11 BIBLICAL TESTS OF GENUINE SALVATION so4j/is-it-real-11-biblical-tests-of-genuine-salvation-john-macarthur.phpBy John MacArthur 1. DO YOU ENJOY FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD AND CHRIST? Have you experienced communion with God and Christ? Have you sensed Their presence? Do you have a love for Them that draws you to Their presence? Have you experienced the sweet communion of prayer--the exhilarating joy of talking to the living God? Have you experienced the refreshing, almost overwhelming sense of grace that comes upon you when you discover a new truth in His Word? If you have, then you have experienced the fellowship of salvation. 2. ARE YOU SENSITIVE TO SIN IN YOUR LIFE? The person who is truly saved is sensitive to the sinful realities in his or her life. Thats the example Paul left us in speaking of his heightened awareness of sins work in his own life (Rom 7:14-25). Consider how that applies to you. Are you very much aware of the spiritual battle raging within you? Do you realize that to have true communion with God, you have to live a holy life--that you cant walk in darkness and claim to have fellowship with Him? Are you willing to confess and forsake any sin in your life as you become aware of it? Do you realize you can choose not to sin--that youre not fighting a battle youre obliged to lose? But when you do fail, do you go to your divine advocate? Do you sometimes cry out with Paul, Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? (Rom 7:24) because youre so weary of the burden of sin in your flesh? If so, you are obviously a Christian. And since salvation is secure, you might as well enjoy it and be fully assured. 3. DO YOU OBEY THE SCRIPTURES? If you desire to obey the Word out of gratitude for all Christ has done for you, and if you see that desire producing an overall pattern of obedience, you have passed an important test indicating the presence of saving faith. 4. DO YOU REJECT THIS EVIL WORLD? Do you reject the world? Do you reject its false religions, damning ideologies, godless living, and vain pursuits? Instead, do you love God, His truth, His kingdom, and all that He stands for? That doesnt come naturally to any man or woman because the human tendency is to love darkness rather than light to mask evil deeds (John 3:19-20). Unbelievers are of their father the devil, and want to do the desires of their father (John 8:44). If you reject the world and its devilish desires, that is an indication of new life in Christ. 5. Do you Love Christ and eagerly await His Return? If you find yourself longing for the return of Jesus Christ, thats evidence of salvation. Its an indication of a new nature within, which longs to be delivered from a body of sin while becoming like the perfect Christ. If you have such holy longings and affections, youve passed an important test indicating the reality of your eternal salvation. 6. DO YOU SEE A DECREASING PATTERN OF SIN IN YOUR LIFE? If you see a decreasing pattern of sin in your life, thats evidence of holy affections. The difference between the children of God and the children of the devil is, as John said, obvious (v. 10). If you practice righteousness, youre of God. If you dont, youre not. Plain and simple. If you see victory over sin in your life, if you see righteous motives, righteous desires, righteous words, righteous deeds, and if youre not all you ought to be but certainly not what you used to be, then you have eternal life, so enjoy it. 7. DO YOU LOVE OTHER CHRISTIANS? The apostle Peter, after denying Christ three times, had a worse time than any of us can imagine with a condemning heart. Jesus came personally to assure him. Three times in a row He inquired gently about Peters devotion. In desperation, Peter replied, Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You (John 21:17). We too can appeal to the love God sees in our hearts. Its not perfect but, again, its there. And it will express itself through deeds of kindness and sacrifice to others. Jesus told Peter to reveal his love by taking care of the church. Its natural for the Christian to do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith (Gal 6:10). Your love for fellow Christians is a benchmark of the Christian faith, and solid grounds for assurance. Refuse to let your heart condemn what God does not. 8. DO YOU RECEIVE ANSWERS TO YOUR PRAYERS? Have you had your prayers answered? Is that a pattern of life for you? If so, you have eternal life. Have you prayed for an unbeliever and seen that person come to Christ? Have you prayed for someone in great distress and seen God turn the situation around into blessing and joy? Have you sought God about a void in your life and seen Him fill it? Have you prayed for forgiveness in a clear conscience and received it? Have you asked God to enable you to present His truth to an individual or group and experienced His grace to do so with great clarity? Have you sought power in proclaiming the gospel and experienced it? Have you asked that God would help you lead someone to the Savior, and He did? Have you sought contentment amidst trying circumstances and experienced Gods peace as a result? Have you asked the Lord to help you know Him better and experienced greater intimacy with Him after going through some hard lessons? Those are all indications that you belong to Him and He to you. 9. DO YOU EXPERIENCE THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT? If the Spirit is in your life, thats evidence that you abide in God and He in you (1 John 4:13). So be assured. Dont let your heart condemn you, damn you, tell you youre not a believer. Recognize the Spirits work in you. Theres no reason to doubt and be unstable. 10. CAN YOU DISCERN BETWEEN SPIRITUAL TRUTH AND ERROR? You dont have to be a seminary graduate or an expert on cults and world religions to distinguish truth from error. If you arent swayed from the basic truths of Christs divine person, work, and Word, thats evidence of genuine saving faith. 11. HAVE YOU SUFFERED ON ACCOUNT OF YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST? When the world and the spirit of Satan behind it come after you, you too have the right to be confirmed if youre hated because of righteousness. Now, if youre hated because youre obnoxious, theres no virtue in that! But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God (1 Peter 2:20). Part of that favor is being assured of your salvation.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 13:52:17 +0000
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