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NASB | 1 John 3:24 The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 John 3:24 The one who habitually keeps His commandments [obeying His word and following His precepts, abides and] remains in Him, and He in him. By this we know and have the proof that He [really] abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us [as a gift]. |
Bible Question:
How do we know that we are truly saved? Are there any scriptures that tell us if we are saved? If so, please tell me what they are. Just because I am a pastor does not mean that I really know the right answers. So do not see this as a test that I will grade. :-) Honestly, I do not feel that these questions are discussed enough, so I will not respond except to clarify or ask followup questions. Any comments? Pastor Glenn |
Bible Answer: Hi, Pastor Glenn! Good discussion question! Note that any of the answers that I give below are not absolute guarantees of salvation. They are gleaned from the scriptures. They may not be exhaustive, partly due to my memory, but also because I may not have thought of everything! :-) Anyway, I hope this helps. 1. Have I called upon the Lord for salvation? (Acts 2:21) 2. Have I recognized my sin and need for God, repenting demonstrating repentance in my life (i.e., is my life changed)? (Luke 13:3, Matthew 3:8, 1 John 1:8-9) 3. Have I the confidence of the Spirit that I am saved? (Romans 8:16) 4. Do I have a zeal for good works? (Titus 2:14) Is work of God in my life demonstrated by my deeds? (James 3:13, Titus 1:16) 5. Do people around me know of my faith? (Matthew 5:16, Romans 10:9) 6. Do I love my fellow believers and demonstrate that love? (John 13:35, 1 John 3:18) 7. Do I love the word of God and do I seek to keep it? (Psalm 119, 1 John 2:5) Well, let's see... I would have to throw in something about sound doctrine, too. But I've had a long day and I'm running out of steam! I would say, in general, that our faith must be manifest in three broad areas (Luke 10:27): (1) cognitive (what we believe), relational (where our heart is), and volitional (what we choose to do). But, as always, I maintain that we are saved by works... yes, works... but works done by God, not us. It is all His doing! Sorry for dumping these thoughts with so little organization. But maybe they will get the discussion going. :-) In Him, Doc |