Can I call myself a Christian if I'm unsure I'm born again
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Sorry, I'd just like to keep up as long as I can. Do you mean conviction of your doubt or of your sin?
Fundaamental ------Did you know there is protocol for answered Prayer -------the Scripture tells you how to get your prayers answered ------If your away from God He cannot hear or answer your prayers -----your sin and iniquity hides His face from you ---so first base is Get the right Faith -----
Isaiah 59
Sin, Confession and Redemption
59 Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save,
nor his ear too dull to hear.
2 But your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear.
------------------------------------------------
First God has to draw you ---and you have to accept that draw -----only then can God open your heart --ears and mind to receive the Word so God can inbirth the right faith in you -----Faith comes by hearing the Word -----
I say
The Parable in Luke 18 ----is all about effective prayer ------and how effective prayer works in the end ----the Judge was not a just Judge ----and only gave in because he wanted freedom from this persistent woman -----who kept asking ------
Bible is very clear that doubting that your prayers are answered blocks your prayers-----
like I said there is protocol for answered prayer ----these are just a few of the scriptures on prayer -----
Matthew 21:22 ESV / 160 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
Mark 11:24 ESV / 580 helpful votes
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
1 John 5:14-15 ESV / 433 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
John 15:7 ESV / 387 helpful votes
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
John 15:16 ESV / 226 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
1 John 3:22 ESV / 187 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
And whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
Good answer,
Personally I would like to think its there to help you with your faith.
Back to Luke 18:1-8. Did the holy spirit convict the unjust judge.
I know why you posted Luke, to help me which I appreciated but after reading it I feal there's more to be understood with conviction.
my answer is no, you can not call yourself a Christian. only born again Christians make it to heaven. read John 3:5 "verily, verily, i say unto thee, except a man be BORN of the water & of the SPIRIT, he CAN NOT ENTER the kingdom of God"!!! if someone thinks he or she is a Christian, why not do those things God told us of concerning being born again? & the big one: only born again christians have the Holy Spirit living inside them FOR LIFE!!! that person is missing out on a lot of joy, security, peace, protection, etc. then there is Hebrews 11:6- "but WITHOUT faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please Him, for he that cometh to God MUST BELIEVE that He is & that He is a REWARDER of them that diligently SEEK Him"!!!!
It's not about conviction. It's about encouragement. If an unjust human who resists persuasion can be persuaded, how much more will the Judge of all who is inclined to mercy exercise kindness to you if you will keep asking.
If your taking about God's mercy. That can be found in many scriptures.
One that springs to mind is
Matthew 18: 21-22 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
Then this.
Ephesians 2:4-5 – “But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved.”
But back to Luke 18:1-8.
God convicted an unjust judge whose heart was hardened.
However his conviction was to please the women not God.
But would conviction stop from God to the unjust Judge after that.
How many times Did God try to convict the most hardened hearts of all the pharaoh of Egypt, with unbelievable miracles, or how many timed was Doubting Thomas convicted with unbelievable miracles.
I know seeing an unbelievable miracles would convict me to believe in God, that I do know.
Take some time to think about this But the Judged never prayed to be persuaded.
You have all the time in the world I'm on a long distance haulage run now. I hope to see you soon.
Ok. Take a deep breath...
The story isn't about the unjust judge. He is only in the story to use as a comparison.
The story isn't about conviction. God didn't convince the judge to do anything. His own self interest motived him.
The story is to encourage people who are seeking God to continue to do so. Why? Because if a judge who isn't merciful will help those who keep coming to him, how much more will a Judge who is merciful will help those who come to Him.
Yes I'm aware the story is to encourage people to never stop praying, yes I'm aware you posted Luke 18:1-8. to reassure me also, but if we look deeper into what took place we see a spiritual conviction on a hardened heart.
Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
The unjust Judge is confessing the return of Jesus.
And confessing How God protects his saved Christians.
All relating Jesus.
So can you see the conviction from the holy spirit on a hardened heart.
Ok where else do we see true Christianity do we see in our children who sit patiently all day in school, and always making amends for the things they do wrong, do we see acts of kindness in our children to seek forgiveness for the things they do wrong. Do we see acts of enjoyment in our children and gratitude for the things they recieve, do we see our children having a willingness to learn and a willingness to accept disaplin and have great patience Do we see the same type of conviction in a child's heart to do all these things a Christian would do with conviction from the holy spirit. In the parents we see acts of tolerance to forgive there child in a loving way for there mistakes and to inset disaplin with love.
This is also how conviction from holy spirit works for God's children.
It's this conviction that we pass down to our children. And it's this conviction our children have grew up with for Many generations.
I have trained my child with the gifts of the holy spirit as most parents have but without even realising it.
The child goes on to show the same fruits of the spirit.
Love peace joy kindness patience.
So it seems conviction can come to the saved and the unsaved if people believe a child is not saved until they confess for them selves that they are.
So my issue if I confess I'm saved that must mean I am.
But now it seems Christians here our confessing you can forfeit an incorruptible seed from Jesus.
Which for Me makes that incorruptible seed corruptible.
Then they want to give me advice ?
I don't get that.
But now it seems Christians here our confessing you can forfeit an incorruptible seed from Jesus.
Which for Me makes that incorruptible seed corruptible.
Then they want to give me advice ?
I don't get that.
L
Locoponydirtman
Guest
You need pastoral care. There is nothing anyone here can say to help you out. I recommend an LCMS church because pastoral care is an important funtion of Pastors in that church.
Wow....I can understand your confusion. Many believers have the same question, but they are too afraid to ask it. According to Jesus, in (John 8:34-35) anyone who sins, has not been adopted into the family of God.
Now there are many who don't believe this, and this is to their own detriment.
Anyone who tells you that you are saved by performing some act or ritual, like saying the "Sinners Prayer", being Baptized, etc....is just as lost as you are.
So...What must you do to be saved?
Now what I'm going to tell you brother, is the Truth and you don't need to just take my word for it, the Holy Spirit will confirm it. And it's very simple really.....not complicated like the teachings of man.
First...get alone, on your knees, and ask God to forgive you of all your sins. After you do this, God will forgive you. Not only does God forgive you, but the blood of Jesus Christ will also cleanse you.
What does this mean?
Unforgiven sin leaves us in the Darkness. But when sin is confessed and then forgiven, you will be in the light of God.
What does this mean to you?
Once in the light, you can see what you couldn't see, when you walked in darkness. That being the evil in you and the evil in the world. In other words, you will now be conscious of sin and the evil in the world.
It's much like a man receiving a new, white suit of clothes. Before the confession you were like someone who walked the earth in a dirty pair of coveralls. When you get new dirt on coveralls, do you see the dirt, or do you even care if you get dirty? But if you are cleansed, and put on a white suit of clothes, you will see every stain, really feel conscious of sin. Ever see a man get coffee on his tie...how frantic he gets? This is how you will begin to feel about sin.
Are you born again after the confession?
No...but you are now on the narrow path.
All you need to do is listen to the Holy Spirit, and obey what he tells you to do.
He will tell you to not to sin, and he will tell you what to do, tell you what God wants you to do...which is known as righteousness.
Now until you are born of God, you will still sin on occasion. But remember to confess that sin or you will be separated from God once again, and fall back into the darkness. This obedience to Gods commandments is how we grow in his Grace. And by this same Grace...Gods love for his obedient children..why God will save You. Remember...he chooses who will be saved...not us.
arousing suspicion that is not substantiated is not a true conviction from the holy spirit. I wonder did you pray for that conviction.
Your now the second. Person to call me a troll and the second person to go on my ignore.
The first person aroused suspicion I was troll for a friendly Joke.
The only poking I can see is from you.
Now your arousing suspicion I'm a troll because why. Because you say I must be.
And then advising others to think the same,
I'm sharing my testimony I'm sharing why I feel I might have received salvation because I know i display the fruits of the holy spirit.
I'm unsure that being saved is the same as recieving salvation.
All these understandings I have expressed.
I have not argued back with people who have called me names and I do not intend to do so,
so I think you'll find trolls don't do that.
When people are unhappy I leave the alone I don't then go and wound them further if a disagreement is becoming frictional. But I know a troll would go and stick the knife in further.
Which is what you've just done and then saying that's how i operate. You have stuck a knife into to get a response. I haven't.
Goodbye.
To all others
I feel my question is very important to my faith.
If anyone would love to share there testimony or there changes that convinced them they had received salvation. Or they new the fruits they displayed where different.
I would be happy to know. Or how they where able to turn away from a life time of sin.
Or how friendships where re acquainted.
I've been waiting with anticipation to hear, and eager to and been looking forward to after it was suggested here.
Other wise if I get anymore name calling and it's not dealt with appropriately as name calling is against the rules here, I'm leaving.
(No man is really saved unless he is in his heart obedient to Christ. C.H. Spurgeon)
Ahhh...Good man...woke up just in time.
Did you know he left the church in his latter years?
Some of what you are saying is true. Some is more complicated. I just wanted to encourage you in the Lord.
I use the word doubting my self Not God.
I feel conviction all the time to not sin, and beat temptation all the time. So far I have been tempted to sin several times in the last 24 hours, so far I have held my ground.
I doubt my self more because I fall back into sin. How ever I still feal I'm saved but unsure I have received salvation.
The conviction I get is strong which makes me feel I am being called
.
true! John 9:31- "Now we know that God heareth NOT sinners, but if any man be a worshipper of God & doeth His will, him He heareth"!I use the word doubting my self Not God.
I feel conviction all the time to not sin, and beat temptation all the time. So far I have been tempted to sin several times in the last 24 hours, so far I have held my ground.
I doubt my self more because I fall back into sin. How ever I still feal I'm saved but unsure I have received salvation.
The conviction I get is strong which makes me feel I am being called
No, I have read nothing to indicate he "left the church"..... Everything I've read indicates that he was one of the most beloved preachers in all of England, possibly the English speaking world.
It is said that more than 60,000 people attended his funeral, IIRC.