Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
Philippians 3:13 (NASB)
Not laid hold – I’m often asked by other Christians an interesting question. It goes something like this, “If an accident were to happen right now, and you died, are you secure in your salvation? Would you be saved?” And in my former years I always responded emphatically, “Yes!” But I’ve been raised under the influence of main stream Christianity – Paul was not. Paul admits that he himself is not even sure he’s obtained salvation through the resurrection of the dead (Phil. 3:11). How is this possible? Paul is much more inline with the teachings of Christ than I am. Paul’s earnest desire is to be found in Christ, to receive the righteousness of Him by God through faith, to know Him and the power of His resurrection. Me, on the other hand… well I’m just trying to balance my family and work. My battles are much smaller than Paul’s, my trials aren’t life threatening, and because of this, my conviction is quite insignificant compared to Paul’s. Yeshua is the complete center of Paul’s life, and don’t get me wrong, He’s the center of my life too when I’m not completely focused on work, or putting the kids down for bed, or helping around the house. So why am I so sure of my salvation when Paul isn’t? Continue reading “Are You Saved?”