Welcome, Andrew. Good words --- important
words. It is surprising to me how many Christian folk want
to believe something other than this message of hope.
They are everywhere -- even here on TT.
Good folk who believe that works save them rather than the bibilical notion (IMO)
that our works extend from the salvation that is within us
-- one we call The Christ.
From: Andrew C. Bain <
If someone doubts that they
are a believer of the gospel, because they sin, then they do not
understand the gospel.
The WHOLE point of the
gospel, is that Christ came to save filthy vile hell-deserving sinners
who will continue to sin after their conversion (their change of mind to
the truth). The LAW was NEVER meant to be the grounds of someone's
assurance before God. By it is the knowledge of sin. By it Christians
are convicted of sin.
But how do we know their is
a Law? How do you know their is such a thing called sin? Where did you
read that adultery is wrong, drunkenness is rebellion, and bitterness is
abominable? By the Word of God. Well, doesn't the Word also say,
"By His knowledge shall My righteous servant justify many" and "HE
SHALL BEAR THEIR INIQUITIES" (Isa53). So if you have the
knowledge of Christ, you are justified. If you believe that Christ
was a ransom for many, your iniquities are as far as west is from east.
How can you doubt? How can you doubt God? He can't lie. He knows
everything. And He says that ALL who believe in Christ ARE
.... no pause ... they ARE JUSTIFIED from ALL THINGS that they
could not be justified by the Law of Moses (Acts 13:39). To doubt His
testimony is to spit in his face (so to speak), call Him a Liar, and
blaspheme against the Holy Spirit.
Recently, someone tried to
tell me that the NT Hebrew Christians doubted their salvation,
because they were wondering whether or not Christ had atoned for
their wicked Judaism prior to their conversions. Now, I agree
that converted Jews would have been convicted of the
apostasy of their past Judaism. And this conviction arose from
the Bible. The believing Jews in Rome would have been convicted by
Romans 10. Here, God judges Israel apostate. He basically says
Israel is full of Pharisees and hypocrites
IGNORANT of the righteousness of
God. But does God stop there, leaving all the Jews dead
in their sins? Without faith, without hope, without God in the
world? No. God never sends someone the Law without the Gospel.
And imagine
one converted Jew -- who we'll call Yechezkel --
reading Romans 10. Yechezkel would have been reminded
that when he was an apostate Jew, he had NOT been "submitted to
the righteousness of God" and that he had been "ignorant of the
righteousness of God". Yechezkel have would be
convicted that he had been an Atheist, with NO knowledge or
understanding of God (Romans 10:2). He had been BLIND. In Satan's grip. Dead in sins. Anti-Christian. A
God-hater. A liar against God. A blasphemer against the Holy Spirit.
But this was all past for
Yechezkel. He now believed that Jesus FULFILLED the
prophecies of Old. He know believed that Christ was the END of the
Law for righteousness. God had revealed to Yechezkel (by the
Spirit testifying to the Word) that Christ fulfilled and magnified the
Law for EVERYONE -- ALL those -- who have believed, do believe, and will
believe.
And only those who
believe and are sure that He is the Christ, have His righteousness in
their account. God condemns doubters as lost. Romans 10:6: Do not
say in your heart, Who will go into heaven? Romans 14:23 He that doubts
... is damned.
Yet, our imaginary
friend Yechezkel has as much certainty that he
will be heaven that Abraham is already. Yechezkel only knows
both of these truths by the Word. He's never seen Abraham in
heaven. But God tells him that Abraham is. And guess what? God also says
that not only was Abraham justified by His faith (that is, justified by
who he believed in, Christ), but so is EVERYONE who
believes.
Because if you confess
the Lord Jesus with your mouth, and believe in your heart that
God raised Him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED.
Andrew Bain
Sydney,
Australia
