A Christian Believes

A Christian Believes

1. Jesus is the Son of God (John 10:36)

2. Jesus died for his/ her sins (1 Cor. 15:3-4)

3. Jesus rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:20)

What About His/Her Lifestyle After Believing in Jesus? 

The lifestyle doesn’t secure the believer in salvation nor does it separate him/her from it. The lifestyle is the manifestation of genuine faith in Christ or the lack of it. How so? Because “without faith works is dead” 

(James 2:17, 20, 24, 26). Thus, dead faith is not living faith which is empty. It is insubstantial. Living faith means being dead to sin (Rom. 6:1-14) and free from sin (Rom. 6:15-23). If those truths are not real in the life of a professing Christian, then his/her faith is questionable or, more likely, not genuine. 

Can a Christian Lose His/Her Salvation? 

Absolutely not! See the following:

John 6:37; 10:27-30; Rom. 5:8; 8:1, 33-39

However, a Christian living an ungodly lifestyle is to be subject to discipline: 

Matt. 18:15-22 - dismissed from church     

                              fellowship

Rom. 16:17-18 - be keenly aware of 

                             Christians who cause 

                             division (discipline is 

                             pending) 

1 Cor. 5:1-5 - pray for severe discipline 

                        for a Christian willfully 

                        engaging in sin

2 Thess. 3:14-15 - disassociate with a

                                 believer who deliberately 

                                 lives in disobedience to 

                                 the word 

2 Tim. 3:5 - disassociate with hypocrites 

These various forms of discipline are only for believers. 

A nonChristian 

     1. is condemned to die in his/her sins 

         (John 8:21, 24)

     2. has futile faith, still in sins, lost, and 

         have no hope (1 Cor. 15:17-19)

     3. is dead in trespasses and sins 

         (Eph. 2:1). 

While God loves all sinners, but His love doesn’t save them nor did it save us. John 3:16 says “whosoever believes in Him” which is the requirement to be saved. Eph. 2:8 says “by grace are you saved through faith.” Belief and faith have the same meaning. That’s why Jesus said, “you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). 

Lastly, believers in Christ know that they are saved, going to heaven without a shadow of doubt (1 John 5:13). A believer can doubt his /her salvation, but since his/her doubt came after his/her faith in Christ, it doesn’t cancel his/her salvation. Unbelievers can’t doubt salvation because they’ve never had it. Believers who doubt need assurance which comes from God’s word (Psalm 119:49-50).