Once Saved, Forever Following

We do need some encouragement to know that we are on the right track spiritually.
God wants us to KNOW that we are saved. He is all for assurance.

So, the best question is NOT: When did I pray a prayer and give my heart to Jesus? That is so in the past and though you may have committed to Him in the past, what are you doing with Him NOW?

The best question IS: What is my present posture or position with Christ now?

Yes it is true we believe "once saved always saved" yet the more accurate statement is:
                                           "Once saved, forever following".

Belief and Repentance...
That is truly all it takes. It is really quite simple.

And it's not about you or me,  it's about the finished work that Christ has done on your behalf, on my behalf.
All we have to do is repent - admit our sin, turn 180 degrees and follow Jesus to the end.
God has offered it to us all and we have the opportunity at any time to believe and repent.
Obey this command and God will save you.
     Mark 1:14-15 - "And after John was put into prison, Jesus went into Galilee proclaiming the good news of God. 'The time has come,' He said. 'The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news'."

What is your present posture or position with Christ?
Are you walking with Him? Are you seeking Him? Do you desire your life to be in His will? Have you committed to Him your all? Are you persevering?
     Hebrews 3:14-15 - "We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. As has been said, 'Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion'."
     Matthew 24:12-13 - "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved."

There are warnings, which we've discussed in the last few blogs. The warnings are to make us take heed, to wake us up and take a look at our walk with Christ.
There are also assurances so that we will be able to stand firm in and on our faith.

1 John is full of confirmation 'tests' that show the Spirit at work in our hearts. This is one of the ways we can 'work out our salvation with fear and trembling'.
     1 John 2:3-6 - Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, "I know Him" and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him out himself also to walk just as He walked.
(We aren't going to be sinless or perfect, but our hearts will desire to please Him and walk with Him more than not.)

     1 John 2:9 - He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.
(To hate is to reject God's creation.)

     1 John 2:15 - If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
(Loving the world and trying to be in Christ is an impossibility. With Christ there is no fence straddling.)

I challenge you to read 1 John. We all need to take a refresher course every now and then.

Saving faith, perseveres to the end, but it also makes inexorable changes in our hearts. The presence of these new attitudes in our life assure us of God's grace at work in our lives - because we sure can't do that in our own flesh.
If we try to live for God in our own strength then we can only be 'good' for a short while. If it's not the Spirit doing His work in our lives then it's not going to last and we will fall away and our salvation wasn't real to begin with.

A love for God and a love for others...the two categories of heart changes.
And isn't this what has been said since the beginning -
                    to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your strength, all your mind                                               and all your soul; and to love your neighbor as yourself.

What if we still love to sin? What if we still struggle with certain sins?
Believers can and do struggle with just about any kind of sinful lusts. That's the war raging within us.

Before one becomes a Christ follower we don't 'struggle' with sin. We run to it; we embrace it eagerly. Our only conscience that struggles with the sins is usually according to how we were raised, what we hold as morals.
After becoming a Christ follower our struggle with sin is much deeper. We feel the tension of the struggle every day. It grieves us that we are committing offenses against God. We struggle with the wickedness of the sin. The Spirit within us doesn't leave us alone, the Spirit and the flesh war with one another.
Only the Holy Spirit within you will show you your sin. The struggle with sin can be a good indicator that you are saved. :)

Our hope rests on God's promises, on Christ's finished work on the cross.
Philippians 1:6 - "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus  Christ."
Amplified Bible Philippians 1:6 - "And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you."

And though Paul is the one who penned this prayer, it is my prayer for my children and for everyone who reads this blog -
     "And this is my prayer,
     that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
     so that you may discern what is best
     and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
     filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ -
     to the glory and praise of God."                                        Phil. 1:9-11


Until He comes...