Tag Archives: real christianity

HOW TO BE SURE YOU ARE GENUINELY SAVED Pt 3

November 15, 2011 by Pastor James 0 Comments

THE FRUIT OF ADDRESSING PERSONAL SIN

As we think about how to determine if one is truly born again, we must continue to examine the biblical fruit which always accompanies authentic salvation. The Apostle John lists another fruit or evidence of biblical salvation as the acknowledgement of personal sin (1 John 1:5-2:2).

What do I mean by a personal acknowledgement of sin in one’s life? John indicates in (1 John 1:5-2:2) that a person who is saved will not continuously live in darkness (sin), but they will consistently seek to walk in the Light where God dwells (holiness, purity). But when a true believer does sin, they acknowledge their sin to God. Also, they do not deny that they have sinned, but confess their sin to the Lord, who forgives and cleanse the believer of all unrighteousness (1:9). The word confess in (1:9) means to fully agree with God concerning the nature and vileness of your sin, as well as, to take full responsibility for your sin. The man Job in the Old Testament is a good example of how a New Testament follower of Jesus Christ will seek to walk before the Lord (see Job 1:8).

The Apostle Paul exhorted people to examine themselves to see if they were truly in the faith. Paul stated, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you– unless indeed you fail the test?” 2 Corinthians 13:5

Other posts in this series:

Read Part 1 of this series HERE

Read Part 2 of this series HERE

Read Part 3 of this series HERE

Read Part 4 of this series HERE

American Christianity, Examine Yourself
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Great Quote

October 10, 2011 by ChurchSalt 0 Comments

“If the professed convert distinctly and deliberately declares that he knows the Lord’s will but does not mean to attend to it, you are not to pamper his presumption, but it is your duty to assure him that he is not saved. Do not suppose that the Gospel is magnified or God glorified by going to the worldlings and telling them that they may be saved at this moment by simply accepting Christ as their Savior, while they are wedded to their idols, and their hearts are still in love with sin. If I do so I tell them a lie, pervert the Gospel , insult Christ, and turn the grace of God into lasciviousness.”

- Charles Haddon Spurgeon

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How To Be Sure You Are Genuinely Saved Part 1

July 14, 2011 by Pastor James 0 Comments

“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).

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 inspect an individual’s profession of faith to determine its authenticity? The answer is yes to every question. However, before we begin listing the biblical evidence supporting the existence of true saving faith, one must fully considered several other related issues. Please carefully consider the following truths.

One’s Spiritual Identity Is Discernable – Matthew 7:15-20

In this scriptural passage, Jesus made a straightforward statement concerning identifying a person’s spiritual character. He taught that an individual’s spiritual identity is discernable by the fruit they produce in life. The fruit a person bears in life will be consistent with their true spiritual nature. In other words, a saved person will always bear good fruit, and a lost person will always bear worthless or bad fruit. A fruit tree is evaluated based on the fruit it bears and not on itsoutward appearance.

Jesus Warned of False Faith – Matthew 7:21-23

The Lord also issued a very sober warning concerning counterfeit faith. He cautioned that people could believe themselves to be a Christian, and yet possess false faith. In fact, in (Matthew 7:21-23), Jesus was speaking to religious minded people; who thought they possessed true saving faith, and they did not. This is a very frightening truth, which you must fully consider. You must be sure that you have come to saving faith in Jesus Christ, and that you have come to Him, on His, which are repentance of sin and complete reliance upon Him alone for salvation (Mark 1:15). A person does not want to be wrong about their spiritual condition before God; the consequences are devastating and eternal. The Bible plainly states that all unregenerate or lost people, upon their physically death, will spend eternity living and suffering in the Lake of Fire (Revelations 20:11-15). Therefore, if you are lost you must seek the Lord until He saves you (Isaiah 55:6-7); for He is the only One who can save you (John 6:44; 14:6; Romans 10:9-13).

Assurance of Salvation

You can know that you have been born again. The Apostle John wrote the Book of 1 John to provide a means of objectively measuring one’s faith. In fact, in the book, the Apostle gave a list of biblical indicators, which validate the existence of genuine salvation. On the other hand, if the biblical signs of true salvation are not consistent in one’s life it indicates lostness. Check back for updates to this article, as I will begin listing these biblical indicators in the coming days.

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!    –  2 Corinthians 13:5

 

 

Read Part 2 of this series HERE

 

Read Part 3 of this series HERE

 

Read Part 4 of this series HERE

 

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The Modern Message?

May 30, 2011 by ChurchSalt 0 Comments

This short piece seems to me as how many modern folks preach the Gospel…

When preaching, or telling others of the Gospel…

“Do not be like the fellow, in one of the American towns, who saw a traveler leaning against a lamp-post, weary and worn with his journey.  The traveler asked him how far it was to a certain destination, and was told that it was ten miles.  The weary traveler sighed and said, “I shall never hold out.  I shall collapse on the road.”

“Ah!” said his sympathizing informant, “I did not know you were so tired, I will knock off three miles, and make it seven for you.”

Of course, changing his words did not alter the fact, nor really reduce the ten to seven.  Yet this is the method of many weak and timid preachers; they tone down the truth, forgetting that what they say does not affect the fact.This obligation is too severe; so it is suggested that it may be relaxed a little.  This doctrine is too stern; so make it  a little milder and less offensive.  Pleasing everybody at any cost is the style of the period.  If sin, human depravity, repentance and the like are strongly spoken of in the old theology, run off to the new theology, and soften things up a bit.  If the punishment of sinners too much alarms men, treat it lightly, and hide it away; who wants to win converts by fear?

Yes, yes; “make it seven.”

But what comes from all your soft words?  The distance is all the same for your lying; and when the deceived one finds out, he will pour no blessings upon your heads.

May the Lord save us from the doom of deceivers of souls!  May we be watchmen who will be clear of the blood of all men!  Be firm yourselves; and then, like men who themselves stand fast, you will be able to help others whose feet are slipping.”

— Modernized quotation from  Charles Spurgeon

American Christianity
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The Deceitfulness of Morality

April 27, 2011 by ChurchSalt 3 Comments

Please consider for a moment the trouble a King named Abimelech (King of the nation Gerar) got himself into while behaving in a genuinely upright and moral fashion.  And not just trouble, but trouble and condemnation from the Lord, to the point that he almost lost his life.  The incident takes place as Abraham is traveling through Gerar, and King Abimelech notices not only Abraham, but also his wife Sarah.  Let us read:

 Genesis 20:2-7; 17; 18  And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” 4 Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people? 5 Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.” 6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her. 7 Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”.….  17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. 18 For the Lord had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

Usually this passage is read with the actions of Abraham being the focus.  Today, let us take a long hard look at the exchange between the Lord and the king.  By all accepted standards, King Abimelech was doing nothing wrong!  He did not realize Sarah was a married woman.  Abimelech was of the understanding that Sarah was a beautiful, young, available woman, and the sister of Abraham.  When he took her to be his wife, he conducted himself with all morality and kept his conscience clean.  But what was the result?  The Lord told him that he was as good as dead! The Lord knew of Abraham’s lie, He knew of Abimelech’s morality, and yet still he held Abimelech accountable.  This is an extremely important truth that must be realized.  It is quite possible to sin against God while behaving in a moral fashion and being completely unaware that your actions are wrong.  Abimelech had taken another man’s wife, and this was wrong.  Period.  His good intentions and self-declared innocence meant nothing.  According to verse 18, the king and his household were already suffering the effects of his sin.

So of what value was King Abimelech’s morality?  It kept his conscience clean and I am sure this allowed him to sleep well at night, but sound sleep was its’ only value.  Indeed, those nights of restful slumber were nothing to be envied, for the Lord of Hosts had judged him to be worthy of death and the King had no clue.  The trust he placed in his morality actually hindered his reconciling with God, until the Lord confronted him directly.

Let us now turn our eye to local areas and the present day, keeping this lesson in mind….

The current Christian sub-culture in the Bible Belt area of the U.S. has promoted morality to a highly vaulted position.  We protest if “Happy Holidays” replaces “Merry Christmas” on the posters at the local stores at Christmas time.  We march in protest whenever the subject of abortion is addressed at the courts, we listen to Christian radio focusing on the family, and don’t forget the Read more…

Examine Yourself, Truth
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first time

First Visit? Start Here!

April 26, 2011 by ChurchSalt 11 Comments

If you are a professing Christian and this is your first visit to our site, this is where you want to start…

Read more…

American Christianity, Examine Yourself
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Froggy Christianity

April 25, 2011 by ChurchSalt 0 Comments

Riddle me this:

Five frogs are sitting on a log. Three of them decide to jump off. How many frogs are left on the log??

I was never very good at story problems in school, nor at riddles, for that matter.  But the answer to this one seems pretty straight-forward.  The obvious answer is two.  But of course, it wouldn’t be a good riddle without a twist. The real answer is five. Why? Because making a decision to do something is different from actually doing it!  The riddle never told us any frogs actually jumped, just that they decided to jump.  Big difference.  This is very similar to what I see in modern evangelism and altar-calls.  We are told to “make a decision” for Christ. The preacher often asks those who “made decisions” to raise their hands.  And of course we will certainly hear what the “decision count” was the next time we all get together.  But is “making a decision” what the Bible preaches as the Gospel?  No.

The Bible tells us to believe.  Believe Christ is the Son of God, God in the flesh who paid for our sins on the Cross and rose again.  We are to repent of our sins and follow Him as Lord and Master, living a life of repentance.  A simple nod of agreement or decision that we need God means nothing.  We find in Luke 24 what is supposed to be preached, “repentance and the forgiveness of sins in Jesus name.”  Have you “made a decision for Christ”?  Wonderful.  It means nothing. Let me now ask you some questions that mean everything; Have you believed the message of Jesus Christ? Are you putting all your trust in Him?  Are you relying on His work on the Cross to pay for your crimes and do you realize that your good deeds have no value whatsoever in settling your debt with God?  Do you now call Him Lord, Savior, Master, and God?  Have you repented of your sins?  Are you striving to be Holy, because He is Holy?  Do you hate the sins you once loved because He has changed you?  Is the change so profound that it is noticeable to those around you or have you just made inward “decisions” to change?  Do you truly believe and follow Him??  True belief will be reflected in every aspect of your life.  The most determined frog of the five is still, to this day, sitting on the log.  Don’t be a decisional frog, repent and believe today!

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surprised

10 Christians that are Headed to Hell

April 25, 2011 by ChurchSalt 2 Comments

Sound Crazy?  Maybe even offensive?  Don’t get angry just yet!  Instead, read this challenging article  Read more…

American Christianity, Examine Yourself
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crossrd

A Christian gets Saved

April 24, 2011 by ChurchSalt 0 Comments

Great video!  A “must watch”  for all who go by the name Christian!

Check it out…

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The Lyrics Say it All

April 17, 2011 by ChurchSalt 0 Comments

I turned on the radio this morning to try to find some morning start-up music, and was instead faced with a puzzling question regarding those professing Christ in these modern times.  A question regarding modern Christianity wasn’t what I was in the mood for, but like so many times when I turn on christian radio, it is what I got.  The local Christian station was broadcasting the song, “If we are the Body” by Casting Crowns.  I am guessing most readers are familiar with it, but for those who are not, take a look at the lyrics of the main chorus:

But if we are the body
Why aren’t His arms reaching?
Why aren’t His hands healing?
Why aren’t His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren’t His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?

I am no expert regarding the music industry nor its’ marketplace, but I do know this is a popular song and has been for a few years now.  It seems to resonate with people.  They hear this song and it seems to address what they see around them in their Christian sub-culture.  When a song (any song in any culture) becomes popular, it is because people identify with it. So if people are identifying with the message of this song, what exactly is it about the message of this song that resonates with people? I think it can be said with confidence that the songwriter is lamenting the fact that there is no or little visible fruit from the modern church he sees around him.  Is this what is resonating with people?  The lack of visible fruit from those professing Christ?  Yes, it is.
So here is the question I was forced to ask myself.  Why are those professing Christ not recognizing this sad state of affairs for what it is?  Look at what Jesus said about the lack of fruit: Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Matthew 7:16-18

The lack of fruit on a massive scale (which is why it resonates with people) isn’t just a bit of weak spot in the modern church, it is a sign that the tree isn’t a fruit tree.  And why is that?  The modern Church has abandoned the message of sin and guilt before God because it is too uncomfortable.  It doesn’t “bring em’ in”.  Without the knowledge of guilt, we don’t understand the need for Christ to bear our punishment and give us pardon, and so that message is rarely discussed either, or at least, not in-depth.  We have abandoned the message the King told us to deliver and instead we have cultivated a decorative garden.  We have planted very pretty ornamental trees all around the land and called them fruit trees, but they aren’t fruit trees.  So when a songwriter begins to sing about missing fruit, it really resonates with folks.  Everyone knows the fruit is missing, but why is everyone surprised?  Do we really expect to see fruit on pine trees, or pears on maples?  If a church isn’t preaching the law and the gospel, if they aren’t preaching Christ crucified (and why), then they aren’t a church.  It doesn’t matter what they call themselves.  And if they aren’t a church, why is it surprising that Christian fruit is nowhere to be found?  Looking at this song in light of scripture gives a whole new meaning to the question, “If we are the body”, doesn’t it?
American Christianity
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