HOW TO BE SURE YOU ARE SAVED!
WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN?
First of all, we need to find out what a Christian really is. If someone were to ask you, "What is a Christian? what would you say? Perhaps you would say, " A Christian is a person who read his Bible, prays to God, and goes to church." You would be quite right in saying that a Christian should do these things, but a person can do all these things without being a Christian. Or, you might say, " A Christian is a person who lives a good life, helps other people and does good deeds." Again, a person may do these things without being a true Christian.
What, then , is a Christian? A CHRISTIAN IS A PERSON IN WHOM CHRIST LIVES. He lives in us by His Spirit. The Bible says,
" Because ye are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your heart..." Galatians 4:6
The Bible makes it clear that anyone who does not have this personal relationship with Jesus Christ is not a true child of God. God's Word says,
" Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." Romans 8: 9b
HOW DOES ONE BECOME A CHRISTIAN?
Many people are not saved, or they have no assurance of their salvation, because they have never really understood what they must do to become a Christian. The words which best express what we are to do are: 1) REPENT, 2) BELIEVE and 3) RECEIVE. Let us see what we mean by these words.
1. REPENT - we must repent of our sins.
Repentance is essential to salvation. It is mentioned over 55 times in the New Testament. The bible says that God " commands all men everywhere to repent."
What does it mean to repent?
Repentance is not just being sorry for your sins. Judas was sorry that he had betrayed the Lord Jesus but he never repented. Repentance is not just quitting a sinful act. Some men have quit certain sins, not because they wanted to obey God, but because of personal reasons such as health, business, reputation or family. This is not repentance.
What then is Repentance?
Repentance is a sincere heart sorrow for sin that leads a person to turn from his sins to God to do His will. David expressed true repentance when he said,
" I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto Thy Testimonies." Psal 119:59
In His love and mercy , God uses various means to soften our heart and cause us to turn our heart toward Him. He sends His Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins and show us how sinful and selfish we have been. Sometimes it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance. We see how patient and loving He has been with us.
When we repent and turn to the Lord, we find that He is merciful and gracious and most willing to forgive us. The Bible says,
" Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord , and He will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." Isaiah 55:7
2. BELIEVE- we must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
Many people believe the facts concerning Christ. They believe that He is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for the sins of the world. But they do not love Him supremely, nore are they willing to obey Him and follow Him. This is NOT TRUE FAITH IN CHRIST and IT WILL NEVER BRING SALVATION.
God's salvation is a person- THE LIVING LORD JESUS HIMSELF. The Bible says, " He that has the Son has life, " We are told to believe on Him- " Believe n the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved...."
What does it means to believe on Him? To believe on the Lord Jesus Christ means to believe that He is the Son of God and that He is worthy to be loved, worshipped and obeyed.
The Bible not only stresses faith but it also stresses love. We must give our heart to the Lord. The Lord Jesus was asked one day, " Master, which is the great commandment in the law? " Jesus replied, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment."
Loving the Lord is not just having certain feelings; it is the definite choice of our will. David said, " I will love Thee, O Lord."
This is what we should do. Let us lift up our heart to Him and say,
" Lord Jesus, I will love The with all my heart , with all my soul and with all my mind! You are worthy to be loved, worshipped and obeyed."
If we truly love the Lord, we will obey Him. There is no such thing as loving the Lord without beng willing to obey Him. Jesus said, If a man love Me, he WILL KEEP MY WORDS...
3. RECEIVE- we must receive the Lord Jesus as our Saviour
To be a child of God, there is something to believe and someone to receive. That " Someone" is the Lord Jesus Christ. We must not only believe the facts concerning Him- who he was and what He did- but we must receive Him as our very own Saviour. we receive Him by asking Him to come into our heart. Jesus likened our heart to a house with a door. He said,
" Behold, I stand at the door, and knock, if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in.. " Revelation 3:20
This is true salvation- the Lord Jesus coming to live in our heart. The Bible says,
" As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1:12
EVIDENCES OF GOD'S SALVATION
If a person has truly repented, believe, and received Christ, there will be some definite evidences of salvation in his life. We are going to consider some of these evidences. As you think about them, ask yourself, " Is this true of me? " God will definitely speak to your heart as you weigh these evidences against your own life.
1. The desire to share Christ with others.
- One of the first signs that a person is truly born again is that he wants others to know Christ as their Saviour. He wants others to experience the joy and peach he has found in Christ.
2. A love for other Christians
- One way we know that we are truly saved is that we love other Christians - those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ. The Bible says,
" We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the breathren. He that loves not his brother abides in death." 1 John 3:14
3. Changed desires
- A person who is truly saved has a new set of desires. Whereas, in the past, he did not care for the things of the Lord, now he loves them. The Bible says,
" Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17
4. The witness of the Holy Spirit
-When we are truly born again, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us. One thing that He does is to cause us to know that God is truly our Father and we are His Children. The Bible says,
" The Spirit Hiimself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the Children of God." Romans 8:16
5. The presence of Christ
- Why have all these changes taken place in your life? They have taken place because Christ Himself has come to live in your heart. The Apostle Paul said,
" .. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, excepts ye be reprobates (NOT TRUE CHRISTIANS AT ALL)? " 2 Corinthians 13:5
Christ very definitely and very personally comes to live in the heart of every true Christian.
Do not harden your heart. Instead, put your heart in Jesus hands. He can change you. He said,
" All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me; and him that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37
