Salvation doubts

[OkieNikki]

Hey everybody! I have a question. I thought I got saved back in 2000, but I wasn't sure. I really struggled with who Christ is & what He did. I worked in the medical field & thought to myself, "Jesus....rose from the dead....YEAH RIGHT!":D IMPOSSIBLE! I really didn't feel saved after saying the prayer, but Dec. 04, 2003 I cried to God from the heart. I felt saved, but then many circumstances in my life came up. I started doubting my salvtion again. I thought about returning to the LDS church, but I knew in my heart that that wasn't the answer. Now, I teach SS & AWNA & love working w/ the children: encouraging them to stay in God's Word, memorize verses, lead a Christian lifestyle so others will not only hear about Jesus but see Jesus in them as well. I am always in prayer for my SS class & AWANA class. But for some reason I'm doubting again that Jesus rose from the dead. I know the bible extremely well. Any suggestions? I spoke w/ the Assoct. Pastor & he thinks I'm saved, but why would a Christian doubt their salvation continuously?

Nikki

[Bible2]

"...Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."

(Mark 9:24)

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our
faith..."

(Hebrews 12:2)

"If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

(Romans 10:9)

[OkieNikki]

"...Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."

(Mark 9:24)

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our
faith..."

(Hebrews 12:2)

"If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

(Romans 10:9)
I love those verses! Thank you!

[Knight]

We are saved by grace through faith. (see my signature)

Our status in Christ is not based upon our feelings. It is based upon God's magnificent grace. This is way beyond a feeling.

[Reformationist]

Hey everybody! I have a question. I thought I got saved back in 2000, but I wasn't sure. I really struggled with who Christ is & what He did. I worked in the medical field & thought to myself, "Jesus....rose from the dead....YEAH RIGHT!":D IMPOSSIBLE! I really didn't feel saved after saying the prayer, but Dec. 04, 2003 I cried to God from the heart. I felt saved, but then many circumstances in my life came up. I started doubting my salvtion again. I thought about returning to the LDS church, but I knew in my heart that that wasn't the answer. Now, I teach SS & AWNA & love working w/ the children: encouraging them to stay in God's Word, memorize verses, lead a Christian lifestyle so others will not only hear about Jesus but see Jesus in them as well. I am always in prayer for my SS class & AWANA class. But for some reason I'm doubting again that Jesus rose from the dead. I know the bible extremely well. Any suggestions? I spoke w/ the Assoct. Pastor & he thinks I'm saved, but why would a Christian doubt their salvation continuously?

Nikki

Please understand that my answer is intended to inform and not condemn so please do not be offended. You have only given us a brief insight to your feelings so my answer will be based on what you have shared. I do not presume to know where you are at in your walk with God nor to imply that you are not saved.

Now, judging from the information you have provided, it seems to me that your doubts spawn from an inaccurate understanding of why disciples of God are reconciled to Him and stand justified before His judgment seat. You say that you have a hard time believing that He rose from the dead due to your medical training. You say that you "said the prayer" but didn't feel saved. You submit that you "cried to God from the heart" and then felt saved. Then you say you struggled and thought of returning to the LDS church but, instead, now work with children, encouraging them to stay in God's Word, memorize verses, and lead a Christian lifestyle so others will not only hear about Jesus but see Jesus in them as well. You also comment that you are "always in prayer." While working with children and encouraging them to obedience is a great thing I did not see a single mention in your post that proclaims that you have ever recognized the reason you stand reconciled to God. All of the knowledge and prayer in the world is wonderful but it will never justify you in God's eyes. The thing that all Christians need to recognize is that it is not our obedience or our assurance of salvation that justifies us before God. It is God's merciful and gracious act of imputing unto you the righteous merit of Christ's obedience and, through that, reconciling you to Him on that basis. I am not claiming that our obedience isn't important. I am not claiming that our obedience isn't necessary. I'm not even claiming that our obedience isn't required. What I'm telling you is that if you are saved you are justified before God because of God.

You see, all Christians occasionally struggle with weak faith. When things are going great we fail to be thankful to God for our situation and it is often only when we fall into trial and temptation that we are forced to, once again, recognize our total dependence upon the Lord for all things. What you are experiencing, my sister, is weak faith, not a lack of salvation.

You need to recognize that if you belong to the Lord you are His because of His work, not yours. Therefore, if He has been pleased to make you His own it's because of the pleasure He has in the vicarious obedience of His Son. If you became His through the propitiatory work of His Son then you will remain His because of His sovereign power to keep you, not your obedience.

When we place the faith of our salvation on our obedience or on how we "feel" then we completely miss the point of Christ's sacrifice and leave ourself open to being tossed to and fro by strange doctrine and our feelings of doubt.

Remember, salvation is of the Lord. Ask yourself this: Do you love the Lord and desire and strive to keep His Law because you love Him? Do you look to His obedience alone as the ground for your justification?

If you cannot answer yes to those things then you need to question your salvation. If, however, you can answer those questions in the affirmative you are a child of God and will always be a child of God. Let your thankfulness for the great condescending mercy of God in your salvation move you to obedience, not your fear of His judgment or your belief that how you feel or how well you obey will justify you before His judgment seat.

God bless

[daverain]

.


The message that Christ DIED for you (not Buddha or anyone else has even claimed to have done this.),

And that He rose again (death could NOT hold Him).


Is THE BEST MESSAGE IN THE WORLD.


Please try this:
--------------

There MUST be a God,

He MUST love you,

ANY hope would be that you and He would be together forever.

Jesus MUST be the way (=His perfect life and death accounted to you, by believing UPON Him.)

The Spirit which raised Him from the dead can also give us life (here, and hereafter).

If this ISN'T true, there is NO hope.

(and there MUST be hope. Right?)


"Whoever comes to me I will NEVER drive away."
--Jesus.



.

[Lynn73]

I tend to doubt my salvation, too, sometimes. But I remember when I accepted Christ and there was a change in my life. I think the devil likes to get us on the performance treadmill. We look at our lives and see how imperfect they are and think how can we possibly be saved. We're not good enough. Of course we're not good enough, that's why Jesus came and took the penalty for our sin. When we get our eyes off of Him as far as salvations is concerned, and on to our performance, we're trusting the wrong thing for salvation. Yes, I know that works are important but it's through Christ alone we're saved.

[Bible2]

"...work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both
to will and to do of his good pleasure."

(Philippians 2:12-13)

[daverain]

.



"...work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both
to will and to do of his good pleasure."

(Philippians 2:12-13)



When the word 'salvation' is used in the bible...


it does -NOT- always refer to salvation of the soul.


(Salvation CAN ALSO mean: Salvation fom: sin, death, pain, wicked-people, etc.)

I feel if one reads the context in the above passage, one WILL see this.



Christians ARE saved -forever- from HELL.


"Whoever comes to me, I will NEVER drive away."

-Jesus


"Whoever eats THIS bread WILL live forever."

-Jesus


.

[daverain]

.



I tend to doubt my salvation, too, sometimes. But I remember when I accepted Christ and there was a change in my life. I think the devil likes to get us on the performance treadmill. We look at our lives and see how imperfect they are and think how can we possibly be saved. We're not good enough. Of course we're not good enough, that's why Jesus came and took the penalty for our sin. When we get our eyes off of Him as far as salvations is concerned, and on to our performance, we're trusting the wrong thing for salvation. Yes, I know that works are important but it's through Christ alone we're saved.




Amen, amen, 100%-amen.



.

[Bible2]

"...thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but
fear: For if God spared not the natural branches,
take heed lest he also spare not thee. 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."

(Romans 11:20-22)

[OkieNikki]

I guess you all are right. Thanks for the insight. I tend to be so close to the problems in my life & that's all I see. My pastor (Bro. Keith) once said many years ago, "Sometimes God forces us flat on our backs to force us to look up." He was so right.

Nikki

[Reformationist]

My pastor (Bro. Keith) once said many years ago, "Sometimes God forces us flat on our backs to force us to look up." He was so right.

Nikki

Wise advice Nikki. I pray the Lord gives you peace and assurance of your adoption as His child.

God bless

[daverain]

.



"...thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but
fear: For if God spared not the natural branches,
take heed lest he also spare not thee. 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."

(Romans 11:20-22)


Yes.

And, how I feel one can tell a TRUE Christian...


Is that they WILL continue in His goodness.

=They WILL hold on to Him FOREVER.


(and I'm obviously not alone on this, either.)


-Peace in Christ.



.

[Bible2]

"...we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the
beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end..."

(Hebrews 3:14)