1 John 3:18-21: Let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and He knows everything. Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence.
In Jeremiah, the Lord tells us that the heart of man is deceitful above all things, and in Proverbs, we’re instructed to place our trust in the Lord, lean not unto our own understanding, but acknowledge Him in all our ways. As Christians, we must be careful not to listen to our hearts, especially when it tells us to do something that is contrary to the Word of God. The Bible is our moral and spiritual compass and thermometer. Even though we have the Bible to go to in times of trouble, temptation, and testing, we must also rely upon the Holy Spirit to direct our paths.
Without the witness of the Holy Spirit to direct us with the Word of God, we would have to resort to listening to and depending upon our own hearts which can lead us down a wrong path. One of the ways I see that Christians must learn to listen and depend upon the leading of the Holy Spirit is with their salvation. You’ve probably seen people who regularly answer the altar call for sinners as if they had never been saved before. When you ask them if they have ever prayed the prayer of repentance, most of the time, they will answer, “Yes, many times, but I’m just not sure I’m saved.”
The Apostle John gives us the reason why this occurs in the hearts of Christians. We must obey the Word of God in action and not in word only. If we love the Word of God by keeping it in our daily lives, and we still doubt our soul’s salvation, it’s only our hearts condemning us, and we must, through faith, overcome our hearts. Paul tells us, in Romans 8, that the Holy Spirit will bear witness with our spirit that we are a child of God. We’re not instructed to listen to what our hearts tell us or how our emotions make us feel, but—by faith—we are to trust the voice of God within us.
If what I am writing describes your personal struggles with faith—in believing that you’re a child of God—then just do what John tells us: Obey the Word in our life and look unto God who is greater than the condemnation of our own hearts. He knows all things, and we are to place complete trust in Him and not in ourselves. Only believe, and you will be free from the fear or doubt of whether you’re really saved or not.
—submitted by Pastor Asa Dockery, US
daisymarygoldr on August 9, 2011 at 1:16 am
Salvation is all about being restored to a right relationship with our heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. And so, to doubt salvation is to doubt our relationship with God. Sadly, many who claim to be Christians based on their birth in Christian homes or their Church membership without having a personal relationship with God—struggle with feelings of insecurity.
Christians, who are born of God’s Spirit, will not doubt their salvation. And this is my personal experience. The reason for our confidence is: God’s Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children (Rom. 8:16). The assurance of our salvation is evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. And the lack of this evidence can cause people to doubt.
A.W. Tozer said: “I think there is little doubt that the teaching of salvation without repentance has lowered the moral standards of the Church and produced a multitude of deceived religious professors who erroneously believe themselves to be saved…”
Sometimes, it is possible to go astray and lose the joy of our salvation because of sin. In such situations, we no longer can enjoy the close communion of God’s fellowship. But we never cease to be children of our heavenly Father.