How do I know I believe?

[Carl Emerson]

Hi there,

Back in the day, a question that bugged me was 'how can I now for sure that I believe'

This question seems to be anti-faith as there are evidences that present confidence in salvation.

For those who struggle with this question, what self assessment gives confidence in ones salvation?

There are many who are very confident in salvation that are not known by Him.

What does Scripture say?

 

[d taylor]

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You mean you do not know if you have believed in Jesus. Or are you saying you do not know if your belief is in the correct object.

Personally i know when i believe something. So I know i have believed in Jesus for Eternal Life salvation and i know that believing in Jesus is what gives a person God's free gift of Eternal Life salvation because God said it does.

 

[Carl Emerson]

In my teen years I struggled to be sure 100% that I believed. In fact I thought one could not fully know.

I assume folks today face the same issue and so I am inviting advice on what you would say to someone struggling this way.

 

[d taylor]

In my teen years I struggled to be sure 100% that I believed. In fact I thought one could not fully know.

I assume folks today face the same issue and so I am inviting advice on what you would say to someone struggling this way.

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This can be seen first in The Bible in the New Testament (Acts 15), but the Catholic church sure ramped up the doubt and still affects most Protestant churches today.

Well pastors have been successful at fashioning a gospel of doubt. Redefining what belief means, to include a list of works that if the person is not doing. Then they will say the person really did not believe in Jesus, because they are not doing this and that, etc.....

A book was written about this
A Gospel of Doubt: The Legacy of John MacArthur’s The Gospel According to Jesus – GES Store

Amazon.com

 

[d taylor]

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This also may sound like a OCD issues not knowing if you believe, here is a link to a podcast that addresses this.

Link to the podcast

 

[Carl Emerson]

OK good responses thanks.

Now can we move to what you would observe in your life if you have had a genuine encounter with the King - this is not a call to observe what you do in response, but rather what He does in you.

 

[Carl Emerson]

OK I will kick it off...

John 7:38
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Jesus promise to those who believe - there will be a deep flow of His Spirit through them.

This is a clear indication of a gift not a work.

This indicates a change of inner nature.

If you see this at work in yourself you can be confident your belief is genuine.

 

[Carl Emerson]

This reminds me of two friends, I introduced to Jesus.
They decided to join a very legalistic church.
Over time, as they submitted to the teaching from the pulpit, they noticed their joy in Jesus was disappearing.
By happenstance I visited them as they were leaving the church.
As we spoke I suggested they had substituted the Living Word within for what they were hearing over the pulpit - they repented of this and their joy immediately returned.

 

[d taylor]

OK good responses thanks.

Now can we move to what you would observe in your life if you have had a genuine encounter with the King - this is not a call to observe what you do in response, but rather what He does in you.

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I receive the Holy Spirit and i know this because of not feeling any different. But because in The Bible God promised the gift of The Holy Spirit to all who believe in Jesus. I personally need no other proof than the promise of God recorded in The Bible.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Let a man examine himself is a directive.

2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

The Bible tells us we will know He is at work within us if we have genuine faith.

 

[d taylor]

Let a man examine himself is a directive.

2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

The Bible tells us we will know He is at work within us if we have genuine faith.

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The verse does not say or state, examine yourselves to see if you really believed or are really a believer.

But this is addressed to believers, giving a call to examine themselves to see if they are in the faith. That is to see if they are living a life, that is living as a born again child of God. And not as a prodigal child who has went back to either the law or living worldly.

 

[d taylor]

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Since 2 Corinthians 13:5 mentions reprobate
A podcast on Have - I Sinned Beyond Hope? Am I a Reprobate?

Link to the podcast

 

[Carl Emerson]

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The verse does not say or state, examine yourselves to see if you really believed or are really a believer.

But this is addressed to believers, giving a call to examine themselves to see if they are in the faith. That is to see if they are living a life, that is living as a born again child of God. And not as a prodigal child who has went back to either the law or living worldly.

Paul's audience was a mix of Wheat and Tares.

Paul said to self examine to see if Jesus Christ is in you.

Jesus does not indwell non-believers.

 

[Carl Emerson]

When you travel towards Truth from reading Scripture at face value taking into account the whole picture that is revealed, you come up with a different perspective than those who learn a theology and want to tell others.

Then you don't have to make excuses about what a verse says.

 

[d taylor]

Paul's audience was a mix of Wheat and Tares.

Paul said to self examine to see if Jesus Christ is in you.

Jesus does not indwell non-believers.

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Paul addresses them as brethren

Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

 

[Carl Emerson]

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Paul addresses them as brethren

Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

Jesus warned us there would be wheat and tares among believers until judgement.
Matt 13
24 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25 But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and left.
26 And when the wheat sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also became evident.
27 And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’
28 And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves *said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’
29 But he *said, ‘No; while you are gathering up the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.
30 Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the weeds and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

 

[Lost Witness]

Interesting Topic.

 

[d taylor]

Jesus warned us there would be wheat and tares among believers until judgement.
Matt 13
24 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25 But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and left.
26 And when the wheat sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also became evident.
27 And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’
28 And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves *said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’
29 But he *said, ‘No; while you are gathering up the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.
30 Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the weeds and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

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I am not saying there will not be unbelievers along with believers in churches today, But that is simply not what Pail is addressing in 2nd Corinthians, the letter is to the believers in Corinth.
How you bring in a parable from Matthew and apply it to 2nd Corinthians is beyond me. Do you really believe this is a sound Bible study approach. That is one sure way of having errors develop in a persons theology.

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

[Carl Emerson]

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I am not saying there will not be unbelievers along with believers in churches today, But that is simply not what Pail is addressing in 2nd Corinthians, the letter is to the believers in Corinth.
How you bring in a parable from Matthew and apply it to 2nd Corinthians is beyond me. Do you really believe this is a sound Bible study approach. That is one sure way of having errors develop in a persons theology.

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus said to Peter "I give you the keys of the Kingdom..."

This was the Kingdom Jesus taught about.

Kingdom parables relate to the Kingdom.

The Kingdom includes Wheat and Tares.

Yet the Kingdom is where Jesus reigns.

The Church is meant to be where Jesus reigns.

He anticipated there would be true and false 'believers', folks He never knew, He spoke about them.

So the letters were to a mixed audience.

This is what John had to deal with - some split off, it seems not all accepted the ruling of the Jerusalem council.

Some challenged Pauls credentials - it was not all plain sailing - the enemy was without and within.

 

[d taylor]

Jesus said to Peter "I give you the keys of the Kingdom..."

This was the Kingdom Jesus taught about.

Kingdom parables relate to the Kingdom.

The Kingdom includes Wheat and Tares.

Yet the Kingdom is where Jesus reigns.

The Church is meant to be where Jesus reigns.

He anticipated there would be true and false 'believers', folks He never knew, He spoke about them.

So the letters were to a mixed audience.

This is what John had to deal with - some split off, it seems not all accepted the ruling of the Jerusalem council.

Some challenged Pauls credentials - it was not all plain sailing - the enemy was without and within.

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Well all i can say is your Biblical approach has lead you to not know whether you have believed or not. Maybe you have not or have, but that is not my case.
I know i have believed in Jesus and have received God's free gift of Eternal Life salvation and have become a permanent born again child of God. No matter how the rest of my life turns out i am a permanent born again child of God. Why because God said so.