KCU/04/SMERD

Topic 14: How can we be sure we’re saved?

Question: Based on what you know from the Bible & other sources (including the Theology Matters reading), what are the ways we can be sure that we’re saved? (Be sure to do more research into the issue. If the group cannot come to a consensus, feel free to have different group members each express their own opinions.)

Scott Durbin's contribution: Thirteen Lessons in Christian Doctrine Denver Sizemore Faith

Essential in order to receive all of God’s blessings

Secures salvation for man

Acts 15:9 “He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith”

Acts 10:43 “All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name”

Faith pleases God

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”

Faith brings peace to the heart of the Christian

John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me”

Matthew 6:25-34 “…seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well…” Lifts our minds and vision to see as God sees and to think God’s thoughts after Him

Ely V. Zollars states, “by the eye of faith, we can lay hold of that which we have never seen, and can never see with the eye of the sense, and thus dwell amidst the beauties that never fade.”

Christianity, Cults and Religions

Rose Publishing—chart

How to be saved

“Salvation is by God’s grace, not by an individual’s good works. Salvation must be received by faith. People must believe in their heart that Jesus died for their sins and physically rose again, which is the assurance of forgiveness and resurrection of the body. This is God’s loving plan to forgive sinful people.

First Draft Stuff

It has always been said that there is only one truly important goal in all of life, but what is it? One way to get a great variety of people's goals would be to travel to New York City. Within this incredibly busy metropolis one can see an unlimited supply of goals that each person has. In the hustle and bustle of the market in Union Square, a goal of buying and selling good, clean food is seen. Isn't there a goal of making some money on the side as well? Of course there is. But what about the business men and women that work on Wall Street? They're there for making money too aren't they? Yes, they obviously are, but this is their only goal. The vendors in Union Square, yes, are trying to make money, but they are also providing a service for the people of the city. They are doing more than making money, they are helping the city and the people within it get healthy food. The goal of trying to make money is not bad in and of itself, but, when it is the only goal in a person's thoughts, it will become an obsession. Many people within these great United States would say that this is a good goal to have, but this is not true. Money will only last so long before its no longer of any use to you. This inevitable stage of life is called death. This brings up another question; what happens at death? Well money, possessions, friends, or even your family can't be taken along, so what happens? Do the body and soul go somewhere else? And if they do, then how do we know we're saved? This is a very important question that each person in the world must answer for him or herself. This is the most important goal in life, not the search for money and possessions.

Written by Mike Erwin: To fully understand how we are seved we must look at first how we become saved. There are many beliefs in how we are saved but the way we believe is more commonly known as the conservative christian belief. The reason we believe this method is the right way is straight from spiritual doctrine, not how men say but how the Bible says to be saved. The Bible clearly says baptism by emersion(Matthew 3:13). That also before we are baptized we must repent, I repeat we must repent. Peter tells his listeners "Repent and be baptized"(Acts 2:38). God knows your heart and to say He doesn't is to question Him. Now just what do we have to believe in to be saved, nothing more than that Jesus is the Christ, which means that He died on that cross and three days later rose from the dead(John 3:36). Belief in Jesus is the first part of bieng saved. After you believe in Jesus Christ you must and yet again I repeat must be baptized into Christ(Colossians 2:12). People of different faiths will tell you different things on how to be saved, but there is one and only one way(Acts 4:12). Jesus has also said this himself that there is one and only one way(John 3:5), meaning that if you believe in Jesus and in what he teaches there is only one way to be saved and that is through Jesus himself.In the Greek translation of the Bible the word used for baptism also means emersion, makes me wonder where the Catholics got the sprinkling of children. If you actually read the Bible child Baptism makes absolutely no sense at all and the fact that many people practice not only sprinkling but also the baptism of babies is a very scary thought to me. Children can not repent, and if they did repent what sins did an infant commit. Now I do have a Catholic friend named Zac Zabitski,I called him he said I could use his name, and we have many debates on doctrine of scripture and doctrine of Catholics. Due to a belief that all chrildren is born with the sin of their parents is why child baptism preformed. Now when asked to pull that up in scripture he took me to the story of the blind man from John 9, If you don't know this story a man who was born blind was given his sight by Jesus, the phariseeses and teachers had told this man that he must have been born blind due to the sins of his parents, where as Jesus said it was not because of his parents sins but so that the Lord may show his power through the healing of this man, now that was the only scripture he could show me and it really didn't help his case at all it actually proved mine more than his. So as for child baptism is clearly not Bible doctorine. Sprinkling isnot Bible doctorine, it is not even mentioned in the Bible. So really the only true baptism is through emersion becuse it is the only one suported by Bible scripture.

Written by Ryan Romans: Christians live upon their belief. Alot of chrisians live up a word called rejoice, which means true happiness. Some of them follow "jesus Christ" and refer to themselves as living in faithfulness. All christians should obey the bible. Some who don't ususally repent on what they did long. Some so called "christians" will do things wrong and then repent on all then knowing that god will keep forgiving them, those are not real christians. Christians know and believe in god. Christians know all of gods commanments as the world to come. Christians should not worship idols. Christians do NOT lie. They should love one another and not hate no one. Every morning and through out the day Christians should praise god and all the things that god had done for them. They do not do anything to other people that they would not want done to them. They should share what they got with people that need.