Doubting your Salvation

Many people have nagging doubts as to whether they are saved or not. Some of my friends have expressed this doubt. I have a friend who has read the Bible through each year faithfully for decades, yet he still has expressed this same doubt to me.

If this is also problem for you, you might consider the following.

There are a number of reasons why people may lose their assurance of salvation with the Lord.

Attending a Worldly Church

Attending a worldly church that starves the believer of any spiritual meat, i.e. the Word is not taught in any consistent way, or the Bible takes second place to social functions and “get to be a better Christian” programs. The pastor will take a few verses out of context and gives a “feel good” message with a moral to the story, instead of expounding on the precious Holy Writ. He gives you starter salads when you long for meat and potatoes.

Or attending a church that that is fundamental in its teaching, but focused on holiness but without a strong acknowledgement of the Holy Spirit within us to fill us and teach us. Attending Church is not necessarily a good thing in itself.

If the church you are attending is not preaching the Gospel, run away, quickly. If the church you are attending teaches subjects that are contrary to the Gospel run away, even faster. There are more churches now that do not teach the Word or that teach a watered down version of the Gospel meant that is be compatible to worldly Christians and unbelievers than there are honest bible believing churches. The Lord will not abandon true believers. He will give you what you need to survive in this apostate world. The Word (the Holy Bible) and the Holy Spirit within us is what we have to teach and grow us today.

But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. 1 John 2:27

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; Philippians 1:3-6

Things of the World

Things of the World can be overwhelming, or irresistible. Most of us spend the greatest part of our waking moments in a Godless, worldly environment (work), pursuing worldly things. We may be exhausted by the end of the day and just don’t feel up to any spiritual enlightenment today. There may be children or a husband or wife needing your attention.

Many people spend more time planning supper for one day than praising the Lord in an entire month. You must balance your waking moments with time for the Lord Jesus. Read the Word, seek fellowship with Christians, find a good Bible study, set aside time to read, worship, discuss. If your thoughts are continually consumed by work, sports, worldly things, or even family without putting the Lord first, your life will reflect that.

For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also. Matthew 6:21

You must find time to be with the Lord or the Lord will not bless you in His Holy Spirit. A good time to dedicate to the Lord is in the morning when the world is sleeping, when you can pray, read/study the Word. A good time to talk to the Lord is all the time, at work, or any time at all! Your body needs to eat; you find time to eat. Similarly, your heart and soul need to grow; you must find time to be with the Lord.

The Lord is near to all who call on Him to all who call on Him in truth. Psalms 145:18

Jesus loves you and saved you from your sins; this is not ethereal thing, but a promise to save you when you die.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. and the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:15-16

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21

If you are in a Christian family try to encourage other members of the family worship together.

People May Have Abiding Sin

People may have abiding sin that they can’t seem to overcome, and that shakes their belief to the core. This is probably the most insidious way that The Evil One can devastate one’s faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Remember that time when you were first saved. There was that overwhelming peace and comfort that the Holy Spirit gave you as He filled your heart. That was a miracle of the uttermost measure. Jesus said He will never leave nor forsake you; your salvation from sin has been secured by our Great Saviour (note blog – Can You Lose your Salvation?). I can attest that Jesus our Savior will never abandon His loved ones. Continue to seek Him; He will not leave you.

 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you. Hebrews 13:5

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

Do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:

“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. James 4:5-

You cannot lose your salvation; Jesus our Saviour will keep you always. However, you can lose the assurance of your salvation. If you don’t have time for the Lord, the Holy Spirit will take a step back in your life.

 This is a faithful saying:

For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him.
If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him, He also will deny us.

If we are faithless, He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself. 2 Timothy 2:11-13

Faith

Faith is a gift of God, not something you can muster up on your own.

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in who also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, Ephesians 1:13

…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9-10

 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10

 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Peter 1:3-5

Grace

Grace is a gift from the Lord. You cannot earn this grace. It is a free gift from the Lord Jesus who loves you.

And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. Ephesians 5:2

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:7

Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. James 4:8

A Summation

You accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour from your sins now, and forever. You (and all of us who are saved), are still living in the same sinful bodies that we were born in. Therefore Jesus continues to intercede for to the Father, until we are glorified as Adam and Eve were before sin made us dead to God. Read Romans 7:14-25 to Romans 8:1-4. Read it! Believe it!

We cannot maintain a sinless life on our own. This is the miracle, the mystical reality of our salvation. This is what Jesus meant when He said “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). He will restore our former glory before God.

He will restore us; but we can’t attain to God unless He make it so. You cannot lose your salvation, but you can lose the assurance of your salvation. Therefore we must seek Him always.

…which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:4-11

May the Lord bless you and keep you always; may the Holy Spirit be with you always to guide you and fill you with His Love and Assurance.

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Brian Pickup