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That's a great question, and I'm going to answer it by
referring to the Bible, because we'll always find the truth in God's word.
We'll start with Romans 10:9, which says, "If you
confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God
raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Not, "You might be saved," or
"You could be saved." But, "You will be saved."
What does it mean to believe in your heart? Well, it's
more than just an intellectual thing. It's more than just saying Jesus was a
great teacher or even saying that Jesus was God's Son. To believe means to
trust him with your life, to give him your heart and soul, to be willing to
follow him for the rest of your life.
The verse also says we should "confess" that Jesus is
Lord. That simply means telling others that you follow Jesus. Now, telling
people about Jesus doesn't make you a Christian, but it is evidence that you
are a Christian.
Another good verse is Ephesians 2:8, which says, "It is
by grace you have been saved, through faith." You can't earn salvation.
That's what "grace" means. It's God's unmerited favor. You cannot earn God's
love. It's not for sale. It's a gift he wants to give you. And it's a gift
you accept through faith, and faith alone.
Now turn to Revelation 3:20, where Jesus says, "I stand
at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will
come in and eat with him, and he with me." Ask yourself, "Have I opened the
door and invited Jesus into my life?" He promises that if we invite him in,
he will come in. And if you've taken that step, you can know that you're
saved. (See 1 John 5:11-12.)
People sometimes get confused because they base their
faith on their feelings. I think "feel" is one of the most dangerous words
in Christianity. Our feelings can be affected by circumstances, by our
health, by the humidity, by how much sunlight we get. A lot of things affect
your feelings that have nothing do with whether or not you are a Christian.
You are a Christian based not on your feelings, but on the promises of Jesus
and the words of Scripture, period.
Finally, look at John 10:27-29, where Jesus says that
no one can snatch us out of his hand. That's the punch line. We are in
Jesus' grip of love and faithfulness, and his grip is so strong, there isn't
anything that could get us out of that grip.
So keep believing. God keeps his promises.
Dawson McAllister
Because we need to live by faith in God (a gift He gives, Galatians 5:23; James 1:17), we need to learn from the Bible how to do that. So, we need to attend a church that preaches, teaches, models, God, and His teaching in the Bible. Denominational churches have distinct teachings formulated by their denominations, that are not necessarily the teaching of God in the Bible. Be very careful which church you choose. Ask God to lead you to the church of His choice, Matthew 7:7.
The Bible is the written revelation of God, is inspired of God 1 Timothy 3:15-16, without error as to truth, trustworthy, and practical in its applications, 2 Timothy3:15-16. Through reading, meditating, studying, memorizing, applying, and sharing, it God makes possible getting to know Him; learn how we are to live in right relationship to Him; serve Him in this world as we serve others; and foretells events to come.
The Bible is the record of God’s thoughts, values, perspectives, and will. He teaches us how to live trusting Him, Proverbs 3:5-8. The Bible are the words of God, Psalm 119:11. While the King James Version (KJV) has been very popular from its publication in the 1500’s, and is most majestic in its rendering of the words and truths, it is not as easily understood as more modern versions (New International Version – NIV and the New American Standard Bible - NASB).
We need to be careful not to assign the words of God to the words of individuals or groups who put into their own words the meaning of the words of God, called paraphrase versions of the Bible. While these individuals and groups may have the best of intentions in translating the words in the original languages of the Bible (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek) their words may not be word equivalent to the original words God inspired.