These bits of God's word seem to say we should be:
Luke 1:77 says John the Baptist as a prophet of God was to "give his people the KNOWLEDGE of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins."
So it's something we can know. And this next bit seems to say that it's for everyone who believes:
Paul's just been talking about how Abraham was "fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised," and that it was credited to him as righteousness. Romans 4:23-5:2 says "The words 'it was credited to him' were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness - for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead ... therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."
It also seems like Christ's death is a pretty big indication that we can be sure that we're saved:
Romans 5:8-10 talks about how God showed his love. "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!"
Maybe read that last paragraph again.. who are we to dispute that? Jesus' death wasn't pointless. It was to give us assurance that we are now cleansed and able to meet God, free from guilt.
Romans 6:3-9 sounds pretty insistent. It says, "don't you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will CERTAINLY also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might not be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who had died has been FREED from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again, death no longer has mastery over him."
So because of all this, it seems to be that we shouldn't have any fear:
Romans 8:15-17, "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are his children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ."
He promised us...
1 John 2:25 says "and this is what he promised us - even eternal life."
And God doesn't lie...
In Titus 1:1-2, Paul seems to be Christ's apostle for two things, "the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth." More broadly, "a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who DOES NOT LIE, promised before the beginning of time."
From these bits of his word it seems like God has promised eternal life, and he does not lie. His son's death made this possible.. so we couldn't be any surer, if we believe in his death and resurrection, and the power of that to bring us to God. If we believe in Jesus' death, etc, but aren't convinced of our place in Heaven, then doesn't that make his death a bit pointless? Now that's an awful thought.
Of course there's always gonna be a doubting of our own abilities to follow him and be a "good Christian", but we know it's not about that. We've already been freed. We have to devote ourselves to that, but that won't get us closer to Heaven, when we've already got our place there because of Jesus and his gift that is so simple to accept (but which was horribly hard to give).
We can be confident. Not self-confident - I think it's about confidence in God, not yourself. It's not proud or boastful to believe God when he of all people promises you eternal life. It might be hard to trust and have faith sometimes, but you just gotta do it!
Anyway, I'm far from being any kind of expert on what the Bible says about Heaven, so this is just my interpretation of what I've read. Any comments would be welcomed.
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2 comments:
Well, this was meant to be only a short procrastination session...
Phillipians 2:12-13 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only min my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
So, the question is, why do we work out our salvation with "fear and trembling", particularly when "it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose".
Anyway, what you're encouraging seems to be to to place faith in God for our salvation, rather than be worried about "falling away".
Are we worried about "falling away" because we have faith in God? Is a lack of "fear and trembling" a suggestion that we are "falling away"?
You have the whole "perseverance of the saints, and those who fall, were they saved in the first place?" conundrum.
I think one major difference between a Christian and a nonchristian is that Christians struggle with sin; nonchristians don't. I don't see how that fits in with freedom from sin. I mean, why do we struggle with something from which we are free?
Anyway, what does that have to do with fear? Having seen people wander away, I would tend to say that fearing for their salvation would have been useful for them.
So what is our fear channelled towards? Fear that we might lose sight of, turn our backs on the cross. Fear that we might reject the gift because we become choked up by the worries and excitements of this world.
Speaking personally, I see that choking on life is a massive risk to my salvation, if that could be theologically possible. It wouldn't be a question of whether Christ has died for me.
Too big a gift can be very awkward to receive. You need a transplant. How could you accept the offer of a new heart, or whatever, if someone offered to die just to give it to you. The gift of Jesus' death is similarly difficult to accept.
Yet, it's also so easy to ignore. As someone who has accepted Christ as my saviour, I see the potential to be bombarded by other things that distract me.
That was not a very well structured comment, but you have all holidays to figure out what the hell I was talking about...
Back to study.
Thanks Jerome.. good comments.
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