CAN I BE SURE OF MY SALVATION?
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. Can I Be Sure of My Salvation?
a) Some churches have doctrines telling exactly what is required to be saved, but the Bible does not.
b) Different books of the New Testament tell different aspects of salvation (Matthew 7:21-23, 25:31-46, Luke 10:25-28, John 3:16, James 2:14-17, etc.) God will judge different people by different standards, depending on their knowledge of the Gospel and the wealth, gifts and abilities that have been entrusted to them (Matthew 10:14-15, 11:21-24, Luke 12:47-48, 20:45-47, 21:1-4, John 9:40-41, 15:22-24, Romans 2:12-16, 1 Corinthians 3:7-9, Galatians 6:3-5, James 3:1):
i) From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded. (Luke 12:48)
c) The Bible does make it clear that we must humble ourselves before God (Matthew 11:29-30, 18:2-4) and depend on His mercy. We cannot stand before God at the final judgment and claim we are entitled to salvation on the merit of church membership or anything we have done, said or believed.
d) The steps required to prepare ourselves for judgment come almost naturally for some people. But, for most of us, those steps require long, difficult changes in attitudes and beliefs. The Bible's advice is to put our whole faith and trust in Christ and obey His teachings. When we fail, as we often will, we must repent. We should be making progress toward holiness and moral perfection (Matthew 5:48, 2 Corinthians 7:1), although we will never fully reach those goals. Our efforts toward perfection must be absolutely sincere; we may impress other people with outward displays of holiness, but God will not be fooled (Matthew 23:27-28, 1 Corinthians 4:5).
The End ...
1. Can I Be Sure of My Salvation?a) Some churches have doctrines telling exactly what is required to be saved, but the Bible does not.
b) Different books of the New Testament tell different aspects of salvation (Matthew 7:21-23, 25:31-46, Luke 10:25-28, John 3:16, James 2:14-17, etc.) God will judge different people by different standards, depending on their knowledge of the Gospel and the wealth, gifts and abilities that have been entrusted to them (Matthew 10:14-15, 11:21-24, Luke 12:47-48, 20:45-47, 21:1-4, John 9:40-41, 15:22-24, Romans 2:12-16, 1 Corinthians 3:7-9, Galatians 6:3-5, James 3:1):
i) From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded. (Luke 12:48)
c) The Bible does make it clear that we must humble ourselves before God (Matthew 11:29-30, 18:2-4) and depend on His mercy. We cannot stand before God at the final judgment and claim we are entitled to salvation on the merit of church membership or anything we have done, said or believed.
d) The steps required to prepare ourselves for judgment come almost naturally for some people. But, for most of us, those steps require long, difficult changes in attitudes and beliefs. The Bible's advice is to put our whole faith and trust in Christ and obey His teachings. When we fail, as we often will, we must repent. We should be making progress toward holiness and moral perfection (Matthew 5:48, 2 Corinthians 7:1), although we will never fully reach those goals. Our efforts toward perfection must be absolutely sincere; we may impress other people with outward displays of holiness, but God will not be fooled (Matthew 23:27-28, 1 Corinthians 4:5).
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