Repentance, Confession and the Assurance of Salvation

[Any Minute]

reach Excellent teaching Pastor Adrian! It did my heart, mind, and spirit well to read through this thread again. Thanks for your most recent post of encouragement and teaching.

 

[SonSeeker]

reach Excellent teaching Pastor Adrian! It did my heart, mind, and spirit well to read through this thread again. Thanks for your most recent post of encouragement and teaching.

Couldn't agree more, Any Minute.

Thank you, Adrian, for your most excellent response. I must read and reread your response until it really sinks in. Your teaching is correct, of that I have no doubt. But sometimes this 65 year old coconut on top of my shoulders gets pretty hard so am considering using my heart for understanding rather than my head. It may work better for me.

 

[Hol]

I need to thoroughly chew on this, but Adrian I am loving it already Thank you!

There is a fluidity in all my struggles to follow Christ, did I say 'struggles'! more like IMPOSSIBLE without our blessed Holy Spirit. One of my early & oft repeated lessons is that I spoil things when I feel like I've got to get my big toe in there; I have to "do" something to earn His grace. Some sort of object to worship, other than the God I love: Oh to be freed from this body of death! (Romans 7:4, sort of)

 

[lynnjcksnjck]

I was at work Saturday and a conversation started in which this co-worker stated that he was an athiest..I couldn't help myself..I said that there is no such a thing. He asked me what did I mean..I told him that athiest spend alot of time trying to disprove something that doesn't exist..He said..ok..I'm an agnostic...I cannot believe in something that I cannot see..he said that I also have issues with Christians who say they are saved and sin...And why should they go to heaven if they sin...I told him that we All sin..I don't care who they are they all sin..he asked how can you as a saved person do the same things that you did before?? Very valid question..I told him that when you accept Christ into your heart and become saved, your heart changes. The holy spirit comes into you and you become a new person (I am very bad explaining things..forgive me Lord)...He said plenty of people that he knows continue to live the same life after they got saved. I told him that then I would question whether or not they actually got saved or did they "perform something to think they were saved". How many people "believe" they are saved. I said that the Holy Spirit Convicts a believers heart and tells them when they are doing something that isn't right...I am so awful at this..but I believe that the Lord put me there and I certainly hope I didn't blow it! so then we talked about the Jehova's witness..how they live and what they believe in..Please pray for me that the Lord can use a goof like me!

 

[Kem]

Just now finding this thread. Such a clear and excellent teaching and so needed in these times of major confusion in the church. We are blessed to have you here Adrian.

 

[Belle of Grace]

Adrian, I still like your posts in this thread. I'm glad that someone decided to post again so that all of us can be taken back to your wise words and
be blessed by them all over again. Thank you!

 

[Belle of Grace]

Lynjcksnjck, you are not a 'goof', far from it. I'm glad that you had the conversation with the atheist. Perhaps you could find some support materials from
www.livingwaters.com In addition, there is a book by Dr. Jobe Martin, 'The Evolution of a Creationist' that might be helpful as well. Of course, all of us know
that it is the Holy Spirit who opens the mind of the lost, and He can certainly open this one as well.
May God bless you as you seek to help this man come to knowledge of the Savior.
Romans 1 is a good place to start, too, to show him he's without excuse.

http://www.icr.org/article/95/ Also, look at Johann Kepler in side bar of this page, just to the left of the article/interview of Dr. Gary Parker.

 

[mattfivefour]

I praise God that this thread is still blessing people and still opening the eyes of Christians to the total sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice and the complete provision of God's love for each individual who calls on Him. Jesus said His yoke is light and His burden easy. But far too many Christians seem to make those words a lie when they struggle and suffer under the yoke and burden of their alleged faith. It is because they have not been taught true doctrine. They are made to continue with the mindset of those still under the law of sin and death, held in bondage by the penalty of sin. But that entire penalty has been paid by Jesus Christ by His sacrificial offering of Himself, and now we can walk in the Spirit of Life in Him. And that life is characterized by complete trust in every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, by full rest in His all-sufficient provision, and by complete cessation from all self-effort.

 

[mbrown1219]

 

[Belle of Grace]

Wow! Another excellent post! Thanks, Adrian. You seem to be able to understand what the problem is when people have spiritual discouragement. I think your most recent post just above describes the likely source some of my anxiety that I used to experience. Praise God, now I 'know' in whom I believe has taken it all upon Himself. His grace is so wonderful, and I think that's the aspect of God I was seeming to misunderstand. Even though I was saved, I still had difficulty in believing the 'goodness' of God, though I don't know why, since He came to die for my sin. Too often, people can draw an unfortunate conclusion about the character/nature of God when they look at the authority figures from their own childhood, etc. As I've grown in my knowledge of Him, more and more, I realize that we must 'never' look at fallen, sinful men and use them as a template for the nature of God. Only in God's Word can we find the proper attributes of God, as He revealed Himself to us, over and over in His special revelation. Even the general revelation of creation speaks of His love for us and for all of His created beings (animals/people) and His loving provision for all of us.
For the rest of my life on this earth, I want my # 1 Quest to be to get to know Him in all His fullness, as much as it is humanly possible. This, of course, requires spending time with Him in prayer/Bible study.
Joining Bible Study Fellowship this year has helped so much to increase my understanding of Him. I'm so very thankful for what I've learned so far.

 

[AndyM]

What a blessing this is to me Adrian. God's love and blessings through our Savior be abundant in life Adrian.

 

[domo60]

This is what I have been trying to tell people about for years, but now through this thread I feel I can explain it now.

 

[2Timothy4:1-5]

I am continually approached by people— both on RF and outside—who are shaken in their faith in their salvation. They think perhaps they have not done something right, or have sinned too much, or have not done something they should. Just today somebody asked me some very specific questions about that very thing. My answer to them formed the seed of this article which I feel led to post for all who may be interested. I pray it bless somebody.

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Repentance, Confession and the Assurance of Salvation

First of all, a person is not saved by his or her repentance. We are saved by what Jesus Christ did at the Cross.

Repentance is a grossly misunderstood Bible word. The word repentance in Greek is μετάνοια (metanoia) from meta meaning "after" and noia a form of the verb noeo meaning "to perceive", itself coming from the noun nous meaning mind. Thus the word metanoia means to have a change of mind or “to have a change of perception after something." After what? In the context of God, that would be to have a change of perception and thinking after considering Him and His claims. After all, through the prophet Isaiah, God says to man, "Come let us reason together...." And that conversation itself is in the context of man coming to God for the forgiveness of sins; because that verse ends: "... though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18)

So repentance is not confessing your sins, though that may be part of the process of repentance. It is not even being sorry for your sins, though that is definitely part of the product of repentance. No, repentance is recognizing your estate and God's claims and, consequently, making the conscious decision to change your thinking and accept God's Word and Way over your own. It is sometimes referred to by preachers as a "change of mind." And in fact that is what it is. Where before we did not truly accept God's existence (if at all), let alone His claims, we now turn to Him, acknowledging He is whom He says He is and accepting His Word as truth. Thus we see God as high and lifted up, holy and pure, and loving toward us—as demonstrated in Christ coming as a servant, to reveal the person of God to us; and as a sacrifice, to pay the price we could not pay and remove the veil we could not enter.

The second most misunderstood word in the Bible is "confess". We are told "to confess our sins," and "to confess Jesus." Many people believe this means "admit" something (usually bad), or "to declare" something (either good or bad). But the primary definition in most English dictionaries actually comes remarkably close to the meaning of the Greek. My 2,134 page American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines the verb "to confess" as "to acknowledge belief or faith in something" or "to profess something". And acknowledging the truth of something is indeed close to the meaning of the word Paul used. The Greek word is ὁμολογέω (homologeo), a compound of homo meaning “same" and lego meaning "to speak". Thus it means "to say the same thing", "to agree".

But, agree with whom? And about what?

The whom is actually the Whom— God. And with what are we agreeing? Simple. In the case of sin, we are agreeing with everything He says about it. In the case of Jesus, we are agreeing with everything He says about Him.

So, there you have repentance and confession. According to the Bible. But human words cannot fully capture the scope of either of those actions in a simple definition. True repentance manifests itself as a recognition that God is God; that we have been wrong; that He is holy and righteous and pure, and we are low and unrighteous and incurably filthy. That recognition brings us to a place of weeping. We look at ourselves as did David: "I am a worm." We understand Isaiah's lament: "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." So, like Job we cry "I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." This is the first condition of a man or woman who is truly repentant as he is confronted for the very first time by the reality of God. This is where the tears and the godly sorrow come in. But it is sorrow that sooner or later becomes intermixed with joy: for as we recognize that we have no hope in ourselves or in anything we can think or say or do, God reveals to us the hope that He has given us through His Son, Jesus the Christ. John Newton had it right when he wrote:

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear;
And grace my fears relieved.

For most of us acknowledged sinners, our first true meeting with God brings us into great fear: that is God's grace drawing us into His Presence and opening our blinded eyes to see Him. But that same grace then ministers His love, and mercy and grace to us. Hallelujah!

Now I used the term "acknowledged sinners" on purpose. There are some sinners who are sinners like all of us, born so by their inherited fallen nature, but unlike some of us who reveled in sin, they are naturally loving and gentle and kind. Some of them have been terribly hurt. They do not need to be told they are sinners; they need to be assured they are loved. Thus their first encounter with God is not in Him convicting them of their wickedness; it is in Him convincing them of His love. The rest will follow. You see, God deals with each individual at the point of their own very specific, individual need. The Holy Spirit ensured that Matthew would confirm the word spoken through Isaiah: "A smoking flax He will not extinguish; a broken reed He will not break." It is so important to understand that God is perfect in all His dealings, both with selfish users of others and with the unselfish ones who are used. This is the foundation of our trust in Him: the belief in His essential goodness. Once He has bound a person to Himself with the chains of love, God will then deal with the various aspects of their life that are displeasing to Him and need to be changed. But He does not set out to change the person's old nature. He sets out to produce in them an entirely new nature— the nature of Jesus Christ.

Jesus was not just using a metaphorical expression when He told Nicodemus "You must be born again.” (John 3:7) He meant it. The term "born again" (Greek: γεννηθῆναι ἄνωθεν, gennethenai anothen) means literally "to be reborn." And we must have that new birth or we are still lost in our sins. As surely as physical birth brings us into this physical world, spiritual birth brings us into the Kingdom of our God. When we are born again—exclusively through faith in Jesus Christ, Who He is and what He did at Calvary—we have literally died to our old life and are born into a new one, a spiritual one … one that is existentially different than our old life, but just as real. That is why Peter exclaims, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." (1 Peter 1:3) It is, as he says, "not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God." (1 Peter 1:23)

Now, if you have repented and confessed according to the meanings of those words as outlined above, you are born again. This is all in response to God's Work. He confronted you with Himself, He worked in you to bring you to that place, He gave you the heart that would respond to Him, and He suffered and died so that you might live. So what God has wrought, no man can take apart. You are saved. How do I know you are? Because God’s Word tells us that this is all that is necessary for salvation: faith in Christ.

"God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." (Ephesians 2:4-10)

The repentance and the confession are acts that are mysteriously both intertwined with and follow the moment when we come to faith in Christ. When that occurs, we find ourselves manifesting the greatest characteristic of a Christian: love ... love that even reaches out to enemies. But before it is love of man, it is foremost love of God— for we want to please Him and we hate ourselves when we disappoint Him. Thus our new hearts manifest our saving faith. And as long as our faith is in Jesus Christ and Him crucified—in other words, in our Savior being the God who loves us, and in the all-sufficiency of His sacrifice as well as the motive for that sacrifice being His love of us—then we are saved. No work is necessary on our part other than to agree with God ... which is the actual exercise of faith.

This is the complete process of salvation of an individual. Some churches insist on certain sacraments as necessary for salvation. But the Bible does not say that. In fact, it says if anybody comes to us with such a way of salvation we are to reject them (Galatians 1:6-9; 3:1-29). Baptism does not save. It is a figure, a symbolic expression of your death, burial and resurrection with and in Christ. Neither does the Lord's Supper play any part in your salvation. No church ordinance, sacrament, liturgy or religious ritual plays any part in saving you or keeping you saved. Only your faith in Jesus the Christ—what He fully accomplished for you at Calvary and what He is currently doing for you in Heaven.
However, let me add: baptism is a step of faith and a first step of obedience. The Bible tells us to repent and be baptized (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38). Every account of salvation in the Bible is followed by baptism of the new believer. If someone comes to Christ there should be no hesitancy in wanting to be baptized. Baptism as a child means nothing. It is a public confession of one’s faith. Nobody can make that confession on your behalf. Therefore as an adult, as soon as you are born again you should be baptized.

Now there are some who hold to the view that when you sin you lose your salvation and need to be resaved. That is too long a subject to go into here; I have dealt with it before. But suffice to say that this belief is error. Thus there is no theological or soteriological reason for a backslidden Christian who comes back into fellowship to be re-baptized. It will not accomplish anything, either in securing their salvation or even simply manifesting their obedience to God. It is not a necessary act.

However, if—and I stress IF—someone was baptized upon a personal profession of faith at a younger age and, in view of their greater knowledge and commitment to Jesus Christ now that they are an adult, would like to make a fresh public profession of their faith in Him and thus express their desire to be clearly and publicly identified with Him, then I see no reasons why they should not go ahead and be re-baptized. Acts done exclusively for God out of a pure motive are never unrewarded by Him. But understand that you are already saved, you are already identified with Him through baptism, and if you ask for the act to be re-done, it will not improve one iota on what has already been done. (It may, however, I will admit, perhaps work some blessing in your heart to know that you have done this for Him.)

The bottom line for those troubled as to whether they have done the right things to be truly saved is this: if you believe in Jesus Christ (who He is and what He has done), if you believe that you are a sinner deserving of eternal hell and have no means of saving yourself but believe that God has provided that way for you through Jesus, then you are born again. Old things have passed away; all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Holy Spirit dwells in you (1 Corinthians 3:16). You are sealed until the moment of redemption in Heaven (Ephesians 4:30). And He who began this good work in you guarantees He will finish it in you (Philippians 1:6) and present you faultless and without stain, blemish or reproach before His throne (Colossians 1:22; Jude 1:24; Ephesians 5:27).

There is no need to be continually thinking God is angry with you and ready to punish you or kick you out. That is not God as the New Testament reveals Him. Rather He is the One who loves you so much that He allowed nothing to prevent you from dwelling with Him in eternity. When Paul prayed for the saints at Ephesus—which prayer the Holy Spirit preserved in His Word for all saints throughout time, including us today—he prayed that we would come to know the full extent of God’s love for us (Ephesians 3:14-19). I pray the same thing. For once you understand that love, you will never again be shaken in your faith, regardless of the trials and tribulations that may come; Satan will never again get advantage over you; and you will begin to rest in God’s love rather than strive in His fear. And, best of all, you will find that His love for you spurs you to greater love for Him, manifested in greater faithfulness, a more consistently victorious life, and an unquenchable love for others— be they lovable or not. In other words, you will become more and more like Jesus … into whose image (Greek εἰκών – eikon – an exact likeness) the Holy Spirit desires to gradually change us so that we may be living examples of what Christ can do in a life. How else can we be “witnesses” to the truth of the gospel?

Amen!! Thank you Adrian!

 

[Betty]

Matt
Thanks for sharing. This post answered a question that has been in my mind for awhile. I often hear people how broken they were went they got saved . I got saved at 7. I only remember feeling so happy that God loved me. Now I have been broken many times as I confessed my sins to God over the years. I never doubted I was saved but I often wondered if I was missing something but at 7 there wasn't a lot of things I could have done to feel guilty about. Now I know my salvation experience was based on my age.
Betty

 

[ForeverBlessed]

This thread has really explained a lot to me and has encouraged me to go deeper into the Word. Thank you for posting it!

 

[DavidB123]

There is no need to be continually thinking God is angry with you and ready to punish you or kick you out. That is not God as the New Testament reveals Him. Rather He is the One who loves you so much that He allowed nothing to prevent you from dwelling with Him in eternity.

Amen!! Great article. I particularly liked this line.

Much agape love!!

 

[WaitingOnHim]

I was at work Saturday and a conversation started in which this co-worker stated that he was an athiest..I couldn't help myself..I said that there is no such a thing. He asked me what did I mean..I told him that athiest spend alot of time trying to disprove something that doesn't exist..He said..ok..I'm an agnostic...I cannot believe in something that I cannot see..he said that I also have issues with Christians who say they are saved and sin...And why should they go to heaven if they sin...I told him that we All sin..I don't care who they are they all sin..he asked how can you as a saved person do the same things that you did before?? Very valid question..I told him that when you accept Christ into your heart and become saved, your heart changes. The holy spirit comes into you and you become a new person (I am very bad explaining things..forgive me Lord)...He said plenty of people that he knows continue to live the same life after they got saved. I told him that then I would question whether or not they actually got saved or did they "perform something to think they were saved". How many people "believe" they are saved. I said that the Holy Spirit Convicts a believers heart and tells them when they are doing something that isn't right...I am so awful at this..but I believe that the Lord put me there and I certainly hope I didn't blow it! so then we talked about the Jehova's witness..how they live and what they believe in..Please pray for me that the Lord can use a goof like me!

I believe that whatever words you used in speaking with this man concerning Christ were the absolutely perfect words he needed to hear at the moment, as prompted by the Holy Spirit through you, His vessel. I also feel like I often stumble when attempting to witness for Christ, later wishing that I had said this or that differently or quoted a verse other than the one I did. However, He has told us that His Spirit will provide the words for us when needed. You did just that!

God bless you for caring enough to witness to another soul. I have a feeling that the seeds you planted will produce fruit beyond your imagination. It is in God's hands now.

I praise our Father that He, through His perfect ways, actually prefers to use "goofs" to perform much of His will. Not that you are one by any means - certainly makes ME feel more useful, however!

In Christ.

 

[Andy C]

Awesome thread. Well worth reading several times. Thanks Adrian.

 

[jfw]

Can anyone show me where the Bible defines "saved or salvation"

What does the Bible say we are saved from?

 

[Chris]

Can anyone show me where the Bible defines "saved or salvation"

What does the Bible say we are saved from?

The Essentials of Salvation
Wednesday, July 8th, 2015
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley


What is Salvation and what does it take to get it?

The Greek word translated “salvation” literally means to heal, preserve, or make whole. It’s always used in connection with the judgment coming at the end of our lives as our Righteous God requires recompense for our sins. The penalty for sin is to be banished to a place of torment and eternal separation from God: a place of solitary confinement with no hope of release ever.

The Bible describes salvation as an event that immediately and irrevocably changes our destiny from this eternal separation to eternal life in God’s presence. It happens the moment we ask for it in faith, and is made possible through a pardon purchased for us with the blood of God’s son, our Lord Jesus.

Ephe 1:13-14 is especially clear in explaining this. “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed you were marked with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance …”

We hear and believe and immediately the Lord marks us with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, and guarantees our place in His Eternal Kingdom. The Greek word translated “deposit” means the Lord has entered into a legally binding obligation to save us, and has given us the Holy Spirit to guarantee it. It’s similar to an earnest money deposit, used in the real estate industry to legally bind a buyer to follow through on his agreement to purchase property.

What About Those Who Hear But Don’t Believe?

Nowhere in Scripture have I found a verse that promises salvation even to those who have heard the Gospel but don’t believe and therefore don’t ask for it. Quite the contrary in fact. In John 3:3 we read “… no one can see the Kingdom of Heaven unless he is born again.” And Romans 10:9-10 says, “if you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified (regarded as though innocent) and with your mouth that you confess and are saved (delivered from judgment).“

Asking God for salvation is the confirmation that you believe He can and will grant it. John 3:18 states plainly that those who don’t believe stand condemned. 2 Thes 2:10 agrees. “They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” So much for those who hear but don’t ask. Our need for a Savior to deliver us from judgment is so self-evident that the Bible actually uses the same Greek word for disobedience as it uses for unbelief.

What About Those Who Don’t Hear And Don’t Ask

Our responsibility to know about God is described in Romans 1:18-20 where man is left without excuse. Anyone who looks at the creation should be able to comprehend that there is a God. But a study of the nature and character of God will lead us to conclude that He will not require something of us that we are not intellectually capable of understanding. Therefore the mentally incompetent and underage children are not accountable. In the case of children, they all belong to God (Matt 18:10-11) and have eternal life (Romans 7:9). But after reaching the age of accountability each one must consciously choose to be saved, or they too will be lost.

Since asking is such a simple thing, and since all who ask receive, it’s an enormous victory for Satan to have convinced so many that they needn’t do so. If we find out we didn’t need to ask and did so anyway, what have we risked? But if we find out that we needed to and didn’t, then what? Remember, asking confirms belief.

Salvation and Sanctification

By the way, don’t confuse salvation with sanctification like some do. While Salvation is an event that immediately changes our destiny, Sanctification is a life long process by which we are conformed to the likeness of our Lord. It’s really only complete at our resurrection. Note the comparison of the two in Hebrews 10:14, “Because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever (salvation) those who are being made holy (sanctification).” In the grand scheme of things, the two are actually meant to go in tandem. First comes Salvation, a gift given freely and irrevocably to all who ask in faith, assuring Eternal Life with God. Then comes Sanctification, the process of living our lives in submission to the indwelling Holy Spirit here on Earth.

Obedience to the Spirit’s guidance brings the dual rewards of a more fulfilling life here and the promise of special rewards in Eternity. Believers are admonished to live a life pleasing to God as a show of gratitude for what we’ve been given. Failure to do so can trigger earthly consequences and the loss of rewards in eternity, but does not put the believer’s salvation at risk (1 Cor. 3:10-15).

Who’s Your Daddy?

Look at it this way. Salvation brings adoption into God’s family (John 1:12-13 & Gal 4:4), and once we’re His children we’re His children forever. Through our behavior we can put a strain on our relationship with God just we can with our earthly parents. This can cause us to miss out on blessings we might have otherwise received, and even our ability to communicate with Him can be disrupted. (This is called being out of fellowship with God.) With our earthly parents, the relationship can remain strained for years, and in some cases may never be healed, but even so we’ll always be their children. So it is with God. We’ll always be His children, no matter what.

But unlike our earthly parents, confession always brings God’s immediate forgiveness. It restores our sanctification (1 John 1:9-10) and it’s as if the strain in our relationship never happened. And sometimes He will even turn the episode into a great blessing once we’ve come to our senses and repented. For God works everything together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). These are the essentials of salvation. o7-02-03

https://gracethrufaith.com/topical-studies/spiritual-life/the-essentials-of-salvation/