Posted on 01/05/2013 7:35:55 AM PST by xzins
Test #1 of Series: 11 Biblical Tests of Genuine Salvation: Test #1 - Do you enjoy Fellowship with God and Christ?
Is It Real? 11 Biblical Tests of Genuine Salvation by John MacArthur - 11 Questions to help one see if they are Biblically Saved. Helps to Examine Their Faith with God's Word (2 Cor 13:5) to see if one is Biblically Saved. How Can I Know I Am Saved
- 2 Cor 13:5 (NASB) "TEST YOURSELVES to see if you are IN the FAITH; EXAMINE YOURSELVES! Or do you NOT recognize this about yourselves, that JESUS CHRIST is in you—unless indeed you FAIL the TEST?"
- 1 Cor 11:31-32 (NASB) "But if we JUDGED ourselves RIGHTLY, we would NOT be JUDGED. But when we are JUDGED, we are DISCIPLINED by the LORD so that we will NOT be CONDEMNED ALONG with the WORLD."
Test #2 - 11 Biblical Tests of Genuine Salvation: Are You Sensitive to Sin?
Let's go back to 1 John 1:5 and it's declaration in verse 5: "This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all." John was saying that the message the Lord sent to us is about Himself, specifically that He is absolutely sinless. The Greek text literally says there's not a single bit of darkness in Him. 1 John 1:6 Therefore, "If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth".
Light and darkness do not coexist. One drives the other away. John went on to develop that theme: "If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us" (vv. 7-10).
Some people make some pretty amazing claims that hold no water. They claim to have fellowship with God--to be Christians (v. 6), to have no sin (v. 8), and even to have never sinned (v. 10). They think they are walking in the light when actually they are walking in darkness. It is characteristic of unbelievers to be oblivious to the sins in their lives. The individuals mentioned in verse 8 are not dealing with their sins because they think they've reached a state where they have no sin. But they are deceiving themselves. Those mentioned in verse 10 have never even confessed or acknowledged sin. With that attitude they are in fact denigrating God because God says "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23, emphasis added). Since unbelievers are so insensitive to the reality of their condition, human sinfulness is the right starting point in sharing the gospel.
Believers, on the other hand, "walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light" (v. 7). We walk a virtuous walk, and what's more, "we confess our sins" (v. 9). True believers have a right sense of sin. They know if they're going to commune with God they have to be holy. When sin occurs in their lives, they know it must be confessed.
John takes this teaching a step further in the next chapter. "My little children," he explained, "I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (v. 1). True believers realize they don't have to sin. But when they do, they know whom to go to--Jesus Christ, the believer's advocate. The intercessory work of Christ is one of the great trinitarian securers of our salvation. That's an encouraging reality to hang onto when confronted with personal sin.
The person who is truly saved is sensitive to the sinful realities in his or her life. That's the example Paul left us in speaking of his heightened awareness of sin's work in his own life (Rom 7:14-25). Consider how that applies to you. Are you very much aware of the spiritual battle raging within you? Do you realize that to have true communion with God, you have to live a holy life--that you can't walk in darkness and claim to have fellowship with Him? Are you willing to confess and forsake any sin in your life as you become aware of it? Do you realize you can choose not to sin--that you're not fighting a battle you're obliged to lose? But when you do fail, do you go to your divine advocate? Do you sometimes cry out with Paul, "Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?" (Rom 7:24) because you're so weary of the burden of sin in your flesh? If so, you are obviously a Christian. And since salvation is secure, you might as well enjoy it and be fully assured.
I think Ecl was [pot-stirring by] quoting MacArthur out of context. MacArthur and his ministry, Grace To You, are completely Biblically founded afaik.
People get all tangled up on the predestination thing. Ephesians and Romans both indicate predestination but that does not exempt salvation by grace through faith and in no way changes the gospel of grace. It simply means, “No man can come to me (Jesus) except the Father draw him” (John 6:44). In other words, God does it all - we can’t take credit for anything. He gives us the desire to call on him and gives us the faith to believe (“by faith OF Jesus Christ” Romans 3:22).
OK, but if this is his stuff, he’s mixing law and grace, something the gospel of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ does not do.
I’d say, yes, Ecliptic was out of context, but MacArthur?, no way. Listen for yourself at oneplace.com - good site has lots of christian ministry and sermons from lots of different sources...
Totally agree and well stated!
Ro 6: What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
So, we both have sin in our lives.
The only real questions should be, (1) Are we happy with that or are we not?, and (2) Are we proud those sins hung Christ on the cross, or do we lament that evil we had done?, and (3) What does it mean if we take his grace for granted?, and, finally, (4) Does not caring about our sin mean we might have missed the boat?
Look at your questions. They're all about YOU. You're looking at YOU. The devil wants you to look at YOU. YOU will never be perfect.
What is the basis of our hope and salvation? Does it have anything to do with ourselves? No. "Having begun in the Spirit are we now made perfect by the flesh?" Galatians 3:3. Our hope and salvation has everything and only to do with Jesus and what he did. God isn't looking at YOU. He's looking at his perfect sacrifice, the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. Because His sacrifice was perfect, you are perfect. "As he is, so are we in this world." 1 John 4:17. Stop looking at YOU. "Look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith." Heb 12:2.
The shadow of Jesus was the animal sacrifice in the old testament. The priest, the judge of the sacrifice, never inspected the one bringing the sacrifice. But the priest very carefully inspected the animal that was to be sacrificed to see if it was perfect. God doesn't look at you. He looks at the perfect Lamb of God, His Son, and is perfectly satisfied. You and I are therefore free.
It's like you're coming to the priest and wanting him to notice how sorry you are for your sins and all the things you're doing to show your sincerity. But God never ordained the priest to inspect the one for whom the sacrifice was being made, only the sacrifice itself. In the same way, God doesn't inspect you as you, he inspects Jesus as you. We are accepted by grace though faith in his Son, nothing else. Adding your little bit is bringing in "another gospel" which scripture curses TWICE (Galatians 1:8-9) and calls "falling from grace" (Galatians 5:4). So to allow the blood of Jesus its effective work and grace to flow in your life, we must relinquish self-righteousness and self effort.
Care should be taken not to mistakenly identify any spirit which convicts us of our sin as not being righteous.
God the Holy Spirit interrupts us when we sin, but also deceiving spirits will accuse us of our sins.
When in fellowship after we return to fellowship by 1st John 1:9, we may continue to grow in Him and we likely will not be preoccupied with our past failings, but as we grow, we also will be better able to identify in ourselves how we have scarred our souls from worldly and carnal thinking which is not by His Plan.
In spiritual warfare, fallen angels have more than accusation as weapons against believers.
Our souls are scarred by many worldly and carnal temptations which demonic influence may attempt to thwart our operations and growth in Him.
True, if we remain in faith in Christ, we can persevere and there is no temptation greater than that which may be resisted, but we are frequently tested before we continue to advance.
And that's what "justification" is. "Just-as-if" I never sinned. That's how effective His one-time sacrifice and His blood is.
In my 40+ years of being a believer, I've never known the victory and freedom I know now by refusing to allow condemnation, because God accepts me and will never condemn me.
Of course it's looking at me. The Apostle Paul instructs us to examine OURSELVES. He doesn't ask me to examine YOU.
This is what Paul says:
• 2 Cor 13:5 (NASB) "TEST YOURSELVES to see if you are IN the FAITH; EXAMINE YOURSELVES! Or do you NOT recognize this about yourselves, that JESUS CHRIST is in you—unless indeed you FAIL the TEST?"
"Unless indeed you fail the test" is evidence that the Apostle believed it was possible to fail the test of having a genuine faith.
So, for you to look at you is entirely biblical.
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