How To Be Sure You Are Genuinely Saved Part 2

“These things I have written to you who believe

 in the name of the Son of God,

so that you may know that you have eternal life”

- 1 John 5:13

Are you struggling with doubts as to whether or not you are genuinely born again (John 3)? If so, please know that it is indeed possible to determine your true spiritual state.  The first article in this series began by asking the following questions: Can a person know that they possess saving faith? Is it possible for an individual to know that they belong to Jesus Christ? If so, is there an effective way to measure an individual’s profession of  faith to determine its authenticity?

 The answer to all these questions is a resounding “Yes!”  The New Testament Book of 1st John lists several objective truths for correctly ascertaining the existence or absence of true saving faith. The first fruit or evidence of saving faith is…

 THE FRUIT OF A CORRECT UNDERSTANDING OF JESUS CHRIST

 Where biblical salvation is concerned, it is necessary for an individual to correctly comprehend the correct identity of Jesus Christ (1 John 1:1-4). Why is this important? For one thing, it is imperative that you go to the right person for salvation. You must be sure that you are seeking the Jesus of the Bible. People believe all sorts of incorrect things about the person of Jesus Christ, and often times they teach other folks these same false notions.  For example:

•  The Mormon cult teaches that Jesus is the half-brother of Lucifer, the Devil. The Mormon Jesus and the biblical Jesus are completely different. The Jesus of the Bible is uniquely God’s Son, he does not have a brother (John 3:16, 18).
•  The Jehovah Witnesses (The Watch Tower Society) who teach that Jesus is not the God of the Old Testament, but a lesser being or little god, created by Jehovah. Where did such a notion come from? The Jehovah Witnesses have embraced, hook, line, and sinker, an ancient heresy known as Arianism, which denies the deity of Jesus Christ.

 But those are groups that are known by most to be outside of the true Christian faith, right?  But many who would appear to be inside mainstream Christianity have false ideas as well…

•  Many believe Jesus was merely a good man, teacher, or prophet (Matt 16:13-16), and thus they reject Him as being God incarnate, and of divine nature.
•  Others dream up their own Jesus, one whom they can manipulate and manage. They often superimpose their own beliefs upon their fabricated Jesus so that He is in line with their ideas and desires. 
•  Many try to simplify (and thus distort) His teachings, as can be seen by the common notion that to become a Christian one must start by learning to “love God and love others” or that the Gospel message is, “God is love”.

 Because of these things, it is imperative for an individual seeking to obtain salvation to seek the real Jesus!  The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is both 100% God (Col 1:19; 1John 4:15) and 100% Human without the sin nature (Hebrews 4:15; 1John 4:2-3), with which the rest of humanity is born into this world (Rom 3:10, 23). When Jesus Christ is erroneously identified, salvation becomes impossible. A fictional Jesus is not a savior simply because He shares a name with the Biblical Jesus!  The Bible plainly teaches that Jesus is both Savior and Lord and you must go to Him for salvation as such (Romans 10:9-10, 13; 2Cor. 4:5). Yea, He is absolute and sovereign Lord and you must seek Him alone for salvation (Romans 10:9-13; 1Cor 12:3; 2Cor 4:5; Luke 6:46).

 If you desire for Him to saved you, then you must approach Him in repentance and faith (Mark 1:15). Once more, salvation is only found in the person of the true Jesus Christ and in no other (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Rom 10:9-13). This is the first mark of a true Christian. Stay tuned for part 3!

Read Part 1 of this series HERE

Read Part 3 of this series HERE

Read Part 4 of this series HERE