This is How We Know We Belong to Jesus

One of the things Sam Wiley talks about is having a "know-so" salvation. Pastor Scooter used the phrase recently, too, so it's been on my mind. Scripture tells us that we don't have to wonder about our salvation. We can know for sure.

1 John was written to people struggling with Gnosticism, the idea that knowledge is supreme, and that there is a "higher" knowledge to which the average Christian could not attain.

John disagreed. It's really simple to tell that you know Jesus, he told his readers. If you know Him, you keep His commandments. That's it.

The greatest commandment, according to Jesus, is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. The second commandment is what James referred to as the Royal Law of our King. 

Love your neighbor as yourself.

All the other commandments can be rolled up into those two. 

If you know Jesus, you will love God and others. Period. If we don't love God and others, we don't know Jesus. I'm not making this up. It comes straight from 1 John.

"The one who says, 'I have come to know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in Him." 1 John 2:4 nasb

In case you've wondered, pew-sitting is not one of the commandments of Jesus.  Even if you attend every church service in a five-mile radius of your home, that is not salvation. 

Salvation is demonstrated by obedience. 

If we're not trying to do what Jesus said to do, we should be asking, "Am I saved or not?"

The Royal Law of our King is love, and that love fills our hearts and lives with light that illuminates our path, even in the darkness times. 

This is what the Christian life looks like: All-encompassing love for God. All-encompassing love for others.

Is that how our lives look? 

Consider this question today, "In what way have I actively loved someone who is different from me in the last two weeks?" If the answer is, "I haven't," something is wrong.

Jesus did not die on the cross so we could sit on a pew. He died so that we could be free to love and live as He lived, and that looks a lot different than the way most of us live. 

Today's the day for some serious soul-searching, because our eternal destination hangs in the balance. Is the love of Christ evident in the way I live or not? If not, what should I do about it?

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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: The Words We're Waiting To Hear 

#Jesus #salvation