Assurance of Salvation | Douglas Wilson (School of Practical Christianity #1)

It is very difficult to live the Christian life when you don’t actually have a Christian life. This is another way of saying that non-Christians can’t live like Christians. That is one difficulty.
Coming in a close second to this difficulty is the challenge of Christians trying to live the Christian life without having any assurance that they are Christians. They are in fact Christians, but there are some days when they sure don’t feel like it. This episode is intended to bring some scriptural clarity to these good folks, and to provide material to their friends and family who want to help them out, and would like that help to come straight out of Scripture. What are the biblical assurances of salvation?
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[@marebear09]

"Babies that are born alive are born hungry." Perfect illustration.

[@monicadhaliwal1791]

Thank You Jesus for Paying for All my Sins Thank You Jesus for Shedding Every Last Drop of Your Perfect Redeeming Innocent Blood For The Forgiveness Full Remission of All my Sins Thank You Jesus for Dying in my place on The Cross To Pay for All my Sins as The Perfect Sacrifice because You have No Sin Thank You for Being Buried Thank You Jesus for Coming Back ALIVE 3 Days After Your Death because You Are The Son of God and God At The Same Time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE You Heavenly Father I LOVE You Jesus I LOVE You Holy Spirit Not 3 Different Gods but The 1 The Only True Living GOD Most High Revealed to us in 3 Ways ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@emgefamily3191]

Love this teaching!! ❤

[@toddcote4904]

Good stuff!

[@brandonl.underwood6264]

I'm guessing there was an edit that needed to be made on this video (since it was published earlier this week, and is now being posted again)? I really appreciated it when it was originally posted, and I look forward to listening to it again.

[@ChristKirk]

Correct! :)

[@madjackie523]

What does it mean when if I have a hunger for God, for learning about God, and a desire to serve God, but when I get around other Christians, I feel ignored and rejected? I can't find a church because no one seems to want me there- even the pastors. I just don't trust them anymore. I can't even get a straight answer about what it is I'm doing that upsets people. Am I not saved?

[@hogansheroes2793]

You are saved" if " you have trusted in the person and finished work of Christ alone for salvation.

[@madjackie523]

@@hogansheroes2793 Doug was referring to what faith produces, a love for fellow Christians. Yes, Jesus is the source of our salvation. I'm not questioning that. My concern is whether or not the love for fellow Christians has been produced in me, which should be if I am truly saved. And wouldn't they love me back? The fact that I am ignored makes me wonder if I am loved by Christians and if not then I cannot be saved. Thank you for responding to me 🙏

[@hogansheroes2793]

@@madjackie523 Don't look at your performance, but rather look only at the person and finished work of Christ alone. Faith may or may not produce fruit. That depends upon cooperation with the Holy Spirit. The entire book of Corinthians was written to disobedient, carnal, Christians who had to be told how to live, apparently a changed life is not automatic, that takes complete cooperation with the Holy Spirit. A fruit inspecting backloader would say that they were not saved. All works can prove in an already saved person is their level of Christian maturity, nothing else! Mormons, Unitarians, Jehovah's false witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, etc , all love eachother. That proves absolutely nothing!

[@madjackie523]

@@hogansheroes2793 I do look to Christ. I just don't understand why I am not accepted. Scripture says that iron sharpens iron, so I seek the iron to sharpen me. Yet when I find it, they reject me. I'm not embraced as a fellow believer at all. I can't help but believe that I must not be saved. Being ignored and rejected isn't anything new to me. It's been the pattern of my life. I've always been considered "weird" and this is justification enough for people to reject me. I thought that would change when I became a Christian, after all, we are all sinners saved by His grace. Nothing has changed though. I'm still weird, even to Christians, too weird to be embraced as a sister in Christ. And I simply cannot understand why. I don't want to believe I am not saved, but what else could it be?

[@hogansheroes2793]

@@madjackie523 I accept you.

[@trudge8727]

What if God? Romans 9:22

[@insulate43]

I think it misses the point to distinguish between those with genuine assurance and those who say they have it (at 5:45). It should be between genuine assurance and those who truly believe they have it but do not. I would like to know how he deals with Jer 17:9, ...the heart is deceitful above all things and there is no cure...

[@ibelieveitcauseiseentit9630]

Jeremiah doesn't say the heart is deceitful above all "and there is no cure" That's a false translation. He says "the heart is deceitful above all and desperately wicked, Who can know it." Of course there is a cure.

[@insulate43]

@ibelieveitcauseiseentit9630 That newer Jer 17:9 "no cure" translation may or may not be more accurate. My point was that many sincere people are no doubt deceived into believing they are saved. So then, how does the truly saved know he himself is not deceived? Of course, one can go with William Lane Craig's claim to have an objective, self authenticating experience--as if a sincere unsaved person couldn't possibly believe he has the same experience (Rom 8:16; Mt 7:23; 2 Cor 13:5).

[@Rileyed]

@@insulate43from the word. Don’t trust men. Signs 1)The sign of righteousness by faith = a forgiving circumsized heart. 2)rest = sign of faith and trust 3)charity = seal of perfection. Loving others 4)tongues = sign for believers of the Holy Spirit. “I will take away their heart of stone and give them a new heart of flesh” It’s a repentant heart. The most important one. The sacrifices of God are a broken heart and a humble spirit. That’s it and that’s all. Need no man to explain it. We have a new disposition. Child likeness. A heart that cries out to God as father. And not afraid to come to him.

[@insulate43]

​@@Rileyed So, how does the genuinely saved person objectively verify he is saved and not self-deceived? I find no definitive solution for this in scripture-all passages related to assurance are based on subjective self-assessment which everyone agrees is highly unreliable. What say you?

[@Rileyed]

@@insulate43 When the love of God shines in your heart you know it. All we can do is surrender daily and ask God to help us. If we do that he by his own word and for his name sake has to honor it. He cannot lie. So if I confess my sins for example. It is done. He has to clear me of my sins. I can’t on judgement day be judged and he say,”I ignored your confession” bc that would make him a liar. Believing on his name means believing in his character and nature. If we have doubts of his goodness and faithfulness is when we get issues in ourself and lose assurance.

[@hogansheroes2793]

Jesus is Lord God Almighty clothed in unsinful humanity and He is the author of "eternal life" to all who trust Him alone for salvation. This means that saving repentance is realizing that you are a sinner deserving of God's just punishment in Hell and turn (repent) from whatever you trusted in before, if indeed you trusted in anything; to trusting in the person and finished work of Christ "alone" for salvation. Yes, non believers can indeed live exactly like Christians. Look at Mormons, Unitarians, Muslims, Jehovah's false witnesses, etc, etc. No, a changed life is not proof of salvation. All works can prove in an already saved person is their level of Christian maturity, nothing else!

[@Rileyed]

There is no love without 2 people and God. To claim people love without God is dishonest. God calls us to love even our enemies and return good for evil. Can’t be done without His Holy Spirit. The Bible gives us the evidences. A circumsized heart that rests in Gods love. That loves others. The other evidence is speaking in tongues. I couldn’t find anymore than that. Mercy and truth uphold the covenant and charity is the bond of perfection. Simple. Not man’s imagination. Cut and pasted basically. Can find these teachings directly in the word of God.

[@hogansheroes2793]

@@Rileyed Absolutely nobody has ever been saved by loving God. That is a service issue, nothing to do with salvation at all. Speaking in tongues has absolutely nothing to do with salvation at all. God gives the gifts (plural) as He sees fit.

[@Rileyed]

@@hogansheroes2793 we look to Gods love for us. And he fills us with his love. I do it daily. Learned it from Andrew Murray and watchman Nee and the Bible. Kind David mostly. Just meditate on how much God loves us and we experience his love anywhere and anytime.

[@Rileyed]

@@hogansheroes2793 I simply typed in signs/seals and cut and pasted. Says tongues is a sign to believers. Argue with the word. I only cut and paste. Not my own opinions. If you don’t speak in tongues I would ask for it. Bc it helps a lot in prayer. Mind gets real clear. It’s a good thing.

[@hogansheroes2793]

@@Rileyed They are a sign, not the sign.