How can you really really really know you are saved?

[NoNameMcgee]

People are so very quick to proclaim that they "know" without the shadow of a doubt that they are saved.

It seems like if they don't, it is a sign of disbelief.

Proverbs 9:10

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.


_____________

1 John 4:18

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love



i dont think these are opposed to eachother


to me it seems like

we lack assurance

and fear God

then we are called to seek his will for us

our faith grows as we hear the Word of God

we are born again

recieve the Holy spirit

and if we continue on the narrow path

its of God
and will lead us to assurance, greater faith and love without fear

or im wrong hahaha
x'D

 

[Willie-T]

But no one can test or even know his own heart, only God. (Jeremiah 17:9)

I test mine all the time. I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer. But, I understand how to HONESTLY look at myself, my feelings, and my actions. So do you.

 

[NoNameMcgee]

OK, let's start with some Basic Bible stuff that gets thrown around. What, EXACTLY, is this "heart" we hear so much about? (Or, the spirit that gets all this "testifying?"

Answers, Anyone?

our desires, intentions and what makes us do what we do and think what we think

 

[Willie-T]

our desires, intentions and what makes us do what we do and think what we think

IOW, the "Whys" of your Whats?"

 

[CherieR]

Salvation is all about Christ's work on the cross and not what we do. All we have to do is believe in Jesus( that he is God incarnate, died for our sins, rose again by the power of God), confess with the mouth " the Lord Jesus or Jesus is Lord" ( see Romans 10:9) and ask Jesus to save us. Romans 10:13 says: " everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

It also says that those who trust in the LORD will not be condemned. ( see Psalm 34:22). Therefore, those who trust in the Lord Jesus for salvation, will not be condemned. This is how one can know they are saved biblically. How one can know they are saved personally is a different matter all together.

I often have struggled in the past with knowing I was saved. I high school I was constantly asking Jesus to save me. For a while I could not call God Father. Then after having a mature Christian pray for me to be filled with the Spirit, I was able to call God Father. For some, getting filled with the Spirit helps a lot with assurance of salvation. For me even after that, I had uncertainty. At some point OCD got really bad and I started asking God to save me even more than I did in high school. The last time I asked Jesus to save me, I also was saying I am trusting in you to save me and may have also said something to trusting in your blood to save. I would say that I was trusting in him to save me, rather than just keep on asking him to save me because maybe I did not say it right or just want to be sure. Asking Jesus to save you constantly though, does not help to assure one that one is saved. Right now I am resting and trusting in Jesus to save me. I have not been asking Jesus to save me again, I am trusting that he already has. His blood shed for me and my faith in him is my plea.

It is possible to be assured that one is saved and yet have doubt in the back of the mind that says " what if I will be condemned because I didn't forgive and thought I did, or I coveted too much or sinned too much, or was too fearful of things... ?Etc. In order to attack the doubt, you got to go to the source. Why is it that you have some doubts? Do you feel you have to do enough good works for God to accept you? Do you think you are sinning too much and might be condemned for it? Do you have struggles with OCD? And what are you trusting in?

Even after attacking the source of the issue, one may still have some doubt. That is ok. That is where faith and Scripture kicks in. Certainty without doubt does not need to be the goal. Complete certainty without doubt of the validity of the essentials of Christian faith is not required of someone in order to be a Christian. Neither does a person need to have assurance of salvation without doubt in order to be saved.

 

[Locutus]

OK, let's start with some Basic Bible stuff that gets thrown around. What, EXACTLY, is this "heart" we hear so much about? (Or, the spirit that gets all this "testifying?"

Answers, Anyone?

How basic can you get with Paul's statement Willie?

The actual "working out" of that "testifying" I'm sure is different for each person.

 

[NoNameMcgee]

IOW, the "Whys" of your Whats?"

hmmmmmm

pretty much

 

[Locutus]

Testifies - IOW (took me a while to get that abbreviation) "lets us know"...

 

[Magenta]

Proverbs 9:10

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
_____________

1 John 4:18

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love

i dont think these are opposed to eachother

to me it seems like

we lack assurance

and fear God

then we are called to seek his will for us

our faith grows as we hear the Word of God

we are born again

receive the Holy spirit

and if we continue on the narrow path

its of God
and will lead us to assurance, greater faith and love without fear

or im wrong hahaha
x'D

Perfect love casts out fear (It is HIS perfect love )

 

[bluto]

I would like to hear from someone who "knows" for sure that they are not part of the "Away from me I never knew you" group.

I realize this may sound like a strange request but we all cannot be saved since many of us are calling the others blind.

In other words, how can we know we are truly sheep and not confused goats?

Well dj2, why don't you test yourself to see if you qualified to be saved? Now your asking yourself, "How do you qualifiy yourself to be saved?" Here is how I know I'm saved and this was shared with me well over 50 years ago. I understand there are some Christians running around the landscape not sure of their salvation for various reasons.

1 John 5:11-13, "And this is the record, that God has given us eternal life; and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has eternal life, he who does not have the Son of God does not have eternal life. Vs13, These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, IN ORDER THAT YOU MAY KNOW THAT YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE."

So, ask yourself if you have the Son of God living in you based on you believing or taking God at His word. When I was saved I never heard bells and whistles, nor did I get all worked up by speaking in tongues or even getting water baptized. I simply believed what God said by taking Him at His word. Internally, I knew I was saved because my inner man was putting God first in my life and others others as well, I was not thinking of my selfish self. Love puts others first.

Now, you also quoted Matthew 7:23, which I have said many times these are the four most lethal words in the Bible. "I never knew you." If you read the context starting at vs15 Jesus is saying, "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves." These are people who "think" they are doing Gods work and they also think they are saved. The point that Jesus is making is that Christians are suppose to be "fruit inspectors." You check out every single word that people say and compare to what the Bible says. Please read Acts 17:11. Does all of this make sense to you? Any more questions I will be happy to address them.

IN GOD THE SON,
bluto

 

[Willie-T]

How basic can you get with Paul's statement Willie?

The actual "working out" of that "testifying" I'm sure is different for each person.

I dunno. Not until I try. And I do that with almost everything I read.

I have this deep belief that if I can take one of the many pat scriptures we have all memorized and can squirt back out like one of Pavlov's dogs, but I cannot retell it to a gang member down on the corner in a way that it will make sense to him, then I may not really know what that verse means at all.

 

[eternally-gratefull]

John said we can know we have eternal life, and by it continue to believe,

so so we can know, based on our faith what s our faith in is the question.

 

[Bogadile]

Easy question you asked, let me answer:

If you have placed your full trust in the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross, that the Lord Jesus died for your sins, was buried and resurrected on the 3rd day. YOU CAN REALLY REALLY KNOW YOU ARE SAVED!

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

 

[Locutus]

I dunno. Not until I try. And I do that with almost everything I read.

I have this deep belief that if I can take one of the many pat scriptures we have all memorized and can squirt back out like one of Pavlov's dogs, but I cannot retell it to a gang member down on the corner in a way that it will make sense to him, then I may not really know what that verse means at all.

You can't tell/relate that to a gang member anymore than you can try and explain the taste of beer to a tea-teetotaler.

 

[Willie-T]

Testifies - IOW (took me a while to get that abbreviation) "lets us know"...

And you know our new friend is going to ask, "But, HOW does He let us know?" and rightfully so.

 

[Locutus]

And you know our new friend is going to ask, "But, HOW does He let us know?" and rightfully so.

Well of course - I wus just using the IOW in a strictly literal sense....

And like I said, it most likely varies from person to person - ask yerself this, why did Paul not explain it further rather than giving a "pat" statement.

 

[Meggido]

Romans 8.14-17

[SUP]14 [/SUP]For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. [SUP]15 [/SUP]For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” [SUP]16 [/SUP]The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, [SUP]17 [/SUP]and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

 

[Depleted]

How can someone "know" they are saved if the Bible clearly states that many will be shocked when Jesus proclaims to many, "Away, I never knew you".

How can totally different groups with opposing gospels all "know" they are saved and be correct? Clearly they all cannot be right. If many who sincerely believe they are saved be ultimately wrong, what is our defense for not being labeled among the mistaken?

God has made it clear to me over a long period of time. i.e. He promised and I trust him.

Other than that, why do I need to defend nor prove it? And why should I care what anyone, but God, labels me?

 

[UnderGrace]

Rom 8:16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,

Well?..... Continue.

 

[Depleted]

You have to always and I mean ALWAYS stay on the straight and narrow. Easy, right?

I hope that was sarcasm.