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Search The Scriptures: July 22, 2001
HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU ARE SAVED?
INTRODUCTION:
A. Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I am J.R. Bronger and on behalf of the Danville
church of Christ, I am glad to welcome you to the Search the Scriptures program. As you
know, the Hendricks County Fair opens today and the Danville church of Christ will have a
booth there. And, I do hope you will stop by and see us and take advantage of the many bible
tracts we will be distributing. And, take a moment to test your knowledge of the bible on our
bible quiz computers. We will be at the fair all this week, so please be sure to drop by, see us -
and say hello. Also, the week immediately following the fair the Danville church of Christ will
be conducting a Vacation Bible School. This VBS will be held from July 30 through August 3
at 7:00 nightly. Our VBS begins just one week from tomorrow night. Now, while we will have
classes available ranging from one-year through senior high school - we also will have classes
for adults. Dale Robins will be with us to conduct the VBS and to teach our high school students
and we have invited some excellent gospel preachers from this area to be with us to lead our
adult studies. I trust that you and your family will plan on being with us July 30 through
August 3 at 7:00 P.M.
B. Furthermore, let me remind you, if you hear a sermon or a topic discussed on Search the
Scriptures you would like to have, either on cassette tape of CD we will be happy to give it to
you absolutely free of charge. We will even pay the postage for you. Just write to us or call us
and let us know which sermon you would like. Please order by the date the program aired, and
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be patient with us because we are a little behind in our requests. And I make you this promise, if
you request a tape or CD, we will not use the occasion to send you any unsolicited material nor
will anyone call on you without your specific invitation. Also, if you have any questions or
comments, or if you would just like to browse our web site, you can do so at
www.danvillechurchofchrist.org.
C. As we begin, this morning, I would like to ask you a very serious and direct question. This
question will be asked in an effort to probe you into actually answering another more unsettling
one. The question I wish to ask you first is: Are you saved? That is, are you a Christian? Now, if
your answer is, yes. Then I want to follow up with: How do you know you are saved? Now, my
friends, don’t think me to be impertinent when I ask you, How do you know you are saved?
Because I certainly do not mean to be. I only want to challenge you to think soberly and
seriously about your soul and about eternity. By the way, let me say here that one of the most
disturbing situations - in religion - I have ever encountered is in making judgments pertaining to
salvation. The most unusual aspect of this is: I am sometimes accused of judging where people
will spend eternity. This accusation is often made because I will preach (just what Jesus said to
preach) that baptism is an essential component in his plan of salvation. That is, I will remind
people of passages such as Mk. 16:16 that says, he who believes and is baptized will be saved;
but he who does not believe will be condemned. And, people then realize that they know of
friends or family members who have lived and died, without being baptized. So, they, sometimes
become angered and conclude that I am somehow responsible for what the bible says about
salvation and then accuse me of judging. But, then these same people will - without realizing it -
pass judgment on the eternal salvation of someone. They will say something like, “I know that
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my uncle Bob is saved. Why, there was not a better man whoever lived. He spent his life working
for God - and he raised his family to believe the bible. He taught Sunday School, and he would
devote much of his time to feeding the homeless, but he was never baptized. Now, you can’t
convince me that he is not saved.” Frankly, my friends, I am not trying to pass judgment on the
dead, I am only trying to convince the living to accept the words of scripture. All I’m trying to
say is that Jesus made baptism a condition of salvation. And, ladies and gentlemen, it is often
those very people who accuse me of judging that are really judging people. I guess it’s all right
to pass judgment on whether one is saved or lost, so long as you elect for salvation. But, just
how can we know if we are saved? When Jesus came to earth, he came with the expressed
purpose of bringing salvation. He said in Lk. 19:10 that the son of man has come to seek and to
save that which was lost. Jesus came to save the lost because all mankind (including you and
me) are in critical need of salvation. Furthermore, Jesus forewarned of the possibility of dying in
sin, in Jn. 8:24 when he cautioned if you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.
And, if Jesus had not come providing us with the means of salvation, then every man and every
woman would die in his or her sins and be lost eternally. Paul wrote in Gal. 3:22, but the
scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given
to those who believe. All, (this is all men and all women) are under the curse of sin. Paul also
wrote in Rom. 3:10-12, as it is written: There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none
who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have
together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one. Then, he concluded in
verses 23-24 with, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely
by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. But, how can we know we have
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been forgiven and redeemed in Christ Jesus? Or, as I asked earlier, How do we know that we are
saved?
I. My friends, in order to answer this question we must first understand one fundamental matter
And, that is, all forgiveness of sins takes place in the mind of God, not in the mind of the
sinner. In Lk. 23:34, Jesus - in prayer to God, the Father - made this fact perfectly clear. He
asked simply: Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. But in making this
request Jesus made it clear that any - and all - forgiveness of sins would take place in heaven; in
the mind of God. This is important to remember, so stay with me on this. Whenever any one sins,
he sins against God. David recognized this in Psa. 51:4, there he said to God against you, you
only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight. Therefore, my friends, it is crystal clear
that if sin is committed against God, then forgiveness can only come from God. And, that
forgiveness can only take place in the mind of God. Also, my friends if all forgiveness takes
place within the mind of God, then any verification of that forgiveness must come from God.
This is not hard to understand if we use this simple analogy. Let’s say that there is a prisoner on
death row. And his hour of execution has arrived, and his only hope of being spared a lethal
injection is a pardon from the governor. Pardon by the governor resides solely within the
discretion of the governor. After weighing the evidence presented at the trial and all the appeals
that were filed, the governor then decides to pardon the convicted man. What will be the
evidence of this pardon? Will it be the feelings of the guards or even the condemned man? NO!
Evidence of pardon will be presented in the form of a written document. That is, the governor
will issue a form telling everyone (including the convicted man) that he has been pardoned. I
believe we all can understand that. And, if we can understand this simple comparison, then we
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should be able to understand that in order to know (with certainty) that God has forgiven us, then
we need to be told by God. Since forgiveness of sins takes place in the mind of God, then we
must receive confirmation from God that we are saved. Furthermore, we have been promised that
we will receive that evidence of forgiveness from God. And, in describing it, Paul wrote in Rom.
8:16, the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. “The Spirit,”
in this verse - of course - is the Holy Spirit. Now, this is critical, so don’t forget it.
II. However, before we make a close analysis of how the Holy Spirit bears witness with our
spirit that we are God’s children, let’s consider some evidence many are using today in their
effort to determine they are saved. For example, some people say they know they are saved
because they’ve had a dream of some sort. Often someone will give his personal testimony and
declare how he knows he is saved because he had a dream, and in the dream he saw Jesus
waving for him to come to the other side of a river. He goes on to say he concludes from this
dream that Jesus is telling him he is saved. But, my friend, the more far-reaching question is -
Can we trust our dreams to confirm our salvation? That is, do our dreams bear witness that we
are the children of God? NO! Remember forgiveness takes place in the mind of God, and not in
our mind. Our dreams are merely our minds at work. And, we are - indeed - foolish if we place
some spiritual application to the dreams we’re having. The wise man said in Eccl. 5:3, for a
dream comes through much activity. Dreams are simply the subconscious evaluating the
activities encountered by the conscious. Dreams are not to become spiritual barometers
measuring our relationship with God. As a matter of fact, our dreams may reveal something to
our conscious mind that is blatantly unscriptural. For example, in Jer. 23:25 we read, I have
heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I
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have dreamed! Here, God reminded the people that the false prophets were claiming their
teaching came by dreams. It could have been that they were lying. But, there was also the
possibility that they simply had dreams that were contrary to the true prophecy of God. In which
case, their dreams were totally unreliable. Therefore, my friends, don’t trust something as
unstable as a dream to convince you that you are saved. We aren’t told that our dreams bear
witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. Also, there are others who are positive
they are saved, because they are convinced that they’ve seen an angel. Anyone who reads the
bible, even casually, soon realizes that angels were never used by God as they are being depicted
today in movies and on television. For example, in the televison series “Touched by an Angel,”
it’s common to see an angel relating to an individual the love of God. And, then afterward the
person concludes that his or her life is pleasing unto God, regardless of how he or she has lived
up to that time. This concept, however, is not limited to a television series. There are real life
people who, believe they have encountered angels, and then determine from that supposed
encounter - that they are saved. Their reasoning would go something like this. “While working in
my garden, an angel appeared to me. His appearance was so breathtaking that when he spoke to
me - a wonderful feeling of peace came over me. And at that point, I knew I was saved.” Ladies
and gentlemen, hear me carefully, even if this were to happen today - and it won’t - but even if it
did. This would not be evidence of one’s salvation. In the bible we can read of a man who was
given a vision of an angel while he was praying. The man - in this case - was a Roman soldier
named Cornelius. In reciting this event, he said in Acts 10:30, four days ago I was fasting until
this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in
bright clothing. This MAN to whom Cornelius refers was an angel according to verse 3 that
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says, about the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and
saying to him, Cornelius! Now, if anyone could have concluded from being shown a vision of
an angel, that he was saved - it would have been Cornelius. However, the vision of this angel did
not assure him of his salvation. To the contrary, the angel let him know he was unsaved. You
see, my friends, some time after Cornelius encountered the angel, the apostle Peter described
what happened this way. He said in Acts 11:13-14, and he told us how he had seen an angel
standing in his house, who said to him, send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname
is Peter, who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved. What did
the angel say that Peter would do for Cornelius? He said Peter would tell him words by which he
would be saved. What was the reason for this? Cornelius was unsaved. He was a fiercely
religious man. Acts 10:2 tells us that Cornelius was a devout man and one who feared God with
all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. Yet,
despite his devoted life and all the good works he had been doing, Cornelius was unsaved. And,
the visit by the angel did not indicate otherwise. It was not until after he heard the preaching of
the apostle Peter, and his obedience to that preaching that he was saved. My friends, let me
frankly say to you this morning that you might be as sincere as you possibly can be that you have
seen a vision of an angel. But, even if that were possible - it would not mean you are saved. The
verse we considered earlier says that the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are
children of God, not an angel. Now, if the sacred word of God means anything to you, then you
will admit that it says that it is the Holy Spirit that bears witness with our spirit that we are the
children of God, not an angel. This word does not tell us an angel will bear witness that we are
saved. But, let’s move on. In addition to believing that visits from angels confirm that one is
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saved, there are others who believe they are saved, because of some religious experience.
Several years ago, when I was attending the services of the Nazarene denomination, I believed
that I fell under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I immediately ran to the altar and began to
pray. Others - including the Pastor, begin to pray for me. For several minutes there was a great
deal of weeping, shouting and praying while I was pleading with God to save me. Suddenly, a
great tranquillity began to grip me. I saw - what could only be described as a crystal brightness
completely surrounding me. Having never experienced anything like this before, I concluded that
this was God saving me. I believed I had finally prayed through and that God - for Christ’s sake -
had saved me. And, I know what I experienced is not unlike what many of you have
experienced. But, the question I had to face, and the question you must face is this. “Did this
experience save me?” That is, “may I know that I am saved - because of some religious
experience?” This is precisely what many are basing their hope of heaven upon - a religious
experience they say is better felt than told. Now, my good friend, the point I wish to make - is
not to suggest that you did not have an experience of some sort. I know I did, and I will not
dispute with you about the experience you believe you had. Instead, the point I want to make is
this. Do these religious experiences indicate we are saved? If so, then three things must be true.
The first thing that would have to be true is that this is the meaning of Rom. 8:16. That is, when
the bible says, the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. That
what is actually meant there is, the experiences of our heart bears witness with our spirit that we
are the children of God. My friends, if we take this position, then we have done a grave injustice
to the bible, because this is NOT what this verse is saying. The Holy Spirit is not a religious
experience. The Holy Spirit is a part of the Godhead along with the Lord Jesus Christ and God
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the Father. He is not a sensation to be felt and enjoyed, instead he is God. The Next thing that
must be true - if our religious experiences indicate we are saved - is, we must be willing to
accept all testimonies of these experiences, no matter how outrageous we deem them to be. We
would have no scriptural or moral right to deny one man’s testimony while accepting another.
That is, if one man claimed he knew he was saved because of some tremendous feeling of
nirvana he had while walking through the forest. Then we must accept the testimony of the
woman who claims she was saved while dancing topless in a bar, after she saw the face of Christ
in a wine cooler. By what logic can I accept one and reject the other? If you say, one is according
to scripture and the other is not. Then you are confronted with the third thing which must be
true, and that is. If our religious experiences are the barometer used to measure whether we are
saved. Then the New Testament will have examples of men and women being saved by their
religious experiences. However, my friends, the New Testament proves just the opposite. That is,
not only does the bible not contain one single example of where one was saved by a religious
experience. But there is an example of a man having such an experience - and it NOT saving
him. The man is Saul, from the city of Tarsus, and the experience happened on a road between
Jerusalem and Damascus. Let’s consider exactly what took place by reading Acts 9:3-4. As he
[That is, Saul, as he was traveling to Damascus for the purpose of persecuting Christians. So, as
Saul] journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from
heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you
persecuting me? Notice what happened. He (1) saw a great light from heaven. A light so bright
that it blinded him for three days according to verse 9. And, (2) he heard Jesus speak directly to
him from heaven. Now, ladies and gentlemen, this is an extraordinary event that happened to
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Saul. And, you know what? With a testimony like he could give, he would be accepted into most
churches without question. Yet, the Lord did not tell him to go and testify to this experience and
join the church of his choice. Instead he was told in verse 6, to arise and go into the city, and
you will be told what you must do. And, when he did what the Lord told him, he encountered a
gospel preacher named Ananias, but not until after three days has passed. For three days Saul
was blinded, and for at least a part of that time he was praying. Verse 11, tells how God told
Ananias to arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one
called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. Now, according to most preachers in present
day denominationalism, Saul was a saved man after his encounter on the road into Damascus.
His experiences would have been enough to convince them he was saved. He had seen a light
from heaven, and Jesus had spoken directly to him - sending him to Ananias, and for days Saul
was desperately engaged in prayer. But, my friends, the bible tells us he was unsaved. When
Ananias came to Saul, he told him in Acts 22:16, and now why are you waiting? Arise and be
baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord. Ladies and gentlemen, it
was not until after Saul was baptized into Christ that he was saved. He was not saved by his
encounter on the road to Damascus. He was not saved by his prayers. He was not saved by
having the Lord speak directly unto him. He was not saved until he arose and was baptized. My
friends, let me tell you that experiences are no more than emotional feelings we have. And
feelings are not what we are to use to determine whether we are saved. Feelings are totally
unreliable. They may tell us something which is not true.
III. Therefore, we must not conclude we are saved because we’ve had dreams, or seen visions
of angels. Nor can we determine that we are saved because we’ve had an emotional experience
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based upon our feelings. The bible tells us in Rom. 8:16 that, the Spirit himself bears witness
with our spirit that we are children of God. This verse tells us how we can know we are saved.
The issue, however, boils down to this. How does the Holy Spirit bear witness with our
spirit? Notice that this verse does not say that the Holy Spirit bears witness TO our spirit. This
is important, because there is a difference between bearing witness with and bearing witness to.
One is objective and the other subjective. That is, if the Holy Spirit bears witness to, then he tells
us directly we are the children of God. But, the Holy Spirit bearing witness with my spirit means
that the two [my spirit and the Holy Spirit] are in agreement. This can be easily understood by
noting what is said in Heb. 10:15-16. By considering these verses we are told how it is the Holy
Spirit bears witness with our spirit. Those verses say, but the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us;
for after he had said before, this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,
says the Lord: I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them. How
did the writer say the Holy Spirit witnesses? These verses say it was by the scriptures. After
saying the Spirit witnesses, he quoted Jer. 31:33. This, ladies and gentlemen, is precisely how
the Spirit bears witness with our spirit - and that is, by the testimony of the scriptures. That is,
when the Holy Spirit reveals in the bible what we must do in order to be saved. And, when we do
exactly what the Holy Spirit said, then our spirit and the Holy Spirit are agreeing in their
testimony that we have become the children of God. For example, the Holy Spirit reveals in Acts
2:38, repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now, whenever I repent and submit to
being baptized for the remission of my sins - then the Holy Spirit bears witness with my spirit
that I have obeyed what God said is necessary to be saved. The Holy Spirit tells me through his
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word what I must do in order to be saved. My spirit tells me if I have done what the Holy Spirit
has revealed. There is nothing subjective about this. The bible tells me what to do, and I know
whether I have obeyed what it says. If I have, then the Holy Spirit and my spirit are agreeing that
I am a child of God. The apostle Paul wrote in Gal. 3:26-27, for you are all sons of God
through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on
Christ. These two verses tell us by what means and by what procedure we become children of
God. Verse 26 says it is by faith (That is, we must possess a believing heart). But the place
where we become the children of God is IN Christ Jesus. The only way that we can have faith is
by hearing the testimony of the Holy Spirit. Paul said in Rom. 10:17, so then faith comes by
hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But, the precise venue IN which we become children
of God is Christ Jesus. And, verse 27 tells us how we gain entrance into Christ. For as many of
you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Now when you hear and submit to the
teaching of the Holy Spirit, then you know you are saved. That is, the Holy Spirit bears witness
with your spirit that you are a child of God. You do not have to depend upon something as
flimsy as feelings or something as shaky as a dream or an aberration. You can know by
examining the bible, whether you are saved.
CONCLUSION:
A. I close as I began, by asking if you are saved. And if you answer yes, I then ask How do you
know you are saved? Is it because you can open your bible and point to a passage of scripture
and say this is just what I did in order to become a child of God? Now if you can’t, then you are
NOT having the Holy Spirit bear witness with your spirit that you are saved. I trust that you will
want to do only that about which you can read in the bible.
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B. Well, my time is gone for today. Please stay tuned for some important closing
announcements. And be sure to join us next Sunday morning at 7:00 as we again Search the
Scriptures. So, until then, for the Danville church of Christ this is J.R. Bronger saying
goodbye for now.