I don't know what it is but I am constantly doubting if I really have salvation or not. I understand about the message of the cross and what it means to sin against God. I understand about what faith is and about repentance but I just feel like all I have is head knowledge and that I have no relationship with Christ. It's been bothering me for a while and I just don't know what to do. I pray and read the bible and watch video sermons always looking for answers but I just feel lost and like something isn't right. I am also still bondage to sin so maybe I was never truly saved to begin with. I'm just lost at the moment. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :-)

This sort of topic is hard for me, I don't how to respond. I know that there are many others on SI that are far more articulate, wise and knowledgeable than I. I wanted to let you know that I have read your thread and I will pray for you. Hang in there.

Remember that His burden is light and His yoke is easy...don't strive but come to Him, as you are, not what you can bring; because you know you can't bring anything.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, hath everlasting life." John 6:47

blessings
reformer

What happened is about two months ago I seen a video sermon of Paul Washer and after watching it I realized how blind I was to the truth and so I repented and put my faith in Christ. I heard many times that the evidence that someone has been truly converted will be shown. I used to believe I was saved because I went from not knowing about god and not going to church or reading the bible to the opposite. But I have been having doubts lately and it's eating me up inside. If I had a relationship with Christ and I was truly considered to be saved then wouldn't I know it some way? Wouldn't I be sure that I was saved and some how know that I am in a relationship with Christ?

JSE (and others who struggle with their salvation)

I truly believe these messages by Paris Reidhead will be a blessing to you and lead you into a greater understanding of your salvation. He says it in a clearly understandable way.

#1 - [url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=16433&commentView=itemComments]Faith-New Birth-Witness of the Spirit by Paris Reidhead[/url]

#2 - [url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=16439&commentView=itemComments]Temptation and Sin - Paris Reidhead[/url]

#3 - [url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=16434&commentView=itemComments]Hating Sin by Paris Reidhead[/url]

I pray they will help.

May God bless you,
Wayne

Thank you for the advice. I think my problem is that I had the wrong idea of what repentance is and maybe that is why I feel so lost. I just watched another video sermon of Tim Conway on true repentance. I think the reason why I feel lost is because I have asked for forgiveness for my sins but I never truly turned away from them. When I tried to turn away I relied on my own strength and will, instead of relying on Christ's. This leads me to my next question. If I repent and have faith then am I to just assume that I am saved because of the promises Jesus made. He said if we repent and believe in the gospel we will be saved. So is being saved something you feel in a sense? Or is it something that you just have to have faith and trust that he will keep his promise as long as you continue to repent and believe?

Salvation is not based upon feelings, it is based upon faith, some may feel a warm and nice feeling, but i think if all where to go by their feelings we would feel lost every now and then. Do not judge your salvation based upon how "successful" your walk is, how much you have repented from so far. If you will base your salvation on your feelings most likely your christian life will be filled with uncertainty and fear and worries the rest of your life, I think a good example is Peter when Jesus said to him i have prayed your faith will not fail you, not that he could not fall or deny christ, but that when he repented his faith would still be there.

So as long as you come to Jesus do not fear what your feelings may tell you, feelings is based upon many things , and many of them have the great potential of deceiving us.

If you are saved i do not know, but i know all who believe and repent shall be saved. Do you have faith and have repented from your sins,your selflif (living for your self) and from this world, and decided to daily take up your cross and follow him, then you are saved. The result may be far from as successful as you would desire, you may have a certain sin that you know you have to give up but are constantly falling anyway, there may be a struggle, even for years, but if you in your heart has made up your mind you going to fight this sin every day until God gives you the victory over it, i would say you are saved.

Go to Christ, by faith we receive all things, do not let your feelings discourage you, in our day we have been raised in a "feeling" environment, everything "feels" good, if it feels good it is good, most of the worldly peoples decisions and life are determined by what they feel, but we do not live by feelings, we walk by faith, the group of people in heb 11 , the ones that got sawn asunder, walked in deserts, hungry, was persecuted etc, i think no one of them had a "fuzzy warm nice" feeling in their times of trial, but they had faith....

so no matter your feeling, se what your faith is at....

is your faith in you or any other thing you are not saved, but if you have faith in Christ death, resurrection and his finished work and all what it means to us.

You are saved.


I will give you some links that hopefully will help you, they have helped me.

[url=http://www.austin-sparks.net/TAS0041.mp3]The grace of God ~ T.A Sparks[/url]

[url=http://www.cfcindia.com/web/mainpages/book_window.php?book=the_purpose_of_failure]Purpose of failure by Zac Poonen[/url] here is a small excerpt:
[i]
Let’s turn to Luke chapter 22 verse 31.

Here we read of Jesus warning Peter of a danger that lay ahead of him. He told him "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."

We all know that Peter denied the Lord three times that very night. In verse 34, we read that Jesus told Peter, "I say to you, Peter, the cock will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me."

What I want to share with you this morning is God’s purpose in man’s failure. This will encourage all of us who feel frustrated and discouraged because of our failures to have hope.

The question first of all is : Does God allow failure? Does He permit it? Is there a purpose in failure? Or is failure something that has no purpose at all in God’s perfect will and something that God cannot use to further his purposes!

When we read this passage, we see that God did not prevent Peter from denying Him. Why didn’t Jesus say "Simon I have prayed for you that you will not deny Me even once." Why did the Lord pray only that Peter’s faith may not fail, even if Peter himself fell?? Isn’t it interesting that the Lord did not pray that Peter might not fall?

Some of us would like the Lord to pray for us that we might never fall. We would like the Lord to say to us "My son, my daughter, I have prayed for you that you will never fall and never fail." But interestingly enough, our Lord doesn’t pray such a prayer for us.

What did Jesus pray for Simon? That when Satan tempted him, his faith would not fail. He didn’t pray that Peter should not fall in temptation, but that when he did fall, his faith in God’s perfect love would not fail him - so that even when Peter reached the bottom of the pit of failure, he would confess, "God still loves me".

That is faith – and that is the confession we must always have on our lips and in our hearts - no matter how low we may have sunk or fallen - that God still loves us, JUST AS WE ARE.

That was the confession of the prodigal son. When he had reached so low that he could not go any lower, he still believed that his father loved him. I can’t imagine anyone reaching any lower than the prodigal son had reached - eating what the pigs eat. That boy was at rock-bottom. But when he reached rock-bottom, he remembered one thing: That his father still loved him. Otherwise he would never have returned home. Supposing he’d heard that his father had died and that his elder brother was now running the house, do you think he would have come back home? No. He knew what his elder brother was like. And knowing that, he would never have come back. He came back only because he knew that his father loved him.

There are sinners who never come to some churches because they sense that the pastor or elders there are like that elder brother in the parable. You can’t blame those sinners then for not coming. If however the elders of a church are like that father, then the worst of sinners will come to that church seeking salvation, just like they came to Jesus. Our church must have such an image, that the worst of sinners feel free to come to us. If Jesus is really in our midst, the worst of sinners will definitely come and find salvation in our midst.

There’s hope for all who’ve failed thoroughly, who’ve made a mess of their lives, and who’ve reached rock bottom. From there the Lord can pick you up and take you to the heights of glory. His prayer for us is that our faith in God’s love should not fail at any time.

If you don’t need this message today, dear brother and sister, you’ll certainly need it one day in the future - when you hit rock bottom. Remember one thing in that day: that God still loves you, no matter where you are, or how low you have fallen. May your faith in God’s love not fail in that hour.

Faith is basically believing that God still loves us. He doesn’t love our sin, He doesn’t want us to continue in our sin. He’s like a father who sees his child’s diseases and hates those diseases, but loves his child. Think of a mother who sees her child full of leprosy or tuberculosis. That mother loves her child so much, but hates those diseases with all her heart. God loves sinners but He hates their sin.

We see God’s love for sinners and His hatred of sin on Calvary’s cross. His love for sinners is seen in that He allowed Jesus to die on the cross for us. His hatred of sin is seen in His turning His face away from Jesus when Jesus bore the sin of the world on the cross.[/i]

_________________
CHRISTIAN

You know you sound just like me, i feel what your talking about and their is a testimony from a brother on this site that might give you an understanding or encouragement. Here is the link.

http://theopenlife.blogspot.com/2005/07/when-i-was-four-years-old-stranger.html

You know i have heard people say that they were saved when they believed and repented of their sins, i have heard people say they just believed one day, i have heard testimonies where the holy spirit regenerated some one just reading through the scripture, and i have heard people who got down in repentance and faith many times before they were truly saved. My friend robert came to God in repentance many times and wasn't saved. He had felt hopeless and wanted to just end his life but for some reason he didn't. Then one day he repented again of all his sins and he was finally saved, and this man you know is saved. You can know it and the scriptures tells us so.So maybe all you can d is just trust and if you want assurance or to be truly saved cry out to christ until he does, no matter how long it takes.I see your burden and confusion, but thats what i can give you. Remember john 3:16 and read it, do you believe it, truly believe it.

I guess I just have the idea of what being saved is all wrong. People make it seem like you will literally feel your sins disappear and will feel Christ in you. I guess what I should do is just what he says and that is to just keep repenting and believing.

I would suggest you go to the Word and study His promises to all who come to Him and then believe what you read. Trust in the Lord and His promises not in yourself or in the words of men.

_________________
Alan Taylor