How do we know you are saved?

[FrederickO]

This question came to mind when reading a post in another thread. The issue was that a married Christian male had multiple affairs with women behind the back of his wife and kids and eventually he left his wife and set up home with one of his girl friends. So is he still saved or not? I am a bit confused by that one?

 

[looking4joy]

This question came to mind when reading a post in another thread. The issue was that a married Christian male had multiple affairs with women behind the back of his wife and kids and eventually he left his wife and set up home with one of his girl friends. So is he still saved or not? I am a bit confused by that one?

I don't think it's up to us to make an immediate decision. If at all. Let the church do what Paul instructed - "let go" of the wicked man. Don't let him be of the same fellowship as you. If he repents and comes back, that's great. He'll probably be in much sorrow like the man in 2 Corinthians. But let him go. See what happens. Do not think it's our job to declare him saved or not. That only the Lord knows.

 

[FrederickO]

But that doesn't make sense. I thought it was once saved always saved. So how can there be doubt?

 

[Water Walker]

This question came to mind when reading a post in another thread. The issue was that a married Christian male had multiple affairs with women behind the back of his wife and kids and eventually he left his wife and set up home with one of his girl friends. So is he still saved or not? I am a bit confused by that one?

The question could be, was he saved in the first place? That would be the answer from a Calvinist perspective. ( You know the once saved always saved group. I have a hard time with that theology, could buy it if I believed that God predestines us like picking 5 out of 10 to be saved.

I have an issue also with the thought of darkness in the same place as the light.

But that doesn't make sense. I thought it was once saved always saved. So how can there be doubt?

Your right it doesn't that is why I believe as it teaches in

Hebrews 10:20-31

Warning against Deliberate Sin

26 For if we deliberately sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries. 28 If anyone disregards Moses’ law, he dies without mercy, based on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment do you think one will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God, regarded as profane the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know the One who has said, Vengeance belongs to Me, I will repay,and again, The Lord will judge His people. 31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!

If this person is continuing in sin as stated above, after knowing who Christ is and taking part in the blood of the covenant that sanctified him( set him apart), he is in trouble and I am not judging him the scriptures are God's word and He is warning here what we need to watch for. Don't fret my friend God will deal with him as the scripture states.

 

[FrederickO]

This is all very confusing. I would have thought that knowing whether or not we were saved was an "essential" you know how we all agree on the essentials.

But now it seems that what I was taught in an evangelical church is wrong. I was told that you only had to say the sinners prayer and I would be saved.

 

[Water Walker]

This is all very confusing. I would have thought that knowing whether or not we were saved was an "essential" you know how we all agree on the essentials.

Not at all confusing to me read the scripture and let the Holy Spirit guide you to the truth.
How long have you been studying? How long have you been in the faith?
We do agree on many of the essentials but people put different into the mix.

But now it seems that what I was taught in an evangelical church is wrong. I was told that you only had to say the sinners prayer and I would be saved.

That in one way is true if you died right at the moment, but seeing God has not taken you yet. You need to allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through you. You do sound very new to the faith.

 

[FrederickO]

This is NOT what I was told. I was told that once I walked down to the alter and said the sinners prayer I would be saved for ever.

 

[thesunisout]

This is NOT what I was told. I was told that once I walked down to the alter and said the sinners prayer I would be saved for ever.

John15:10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.

The way that you know whether you are abiding in the love of Jesus is whether you are obeying His commands. Now, please don't get me wrong, because we all sin every day. It's not possible for us to be sinless in this life. But, we have to make an effort, and we have to repent when we mess up.

I believe the only way you could lose your salvation is if you willfully decide to stop serving the Lord and turn your back on Him. Now, some people do backslide and come back. It isn't impossible, but many people backslide completely and don't come back either. It isn't something you want to mess around with.

A sinners prayer isn't what saves you. It is your faith in Jesus that justifies you before God. You need to be born again. The evidence that you have been saved is a changed life. Did you receive the Holy Spirit? Did you get baptized?

 

[Water Walker]

J Now, please don't get me wrong, because we all sin every day. It's not possible for us to be sinless in this life.

Could you provide a scripture that says if we sin everyday it's OK? Even where it says we just sin everyday?

Are the scriptures that state we need to be holy to see God just a carrot held out that we will never attain?

 

[miamited]

Hi Frederick,

I'm not particulary concerned with whether myself or anyone is 'saved'. I believe the question that we should all be seeking the answer to is whether we are born again. As I have studied the Scriptures and understand the plan of God, we are none of us 'saved'. We can be born again in this life with the Spirit of the living God given to us as our deposit from God which is our gaurantee that on the day of God's judgment we will then be saved.

God bless you.
In Christ, Ted

 

[miamited]

This is NOT what I was told. I was told that once I walked down to the alter and said the sinners prayer I would be saved for ever.

Well, that's the first error in the belief of many. To believe what we are told by someone that we hold in high regard for their supposed position before God. Consider how many people Nicodemus had probably told the 'truth' of God to before he met the Lord himself. How many had Paul taught about the righteousness of living a life for God before he met the risen Lord.

Read the book! It will tell you all that you need to know. All Scriptures is God breathed and useful for training in the way of righteousness. While we can certainly listen to what others say and consider, we must, ourselves, be more like the Bereans. After hearing what Paul told them they then opened the Scriptures to check it out.

Jesus has clearly warned us that on that day of judgement there will be many (pay careful attention to that word 'many' and not 'a few') who will cry out to him, "Lord, Lord. Did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons." Friend, do not be a simple man who walks in simple ways. Understand what these words of the Lord were telling us. These people crying out to the Lord were obviously people who had made the walk down the aisle. They claim to have worked doing great miracles in the very name of Jesus and yet... Jesus turns to them and says, "I never knew you. Depart from me you evil doers."

Being a born again believer in the Lord Jesus is living a life in which one perseveres to love God with all their heart, mind, soul and strength and to seek after His kingdom by walking in the way of righteousness. Jesus spoke of picking up our cross to bear every day. Here is a saying that I believe deserves great attention. "He who perseveres to the end will (notice the verb tense here) WILL be saved."

God bless you.
In Christ, Ted

 

[looking4joy]

This is NOT what I was told. I was told that once I walked down to the alter and said the sinners prayer I would be saved for ever.

Don't despair about this - if you meant what you said, every word, the effect of saying the sinner's prayer is an act of faith. So if indeed you meant it, the seed of faith is the seed of the Word of God, and you were born again. Once you are born again, you shall be saved. The problem is that too many people disregard the sinner's prayer because they claim it's fake for everyone. It's not fake for everyone, and it sounds like to me you're sincere about what you said.

About making sure you continue in the faith, you will if you're truly believing in the risen Lord. This is a warning against apostacy, which a born again believer can't perform.. Apostacy is for people who have been enlightened to the truth, but never mixed it with faith, so they fall away. Consider 1 John 2:18-20 -

Dear Children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us. But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth.

So I say again, that it's not our job to determine whether a person is saved or not. It's all in the heart. A person messing around with girlfriends could either be a saved person who is disobedient to God but has a heart that's being disciplined silently by God, and he wants to return, but he doesnt' know how to do it. He is out of control, and needs to submit to God's power, because we are all powerless over our big problems. OR, he may have never mixed his belief with faith, thus messing around because he doesn't really care. Eventually that person will leave the church on his own. See the difference? Christians aren't perfect, and have many areas in their life where they need help figuring out. People who never had faith in the first place, on the other hand, will continue in sin in a different way than Christians who have such struggles with sin. "Continuing in sin" needs to be properly defined to understand what's happening.

You're alright. Trust in Christ, don't fret about not understanding all of the technicalities of doctrine. You need the milk of the word (the GRACE), not the meat right now.

Good luck, and God bless you.

 

[Willie T]

And it is important for us to know if another person is saved..... why?

 

[Yahu]

This question came to mind when reading a post in another thread. The issue was that a married Christian male had multiple affairs with women behind the back of his wife and kids and eventually he left his wife and set up home with one of his girl friends. So is he still saved or not? I am a bit confused by that one?

Still saved? You don't loose salvation due to sin in your life. You lose eternal rewards. It hinders your sanctification process but we still have to deal with our flesh. If we lost salvation because of sin after salvation, we would all be doomed.

Now scripture does NOT require a man to be monogamous. They were allowed multiple wives and concubines. It is viewed as sin by our modern standards. My question would be what did his wife do to drive him away? Was she following the biblical requirements of a wife?

 

[looking4joy]

Still saved? You don't loose salvation due to sin in your life. You lose eternal rewards. It hinders your sanctification process but we still have to deal with our flesh. If we lost salvation because of sin after salvation, we would all be doomed.

quote]

I agree completely.

 

[Yahu]

This question came to mind when reading a post in another thread. The issue was that a married Christian male had multiple affairs with women behind the back of his wife and kids and eventually he left his wife and set up home with one of his girl friends. So is he still saved or not? I am a bit confused by that one?

My advice is not to worry about another's salvation. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Work on your own spiritual maturity. It isn't our job to judge another's salvation. That is between them and Yeshua.

You don't know the situation of the man's home life. Was his wife a major Jezebel that was trying to run his life? Did she drive him away by her actions?

Not all marriages are worth saving IMO. In my case I found out my wife had been involved in witchcraft. When she turned up pregnant for the second time by another man, I put her out of my life. She refused to follow the biblical requirements for a wife.

Does that mean I lost my salvation for putting my wife aside? Of course NOT.

 

[motherprayer]

Interesting. How does the general public know I'm saved? Uh, wait. Wouldn't GOD be the one who's "opinion" I care about in that matter?

 

[FrederickO]

Hi Frederick,

I'm not particulary concerned with whether myself or anyone is 'saved'. I believe the question that we should all be seeking the answer to is whether we are born again. As I have studied the Scriptures and understand the plan of God, we are none of us 'saved'. We can be born again in this life with the Spirit of the living God given to us as our deposit from God which is our gaurantee that on the day of God's judgment we will then be saved.

God bless you.
In Christ, Ted

Hi Ted to accept Christ into your life is to be born again and I thought the doctrine was at that point you were guaranteed salvation. But it now seems that some people say you can be born again and not saved I.e. the guy who cheats on his wife .

 

[thesunisout]

Could you provide a scripture that says if we sin everyday it's OK? Even where it says we just sin everyday?

Are the scriptures that state we need to be holy to see God just a carrot held out that we will never attain?

Look at these scriptures and tell me you don't sin every day:

James 4:17

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin

Romans 14:23

And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin

1 John 5:17

All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death

I'm pretty sure I do at least one unrighteous thing every day. Yes, you're absolutely right, God called us to be holy as He is holy. However, do you think he expects us to live in a state of complete sinlessness? That is absolutely impossible for us to do.

1 John 1:8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

I believe we are called to live as if we could become perfect in this life, always repenting and always seeking Gods face to change our hearts, but until we are in our glorified bodies, the facts are that sin is unfortunately a daily reality for a Christian. I am not talking about deliberate, willful sin by the way.

One thing that seems very clear to me is that the closer I get to the Lord, the more I realize how far I am from living up to His standards.

 

[miamited]

Hi Ted to accept Christ into your life is to be born again and I thought the doctrine was at that point you were guaranteed salvation. But it now seems that some people say you can be born again and not saved I.e. the guy who cheats on his wife .

Hi Frederick,

You wrote: to accept Christ into your life is to be born again. Ok, I'll go with that. Now what does it mean to 'accept Christ into your life'

God bless you.
In Christ, Ted