Am I Really Saved?

Introduction

Who hasn’t said or thought or done something that is best described as dumb? If you drive a car, you have done something dumb in driving that automobile. Many a wreck has occurred with the only response from the at fault driver “I just didn’t see the other car.” How is it possible to miss 2 tons of metal heading toward you? We do some dumb things sometimes. Who hasn’t said something and as soon as it came out of your mouth you knew it didn’t convey what you wanted it to convey? Then we sputter and stammer and try to correct ourselves. All of those dumb things just demonstrates that we aren’t right all the time; we don’t know everything; and we don’t always think and do the right thing.

The same thing is true spiritually. Sometimes we can do, say, and think some pretty dumb things spiritually. I can remember a preacher saying that Christians are always happy. Unfortunately, a lot of folks buy into that false statement. It really was a dumb thing to say and what’s just as bad is to believe it. Christians aren’t always happy and like the rest of the world, Christians struggle with life. Here are some other dumb things that Christians sometimes believe: Christians aren’t supposed to be afraid; Christians aren’t supposed to have doubts; Christian marriages are supposed to be easy; our righteousness depends on how well we do; God’s love comes and goes depending on my faithfulness; God wants me to be happy. You get the idea. Smart people will find that at times they believe the wrong thing. And the thing they believe is just plain dumb.

Tonight I begin a series of lessons in which we face up to some of the dumb things that we might believe. Some of these will be obvious and you do not struggle with such a false belief. Some are far more serious and debilitating. And you struggle with what it really means to walk with God. There are some things that we just have a hard time accepting, but as we study tonight and in future nights, I encourage you to bring your Bible and let’s study together what the Bible has to say about some spiritual truths that you may have heard but may have a hard time accepting.

Perspective

How big is a regulation basketball hoop? Did you know that a regulation basketball hoop is almost big enough for two regulation basketballs to fit? And you thought basketball was hard. If you stand under a basketball goal and look up at it, the rim doesn’t look that big. But then our perspective is altered by having to look up and being 4 feet or so away from it. What is God really like? Our perspective is altered by having to look up and not being able to see him directly. So to fix that we assume some things about God that are not true.

When Ezekiel had his vision about God what he saw was not the real thing. He saw what he called “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.” Or consider Job who talked about God throughout his ordeal and at the end of the writing, God confronts Job with his puny and erroneous thoughts. God meets Job and tells him “Brace yourself like a man, and you shall answer me.” The last thing you want is for God to ask you questions. Job’s response is exactly as it should have been, “I am unworthy — how can I reply to you?” What we really know about God is placed in a list of characteristics which tells us something about him but doesn’t explain who he is completely or fully.

Our perspective of God reflects our earthly confinement. Locked into space and time as we are, we believe that God is too. We describe God in space and time words which doesn’t do justice to who he really is. We say that God is eternal and all knowing. What we may not understand is the implication of such attributes. When we sin there is guilt and shame. This is right and good. But is God surprised by our sin? Was God in the dark about our sin until we did it or did he already know it was going to happen? Is God really all knowing? What’s the implication? If he already knew that you were going to sin before you did it, what does that mean about your salvation? Did the blood of Jesus cleanse you from all your sins or only the ones that you knew about? Did the blood of Jesus allow God to forgive all the sins he knew about or only the ones you knew about?

In Luke 22:31-32 there is the story of Peter vowing to stay with Jesus no matter what. Jesus has spoken of his imminent betrayal and death. Peter vows his allegiance to the point of death. In an interesting sentence, Jesus says to Peter, “Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Was Jesus just guessing about Peter’s future or did he really know it? Peter thought his future was self-assured confidence in standing with Jesus. Peter made a promise to God and didn’t keep it. What does an all knowing eternal God think about that? When you make a promise and fail, does your faith fail? Does God give up on you? Peter said he would keep the faith even if it killed him and he failed. Was he written off or had God already known about his failure and told him what was going to happen in his future?

Grace

Here is the dilemma. We want to take credit when we do right. We have choices to make and when we make good choices we may begin to think that I’m pretty good. What happens though when you fail? Does that mean you are worthless person? Is your goodness based on how well you do or upon the grace of an all knowing eternal God? Are you saved because you do so many right things or are you saved because God’s grace is completely and totally sufficient to provide for your spiritual need?

Look at Romans 8:29. Those God “foreknew.” This word does not mean God elected who was going to belong to him no matter what they did with their lives. This view does not take away choice. But it does demonstrate the all knowing eternal aspect of God’s character. This word carries the idea that God knew before time began who would belong to him.

Long before we existed; long before we came to faith; God knew us and knew what he wanted to do with our lives. He wants us to be conformed to the image of his Son. And with this great plan in mind, he has called us, justified us, and glorified us. We still live in our bodies but the work is done. We still struggle but the outcome is definite. God can promise the glorification because of his grace not because of our righteousness. God can promise our salvation because of what he is going to do and not what we are capable of doing. God is eternal and all knowing. He isn’t sitting on his throne wondering which of us will make it. He isn’t fretting that we might fail in our faith.

God is eternal. Believe it and live like it. Why else does Paul end this chapter with such words of triumph and glory if our salvation isn’t sure? The problem we often face is accepting scripture at face value without trying to qualify it in some way. Dana, are you saying that I can live any way I want to and God will still save me? No. Dana, are you saying that I don’t have to try to live a Christian life? Where did you get that idea? All I’m saying is what the apostle Paul said except in American words — there is absolutely nothing which can separate you from God’s love and salvation. But what about my sin? Let me make sure you understand that question. If you salvation depends on how well you do, can you do enough to convince God that you are worthy of his salvation? If the answer to that question is no, then Paul’s statement still stands.

If by that question you mean, can I do anything I want to do and God is still obligated to save me, then you need to reread Romans 6. But if you want assurance that God’s ultimate purpose for you to be like Jesus and that by his grace he is able to bring that about in your life, then Romans 8 is for you. If you want to believe in an all knowing eternal God is not shocked or surprised by your failures, then there is nothing which can separate you from God’s love and salvation. If you want to argue about the impact of your sin, then that is a question for your own conduct and commitment but it is not a question about God’s grace.

Sometimes we can believe some really dumb things. If we believe the wrong thing about God then it will affect how we relate to him. God will not change the way he feels about you even if you believe the wrong thing about him. But if you believe wrong things about God, it will certainly change the way you feel about him. I am committed to believing what God says about me and my relationship with him and that certainly affects how I relate to him and feel about him. And it affects the way I live day by day. God doesn’t want you to be uncertain about his love, his grace, or his salvation. Are you saved? Why not answer that question once and for all.

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