Proving Your Salvation In the Local Church
My friend Matt Kellso who has a very good looking blog, was gracious enough to get out of bed at 1:00 AM this morning while listening to a Dever sermon to type this quote out to remind you and me of the importance of the local church:
"[1 John 3:14-16 teaches] 'We know that we have passed from death to life, how, because we love our brothers. Anyone that does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. This is how we know what love is, Jesus Christ laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers....[And 1 John 4:20 says] If anyone says, I love God, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother who he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.' This is how you can know, do you want to know that this new life that you have is real?
I got a great idea. I got it from the Bible. Commit yourself to a local group of saved sinners. Try to love them. Don't just do it for 3 weeks. Don't just do it for 6 months. Do it for years. And I think you'll find out. I think others will too. Whether or not you love God. The truth will show itself. That won't save you, it's only the death of Christ that saves you. HE ALONE IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. But if He really is OUR righteousness. If we really do love him, who we have not seen. It will show itself by us loving those that we do see and that we are committed to regularly [gathering]."