Expert: Phillip Senn - 1/19/2009

Question
QUESTION: I was thinking today and it bothered me about my salvation because I am unsure about it.
I said the Sinner's Prayer.
I believe and confessed that Jesus is the Son of the only Living GOD and died for my sins.
I asked Jesus to forgive me.
I do believe that GOD and Jesus exist.
I did this three times.
I confessed all of it with my mouth.
But I did it because I didn't want to go to hell.
I was also baptized when I was younger.
I never really tried to develop a close relationship with Him though nor have I really wanted to but yet I know that He is trying to have one with me.
I used to try and read my Bible and go to church and I do pray to GOD every night.I wish that I had a heart to seek Him more but how do I get that kind of heart?
Am I not saved now?
Oh and in your opinion,do you think that Barack Obama is the antichrist or something?

ANSWER: CGLLR,

Your question is one that only you and God can answer fully. I can offer some information that God may use to help you know one way or the other.

1. Praying the "sinner's prayer" will not get you saved. The one that prayed the sinner's prayer, in the Bible, was a publican (tax collector). The other was a Pharisee (Religious leader). The publican trusted in God's mercy, while the Pharisee trusted in his own goodness. When we recognize that we have sinned against a holy God, and quit trying to prove to God how good we are, we are humbled in His presence.

2. Many trust in how good they are, or the religious practices that they have been taught to do... Baptism, the Lord's supper (Eucharist), prayer, good deeds, etc. None of these things can save.

3. Only the sacrificial death of Christ can fully atone for our sins. If we trust in Christ Jesus' death for our sins, and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we shall be saved.

4. The Gospel is all about what Christ did for us. It is nothing about what we can do for Him.

5. Those that have trusted Christ are just as susceptible to temptation, and sin, as those that have never trusted Christ.

So where do you stand? John wrote to those that believed on Christ (those whose confidence for salvation is in His atoning work on Calvary), that they may know that they have Eternal Life, and that they may believe (have full confidence) in the only begotten Son of God.

Those that have (rely confidently on) Christ have Eternal Life. Those that do not have the Son, do not have life. I hope this lets you know where you stand with God. If you find that you do not have Eternal Life, you can trust Him now, and have everlasting life.

If you find that you have Eternal Life, God will encourage you to follow His divine will for your life. The way to find His divine will for you, is found in the pages of the Bible. The way, if you are saved, to have a heart for seeking Him, is to commit your self to Him in humility asking Him to be your guide, and then to follow what He has already told you that you need to do. Reading His Word is a good place to start.

Lastly, I do not support the stated policies of Barrack Obama. However, he is not the antichrist. The antichrist will be revealed during the tribulation period, and the believers will be gone by then.

I hope this helps you in your quest for the truth that will set you free.

With Love In Christ,
Phillip Senn

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I know that no one can get saved by the deeds that they do or by receiving the Holy Ghost or by getting baptized.I confessed and do believe and know that Jesus died for our sins and rose again and I know that he still lives.I believe it and I said it.So doesn't that mean that I am saved?

ANSWER: CGLLR,

Again, I cannot convince you of where you stand with the Lord. But if your confidence is in Him, as it appears that it is, then I consider you my brother/sister in the Lord.

I notice that you are now using terms that indicate that you have been convinced of the salvation that is in the Lord. Before you were saying that you did this, and you did that. The terminology that you are now using leads me to believe that you are a believer. Now you are saying, I know that Jesus did this, and Jesus did that. That is the real difference in a believer and a non-believer. The non-believer is always pointing to things they have done to "get right with God". The believer points to the things that Christ did for us, that we could be saved.

Now is the time to develop that faith that you have in Him. It is time to be in a good Bible believing church where the Word of God is preached faithfully. It is time to take the responsibility to "seek those things which are above". Now is the time, while the Holy Spirit is dealing with you about your commitment, to become a disciple of the Lord.

The difference between "just a believer" and a disciple, is found in the commitment that is brought about by the Holy Spirit. Now is the time to 'grieve not the Holy Spirit, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption".

With Love In Christ,
Phillip Senn

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Well when I confessed my beliefs,I meant it but I also did not want to go to hell.I truly do know and believe that Jesus died for my sins and that He rose again.I'm 13 by the way.I'm not confessing it just to be doing it.I got saved in 2002,2008,and 2009 but now I still feel like it is still not enough.If I am not saved then what's the point of living?I am desperately trying to do everything to get saved.And I am still not saved?I've did what it says in the BIBLE to be saved!I do believe what I am saying when I say it.I just feel like I don't get saved in order to seek GOD but all I know is that I do believe that Jesus died for my sins and that GOD raised Him back up from the dead.And I know that Jesus is still alive too!But the truth is that I confessed what I said in the sinner's prayer because I truly do believe that Jesus died for my sins and rose again and that He still lives and becaus eI didn't want to go to hell.So what is still wrong?
Someone just told me that if I had to ask if I am Saved then obviously I am not.   I go to an Apostolic church but I am really Pentocostal.MY beliefs are that if you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour and ask Him for forgiveness from your sins then you are saved.But of course different denominations have different beliefs on what actually makes you saved so if I went to a non denominational church it might make me confused. So if you don't mind,I will ask my question again.- Well when I was about 8,I asked for God's forgiveness but at the time,I did it because I didn't want to go to hell.I didn't really love GOD because I didn't really know Him that well.So then like 2 years later,I got the Holy Ghost but then I felt that my church was trying to really push me into it so I just all of a sudden shut down.About a year ago or a couple of months ago,I just decided that I didn't want to go to church anymore.I go once in a while but not every Sunday and I feel that if I am just going to make people happy and just to be there then that's a vain reason to go.If you're not there for GOD then there's no point in goingI tried reading my Bible and I started from the first chapter and tried to read the whole book in order.Well that got boring and I didn't understand anything so I stopped that too.So now,the only thing that I will do is pray and majority of the time,it's to ask for things.I'm not really sure if I love GOD because I haven't really got to know Him nor hae I really tried anymore.I know I have really backslided in that area.Does this mean that I am not saved?Or at least anymore now?So now I am not saved?!?!?!?!?!?!?!Now I might as well kill myself.The thing is that I don't know if my heart was into when I was eight,at the time,I Was a little willing to get to know GOD better but now I am hearing this?What are you saying now.Now I am not saved?Yes I do believe that He is the son of GOD and that He died for our sins so that we can be forgiven.I asked Him for forgiveness.At the time,I didn't want to go to hell but at the time,I was young and I wanted to I guess know Him better.But after that,I just drifted off.But now I don't even know if I am saved.Does it sound like I am saved?If I didn't ove GOD when I got saved then does this mean that I am not saved?Do I need to get saved again?   I know this is terribly off subject.But now I am in even worse trouble if I am not saved.I feel even worse.They told me that I have to accept Jesus as my master which is what I thought accepting Him as my Saviour meant.It make sme want to commit suicide even more than before.Maybe my life is just going down the drain.I mean,I have everything academically and school-wise going for me.But everything else is just terrible.   I live with my mom and she is on welfare and medical cards but yet my dad is rich.I don't live with my dad.But I live with my mom in an apartment building that my dad owns,he owns a lot. I guess you could say that my mom is middle class because we aren't poor.My dad always gives us the money to pay our bills and buy food and all of that stuff. So does this mean that I am poor? There are days when my mom doesn't have money.But we don't starve or don't have clothes but there are some days that there is nothing to eat (which is rare)because I eat up everything and she doesn't have time to go to the store or my dad hasn't given her the money.   I am stuggling with my sexuality.I'm not pretty.I have bad thoughts and can not seem to get my mind together.And now I might not be saved?Please respond!

I don't feel good.I'm not alright.This makes me want to do something drastic.Like suicide!I asked Him into my heart but at the time,it was because I didn't want to go to hell or anything.Am I not saved then?Do I need to get saved again or something?

Also I am wondering if I have blaspemed.Sometimes when I say the word gay or something similar,I suddenly look at a picture of Jesus even though I wasn't tlakign about Him.And sometimes I think about blaspemy.I also wonder if I have sold my soul.I sometimes think about selling it.And sometimes I say "If I don't do this then my soul is....."
I don't want to say the rest.I don't know if I have bet on my soul but yet I think that I have but I ask for forgiveness after it.I ask God to forgive me for it.But I don't want to sell my soul.Does this mean that I have?Please answer all of these questions!

Answer
CGLLR,

You have described something in your question that I think really shows maturity. You are not seeking men's approval. That is a great step in pleasing God. The verse I shared with you in a previous answer is found in 1 John 5:13. It was written to believers. In it The writer says, "These things write I unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye might KNOW that ye have Eternal Life". Apparently some of these people did not KNOW that they had Eternal Life. They had trusted in Christ, but they didn't know all that meant. They only knew that Jesus had died for their sins, and that they trusted in Him. John wrote to them to assure them that because of their faith in the Son of God, they had been justified before a Holy God, that they were forgiven, and that they had Eternal Life. He then assured them that they could trust Christ for everything in their life. That may be where you are. It certainly sounds like it. Unfortunately, many do not teach that. That is why, I believe, that you have "been saved" three times. The salvation of Christ is not something that has to be repeated often. It is a one time event, whereby God declares you to be just, based upon the sacrifice of Christ. It occurs at the moment that you trust in Christ. If you believe on Christ, then you have Eternal Life. You have every reason to keep on living... to honor and glorify your Father, which is in Heaven. I hope this helps to clear up what I have been saying.

With Love In Christ,
Phillip Senn