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Greetings to all. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. And I do hope the last series discussing fulfilled Messianic Prophecy was of value. I’d like to hear from you if you got some encouragement from it. This new series will be a brief one, but very important. Critical actually in order to fully understand the difference between someone who is truly saved and someone who only thinks they are.
Perhaps you share my increasing concern over the number of people who claim to have salvation, but whose lives don’t seem to reflect a close relationship with Jesus Christ. I am not here to judge, but rather to evaluate my own life in light of the Word of God, and to help others do the same.
We can afford to be wrong about many things in life, but we must not be in error here. Our eternal destinies hang in the balance. And God does not want us to be unsure. He said in 1 John 5:13, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life…”
So, what does it mean to “believe in the name of the Son of God…”? Whatever it means, it comes with the privilege of being certain of our eternal security in the hands of God and Jesus. To gain a better clarity of what saving faith really is, let us first look at what it is not.
I received a better understanding of saving faith by reading “Evangelism Explosion“, 4th ed., by D. James Kennedy, whose ideas I am expanding on here. Saving faith is not mere Intellectual Assent to certain historical facts. For example, most of us believe George Washington was our first president. But did we know George? Did any of us witness his election? No. But there is enough historical data and the agreement of most other people now living, that we can feel comfortable letting intellectual faith become belief that George was a real person who lived at a certain time, as reported.
In the same way, many people believe Jesus was a historical person, a good man, a great teacher, who lived about 2,000 years ago. But that is not saving faith. Did you know the devils believe in Jesus. “You believe there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe-- and tremble.” James 2:19. And Matthew 8:29 has this conversation between Jesus and a demon: “What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? Art thou come hither to torment us before the time?” Even the demons know who Jesus is and believe in His deity, but they are not saved.
According to a 2009 Gallup poll conducted at Christmas time, 78% of Americans identify themselves as “Christian.” Do we really live in a country of mostly God fearing people? With crime on the rise and the near extinction of any societal moral compass? With the church pews nearly empty? Where …”me, me, me…” is the order of the day?
Jesus had a very different perspective when He said this, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13,14.
God is not elusive, except to the prideful, the arrogant, the liar, the gossip, the hypocrite. He wants to be found, but we must come with humble hearts and the honest realization that we have nothing to bring Him except our yawning need of Him!
My hope is that we may continue our discussion about saving faith next time. Until then, be blessed in Christ…Mike
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Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
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