3) don't knock yourself out too much over your doubt. Your salvation is not on the line here. Your salvation depends on Christ alone, it's not even your responsibility to maintain your faith, He sustains that too. True, there will be those who are cast out..."depart from me, I knew you not". But if you read the context you will see that those are "doers of iniquity" They are people who lived licentiously. Perhaps included are those who hold heretical views of Christ. I sincerely doubt that any of those people were agonizing over whether they were saved prior to meeting Christ first-hand
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And that may be the problem right there, the focus has shifted from how great and awesome he is to how lowly and pitiful you are. Poor me, I'm a wretched, awful, terrible, sinful person. You're right, you are. But praise God he doesn't see it that way!
Thanks. Both of these points were highlighted again during my weekly meeting with my Asst. Pastor, which came before I read your posts so HERE'S MY SIGN I guess <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />. But how true it is that the focus is put more on self when I think about how miserable I am or how much I'm doubting. During our conversation today Ephesians 1:6 kept coming to mind, "To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He has made us accepted in the Beloved. When I focus on that particular truth of Scripture, most, if not all, of my doubt and lack of assurance pale in comparison.
I will also look into some good apologetic resources. Any particular recommendations? I'm gonna have to pick up some part time work to pay for my sermon printing from The Highway and my book buying. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/BigThumbUp.gif" alt="" />
tj "-that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection..."
It is difficult to read the responses to your post and remain unbiased in my response. I hope I can be of help.
I was raised a PK (preacher's kid) and lived always, it seemed in my Dad's shadow and the shadow of his faith. What I did not know of at the time was that Dad had his struggles and doubts as well that he did not make me privy to. Part of this "arms-length" attidude I believe now was his fear that he might negatively influence me if I were to discover that he wasn't quite the hero that I looked up to. Our family life was lived in a "fish bowl", at least what Mom and Dad chose to reveal to the folks at church where he ministered.
I had some real fears of my own at the time and serious doubts of my salvation that I think embarrased him. He and I both wrestled with the contradiction that we saw between what our hearts told us and what we assumed the "ideal Christian" should be.
I'll summarize to say that I think my doubts were (and sometimes still are) due to the error of thinking that I can please God on the basis of my own merits. I think that a large reason for most doubts as you describe stem from our own stumbling into legalism and works to attempt to justify our actions or feelings.
The obvious answer from scripture is to move our focus off of ourselves and onto the sufficient and glorious grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
One more quick note: In my adult life, my wife and I lost our first child, Michael who was born premature and lived only months due to complications and prematurely formed organs that were unable to function properly. I was driven into a deep depression and despair that seemed to have no way out. My wife feared that I would take my own life and I began to be assailed by doubts of my own salvation.
I came through all of this only by God's wondrous grace. This experience provided me another clue to these doubts that in this instance originated in the loss of our child and that I had somehow participated in his death as a result of my disobedience, unfaithfulness to God, etc. I wanted to blame myself for Michael's death and in so doing, I labored under false guilt that was manifested in my doubting of my relationship with the Father throught Jesus Christ.
I think there is a difference between genuine and false doubts as well as worldly and Godly repentence and the distinguishing of these is in their outcome, or fruit.
Bless you for your response and encouragement brother.In thinking about my doubts over the past few weeks I've realized that many of them are due to a lack of understanding as well as not completely resting on the work of Christ.
I was also encouraged as I read a newsletter from the ministry of the late J. Vernon McGee. A listener wrote in regarding the amount of faith a believer needs; implying that she didn't think her faith was "big" enough. In reply J. Vernon stated something to the effect of we all have our doubts as believers but faith itself is all that's needed, big or small.
Lately, I've just been praying that God would keep me in spite of my doubts and that He would increase my faith and understanding of His word and His person.
tj "-that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection..."
Amen to what you said. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bravo.gif" alt="" /> When you said:
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The obvious answer from scripture is to move our focus off of ourselves and onto the sufficient and glorious grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I think it sums it up nicely. There is an old song by Keith Green with a line that says "It’s so hard to see, when my eyes are on me". This is easy to say but hard to do, but true nun the less.
