Reason #6. They commit a glaring sin

We doubt our salvation when sin creeps into our life or when we choose to do wrong over what we know to be right. Here is the logical progression of this thought:

• “I did this (whatever the sin is).”
• “A real Christian would not do this.”
• “Evidently I am not a Christian.”

Although we should not sin and should not get comfortable sinning, all of us still sin after salvation. James 3:2 says, “For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body”. 1 John 1:8 & 10 says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us”.

Think of it this way.   If “not sinning” kept us saved and “sinning” caused us to lose our salvation then what is the logical conclusion? Salvation would be a work of our own and our salvation would be short lived.

Another problem related to this line of thinking is, we begin to catalogue sins. We develop mental lists of acceptable sins and unacceptable sins; a list of constructive sins and destructive sins.

When you really think about it, constructive sins [an oxymoron] would be a sin we have determined is a sin but the end justifies the means and we have put it in a separate list. It is true that some sins are worse than others (Matthew 7:1-5; John 19:11), but as far as God is concerned for whatever is not from faith is sin. (Romams 14:23)

R. T. Kendall says, “All of us have one single greatest fear. Something that we have done that we would not want anyone to know. But God knows it and loves us anyway. Whether it happened before you were saved or after, He knew it and He saved you anyway.”

Once again, let us affirm our salvation is by God’s grace and is secure in Jesus Christ. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Reason #5: They reject the doctrine of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

If a person adds any personal effort or work to salvation whereby they are assisting God in the process, they are rejecting the truth of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. Any works plan of salvation will never produce genuine assurance.

How can we know a person is relying on his or her own efforts rather than the grace of God for salvation? We discern this in the responses they give to certain questions. Questions like:

• “Are you saved?”
• “Are you going to heaven when you die?”

When we ask questions like these, we may get one of several responses. Let us consider some responses and see if we can understand what the person is really saying.

Response: “I am doing the best I can.” This person is saying he is in the process, so he thinks, of earning his salvation.” Notice “I” am doing the best “I” can.

Response: “I won’t know or no one can know until they die.” This person has what we call “Saint Peter at the gate” theology.  This line of thinking comes from hearing too many Saint Peter at the Gate jokes. They have the idea that when we die, God is going to weigh our good deeds against our bad deeds and based on the comparison God is going to make a decision. This person is betting on his own good works to out-weigh his bad works.

Response: “I hope so, I think so, I am as good as other people.” All three of these responses indicate that he is attempting to earn God’s approval because he is, relatively speaking, a good person.

As Spirit-controlled believers, we know the best we can do will never measure-up because Jesus did it all on the cross. We know the Word of God says salvation is acquired here and now. It is not decided based on some sort of merit system in heaven.  We know that our salvation is not based on our being better than other people are because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Genuine salvation is based on grace alone through faith alone in the finished work of Christ alone.

Reason #4.  They reject the doctrine of the eternal security of the believer.

Let us remind ourselves of the clear distinction between the “security of the believer” and the assurance of salvation.

The security of the believer is the work of God and guarantees that the gift of salvation, once received, is forever and cannot be lost. The security of our salvation in Christ is a biblical truth; a biblical fact than can be proven.

The assurance of salvation is the realization that the believer does possess eternal life. Therefore, our salvation being eternally secure in Christ can be proven, but only the Holy Spirit can give us the assurance of salvation.

If a person simply refuses to believe what the Bible says about the security of the believer, he or she will never experience the assurance of salvation because they are actually blocking the very truth the Holy Spirit is trying to confirm.

Once again we see the powerful impact of Jesus’ words in John 8:32 when He said “you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” Only when we know truth and embrace truth can that very truth make us free. That includes freedom from the fear of losing our salvation.

Reason #3: They question the location of where they were saved

Many times, doubt creeps in when we question where our salvation happened. So many times in the Baptist church, we equate salvation with “going forward” or “going down front” at an invitation time. If you were saved at home, in a hospital room, at camp, on a battlefield, etc., you may question the location of your salvation. The question you may be asking yourself is “Was it proper?”

We need to remember we need not be in church to be saved. God does not live at church. He is omnipresent (everywhere present). If you were saved at church, great!  However, this is not a requirement.

We need not fret or be concerned about where we were when our salvation took place. When we read the Bible, we find salvation happening in a home, by a well, and while people walked along a road; just to name a few locations.

I have a friend whose testimony is the first time he heard the gospel he was sitting at a bar drinking with a backslidden believer. The fact of the matter is, what the witness said to my friend made an impact as he shared truth from the Word of God; even though the environment was unusual for that kind of a spiritual encounter.

So, if you are questioning the location of your salvation, take heart.  God can hear our prayers from any location. Consider these words from Hebrews 7:25 “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” There is no mention of a required location.

Reason #2: They question the commitment itself

If you have heard my testimony, you know how I can relate to this reason.  If we question the commitment we made to the Lord, we may ask some of the following questions.

• “Did I really trust Christ?”
• “Did I just repeat some words someone told me to pray?”
• “Did I say the right words?”
• “What if I left out a few words?”

In this reason, we are really questioning whether we made an actual  request for salvation and made a genuine commitment to the Lord or just repeated a scripted prayer.

I have also found this doubt surface in people who prayed the prayer of salvation alone or in a silent prayer to God. Later, they question the legitimacy of the prayer they prayed and whether God really heard them pray.

It is important to remember that there is not a secret specific prayer that we must repeat to be saved.  In addition, it is important to remember that a prayer does not save.  It is God who saves. The prayer is the way we articulate our request for salvation and make our commitment to God. A powerful truth is God knows the thoughts and the intents of our heart (see Hebrews 4:12).

Reason #1:  We cannot remember the exact time and place of our salvation.

This usually happens when we hear a teacher or a preacher say, “If you cannot remember the exact time and place of your salvation, you are not saved.” This produces fear in the heart.

If you were very young when you were saved, you may not remember the exact moment of your salvation. There are many things we have forgotten about our childhood.  If you have experienced a significant trauma in your life after your salvation and have some genuine memory loss, you may not remember the moment of your salvation.

There are three important points to affirm here.  Number 1: We are saved because of what God did in us.  What someone says about us cannot change that fact.  Number 2:  We are saved at a point in time. There is a specific time of our salvation. We do not evolve into salvation.  Number 3:  As important as memory is, our forgetting does change the fact of our salvation by God.

Our salvation is secure in Christ. As we mature we are growing in our understanding and appreciation of salvation. Prior to our salvation, we realized we were lost and Jesus died on the cross. We didn’t understand all the ramifications of our lostness – but we knew that much. Then we were saved.

As we grow in the Lord, we come to realize that He did save us.  We also learn He is saving us and He will keep saving us. The fact is salvation is not static it is dynamic.  Remember this verse in Phil 1:6:  “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” and this verse in Phil 2:13:  “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”

I love receiving questions from people who are genuine seekers of truth.  The list of questions I have received during my years of ministry thus far is longer than I could estimate.  Of the many questions I have answered, those concerning the assurance of salvation are near or at the top of the list.

Over the next many days I will present thoughts and biblical evidence relating to this most important truth.  A good place to begin is to read the following link on assurance and then follow the daily posts and promises on this most important subject.  Those new posts will be added each morning.

If it would interest you, I have a three hour workshop on this very subject.  To know how to receive the DVDs and the study guide of this workshop, email me Tom@tomsavage.us.