WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE OF SALVATION?
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| Photo credits:@samuelzeller |
We have all heard people reject salvation saying
that the believers are worse sinners than those who are not saved. So you will
hear a non-believer say if that is what salvation is then I am better off not
saved. This is not the will of God for His children at all.
The word of God
tells Christians [Also let’s not get things twisted; there are people that claim they are
Christians but are not saved. What does that even mean? How can you be a Christian
and not believe and accept His free gift of salvation by way of the cross. That
was the whole point of Jesus’ ministry on earth, the central theme of Christianity.
The Christians were called so for the first time in Antioch because they spoke
of the good news of Jesus Christ. They were believers and followers of Christ
Acts 11:22-26] that they are called to be the light of the world Matthew
5:14-16.The followers of Jesus are compared to the light. They are like a lamp
which is designed to give light in darkness and help people see. By walking as
Jesus did, doing and saying what he did Christians help the non-believers to
open their eyes to the truth.
So
why doesn’t it seem so with most Christians today?
When a person is born again, God deposits His holy
spirit which was promised by Jesus in their hearts. The Holy Spirit becomes a
helper and guide in all matters spiritual, teaching them the will of God. It is
only through the Holy Spirit’s help that one is transformed to be like Jesus (Romans
8:29) and not by their own doing. This sometimes feels like a hard teaching to
accept especially since some people have said this teaching encourages the
believer to continue in sin. On the contrary that is not what this statement
refers to, rather the Holy Spirit is the supernatural power of God which
convicts one of sin in their life. It is impossible to continue in sin because
He will lead you in the right path as well as making right choices. It is a power that cannot be understood by
our humanly minds but as we surrender to Him he takes charge and gives us the
will to reject those old sinful desires (1 Corinthians 10:13)
Christians ought to relinquish control to the Holy
Spirit so that He can work in them to transform their lives into the new
creation they have become after salvation. How can they do this? By building
and maintaining a constant relationship with God. By fellowship with Him
through prayer, reading His word and worship they are able to tap into His immense
power. Majority of Christians are too lazy or too busy to spend time with God
and that is why their spirit man is weak. We nourish the spirit man by feeding
on spiritual food without which he grows weaker making us unable to hear the
voice of God (Holy Spirit)
As we give the spirit more control of our lives,
He begins to do in and through us what only He can do- to shape us and grow us
to look like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)
In
what way does the Holy Spirit transform a believer?
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| Photo credits:Dana DeVolk |
The Holy Spirit produces fruit in the life a
believer even as he grows in the knowledge of God. This may not happen
overnight when one is born again but it is a progressive change that is
witnessed (can be seen) in their life. A fruit is defined as a product of plant
growth. In the same way the product of spiritual growth is seen in the fruit
that is brought forth by the Holy Spirit. As one grows, all the characteristics
of Christ will be manifested in their life.
Just like a farmer we must battle against weeds in order to
enjoy the sweet fruit by having a desire to be rid of all sin that holds us
captive. (Galatians 5:16-18)
Our lord Jesus as He was teaching at one point He
told his disciples that you will know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:16-20). When you know Jesus you will produce good
fruit. Living as He did. People can tell what you believe by how you live.
The evidence of our salvation is the fruit which
the Holy Spirit produces in us. (Galatians 5:22) this is the fruit which the Holy
Spirit produces in the life of a Christian: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness
and self-control. The presence of the fruit is the evidence that our
character is becoming more like that of Christ. The bible uses the word fruit
(singular) meaning as a whole therefore as we grow all these characteristics
will be manifested in our lives and not as independent traits.
May the God of love continue to reveal Himself to you and build you up spiritually as you seek Him.
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Love muchly,
Liz😍😍
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2 comments
This is very true,it's the holy spirit that helps us in our christian walk.And also the part about feeding the spirit man,this is weapon that the devil fights christians with. He makes us so busy and occupied to have quality time with God,and this is why we become weak and unable to walk according to his will.
ReplyDeleteYes Nikkie,The devil is cunning and he knows how to lure people making them follow the desires of the flesh.
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