Let’s say I came up to you in a couple of years and asked you to prove that you actually graduated high school. How would you prove it? Well, for one, you could show me your high school diploma. Or you could dig your cap and gown out of the attic, dust it off and model it for me. Or you could just look me in the eye and say, “Are you serious? I know that I graduated high school because...well, I just do! I remember the whole thing, down to the boring valedictori an speech!”
Of course, you could forge a diploma, rent a dusty cap and gown, or lie about your recollections. So if you had only showed me one of those proofs I might be a little skeptical. But when you showed me all three proofs, I’d be certain that you had, in fact, made it through high school.
God has also given us certain proofs to show that we really are Christians. Like a high school diploma, we have God’s Word in writing. Verses like these tell us what we have to do to be saved:
John 3:16 (New Living Translation)—”For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”
John 5:24 (NLT)—“I tell you the truth, those who listen to My message and believe in God who sent Me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”
Romans 10:9-10 (NLT)—“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.”
Just like a cap and gown are outward indications of graduation, the fruit of God’s Spirit in our lives show that God really does live inside us. What are those fruits? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness gentleness and self-control, just to name a few (see Galatians 5:22-23). When the Holy Spirit lives inside us, we grow increasingly to hate sin, love others, trust God with our lives and obey His commandments. We stop chasing after the things of this world (like obsessing over the latest fashions, having perfect make-up or top-notch electronics, having a boyfriend, being the best athlete, etc.) and start chasing the things of God (like getting to know Him better, helping others, and doing good).
The third proof is the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Romans 8:15-16 (NLT) says, “You have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, ‘Abba, Father.’ For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”
Some people describe the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives as a gut feeling, but I think it’s more than that. Just like you would remember little details of your own graduation, as Christians, we can look back on our lives and see God’s fingerprints all over it. Maybe He answered a specific prayer that you knew couldn’t be coincidence; or perhaps He gave you an indescribable peace when you were going through a really difficult time. The Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see the ways God is intimately involved in our lives.
Again, just like the proofs of graduation, having one of these Christian proofs isn’t enough. Anyone can fool themselves into thinking they have trusted God, or might even fake the fruits of the Spirit. But the presence of all three proofs gives us the assurance that we really are saved—that we really are God’s children.
If you know for certain that all three proofs are present in your life, it’s time to tell Satan to bug off! He loves to whisper little lies in our ears, trying to convince us that we aren’t really saved. He tries to tell us that we have to do more, or sin less, or pray the “sinner’s prayer” over and over. Why? Because he knows that as long as we doubt our salvation, we are ineffective for God’s kingdom. Think about it: How can we be showing others the path to God if we’re not sure we’re on it ourselves? Don’t let Satan get the upper hand. Be confident in your faith!
Love,
Of course, you could forge a diploma, rent a dusty cap and gown, or lie about your recollections. So if you had only showed me one of those proofs I might be a little skeptical. But when you showed me all three proofs, I’d be certain that you had, in fact, made it through high school.
God has also given us certain proofs to show that we really are Christians. Like a high school diploma, we have God’s Word in writing. Verses like these tell us what we have to do to be saved:
John 3:16 (New Living Translation)—”For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”
John 5:24 (NLT)—“I tell you the truth, those who listen to My message and believe in God who sent Me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”
Romans 10:9-10 (NLT)—“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.”
Just like a cap and gown are outward indications of graduation, the fruit of God’s Spirit in our lives show that God really does live inside us. What are those fruits? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness gentleness and self-control, just to name a few (see Galatians 5:22-23). When the Holy Spirit lives inside us, we grow increasingly to hate sin, love others, trust God with our lives and obey His commandments. We stop chasing after the things of this world (like obsessing over the latest fashions, having perfect make-up or top-notch electronics, having a boyfriend, being the best athlete, etc.) and start chasing the things of God (like getting to know Him better, helping others, and doing good).
The third proof is the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Romans 8:15-16 (NLT) says, “You have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, ‘Abba, Father.’ For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”
Some people describe the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives as a gut feeling, but I think it’s more than that. Just like you would remember little details of your own graduation, as Christians, we can look back on our lives and see God’s fingerprints all over it. Maybe He answered a specific prayer that you knew couldn’t be coincidence; or perhaps He gave you an indescribable peace when you were going through a really difficult time. The Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see the ways God is intimately involved in our lives.
Again, just like the proofs of graduation, having one of these Christian proofs isn’t enough. Anyone can fool themselves into thinking they have trusted God, or might even fake the fruits of the Spirit. But the presence of all three proofs gives us the assurance that we really are saved—that we really are God’s children.
If you know for certain that all three proofs are present in your life, it’s time to tell Satan to bug off! He loves to whisper little lies in our ears, trying to convince us that we aren’t really saved. He tries to tell us that we have to do more, or sin less, or pray the “sinner’s prayer” over and over. Why? Because he knows that as long as we doubt our salvation, we are ineffective for God’s kingdom. Think about it: How can we be showing others the path to God if we’re not sure we’re on it ourselves? Don’t let Satan get the upper hand. Be confident in your faith!
Love,
