turning from sin and into truth and righteousness.

We can't be perfect but there's a big distinction when a Christian sins and how we feel to when a lost person sins and how they feel.

A Father son/daughter relationship is what we have with God. What a privilege :amen:

Another Lazarus · Oct 21, 2013

dont doubt trust Jesus, God says no lie while the others are lying.

Thunder Peel · Oct 22, 2013

tonyRebornInChrist said:
Guilt and regret when we sin is a good indicator of the Holy Spirit dwelling in you. Also turning from sin and into truth and righteousness.

We can't be perfect but there's a big distinction when a Christian sins and how we feel to when a lost person sins and how they feel.

A Father son/daughter relationship is what we have with God. What a privilege

This is a good point. As I strive to grow in Christ I find myself grieved over my sins because I know I've sinned against my Creator and not just because I got caught. There's a big difference and one I've gradually had to be taught.

orangeness365 · Oct 23, 2013

I pray for Jesus to save me often, and that if I'm not saved, for hell not to be too insufferable for me.

budrick · Oct 23, 2013

I've had some of the same thoughts and feelings that you have. I believe it is Satan, not wanting to give you up so easily. He'll try and cloud your mind, doubt your faith, doubt God.

In Ephesians 2:8, it says:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faithand this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

We are all saved by grace. We could never, ever do enough to earn our way into Heaven. Christ made all of this possible by paying our sin debt in full at the cross. God knows what's in your heart. Being a Christian doesn't mean you'll never sin, or that you'll never have questions. It also doesn't mean that you'll understand everything. God wants you, God wants to have a relationship with you. With God all things happen for good. It could be that God wants to make some changes in your life, and your "doubts" are the devil's way of fighting it. Try to "let go & let God". God always has the perfect plan, and I believe that he has that for you as well.

Dealing with Doubts About Salvation

You don't eat a peacock until it's cooked.

Regular Member

Legend

Well-Known Member

Christian

.

Newbie

Regular Member

Senior Veteran

Well-Known Member

You don't eat a peacock until it's cooked.

From Japan With Love

that your faith might rest in the power of God

Newbie

Old Newbie

You don't eat a peacock until it's cooked.

Well-Known Member

Newbie

Similar threads