Lesson 1
Being Sure Of Your Salvation
Can you remember the occasion when you were saved? (Question 1)
Since that time, have you ever had questions or doubts about your salvation or your standing with God?
Would you like to be rid of such doubts forever?
Scripture tells us that we can be absolutely sure of our salvation.
1 John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Reasons for doubts: (Question 2)
1. Misunderstanding salvation. (Question 3)
1Timothy 1: 15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
Sometimes, after getting saved, we feel more guilty more often. Salvation removes the weight of sin and guilt from our lives, but it doesn't take away guilt forever. There are things we should feel guilty about. The HS convicts us of sin. After salvation, we probably will feel that guilt more often. As we confess and forsake our sin, the conviction will go away and we will find relief.
Satan will sometimes put false guilt on you in order to discourage you. False guilt can be easily detected. Confess your fault. If the guilt does not go away, you are probably dealing with condemnation from Satan instead of conviction from the Lord.
The key is to search your heart to find if there is something that displease God according to His Word.
2 Corinthians 7: 9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(Question 4)
God sometimes punishes us to improve us; to get us on the right path.
Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
2. Failing to grow.
Salvation is not the end of the journey. It is the beginning of a new life in Christ. It is intended that you grow in your spiritual life.
A baby is born and then it grows. If it doesn't, something is terribly wrong. It is the same with our spiritual lives. We have been BORN AGAIN and we should grow.
1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
(Question 5)
We should seek growth; seek to add to your faith the virtues of Christ:
2 Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Lacking a spiritual birthdate. (Question 6)
A firm testimony is the surest protection against doubts. You must have some point in your life you can point to and say, "This is where I received Christ. This is where I was born again. This is where I asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior." (You need not know the time or date, but you must have a clear memory of the experience.)
If you don't have that point of reference, please do it now. If you're embarrassed, see me in private. But don't let this slip by you. If Satan can get you doubting your salvation, he can destroy you.
Revelation 12: 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
4. Wrong attitudes. (Question 7)
If we harbor bitterness or hostility toward others, it will hinder our spiritual walk. It can cause you to question your salvation.
Believe it or not, people can be saved and have rotten attitudes; they can be saved and bound for heaven even though they have faults, bitternesses, and other wrong things there.
Ultimately, these things can lead to spiritual shipwreck. That's why they must be dealt with. They must be purged from our hearts. They cause spiritual damage to varying degrees depending on how far we allow them to go.
(Question 8)
Finding these things in our hearts should not be cause for doubting our salvation, but for calling ourselves to repentance. Unchecked, they will ultimately lead to ruin.
Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Matthew 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
As much as I hate to say it, a person can lose their salvation. The Bible is clear on this. If we do not maintain our spiritual walk, we will got the opposite direction and abandon our spiritual walk, and ultimately forsake Christ.
John 8: 31. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Romans 11: 22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
Colossians 1: 21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
Making sure your salvation
We must get our thinking straight - our theology correct. Wrong ideas lead to wrong conclusions. Satan wants to confuse our thinking in order to get us off track. That's what he did to Eve in the Garden of Eden. He confused her thinking about what God had said.
Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Genesis 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
This is Satan's technique:
2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
It is essential then, that we know what we believe and why.
2 Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
Salvation Scriptures: Rom 3:23; Rom 6:23; John 3:16; Isa 53:5; Rom 10:9; Eph 2:8
STUDENT Questions
Discipleship - Lesson 1
This class is for those who are serious about spiritual growth. Students who start the class are expected to be here for every session and to finish the class. There will be memorization and occasional homework.
1. Is there a specific time in your life when you can remember having a NEW BIRTH experience with Christ?
On a separate page, write out your testimony of salvation, giving scripture references.
Memorize : 1 John 5:13, John 3:3, and John 14:6.
2. Why do you think people sometimes doubt their salvation?
3. Do you believe that grace means we can do whatever we want and God will forgive us?
Read 1 Timothy 1:15, Hebrews 10:26, and 1 John 1:9.
4. Does God ever punish His children? Why?
5. 1 Peter 2:2 tells us that, as Christians, we should grow. What might we do to enhance our spiritual growth?
6. Do you think it is important to have a spiritual birthdate?
Why or why not?
7. What attitudes might hinder our spiritual growth?
8. Do you think such attitudes might rob us of our salvation?
It is vital that we get our thinking in line with Biblical truth.