Results 1 - 3 of 3
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Why was the man speechless? | Matt 22:11 | Emmaus | 29419 | ||
rbt56, Our good works after the grace of justification are not really our alone. They are the work of grace in us and us in Christ. What you are going through sounds very much like what the Christian mystics call "the dark night of the soul" or a time of of "dryness" of the Spirit. If you persevere in prayer and wait upon the Lord you will come out even more graced on the other side. It is known from the writings of the saints that the devil especially likes to tempt us to dispair as we approach the end of life so as the snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. I pray that you will persevere in faith and hope and in prayer and that God will pour out his grace upon you. His mercy is boudless to those who call upon him with a sincere and repentant heart. If we have absolute certainty of our salvation what need have we of faith or hope? We are called to faith, hope and charity. I do not recall absolute certitude as a requirement or one of the three things that last. The peace of Christ be with you. Emmaus |
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2 | Why was the man speechless? | Matt 22:11 | rbt56 | 29544 | ||
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. I am consumed with the fear that my 30 years of salvation have been false. This was made worse by studying this page at Grace To You (http://www.gty.org/IssuesandAnswers/archive/genuinefaith.htm). I am just dumb founded at these feelings and hope and trust that this is either Satan attacking or Our Father "pruning". Thank You again, all of you. Rob |
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3 | Why was the man speechless? | Matt 22:11 | Reformer Joe | 29556 | ||
Rob: The key here is to realize that works are the result of our justification and not the grounds of it. To help, perhaps you should ask yourself these questions: 1. Whom/what do you trust as your "ticket into heaven, and how? 2. How has your attitude toward sin changed since your conversion? Not that I did not ask if you had stopped sinning, because none of us have. How do you feel about your continuing sin? 3. Has God been working in your life the past 30 years and through you? If so how? Can you see a change in the pattern of your life since 1972? Please remember that a temporary feeling of stagnancy or "drifting" or emptiness does not mean that you are not saved. The Puritans addressed this feeling of not being saved hundreds of years ago in their writings, sermons, and ministry. I am not going to tell you that simply because you prayed some prayer 30 years ago that you are one of God's children, but if your trust is in Christ for your salvation and nothing else, and if your general life has reflected that trust over the past three decades (note again I did not say sinlessness), then rest assured that you are in Christ. --Joe! P.S. I am quite sure that Grace to You, the Web site to which you referred, has a number that you can contact if you wish to speak to an individual regarding these issues as well. As I said, I hope that you are not struggling with this in isolation, since God has put us in a community of believers to minister to one another. --Joe! |
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