Wednesday, May 02, 2012

The Text Proof of Eternal Salvation


THE TEST FOR KNOWING IF YOU ARE UNDER THE BONDAGE OF SIN AND DEATH

The Proof of Assurance of Salvation Test

Romans 8:15    Series 45.115

Charles e Whisnant, Romans 8:15  For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba ! Father !"  (NASB: Lockman)

For the Spirit which you have received is not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit producing sonship in the bliss of which we cry Abba Father. Amplified

Nor are you meant to relapse into the old slavish attitude of fear you have been adopted into the very family circle of God and you can say with a full heart, “Father, my Father. Philipps.

BONDAGE 1397

·        Slavery, bondage, the condition of a slave

·        That which will prevent him from freely possessing and enjoying his life, and is not in liberty to freely love God. He has an enslaved moral or spiritual condition characterized by fear of breaking rules and therefore experiencing repression or burden, and lack of freedom.

·        Those who are in the flesh or unbelievers who are enslaved to Sin and the Law and receive the wages of Sin which is death which is a cause of fear.

·        Its no matter how witty, intelligent, clever one may manage to mask or deny the reality of it, sinful men are continually subject to fear because they continually live in sin and are therefore continually under God’s judgment for Jesus did say in John 3:18…”He who believes in Him is not judged, he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

·        The unbelievers are governed by a slavish and anxious apprehension of God’s righteousness and ultimately fear of eternal death in the Lake of fire, even though they have no idea of its true horrors Mark 9:48

BUT THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN SAVED, HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE SPIRIT OF SLAVERY THAT LEADS TO FEAR. Romans 8:15

Now why is this so important to us?  It is most important and helpful from the idea that Paul is giving us the assurance of salvation and the assurance of our sonship of God.

What I want to try to express today is this:  A very good proof that if you at one time have been under this slavery attitude and been in this spirit of bondage and of fear of its end results than is a great test to apply to what may appear to be the Spirit of adoption.

As Marty Lloyd Jones has stated, it is impossible to have the Spirit of adoption without having first had the spirit of bondage.  You had been in a condition of being controlled  by something (sin) that limited the freedom.

George Whitefield said as much:

 “First we hear Moses’ voice, one hear the voice of the law. There is no going to Mount Zion but by the way of Mount Sinai:  That is the right straight road.  I know some say, Whitefield says, “they do not know when they were converted; those are, I believe , very few, generally though, I may say almost always, God deals otherwise. Some are, indeed, called sooner by the Lord than others, but before they are made to see the glory of God, they must hear the voice of the law; so you must hear the voice of the law before every you will be savingly called unto God.”

Whitefield was one of the greatest preachers of his time that delighted in preaching the gospel of salvation, and he said “First we hear Moses’ voice, the voice of the law.”  No going to Mount Zion (Calvary) but by way of Mount Sinai.”

YE HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE SPIRIT OF BONDAGE (SLAVERY) AGAIN TO FEAR.”

            Yes you once did receive it, but that is not what you have received now. 

As I have previous mention of the many characteristics of the sons of God, one is you are now no longer under this slavish this loyalty to some cause, this showing total unquestioning obedience or devotion, this complete it seems lack of originality or independence of thought

This is gone, and has been replaced by the “Spirit of Adoption.” 

One of the most powerful bit of evidence is that you have been saved, and have assurance of that salvation is that you no longer have the spirit of fear and of this kind of slavish feeling. It has really disappeared.

The old spirit is g-o-n-e.

Of course this is not a new idea of Paul, even in Romans.  Its in Romans 5, Romans 6 and Romans 7:4

Then we come to Romans 8 and in the very first verse this reverberating statement: “THERE IS THEREFORE NOW NO CONDEMNATION’ there can never be – “to them which are in Christ Jesus.”

The very first work of the Spirit upon us is to deliver us from that spirit that we had before we believed. That is salvation that is Christianity that is our assurance that we have really been adopted by God as one of these children.

The moment that we see His glory the spirit of fear and of slavery disappear.  They cannot exist together

Really to know the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ, and to have it applied to us by the Holy Spirit,  it becomes impossible to prevent or to avoid the deliverance of this spirit of bondage and fear.

WELL  YOU MIGHT SAY THAT THIS POINT:  1st question: “Now that is very nice, that is quite comforting, I like to hear it, but there are other verses that mention that we should fear. Philippians 2:12-13, 2 Corinthians 5:11; Hebrews 12:25-28.  Then we seek to give an explanation.

We must note that there is an essential difference between a “spirit of bondage and of fear’ and “reverence and godly fear.”

So how can we do both?  The exhortation is to remember always who God is, and what God is. We are not approach God as if he was just another friend.  We are to remember always that God is a consuming fire, and we must as a result always approach Him with “reverence and godly fear.

A 2nd question you might ask:

Are you saying that if a Christian has lost the spirit of bondage and of fear, that it means that they will never again feel depressed, and will never have a sense of abandonment?  That is feeling that God has turned His back on you?”  

Are you saying that if I on occasion feel depressed and uncertain, does that prove automatically that I am not a Christian?

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