Posted on 01/09/2013 9:41:11 AM PST by xzins
11 Biblical Tests of Genuine Salvation: Test #4 - Do you Reject this Evil World?
SO4J ^ | John MacArthur
Posted on 01/07/2013 6:02:58 AM PST by xzins
Test #1 of Series: 11 Biblical Tests of Genuine Salvation: Test #1 - Do you enjoy Fellowship with God and Christ?
Test #2 of Series: 11 Biblical Tests of Genuine Salvation: Test #2 - Are you Sensitive to Sin in your Life?
Test #3 of Series: 11 Biblical Tests of Genuine Salvation: Test #3 - Do You Obey God's Word?
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 #4 - 11 Biblical Tests of Genuine Salvation: Do You Reject this Evil World?
We now come to John's fourth test of what characterizes the true Christian: 1 John 2:15 "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him". This love speaks of our deepest constraints, our most compelling emotions and goals. Christians won't feel that way toward anything in this world because they know that until Christ returns, this world is dominated by God's enemy. John said, "We know that we are the children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one" (1 John 5:19, NIV). Satan, for now, is "the god of this world" (2 Cor 4:4).
The evil one has designed a system that the Bible simply calls "the world." The Greek term (kosmos) speaks of a system encompassing false religion, errant philosophy, crime, immorality, materialism, and the like. When you become a Christian, such things repel you, not attract you. Sometimes you may be lured into worldly things, but it isn't what you love; it's what you hate. That's the way Paul felt when he fell into sin (Rom 7:15). As frustrating as it is to fall like that from time to time, we who are believers can be grateful that sin is something we hate and not love. That's because our new life in Christ plants within us love for God and the things of God.
"All that is in the world," John specified, "the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever" (1 John 2:16-17). The world and its fleshly preoccupations are but temporary realities. The true believer, in contrast, has eternal life and will abide forever.
Jesus said those who follow Him are not of the world just as He was not of the world. We still move about in it to do His will as long as we are alive, but we are not of it. That's why Jesus prayed specifically for the Father to keep us from the evil one (John 17:14 -16). We're vulnerable to being sucked into this evil world's system now and then, but our love is toward God. That love is what will draw us out and redirect our focus toward heavenly priorities.
Do you reject the world? Do you reject its false religions, damning ideologies, godless living, and vain pursuits? Instead, do you love God, His truth, His kingdom, and all that He stands for? That doesn't come naturally to any man or woman because the human tendency is to love darkness rather than light to mask evil deeds (John 3:19-20). Unbelievers are of their father the devil, and want to do the desires of their father (John 8:44). If you reject the world and its devilish desires, that is an indication of new life in Christ. And since that new life is forever...
nonsense....my salvation comes from my belief and acceptance of Jesus Christ as my savior. Faith and all its works are but outward signs of inward change. I am human so sometimes my faith is weak and my behavior not perfect. Do NOT judge my salvation by your human standards....leave it to God. And by the way faith and salvation are two different things entirely
When the mark of the beast gets here which may be shortly, then we will see.
**nonsense....my salvation comes from my belief and acceptance of Jesus Christ as my savior......And by the way faith and salvation are two different things entirely**
Entirely? “And he said unto the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.” Luke 7:50
Under the Law, this woman was found faithful in eyes of the Lord. The testator was not dead yet, so therefore the new testament was of “no strength” yet. (Heb. 9:16,17)
Our souls are placed in these mortal bodies by God. You can’t have faith and not move a muscle; see Hebrews chapter 11: they all acted upon God’s ordinance(s) which is what made them faithful in both mind and body.
The first time you heard about Jesus Christ....were you in the body or out of the body? (think about it) Did you make an effort (gasp) to go and listen to a preacher?
Read Acts 2:38. Do you have faith in it? If you won’t obey it, you don’t have faith in it.
**When the mark of the beast gets here which may be shortly, then we will see.**
People will give up their guns for food, and take the mark as well. I don’t believe in man-made climate change, but I DO believe in man-CAUSED climate change. Man’s sins will cause God to change the climate. As bad as the drought of this past summer was, the crops were only as good as they were by about 3 inches of rain. It was so close to being a wipeout for corn and soybeans over the majority of the cornbelt.
Abortion, gay marriage (gay anything), sexual misconduct of all kinds, child abuse (spoiling chidren is also child abuse. i.e. rewards for bad behavior), lying, etc. etc.
This great country is in big trouble with the Judge.
This is #4 in a series. It would be helpful for you to read the info at #1. The link is above.
That day shall not come until there is a falling away first, and then the man of sin will be revealed sitting in the temple of God.
As you point out, after centuries of Christianity, there is a great falling away.
We don’t need to wait for the mark of the beast. The falling away is evidence that they loved this world more than they loved the city prepared for them by God.
This great country is in big trouble with the Judge.
Although i do not understand every thing as well as i would like to i am amazed at the number of Christians who ignore the mark or take it lightly.
The point of the series is to follow Paul's instruction at 2 Co 13:5 - "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?"
So, the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to instruct us to EXAMINE OURSELVES. We are not to examine others...but we ARE to examine ourselves.
To what end do we do this? That also is in that scripture. We examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith, that Jesus Christ is in us. Apparently, it is possible to fail that test.
You might not like using the Apostle John's guidance in 1 John as a means of conducting that test, but I would expect it makes more sense to use biblical instructions than man-made or personal ones.
That day shall not come until there is a falling away first, and then the man of sin will be revealed sitting in the temple of God.
As you point out, after centuries of Christianity, there is a great falling away.
We don’t need to wait for the mark of the beast. The falling away is evidence that they loved this world more than they loved the city prepared for them by God.
I believe there will come a time when the people left on this earth will have a choice to take a literal mark or refuse it.
Most professed Christians will say they will be gone before this happens, but will they be?
I agree that a day will come when there will be a choice to receive or not receive the mark.
However, I am a pre-trib rapture advocate, so I tend to think the living crop of faithful Christians will be gone.
2 things:
1. I don’t argue much with my mid-trib and post-trib rapture Christian friends. They are sincere believers, any scripture about future things is always difficult. I think it makes sense for us to be aware of their biblical analysis.
2. I also think that the parable of the 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins IS probably talking about 10 who believed, but that 5 weren’t prepared at the time of the bridegroom’s coming. In short, they were left behind in a dark time that would make them weep. If this is correct that some weak Christians could be left behind, then your question about refusing the mark would be very relevant to them at some point.
However, I am a pre-trib rapture advocate, so I tend to think the living crop of faithful Christians will be gone.
The only thing that i would point out here is that there are most likely more people who have already died who believed this theory as there are who are left.
In other words if i was a fit person in the eyes of God then i believe i would not sleep in death but would be changed at the moment of death, that is what i would call the rapture.
I actually believe that there may be a few people in this world that did do the works that Jesus told us to do,
As doing unto others as you would have them do unto you, pulling some one out of a ditch with out regards to who they were, and personally giving strangers something to eat.
But some of the people who got my attention to these things did not even profess to be Christians, now it seems to me they were just humbly doing what Jesus said to do.
I have not seen very many things like this in regards to people who most loudly profess to be Christians.
I don,t know but i believe that A Christian must either live for Jesus or die for him, other wise why would Christians be warned about the mark of the beast.
I have not lived for him so i am trying to prepare myself to die for him.
Paul says we are not saved by the works of the law as we are not under the law.
James says that faith with out works is dead because faith
will be shown by works, not by the works of the law but by doing what Jesus told us to do.
Not a bunch of don,ts,
But a few do,s.
So i will be honest here, i don,t know anything except Christ is Lord. but satan also knows this so you can see where i stand.
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