Participants:
Series Code: RQRA
Program Code: RQRA000017A
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00:01 I don't understand.
00:04 Why did this have to happen to me? 00:08 I feel like I just can't make sense of things. 00:12 I need answers. 00:15 Where is God? 00:20 Welcome to Raw Questions Relevant Answers, 00:22 a program where we deal with heavy, real issues 00:25 that plague our young people 00:27 and giving Christ-centered simple answers. 00:30 So today's program is on the topic 00:31 of assurance of salvation or the topic of salvation, 00:34 and I've two awesome co-hosts with me 00:36 Michelle Doucoumes, a college professor 00:39 and Mark Paden, a freelance film maker. 00:41 And we're just gonna start right away 00:43 'cause we have a lot we want to cover. 00:45 So the first question is, "Can we feel saved? 00:49 Or do we just take it by faith?" 00:51 This is from a 22-year old male from Illinois. 00:54 "Can we feel saved 00:55 or do we just take it on faith?" 00:57 What say ye? 00:59 Yeah, I think the first thing 01:02 and, I think, some of the background 01:04 that this is coming from is just the understanding that, 01:06 you know, sometimes we won't feel saved. 01:09 We feel like God isn't near. 01:12 We feel in the dark, and we feel sometimes that, 01:17 it's just a concept 01:18 that we don't always feel God near. 01:21 And does that mean we are unsaved? 01:22 Well, the beauty of the scripture 01:24 is that it teaches that we walk by faith and not by sight. 01:27 If we have given our lives to God, 01:29 if we have given up the sin that we know 01:33 and are doing what we know to be right, 01:36 then we are safe with God. 01:38 But the question goes deeper than that. 01:41 Actually, can you read the question one more time? 01:43 Sure. It says, "Can we feel saved? 01:45 Or do we just take it on faith?" 01:48 Like we have any feeling of confirmation at some stage 01:51 or what can we know 01:53 or do we just have to believe by faith that we're saved, 01:54 we never fully know. 01:56 Yeah, well, and I think the beauty of this is that 01:58 just because at times we have to rely on faith 02:01 that God has accepting of us, we can also know 02:03 that the smile of heaven is upon us. 02:05 There's those times 02:06 when we draw close to God in sweet communion 02:08 and know that he is looking down on us in love 02:12 that we can have the conscious knowledge 02:14 that we are obedient and saved in Him. 02:18 And I don't think that, 02:20 at least it hasn't been in my experience 02:22 that every single day, I'm having to rely on faith 02:24 that somehow God has approving of me. 02:25 Right. 02:27 You know, one of my favorite verses 02:29 just regarding in general salvation, 02:32 how I know that, what I feel about that 02:34 is in 1 John 5:13. 02:38 It says, "These things I have written to you 02:41 who believe in the name of the Son of God, 02:44 that you may know that you have eternal life, 02:48 and that you may continue to believe in the Son of God." 02:53 You know, that we may know that we have eternal life. 02:55 It doesn't say that I may guess that I have eternal life, 02:58 that I may have eternal life 03:00 when I feel like I have eternal life, 03:02 that we may know. 03:04 And an interesting thing to me is how beliefs cause feelings, 03:10 and it's really interesting. 03:11 We can have feelings, 03:12 but we don't know why we feel a certain way. 03:15 But those feelings are really rooted 03:17 in some kind of belief, 03:18 and so the question I would ask is 03:20 do I truly believe what God says. 03:23 If I truly have accepted Jesus, if I've given my life to Him, 03:28 if I've asked Him to be the Lord of my life, 03:30 do I then take what this says in scripture literally 03:34 that says that I may know that I have eternal life, 03:37 and there is faith with it too. 03:39 Hebrews 10:22, 03:41 "Let us draw near with a true heart, 03:43 full of assurance of faith, 03:46 having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience 03:48 and our bodies washed with pure water," 03:50 and then it says to, 03:52 "Let our hope be without wavering 03:54 for he who promised is faithful." 03:56 So what I've seen is that 03:59 it needs to start with being really grounded 04:01 and what God says about my salvation, 04:04 and you may find that 04:05 that in turn kind of changes the feelings, 04:08 they start to go with those beliefs. 04:10 It says in James 2:16, that Abraham believed God 04:13 and it was accounted to him as righteousness. 04:15 And the context is Genesis 15 04:17 when He's trusting the seed of Abraham, 04:19 the future seed to be indeed the Messiah for the world. 04:23 And I think 04:24 there are some good principles for us there 04:26 that when he believed what God said 04:27 about his standing in heaven, 04:28 he was viewed as righteous, right? 04:31 We're told in 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sins, 04:35 He is faithful, He's not going to let us down, 04:37 and He's just in doing so to forgive us our sins 04:41 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 04:44 I think there are some good principles there for us 04:45 as far as from scripture, 04:47 that if we've brought those sins to Jesus, 04:49 if we've asked for forgiveness, 04:50 if we trust Him for our righteousness, 04:52 we can know that we are viewed 04:54 as righteous in heaven. 04:55 It says in Ephesians chapter 1, 04:56 the Holy Spirit acts as a seal of our redemption 04:59 when we say yes to Christ, 05:01 not in this like once saved, always saved sense, 05:03 it's assuming we walk in that decision, 05:05 but the point is when we say yes to Jesus, 05:07 the Holy Spirit's testifying that this is a child of God, 05:10 this person has been grafted into the branch 05:13 as a child of heaven. 05:15 Paul in Romans 8 says 05:16 that we are adopted into the family 05:18 as a child of God. 05:20 And so there's lots of language used in scripture 05:22 that gives us that sense of affirmation 05:25 that we can know. 05:26 It says in 1 John in two different instances 05:28 that how do we know that we know Him, 05:30 by His Spirit whom He has given us, 05:32 evidence of the Spirit working in our life, 05:34 many verses that we could run to 05:35 I think in that context. 05:37 But I think there are some good principles here 05:39 that we can start with. 05:40 Do you have something else 05:41 or you want to go to the next question? 05:43 I just wanted to dern this really quick too. 05:44 I think one important thing 05:46 that we would be remiss without saying is, 05:49 each of us have an individual accountability to God 05:52 in which we need to be sure of our salvation. 05:56 We don't... 05:57 It's not safe for us 05:59 to go one day without the knowledge 06:02 that we are safe in God, 06:04 that we are doing His will, that we are His children, 06:08 that we haven't sinfully departed from Christ. 06:12 We shouldn't ever get in this kind of false sense of security 06:18 in which we're just going through life 06:20 doing our normal thing and relaxing 06:22 in the fact that because we're Christians 06:23 and have that one time or even maybe a couple times 06:27 profess to follow God that then we're safe. 06:30 Daily, we need to be honest with ourselves 06:32 and honest with God and coming to Him and truly, 06:35 truly repenting and truly seeking Him daily 06:37 and truly trusting and resting in Him daily 06:40 because without that experience, 06:44 our Christian life will lack the vitality that is needed. 06:47 So there's never a day in which we should not understand 06:51 and recognize our need of Jesus. 06:53 Right. 06:54 There's never been a day in my experience 06:56 where I haven't needed Jesus, and no matter how awesome 06:57 my life may look to the people around me 07:00 or how much fruit there is, 07:01 I'm still desperately in need of Jesus 07:03 because the only good things I do 07:05 came from Him anyway, right? 07:07 Whether I feel saved that day 07:08 or I feel really horrible that day, 07:10 I need Jesus the same amount. 07:11 Absolutely. 07:13 So our second question kind of picks up 07:14 on this idea to some degree of some logical follow-ups 07:17 to our experience that we ask, right? 07:20 Maybe we can know 07:21 we had that assurance initially, but then what about 07:22 when something like this happens? 07:24 They say, this is from a female who's 26 years old 07:26 who says that, "Is my repentance false 07:28 if I later fall under the same sin?" 07:32 which I think we all can relate to 07:33 in some form or fashion like, "If I came to Jesus 07:36 and asked for forgiveness and meant it, 07:38 but then I fall later, what does God do with that? 07:41 How does He work with that? And how does that look?" 07:45 So what are some thoughts you guys have on that? 07:47 You know, a really common text that encourages me 07:51 is Proverbs 24:16. 07:54 It says, "For a righteous man 07:55 may fall seven times and rise again, 07:58 but the wicked shall fall by calamity." 08:02 You know, and the big thing there is 08:04 the righteous man may fall 08:06 but what does he do when he falls? 08:09 He rises again. 08:12 And that's what a Christian life is. 08:14 We keep getting up, we keep going back to Jesus 08:16 even when we mess up. 08:18 And I know there's a lot of kind of controversy about this, 08:22 well, what if though I got hit by a car 08:24 right after I fell down and I didn't get to get up yet, 08:27 and so on and so forth. 08:29 An illustration that kind of helped me with that also 08:31 is remembering that our salvation 08:33 is a relationship. 08:35 It's a connection with God. 08:37 It's analogized in scripture to a marriage with Christ. 08:41 And for those of you who are married, 08:44 just because you mess up with your spouse 08:47 or have a fight, does that mean that you're suddenly divorced? 08:51 No. 08:52 But if you continue that pattern, 08:54 if we don't go back, 08:56 if there's not reconciliation in working to it, 08:58 it's gonna lead to divorce, 09:00 it's gonna lead to a breaking of that relationship 09:03 in the long run. 09:04 So maybe something is not just saying, 09:06 "Did I fall? But am I building that relationship?" 09:10 What's the trajectory of the heart? 09:11 That's the question. 09:13 "Like are my goals, ambitions 09:14 and everything about what I want 09:16 is that heaven word 09:17 or do I have like this dual citizenship," right? 09:20 There's a big difference here. 09:21 And I think that's helpful. Go ahead. 09:23 There's this other quote that, it's from the book, 09:25 Steps to Christ, that I really love. 09:28 "There are those who have known the partnering love of Christ 09:31 and who really desire to be children of God, 09:33 yet they realize that their character is imperfect, 09:36 their life faulty, and they are ready to doubt 09:39 whether their hearts have been renewed 09:40 by the Holy Spirit. 09:41 To such, I would say, 'Do not drop back in despair. 09:44 We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus 09:49 because of our shortcomings and mistakes. 09:52 But we are not to be discouraged. 09:55 Even if we are overcome by the enemy, 09:57 we are not cast off, 09:59 not forsaken and rejected of God. 10:01 Know Christ is at the right hand of God 10:03 who also makes intercession for us.'" 10:05 And I think that's just so beautiful. 10:07 You know, we often have to bow down 10:09 and weep at the feet of Jesus. 10:11 We get slammed by those temptations. 10:13 But the beautiful thing is that 10:15 Christ doesn't forsake us on that. 10:17 He keeps pursuing. 10:18 Does Jesus want these sins to exist in our life? No. 10:22 Does Jesus have a solution to these sins in our life? Yes. 10:26 John picks up on this one in 1 John 2:1. 10:28 He says, "My little children, these things I write to you 10:31 so that you may not sin." 10:32 I don't want you to. 10:34 "But if anyone sins, 10:35 we have an Advocate with the Father, 10:37 Jesus Christ the righteous. 10:39 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, 10:42 and not for ours only but also for the whole world." 10:45 And I love this because Jesus is pursuing the whole world, 10:48 not just believers, first of all. 10:50 But two, God doesn't want us to sin. 10:52 Sin is never a good thing. It's never okay. 10:56 But if we sin, we have an advocate. 10:58 And if we come to Jesus, scripture is abundantly clear 11:01 that if we come to Him and confess our sins, 11:03 He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins 11:06 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness 11:08 to offer us freedom and healing and restoration. 11:11 And I believe that all of us are of the mind 11:13 that this is not going to be a permanent situation, right? 11:16 If we're earnestly walking with God 11:17 and growing in grace, 11:19 the spirit of Jesus begins this transformative work 11:22 that Mark alluded to in a previous episode, 11:24 in Ezekiel 36, where he says, 11:25 "I'll cleanse you from all your filthiness 11:27 and from all your idols. 11:28 Those things will begin to leave your experience. 11:30 I will remove the heart of stone 11:31 from your flesh, 11:33 I'll give you a heart of flesh, your sincerity, your warmth, 11:35 and your connection with God will grow." 11:37 But then he says, "I'm going to put 11:39 the Spirit of God within you, 11:40 who will cause you to walk in my statues 11:42 and you will keep my judgments and do them." 11:45 He promises that through the power of the Holy Spirit, 11:47 He will enable you to live a life now 11:50 that you couldn't live before. 11:52 And that happens by trusting the process, 11:55 by abiding in the vine, 11:56 and by immersing yourself in the truth of God, 11:59 and asking Him to transform your mind, right? 12:02 We're told to, "Do not be conformed to this world 12:04 but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." 12:07 And it's in another place 12:08 I think talking about being washed 12:10 with the water of regeneration, 12:12 through the word. 12:13 I believe that the power of God is indeed that. 12:16 The power of God to salvation, 12:17 as Paul says in Romans 1:16 and 17, 12:19 that he wasn't ashamed of the gospel 12:21 because there's the power of God to salvation 12:23 for everyone who believes. 12:25 Jew, Greek, doesn't matter, 12:28 it is meant to be a power that transforms, 12:30 but we need to believe what He says 12:32 first and foremost. 12:33 And when we do that, He begins a process, 12:36 it says in Philippians, right? 12:37 "That he who begins the work in you, 12:40 will see it through." 12:41 And so I think there's some 12:43 precious promises available to us. 12:45 Any closing thoughts you guys have on this topic? 12:50 Nothing? Well. 12:52 I'll read another text here that encourages me. 12:56 It's in 1 Corinthians 2:1. 12:59 It says, "That your faith should not be 13:01 in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." 13:04 It's the power of God for our salvation. 13:07 The previous chapter talks about the message of the cross 13:09 as foolishness to others, but to us, 13:12 it's the power of God to salvation. 13:14 And that is the thing. 13:16 The God who has begun the work in us 13:18 has the power to finish it and complete it. 13:21 Yeah Go ahead. 13:23 I just want to throw in here too, sorry. 13:25 Yeah. 13:26 We shouldn't get discouraged 13:28 if we feel incredibly sinful and hopeless. 13:30 You know, we may have had the worst history, 13:34 we may have done all the bad things in the book, 13:37 God's grace is more powerful than that. 13:39 Amen. 13:40 His blood is able to cleanse and save to the uttermost 13:42 all men that come on to God by Him. 13:44 So it doesn't matter where somebody has been, 13:46 they can be saved. 13:47 Yeah, we're told in scripture that the power of God is indeed 13:50 that the power of God to transform the life. 13:53 He wants to do that for you. 13:55 But will you believe Him today? 13:56 Will you receive that free gift of salvation 13:59 and say yes, 14:00 you have begun, we'll see it through. 14:02 Any more questions you'd like to send to us, 14:04 you can send them to RQRA3ABN on Facebook. 14:08 We love to hear from you 14:09 as we continue to address these raw questions 14:11 for our young people today. |
Revised 2018-09-10