1. What is saving faith to you?
Answer:
Saving faith is that we believe to the saving of the soul through our faith that Jesus is the Son of God. One must believe in his/her heart, and then confess that Jesus is Lord, and, that, if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead; and we must be Baptist in water and in the Spirit of God, and receive His Holy Spirit. We must also obey His Word.
2. What are some of the signs of genuine saving faith?
Answer: This is one of the most important questions in the Christian life. Many believers doubt their salvation because they don't see signs of genuine faith in their lives. There are those who say we should never doubt our decision to follow Christ, but the Bible encourages us to examine ourselves to see if we are truly "in the faith" (2 Corinthians 13:5). Thankfully, God has given us ample instruction for how we can know for sure that we have eternal life. The first epistle of John was actually written for that purpose, as it states in 1 John 5:13, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."
3. How can I have assurance of my salvation?
Answer: Many followers of Jesus Christ look for the assurance of salvation in the wrong places. We tend to seek assurance of salvation in the things God is doing in our lives, in our spiritual growth, in the good works and obedience to God's Word that is evident in our Christian walk. While these thing can be evidence of salvation, they are not what we should base the assurance of our salvation. Rather, we should find the assurance of our salvation in the objective truth of God's Word. We should have confident trust that we are saved based on the promises God has declared, not because of our subjective experiences.
4. If you doubt your salvation, does that mean you are not truly saved?
Answer: Everyone has occasional doubts. Whether or not you have doubts is not what determines whether you are a Christian. Even when a believer is faithless, God is faithful (2 Timothy 2:13). God wants us to be sure and confident of our salvation (Romans 8:38-39; 1 John 5:13). God promises that everyone who believes in Jesus Christ will be saved (John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10). We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). As a result, we deserve death and an eternity apart from God (Romans 6:23). But God loved us enough to die in our place, taking the punishment that we deserved (Romans 5:8). As a result, all those who believe are saved and eternally secure.
5. What if I don't feel saved?
Answer: This is an all-too-common question among Christians. Many people doubt their salvation because of feelings or the lack of them. The Bible has much to say about salvation, but nothing to say about "feeling saved." Salvation is a process by which the sinner is delivered from "wrath," that is, from God's judgment against sin (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9). Specifically, it was Jesus' death on the cross and subsequent resurrection that achieved our salvation (Romans 5:10; Ephesians 1:7). Our part in the salvation process is that we are saved by faith. First, we must hear the gospel—the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection (Ephesians 1:13). Then, we must believe—fully trust the Lord Jesus (Romans 1:16) and His sacrifice alone. We have no confidence in works of the flesh to achieve salvation. This faith—which is a gift from God, not something we produce on our own (Ephesians 2:8-9)—involves repentance, a changing of mind about sin and Christ (Acts 3:19), and calling on the name of the Lord (Romans 10:9-10, 13). Salvation results in a changed life as we begin to live as the new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).
6. How can I detect a false conversion?
Answer: To convert is to be "born again." At the moment of conversion, the converted person is filled with the Holy Spirit and begins a journey of turning away from sin and beginning to worship and serve the Lord. A "false conversion" is no conversion at all. A false conversion may look like a true, Spirit-caused conversion, but it is not. The reasons for false conversions are varied. Sometimes the person experiencing a false conversion doesn't even realize it. At other times, there is intentional deception on his/her part. Not everyone who claims to have been converted has. Just as those trained to recognize counterfeit money become intimately acquainted with the real thing, in order to detect a false conversion, it is necessary to first know what true Christian behavior looks like. We do this by studying and knowing intimately God's Word. We learn from the Parable of the Weeds in Matthew 13:24–30 that Satan works to deceive the church by mingling his children with God's children, often making it difficult for believers to discern the true from the false. The more we are familiar with Scripture, the easier it will be for us to detect the true Christians from the false converts.
7. What does it mean to test the spirits?
Answer: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world" (I John 4:1). Christians are to be discerning hearers and readers of all messages. The reason for the admonition to "test the spirits" or "test all things" is that there are "many false prophets" or "wolves in sheep's clothing" that try to lead Christians astray. Sadly, there are many people who claim to speak for God who are presenting a false gospel that is powerless to save. Such errant teaching leaves people with a false hope of salvation and, in a way, inoculates them from the true message. People who are deceived into thinking everything is fine will be more resistant to the truth
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