Assurance | How do I know I'm Saved?

[@NicholasproclaimerofMessiah]

I've never struggled with assurance. The moment I was suddenly persuaded that the Gospel Promise is true, I knew that I never again needed to worry that I may not be saved. I did look to my transformation to justify my assurance, but I've since come to understand that Lord Jesus has made the Gospel Promise obvious and He is worthy to be believed so that, if I believe, then He is all the justification that my assurance could possibly need. In the parable of the pharisee and the publican, the pharisee thanks God for his (the pharisee's) good works, and that is much what it is like when one looks to their works as if that offers them assurance. If in one's heart, one's own works is genuinely his source of assurance, then he is trusting his own works instead of the Promise and Promiser, even if he insists that his works came by God's grace. Whether someone is already saved but experiencing weakness of belief/assurance, or whether he is not yet genuinely believing, the solution is the same; he needs to be encouraged to look to the cross of Christ and to the parameters of the Gospel Promise to see that God is willing to save sinners, so that his trust may be solely in God and none in anything else. If we trust the Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus is worthy to be believed, and to look to our own works is an insult to that trustworthiness, because if He is trustworthy then we already have full assurance. That section of Matthew 7, about knowing a tree by its fruit, says we are going to know false prophets by their fruit; it never says we are going to know ourselves by our fruit. What is the fruit of a false teacher? Proclamation of a false Gospel. The Sermon On The Mount is a Gospel-sermon. The false prophets even look to their own works as the reason they expect to enter into eternal life; how could anyone use that passage to teach that we should do like them and also look to our own works? That is absurd.

[@randypierson6358]

There's the danger of focusing so much on discipleship that we lose sight of sonship 😊

[@rosesherry3318]

So so good! Coming from someone who has struggled with this exact thing for 20 years! Thank u for your ministry!

[@BushwoodBabes]

Thank you so much for this teaching. I so needed this reminder because I have called into question my salvation recently and this just reminded me that it’s all Jesus we lost it all he did it all we get it all

[@THEOCAST]

Thanks for the encouragement

[@billmarvel8111]

Amen brothers, It always has to be our faith in HIS FAITHFULNESS NOT OUR FAITH IN OUR faithfulness!!!! HE JESUS IS THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH!!!! Let’s press on in our foundation which is the good news of the gospel!!!!

[@georgeluke6382]

Grateful for this, brothers. Thanks!

[@georgeluke6382]

If you guys have opinions on Owen's Death of Death in the Death of Christ, would be happy to think through it! I think you have some good points here, and the exhortation to beholding God's glory in Christ's face, rather than our own liver shivers, is a good one.

[@THEOCAST]

Owens work in that book is brilliant

[@georgeluke6382]

@@THEOCAST Perfect. Thanks!

[@susiequsie1980]

Thanks, this is so freeing!

[@Goldtaker23]

My conversion experience was unique I was lead to watch a movie called Jesus of Nazareth 8 years ago and while watching over a few days I saw my sin and what He did for me and how awesome He is etc I know the person playing Jesus in the movie is not Jesus of course but I wonder if I put my trust in him instead of the real Jesus sometimes or was I just reacting to an experience and therefore im in the parable of the sewer Iv had assurance issues a long time and added to that is my keep sinning and lack of remorse over it which I did have after I came to Christ but not not so much its confusing and worrying I cant settle and find peace I KNOW He died for me and I believe in Him and want Him for certain.

[@justinroy5018]

Thank y’all so much! What a healthy conversation

[@THEOCAST]

Thanks!

[@deen8842]

This is so helpful. Thank you.

[@breadoflife2075]

Paul while writing to Timothy who had the Holy Spirit said this. 1Ti_4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both SAVE THYSELF, and them that hear thee.When does complete salvation occur? At the end of our faith? Mat_24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

[@1dc25]

Can you recommend a few good study Bibles? Thanks

[@tomtemple69]

Esv study Bible by crossway

[@lovingjesus5184]

What about scripture references on obedience? Where do they come in? I know people that just sleep around and party and do about anything they want they really think they're saved? This doesn't make sense to me.

[@jeremiahsherlock9144]

A few weeks ago, one of the teachers at my church taught the following from a sermon on Psalm 130: "When we sin we move out of the light and into darkness (1 Jn. 1:5-9); we lose our connection, our fellowship with God; we grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30) and lose access to the gifts and fruit of the Spirit (gifts: Rom. 12, 1 Cor. 12, Eph. 4; fruit: Gal. 5:22, 23)." Lose our connection with God?!? I found it utterly cruel. I asked him where he was justifying that view from in Scripture. As of yet he's only provided Ephesians 4:30....Reading the quote more closely today, i'm fairly convinced he misappropriated and weaponized almost, if not every, passage mentioned there. Light vent out of the way now. Just wanted to bring out the strong contrast that THIS is not that. And Psalm 130 would've been an amazing opportunity to preach the Gospel - Martin Luther proved it with a great hymn.

[@howarddonnell4246]

You guys are clearly debunking NT Wright's false position that we must maintain the covenant for salvation contrary to scripture saying, from first to last our salvation is in the work of Christ.

[@minorsingingairhead]

22:50 Not accurate. There are believers who are followers (e.g. Peter) and believers who are not followers (John 12:42). There are also unbelievers who follow (John 6:2, 64, 66) and, of course, unbelievers who do not follow. Believing and following are not one and the same (cf. John 8:30-31).

[@robertzamzow3714]

I started listening to you guys a short time ago. I've come to understand the reformed soteriology to be true. You guys have really helped me understand more. I have truly enjoyed your podcast... That being said, I have heard you say, "how much faith do you need, any at all." When it comes to assurance, I think of Matthew 7. Not everybody who says Lord, Lord will enter. But the one who says Lord, Lord has some faith, or else they wouldnt call Him Lord. They assumed they were good, like we do. So I understand we are to look extra nos. But that is assuming that we are in Him already, as the people in Matthew 7 did. Can you help me with this?

[@THEOCAST]

Great question! This would be a great question to send into asktheocast.com

[@ReligiouslyIncorrect]

The people in Matthew 7 had not done the will of the Father. That being to believe on the one in whom He sent. These people didn’t do that, they relied upon their own good works to be accepted into Heaven.

[@johndavolta3124]

​​@@ReligiouslyIncorrect good point, but let's dive a bit more: They acknowledged Him as Lord, meaning they knew who He was, and agreed to some basic facts. But it is clear that they lacked something, in this case it was trust in Jesus' finished works. So we could argue that acknowledging who Jesus is, and knowing some basic facts doesn't necessarily qualify as faith. You have to include trust for it to be _saving faith_ . In my opinion there are some Christian theologians who reduce faith to nothing more than an assent of some basic facts about Jesus, while ignoring other crucial aspects of true faith. Just my thoughts. -GBU

[@believer7280]

Discipleship and salvation are two different things. The Bible teaches that discipleship is a very difficult process and salvation is a free gift thats instant. Discipleship and salvation have to be to different things, or the Bible contradicts itself......which it does not.

[@dwaynejohnson4662]

the puritans from my view were big time on navel gazing, yet look how god used them in their times