How do you know someone really is saved?

You don't. There you go; end post. Everyone go home cause that's it for the day...

No, actually come back. Let's speak on a few things concerning salvation because we all hear of Christians (with a Big C) crashing and burning and of secular, Worldly people (with an equally large W) claiming to be finally saved. With the Justin Biebers and Kanye's coming out to the public as newly professed believers, many are right to be skeptical. I mean, famous people are known to be spotlight hogs, and what better way to generate new interest than to do something unexpected and big?

I get it. I really do. Yet, this is a topic that's super important, not because it personally affects you if either of those pop culture icons actually have run to the Father or not... or does it? In a corrupt world full of evil, lies, and golden tongues, it can be difficult at times to be able to discern the influences you should allow in your life. This is not just about so-called stars and big name preachers, this is about what it means to be saved and what it means to discern or judge. This is about knowing who is a fellow disciple.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. - Matthew 7:15-20

It's sometimes best to watch and wait because the truth will out in the end. Some will say, wait!, this clearly says prophets and most people (famous or not) don't allege to be prophets. First, prophets were people who spoke on behalf of God. The point was making sure you and others aren't led astray by them. That could apply not only to big, name influencers, rabbis and preachers, but also you and me. We, as disciples, speak on behalf of God on the daily. If someone is claiming to be Christians, they are claiming to be disciples, and everything they do and say is on behalf of God.

Fruits are their actions and what they generate in the world. Are they doing good and wholesome things or are their actions shady, debatable, or downright corrupt?

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me - John 10:27

If they recognize and love God's voice, their words and actions will reflect that in some manner. No one is perfect, remember this and repeat it frequently. A person who is saved will always fail to live up Jesus' example. That's the point. We need God. That doesn't change because we're saved.

The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. - 1 Samuel 16:7b

Met someone particularly cross, covered in tattoos (really, some still judge this), or otherwise not looking outwardly like whatever you think a believer is supposed to look like? See, here's the thing. A disciple doesn't look a certain way. Some will be good at going to church and some will never go. Some will be straight laced and buttoned-up at all times and some will forget to bathe. We don't know people's hearts, at what developmental point they are in their relationship with God, nor what their purpose is here on Earth. What we do know is that God can see more clearly than we can whether someone is saved or not.

No matter if someone is saved or not, you should be an example of God's love. If they profess that they are a Christian, whether they are saved or not (and you CAN'T really know this FOR SURE), you treat them as a follower of Jesus. If they do something wrong, you correct them as a sister or brother. Let's look at one more verse.

John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone else driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not accompany us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus replied. “For no one who performs a miracle in My name can turn around and speak evil of Me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Indeed, if anyone gives you even a cup of water because you bear the name of Christ, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea. - Mark 9:38-42

If someone professes to be a follower of Jesus and good comes of it, whether the person is saved or not, they still did good for His kingdom. However, if they use God's name to instead do bad, they are breaking a commandment to not use God's name in vain.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” -John 13:34-35

Not only will you see that a truly saved person will treat other believers in Love (like they should Love everyone!), but you should do the same. Nothing is impossible with God, and while we should be ever vigilant, we should also remember to not become hardened. A saved person who has fallen needs our love. A worldly person who has found God needs our love. They need our hope and support. So, if they’ve never actually been saved, they will be blown away by the Love of our God and our family.

To conclude, we can circle back to the beginning. You can't know for certain whether someone is saved since there's no telling what is in their heart. However, you can figure out if someone is doing good for God's kingdom and is a good influence if their actions and words line up with God's ways and words. Let's celebrate with hope those who claim to have been lifted and saved. God has saved many condemned, damaged souls who seemed unrepairable. Let's not be jaded like the world.

God bless!

How Do I Know I'm Saved?

How do I know if I'm saved? What if I'm not good? What if I keep on sinning?

Before I was aware of the intricacies of salvation, I was afraid. In an earlier post, I wrote a testimony about my childhood experience of God "speaking" to me. There seem to be so many rules, especially when you focus on the old testament, and it overwhelmed me because I couldn't even remember them all. Forget following them. So, I asked God to give me anything I could remember, so no matter what I faced in life, I would know I was doing the right thing. I wasn't exactly expecting anything, but if I got a summary of His laws, it would probably be at least a paragraph. A single word came to mind:

love.

So, I set upon my Bible immediately, and it fell right to this verse:

"And when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they themselves gathered together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with a question: “Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?”

Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:34-40

Love here is the Greek ἀγαπήσεις, which means have preference for, wish well to, regard the welfare of, welcome with desire, or long for. (strongs)

It seemed impossible for a word to sum everything up, yet it's never proved itself wrong no matter what I've experienced so far in life. God is love, and it makes more and more sense as time passes by. So, what does this have to do with Salvation?

First thing you need to know is that salvation didn't start when Jesus came to Earth as man. If you say it was because he was good man, you're dead wrong.

"What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.

But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness . . . . Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. . . . Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all." (Romans 4:1–5, 9–10, 16)

No one has ever in the history of ever been saved because they were good enough, nor because they did enough good works to make up for sins, nor because they were able to completely stop sinning at some point in their life. Case in point: Abraham. Before there were Jews, Christians, or even the Israelite nation, there lived Abraham (aka Abram). We aren't told much about him before God called on him.

"The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you."

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him." Genesis 12:1-4

God was making Abraham promises before he took a single step. God chose Abraham before he'd done anything righteously noteworthy. Essentially, God was saying, have faith, believe in my promises, and I'll give them to you, and these were Earth-shaking promises. Abraham believed God. The next section, we see Abraham lying to a pharaoh and almost causing his wife to commit adultery or be raped. God saved her from this, but seriously, Abraham. He doesn't seem perfect to me. Then, he started worrying that God wasn't going to follow through with His promises when he and his wife grew old and childless. How would his children grow into a nation if he didn't have children? He started making plans to make a servant an heir. It says,

"Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness." Genesis 15:6

He had momentary doubts and worries, but he decided to continue having faith in God. So, God considered Abraham righteous. Did you see it say that Abraham did this great thing, he had a heart of gold, and stopped making mistakes, so God credited to him as righteousness? Nope. It said God considered Abraham righteous because he believed God. Abraham was saved. He was righteous. Because he had faith in God and His promises.

Let's rewind back to love.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Yep, it's the same word from Greek here. Do you notice that part of loving someone, including God, means you trust them? You can't love God and not trust Him. That is faith. He sees what we don't, and we won't always see the top of the staircase, even if we're called to walk up it. Abraham worried, too, what the next step would be because he couldn't see the top, and the staircase was getting a little lengthy.

Abraham loved God eventually, but it started with trust and faith. That's how he was saved.

I'm going to drag this out a little, forgive me, but I want to illustrate this further so you can fully understand.

God is called our father and we His children. Now, for those of you who have children or even someone you love a whole lot, picture this scenario.

Imagine y'all are walking along, and you see a sharp ravine. In the ravine are railroad tracks. You warn them to not get too close, but nevertheless, they suddenly slip and fall. It's too steep for them to climb themselves out and now there's a train bearing down, whistling a sharp note of warning. The only one who can save them is you. Do you:

1) Consider whether they have been good to you first

2) Reach out a saving hand for them to grab

I'm guessing for most of you with a heart, you'll grab them without a second thought. If you would do this, and you're a mere fallible human, don't you think the King of the Universe, God of love and light, would do at least this?

"What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:9-13

When you fall from grace, God is the only one who can save you. He will save you, no questions asked. Also, consider this.

Imagine the same situation as before, and as you reach our your hand, your child/loved one refuses to take it. Imagine they turn their back. Imagine they try to climb up the side to save themselves despite your urgent cries. What do you feel? These are the unsaved. They refuse God. They don't trust Him. They don't believe in Him.

Now, imagine they refused but suddenly the train is at their back and they realize, last minute, they need your help. They finally blessedly take your hand in time for you to pull them to safety. Would you:

1) Consider the fact they refused and distrusted you up to this point and refuse them help for their last minute change of mind

2) Reach out and save them anyway

I've heard of some who believe a death-bed conversion is not a truly saved person. First, that's between the person and God. You can never know a person's heart like God does. Second, if they are converted, they are saved. They are still saved. God will still save them. If you would save your child or loved one in the above situation, more so will God.

Now, let's summarize. We aren't saved because we do good works. We do good works because we're saved. God changes us mind and soul, sends His Holy Spirit to guide us because we believe in Him. When God reaches out a hand, we take it. We trust He will save us. That is salvation. If we fall again into the ravine, God will come save us again and again. He doesn't wear out his forgiveness, and I doubt any of you would allow your loved one to die just because they are constantly falling into the ravine.

Now, is constantly falling a possible sign that someone doesn't actually have faith in God? Yes. He warned them, and they didn't believe Him. Or, they decide to live their life thinking God will forgive them in the end. They obviously don't actually love God.

You return again. None of us are perfect. That's the very reason we need God.

Please believe and love. Have faith in His words. He already loves you. He already believes in you. He already has His hand outstretched waiting to embrace you on the top of the ravine.




Sources other than Bible:
Strong's Concordance