What Is The Evidence of Salvation?

(continued from last month)

"If you were to be tried in court for the crime of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"

 
What is the real evidence that someone is saved? Maybe the best way to tell is to look for some things that are NOT there. The Bible does tell us a few things that are always present in the life of a Christian. If these things are missing, then we have reason to be concerned about that person's soul. (continued on page 2)

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

If the fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-23 isn't obvious in the life of a person, then there is reason to question whether the Spirit of God dwells in that person. A real Christian will manifest love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. All Christians have the right to weigh a professor of Christianity on this scale.

LOVE FOR THE BRETHREN

A real Christian will love the church and the brethren in Christ - he always will!

John 13.35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

1 John 4.20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

1 John 3.14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

1 John 3.10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

1 John 2.9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

We have the right and the RESPONSIBILITY to judge others by this measure. If we don't we will be failing them and God. If a person professes to know Christ and doesn't love the church and the brethren, it is a dangerous sign of the real condition of his soul.

A RIGHTEOUS LIFE

While a righteous life isn't conclusive evidence to prove one's salvation, the continual lack of it is evidence that the person is lost and doesn't know God. A saved person will not live in habitual, continual sin! If that isn't true, then we surely can't trust the Bible, because if one thing is clear in the Scripture this is it.

1 John 3.10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

1 John 3.7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Righteousness doesn't save a person, but it ALWAYS accompanies real salvation. The unrighteous ARE NOT GOING TO HEAVEN, (1 Corinthians 6) and there are two distinct groups - the righteous and the unrighteous - they aren't mixed together beyond recognition.

WORLDLINESS

Friendship with the world is enmity with God. If you are a friend of the world, you are God's enemy - it is really that simple. There is no such thing as a "worldly Christian." You won't find one in the New Testament and you won't find one in 1994. People who love the world are God's enemies according to the Bible. The only way you can believe in "worldly Christians" is to have a different standard and rule for discernment than the Bible. Many preachers have taken a different standard than the Bible in this matter. They say, "Well, I have so many people like that in my church, and I know they can't all be lost." What a foolish mistake! What a disservice to the souls that have been given to his care! What will a preacher like that face at the judgment seat when he is called to account for the souls of those he has deceived? Why would a preacher of the Gospel DEFEND worldliness in his church members?

SOME TRAITS OF A SAVED PERSON

NOT SELFISH

The whole basis of Christianity is that someone gave Himself for us. He was crucified that we might live. He said that if a man doesn't deny himself, take up the cross, and follow Him, he CANNOT BE HIS DISCIPLE! Selfish people are NOT going to heaven. If any man will save his life, he will lose it, but if he will lose his life for Christ's sake, he will find it. God doesn't save us for our gain, but for His Glory. The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life make us selfish and we know that "they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." (Gal 5.24) So it is obvious that a Christian cannot live a selfish life.

A CHRISTIAN IS TEACHABLE

A saved person has "ears to hear" what the Spirit saith.

John 8.47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

1 John 4.6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Patience is always in order to teach people and give them space to understand, but a person who bucks up and will not receive instruction is telling the real condition of his heart. Spurgeon said that if you can't take the Bible and gently instruct a man and correct him from the Word of God, you need not pamper the man, because he is a lost man.

No doubt there is much more we could get into in this matter, but time and space won't permit. The point is: it is your responsibility as a Christian to discern the condition of the souls of others. This old "judge not", taken out of context, needs to be cast aside and the real teaching of the Bible put in it's place. We are commanded not to yoke up with unbelievers, so you have to make a discernment in order to obey God. Applying the Bible standards for salvation is NOT the judging talked about in Romans 2 and Matthew 7.

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