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While Jesus’ death accomplished everything that it was intended to, we have not yet experienced all that there is to experience of salvation. We are in the middle of it.
- Past – Justified
- Present – Sanctified
- Future – Glorified
In the past, we were saved from the penalty of sin. In the present, we are being saved from the power of sin. In the future, we will be saved from the presence of sin. This is just another way to look at salvation.
Is it necessary for you to understand exactly how salvation works for you to experience it? No, of course not. I’ve been using clocks for years and I still don’t know how they work. But understanding what happened in salvation is helpful to make us become more secure in that salvation. In the midst of this life, we will wrestle with doubt because of many factors, and many Christians live lives of quiet doubt wondering if they truly are saved. But I want you to know how to be confident in your salvation.
Reasons for Doubt
There are many different reasons for doubt, but some of the most popular are here:
Can’t remember it
Some believers share their testimony and can pinpoint it down to the day and minute, and unfortunately, that can make others insecure because things are a bit fuzzier. Maybe you were really young, maybe it was just an average Sunday and you’ve lost track of the date, maybe you came to faith gradually over a long period of skepticism and you aren’t exactly sure where you turned the corner from doubt to faith.
Your salvation isn’t dependent upon you remembering the exact time and circumstances of your conversion, but on you trusting in Jesus for forgiveness and life direction.
Not sure you did it right
We might have this feeling that when something that momentous happens in your life it should feel a certain way, like when Harry Potter held his wand for the first time. Some people get goosebumps all over when they get saved, some dissolve into a fit of tears. Some people feel a sense of great relief, and some feel no great emotion at all. Others feel a deep sense of God’s love for them, while others wrestle with this doubt for months and years afterward.
There is no cookie-cutter way of coming to faith. God might knock you to the ground with a blinding light like he did Paul, but that is much less common. While your testimony looks different, everyone’s salvation comes back to trust in Jesus’ finished work for them and a changed life.
Struggle with sin
There should definitely be a change present in your heart and life, but our wrestle with sin will keep going until that day that we see Jesus face to face and he makes us completely perfect as he is perfect. Just as with the other two, if you look for assurance in your circumstances or your feelings you will find yourself filled with doubts. Real assurance is found in the promises of God.
This is the difference between feeling like you are saved and having real security and assurance of your salvation. While you may or may not have a certain feeling, you can be secure in the promises of God. These go back to the pictures that we looked at in the last lesson. Hold onto these promises instead of looking for the right feelings or comparing yourself to others.
Your salvation is God’s idea, not yours. This is evidenced in the participation of the whole Trinity in your salvation.
The Father sovereignly justifies you
- Remember the courtroom. God has declared you not guilty in his sight and has canceled the punishment that should have been ours. (John 5:24)
- God is at peace with you and the war between us is over. (Romans 5:1)
- God has determined that nothing can separate me from his love. (Romans 8:38-39)
The Son is your High Priest
- This is why we need the Old Testament, because we can’t understand all that Jesus is for us if all we see if the three years of his earthly ministry and his death and resurrection.
- Jesus lives to make intercession for you, to pray on your behalf. (Hebrews 7:25)
- See an example of this intercession
- Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17.
- Jesus is your mediator
- Satan is called the accuser of the saints
- Jesus speaks to the father in our defense (1 John 2:1-2)
- Jesus is faithful even when I’m not
- Jesus’ love for us is a contract that he cannot break. (2 Timothy 2:11-13)
- He is faithful (Hebrews 10:23)
The Holy Spirit seals you
- When we looked at the Holy Spirit a few weeks back, we looked at some of the works of the Spirit.
- The Holy Spirit regenerates (gives new birth)
- The Holy Spirit baptizes
- The Holy Spirit abides in us as a gift from God
- The Holy Spirit seals us
- Back in the old days, a King’s seal was used to do two things.
- It was used as identification to ensure that a document had not been forged
- It was used as a promise of protection, and anyone who broke the seal without authority would face the wrath of the king.
- God’s Holy Spirit identifies you as God’s child.
In the end, there can be a true eternal assurance of salvation, and I hope that you have it instead of a false sense of security because of your works, or a conditional sense of security because of your feelings. This eternal security is based only on the promises of God and the finished sacrificial work of Jesus on your behalf.
Evidence of Salvation
While God alone can see into the hearts of individuals and determine who has honestly committed themselves to him, he has told us in his Word that there are some pieces of evidence that we are to judge ourselves by.
- Knowledge that God is our heavenly Father (Matthew 11:27)
- Reliance on prayer (Ephesians 6:18)
- Ability to understand Scripture (John 16:13)
- Sense of the seriousness of sin (Titus 2:11-12)
- Love for lost people (Romans 10:1)
- Love for other believers (1 John 3:14)
If you don’t see those in your own life, you could just be a very immature Christian, or you could be one of the millions of people that go to church but have yet to settle the issue of their salvation. I hope that you will nail that down with God.
Which of the reasons for doubt do you struggle the most with? How does it change your attitude as a believer when you realize that your salvation is not based on your faithfulness to God but his faithfulness to you? I hope you’ll share your thoughts, questions, and prayers below.
As always, if you need to talk about it, I’m here. Just call me, text me, email me, or talk to your Dad, Mom, Pastor, or Youth Leader.
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Sometimes when I feel like sin is taking over me I go ahead and pray. Now I’m not much of a prayer type of guy, so something really has to go on for me to do it. I can feel my sin “go away” because I know Jesus died for me.
I’m the same Connor. I’m not really the prayer type of person.
I think I understand what you mean. It feels awkward and uncomfortable. But don’t most relationships start that way? But pretty soon if you keep up the relationship those conversations become like a comfy chair.
I learned that the Holy Spirit seals us and identifies us as God’s children.
I learned that there should definitely be a change in your heart and life, but our struggles with sin will keep going until Jesus comes and he makes us completely perfect as he is perfect.
I learned that when the holy spirit sets us apart, its like a baptism, a new birth. You are reborn, with all the good & none of the bad.
We’ll talk more next week about some of the bad that clings to us. Paul calls it the flesh. We are a new creation in Christ, but we still struggle with sin until Jesus makes us perfect in heaven like he is perfect.
Jesus is both the Son of God and our High Priest. The high priest was the only one to be able to go into the presence of the Lord. Jesus is perfect.
“God’s Holy Spirit identifies you as God’s child.” this shows us that God cares enough about us to call us his own children. that’s really special.
you don’t have to pinpoint when you were saved
I like how Jesus gives us the option to ask for forgiveness and how its like a brand new start for us and all our sins are washed away
It’s cool that the Holy Spirit gives us new life.
I like the simplicity of the concept of “all you must do is believe”
God has given us a lot of proof he exists.
I think it’s amazing how God sent Jesus to basically take up all of our guilt we have done. Just so we can be with him even though were sinful!
I think that nothing with be perfect until the second coming of the lord Also, how God and Jesus loved us so much that he took our sins not only away but he took the punishment for them!
Only God can see if we really trust the Lord and ask him to be our savior
its rly humbling that God has put his seal on us and now we are his children along side Jesus
i learned that past-justified, present- sanctified, future-glorifed.