Hi Scott,
Corinthians 5:10
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
The thought of standing before Jesus Christ, knowing that I am saved but having done nothing for God, not abiding in his word, not telling people about my salvation, being ashamed of the Gospel Of Christ, worried about what the world would think of me, rather than how My LORD Jesus would look upon me, STRUCK FEAR into my heart, I lived in unrepentant sin, I knew what I was doing was wrong, I grieved the Holy Ghost. My Grandfather speaks of this time as when I "went outside the hedge to see what the world was like", and Boy did I sure find out what the world was like and it almost killed me. I came back to the LORD because there is no one else, nothing else that can make things "better" not drugs, not people, not places, nothing but Christ. I hadn't read my Bible in a long time, I had prayed but the conviction just wasn't there, I was so ashamed of the things that I had done that I didn't know how to make them right with Jesus, I believed that I was still saved but I was going to suffer some serious loss at the bema, and that no matter what I done there was no way I could make these things right. I cannot explain in words the thoughts I had of standing before My LORD having done nothing for him. Then at rock bottom I had my heart pricked,
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest
I took EVERYTHING I could not deal with and took it to the foot of the Cross and left it there, I promised Christ and I promised myself that I would live for him and not worry about the world, abide in his word, speak the truth, tell others about my salvation, not be ashamed of the Gospel. I wept, I prayed, I read my Bible, scripture upon scripture began to speak to my heart again like it did when I was a young boy and from that point onwards I have felt peace, I cannot undo the time I was backslidden, but I can draw a valuable lesson from it, these things I have been shown that I may free others from the same snares, the same strongholds others may be in, that I myself have been choked with, the cares of this world.
Those who propose that anyone backslidden wasn't saved to begin with, or may have lost their salvation I say this to them with scripture.
Romans 14:10
But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ
Some will suffer loss, some will have no rewards, but they themselves will be saved. George mentions David asking for the Joy of his salvation to be restored, He was backslidden,I know what this is like, I too lost that Joy.
But as for my Eternal salvation
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
By Gods Grace I am saved through faith in Christs finished work on the cross, I did nothing to save myself, Jesus saved me from eternal damnation, it is His free gift, his righteousness is imputed to me. I have done nothing to deserve it and I can do nothing to lose it. How about that!
Psalm 89:30-34
"If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments: Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips."
Jesus promised "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." I deserved to be cast out! Im so blessed that My God is faithful, even when I am not.
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