Category: Knowing for certain

How do we Know if our Faith is the Real Deal or a Fraud?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

 Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude- Colossians 2:6-7 NASB 

Faith is the biggest of deals to God. 

Faith in Jesus and His resurrection saves sinful humans from the wages of their sin (John 3:16, John 11:25-26, Romans 6:23, Romans 10:10). Faith enables sinful humans to call a holy God their friend (James 2:23). Faith even impacts the power of prayer (Matthew 21:22, James 1:6, James 5:14-15). The faith of the people Jesus encountered even impacted Jesus’ ability/willingness to perform miracles during His time here on earth (Matthew 13:58, Mark 10:52).

The Bible defines faith as: 

Confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see- Hebrews 11:1

Faith is more than a pie-in-the-sky spiritual ideal we someday hope to attain. Faith is not simply a nice thing to have or something that earns believers spiritual bonus points. God sees faith as a nonnegotiable. 

The Bible also says this about faith: 

Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him- Hebrews 11:6 

A cursory reading of nearly any Bible discussing faith points the reader to the idea that the kind of faith that pleases God is more than an intellectual acquiescence to the notion that He exists (James 2:19, Hebrews 10:22-23).  The faith God wants His people to have is much more solid than just simply believing in something in a passive, reflexive or instinctive kind of a way. 

This truth begs a couple of really critical questions:

 What does real faith “look like”? 

How do we know if the faith we possess is the real deal? 

How do we know our faith is the saving faith the Bible talks about (Ephesians 2:8) or something altogether different and less powerful?

How do we get the right “kind” of faith? 

These questions matter to believers in Jesus because no one can please God without faith (1st Peter 1:8-9). Real faith has several distinct elements all woven together that make faith a saving faith. Following are four of them:

Faith does-

Hebrews eleven is sometimes called the “Heroes of the Faith chapter” or the “Hall of Faith”. The writer lists individuals throughout biblical history who had faith that pleased God. All sorts of people made the list: men, women, young people, old people, prophets, warriors, priests, and even a few gentiles. All those folks had one thing in common: their faith got them busy (1st Peter 4:10, Galatians 1:23, Colossians 2:5). They all acted on their faith and did something God-honoring with their lives. Some worshipped, some blessed, some resisted earthly authority, others built, some brought God a better sacrifice and some simply longed deeply for life in the heavenly city. The best of the lot, the individuals God said the world is not worthy of died for what they believed in. They believed in faith their death was not wasted. Each person named or unnamed in Hebrews eleven did something meaningful simply BECAUSE they believed. Real faith is a verb. A person demonstrates their faith in God by living their lives for Him rather than themselves (Hebrews 6:12, James 2:20). 

Faith obeys- 

God does not measure a person’s faith based on their feelings, how demonstrative their worship is or how eloquent their words are or are not. None of that matters to God. God measures faith by a person’s obedience to God and His commands (Psalm 18:25, Psalm 25:10, Galatians 5:6).  Abrham is called “father of the faithful” (Romans 4:11) because he obeyed God. Abrham obeyed when he understood God and he obeyed when he didn’t understand God and because of his belief God credited Abrham’s faith (obedience) as righteousness. God hasn’t changed (Hebrews 13:8). If we really believe Jesus is who He says He is (God) and that He sacrificed Himself for our sins. Then God expects us to do what He tells us to do in Scripture.  Obedience is the fruit of faith, without obedience faith is questionable at best. 

Faith transforms- 

God does not redeem people simply to make them into a heaven bound version their hellish pre-Jesus self (Ephesians 2:10). People are redeemed to be transformed into the image of Jesus (Romans 12:2, 2nd Corinthians 3:18 Colossians 3:1-17, Ephesians 4:22, 1st Corinthians 5:17). If a person identifies as a believer in Jesus here will be some real change including a desire to let go of sinful behaviors (1st Corinthians 6:9-11, Galatians 5:19-21) as well as a desire to please God with every part of their lives (2nd Peter 1:3-11, Galatians 5:22-23). If those desires don’t exist neither does the faith. 

Faith trusts- 

Faith that pleases God looks past circumstances and situations. This kind of faith brazenly ignores the obvious and looks at God. Faith chooses to believe God will do what He says He will do even when life is scary and difficult (Genesis 17:1). Because this kind of faith is God’s favorite, He will go to great lengths to grow this kind of faith in His people. Unfortunately, for His people this can mean some scary moments as we learn to trust Him with things that don’t always make sense to us.

Faith doesn’t just happen.

We acquire faith by believing in Jesus work on the cross, hearing the word of God and then doing what it tells us to do (Romans 10:17). Our faith becomes real and saving when we choose to let it change us into something infinitely better.  

Making Spiritual Sense of Those who Once Professed Christ but no Longer Live for Him-

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

The one sown with seed on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution occurs because of the [word, immediately he falls away- Matthew 13:20-21 NASB

From time-to-time, I have a conversation with the Lord that goes something like this:

Me: Good morning God!  What do you want me to write about this week?

God: I want you to write about ____________________.

Me: Uh… I’m sorry God, I hate to tell you this but no one wants to read that. It will make people mad. 

God: I know. Write it anyway. 

Me: Sigh. Okay. 

Such was the case this last week. I asked God for a topic. He gave me one. I argued with Him. He won. It’s His thing. 

So.

I work in an arena of ministry with many people who have relatives (usually adult kids, but not always) who are walking a very sinful path. Sometimes these adult kids are so steeped in sin they are walking several different sinful paths all at the same time (trust me it can be done). All these adult children know their behavior is wrong because they were raised to know right from wrong. The folks I work with are looking for some kind of spiritual hope for their loved one. More often than not, they find that hope in a commitment the adult child made to the Lord a long time ago, often in childhood or their early teens. Sometimes the child who is now walking in sin appeared to walk with God for a season. However, that ship has officially sailed. They are now living lives that completely oppose God and everything He’s all about.  Nonetheless, these parents cling to the belief that their child’s childhood commitment was the real deal and “proof” their child is a believer. 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news (truly I do). 

However, this line of thinking is not wise or biblical. It is personally comforting to believe a loved one is saved when they are living far from God. However, it is not in our best interest or theirs to hang all our hopes on a prayer a child (or an adult, for that matter) prayed at some point in the distant past, when there is zero fruit to indicate they have made the journey from spiritual death to spiritual life (Matthew 3:9-11, Matthew 7:16-20, Luke 6:43-44, John 15:4, Galatians 5:19-24). 

 Here’s why:

False hope keeps us from praying rational and compassionate prayers-

The most loving thing one human can do for another is pray for their salvation (Acts 2:21, Acts 4:12, 1stCorinthians 6:9-10, Titus 2:11-12).  Therefore, if a loved one does not live like a Christian the loving and logical thing is to assume they aren’t one and pray accordingly. If we get it wrong, the Lord will sort it out. 

There is very little space in the New Testament for Christians who don’t at least try and act like Christians-

There’s just not (Romans 6:1-23, Romans 7:4-6, Ephesians 2:1-10, 2nd Corinthians 5:17, 2nd Peter 1:3-11). It is normal for new Christians and even seasoned saints to stumble and even fall sometimes. No one this side of heaven is free of their sin nature. We should not assume that just because a Christian screws up (even in a really big way) they are unsaved. That being said, the Bible makes it clear: authentic believers in Jesus do not wallow around in sin for years and years with no apparent remorse or desire to change. Nor do they mock Jesus, Christianity or other Christians. True Christians do not write or speak about how freeing it is to depart the faith and live a life of unfettered sin. Jesus is clear: no fruit (or ONLY bad fruit) no salvation. That doesn’t mean anyone is doomed. As long as a person is breathing there is hope for redemption (John 3:16, Romans 5:7-9).  That said, we must be realistic about their spiritual state in order to help them. 

Children don’t always understand the commitment they made-

It is spiritually risky to assume a child or teenager understands or understood all the ins-and-outs of making a heartfelt commitment to Jesus when many saved adults struggle with the concepts of salvation and sanctification. We must understand that from a developmental standpoint the teen years are a period of life when people “try on” identities and decide who they want to be and how they want to live. If a teen or child “tries on” the identity of “Christian” or goes through the motions of living like a Christian for a season but never REALLY repents of their sin and follows through on a commitment to obey Jesus as the Lord of their life, the whole thing was (sadly) just another phase of childhood and nothing more. Consequently, it’s critical parents ensure children and teens who profess Christ are given a LOT of follow-up care and discipleship. It’s the best way to stack the odds in favor of a genuine commitment to Jesus (John 10:9). 

I am not arguing people “lose” their salvation. However, Jesus made it clear there will be people who make commitments to God who don’t really mean it or understand what that commitment entails. Those people inevitably “fall away” (Matthew 7:13-23, Matthew 25:31-46, Mark 16:16). If those folks die without truly knowing Christ as Lord, they will not make it heaven. We prove our love for these people by praying fervently they will understand their spiritual reality and seek God while He can be found (Isaiah 55:6, Hebrews 4:6-7, 2nd Peter 3:9, Matthew 24:13).  

The Latest bit of Bad Theology Going Around-

Lisa M. Price1 Comment


She will give birth to a Son; and you shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins- Matthew 1:21 NASB

Theology is not a popular topic these days. Many view theology as a mind-numbing waste of time only relevant to a few eggheaded old guys in sweater vests. 

It’s a lie from the pit of hell.

Theology matters. A lot. 

Good theology is instructive and useful in very practical ways.  Good theology empowers Christians to understand God and love Him more. What a person believes about God and His goodness makes a huge impact on how they work out their salvation (Philippians 2:12). Good theology helps non-Christians to grasp their need for God.  What a person believes about God and His character will influence whether they become a follower of Jesus at all.

Conversely, bad theology is the root cause of spiritual dropouts and at the heart of most spiritual malpractice. When Christians impose their erroneous opinions about God on people who don’t know better those folks inevitably get hurt and become bitter (Hebrews 12:15). Many leave the church, those who don’t leave spread their bitterness and bad theology.  Bad theology drives people away from Jesus by giving them the wrong idea about Jesus. Bad theology blinds seekers to truths necessary to understand salvation. Bad theology can even lead to sin in some situations. 

Most bad theology is not obviously bad. Very little bad theology is an obvious pack of crazy pants lies. If this were the case only very dumb people would get sucked into believing bad doctrine. At its core, most bad theology is really just a small kernel of truth encased in a whole bunch of half-truths and/or errors regarding what the Bible really says. The seed of truth conceals the lies, and the lies blind people to the truth. 

Which brings me to the subject of this post. 

There is a popular Christian teaching making the rounds that is an excellent example of bad theology. Those who have bought into this heretical theology do not know what they don’t know about salvation. What they do understand is probably not adequate to get anyone saved. This teaching revolves around Jesus, why Jesus came into the world and what salvation is ultimately all about. 

The teaching basically goes like this: Jesus came to earth because He wanted to be with us. That’s it. He loves us so much He just wants to be with us. However, He can’t do that until we let Him in. Once a person lets Jesus into their life, He just wants to be with them. Jesus wants to hang out with us and let us get to know Him and experience His presence. 

It sounds awesome, because at the core of this teaching there’s some important theological truth. However, it simplifies some complex realities, skips over some important stuff and, like most contemporary bad theology only focuses on the good stuff that makes its hearers feel good (2nd Timothy 4:3-4). 

It is one-hundred-percent true that Jesus came into the world as baby and grew into a man so He could restore relationship between God and humanity (John 3:16, Galatians 2:20). It is also totally true that God wants to be with us (Matthew 1:23). Human beings were literally created to have relationship with God and reflect His goodness (Genesis 1:26-28, Psalm 16:11, Psalm 21:6, Jude 1:24, Revelation 3:20). 

Okay, so here’s the tricky part:

Jesus did not come to earth as a baby simply so He could “be with” His creation. Jesus already knew enough about humans to know people are much too sinful for a holy God to simply hang out with (Isaiah 64:6, Jeremiah 17:9, Ephesians 2:1-3). God is perfectly holy (Isaiah 6:2-4, Revelation 4:8). God is so holy He cannot be in relationship with anyone who is unholy, unrighteous and unwilling to do life His way.  Jesus also understood that humans are incapable of being good even when God tells them exactly how to do it. God gave the law to help people understand their own unholiness and need for God. Sadly, most folks who followed the law just become bloated with pride and self-righteousness (more giant sins). All people sin. Sin, unrighteousness and rebellion separate us from God forever and make it impossible for anyone to “be with God” (Romans 3:23, 1st John 1:8)

So. 

Because humans are sinful Jesus came to earth as a baby. Jesus is God so He had the power and ability to redeem us: or buy us back from the penalty of sin. The penalty of sin is death and eternity in hell (Romans 3:23). Because Jesus was perfect in every sense and because He was both God and man. He was able to take all our sin, unrighteousness, rebellion, pride and overall ickiness on Himself when He died on the cross. His death paid the price we all deserved to pay for our own sin.  

That’s what it took for God the “be with us”. 

When we skip over the ugly part of the story, we naturally miss the wonder of being with God. Being with God is more than a choice we make. There was a harsh penalty paid so we could get right with God and “be with” Him. This popular teaching sends the message that being with God is a nice option if that’s what we’re into, but there are no real consequences for choosing NOT to “be with” God. 

Nothing could be further from the truth. 

The alternative to choosing to “be with” God is eternity in hell. Furthermore, many teachers skip over what must be done in return for the privilege of “being with” God. To “be with” God we must admit we are sinners. We must change our thinking, so it aligns with God’s thinking (Matthew 3:2, Matthew 3:8, Acts 3:19). Then we must allow the Holy Spirit to transform us from sinners into the image of Jesus (Romans 12:1-2, Colossians 3, 2nd Peter 1:5-11). 

Any teaching that skips over any of that that is false teaching and the definition of bad theology. 

How to tell if you are a Genuine Christian-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth~ 1st Timothy 2:3-4

 We live in a time and place where it is blessedly easy to know the answers to a lot of life’s questions.

 Anyone with a laptop and/or a phone can know exactly how much money he or she has in the bank anytime—day-or-night. Even a person completely ignorant of history can discover in seconds who the POTUS was in 1926 (Calvin Coolidge in case you’re too lazy to Google). A small sample of blood will reveal all sorts of interesting things about a person. Including their general state of health, chromosomal make-up, nation of origin and whether or not they have recently eaten lead paint chips

 The modern era clearly has its perks.

 However, other questions remain unanswered. The brightest scientific minds of our day still cannot explain why we have turbulence or what makes magnets work or how birds know to migrate or even how our brains store and retrieve memory. No one but God knows why we dream or even what a dream is or why we all get a little nutso if we go too many nights without dreaming.

 Sigh.

 Some spiritual questions are even tougher to answer.

 No one has ever been able to explain to my satisfaction why God sometimes feels distant and other times He feels close. No one knows why some prayers go unanswered and others don’t, or why some people suffer a lot while others suffer less.

But in my experience the most vexing personal question of all for many believers is whether or not they really are a Christian.

 Most of us know that becoming a Christian is not simply something that happens, nor is it something we are born into. Contrary to popular belief simply attending a church or a small group, serving on a ministry team, or even praying a “salvation prayer” does not guarantee that one has passed from a state of spiritual death to spiritual life.

 Knowing for certain matters for at least three reasons.

 First, assurance of salvation is not a subject that is discussed in many churches these days; as a result many are left with questions that eat at them. Secondly, Jesus warned his followers that on Judgment Day (yes, it’s a real thing, Matthew 11:24, Hebrews 9:27, Revelation 20:11-12), there will be many who mistakenly assume they are Christians until it’s too late to do anything about it (Matthew 7:21, Matthew 25:31-46, Matthew 7:13-14).  

Yikes.

And finally,

It matters because if the Bible is true (and I believe it is) then eternity will be long and it’s good to know where we will be and what we will be doing when you get there. Sadly, the signs of salvation tend to be subtle, but there are at least four clear indicators of a person is an authentic Christian. Those signs are:

 1. Authentic Christians hate to sin-

 One of the surest signs of salvation is a yearning to please God and do His will. This means genuine Christians do not like to sin nor do they typically sin intentionally. This doesn’t mean Christians never sin (1st John 1:10). It does mean that for a Christian, sin is typically followed by remorse, repentance and a sincere desire to do better next time (2nd Corinthians 7:10).

 2. Authentic Christians do what it takes to grow-

 Attending a Bible study or a church service does not make anyone a Christian, nor does it make Christians “more saved”. That said, church and Bible studies are where we worship God, learn about our faith, become accountable to other believers, and are challenged to grow-up in our thinking and behavior (1st Corinthians 13:11.) Consequently, all Christians ought to attend church and Bible studies.

 3. Authentic Christians love people and care about their eternal destiny-

 Love for God and love for people is the identifying mark of a Jesus follower (1st John). However, authentic biblical love is more complex than the squishy, syrupy Hallmark Channel kind love we have all become accustomed to. Authentic Christian love is concerned for the feelings of others but it is also honest enough to tell people the truth about where their choices will lead (Ephesians 4:15, Ephesians 4:25).

4. Authentic Christians don’t quit- Hebrews 12:1

 Authentic Christians do not quit serving God, loving people, and going to church just because some nitwit said something hurtful or God did not answer a prayer the way they felt He should. Authentic Christians know that they are soldiers in a spiritual war and soldiers don’t desert over hurt feelings and petty disappointments (2nd Timothy 2:3-4). Perseverance is and will always be the surest sign of salvation.  

The Apostle Peter encouraged his readers to  make certain of their  “calling and election”  in Christ (2nd Peter 1:3-10). We do this by being mindful about how we live (Colossians 2:6-7, Ephesians 5:15). Doing so leads to a life of personal peace and spiritual victory.