He really pays attention

Well I am in absolute joy tonight. I read a story or I make up a story to my 9 year old son before going to bed because he is typically a hype boy before going to bed like most children his age. So tonight I wanted to be sure of his assurance of salvation. So I asked him to get in the bed an be ready to answer this question as honestly as possible. So I asked him the same question I ask everyone regardless of there mental stability. LOL. Which is "if you were to die tonight and we to stand before God and He were to ask you why should I let you into heaven? What would be your answer. My 9 year old said "He would let me in because I love you and you are my savior and you died for me." I almost shouted, but the joy in my heart to know that my children will be alright in the event that this world seeks their demise to know that no scheme will never take them out the hands of Jesus (john 10) I told him you are right and that Jesus is the reason on the gift of eternal life is yours if you believe with you heart and confess with you mouth that Jesus is Lord(Roman 10:9-13) I so began to tell him about John 3:16 and I read John 11 which is the narrative passage I use, however the crux of the narrative is 11:26 where Jesus says not on the last day but that he is the resurrection and the life he who believes in me will not perish be have everlasting life. Yet again Eph 2:8,9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. When I walk him to school and pray with him before he enters school to have a great day and to love all the children in school even the bullies and we gone over the gospel he was paying attention. Now it is time to show him how to share it with his friends as to how they can be assured of salvation for the Glory of God. For by grace alone through faith alone by Christ alone. Thank you Jesus for saving me and saving my family.

If You Were To Die Tonight?

It is not really a question really, but a start the a question. So let me ask it in its entirety; If you were to die tonight and stand before God and God were to ask you why should he let you into heaven? If you answer is you don't know that is a good answer because there is help for you. If you are unsure also there is help for you. The problem is that God will not let you into heaven. Why because we are all sinners and it is written in the bible that for all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.(Romans 3:23) It also says that there is no one who does good.(Romans 3:12) The bible says that for the wages of sin is death.(romans 6:23) Yes we will all die that is correct but the bible tells us that when we die we will face the judgement.(Hebrews 9:27) We will face a death physically and spiritually meaning that all who have disobeyed God will be thrown in the lake of fire which is the second death. Because God is holy and is light he cannot stand does not want to be in the presence of unholy people. It is like when the dog poops on the floor after you have trained him to stand at the door to go but instead he just goes right on the floor in front of you as if to say see there take that. That is what our righteousness is before a Holy God. Because he has the right to punish in his righteous judgement he also provides righteous love shown to us also. That is done through his son Jesus, who is God. Because he is the only one to be righteous to take the wrath and bare the sins of all of humanity. In doing so Jesus tasted death for everyone (Hebrews 2:9) His death, burial and his resurrection and by grace through faith God has given us a gift in Christ. (Ephesians 2:8,9) What is this gift it is the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus. The bible says For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whosoever shall believe in him shall have everlasting life.(John 3:16) Jesus also says "whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgement but has passed from death to life.(John 5:24) Listen again to what Jesus says "I say to you whoever believe has eternal life" (John 6:47) Jesus when he performed the miracle of bringing his friend Lazarus back from the death, after being in a tomb for 4 days in burial clothes. Jesus said that I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believe in me though he die, yet shall he live and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? Only God is able to rise the dead, tell people to believe on him, break no law and die so that he death might be a sufficient sacrifice for the whole world. Do you believe by faith If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and believe that in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Everyone who believes in him will not be but to shame. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:9-13) Listen! If you believe that you are saved and you can say without a shadow of doubt that you are saved and if you are to die tonight, tomorrow, next week or 30 years from now you are saved and God will bring you into heaven because the will of God is to believe in Jesus. Jesus says this in John 10:27,28 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." There are the promises that are found in scripture that you can read an verify and know that you are saved to the uttermost. Please comment and let me know that you are saved.

What is salvation anyway?

What is salvation? The word salvation means different things for different people depending upon an soteriological viewpoint. Salvation is defined as deliverance or preservation with focus on the physical, however the transcendent aspect of salvation is from the wrath of God. Although in systematic theology there are many aspect however my concern is about the assurance of salvation. A clear understanding of the gospel to the believer is of utmost importance therefore without a clear gospel presentation, what then are you placing your trust in. I will not be presenting the gospel message however leading those who are believers who may not understand that there are promises found in scripture that most certainly ensure salvation assurance to the believer in Christ. The assurance of salvation depends heavily upon the believers understanding of the gospel. If the gospel is misunderstood therefore the salvation of the believer is in question. I came across a blog post which was titled “Salvation is not Conversion” it caught my eye and I had some feelings bubbling up within me. As a little background for the last four weeks I have been working as a volunteer chaplain at United Medical Center (UMC) in Southeast Washington D.C. While participating with the ministry I have come across many people who know Jesus, understand his purpose and that they should place their faith in Christ. Which seems that the gospel was communicated to them however the assurance of salvation was not. A question that is easily answered by those who have heard a clear gospel presentation is that "if you died today/tonight and you were to stand before God and God were to ask you why should he let you into heaven? What would your response be?" Out of the 98% of the respondents there answer is they don't what they would tell him. The bloggers point of view from which the post was written was from a Reformed soteriology, so my beef isn’t with the blog post only with the bloggers soteriological viewpoint for assurance salvation. Understanding of the gospel is crucial as it says in Romans 1:16 The gospel is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. Even my muslim friend understands the brevity of the passage. Reformed Christians understand salvation not so much on scripture but from doctrinal belief found in the Westminster Larger Catechism that a (true) believer is to persevere until the end. According to the Westminster Larger Catechism question 80 and 81 are answered in my summation, that a the true believer in Christ shall persevere unto salvation however assurance of grace and salvation not being of the essence of faith, therefore true believers may wait long before they obtain it. If a believer who holds to the salvation based on the reformed view, as it stands; were to die before having obtained the essence of faith will die essentially condemned. Therefore the Reformed view is meritorious. The promises found in scripture ensure salvation to those who believe, John 3:16, 5:24, 6:37, 8:1-39. These verses found in John does not say that eventually you will be saved if you believe rather we have eternal life if we believe in Jesus. We are being persevered which is the plan of God stated in Roman 5:7-10, while we were past tense sinners Christ died, now here is the good part “we have now been justified by his blood much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” Paul in Ephesians chapter 1 verses 4 and 5 says he chose us before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him, in love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. What solidifies our promises and preservation is not something that we can boast about through meritorious works but by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God not as a result of words so that no one may boast. (Eph 2:8,9)