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NASB | Ephesians 1:13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 1:13 In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God]. [John 7:39; Acts 2:33] |
Bible Question:
Dear Saints and Fellow Forumers, Greetings in the name of Jesus! Many use this Scripture to prove that we are indwelt (filled) with the Holy Spirit the moment we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Yet, I also hear many saying that if a person 'backslides,' it is really that he was never really saved to begin with. How can we reconcile these two common beliefs? Is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit truly 'automatic,' synonymous with salvation? What of Luke 11:13 NASB, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" ? How can we on earth know that a person is saved? I know that we can 'look at the fruit' of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23), but what of those that HAVE manifest this fruit, yet through depression or temptation yielded to sin and returned to their former ways? Were they 'never saved?' (To be fair, I find it hard to believe that a person can go through multiple saved-unsaved-saved...states.) Blessings, one and all, this blessed season! In Christ Jesus, charis |
Bible Answer: Greetings my friend! You ask me how I know that I am saved? Because He lives within my heart! :-) And that is enough evidence right there for me to know that He has indeed saved my soul. And I know, that regardless of what happens, that I will NEVER renounce Him as my Lord and Savior, even if I am faced with death. I love the Lord Jesus Christ, and I will always find myself "renewed" in Spirit by His endless love, which covers over the multitude of my sins! Yes, I keep sinning. But I have never failed to renounce my sin and to seek to turn away from it. The Lord truly lives inside of me!! And I would never renounce Him as Lord, no matter how badly my sin looks. I believe that that is the *key*, my friend: If a person ever goes so far as to renounce Christ completely, turning their back on the Lord for whatever reason, then they were never given this inexplicable joy and love and regeneration in their hearts that all who believe now enjoy!! Jesus truly becomes a part of you, a part of your very self. He is much closer than a family member, and we must be honest with Him, confessing our sin, and know that He will love us no matter what. And we must continue to strive to please our Savior, who is much closer than even a spouse! If we have this, my friend, then we are truly saved! If we believe in Jesus with all of our heart and mind, and believe that God raised Him from the dead, then we will be saved! How could anyone who has ever experienced His presence truly renounce Him? May this never be! It is beyond my capacity as a human being to do so, and I will never renounce my Lord and Savior, even faced with death! Praise the Lord! So the *key* is in the renouncing of Christ. If a person who claims to be a Christian sins, and is willing to completely turn away from that sin rather than to turn away from Christ, then that in and of itself is *evidence* that a person has been truly saved. However, if a person ever renounces Christ, based on whatever circumstances and not knowing the fullness of the Love that they have abandoned, then they have never experienced this endless Love and Joy in the first place.. How could anyone truly turn away from Christ, if they have truly walked with Him? I believe the *key* is in the renunciation of Him, something that I hope and pray never happens! Blessings to you, Nolan |