May

14

‘Are you sure you’re a ‘true’ believer?’

May 14, 2008 |

Posted by ben hind · Filed Under Salvation, Christian Life 

I hate this question.

Mostly because it’s a question some evangelists use in order to stir their audience into examining their salvation, in order for some who haven’t ever been ’stired’ before (because they’ve probably been brought up in a church-going culture but have never put their trust in Jesus to save them) to make a decision. The problem is, it makes a lot of Christians who have already made a decision and really are trusting in Christ to doubt their salvation. And because they really do believe in hell… that means they don’t feel so good. They start getting terrified of God (in a very unhealthy and bad way), they don’t know where they’re going when they die, they think God’s going to punish them and they don’t know whether to trust that God will save them.

I know preachers who ask this kind of question have good intentions. They really don’t want anyone to be going to hell. And they really want you to be sure of where your going. Have you been asked that question and felt inadequate? Like you’re not good enough to be a ‘true’ believer? That you’re supposed to live this impossibly holy lifestyle that no one can live?? I think if you’ve been a Christian long enough you probably have. And you may not have reacted very well afterwards. Maybe you’re still recovering!

So, how can you know?

1. Was there a time in the past when you decided to trust in Jesus death in order to be forgiven by God? (Acts 10:43, 1 John 1:8-10)
If so, then God’s already forgiven you. It isn’t about how ‘forgiven’ we feel, or how close to God we feel. If you have made that decision and asked for forgiveness then God has forgiven you. You don’t have to remember exactly when this happened, just so long as it happened.

2. Do you believe that Jesus died to take the punishment for your sins? (John 3:16-18, Romans 10:9-11, Romans 5:6-10)
If so, then you have faith. The end! It doesn’t matter how much faith you feel you have. If you believe the above statement is true, then you believe it’s true. That’s all the faith you need, and you no longer need to fear God’s punishment for your sins.

3. Has it made a difference in your life? (John 3:1-8)
If so, then you’re born again. I don’t mean ‘has it made you perfect?’ No one is perfect… and you’ll never be perfect! Sorry to break it to you, but it’s true. But God isn’t concerned with whether or not your perfect, He’s much more concerned about the direction you’re heading. Generally speaking, has it changed the direction of your life so that your growing as a Christian? However slow that growth is, it’s still growth. Growing as a Christian doesn’t make you saved, it just provides evidence that you’re already saved.

4. Do you desire to please God by what you do? (1 John 2:3-6, Romans 7:7-25)
If so, then you’re born again. We still have inward battles to fight. We want to do good and please God, but we get tempted back into sin. The apostle Paul went through this struggle in Romans 7. But having the desire to please God shows that we have been born again. Again, having a desire to please God doesn’t make you saved, it just provides evidence that you’re already saved.

These are just some things to help you work things out for yourself. If you’re going through a similar experience to what I went through with my struggle with depression, just keep reminding yourself of these things. I’m not trying to trick you into believing your saved when your not, I just don’t want you to sink as low as I did… and not knowing how to deal with it or where to get a reliable source of information about this is the worst part. Look at the scriptures, work it out for yourself. I hope I’m being helpful!

Take care.


Comments

4 Comments so far

  1. Samson on May 14, 2008 7:46 pm

    Well said. this could be made into a track for witnessing to those who use typical tracks. again well said.

  2. lisa robinson on May 14, 2008 8:17 pm

    Here’s a picture of what happens in many cases, I think. Suppose I told you Ben I am going to clean your house. You can watch me but you will not have to lift a finger as I clean your house. But you must trust me that I will have your house clean by the end of the day. Now during the time that I am cleaning your house, you may doubt that I am and begin to start cleaning yourself because maybe you don’t trust that I will have it clean by the end of the day. In the end, you know you want a clean house but you doubt that I will do it.

    Jesus paid it all on the cross so we won’t have to. But as in the analogy above, we think there is something we need to do to be right. But the right comes as a result of trust.

    Yes, we must remember 1)the sufficiency of the sacrifice of Christ and 2)the nature and principle of sin, that thing at work in us that wants to resist God and His ways.

  3. ben hind on May 15, 2008 9:54 am

    Samson,

    A tract for the tract givers?! I like that idea :P .

    Lisa,

    That’s well said…

    “Jesus paid it all on the cross so we won’t have to. But as in the analogy above, we think there is something we need to do to be right. But the right comes as a result of trust.”

    Trust is our bit. I think some people find that hard. Sometimes in an effort to win people to Christ some preachers tend to emphasise the fact that we need to repent and change our ways. Which is right. But when that becomes what Christianity is all about then it tends to become more of a works-based salvation, and people tend to start thinking ‘I’m not good enough’. And it makes a lot of Christians doubt whether trusting that Jesus paid the penalty for their sins really was enough, hence the doubting their salvation. I know that’s not what they’re trying to do… but it comes across like that sometimes. I hope you understand what I mean.

    - Ben

  4. lisa robinson on May 15, 2008 11:45 am

    Ben, I like that tract idea too :)

    Also, I think the fact that we have put emphasis on repentence is the problem. I believe that repentence and believing are 2 sides of the same coin. In other words, repentence comes with believing and not to be confused with the sanfication process.

    What does Paul say in Acts 14:21(?)that we have to do to be saved, “believe in the Lord Jesus”. Believing does entail trusting and we can’t trust without a base-line understanding in what we are trusting in. This involves a full presentation of the necessity and sufficiency of the sacrifice that was made for us. I think people focus on what they need to do because maybe they have not had an adequate presentation of the gospel.

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