Byblos wrote:B. W. wrote:I like what Jesus' says in...
John 6:37-39, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. 38 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day." NASB
In that is one should trust. The scriptures mentions only two kinds of folks, children of God/light and children of darkness/devil, there is no third party ever mentioned. Those who are saved, as Jesus says, cannot fall away because they are sealed forever by the Holy Spirit. The others that do were never saved to begin with... simple as that
So how do we tell the difference?
Known only to God and the person...
All Christians will notice a change going on the inside and they are transformed as 2 Co 3:18 states. You mentioned to me be before that you are not the same as you were before you were saved and I do see that change in you over these past few years.
What should be ask here to the readers is this: Tell us how you know you are saved?
...and are you the same old person you were before becoming born again?
I am not and will never return to that old life. That is why God only knows and the person knows because they know the Lord and are known by Him. So, if a person remains the same, year after year living their old life - well a tree is know by its fruit - either that is true of isn't. Therefore, I humbly would suggest that it is not wise to teach apathy as the normal christian life. Nor is it wise to teach that one has to maintain good works to keep themselves saved either because if you do not, one will lose the gift of salvation given by God. If one could lose this gift then the bible is proved not true as it contradicts the principles found in Romans 11:29 as well as Hebrews 13:8
So again, maybe readers can chime in and tell us if they are the same sinner now as they were before they were saved or if they noticed personal change out of the darkness that once had them bound. So, let me be the first...
For me, I became saved praying -
Jesus I am yours, save me, I never want to go back to that awful place. I didn't have all the theology and baggage about if faith means mental persuasion only or a more active faith of learning from Christ as Matt 11: 28,29,30 mentions. I found rest that has never left no matter how rough the road of life becomes instead. What I found is transformation out of the darkness' dysfunction I once thought as normal into a new freedom best described living in light that helps me overcome and aid others on their journey of faith. I discovered a joinery that teaches me faith in Christ as my only source of life. None of my actions or deeds will keep me saved or prove I am saved to anyone, however, I do know if ISIS comes, they do have enough evidence to kill me as a Christian. I cannot hide my faith as faith is a journey as it takes a lifetime to learn lessons that change us daily. Far too often I hear from folks when I ask, do you go to church, they answer,
"I would go if it were not for the Christians there."
I ask,
why is that Lord - and the best answer I find is that folks are too busy arguing over verbal semantics that serve to justify that it is okay to remain as the world and wallow in its glory cause you have your fire insurance paid in full. What Jesus went thru on the cross to some is mere words to memorize. Yet, to know what he went thru to redeem a sorry lot called humanity does something to you and that is this - we love God because he first loved us in a manner that shows.
Sinless perfection in this life is false. You cannot earn salvation, nor do good enough to stay saved either. His blood shed and the agony he went thru assures us he will not let us go because so great a price was paid. Jesus said in John 6:37 sums it all up. We are changed out of darkness, and if not, then one is not his at all. This change will be seen by others only in brief glimpses but this change is known to the one so changed by God's hand and by God himself. We who are saved are being set free, one sin at a time and day at a time.
I find that true. I see folks who were once drunks, meth addicts, abusers, neglecters of of family, pompous twits, addicts of every kind, etc and etc, become born again and they never return to that old nature. Yet, if I am hearing folks correctly here that it is perfectly okay to remain as they were. Wow, I read and know personally of the power of the gospel at work in the miracles of changed lives everywhere. So am I hearing a mocking of this as hogwash? Well have what you like - I choose life, learning of him, being changed day by day for the better and not the worse. I have assurance and know that I am saved that transcends all life events and whatever it dishes out. I know my Creator and he knows me.
So how do you know if you are saved? Are you the same as your unsaved days or do you find yourself at least being changed by God's grace a little? That is known only to you and God and those closet to you.
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Been there... thankfully zucchini is something my two eldest have always been willing to eat.