Hebraic Musing – Why are some “Professing” Christians possibly not “Saved”?
This is also a
reminder to consider what it takes to witness thoroughly. Have you encountered folks who claim to have
responded to an altar call in earlier years, but there doesn’t seem to be fruit
in their lives! We wonder if they are
really “Saved” if there doesn’t seem to be evidence. Was there an adequate foundation and/or
understanding to support the “Confession of Faith”? The Salvation prayer often consists of
response to a simple message. “You
need to be ‘Saved’; Jesus died for my sins; Thank you Jesus my Savior;
Hallelujah, now I’m saved!” Is that
an adequate understanding? Was the Holy
Spirit involved in their “experience”? What
are some foundations of our Faith that might be missing?
Creation: Do we really understand who God is? My personal testimony was founded on three
questions learned at age 5. Q. – Who made me? A. – God made me. Q. – Who
is God? A. – God is the Supreme
Being who created all things. Q. – Why
did God make me? A. – God made me to worship Him; and to
praise Him forever. That’s pretty basic!
Sinfulness of Mankind: In order to “repent” of our
sins, we need to recognize our own need “for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23 NIV Is the
candidate truly recognizing their sinfulness and are they repentant? Going to church, praying, stopping some sins,
being baptized, etc. does not save us!
One needs to recognize the Gospel message thoroughly; evidenced by meaningful
repentance.
Death: Our inevitable and the default destination is
HELL! Only a blood sacrifice can save
us, thus we need to recognize of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross was for
our sins. We need to realize “and the blood of Jesus
Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7b NIV
Resurrection: Jesus Christ told us in advance of His
Resurrection. “… Christ died for our
sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose
again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by
Cephas, then by the twelve.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 NIV And His resurrection
was eye-witnessed! Thus, we have the
Hope of Glory!
Everyone dies, including Buddha, Mohammed, Joseph Smith, etc. but we know that
not all will be resurrected.
Baptism: Jesus called for Christians to be
baptized as a public sign of their acceptance of Christ’s blood sacrifice. “Therefore go
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” Matthew 28:19 NIV
The act of Baptism is a public event
for the new believer to publicly declare his/her acceptance of Jesus Christ as
their Lord.
Moment
of Change: The central words in
a Christian’s testimony are typically the tearful description of the moment the
person knew their life had changed. “In
Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit
of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14 NKJV Many Christians can remember the exact moment
when they were saved: the date, the time of day, the exact location, the people
involved, the circumstances leading up to the moment of decision, etc. They recognize they were changed in that
memorable moment; at which time the Holy Spirit became their guiding light and their
LORD.
Points to ponder
Can the
“Professing” Christian describe what happened at their moment of salvation?
Is it worth our
time to assure that a Salvation candidate understands thoroughly?
How important is
immediate discipleship? or
What was your level of understanding when you accepted Jesus as your Lord?
Today is “Election
Day!” BTW - Who did you elect as your
Lord?
♫ What
a wonderful change in my life has been wrought Since Jesus came into my heart;
I have light in my soul for which
long I have sought, Since Jesus came into my heart.
♫
Yosef a.k.a.
Joe Brusherd November 5, 2024 “Election Day!”
Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages
exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith”
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)” Weekly “Hebraic Musings”
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