Am I saved? >.>

[12praiseGOD]

First I would like to start out to tell you that I see where the Calvinists get their thought of predestined salvation and that you can’t do anything to change it…correct me if I’m wrong but here is a scripture I would like to interpret which if not examined closely may be misleading…although I do agree in predestined prophets, those aren’t the only ones that will receive God’s benefits and love and so forth.

“IN LOVE, He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the beloved”…and here is the real imp. part…. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding ….In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation-in Him when you believed-were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” Ephesians 1:5-6, 7-8, 13.

The reason that I capitalized IN LOVE, is that it is not that He chose who goes where after death but that he predestined everyone to be exposed to His unending love and to eventually be exposed to who Jesus is. Then it says that we have redemption through His blood, and so on, which says if we choose Him we will be saved and will receive the Holy Spirit. Finally, this means that we are the sons and daughters of GOD and that if we believe in Him we will be saved…
“For GOD so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believeth in HIM shall NOT perish but have everlasting life”-John 3:16

Now that we have concluded with that if you believe in Jesus Christ you will be saved lets see what GOD has in store for ALL who come to believe in Him and even the ones that haven’t(everyone in other words), and a show of how much HE loves us…and I don’t think I’ll have the time to write all of them down because there are so many!.

1. God’s love for us in general

2. - Deu. 23:5
“Yet the LORD your GOD would not listen to Balaam, but He turned the curse into a blessing for you because the LORD your GOD loves you.”

3. –John 3:16-18
“For GOD so loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For GOD did not send His Son in to the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God.”

4. –Rom. 5-6, 8
“This hope does not disappoint, because GOD’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly…But GOD proves His own lobe for US in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!”

5. –Rom 8:39
“Nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the LOVE of GOD that is in Christ Jesus our LORD!”

6. 2 Cor. 13:13
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, an the LOVE of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with ALL of you.”

7. –2 Thess. 3:5
“May the Lord direct your heart to GOD’S love and Christ’s endurance.”
8. –1 John 4:8-11
“The one who does not love does not know GOD, because GOD IS LOVE. GOD’S love was revealed among us in this way: GOD sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. Love consists in this: not that we loved GOD, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for out sins. Dear friends, if GOD loved us in this way, we also must love one another.”


Aren’t you feeling God’s love by now? well if you aren’t I will post some more verses, and let me tell you I haven’t even gotten started with Jesus’ love for us; all that I have listed is GOD’S love for us…and there is still much more left of that.

GOD bless you guys…and keep strong…GOD is with you.

“The farthest distance between a problem and the solution is the distance between your knees and the floor” huggles- =)

[Animus Seed]

So on the one hand: I guess it sort of seems that I post and then disappear, hm? And suddenly "oh look I'm fine now!"

But on the other, I'm sure you all realize how busy life offline can be and has been.

So: I've had some discussion with elder Christians I trust, and a couple close Calvinist friends who I also trust, and some friends of other denominations.

My Calvinist friend assures me I'm misreading Calvin, and I'm willing to acknowledge that I may be. (I don't like that we jumped into the controversial part for class. As long as it is, I want to read his whole book first.)

Second, my Eastern Orthodox friends gave me "permission" not to like Calvin... lots of Christians don't, after all... and in an odd way, permission not to like him freed me to look at him again and appreciate what he was saying more. He isn't explaining Christianity, he's explaining his view thereof; and I'm free to agree and disagree with various aspects. I was able to notice more "Mere Christian" moments in Calvin I like, now.

So the short of it is: I've more or less snapped out of this spiritual depression, and I'm moving forward. Again, thank you all for your prayers... I haven't read every response yet, but I will.

Also: from the amount of replies, I'm guessing (though I haven't read them) that some sort of discussion on Calvinism sparked up? I might weigh in in a second, but let me say that I have a high amount of respect for intelligent Calvinists and for Calvin's systematic method of theology. I don't blame Calvin for making me think I wasn't saved, etc. etc. So please don't think I'm an anti-Calvinist now.

(Though a Calvinist, I certainly am not.)

[SP1]

Ah, good. So that's all cleared up now. And the thread didn't get locked. Sweet.

[Animus Seed]

Ah, good. So that's all cleared up now. And the thread didn't get locked. Sweet.

Mmhm. I feel good.

Though I feel kinda silly: Post 1: "HELP!" Post 2: "I'm all better!"

Heh. But again, lots happened off line. Thanks again, all.

[Blitzkrieg1701]

Hey, don't feel silly that things are okay now! That's a GOOD thing!

[12praiseGOD]

Glad your doing better, keep updated on what you think of the posts. GOD bless you!!!
...and by the way I'm really glad yoru out of the depression thing =) they come and go, and you have live through this one..at times I call these periods trials, and from what you've said you got a pretty high grade out of this on..keep it up..hope you learned a lot!
GOD bless you!!!