Pastors' Panel Podcast- How can I know I'm saved?

Good evening and welcome to the pastors panel podcast. I'm so thankful that you're joining us tonight. Thank you for watching the video. We would love for you to to share to like the comments to ask questions.

We would love to fellowship with you to join with you partner with you in reaching our community through this medium. We're so appreciative of your support. I've got a great group tonight, and I'm excited.

I've got brother Claude brother Dan Brother John and and brother Roger with me tonight, and they're going to help us tackle this important question that scripture calls us to which is examining ourselves to see if we're in the faith and.

I.

Think even without that command we often Have those questions in ourselves sometimes many Christians do so I think this will be a great topic and this is going to come on the tail end of our Look at the doctrines of grace.

We looked at the sovereignty of God total depravity Unconditional election limited atonement irresistible grace perseverance of the Saints and we looked at the sufficiency of scripture. And I wanted to tag this one on because when we we look at the perseverance of the Saints that question of Salvation comes up.

Who's in charge of salvation. How does that work? Are we secure in our salvation? All those questions come up and then once you start to ask yourself those questions We wanted to find in scripture where we can answer those questions and John the Apostle.

John Is so kind to us God working through him and writing his his gospel and his epistle of the books of the Bible that he writes. He is so kind to us in how he he presents his message especially for people like me who are Aren't the best learners.

John is probably one of my favorite authors in scripture because he so clearly tells us why he writes his his books. If you look at his gospel in John chapter 20 verse 31. He must have had me in mind when he when he wrote these verses he says in his gospel in chapter 20 verse 31.

He says but these things I have written so that you may believe that Jesus is the price The Son of God and that believing you may have life in his name. And so he tells us right there Why he's writing the book and what we need to be looking for as we read his gospel read his letter.

And he does the same thing in first John so in the gospel, it's it's so that people will believe and.

Then.

He doesn't just give us one reason. He actually gives us three reasons in first John why he writes the book. So the first one I like to point out is first John chapter 5 verse 13. He says these things I have written to you who believe so you're moving from the gospel reason.

He's writing so that you believe now to those of you who say you believe In the name of the Son of God in order that you may know that you have eternal life. He's writing these things. So what an encouragement to have this security and this I Think many like to call it a test that that John gives us in his first epistle there.

But there's two other reasons that he gives in first John why he writes the book. First John 1 4 and these things we write so that our joy may be made complete. And then first John chapter 2 verse 1. My little children how how compassionate is our apostle?

I'm writing these things That you may not see. What a what a hard Topic to address and he does it in such a compassionate way. So We have we have a compassionate Apostle we have a compassionate God and I'm thankful for how he wrote these books because it helps me when I'm trying to learn What he's trying to say.

So why do we need to test ourselves as we look to these verses? Well, it's commanded and Then so that So we may know we have eternal life. We can have security and we can we can move forward past that.

You know if you if you live in that. It's difficult to move on and grow into sanctification. If you are, you know living in that doubt living in that insecurity, so we want to move past that we want to have some assurance and and John wants our joy to be made complete and we want to.

We want to end sin we want to stop sinning. I would I believe that would be the goal. But in every Christian that the Holy Spirit is working in us. We just want to be done with sin. We want to be finished with it.

And as I said earlier this test is so kindly given to us in first John. And there's one thing that I wanted to point out as we go through this test I wanted the test to kind of be the bulk of what we talked about here and Let our brothers here explain the text and and while we can have assurance and what we need to look for in our lives in.

Our hearts.

But as we go through these verses and that they explain the text, it's it's from my understanding that These verses and the and and the words that we're going to be looking at are written. If we're gonna be talking about grammar in in the present subjective Subjective so they are.

They are things that have a starting point and they they're continuing. There's a continuation to them. And so it's things that we want to look for in our lives that that started and Are continuing. We also want to be encouraging that we're all not going to have these signs All at the same level or the same degree and For me personally, I'm not going to have all these different signs at the same level or the same degree.

There there's.

Ten or more signs that first John gives us.

And.

I'm not going to have all of those equally. I may have one more than the other more than the others so I would encourage you not to be discouraged if You see one more in someone else than you've seen yourself.

Or you see yourself more in one than you see in someone else. What we're looking for is evidence of the Holy Spirit Working these things in your life to some degree where you can see That it started and he's continuing to work on these things.

We want to look for evidence of these things in our lives. And then he also gives us I've been I've been using the word negative The negative column or To answer the question no, no, you're not born again.

Yes, you are born again or or no, you're not born again so he gives us he phrases the the test in such a way that we can say if you have this then no, you're not born again and When I think about those verses I go back to verses like James chapter 2 verse 10 where it says if you've kept the whole law and yet somewhat at one point You're guilty of them all and so You know to a degree if you're if you're in that column We we want you to be aware and That's what this test is all about to be aware of your standing before the Lord and And the work that he's done or not done in your life, and we want all We want all of you to come to a saving faith Saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

I want you to be born again. Won't you be brothers and sisters? So with that out of the way, let's jump into the text and we're going to look at the the affirmative column first and Each of our brothers here are going to look at a an individual verse or verses And give us the context tell us what the verse is saying and what we should look for in our lives To see if God is at work in our lives.

So our first verse is Chapter 1 verse 7 that goes to Claude.

Walking in the Light and Confessing Sin

All right. So First John chapter 1 verse 7 John states, but if we walk in the light as he is in the light We have fellowship with one another in the blood of Jesus Christ. His son cleanses us from all sin so the the large context of the epistle is that John is addressing the issue of those who say that they are.

Quote unquote of us meaning of the Christian faith. We're not necessarily of us and he gives these is Robert Explained there. He gives us these assurances assurances or denials. Affirmatives and negatives like Rob said if we walk in the light.

If we walk in the light that is a conditional. It is both. What was the word you used? It was a big. It's sub what was that subjunctive? Yeah junky conditional that's hard to say. I'm gonna I'm gonna give myself a bowl of ice cream after we're done saying that.

So it is it is conditional or contingent not upon necessarily an action stemming from Ourselves because salvation doesn't come from ourselves but it comes from the Lord if you walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another as an example or as a consequence of if we walk in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ or The blood of Jesus Christ having cleansed us from all sin.

All right, then chapter 1 verse 8.

And this comes right on the heels of what Claude was just talking about and you talk about if you're in the light. You walk in the light as he is in the light, you know fellowship with Christ. Now in the next verse.

It says if we say we have no sin you deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. So If you think about it, it's kind of one side and then the other side. If you walk in the light if you trust in the Lord if you're going.

If you're going toward towards the Lord you have fellowship with him. Because the blood of Jesus cleanses you from your unrighteousness because you have trusted in Christ. Now if you say I don't have any sin.

Then what business do you have with Jesus because he's the one who takes away sin. It's kind of like what Jesus said when he was he was on earth. He came and he talked to the Jews and he was saying to them.

I don't I don't come. I come to heal the sick. I don't. People who don't aren't sick don't need a physician. It's sort of the same idea there. So what he's saying is if you claim that you have no sin.

You're wrong and so if you say that You need to repent of that because you are in fact a sinner. So you need Christ. This may have been better for the negative column, but either way. You can it worked really well with claws.

It's kind of like one way other way so basically. And say I'm good, I don't have sin then you're saying I don't need Christ. I don't need forgiveness. And if you say you don't mean if you don't place your trust and faith in him then you are lost and you won't have forgiveness.

So it's really a kind of scary place to be if you're going through your life and say well I can't really pick out any sin. You better just sit there and wait and God will show you something who know in his time, of course.

But it'll point you to Christ and his his forgiveness on the cross.

All right, Roger. Chapter 2 verse 3.

I'm gonna drop back to verse 2 and read that part first for a little bit of context and then 3. Verse 2 states he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Verse 3 by. By this we know that we have come to know him if we keep his commandments. That last part right there really says it all. Let me read read to you something out of my commentary. I got here.

This is a John, MacArthur stuff. No, keep the repetition of these words emphasizes that those generally born again display the habit of obedience. That's one part that's key. Obedience results in the assurance of salvation.

That these two words are among John's favorites is clear. Since he uses no approximately 40 times and keep approximately 10 times in this epistle. From some research I did today first John wrote this letter.

Because he had some people false teachers pop up in his church. Some of them were known to be Gnostics and They were messing up the deity of Christ. They were messing up salvation and they were even Denying the full severity of sin and It looks to me like John's formulated all this and saying all this.

To reaffirm who Jesus was what real salvation was and this is how to know you're saved. But as I read the end of that verse right there, it's that old cliche. We say in my church often you'll know somebody's saved by the fruits.

They bear fruit of the Spirit. Somebody walking Spiritually minded instead of carnally minded. They're gonna bear that fruit. It may not be a straight uphill, you know slope all the time on the bar graph foot or on the graph.

But they're gonna bear fruit.

All right, brother Jonathan. All right. Chapter 2 verse 10.

Good deal. I love this book of the Bible. This is one of my favorite books to walk through with people. It's it's the to notebook. It's the measuring stick is what I tell people a lot of times and and so.

So I'm really excited that that we're doing this. So I want to put 9 and 10 together. They really like go hand in hand. So first John 2 9 says he who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in darkness until now.

He who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling and so you've got this this concept that hate and darkness love and light and That that is contrasting each other and so.

Again, I want to make sure that that we're recognizing. We're not talking about the means of salvation. But we're talking about the fruit of salvation and so so here John is just saying something really Simple and it unpacks on all throughout first John it is impossible for someone who's a follower of Christ to hate his brother.

It's impossible. Christians do not hate people now. We disagree we dislike. Those kind of stuff but anybody that says hey, I hate it, especially up or up I know Christ. If he says I hate him. Then that's a big red flag that we need to go back and work out our own salvation with fear and tremor.

Because it's very clear here that they say and if you ever said in a Baptist business meeting. You got a lot of red flags, by the way guys. But on verse 9 it says he that is in the light. And he that says is in the light hates his brother.

He's in darkness until now. So in other words, he's lost. That's the hate is an evidence of lostness. But verse 10 is the main text that that I'm dealing with he who loves his brother abides in the light and There is no cause for stumbling and so notice the change there in verse 9.

It says he is. Versus he abides and and that's really the the concept in the Greek of that verse 10 is that there's this abiding. There's this present tense that we're abiding with Jesus and the evidence that we're abiding with Jesus is we're gonna love our brothers.

We're gonna love one another. Jesus's command is love one another just as I loved you. And again, it doesn't mean we don't have disagreements that we don't have doctrinal discussions and all those kind of things.

But at the end of the day We deeply love one another because Christ first loved us in the second part of that. That that was very interesting to me a long time ago I preached this passage and it takes a little bit to unpack this but there's no cause for stumbling or that he will not stumble and.

And really and truthfully what it's talking about is how the light when you walk in the light. You're gonna love your brother and then there's nothing that's going to entangle your feet. That that Christ the Word of God thy word is a lamp unto my feet.

Christ is the light. That goes before us and it's going to keep you from getting ensnared and and there's a lot of commentators like debate over this that. That okay.

You're not woman.

It means you're not going to become a stumbling block in the context of having a brother or you yourself are not going to trip over things. It's really both hands. It just means you're not going to be a person that becomes an entangler.

That that you're not going to be a person that becomes an offender. The gospel in of itself is offensive enough, but you're going to be a person that that loves people. Well and so so the evidence of our Christianity and that we're a follower of Jesus is our love and When we love one another we're walking in the light abiding in the light.

Confessing the Son and Practicing Righteousness

All right, brother.

Club chapter 2 verse 23. All right. Chapter 2 verse 23. Whoever denies the son does not have the father either. He who acknowledges the son has the father also is.

It's yeah, yeah be yeah 23 be.

23 be. Oh I didn't distinguish that so that's my apology. I thought no. Sorry. So so B would be the last statement right. He who acknowledges the son has the father also.

Amen.

Because Jesus said if you have seen me you have seen the father. And if you deny me you're denying the father, all right, then.

Chapter 2 verse 29. Sorry. I was writing something had to get down.

Chapter 2 verse 29. If you know that he is righteous You may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness Has been born of him. He kind of what he does is he sets up as a standard for what is righteousness what is good what is is right as Jesus.

His holiness is perfection is what is right? It's what is righteousness to say if you recognize that standard you can be sure That everyone who actually practiced as a lifestyle that looks towards that righteousness of Christ as being the standard for their own.

That those are born again now. Flip side. If righteousness is not your practice What he's saying there is not necessarily that you've lost your salvation or thrown it away or that you never had it. It's kind of saying You need to take stock of what you are and who you're doing what you're doing.

Because you're not acting as one Who has been born again? Now at any point in time Any one of us could go and read that and say oh snap. I am not doing well. You run and repent and that's I believe why this is here.

It's to say there is a righteous standard that righteous standard is the holiness of God. That is where the thrust of my life needs to be going. When I look over the long term I need to be one that practices Righteousness as God has defined it and if I find myself either in an instance or for a time not doing that I need to recognize I'm acting like a pagan like a heathen and I'm acting like one who has not been born of God.

So I need to go back to Christ repent of my sin turn to him and Find the forgiveness that is always there waiting for us. And that goes for believer and unbeliever alike that if we find ourselves in that situation If we find ourselves not being as one who's born again, we need to turn to Christ and there will find forgiveness for our sins.

Amen, can I can I interject something here to Rob real quick? I think What everybody is saying here is so important because it's pointing to evidence. We we can have assurance of salvation because of the evidence the Evidence of the new birth and in I'm gonna say this Lordship salvation is what we're talking about here because through the years there has been controversies and arguments amongst the church of Lordship salvation versus no Lordship salvation and No Lordship salvation is not salvation the the Puritans actually Understood this I'll say this I'm reading from an article here.

This is because the Puritans understood what many evangelicals ignore today. That many who profess Christ have no real evidence of true faith in Christ. What we're looking at here in first John is evidence of biblical evidences and demonstrations of salvation.

So that's very very important.

Absolutely, and what you're saying is speaking to the character and nature of God. Yes as I was talking about earlier. Just as the Apostle here is compassionate. He's reflecting his God who was compassionate and.

And our God is so compassionate that he gives evidence and we can go all the way back to Genesis. How do we. How do we know that there's a God. He gives us evidence that the heavens speak of his glory.

How do we know that. How can we know that we're saved? Because he gives us evidence. We see evidence of his work and so that we can have confidence in him. Our joy can be made complete because he is so gracious to give us evidence.

Our God is so kind. To do that for us when when we don't deserve it and he didn't have to.

Wow.

All right, Roger. You ready? Three two, right. Chapter three verse two. Yep.

All right first verse two reads. Beloved we are God's children now and what we will be has not yet appeared, but we know that when he appears We shall be like him because we shall see him as he is. Jesus is who we're talking about there, but that first part beloved we are God's children now.

We're talking about somebody that's come to genuine saving face. Somebody that's been born again. Justified whatever terminology you want to use there. Somebody's had a true conversion but we know. But we know that when he appears we shall be like him and we're talking about Christ coming back.

Because we see him as he is. To an extent this ties to a little bit of stuff I was doing out of Romans for a Bible lesson last night. But that's a whole nother. I don't want to go down that rabbit hole.

I I think this ties Directly the second part of this first into the sanctification process that will go on until we're called home. Then eventually, of course, we're going to be glorified. But beloved we are God's children now.

That's to say and what we we will be has not yet appeared. It's gonna appear when we're called home where the Lord comes back first, whichever happens first. But we know that when he appears Jesus we will be like him because we shall see him as he is.

We'll be heirs with him. Adopted in. Anyway, that's all I got for my exegesis on that one. I can't read you what Johnny Mack wrote if you want me.

Well, you're welcome to do it. Um, I and I've heard people talk about this verse. Speaking of people who look forward to that and that's kind of that's kind of how you were speaking of looking forward to that time of Glorification.

Oh, yeah, we're to that time of of seeing him face to face and being in his presence and and being done with with this Sin the simple world being done with our simple selves.

And in a second part of that verse right there. But we're gonna be but we don't know yet we're supposed to be walking in a spirit until that happens. Let me read you this right quick. One Who exercises genuine saving faith becomes a child of God that's the first part at the moment of belief.

Though the truly heavenly divine life in that person Will not be revealed until Jesus appears. In the meantime The Holy Spirit is working into us the image of Christ to me that spells out sanctification.

This phrase introduces poor feature that believer believers hope Christ returns he shall conform every believer to his image his nature. Attention exists between the first part of the verse. Now we are children and the latter part.

We shall be like him. All right, John.

Chapter 3 verse 7.

Good little children. Let no one deceive you. He practices righteousness is a righteous just as he is Righteous and so Dan already kind of covered that to a degree but it's going right back to What called was saying it's a practice of righteousness is the evidence that you are righteous.

And so. So it's the imputation the imputed righteousness of Christ that we have and so not to make any confusion. It's not because we do righteousness that we become righteous. Because you are made righteous through the imputed righteousness of Christ and now it's just Normal for righteousness to come out.

That's right that's. That is the context and and just to affirm what you've already heard I always say it this way guys. It would be absolutely impossible for God To inhabit a human and God not begin to come out.

Amen.

I mean you think about that the one who spoke in the Sun Shines and the stars are hung in the earth creation. The waters parted. They just spoke and now he. That power that rose Christ from the dead that power that created there now lives inside of us.

Yeah, it's absolutely impossible for the light to not dispel the dark and. And Righteousness just come out of us. It's impossible to happen. So therefore if righteousness is not coming out Then you're not made righteous.

The one that is righteous is not living within us. And so so it really is the whole book of first John gives these things that are positives. But I usually I usually give the other adjective to that. They are absolutely definitive John.

John is saying this is definitive for this is not negotiable. This is not tighten your belt and work harder, this is an apple tree produces apples this is an orange tree produces oranges. A Righteous person righteous in Christ produces righteousness.

Nail on my head brother nail on my head right there. That's the truth.

Well Jonathan while we're on you if you don't mind let us know what imputation means.

So it's the it's it's the sovereign deposit of Righteousness into your life not earned. Not bought by self, but it is the work of grace where God we have believed on Christ by believing it pleased God and as it pleased God he says Righteous, you know, so the the simple phrase that that we have in the Bible is that Abraham believed God.

Yes, God Attributed it to him as righteousness like so in other words in the simplicity of our faith that we believe. As crazy as it sounds We believe that the cross of Jesus and the power of the resurrection was absolutely enough when he said it is finished.

It's not it is finished plus my works. It is finished plus my good behavior like it is finished to the it is finished to the nth millionth degree. It is finished. Everything that is needed is sufficient in the cross and the power of the resurrection for my salvation and I believe that and God looks at us and says Now you're righteous.

I mean, it's not something that I just simply my faith is there and now. Apart from works. I am imputed with I am given the righteousness of Christ. It pleases God to do that and he changes us. I will be the first to say guys in in my finite mind.

It is a tremendous mystery. It is a work of God that I don't think we have words that perfectly can capture the miraculous work of Regeneration of the change of a heart that changed the mind eyes to see ears to hear the gift of faith but somewhere there by the powerful work of God.

We believe that and then he says Now you're righteous and it is a gift of the Lord apart from works. And then when that gift is imputed into our life of righteousness when it is given it is imparted unto us deposited into us.

Now we're a new creation the old is gone that has come but all things may new and then I will from that righteousness that is given produce righteousness. I hope that makes sense. Absolutely. Absolutely.

I just want to make sure that you know, those who may be watching who are not from here with some of these words that We give an explanation. Chapter 3 verse 14. Well, that's you. No, no number nine.

Number nine.

Whoever has been born of God does not sin. For his seed remains in him and he cannot sin because he has been born of God. By the way. Thanks for giving me that one. That is one of the most hotly debated highly questioned passages of Scripture.

So it's not saying it's not teaching sinless perfection. Let me start there there that the doctrine of sinless perfection is.

I.

Will say it a heresy We as long as we are in this flesh will battle with sin the sin. Or the sin in us will fight with the Spirit by the way. Hallelujah, that's even an evidence of salvation that we fight against in we don't submit willingly to it but we constantly war and fight against sin, but what this is saying that as a as a regular practice, I think a few weeks ago Dan gave a Perfect example.

Dan make sure I'm attributing that if you like this take this and say yes. I said that. If you don't like it just say no that wasn't me, but I think it was you a couple of weeks ago on the pastors panel.

Yeah, you talked about you know the difference between basically a snapshot in a video right there are times where if If any of you men zoomed in on my life for just that moment You would say holy crap.

That guy is a piece of garbage and guess what you would be. Absolutely, right, but if you watch it's a see Rob's Rob admitted it closet piece of garbage. But but in the the big picture the the full-length motion picture of our lives from the moment of in time as we know salvation to be we see a continuing pattern of Holiness and righteousness not that we become sin less but that we do sin less In on intention for intentional reasons because the Holy Spirit in us is sanctifying us and making us like Christ.

So what that's saying is long long story long run. Big picture long game. We don't practice sin intentionally and willfully so to speak but That we Seek to honor and glorify God by living lives of holiness.

Yeah.

Can I inject one quick thing too. I love the cross-reference this one with Colossians 3 and and and and where our lives are hidden in Christ and and Without without going too deep into this. I Insert the importance of the doctrine of the Trinity and because you do have God the Father.

For those that are in Christ who no longer sees our sin, but he only sees Christ. So you have the father and you have the son who is at the right hand of the father ever Interceding for us. So in the eyes of the father we are forever.

Without sin, we cannot sin in the eyes of the father because it's already all been paid for our our sin has been nailed to The cross blotted out of the way with its legal demands. And so I think who there is.

It's definitely in the lower story The flesh living out holiness and and righteousness and we will not it is impossible to continue in sin. But I think there's also an upper story message in that That our lives are hidden in Christ and and later in chapter 3 he deals with that that even if our own heart Condemns us even if we're feeling Condemned we feel worthless.

God is greater than even our own heart. He's greater than so the gospel is greater than our feelings greater than than our sin. I mean, he's greater than all of that. So So it's it's working that out with a with a heavenly understanding Of the gospel and and the goodness of that.

So so it's a parallel. It's exactly what you said is exactly right, Claude I just want to add to it too because it's one of the places I Like to look in places where the Bible gives us glimpses Into the upper story of where God exists and and this is one of those passages.

That's why it's so heavenly debated because it's a I think there's that upper story glimpse of a life hidden in Christ. Yes, and so so We can say we're poor wretched sinners. Well, no, you're not in Ephesians chapter 2.

We're already seated in heavenly places with him. We're children and sons of God. So Thank you in Christianity We need to be keenly aware of our capability of sin or even our failures and sin. Yeah in the flesh and thank God for the Holy Spirit That does fear of sin that convicts us of sin.

And then the evidence is we're going to want to match up with what the father sees. We won't we want the Holy Spirit to see in this flesh. We want those things to line up and so. So it's it's a deeper subject.

I know but It's something important to parallel there.

Amen, and if I was watching this that would be part of the this video that I would want to rewind and watch again because that story right there was a Beautiful picture the lower level and upper level explanation that we just heard and what and what Claude was telling us.

It's just a beautiful picture of knowledge and truth to bask in Who God is and what he's done for us. That was just an amazing beautiful picture that you painted guys and I really appreciate it. And and what I was gonna say was Just you know Just tag it on.

And similar to what you guys were saying going back to the lower level it goes back to talking about the grammar the the present subjective that We will not sin. It will not be our lifestyle. We will not have a lifestyle of sin anymore.

That that habitual lifestyle continuing The the picture versus the the video that you were talking about. So thank you guys for that. That was beautiful.

Can I have one thing Robert? Absolutely. Yeah. Wait, this is a discussion we had in a men's discipleship group that I'm part of. Few weeks ago not too long ago. Not the same subject not the same verse but the same subject and all of us in that group.