Hello
@thelord's_pearl, the good news is, we have eternal life, so we have no reason to be anxious as we have all the time we need for whatever the Lord wants us to do and know
The bad news tonight is, I don't have much time to talk
So, here is what I believe in a nutshell. The principle way that we know if someone who claims to be a Christian is, indeed, a true Christian (born again/justified), is that they persevere in the faith
(albeit, HIGHLY imperfectly at times, even for very extended times/years, sadly). True Christians are, in fact, the only ones who persevere.
We also know that there are MANY in the church who are pretenders, and many more who are not true believers, but who both claim and think that they are anyway .. e.g.
Matthew 7:22-23, 13:24-30, 36-43.
We also know that those who claim to be Christians, but then walk away from the faith 'forever', never were (true Christians), rather, they were CINO (Christians In Name Only) .. e.g.
1 John 2:19.
I believe that those of us who are His, who are known by, chosen, and loved by God (and that "
from everlasting"), will persevere in the faith (albeit imperfectly, as I already mentioned above) because He will see that we do/He will "
preserve" us in the faith .. e.g. J
eremiah 31:3; Ephesians 1:4-6; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 5:13; Jude 24-25. We are, in fact, given "
eternal life" (~
not~ temporal or probationary life) from the moment that we first believe/come to true, saving faith in Christ .. e.g.
John 5:24.
I'll have to talk more about this with you later, but I will leave you with this for your careful consideration. Saints can and do mess up badly throughout much of our lives at times, but in the end, God will draw us back to Him before our lives here are over, as He has promised to both sanctify us and to see us safely through this life to be with Him in Glory .. e.g.
Philippians 1:6, 2:13.
Chapter XVII. Of the Perseverance of the Saints
Section I.–They whom God hath accepted in his Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.
Section II.–This perseverance of the saints depends, not upon their own freewill, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father; upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ; the abiding of the Spirit and of the seed of God within them; and the nature of the covenant of grace; from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof.
Section III.–Nevertheless they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalence of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their perseverance, fall into grievous sins; and for a time continue therein: whereby they incur God's displeasure, and grieve his Holy Spirit; come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts; have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded; hurt and scandalise others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves.
~The Westminster Confession of Faith (in part)
God bless you! (
Numbers 6:24-26)
--David
p.s. - just FYI, I was baptized in the church when I was about a week old, and I was raised in the church (and loved it, for the most part anyway
) after that. I did Sunday School, Youth Choir, retreats, confirmation, and then choir and main church until college, you know, the whole 9 yards. And I always thought that I was a Christian (why wouldn't I have), until the day I finally became one that is, 2 months after my 30th birthday.
So I have come to believe that I didn't walk away from the faith during my very sinful 20's, because in reality, I was never saved to begin with. We'll talk more about this idea of losing and/or losing and then regaining your salvation tomorrow as well.
Finally, I wrote everything above so quickly that there may be things that I need to correct for you. This too, sadly, will have to wait.
Remember that you have all the time in the world, so no worries, and be sure to take your Bible questions to the Lord in prayer (as He is always interested in a dialogue, and thereby, a growing relationship with you).
Talk to you soon (Dv)
.