Why are you sure you are saved?Is soulwinning a good thing?

[Bro.Johnny Mac]

I ask this question to the forum members,because from some posts here and in other posts,Im not sure what people are putting their assurance of salvation on.

Their seems to be a big push of Calvanism in IFB churches and this seems to have effected some peoples thoughts about a wide arange of things from soul winning to assurance of salvation.

Some IFB churches seem to be against even preaching the gospel in church,or even against invitaions at church.This movement is foreign to me and am curious to as why many IFB churches,much like SBC churches have already done, are turning to Calvanism.There seems to be a growing hostility in IFB churches against soul winning and preaching the gospel and giving invitations for salvation.Hostility against easybelievism is understandable,because it isnt biblical,so the question isnt directed at that.

The way someone answers the question in the thread may determine the way you think about salvation and soul winnning.

The question isnt why you are saved,but what do you base your assurance on?

And is soulwinning a good thing?

[kevinmiller]

Actually, I don't think whether a church witnesses or not is based on Calvinism, unless they are hyper Calvinist. The Calvinist friends that I have believe in soulwinning.

I don't necessarily believe in soulwinning messages and such because I believe that the church is for the believer, not the unsaved. When I go to church, I want to learn something, not hear a salvation message.

Salvation is based on repentance and complete faith in Christ for forgiveness of sins.

Soulwinning is good if it's done in the right way. It should be done using the law and we should show Christ in our actions. The Bible says that some have compassion, making a difference. When we show love to people, it opens the door for us to show Christ to them.

[Jerry]

I love Spurgeon's approach - every message touched on the Gospel. Not every message was a soulwinning message, but there was enough in every message to get someone saved. He was tired of searching for how to be saved when he was lost - going from church to church and never hearing the truth - so he basically vowed to make sure that anyone listening to his sermons would always hear the Gospel. I think this is wise. Yes, the (spiritual) church which is Christ's body/bride are those true believers - however, any reading of the NT will show that there are and will be unbelievers in the church until the rapture. Yes, we should get out into our community, etc. with the Gospel - but there are also people in our churches (ie. the physical buildings, the gatherings together) that are not saved, and we would be woefully negligent not to present the truth to them as well. You may witness to your friends and family over and over again and it doesn't hit home - but then they attend a church gathering and hear the Gospel presented from a different angle or from a different part of the Bible and suddenly it all makes sense and they get saved.

I love claiming this passage when I preach:

Luke 11:5-8 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

This is the application I make:

God has given me different people to hear His Word - three groups that need to be fed:

1) The bread of life for the lost.
2) Daily bread for the saved - ie. to strengthen them for service and build them up in the faith.
3) Bread of adversity/affliction for the backslidden.

I think it is beneficial for believers to hear Gospel messages (ie. a message that is solely focussed on the Gospel - not one that just touches down upon it) every once in a while, for several reasons:

It reminds them of where they came from and why they got saved.
It stirs their hearts to continue fervently witnessing to the lost around them.
It opens up the Bible - and they can see clearly that redemption/salvation is the main theme of the whole Bible, even in many OT types.
It reinforces how to present the Gospel - there are a lot of people out there that are saved and cannot clearly present that to others (I certainly couldn't as a brand new believer).

[BibleBeliever123]

I base my assurance on having repented and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 20:21
Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

I believe in preaching the gospel.

Mark 16:15
15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Proverbs 11:30
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

I rather call it preaching the gospel instead of soul winning; I would presume it's called soul winning because of the above verse.

1 Cor 15:1-4
1Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Paul declares the gospel unto brethren. (believers)


I believe in preaching the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

I believe in using the Law to point to Christ.

Gal 3:24
24Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Acts 28:23
And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.

Luke 16:31
And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Psalm 19:7
The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

Romans 7:7
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

I do not believe in asking anyone ever at anytime to repeat a prayer or to read a prayer. I believe in telling the heathen to repent and believe.

The repeating of a prayer and the reading of the prayer is not Biblical evangelism, it should never be promoted.

Perhaps many have been saved when "praying a prayer", but that is only if they repented and believed. Yet it seems to be taught almost as doctrine, usually in combination with the romans road.

Traditions taught as doctrine, how awful.


Regarding the verse in Jude:

Jude 1:22,23
22And of some have compassion, making a difference:
23And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

Would you not think that these Scriptures would refer to saving the majority with fear?

[kevinmiller]

:goodpost: :amen:

[bzmomo7]

I love Spurgeon's approach - every message touched on the Gospel. Not every message was a soulwinning message, but there was enough in every message to get someone saved. He was tired of searching for how to be saved when he was lost - going from church to church and never hearing the truth - so he basically vowed to make sure that anyone listening to his sermons would always hear the Gospel. I think this is wise. Yes, the (spiritual) church which is Christ's body/bride are those true believers - however, any reading of the NT will show that there are and will be unbelievers in the church until the rapture. Yes, we should get out into our community, etc. with the Gospel - but there are also people in our churches (ie. the physical buildings, the gatherings together) that are not saved, and we would be woefully negligent not to present the truth to them as well. You may witness to your friends and family over and over again and it doesn't hit home - but then they attend a church gathering and hear the Gospel presented from a different angle or from a different part of the Bible and suddenly it all makes sense and they get saved.

I love claiming this passage when I preach:

Luke 11:5-8 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

This is the application I make:

God has given me different people to hear His Word - three groups that need to be fed:

1) The bread of life for the lost.
2) Daily bread for the saved - ie. to strengthen them for service and build them up in the faith.
3) Bread of adversity/affliction for the backslidden.

I think it is beneficial for believers to hear Gospel messages (ie. a message that is solely focussed on the Gospel - not one that just touches down upon it) every once in a while, for several reasons:

It reminds them of where they came from and why they got saved.
It stirs their hearts to continue fervently witnessing to the lost around them.
It opens up the Bible - and they can see clearly that redemption/salvation is the main theme of the whole Bible, even in many OT types.
It reinforces how to present the Gospel - there are a lot of people out there that are saved and cannot clearly present that to others (I certainly couldn't as a brand new believer).

One of the very best preachers I've heard does exactly what you've described. I think "soul-winning" IS a good thing, but I've still not decided quite what I think about the term "soul-winning"--ie. "...On Tuesday, we will be having ladies soul-winning...." Well, we are not the ones winning souls. I'm not trying to split hairs here, just thinking about how we word things. I wonder if the term "Witnessing" is more appropriate?? What do you think? I do think knocking on doors and following up on visitors and talking to people while we're out and about by sharing the Gospel etc. is essential. Romans 10:17 "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:14 "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?"

[DaveW]

Sorry to be simple about it but.......

For God so loved the World that Gave his only begotten son taht whosoever beleiveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

This and many others mention everlasting life or eternal life as being the result of salvation by grace through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

I may be simple but how can something be called everlasting if it might not last forever? :ooops :ooops

I need no other argument, I need no other plea, it is enough that Jesus died, and that He died for me. :wink

[SimplyComplex]

The question isnt why you are saved,but what do you base your assurance on?

I put my assurance on the fact that the Bible says, if you repent and believe, you are saved. Theres nothing I can do, Christ did it all, and I'm just believing Him.

And is soulwinning a good thing?

It is, but I don't think our modern version of soul winning always is the best way. Door-to-door I think should be more for invitations. I don't think you can build a relationship with a person, gain their trust, and present the true gospel in the 20 minutes you stand at the door. The disciples when they went, they went for days at a time, staying in the house as a guest, and that was for jews who usually knew a lot about the scriptures already. How can we explain the truth to a generation who either knows nothing about the Bible, or has a totally wrong belief in any less time? I do think it can happen, but usually I would imagine you would need to know the person already before you try to barge into their home unannounced.