1 Peter 2:1-3 “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, (2.) As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: (3.) If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”
I meet a lot of folks who tell me they are Christians, but after observing them and their actins I must as myself, are they truly Christians. I believe there are millions upon millions of people who believe themselves to be Christians but are not. There are ways to, well at least to have a good idea although there is no guaranteed way to tell for certain. First of all a real Christian fully trust Jesus Christ as their Saviour, because one cannot trust Jesus Christ and something else, i.e. works, baptism, church membership or etc. because the scriptures conclude “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7 not because we are walking in the light, but that we have trusted the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us from all of our sins. We are walking in the light because we are saved; the walk is the result not the cause. The walk is the evidence of our faith in Christ Jesus. God also said in 1 John 1:6 “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:” So if our walk is not there then there is no evidence of our salvation and therefore we are not laying aside the works of the flesh. James clearly pointed out “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” James 2:18 not that works has any part in salvation but that if you have faith then works are certain to follow. Faith alone cannot save a soul if it is not followed with works. James 2:19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” Faith is easy to have, and faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God is also easy to have, but faith that comes from the heart is not easy to have. Any fool or even devil can have faith and go to hell for their trouble, however real faith that comes from the heart changes a person forever.
So what else proves a person is truly saved? They “…desire the sincere milk of the word…” the word “desire” means – to intensely crave – the word of God not just to read it and study it and to grow in it “…that ye may grow thereby…” that is to grow in truth. Not Baptist truth, Church of Christ truth, Catholic truth, or etc. but rather biblical truth. I believe that truth is Baptist truth, not just any Baptist but those who believe in a Sovereign God, not those that believe salvation is a decision or choice but rather that God saves sinners. That is growth, anyone can believe a myth, but to believe truth is entirely different, truth comes to those that accept the bible for what it says and not for what a pastor preaches from the pulpit. Seeking and proving is where truth comes from and once believed it cannot be proven wrong.
Another way of proving a sinner has been saved is they have “…tasted that the Lord is gracious.” The word “tasted” means - to experience – they don’t just learn of Gods grace but rather they have experienced Gods grace, now how is this possible if God does not save the sinner. If salvation is not as described in Ephesians 2:8 – 10 then it is not real. Salvation come from God “…it is the gift of God…” Ephesians 2:8 This is tasting of Gods grace when the Holy Spirit has entered the heart of a lost sinner. This is the only way for change to come and therefore changing the sinner to a new person. Just because a person says their saved truly has no meaning without many changes in their life, therefore while they are telling you they are a Christian believe it with a “grain of salt” until there is evidence that the Holy Spirit resides in their heart. If God is there then they cannot be pleased with acting the way of the world.
This is a Landmark Sovereign Grace Baptist Blog. "Teaching The Truths Of God's Holy Script"
Meet Pastor Johnson
- Pastor Randy Johnson
- Texarkana, Texas, United States
- I am the Pastor of the Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church in Texarkana, Texas
Pastor Randy Johnson
Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church
I would like to welcome you to my blog. It is my purpose to bring glory to the glorious name of my Saviour Jesus Christ. It is my hope and prayer that you are saved from eternal damnation if not please read the following scriptures.
Acts 8:35-38 "Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. (36.) And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? (37.) And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (38.) And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him."
Acts 16:30-31 "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? (31.) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
Acts 8:35-38 "Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. (36.) And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? (37.) And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (38.) And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him."
Acts 16:30-31 "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? (31.) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."