In the last post I described the Old Testament response to the correct offering with the correct heart of the person offering the sacrifice. I closed with the question "If the blood of bulls and rams brought fire from heaven what does the offering up of the blood of the Lamb of God bring?"
Around the mid 1950's evangelical preaching took a turn toward a formula of salvation that included phrases that called on the repentant person to repeat a prayer after the leader. When the phrase was completed the leader would then say to the person/people "Now you are saved" or "Now you are a child of God". With that statement the entire matter would be brought to an end. If the repentant person bulked at this the leader would say "You have to take it by faith" or "just accept it, you did what you were supposed to do now believe that God has done the work." When the repentant responded with "but I don't feel any different?" the leader would say, "It is not a matter of feeling it is a matter of faith". This is a partial truth, but it is based on the wrong definition of faith.
If faith were simply you and I believing enough then the the statement would be true, however if the definition of faith is as I have said then the issue is not one of me believing but God providing me with the evidence that He has done the work. The mere fact that the repentant person is questioning the matter should set off alarms in the leader, if that leader has any understanding of salvation. First and foremost doubt is not of God and if the newly pronounced Christian doubts their standing with God then they are not.
In Old Testament times if a sacrificial lamb is defective or if the person offering the sacrifice has added something to it that God has not commanded then the sacrifice would be rejected. In the case with the new convert several things may be going on including attaching to the sacrifice things such as our own good works, promises about our doing something to receive from God the salvation promised, or a heart not truly sorrowful for the lost condition. All of these things can be dealt with and must be dealt with. The sacrifice of Christ is the only sacrifice that is acceptable to God for the salvation of man.
Now here is a truth and is the truth in this matter, when a person lifts up before God the Blood of His Son Jesus the Christ then He does respond from Heaven giving us an evidence and a conviction that will stand the test of time. If a person is wise and there heart is truly hungry then they will press in close to the Kingdom and not stop until the fire falls on the sacrifice and fills the heart with Joy, Love, Peace, and a confidence that the person offering the sacrifice has been saved, is born again, is a child of God whose name is written in Heaven and they know that they know that they are saved.
If you lack this confidence then I encourage you right now to pray and not stop until you have the assurance of your own salvation. No man or woman can give you this confidence only God Himself has that power and since it is His family and He is the Father then you should not be satisfied with someone else trying to convince you of your standing in His family. Even the disciples needed this and Jesus knew it and told them to go into Jerusalem and wait for the promise. I tell you to do the same. I will speak more on this next time.
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