"You, however, are not in the flesh but in the
Spirit, if, in fact, the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the
Spirit of Christ does not belong to him " (Romans 8:9).
You can be
sure that you are saved. The verse above reveals that assurance of salvation
comes from the Spirit of God dwelling in the believer. If the Spirit of God is
not present, then one does not belong to Christ, and as a result, is not saved.
Likewise,
you can be sure that the Spirit of God lives in you. Paul declared in
subsequent verses, " For all who are led by
the Spirit of God are of God. For you
did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have
received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God..."(Romans 8:14-16). There are three indications that the Spirit
of God lives in you: First, the Spirit leads you. This means that love for God
is growing in your heart, and the fruit of the Spirit is evident in your life.
You are changing from the inside out. Second, you have a growing and intimate
relationship with the Father. Third, the Spirit confirms to your spirit that
you are a child of God.
As a
pastor, my responsibility is to tell people how to be saved, and what should be
true for a saved person's life and experience, as revealed in the word of God.
I can't tell people they are saved because only God assures salvation.
Assurance of salvation comes from the Spirit of God and the Word of God. And
the word of God cannot assure one's salvation alone. You must have the
assurance of the Spirit of God.
Today, I
bear a heavy burden. My burden is for the families that have decided
to stop bringing their middle school kids to the worship service because their
kids are questioning their salvation (I do not know the identity of the families). Questioning one's salvation is not a bad
thing. In fact, questioning, or examining one's salvation is commanded of us.
Paul commanded the Corinthians, "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the
faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus
Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test"
(2 Corinthians 13:5). Parent, what if your child is not saved? Are you going to
tell them they are saved because they prayed a prayer? Faith in a prayer does
not save, only faith in Jesus Christ. If your child is questioning salvation,
it is a good and godly thing, especially if he or she is not saved. If your
child is saved, it will give greater confidence to live for Jesus.
Parents,
tell your children how to be saved and the subsequent life change that takes
place in a saved person's life. Only God can assure them of their salvation.
Please contact me if you have any questions. This is a matter of life and
death.
