Today is Wednesday, November 6th, 2013
Today is the 310th day of the year. There are 55 days left in this year and only 49 days left until Christmas!
Today is Doris Gregory’s and Alicia Wolfe’s Birthday!
This evening at 10:30 will mark the 31st Anniversary of my salvation!
By God’s grace and for His glory, I was regenerated by the Holy Spirit on Saturday, 11/6/1982 at 1221 Reservoir Road, Apartment #319, in Little Rock, Arkansas. The next morning, I was baptized by Associate Pastor Mark Wright at the Heritage Baptist Temple in Little Rock.
The Scripture God used to bring me to faith was 1st John 5:12-13 “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.”
I do not believe that one must remember the time and place they were saved to be truly saved; but, I do remember and I am thankful for that!
As nearly all of you know, I had been baptized in 1972 at the request of a friend; and, I had come under conviction and “rededicated” my life while serving in the Air Force on Guam then went off to college and got involved in Christian work. But, I am absolutely certain that I was never truly saved until that evening in Little Rock.
So, this begs the questions, “How can a person think they are saved and not be saved?” and “How can a person know for sure that they are saved?”
Let me take them one at a time…
“How can a person think they are saved and not be saved?”
Sadly, this is the easiest thing on earth. Millions of people who think they are going to heaven are not. Most of them are not saved because they have been told inaccurately how to be saved. Many of the so-called “Christian Denominations” have not preached the truth of salvation in so long that almost no one in those churches knows the truth of how to be saved. So, they continue doing the religious things they are taught to do, and they are being told that because they do them they are going to heaven.
Even in gospel-preaching churches like I attended, it is easy to think you are saved when you are not. Almost no one (even in good churches) ever asks anyone about their salvation. And once you are “in” almost no one would ever challenge a person’s salvation based on whether or not they bear biblical evidence of being saved.
I, like most lost people in good, gospel-preaching churches, was 2/3 saved!
Here is what I mean by that… There are three things that accompany genuine salvation:
(1) A person knows the biblical truth about HOW to be saved.
(2) A person has DONE what the bible teaches a person must do to be saved.
(3) A person is in the process of being TRANSFORMED by the living presence of the Holy Spirit within them!
Most lost church members in good, gospel-preaching churches have #1 and #2. But, they do not demonstrate the reality of their salvation by the genuine evidence that follows #3.
Salvation is “From the Scripture Alone; by Grace Alone; through Faith Alone; in Christ Alone; and it is to the glory of God Alone.”
And, salvation always, always, always brings the result of a transforming life!
2nd Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Beloved Ones, if anyone knows the biblical truth about salvation;
if they know that they are a sinner who must repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ;
and, if they have actually done those two things;
if God is in the process of changing them from one who loves sin and hates righteousness into one who hates sin and loves righteousness;
then, and only then, they can be sure they have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. They can be sure that they are saved, and that they will go to heaven when they die.
Here it is again just to be sure…
(1) They know the truth about how to be saved!
Mark 1:14-15 “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
(2) They know that they have done what one has to do to be saved!
James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
(3) What the Bible says happens in the life of a saved person is happening in their life!
1st Thessalonians 1:4-6 “For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit…”
When all three of these three things are present, assurance of salvation will follow!
Beloved One, do you know that you are saved? Are you sure?
If you are not sure, would you turn away from your sins and turn to Jesus Christ and ask Him to forgive your sins, change your life, and take you to heaven when you die?
Will you do that right now? I pray you will.
If you do, please let me know. Since I have been where you are, I would love to help you as you begin your new life in Jesus!
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