Helping Strategy
1. The inquirer who is unsure of salvation: If the inquirer does not know whether or not he or she has trusted Jesus as Savior and Lord, due to misunderstanding the true nature of Christian conversion or due to dependence on his or her own performance, share "Steps to Peace with God," page 11. Emphasize that salvation means a relationship with Christ through the new birth (John 1:12; 3:3), not through our own efforts (Ephesians 2:9).
2. The inquirer who has been depending on feelings: Our experience must rest on the biblical facts of the Gospel, not on emotion. Share "Assurance," page 15.
3. The Christian who is disobedient, harboring sin in his or her life: Share "Restoration," page 17. Emphasize 1 John 1:9 and 2:1, and Romans 12:1.
4. The immature Christian: If the uncertainty and doubt is the result of arrested spiritual development, stress that either we grow or we die. Share "Restoration," page 17.
5. With all the above, emphasize the need to pursue a vital spiritual relationship with Christ:
A. Read and study the Bible. Offer to send Living in Christ to help the
inquirer get started.
B. Pray. Through prayer, we:
• worship God
• confess our sins to Him
• express our gratitude and thanksgiving
• remember the needs of others
C. Seek to develop relationships with other Christians through a Bible-
teaching church. This will provide fellowship, Bible study, and opportunities for service to Christ—all necessary to develop the Christian life.
D. Pray with the inquirer that he or she may begin to know a life of joy
and assurance in Christ.
Scripture Salvation:
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become
children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12).
"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life" (John 5:24, NIV).
"When someone becomes a Christian he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same any more. A new life has begun!" (2 Corinthians 5:17, TLB).
"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" (Ephesians 2:8–9).
Salvation Is a Fact, Not Just a Feeling:
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38–39, NIV).
"For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God's goodness into us!" (2 Corinthians 5:21, TLB).
"And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns" (Philippians 1:6, TLB).
"Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day" (2 Timothy 1:12, NIV).
"And God, in his mighty power, will make sure that you get there safely to receive [eternal life], because you are trusting him. It will be yours in that coming last day for all to see" (1 Peter 1:5, TLB).
"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13, NIV).
Confession of Sin for Restoration:
"I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth—praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord" (Psalm 40:1–3).
"He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy" (Proverbs 28:13).
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
BACKSLIDING, SPIRITUAL INDIFFERENCE
Background The dictionary says that to "backslide" means to lapse in morals or religious practice, but backsliding has a deeper spiritual connotation than this would indicate. It means to lose one's fellowship with the Lord, to grow cold and indifferent to spiritual matters, or even to fall away (apostatize) from faith altogether.
There are varying degrees of backsliding:
Apostasy: A falling away because of a conscious rejection of God's truth as revealed in His Word and in His Son.
Sins of the flesh: Habitually giving in to sins such as immorality, drunkenness, or stealing.
Sins of the spirit: Things such as spiritual indifference, lying, cheating, gossip, envy, selfishness, or jealousy (Galatians 5:19–21). Things That Lead to Backsliding
• Disappointment because of the inconsistencies seen or imagined in other Christians.
• An indifferent relationship with Christ, or ignoring the place of God's Word, prayer, and witnessing in our Christian life.
• Ignorance of the true implications of spiritual responsibility and practice.
• Disobedience to God's revealed will.
• Willful sin which remains unconfessed.
Billy Graham has wisely commented: "If you are a true believer in Christ, you are going to be at war. The lusts of the flesh, the influence of the world, and the devil are going to war against your Christian life. The flesh will fight against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, and there will be constant conflict. The only time you will have perfect peace is when you are totally committed and yielded to Christ in every phase of your life. Too many people want to have one foot in the world and one foot in the kingdom of God, and it is like straddling a fence. You are not happy either way. Declare yourself for Christ."