Opinions Please

[julie61554]

We have been having revival at church this week. He has been really good. The problem is I am doubting my salvation. I attend a baptist church now but I grew up in a church of Christ which believes you must be baptised to be saved. I didn't get baptised until I was 22. I thought I had to be ready to stop sinning. The church of Christ I attended believed that you get baptised and are saved but everytime you sin you lose your salvation until you repent. Long story short, when they told me they believe the Holy Spirit is the bible.....I left. I moved to a new house and my neighbor started witnessing to me and I started questioning everything I had ever been taught. I know that when I was baptised I was looking to that for salvation and not Jesus because I remember wondering to myself if I got into a car accident before I was baptised would I be lost. So when my neighbor started witnessing to me I really started to get into the word and study. Now understand....the Church I was going to at the time believes they are the only true church....one cup communion to be passed to all members, no musical instruments, no sunday school....and if a church does these things then they are of the devil so to speak. What has been bothering me lately, is while I listen to the Evangelist at the revival this week.....he keeps asking if there is a time that we know for certain that we asked Jesus to be our savior....he says we should remember an actual time when we got saved. The problem is for me is it seemed to be a gradual process.....I mean I always believed Jesus died for our sins, but my teaching was all wrong. I came to the realization that it wasn't baptism that saves a person and I have asked Jesus over and over again to save me. I find myself asking over and over to make sure I did it right. I have heard other people say you should remember a definite time when you asked Jesus to save you....but all I know is that I have asked over and over because I am scared maybe I did it wrong or I wasn't sincere enough. My question to you all is do you think you have to remember a certain day or moment? This concerns me because I can't really say it was on this date that I accepted Jesus as my savior.

Sorry to ramble on.

YSIC

Julie :wave

[savedandhappy1]

If you asked for Jesus to come into your heart, and to forgive you of your sins. If you confessed with your mouth that you did this, which you just did you are SAVED.

I know when I ask Him into my heart, but I was raised in church. Even after that tho, the great deceiver tried to tell me I wasn't good enough, I didn't mean it, I wasn't worth it, I didn't do it right. So I too have prayed the prayer of salvation many times.

I tell you the truth I am saved by the grace of God, and I am going to heaven one of these days, so Julie look me up, if they have coffee in heaven we will go have a cup (or pop will be ok too).

Love in Christ,
Kathy

[ShagNappy]

John 3


16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Personally, I think we as fallible humans go above and beyond making EVERYTHING more difficult than it really is. Especially Christians and salvation. I think the true path to salvation is made perfectly clear by the above scripture. Scripted prayers, epic events at that very moment, etc., remembering specific dates and times, are all just man's doings to make himself feel more important than he really is.

I mean I always believed Jesus died for our sins,

I am not a preacher or super hero theologian, but I think you have it covered and are really dealing with doubts caused by false teachings. Something diving into the word, fellowshipping with fellow believers with their heads on straight, and prayer will get you through. I will even be so bold as to say sometime therapy can help if these false teachings accured during childhood.

[Writesinme]

Satan knows he has lost us...but that doesn't stop him from trying to steal our peace and joy...and one of his strongest tactics is to make us doubt our salvation. (he can do this in many ways, including false teaching, playing on our insecurities, reminding us of all the wrong things we've done, etc.)

Act on what you know, not on what you feel. If you've sincerely invited Jesus into your heart and asked for salvation, then you are saved. Stand on God's promise, not on the ideas of man, your emotions and certainly not the lies of the devil.

Keep getting to know the Lord better through prayer, Bible study and fellowship with Christians who stick to the Word. (Rapture Ready is great for finding like-minded friends!)

I've walked in your shoes and know how you feel--doubting salvation is a terrible feeling and emotionally and spiritually draining. That's exactly how that old serpent wants us to feel--rebuke him! Get thee behind me, Satan...

[cathy1953]

There have been times I have the same thoughts that you did.
But I keep telling myself, I BELIEVE on Jesus, He died for ME, and if there had been no other person on the face of this earth but me, He still would have done it.
That is satan putting those doubts and thoughts in your mind.
He doesn't chase sinners like he will a Christian, cause he knows he already has them, {the sinners}, but he wants us, too, so he's going to do everything he can to make you doubt.
But if you once initially prayed that prayer, and sincerely asked Jesus to be your Saviour, then you are saved.
BELIEVE it, KNOW it. WHY would Jesus go back on His word to you??? Fact is He won't.

Yes, I do remember the exact day that I prayed the sinner's prayer and I know exactly where I was when I prayed it. I wrote the date down in my Bible.
But I gurantee, if I hadn't written it down I would have forgotten.
Just because you don't remember the date doesn't mean anything.
Just believe and know that He died for you. You ARE saved.
Tell yourself that many times everyday.

God didn't make this complicated.....it's because it's so simple, I think, that people have trouble with the concept of salvation thru grace by faith.

[BHiles]

Being born-again is not a gradual process. Jesus equated it with a birth. That is because it is. When we are born we are born with a dead spirit. When we recieve Jesus Christ as saviour and put our trust only in Him for salvation, immediately our spirit is quickened or made alive and his Spirit comes into live. It is not gradual at all. Now after you are saved the time the Holy Spirit takes to clean up our lives and perfect us continues throughout the rest of our life. But once your spirit has been made alive it does not die. It is our connection with His Spirit and it is how we talk to God. Without it we would be lost. The placing of your faith in Jesus Christ for your only way of salvation understanding your sinful state and your need for Him is all that is needed for salvation but you must place that turst in Him. It is very good for you to make a public confession of faith to establish your comitment. This is many times accomplished at baptism as a picture of what God has done in your life and should only be done after truly being born again. Otherwise it is like wearing a wedding ring without being married. It means nothing.

It is simple. I was only four when I did this. I do not remember an exact date and time but I do remember every detail about it. I remember the horror that I felt when I understood the consequences of my sin. I do remember being shown that Jesus made an escape. I do remember asking Jesus to forgive me and save me. I know from the fruit of the Spirit has borne witness in me from others who have come to Christ through my witness. There is never a crime to get assurance and settle this issue in your heart once and for all. The Bible tells us that we can KNOW that we have salvation. 1Jo 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

[Redmow]

Julie...you do know that God knows the number of hairs on our head. He knows your innermost thoughts. He knows what you are doing at this very moment and what you are thinking.

He is with each and every one of us at all times. Julie, you needn't keep asking for salvation. He heard you ask for it before you were ever born. Stop asking for salvation and take it. It's His gift to you. Ask Him to show you. Go to a quiet place where you can pray to Him with no interruptions.

If He knows all that we do...then He definitely heard your request for salvation. Count on it. Now all you have to do is step out of the nest and trust Him.

[HeIsEnough]

Julie!

"The Lord bless you and keep you."

I realize there is much confusion out there, and your brothers and sisters have given you some good counsel here. Salvation is not some rote set of things you perform, nor does it contain a magic formula to enable God to hear or acknowledge you. No, none of that is true. What God does look for, is someone who comes to Him in spirit and in truth.


John 4

19"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 20Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."

21Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

25The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

26Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

If you notice, the woman at the well was very preoccupied with being a Samaritan, and the physical place which she and her countrymen worshipped at. The idea of worshipping God in spirit and in truth can be expounded on quite a bit, but here is some parts of it. Jesus declared Himself to be the truth, and He also declared some things about us which are true. He said that we are all basically wicked, evil and hopelessly lost.

Why is it important to believe that about yourself?

First off, Jesus said it, so that would be the most important basis. The other is in relation to how we approach God. A woman who believes in her own spirit, that she has some merit before God, will view God as more of a partner, not as a Soverign King. Jesus says that we have no merit before God whatsover, that our works are unacceptable to attain salvation. This is a profound subject, and as you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, it will sink deeper and become vastly richer in your understanding as time goes on.

Many important truths are related in the parables that Jesus taught, here is one that illustrates this perfectly:


Luke 18

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about[a] himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

13"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

14"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

God is glorious! He has taken the lowly, the meek, those who are downtrodden and exalted them into His presence! But the proud, those who love to be in control, those who would rather lord it over everyone else will be cast off, because they neither believed the truth in what God says, nor is their heart right before God.

Worshipping in spirit is also what our Father seeks. Again, it can be expounded on for many sermons, but it relates very much to worshipping God in your innermost being. You are aware that many go about in rituals to obtain salvation, to obtain a right standing before God. Indeed, you were trapped in the mentality for far too long. Our God is a rational God. He knows when something is sincere within you. He also knows when you have held your heart from Him, and go about doing the ritual because you feel that it fulfills the requirement that is written down.

That is the same trap as the Jews were stuck in, thinking that they could obtain God, obtain salvation by following the letter of the law, or the exact formula of rituals. You and me realize that God sees right through that, and knows when it is real in our spirit or not. Jesus alludes to this when confronting the Jews.


John 5

36"I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. 37And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39You diligently study[c] the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

41"I do not accept praise from men, 42but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts.


Anywoo, rambled long enough for now. I can see your sincerity in following God, in seeking Him with a repentant heart. So I thought I would add a little more to the conversation. Peace to you sister, and praise God for what He has done for you!

[julie61554]

I just want to say thank you all for your thoughts and scripture verses. I feel better today. I guess I should clarify that what I meant by a gradual process was that I learned gradually that it wasn't the baptism that could save a person and that it was never anything I could do to save myself. I didn't really mean salvation itself was a process....it was just a realization process. You know the verse where Jesus says he came to fulfill the law....well I never understood what that verse meant....and one day it hit me like a ton of bricks. He fulfilled the law because we can't. Anyway, I thank you all very much....it is just that old teaching that keeps creeping it's way back sometimes. I went to the Church of Christ for 23 years. It is hard sometimes just to wipe out all of their teachings...but the Holy Spirit is teaching me now. I can't believe how much more I understand God's word now.

Thanks

YSIC

Julie

[HeIsEnough]

:hug

You know how it is Julie, sometimes we don't know what to write, so we write where we believe we are led. I am glad you recognize how much you already do know, because you have heard the word spoken and preached, even if the one speaking it does not understand the words of life.

I found that in myself, in that I listened to people who could not possibly lead people right, yet His word broke through all that. I also found that you will end up knowing it much better, more deeper, and the Spirit will establish you in such a way, that you will never be moved again. It's a heart thing.

Peace to you.

[Pendragon]

Jesus knows the heart and knows each time we repent of the sins we commit. He knows we are weak and the fleash is strong but I believe for me that repenting each day reminds me of what I must work on to become a better chistian. I go over my day and what I did wrong and even sometimes through my day and when or what I have sinned I repent and ask for the strength to not continue that sin againG-d knows when i am sincere and i don't take my backslides lightly or for granted by saying "Opps sinned again Thank G-d I am forgiven" But in my opinion yes we are saved but only when we genuinely repent the sins and have accepted christ as saviour.

[rosenherman]

I just want to say thank you all for your thoughts and scripture verses. I feel better today. I guess I should clarify that what I meant by a gradual process was that I learned gradually that it wasn't the baptism that could save a person and that it was never anything I could do to save myself. I didn't really mean salvation itself was a process....it was just a realization process. You know the verse where Jesus says he came to fulfill the law....well I never understood what that verse meant....and one day it hit me like a ton of bricks. He fulfilled the law because we can't. Anyway, I thank you all very much....it is just that old teaching that keeps creeping it's way back sometimes. I went to the Church of Christ for 23 years. It is hard sometimes just to wipe out all of their teachings...but the Holy Spirit is teaching me now. I can't believe how much more I understand God's word now.

Thanks

YSIC

Julie
The Holy Spirit will talk to you more and more through the word, your friends and speaking directly to your heart.