Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: bnr-fos!bnr-public!davem@watmath.waterloo.edu (Dave Mielke) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Scripture ends? Message-ID: Date: 5 Jul 89 05:44:51 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Bell-Northern Research, Ottawa, Canada Lines: 54 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article ssc-vax!finney@beaver.cs.washington.edu (Ken Finney) writes: >I have always had problems believing that anyone can KNOW that they >are saved. I am confident that many more people believe that they >are saved than actually are. If you have any scriptural references >for me, I would appreciate them. God commands each of us to determine if he has been saved. God, through the apostle Peter, tells us in 2 Peter 1:10 "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:". This will not be easy and we must never take it for granted. Through the apostle Paul, He admonishes us in the latter part of Philippians 2:12 "work out your own savlation with fear and trembling". There are indeed many, many people who believe that they have been saved when in reality they are still destined for hell. In Matthew 7:22-23 Jesus tells us "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.". The key word here is "work". The Scriptures define even faith as a work. We are told in John 6:28-29 "Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.". What this all means is that we must not even try to claim credit for our faith. Our hearts must be in complete agreement with Ephesians 2:8-9 where we are told "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: {it is} the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.". The "that" in "and that not of yourselves" refers to the faith through which we are saved. We must realize that even our ability to have faith in God is a gift from Him and due in no way to any efforts of our own. Anyone who does not have this understanding should be very concerned that he may still be unsaved because he is still trying to claim just a little bit of glory for himself, i.e. he is not giving God ALL the credit, praise and thanksgiving that is due Him. Psalm 51:17 tells us "The sacrifices of God {are} a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.". We are not to do all the various things that we have been commanded to do in order to achieve salvation. We must, rather, find our selves having an on-going desire to do them and by that determine that we have been saved. 1 John 5:3 tells us "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.". 1 John 2:3-5 tells us "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.". Dave Mielke, 613-726-0014 856 Grenon Avenue Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K2B 6G3