04-10-2008, 03:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Luke
Sorry to change the topic from Revelation...
How would a person know if they are a false convert?
I believe Jesus Christ died for sinners. I admit I am a sinner. I believe Jesus Christ died for me. I have called upon Him to save me from Hell, from myself, from my sin.
Following my conversion, roughly seven years ago, I have sinned, sinned and sinned some more, and felt guilty about it all the time, until I came to a point where I almost lost the feeling of guilt, and could almost sin without feeling guilty. This was a real wake up call for me, and I fervently prayed that God would increase my faith and help me to trust in Him more to overcome temptation, and since that time, I have had the most severe testing of my faith ever. I am not even in any gross sin anymore (I am not without sin, everything done without faith is sin), but I constantly doubt my salvation. And yet, what more can I do to be saved?
I hate sin, specifically, I hate my own sin. I despise it. I despise my past. I believe Jesus Christ died for me. I believe Jesus Christ is the Saviour of all those who call upon His name believing the Gospel, and yet I have no assurance, because of a lack of trust. I cry out "Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief", and no respite comes.
No doubt there are some who would look at my life in the last six years and proclaim that I am not saved because of gross misadventure. And yet, if they would merely venture into the prayer closet with me and hear the cries from my heart, I wonder if they would dare do the same?
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I'm hoping that Jerry will be able to address your questions as I can see you may be hurting. The only thing that came to mind is this passage:
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Psalms 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
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Personally I can tell you that I know God has a hold of me and won't ever let me go.
I continue to sin and now have much grief over my sin. Before I was saved I was apathetic re: my sin. I will say that the grief is so overwhelming that it causes me to stop the sin. and then a new sin will later be revealed to me and the process starts again. This is sanctification. The Lord has sanctified me through fire. The harder the trial, the more I have learned.
A Christian will grow in the fruits of the Spirit.
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Galatians 5:16-25 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
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