Being Sure About Salvation - Part 3

Being Sure About Salvation

Is there a way to tell who is

a true Christian and who is not?

www.confidentchristians.org


The Evidences of Being Lost

Human Birth Experience / Old Nature

Fleshly Affections

Positive / Negative

Love things of world / sin

Reject God / things of God

Fruit

Works

Personal life

Darkened Mind

Reject Spiritual Truth

Mind centered on self/flesh

Maturing/Growth Process

Away From Toward

God & Holy Things

Self & Sinful Things

Sinful Motion


The Evidences of Salvation

New Birth / New Nature

Holy Affections

Positive / Negative

Love God/Things of

God

Hate sin / world / enemies of

God

Fruit

Works

Personal life

Renewed Mind

Accept Spiritual Truth

Mind of the Sprit in Holy

living

Maturing/Growth Process

Away From Toward

Self & Sinful Things

God & Holy Things

Holy Motion

Charles Finney was a lawyer (never trained in theology) who was

converted in 1821 and became a popular evangelist. He believed that

salvation was based on human choice and that people could make

a decision for God without any divine assistance (i.e. humanity was not depraved or a slave to sin). His

entire approach was to work on the will of the person such that they would choose God on their own. The invitational system today was

inaugurated in America by Finney’s approach.


The Example of Charles Finney

In a letter dated Dec. 25, 1834, James Boyle (one of Finney’s associates in

ministry) asked these questions: "Let us look over the fields where you and

others and myself have labored as revival ministers and what is now their

moral state? What was their state within three months after we left them? I have visited and revisited

many of these fields and groaned in spirit to see the sad frigid carnal contentious state into which the

churches had fallen and fallen very soon after we first departed from

among them.”


Worry Over the Fruit of Finney‟s Labors

In fact, many who evaluated the ministry of Finney were convinced that sinners

emotionally but not spiritually awakened became hardened and skeptical. The sinner,

for example, who made an objective commitment to Christ in some emotional

experience but soon found out that contrary to the revivalists' or the evangelists` promise,

nothing changed, his heart was the same. And the wave of emotional release that he

experienced made no change. That discovery that didn't solve anything in his life made the

sinner more hardened in his sin, more skeptical of the gospel, more skeptical of

other people's Christian profession, believing that he who had been deceived was a

member of a group of others who had been and were being likewise deceived.


Worry Over the Fruit of Finney‟s Labors

“The things they know in their minds may make impressions in their hearts indeed we do see

that the demons have very strong feelings about God; so

strong, in fact, that they "shudder." But they are not holy

feelings because they have nothing to do with the work of the Holy Spirit. If this is true of the experience of demons, it is also true of the experience of

men.” - Jonathan Edwards


Mark of a True Believer

“By this we know that we have come to know Him, if

we keep His commandments.”

(1 John 2:3)


Being Saved Doesn‟t Mean You Won‟t Sin


“For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do,

but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one

doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the

good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which

dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a

different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I

am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of

God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.” (Romans 7:14–25)

KEY POINT: We aren’t as holy as we ought to be, but we pursue it…

“The only validation you will ever have of your salvation is a life of obedience, it is the only possible proof that you really recognize

the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I'm going to say that again because that's the heart of the message. Obedience is the only validation of your salvation. It is the only

possible proof that you recognize the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Because if there's no obedience then you're confessing Jesus is

Lord is just so much verbal exercise.”

- John MacArthur


Mark of Salvation: Led by the Spirit

“For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out,

“Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow

heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. ” (Romans 8:14–17)


“This [the previous slide’s verses on Romans] is the witness or evidence which the apostle speaks of that we are children, that we have the spirit of children,

or spirit of adoption. And what is that but the spirit of love? There are two kinds of spirits the apostle speaks of, the spirit of a slave of bondage, that is fear; and the spirit of a child, or spirit of adoption, and that is love . . . which

naturally disposes us to go to God as children to a father, and behave towards God as children, And this is the evidence or witness which the Spirit of God

gives us that we are his children.”-Jonathan Edwards

A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections


Five Teachings of Christ Provide the Details

1. The beginning of the Sermon on the Mount2. The end of the Sermon on the Mount3. The parable of the ten virgins4. The parable of the sower5. The parable of the wheat and the tares


The parable of the sower


The Parable of the Sower

“That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. And large crowds

gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach. And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower

went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came

and ate them up. “Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because

they had no depth of soil. “But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because

they had no root, they withered away. “Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. “And others fell on

the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. “He

who has ears, let him hear.” ” (Matthew 13:1–9)


Explanation of the Parable“Hear then the parable of the sower. “When

anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and

snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet

he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution

arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it

becomes unfruitful. “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed

bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”

(Matthew 13:18–23)


The Unresponsive

• Fields were bordered by very hard paths. • Visibly, externally hard; hard hearts like the Pharisees. • Outside factor: the enemy (birds in Scripture often represent

evil). “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ” (2 Corinthians 4:3–4)


The Superficial

• Shallow soil atop a layer of bedrock. • Looks good on the top; invisibly, internally hard. • Has a root in himself; not rooted to God• Shows a false sign of life faster than the good soil. • Another example of hardness in the heart; also a superficial

commitment. Feelings were changed, but not the soul• Outside factor: affliction and persecution „because of the Word‟.

The cost of discipleship becomes too high


“Many were like the stony ground, or thorny ground; and

but few, comparatively, like the good ground. Of the whole heap that was gathered, great part was chaff; that the wind afterwards drove away; and the heap of wheat that was

left, was comparatively small; as appears abundantly, by the history of the New Testament”

-Jonathan EdwardsA Treatise Concerning Religious Affections


“For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since

they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth

vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to

being cursed, and it ends up being burned. ” (Hebrews 6:4–8)


Mark of a False Believer

“They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with

us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. ”

(1 John 2:19)


The Worldly

• Competitive ground that contained weeds after plowing had been done. • Represents a heart that is not 100% God‟s. Note the thorns sprung up after

the seed was sown; they weren‟t evident beforehand• “Worry” is a „preoccupation‟ with the things of the world• No real repentance has been performed. Produces no fruit. • Outside factor: the world and its desires• “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for

it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. ” (1 Timothy 6:10)

• “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.” (1 John 2:15–16)


What do you Crave?

The thing to keep in mind is that when you become a Christian – God gives you a new

nature, and this new nature will (1) exhibit a desire for a new diet and (2) a new lifestyle.


What do you Crave?

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold,

new things have come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)



“It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after

washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.””(2 Peter 2:20-22)


“I will believe in the Redeemer when the Christians look a little

more redeemed.” - Frederick Nietzsche


“Wherever a profession of conversion is not

accompanied by holiness of life it must be

understood that the individual concern is not a

Christian.” - Jonathan Edwards



“They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for

any good deed.” (Titus 1:16)


The Receptive

• Made from same basic stuff, but has been rightly prepared 100% by God.

• Only soil that bears a crop/fruit, which is the sign of true saving faith

• Average crop yield in Palestine was 8:1. The yields Jesus spoke about were amazing to his listeners

• “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.” (John 15:2)


“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and

sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to

Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10–11)


“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with

repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, „We have Abraham for our father‟; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good

fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 3:7–10)


Fruit Demonstrates Repentance

Other Observations

• The sowing is done with the Word of God (either preaching or reading): “for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” (1 Peter 1:23)

• The words of men have no life; the Word of God does

• The act of sowing represents the external call of God.

• A full three-fourth‟s (3/4) of the seed sown did not bear fruit. This dovetails with what Christ said in Matthew 7 about there being “few” that enter eternity with God. “However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” ” (Romans 10:16)

• Nineteen times in Matthew 13 we find the word “hear.” It is important that we hear God‟s Word, because “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17). Jesus said, “Who hath ears to hear” (Matt. 13:9), “Take heed what you hear!” (Mark 4:24), and “Take heed how you hear!” (Luke 8:18)


“When a person grasps in his mind, or better yet, when he feels his own

heart held captive by the attractiveness of the

Divine, this is an unmistakable sign of

God's working.” - Jonathan Edwards


The parable of the tares and the wheat


Tares Among the Wheat

“Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. “But while his men were

sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. “But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. “The

slaves of the landowner came and said to him, „Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?‟ “And he said to them, „An enemy has done this!‟ The slaves said to him, „Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?‟ “But he said, „No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with

them. „Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn

them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”” (Matthew 13:24–30)


Explanation of the Parable

“Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age;

and the reapers are angels. “So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and

they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be

weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. ” (Matthew 13:36–43)


Other Observations

• The tares (darnel – a fake/bad wheat; the grains are black) looked like wheat until it reached the stage where the heads showed the obvious difference.

• Sowing tares was a common practice of people to ruin a competitors field; the Romans had a law against it

• The seed here is not the Word of God as in the other parable but true believers.

• “weeping and gnashing of teeth” –weeping does refer to grief, but gnashing of teeth refers to anger and hatred

• The emphasis is not so much what happens to the good seed, but what happens to the bad seed

• It was because of the wheat that the tares were not immediately pulled up; we wonder sometimes why God allows evil people to remain – there is a plan behind it all


Why God waits to Punish Evil

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any

to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)


“There is a great deal of secret wickedness in the hearts of men, which is

long hid under the cloak of a plausible profession, but breaks out at last. As the good seed, so the tares, lie a great while under the clods, and at first springing up, it is hard to distinguish them; but when a

trying time comes, when fruit is to be brought forth, when good is to be done that has difficulty and hazard attending

it, then you will return and discern between the sincere and the hypocrite:

then you may say, This is wheat, and that is tares.”

- Matthew Henry


Being Sure About Salvation