Tag: confidence

#34- Confidence in My Salvation

52 Reasons to Love the Church

By Kathy Pollard

“The Bible doesn’t teach ‘once saved, always saved,’ but neither does it teach ‘once saved, never sure.'”

Neal made this statement last Sunday when teaching a Bible class on Hebrews chapter ten. He pointed out the three “let us” statements in the text that show us how to have this confidence: draw near (v. 22), hold fast (v. 23), and encourage others (v. 24). Neal summed it up with this statement:

“To keep from falling away, stay close to God and to one another.”

It was such a beautiful study. I noticed a great contrast in verses 38 and 39. There are those who “shrink back” and those who “live by faith.” Starting at verse 22, we can see the difference between the two.

Shrinking back involves:

  • “sinning deliberately”- v. 26
  • “fearful expectation”- v. 27
  • “punishment”- v. 29
  • “outraged the Spirit”- v. 29
  • “trampled underfoot the Son of God”- v. 29
  • “vengeance/ judgment”- v. 30
  • “fearful”- v. 31

Living by faith involves:

  • “full assurance”- v. 22
  • “clean and pure”- v. 22
  • “without wavering”- v. 23
  • “compassion/ joy in struggles”- v. 32-34
  • “confidence”- v. 35
  • “great reward”- v. 35
  • “endurance”- v. 36
  • “preserve our souls”- v. 39

The “living by faith” life is the one I want! But sometimes I get caught up in my own sinful struggles or fears or doubts. I’m thankful that God knows His creation and put something in place for that. He gave me you. You play a role in the confidence of my salvation. You encourage me.

Perhaps you wrestle with never feeling good enough. You’d love to say with confidence, “I’m saved!,” but niggling doubts hold you back. You have drawn near to God. You are staying faithful, even through trials. But the ever-present fear is still there, keeping you from fully embracing hope. Well, remember the the third “let us” because it’s just as essential as the first two. “Consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” The surest way to get over being unsure is to encourage others. The Hebrews writer said that’s one of the reasons we meet together (v. 25). Before you show up for worship, think about specific ways you can “stir up” other Christians. Anytime you’re with your church family, be eager to greet them, listen to them, shoulder their burdens, praise their efforts, and rejoice in their presence. You’ll be contributing to their confidence in their salvation and, in turn, strengthening your own.

“Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.”

(Hebrews 10:35)

Never Good Enough

Some people are just hard to please.  No amount of effort is enough.  No task is done right.  Even thoughtful gestures or gifts are received in such a way as to let you know you fell short somehow.  Trying to please the hard-to-please person is wearying.  After a while, I don’t even want to try.

I wonder if some have this view of God.  They feel like they can never serve enough to please Him.  No sacrifice is great enough and no amount of effort will satisfy His demands.  This view of God is not biblical.  Yes, He wants us to be “living sacrifices” (Rom. 12:1).  Yes, He wants us to put Him first (Matt. 6:33).  And yes, He even wants us to strive to live as righteously as possible (Gal. 5:19-21).  But He is very pleased with our efforts to do just that.  How do I know?  Two words:  blood and grace.

Blood.  We’re all going to sin (Rom. 3:23).  Even the most faithful Christian will stumble (1 John 1:8).  Instead of being hard to please, God made it possible for us to still be pleasing to Him.  “But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).  We don’t have to worry about never being good enough because the God we serve is faithful and righteous to forgive.

Grace.  Day by day the blood of Christ is washing away my imperfections, and day by day the grace of God is strengthening my heart (Heb. 13:9).  Right after we’re told that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God, we’re also told that we “are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24).  Instead of being hard to please, God has given us this beautiful gift (Eph. 2:8).  He gives this gift of grace to us in abundance (2 Pet. 1:2).  And He wants this grace to give us confidence, knowing that we can turn to Him for help at any time (Heb. 4:16).  Troy Woolery, a graduate of the Bear Valley Bible Institute, said, “When we’re lacking, grace fills in the gaps.”

“I’ll never be good enough.”  This sentiment causes some nonChristians to put off obeying the gospel because they feel they’ll never be able to measure up.  It causes some Christians to want to quit because they feel like they can never get it right.  Who wants the nonChristian to reject salvation?  Who wants the Christian to give up in despair?  It’s not God.  Instead of feeling like we can never be good enough, He wants us to know that He has made us more than enough.

“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

(Rom. 8:37)

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