Dogmatic Statements of Salvation

There are people who are very dogmatic that they have been saved. Everyone who is saved should know that they are saved. However, just because a person dogmatically states that they are saved, is no guarantee that they are saved.

Jesus said it this way.

Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:21-23)

The real evidence of salvation is doing the will of the Father in heaven; it is who we are and what we do. This evidence, however, is not the means of salvation. The means of salvation is who Jesus Christ is and what He has done. It is not what we do that saves us. It is what Jesus Christ has done that saves us.

Before we are saved, we are slaves of sin and disobedient to God. After we are saved, we are slaves of righteousness and we express the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

Have you seen this change in your life?

You may have been baptized as an infant or as an adult. You may have signed a card at an evangelistic meeting. You may have walked down an aisle in church. You may have prayed at the altar. You may have received Jesus as your Savior. You may have confessed Jesus as Lord. You may have said all of the right words and yet you are not saved. You may say, “What else do I have to do?” Well, first, you must quit asking that question.

Do you trust in Him? You say, “Yes, I have confessed Jesus is Lord.” When you say this, if the emphasis is on Jesus is Lord, then you are probably saved. If the emphasis is on what you did, “I have confessed,” then you might not be saved. Our trust is not in our confession. It is in the LORD and what He has done for you.

You respond to the love of God expressed in Jesus Christ’s death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead.

Suggested reading is Romans, chapter 10.

You can contact me by calling (208) 883-0997 or by sending an email to ccm@moscow.com. Our website address is http://ccmbooks.org/.

(From Good News/Bad News)

Comments

Ripe for Harvest: Prepared to Give an Answer

As you read through the book of Acts, look at every conversion, and see what happened right before it: what was said, who said it. The situations are the same today. A long time ago, my duty in the Officer’s Christian Fellowship was the east coast of the United States. I went to an officer’s office at Fort Lee, VA, and stayed overnight, then I went on to Norfolk and Fort Bragg. Forty years later, I was no longer on the staff of OCF, but I had to go to Denver. While I was in Denver, I checked in at the OCF offices. There was the same Air Force officer I had met in Fort Lee, retired now, a colonel. I had stayed in his house when he was a first lieutenant. He asked me, “Do you know what happened when you stayed overnight?” I said, “No, I just remember staying in your home.” He said, “You led the next-door neighbor to Christ.” I had no memory of it. Ten years after that, I was speaking at a banquet at the Hotel Salisbury, and who was th...

Why Is Obedience So Hard?

There are several reasons why obedience seems hard. I will comment on some of them and then speak positively on how obedience is easy. We think: 1) Obedience is an infringement on freedom. Since we are free in Christ, and obedience is somehow contrary to that freedom, we conclude that obedience is not good. Yet we know it is good. Thus, we become confused about obedience and are not single-minded. 2) Obedience is works. We who have been justified by grace through faith are opposed to works; therefore, we are opposed to obedience. 3) We have tried to obey and have failed—frequently. Therefore, the only solution is to disobey and later confess to receive forgiveness. It is easier to be forgiven by grace than to obey by effort. 4) We confuse obedience to men with obedience to God. Although these are sometimes one and the same (see Romans 13, 1 Peter 2-3, Ephesians 5-6, Colossians 3, and Titus 2), sometimes they are not the same (see Colossians 2:20-23, Mark 7, 1 Timothy 4:1-5, a...

Marriage Counseling, Part 2

Dear Friend, This letter is long overdue. It has been in my head for months. First, I think you know that I both love you and like you and respect you. If you do not know that, please take my word for it. You know that I am willing to be confronted without dissimulation. In the many years we have known each other, I have assumed you were a Christian. I do not have to know absolutely (God knows those who are His). You have had an interest and an education in Christianity. Even if you were not, or are not, a Christian, this does not affect my love, like, or respect for you. The last few times we have been together, you have assured me that any adultery was in the past and that you were ready to get right with the church and with your family and that you had repented toward God. You assured me that you loved your wife and your children and you were committed to them. I recognize that Christians can (and sometimes do) sin repeatedly. I also understand that it is possible for Chri...

Roots by the River

Search This Blog