Hi I'm Joe.
I'm Tom.
Today we'll be fellowshipping from Chapter 2 in Volume 1 of the "Basic Elements of the Christian Life."
Our topic for today is how we can be sure that we're really saved.
Tom, in this chapter it talks about when someone is newly saved,
they may have a question about whether or not that experience was real
and whether or not they're really saved.
So what can you tell us based on this chapter about how someone like this can know if they're really saved?
The believer can know they're saved based on what the Bible says in 1 John 5:13.
John says, "I have written these things to you that you may know that you have eternal life,
to you who believe into the name of the Son of God."
So, we can know that we're saved. God wants us to know that we are saved.
And we'll cover three proofs to show how we can know that we're really saved.
So you mentioned three proofs and even this chapter talks about three proofs.
The first one is related to God's saying so in His word.
Can you talk a little bit about this point?
The first verse I'd just like to mention is Romans 10:9.
It says, "That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart
that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
This is the sure word of the Bible. So we can assure a new believer that they're saved because
just by pointing at the fact that you confessed with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord,
you prayed and expressed your faith to believe in Him,
so based upon God's word you're saved regardless of how you feel this moment.
Okay, so that's the first point: it's related to God saying so in His word.
The next point is related to Romans 8:16, which talks about the Spirit witnessing with our spirit.
What can you tell us about this verse and this proof?
Romans 8:16 is a wonderful verse to balance the first verse.
Of course the first verse is one that's referring to the Bible as the Word of God
and as the stand for our salvation, that's what the Bible says.
But we have this other second witness and that's the proof of the Holy Spirit witnessing within our spirit.
So this inward witness is ours from the moment we believe in Christ.
The Holy Spirit comes within our spirit,
and when we confess "Jesus is Lord" or "Lord Jesus I love you,
I'm a child of God," the Spirit within is confirming that, witnessing within us.
The next point, the third point, is from 1 John 3:14 and it talks about our love for the brothers.
Can you read with this verse and share about how our love
for our fellow believers in the Lord is a proof that we're really saved?
1 John 3:14 says Joe, "We know that we've passed out of death into life because we love the brothers."
So every believer of Christ, from the moment they received the Lord, has this divine life.
And God's life is a life of love.
So this life within us gives us this unexplainable love for those who are our brothers in Christ,
regardless of how different they are in age nationality, social class.
Because they're our brothers, we just have a spontaneous love for them.
And this is definitely a proof, a way that we can know that we're really saved.
Tom, these points are very helpful for anyone who is wondering whether or not they're really saved.
And these three points, these three proofs, show us how we can be assured of our salvation:
First, we know that if we have confessed with our mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believed in our heart that God has raised Him from the dead we know that we're are saved.
We also have the Spirit witnessing within our spirit that we are children of God.
And lastly, our love for our fellow brothers in the Lord is a third proof that we're really saved.
Tom, thank you for sharing with us today.
And thank you all for joining us for our fellowship.