You Can "Know"

With Full Assurance

Published on June 26, 2009 By KFC Kickin For Christ In Religion

"Freedom comes from knowing the truth. Bondage results from missing it."

I read those words recently from a well known Pastor. I thought, "Ain't that the truth?"

Someone here on JU asked me recently how I can "know" that I'm going to heaven since he believes we really can't know for sure. I refuted that, because I do absolutely know for sure I'm going to heaven. I have been set free from that doubt of not knowing.

There are some religious groups out there that teach you can't be sure. One teaches the best time to die is when you're walking out of a confession booth. That would be the only time you can be sure of your salvation. How sad.

I say nonsense. All a bunch of nonsense. It's a man-made teaching. They are teaching fear and guilt to keep you in line. That's all that is. Some call it brainwashing. I agree. If I must do or not do something to keep from losing my salvation, then salvation would have to be by faith and works. Keeps me coming!!

It's the works part, these religious organizations are most after. If they can convince you of this, you will continue to work and work and work for the church to ensure that your ticket to the hereafter is secure.

Nonesense. I believe this type of teaching is exactly why so many are dissatisfied with organized religion. I don't blame them one bit. Someday, the leaders in these churches will have alot to answer for. With much responsibility comes much accountability.

So what is at stake? Many things. Peace, assurance, joy, love for instance. They all are related. If you don't have assurance of God's acceptance you can't have peace and without peace you can have no joy. A person with no peace is really motivated by fear. Fear and love don't match up well.

John said this:

"These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life." 1 John 5:13

Think about it. If Christ came to seek and save the lost wouldn't it have been wise on God's part to snatch us to heaven right then, the moment we are saved in order to insure we make it? Otherwise God is taking a great risk forcing us to stay here and walk thru a very sinful world. Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that "bad company corrupts good character." We all know there's plenty of bad characters around us every day.

Another thing to think about. If we don't have this assurance, peace, and joy because it's replaced by fear in losing our salvation doesn't that spill over to worry? Didn't Jesus tell us worrying is a sin? Didn't Paul tell us to be anxious over nothing? How can we reconcile these things if God is holding our ticket to heaven over our heads in the hopes we are good little boys and girls. If we mess up.....oh well. Ticket rescinded.

No, the only way we can have the peace and joy and assurance is to believe Christ when he said those that come to him can have eternal life. When we come to him, he says, we can have life more abundantly. This is not the same type of life the world offers. But if we tell others that we can't be sure of our eternal security then it's no diff than what the world offers. Who wants that? The world offers, fear, worry, anxiety and hate. Who needs that?

Salvation has to be by faith alone. Once good works are introduced into the salvation process then it gets all chaotic and complicated. It is no longer by faith alone but by faith and works and to say that is to take the daily burden of our salvation upon ourselves. Then you have to ask, why did Jesus come to die? Didn't he take this burden from off our shoulders? Didn't he carry it instead? If we believe our salvation is determined by our works, it pretty much contradicts just about every doctrine in scripture spoken by Christ and written down by the Apostles.

Think about this. If our salvation is not secure how could Jesus say "they will never perish?" (John 10:28) If we receive eternal life but then forfeited it thru sin, either by not doing what we should do or doing what we shouldn't do, will we not perish? By doing so, don't we make Jesus words to be a lie, null and void? Didn't he die for our sins, past, present and future? I believe he did.

I guess it really comes down to trust and commitment. Jesus is calling us to do more than just believe in his existence. He's calling us to put our trust in him, in his words and in his death in exchange for our sins. That's it. Even a child can understand this.

"Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1

"But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is recokoned as righteousness." Romans 4:5.

Comments (Page 48)

706

lulapilgrim

on Sep 16, 2009

I understand what she means when she says remnant. While all Israel will be saved not all individual Jews will be. Like Judas. He was not saved. You go back to the OT and you'll see Jacob was chosen, but Esau was not. Isaac was chosen but Ishmael was not. You look at the Jews during the times of the Kings and the Judges and you'll see some were good godly leaders and some were not. King Ahab for one was a wicked Jewish King. King David was a good Godly king. Both were Jewish. Both were not "saved."

This is a fairly good explanantion. I've seen the numbers calculated...

While there will be a remnant of Jewish believers in the end all Israel will be saved meaning God will save the Nation intact and it will be from this nation that he will rule (Psalm 2).

This is Dispensationalist/Rapturist/political Zionist end-time fantasy.

At the general resurrection our physical bodies are reunited with our eternal souls, we go directly to be judged....those who pass into the Heavenly gates will be with Our Lord Jesus Christ who will take our glorified bodies to New Jerusalem, a spiritual, eternal place in Heaven.

With CHrist's Advent starts the Millenium..at the end of the Millenium (not aliteral 1,000 years just biblical language symbolizing a long time) the end of the millenium comes the end of the world and Christ comes in glory and battles Satan and sends him to Hell for good, then comes the general resurrection of the living and the dead, then the Final Judgment, and Final justice will be meted out....for the good, Heaven , for the wicked, Hell.

The four last things are Death, Judgment, Heaven or Hell.

707

Leauki

on Sep 17, 2009

You go back to the OT and you'll see Jacob was chosen, but Esau was not. Isaac was chosen but Ishmael was not.

Esau wasn't an Israelite. Yishmael wasn't an Israelite.

708

Leauki

on Sep 17, 2009

This is Dispensationalist/Rapturist/political Zionist end-time fantasy.

Or, in Biblical terms, G-d's promise.

709

whisper2

on Sep 17, 2009

"Jesus answered: Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

Man, Lulapilgrim, is always born of water, the clue here is "born again". Jesus doesn't say "baptised" as in the baptism of John. It seems to me that you are making an assumption here that baptism is what Jesus is speaking of.

710

Infidel

on Sep 17, 2009

There is nothing confursing about it KFC, unless one wishes it to be.

I guess that's why this discussion is over.

711

whisper2

on Sep 17, 2009

Tell me something Infidel, when you read scripture, the torah for instance, besides your eyes, what else do you read it with?

712

Infidel

on Sep 17, 2009

Tell me something Infidel, when you read scripture, the torah for instance, besides your eyes, what else do you read it with?

So you're saying that of all the religious people who have been commenting, you're the only one who reads scripture with more than your eyes?

If one religion is wrong or false, why aren't they all?

713

KFC Kickin For Christ

on Sep 17, 2009

With CHrist's Advent starts the Millenium..at the end of the Millenium (not aliteral 1,000 years just biblical language symbolizing a long time) the end of the millenium comes the end of the world and Christ comes in glory and battles Satan and sends him to Hell for good, then comes the general resurrection of the living and the dead, then the Final Judgment, and Final justice will be meted out....for the good, Heaven , for the wicked, Hell.

The four last things are Death, Judgment, Heaven or Hell.

Says who? You? The RCC? What about the 70th week of Daniel? Who says the 1,000 is just biblical language? When God said 7 days for creation was that just symbolic too? I now you would say no. So why no there and yes here? When God said it took 40 years to wander the desert was it really 40 years? How about Jesus being tempted in the desert for 40 days? Was it really 40 days Lula? Why or why not? When God says SIX TIMES in one chapter that there will be a 1,000 time period called the Millenium why can't it be 1,000 years? Hmmmm? Why does it have to be "biblical language?"

This is Dispensationalist/Rapturist/political Zionist end-time fantasy.

and it can have nothing to do with that as well. I'm just reading to you what the scriptures say Lula. Your RCC is telling you otherwise. I understand that because they have to.

Esau wasn't an Israelite. Yishmael wasn't an Israelite.

this is Semantics Leauki. They all came from Abraham. Abraham was the first Jew understanding Jacob was the one called Israel. But the promise started with Abraham and flowed from his loins from which Esau and Ismael came out of. Israel is chosen, protected and linked to the promise of Abraham.

Tell me something Infidel, when you read scripture, the torah for instance, besides your eyes, what else do you read it with?

ummmmm I might be going out on a limb here...but I'm thinking Infidel doesn't read scripture. I mean...his name is Infidel after all.

714

Infidel

on Sep 17, 2009

No one gets knowledge from a book, nor from another person for that matter. It's rather like when the teacher tells the student 2+2= 4. Until the student adds the two together and finds out for themselves that indeed 2+2=4, it is only a theory, only something that someone has told them. It is only when the task is actually accomplished it becomes knowledge.

Wrong. It's a proven fact from the experiences of others.

715

Infidel

on Sep 17, 2009

ummmmm I might be going out on a limb here...but I'm thinking Infidel doesn't read scripture. I mean...his name is Infidel after all.

Not any more.

716

lulapilgrim

on Sep 17, 2009

"Jesus answered: Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

Man, Lulapilgrim, is always born of water, the clue here is "born again". Jesus doesn't say "baptised" as in the baptism of John. It seems to me that you are making an assumption here that baptism is what Jesus is speaking of.

WHISPER2,

a COUPLE OF THINGS....

We must remember the Baptismritual of St.John the Baptist was of Old Testament Judaism...a precursor of the New Testament Baptism. St.John warned the Jews to repent and prepare the way for the Lord....who was Jesus, the Messias come to redeem all mankind as God promised Adam and Eve just before they were banished from the Garden of Paradise. If God hadn't mercifully promised the Redeemer who would be victorious over death and deliver them from their sin, they would have died in utter despair.

We, in the New and Eternal Covenant of Grace in the Blood of Christ, "make way for the Lord God" in our heart,mind,body and soul by Baptism which is being born again of water and the Holy Ghost.

Just as Christ commanded, the rite (Sacrament) of Christian Baptism is how Catholics are "born again" of water and the Holy Ghost. The Protestant forefathers ditched the sacrament of Baptism as such and developed the doctrine of saved by "Faith Alone" which teaching has been passed down through the centuries by Protestant oral tradition. Even though it isn't, Protestants believe it's based upon Scripture and follow this doctrine with all their heart ---hook, line and sinker. They are told all they have to do to be "born again" (saved) and thus have absolute assurance of salvation is believe in Christ and call on Him as their personal Savior.

It's no assumption on my part. It's worthy of noting that the Christian rite of Baptism that Jesus commanded in St.Matthew 28:19 has Jesus saying the word "baptize". This is a big deal! A really big deal. If you haven't already read St.John 3:5 in its entire context and you may be able to discren for yourself that Jesus is indeed speaking of Baptism and that in these last days, the Christian rite of Baptism as taught in these passages of Scrpture is necessary for salvation. St.Mark 16:16 confirms this as well.

717

Leauki

on Sep 17, 2009

We must remember the Baptismritual of St.John the Baptist was of Old Testament Judaism

What exactly is the "Baptismritual" of "Old Testament Judaism"?

I practice the religion and I have never heard of it.

718

lulapilgrim

on Sep 17, 2009

Folks, I'm sorry for all the typos..and oftentimes can't edit.

We are in the process of buying a home and until then and I getsettled in, I use my mother-in-law or my son's computer.

719

whisper2

on Sep 17, 2009

"So you're saying that of all the religious people who have been commenting, you're the only one who reads scripture with more than your eyes?

If one religion is wrong or false, why aren't they all?"

No, I'm not sayn=ing that, and it's my fault that you are confused, my apologies. I meant what do you understand scripture with?

No one religion is "wrong", all religions contain a modicum of the truth. If they didn't people wouldn't follow them.

720

lulapilgrim

on Sep 17, 2009

What exactly is the "Baptismritual" of "Old Testament Judaism"?

It should be Baptism ritual...

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