How do toe the line of believing your going to heaven vs being unsure?

NothingIsImpossible · Jan 12, 2020

One thing I have always had a hard time with in my walk is the struggle of "Am I going to heaven for sure? Or am I fooling myself and going to hell?". I do realize the devil whispers this stuff to us of course. Which is why I rebuke him on it.

But I remember the bible makes two points clear. If you make yourself "higher then others" and are arrogant about "I know I am going to heaven!", you may not be because you of your arrogance and sin. However it also says if you do not have enough faith, you may not be going to heaven either.

So how do you toe the line between these two thoughts?

In general I do truly believe I am going to heaven of course. But sometimes when I read the bible or see other people. I feel like they are so much better at being like Jesus then I am. Like example someone whos out as a missionary. Or someone who runs a ministry. Or someone who doesn't watch tv at all, even if its christian tv. I know often they said you can tell a christian by their fruits (and yes I realize fruits do not earn you heaven of course), but I look at myself and wonder what my fruits are.

I come on here and try to help christians and non-believers. I try to help people without complaint. I like to give things to people because it brings joy to their life. I pray for people. I feel sad when I see someone die who isn't saved. In the end I just want to be like Jesus. I want to finish the race and for Him to hug me and tell me He is proud even though he seen me struggle at times.

Jord Simcha · Jan 12, 2020

NothingIsImpossible said:
One thing I have always had a hard time with in my walk is the struggle of "Am I going to heaven for sure? Or am I fooling myself and going to hell?". I do realize the devil whispers this stuff to us of course. Which is why I rebuke him on it.

But I remember the bible makes two points clear. If you make yourself "higher then others" and are arrogant about "I know I am going to heaven!", you may not be because you of your arrogance and sin. However it also says if you do not have enough faith, you may not be going to heaven either.

So how do you toe the line between these two thoughts?

You do well to doubt yourself, and test yourself, as the Word of God calls for it: 2 Corinthians 13:5, 2 Peter 1:10, etc.

The more you've done this, the more secure you will become in the faith, until one day you can boldly claim you will be going there without a doubt.

HTacianas · Jan 12, 2020

NothingIsImpossible said:
One thing I have always had a hard time with in my walk is the struggle of "Am I going to heaven for sure? Or am I fooling myself and going to hell?". I do realize the devil whispers this stuff to us of course. Which is why I rebuke him on it.

But I remember the bible makes two points clear. If you make yourself "higher then others" and are arrogant about "I know I am going to heaven!", you may not be because you of your arrogance and sin. However it also says if you do not have enough faith, you may not be going to heaven either.

So how do you toe the line between these two thoughts?

In general I do truly believe I am going to heaven of course. But sometimes when I read the bible or see other people. I feel like they are so much better at being like Jesus then I am. Like example someone whos out as a missionary. Or someone who runs a ministry. Or someone who doesn't watch tv at all, even if its christian tv. I know often they said you can tell a christian by their fruits (and yes I realize fruits do not earn you heaven of course), but I look at myself and wonder what my fruits are.

I come on here and try to help christians and non-believers. I try to help people without complaint. I like to give things to people because it brings joy to their life. I pray for people. I feel sad when I see someone die who isn't saved. In the end I just want to be like Jesus. I want to finish the race and for Him to hug me and tell me He is proud even though he seen me struggle at times.

That is a line that I toe every day. Long story short, I've come to trust that God will judge me fairly. But when we are judged fairly it means we are judged fairly. Fair means fair.

Carl Emerson · Jan 12, 2020

Are we trusting our performance or His ???

SkyWriting · Jan 12, 2020

NothingIsImpossible said:
One thing I have always had a hard time with in my walk is the struggle of "Am I going to heaven for sure? Or am I fooling myself and going to hell?". I do realize the devil whispers this stuff to us of course. Which is why I rebuke him on it.

But I remember the bible makes two points clear. If you make yourself "higher then others" and are arrogant about "I know I am going to heaven!", you may not be because you of your arrogance and sin. However it also says if you do not have enough faith, you may not be going to heaven either.

So how do you toe the line between these two thoughts?

In general I do truly believe I am going to heaven of course. But sometimes when I read the bible or see other people. I feel like they are so much better at being like Jesus then I am. Like example someone whos out as a missionary. Or someone who runs a ministry. Or someone who doesn't watch tv at all, even if its christian tv. I know often they said you can tell a christian by their fruits (and yes I realize fruits do not earn you heaven of course), but I look at myself and wonder what my fruits are.

I come on here and try to help christians and non-believers. I try to help people without complaint. I like to give things to people because it brings joy to their life. I pray for people. I feel sad when I see someone die who isn't saved. In the end I just want to be like Jesus. I want to finish the race and for Him to hug me and tell me He is proud even though he seen me struggle at times.

Here is how you can grow your faith:
Who Else Wants to See Gods Plans and Grow their Faith?

paul1149 · Jan 12, 2020

The Christian life is an exchanged life. Christ gave up His life for us, and we give up our lives for Him.

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. -Gal 2.20

We need to examine ourselves regularly to make sure we are walking as we should be. If there is anything askew we need to confess it and ask for whatever we lack so we can overcome, be it wisdom, insight, or strength. But that out of the way, the more we focus on Jesus and His faithfulness rather than on our own failings the better off we are. The dead body of sin will only drag us down, and one of the manifestations of this is unending mental torment over whether we are saved or not. This keeps us in doubt and fear rather than in the presence of the Lord and the joy of our salvation.

turkle · Jan 12, 2020

NothingIsImpossible said:
One thing I have always had a hard time with in my walk is the struggle of "Am I going to heaven for sure? Or am I fooling myself and going to hell?". I do realize the devil whispers this stuff to us of course. Which is why I rebuke him on it.

But I remember the bible makes two points clear. If you make yourself "higher then others" and are arrogant about "I know I am going to heaven!", you may not be because you of your arrogance and sin. However it also says if you do not have enough faith, you may not be going to heaven either.

So how do you toe the line between these two thoughts?

In general I do truly believe I am going to heaven of course. But sometimes when I read the bible or see other people. I feel like they are so much better at being like Jesus then I am. Like example someone whos out as a missionary. Or someone who runs a ministry. Or someone who doesn't watch tv at all, even if its christian tv. I know often they said you can tell a christian by their fruits (and yes I realize fruits do not earn you heaven of course), but I look at myself and wonder what my fruits are.

I come on here and try to help christians and non-believers. I try to help people without complaint. I like to give things to people because it brings joy to their life. I pray for people. I feel sad when I see someone die who isn't saved. In the end I just want to be like Jesus. I want to finish the race and for Him to hug me and tell me He is proud even though he seen me struggle at times.

If you re-read everything you've written here, you will see that it is entirely works based. Comparing yourself to others, whether it is favorable or unfavorable, is all about pride. That's because it's all about you. Jesus tells us to die to self and follow Him. That means that it is absolutely not about you, it's entirely about Him.

Jesus carried your sin to the cross. If you have surrendered to Him, your life is no longer about you and how good or bad you are. He finished the work. Your job is to do what He has called you to do. He is your standard, not other people. It is not even about the final reward; it is about following Him closely.

I recommend that you read the gospels, and pay careful attention to everything Jesus said. He said to love others, not compare yourself to them. He said to serve others, and wash their feet. The focus is never on the self and if you're good enough. The focus needs to be on Him alone. Then everything else follows.

If you take Jesus at His word, there is no "toeing the line". You just believe what He said because He said it, then died and rose again to prove it.

crossnote · Jan 12, 2020

It's the difference between it all depending on Jesus vs it all depending on you.

JosephZ · Jan 12, 2020

NothingIsImpossible said:
One thing I have always had a hard time with in my walk is the struggle of "Am I going to heaven for sure? Or am I fooling myself and going to hell?".

"God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man," for a time for every matter and for every deed is there." ( Ecclesiastes 3:17)

Fortunately for those who put their faith in Christ, He will stand in front of God on their behalf.

"For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us" (Hebrews 9:24)

In other words, those who accept the teachings of Christ and put their faith in Him have Jesus as their attorney. When we die and face the day of judgment we don't even have to show up for court because Jesus has already been appointed to us in Heaven and He has already negotiated a settlement for us in the eyes of the judge (God).

God is not keeping score as to what terms of the law Christians live up to and which ones they fail to uphold. It would be impossible to meet His standards anyway. So when we stand before God, Jesus is our advocate and all of the law has been fulfilled through Him.

"For Christ is the end of the law, to bring righteousness to everyone who believes." (Romans 10:4)

Paul tells us:

"I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

And Jesus once said:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." (John 5:24)

Therefore:

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved..." (Acts 16:31)

So to answer your questions, we can be confident of our salvation because:

"[We] have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer [we] who live, but Christ lives in [us]; and the life which [we] now live in the flesh [we] live by faith in the Son of God, who loved [us] and gave Himself up for [us]." (See Galatians 2:20)

Mountainmanbob · Jan 12, 2020

NothingIsImpossible said:
One thing I have always had a hard time with in my walk is the struggle of "Am I going to heaven for sure? Or am I fooling myself and going to hell?". I do realize the devil whispers this stuff to us of course. Which is why I rebuke him on it.

But I remember the bible makes two points clear. If you make yourself "higher then others" and are arrogant about "I know I am going to heaven!", you may not be because you of your arrogance and sin. However it also says if you do not have enough faith, you may not be going to heaven either.

So how do you toe the line between these two thoughts?

In general I do truly believe I am going to heaven of course. But sometimes when I read the bible or see other people. I feel like they are so much better at being like Jesus then I am. Like example someone whos out as a missionary. Or someone who runs a ministry. Or someone who doesn't watch tv at all, even if its christian tv. I know often they said you can tell a christian by their fruits (and yes I realize fruits do not earn you heaven of course), but I look at myself and wonder what my fruits are.

I come on here and try to help christians and non-believers. I try to help people without complaint. I like to give things to people because it brings joy to their life. I pray for people. I feel sad when I see someone die who isn't saved. In the end I just want to be like Jesus. I want to finish the race and for Him to hug me and tell me He is proud even though he seen me struggle at times.

Seems what's most important is
who are we putting our trust in?
Ourselves?
Or Christ alone?

I did not earn it
but,
I'm grateful and accept it.

M-Bob

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How do toe the line of believing your going to heaven vs being unsure?

NothingIsImpossible

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Jord Simcha

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HTacianas

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Carl Emerson

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SkyWriting

The Librarian

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paul1149

that your faith might rest in the power of God

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turkle

Blessed

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crossnote

Berean

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JosephZ

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Mountainmanbob

Goat Whisperer

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