3 Reasons Why Christians Lack Assurance Of Salvation!

One cannot visit with Christians today and not be very aware that many of them lack assurance of their salvation. The question we should be asking is "why"?

If you were to ask most believers "Have you come to the place in your spiritual life where you know for certain you would go to heaven if you died today?" you would get many types of responses. The question is not difficult and neither should the answer be difficult. Yet, for many the answer is not cut and dry.

Many will say that they "hope so". A lot of them will come back with "I don't know". Sadly, some will say " I don't think anyone can know for sure".  Thankfully, a  few will say with resounding clarity "yes". What is the problem? Where has the church gone wrong in producing so few that are certain of their eternal destiny?

Let me offer three reasons why assurance of salvation is such a rare commodity for so many folks.

Reason #1 - There is a failure to recall an exact moment in time when you first believed. So much emphasis is placed on saying a prayer, walking an aisle, raising a hand, turning in a decision card, etc., that if you can't recall a date people will doubt your conversion. However, it is not some external act or ritual that saves it is belief in Christ as Savior and sometimes it is tough to pinpoint the exact moment that this belief occurs. If you can truly say now that you are trusting Christ as your only hope of forgiveness and all that goes with it then you should not stress out over when it happened.

Reason #2 - Doubt as to whether or not you used the right procedure. I didn't walk down an aisle, I didn't make my decision in a church, I didn't say a sinner's prayer, maybe I didn't say the right prayer etc. Doubts like these exist because we have literally added requirements to what the Bible actually says when it comes to salvation. Remember the Philippian jailer? What must I do to be saved? Well Paul didn't get out his Four Spiritual Laws and lead him in a sinner's prayer. He didn't tell the jailer to wait until Sunday and come forward during the invitation at church. No, Paul just asked the jailer to believe on Jesus. The many additions to the gospel have created more doubt traps for sincere believers. When we simply ask folks to respond in faith then we avoid the confusion that comes about because of our gospel "additions".

Reason #3 - Folks lack assurance because of sin that still persists or re-appears in their lives. It's unfortunate that this reason robs so many people of assurance. I would blame two false notions for this unfortunate outcome.

 First, many in the church today teach that once a person is saved they have just one nature (a new creation) that is fully in tune with the will of God all the time. This teaching is patently false. Believer's possess two natures and they are at war with one another. One need only read the seventh chapter of Romans to see how the Apostle Paul struggled with this reality. Christians sin and to deny that they will sin is not Biblical, see I John 1:8. False teachers who use 2 Corinthians 5:17 as their proof text for Christian perfection are taking the verse out of context. This chapter talks about our new position in Christ not a perfected lifestyle. We will not escape the presence of sin in our lives until we die or are raptured!

 Second, is the modern error of Lordship Salvation which basically states that to be a Christian you live in a constant state of having Christ as the Lord of all areas of your life and are repenting of all sin. The trouble with this position is that it too is not found in the Bible. The Christian life is a journey that has it's ups and downs. Christians do fall into sin and sometimes it is a grievous sin and sometimes it lasts a long time. Samson, Lot, David, Peter and a host of other Bible characters can attest to this truth! Lordship Salvation is a lie from the pit of hell that says turning from sin (or being willing to turn from all sin) in addition to faith are requirements to be saved. This teaching is a mix of works and grace. It is a failure to make the Law/Grace distinction and to "rightly divide" the Word of Truth. The only requirement for salvation in the New Testament is belief or faith and it's mentioned nearly 200 times. Turning from sin is a daily battle for a Christian in his quest to be practically sanctified in his walk with the Lord. False teachings that tell you that sin is evidence that you are not saved are part of the Devil's arsenal but are not part of God's truth as contained in his Word.

The only true and objective proof of our salvation and its accompanying "assurance" is found in the Word of God. I John 5:11-13 says...
 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know  
 that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

John 5:24 says...
 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

If you have believed on Jesus as the guarantor of eternal life then you have Jesus and you have eternal life. Take God at His word and stop doubting His promises. Rest in that Blessed Assurance.

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Michele Bachmann Quotes Concerning The End Times

Michele Bachmann has been one of the most maligned political figures in history as far as I'm concerned. I believe the reason that main stream media despises her is  because she is a believer in Jesus Christ, pro-life, pro-gun and pro-America.

If you were to type in "Michele Bachmann quotes" in a Google search box the first page would describe her quotes in the following way....controversial, worst ever, crazy, idiotic, strange and bizarre.

I believe just the opposite about Michele's quotes and her life. I believe she is an attractive, educated, principled leader who would have made a far better President than the one who currently occupies the oval office.

Her latest quotes concerning the days we are living in also indicate that she is discerning. Discernment is something that is so rare in our culture that it might seem strange and bizarre to the run of the mill pagan.

Here is the statement that Michele made on October 7, 2013 as recorded by The Atlantic Wire...

"[the U.S.'s funding of al Qaeda in Syria] happened and as of today the United States is willingly, knowingly, intentionally sending arms to terrorists, now what this says to me, I’m a believer in Jesus Christ, as I look at the End Times scripture, this says to me that the leaf is on the fig tree and we are to understand the signs of the times, which is your ministry, we are to understand where we are in God’s end times history. Rather than seeing this as a negative, we need to rejoice, Maranatha Come Lord Jesus, His day is at hand. When we see up is down and right is called wrong, when this is happening, we were told this; these days would be as the days of Noah.” 

That statement is one of conviction and courage. It is of conviction because only a true believer in Christ can make that statement with the expectancy and enthusiasm that Michele displayed. It is courageous because her many critics and haters will jump on this as just another example of "crazy Michele".

Just let me say that I am encouraged that there are some professing Christians in our country who know what time it is and are not afraid to voice their opinion. The milk toast, politically correct churches that fill our land are totally unwilling to rebuke and warn our fallen culture. And the entertainment centers that masquerade as churches sure don't want to upset people with talk of the end times or last days. Most pastors today resemble the fallen shepherds of Jeremiah's world when they tell there parishioners what they want to be told.

May God bless Michele Bachmann's boldness and expand her realm of influence in our sick country!

The song performed in this video is by my good friend, Mitch Langley. He currently serves as the worship pastor at Northland Christian Church in Topeka, Kansas.

Carl Gallups Rebukes The Latest Pope Francis Heresy

Carl Gallups is a Southern Baptist pastor in Florida. He has been cranking out youtube videos that get massive traffic. He is particularly tuned in to the signs of these last days and the heresies of popular teachers. His latest target is the new Pope and justifiably so. Here is a video by Carl, pay attention to what he says especially the last half of the video.

Francis is a universalist. Universalism is an old heresy that basically states that everyone will go to Heaven. According to this view it doesn't matter what God you worship or how much of a hedonist you are you will go to Heaven regardless. Pope Francis takes this false teaching a step further. He says that you don't have to believe in God at all!
It is amazing to me that one fourth of this world claims membership in this apostate organization despite the continued immorality, pedophilia and false teachings that roll out of the Vatican on a conveyor belt. Jesus pretty much summed it up in the third chapter of John when He said that men love darkness rather than light.
For centuries Popes have professed that they are the Vicar of Christ. This term means that the Catholic church believes these men are the actual representative of Christ on Earth. Furthermore they believe that the Pope and his priests have the power to forgive men of their sins. It's heresy, pure and simple.
I prefer to go to the genuine article, the pre-imminent One, the Lord Jesus Christ.

I Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

I have found that I can go right to the throne of Jesus at any time to find help in my time of need. I am thankful that I was raised in a home that was not under the spell of the church of Rome. I am thankful that at an early age I came to faith in Christ as my Savior. I understand that millions of people in this world are trapped by family expectations to stay in this sinful church. We should continue to witness to Catholic friends and loved ones and urge them to come to a simple trust in Jesus and find a church that believes in the Bible as the sole authority for their lives.