Are your calling and election sure?

Are you sure you are saved? This is a question worth facing seriously by everyone.

Introduction: "Because I believed!"

Recently, while evangelizing on the street, I met a young lady who was holding a cigarette and claimed to be saved because she had decided to believe in the Lord many years ago. I asked her, "Are you saved?" She replied very confidently, "Of course I am saved!" I asked again, "How are you saved? Why are you saved?" She answered decisively, "Because I decided to believe! It's just that I can't quit smoking and drinking, and I don't have time to attend worship."

This conversation made my heart very heavy and prompted me to write this difficult article. I am not here to judge her, nor to point fingers from a high place; we all have weaknesses, things we can't quit or let go of, and I am no exception. I am simply writing as a sinner who has also received grace, to examine myself with you before the Lord.

Nowadays, many people think that because they have made a decision and been baptized, they are Christians and are definitely saved, so they can rest easy. However, the Lord Jesus personally warned:

"Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ... And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" (Matthew 7:21, 23)

To think that one is saved, only to end up in hell, is a terrifying thought. I truly do not want this to happen to you or me.

What does the Bible say?

1. Make your calling and election sure

"Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble."

"These things" are listed in verses 5 to 7: adding to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. The Apostle Peter did not tell us to be content with "I have believed," but rather urged us to "be even more diligent" to make our calling and election "sure."

2. By grace, for good works

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8–10)

What great grace this is! We don't need to become good people first to come before God; God sent Christ to die for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). But grace not only forgives us, it also changes us. Works cannot save us, but a truly saved person's life will surely be revealed. Faith is the root 🌳, and works are the fruit 🍎.

3. The Fourfold Steadfastness of the Early Church

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. … praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:42, 47)

This group of newly saved believers did not remain at the moment of

Self-examination: LIFE

The life of the early church can be summarized by four letters: "LIFE":

• L (Learning Scriptures): Devoted to the apostles’ teaching
• I (Intercession): Devoted to prayer
• F (Fellowship) Breaking Bread: Fellowship, breaking bread in remembrance of the Lord
• E (Evangelism): The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved

Without L, we are easily deceived; Without I, we are like divers without an oxygen tank, suffocating spiritually; Without F, we lose the fellowship of mutual support, no longer observe the Lord's Day, nor remember the Lord's death; Without E, we are indifferent to the unsaved, not obeying the Lord's Great Commission.

F not only refers to fellowship but also to observing the Lord's Day. The early church gathered on the first day of the week to break bread (cf. Acts 20:7). Without F, "LIFE" becomes "LIE," and life becomes a lie.

Please rate yourself in each of the following four areas (1 to 5 points):

1. Do I read God's word daily?
2. Do I pray daily?
3. Do I observe the Lord's Day, partake in the Lord's Supper, and fellowship with brothers and sisters?
4. Do I proactively share the gospel with unbelievers?

You don't need to tell anyone, just tell God. Because in the end, there is only one question: Are we in Christ, or not.

Respond Today: Enter the Ark

These four aspects are not lessons to earn salvation, but signs of a life naturally flowing from grace. If your examination reveals weakness or shortcomings, do not be discouraged, nor should you flee. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) The Lord never abandons those who sincerely turn back. Return to the Lord today, return to God's household.

Jesus said, "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they were unaware, until the flood came and swept them all away. So will be the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:37–39)

In Noah's day, no one was "sort of" in the ark. You were either in the ark or outside, and we know the outcome.

But thank God, the door of the ark is still open today. "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9) God is still waiting, and Christ is that ark; all who take refuge in Him will be safe.

How to enter the ark?

If you have not yet believed in the Lord, or are unsure if you are in the ark, please remember: entering the ark is not about us making ourselves better first, but about admitting that we are sinners in need of grace, sincerely repenting, and turning to rely on Jesus Christ, who died for us while we were still sinners. If you would like to understand the gospel more clearly and know how to respond, you are welcome to readUnderstand the Gospel。

In the days to come, I will use the LIFE model to examine my life with you, reminding each other whether we are truly living in Christ. Ultimately, I sincerely hope that you and I are both in the ark 🚢

May God bless you 🙏