Luke
I have written to you several times about this, because I too understand and went through a period where I doubted my salvation. It was a terrible experience and disrupted my life for several months. I had difficulty working, because it was all I could think about. It even affected my relationship with my family, I became very withdrawn and depressed. I would go out at night and walk to a deserted spot and pray for hours. For me, the problem was a misunderstanding of faith. I had listened to some false teaching and thought faith was a feeling (which it is not), and that you had to maintain this confidence without wavering. As I have written before, I was looking the wrong direction. I was looking at myself, and of course I saw failure. I could not maintain this constant confidence without having doubts and fears. And so I was convinced that I did not have faith. But I did not doubt Jesus whatsoever. I knew Jesus would save me if I could just have this faith, but I kept failing at having faith.
Finally, I realized that Jesus and Jesus alone is the object of our faith. The question is not whether we will fail, we will fail every time. Very experience will teach any honest person that we are failures. The question is whether Jesus will fail. And I know, and I believe you know that Jesus cannot fail. Jesus is perfect, absolutely perfect. Jesus does not lie, Jesus does not mislead. As was posted before, Jesus said:
Ask
Seek
Knock
Now, look at that Luke. The first letter of each word spells ASK. Do you think that is a coincidence? To all those people that can't believe that God planned to publish his Word in the English language I say baloney! The King James Bible in English is the perfect infallible Word of God and God planned it that way from the beginning. You can't do this with Greek, Latin, Hebrew, or any other language. So don't listen to these false teachers.
Jesus said you just have to ask. And Luke, it is not the asking that saves, it is Jesus who saves us when we come to him in faith. And Luke, the asking is just an outward show of faith. You are not going to pray to Jesus to save you if you do not already believe that Jesus is truly the Son of God who died for your sins and rose from the dead. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, how could I pray to him? If Jesus is not the Son of God, how could he hear my prayers, the thoughts of my heart? So you see, when you ask, you have already believed. The sinners prayer is more a help for you, so you can remember the time you came to Jesus for salvation. And there is no perfect way to come to Jesus, we are not able to do anything perfectly, and Jesus is not asking that of you. Just come to him any way you know how. He hears you and is glad to save you.
The stories of the sick and lame are perfect pictures of salvation. When a blind person came to Jesus, did Jesus say "start seeing, and then I will give you sight". Of course not. A blind man cannot heal himself, and he can only come to Jesus as a blind man. It is Jesus that heals you. These folks that preach that you must completely quit sinning (they say repent) are teaching falsehood. If you had to quit sinning 100% to get saved, then none of us would get saved. We are not perfect, and there is no way for even us to come to Jesus perfectly, we do not know how and are not able.
Look at this wonderful passage.
Luke 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Oh, how wonderful this passage is. Look at the poor humble publican. He was a wretched sinner, so imperfect, and he knew it. He had nothing to offer the Lord. He simply prayed and asked the Lord for mercy, just as he was. He was so ashamed of himself. But look how wonderful Jesus was, Jesus saved this poor publican right then and there. And he will save you just the same. And if you have asked Jesus to save you, then you are saved. How do you know? By the Word of God! Not feelings.
I know I am saved because the Bible says so. I am so thankful for the Word of God. God's Word is greater than my feelings. It is greater than all the lies and tricks the devil uses.
Luke, just take Jesus at his word. Jesus knows your struggles, pray and ask for help, he will help you. When you get through this trial, you will be better off for it. You will be strong and very assured. But get off this feeling thing, feelings come and go like the wind. But the Word of God is our strong foundation.
Luke 6:47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
Luke, Jesus is our foundation. The Word of God is our foundation, that is why it is so important for us to defend the infallible Word of God here. Depend on God's Word no matter what you feel like. In time your assurance will grow and then you will feel good. The good feelings come after assurance, not the other way around.
|