CHECKING FOR
INDWELLING SALVATION

Many use "I am a Christian" as a ticket to salvation and eternal life. Authentic Body members should never count on a stale testimony as an assurance of a loved one's salvation. Real indwelling faith is alive and sharper than a two-edged sword. It breathes life, promotes life, propagates life, and sustains a believer’s life in Christ. Below are a few helpful ways to "double-check" authentic indwelling salvation.

 

WATCH FOR THESE IDEOLOGIES:

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• Are they hostile toward God? (Rom. 8:7)

• Are they submitting to God daily? (Rom. 8:8)

• Is their lifestyle honorable to the Lord? (Rom. 8:8)

• Do they have a desire to fellowship with other believers? (1 John 1:2-3)

• Do they have daily joy in daily living? (Phil. 1:4)

• Do they understand the difference between "following" vs. being in Christ? (Rom. 6:11)

• Are they sensitive to the power of sin? (Rom. 3:23)

• Do they avoid friendship with the world? (James 4:4)

• Do they eagerly look forward to the Rapture? (Phil. 3:20)

• Are they known for their love? (3 John 1:6)

• Are they known for their deeds in serving Jesus Christ? (1 Peter 2:12)

• Do they have an attitude of "enduring to the end?" (Matt. 13:13)

• Are they willing to suffer for the sake of Christ? (1 Cor. 4:13)

• Do they have the ability to separate Truth from evil? (1 Thess. 5:21)

• Have you seen the flow of the Holy Spirit come forth from them? (Gal. 4:6)

• Do they keep themselves from idols? (1 John 5:21)

 

While many of the above traits overlap one another, this is not a smorgasbord! The true Christian will not consider if he can get away with embracing 1, 7, and 10 above and leave the rest at the Lord's Table. No, as new creations, we desire all that has been freely given to us in Christ, that we fall behind in no good thing. The true Christian DOES NOT look for excuses but fullness (Matt. 5:6), which we have found and will continue to find at the foot of the Cross and in the believer's identification with Christ in co-death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. (Rom. 6) While no walk is perfect here on earth, true indwelt believers consistently radiate a passion for living in Christ.

 

ASK YOURSELF:

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• Who is Jesus Christ?

• When did you meet Him?

• Tell me about this introduction.

• How real has God been this week to your heart?

• How clear and vivid is your assurance and certainty of God's forgiveness and fatherly love? To what degree is that real to you right now?

• Are you having any particular seasons of sweet delight in God? Do you really sense His presence in your life? Do you really sense Him giving you his love?

• Does the Holy Spirit mostly control you?

• Do you have a new nature?

• Please explain what it means to have a new nature in Christ.

• Do you have a passion for loving others, particularly those that reject you?

• Do you believe the Word of God is Holy and inerrant?

• Share with me the "fruit" you have in your life due to being a Christian.

• Would you say you look more like Jesus or a sinner?

• What portion of your life would you say that you trust Jesus?

• Please explain to me the moment the Holy Spirit came to dwell in your body.

• Do you believe Jesus is God?

• Please explain to me the process you take someone through to become an indwelt Christian.

 

FIRST AND FOREMOST

 

We believe all authentic salvations are prompted by the Holy Spirit. We do not support the ideology of a person can get saved without the Holy Spirit. In other words, pray the prayer, and you are saved. We are firm in the belief that Christ chooses us, and we respond.

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"You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you." (John 15:16)

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As a result, there are droves of people who think they are saved because they prayed a prayer of salvation. We call these "followers" of Christ who are not necessarily indwelt by Him. True salvation is a response of faith through the Holy Spirit, making it known to a person that Christ Jesus indeed chose them.

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There are two important tests in Scripture for a person to determine whether or not they are a true believer.

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First of all, there is an objective test that asks, "Do I believe?" Ask yourself or the person you are ministering if you/they affirm Scripture's record of Jesus Christ's person and work. Do you/they believe that He is God manifest in the flesh? Do you/they believe that God saves sinners solely through the merits of Jesus Christ's obedient life and substitutionary death on the Cross?

Second is the subjective or experiential test of assurance in which you/they ask yourself, "Is my faith real?" The apostle John's purpose in writing the epistle of 1 John was to give true believers assurance of their salvation (1 John 5:13). In that small epistle, John gives several marks to distinguish a true believer.

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While it is true that authentic born-again believers can fall short of this list when walking after their flesh, it can also be a sign that the individual does not have the indwelling Holy Spirit.

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• True believers are convinced to walk in the light (1 John 1:6-7). The light here means both intellectual and moral Truth. Ask, "Do I/you affirm the truths of Scripture and desire to obey them?"

• True believers are compelled to confess their sin (1:8-2:1). Confessing here doesn't mean reciting every wrong that we have ever done. Rather, it means to agree with God about our sins. The Lord calls true believers to hate their sin; they don't love it. They acknowledge they choose to sin while knowing they are forgiven before they ask. Christ’s forgiveness is a one-time occurrence. However, when we sin, we must confess our wrongdoings before Him and accept His existing forgiveness.

• True believers keep His commandments through the indwelling Life of Christ (2:3-4; 5:2-3). The term here refers to watchful, observant obedience. Here, the believer desires to obey truths he deems precious. It involves a proactive approach to obedience. Each believer should study the Scriptures to understand and obey.

• True believers love the brethren (2:9-11; 3:10, 14-15; 5:2). Ask yourself/them the question, "Do I love God's people and desire to be around them?"

• True believers affirm sound doctrine (2:20-23; 4:2,6). John here teaches that no true believer will fall into any serious, Christ-denying error or heresy.

• True believers walk in and through Holiness by releasing the Holy Spirit (2:29; 3:3-4, 6-9). These verses certainly aren't talking about sinless perfection or even the frequency or duration of sin. In these verses, the term sin describes one who lives an immoral, ungodly, unrighteous life as a matter of continual practice and carries the attitude of hardened hate for God's righteousness.

• True believers have the Holy Spirit (4:13; 5:10-11). This is an over-arching test summing up all the others. Is there evidence that the fruit of the Spirit is present in your/their life (Galatians 5:22-23)? This test qualifies you/them with the belief that living in Christ supersedes walking after the Spirit externally.

 

In summary, one's assurance of salvation does not need to be based on a past decision or an experience. It should rest first of all on one's faith in the objective Truth of God's Word, Jesus Christ, and the Gospel of His indwelling Life. Secondly, it should rest on the reality of a changed life marked by obedience, a love for Christ and His righteousness, and a hatred for sin. Take heart if these things are true in your life, and trust God to continue to work out His salvation in your life.

Dear friend, if you feel the gentle nudge of the Holy Spirit, inviting you to embrace the gift of salvation, I encourage you to pray with an open heart. Let your words be a bridge connecting you to the boundless love of our Savior.

 

The following prayer can also be used as a guide to lead others to the saving Life and Grace of Jesus Christ. Remember, salvation is not dependent on “words”. It is, however, dependent on a repentant heart. When the soul is broken before the Lord while being repentant, He WILL hear the prayer AND will offer salvation via the Holy Spirit. Here’s a heartfelt prayer you can offer:

 

PRAYER OF SALVATION

 

Loving heavenly Father, I take by faith the helmet of Salvation.  I recognize that my Salvation is in the Person of Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  I cover my mind with His; I desire that He put His mind within me.  Let my thoughts be His thoughts.  I open my mind completely and only to the control of the Lord Jesus Christ.  I replace my own selfish and sinful thoughts with His.  I reject every projected thought of Satan and his demons, and instead, I request the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Grant me the wisdom to discern thoughts from the world, my fleshly self, and Satan’s kingdom.

 

I believe Jesus is Your Son; He died on the Cross for my sins, and Jesus is God.  I believe in the Trinity: You, as the Father; Jesus, as the Son; and the Holy Spirit.  I confess that I have been a sinner – totally separated from You.  I choose to accept Your forgiveness for my sins through the power of the blood of Jesus that was shed for me on the Cross.  I now ask that you send the Holy Spirit to live inside my mortal body. (Pause for a moment) 

 

I praise You, heavenly Father, that I may know the mind of Christ as I hide Your Word within my heart and mind.  Open my heart to love Your Word.  Grant to me the ability and capacity to memorize large portions of it.  May Your Word be ever over my mind like a helmet of strength, which Satan’s projected thoughts cannot penetrate.  Cause me to allow the Holy Spirit (the Life of Christ) within me to fulfill the discipline of daily living to appropriate Your Salvation.  These things I lay before You in the precious name of my new Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen!

 

I encourage you to study these scriptures immediately:

 

Mar_16:20; Luk_1:69; Luk_1:71; Luk_1:77; Luk_2:30; Luk_3:6; Luk_19:9; Joh_4:22; Act_4:12; Act_13:26; Act_13:47; Act_16:17; Act_28:28; Rom_1:16; Rom_10:1; Rom_10:10; Rom_11:11; Rom_13:11; 2Co_1:6; 2Co_6:2; 2Co_7:10; Eph_1:13; Eph_6:17; Php_1:28; Php_2:12; 1Th_5:8; 1Th_5:9; 2Th_2:13; 1Ti_4:16; 2Ti_2:10; 2Ti_3:15; Tit_2:11; Heb_1:14; Heb_2:3; Heb_2:10; Heb_5:9; Heb_6:9; Heb_9:28; Heb_11:7; 1Pe_1:5; 1Pe_1:9; 1Pe_1:10; 1Pe_2:2; 2Pe_3:15; Jud_1:3; Rev_7:10; Rev_12:10; Rev_19:1.