Petri Paavola
Member
Jari Iivanainen has wrote interesting article about foolish virgin:
Are you a foolish virgin, about whom Jesus is speaking in the preceding parable (we are going to use on coming lines about this kind of person generally name convert)? In other words are you a such person, who wants to be a Christian and you perhaps go in the meetings, but who however has not any "oil in his lamp", in other words any spiritual life in his heart? Are you in other words only a nominal Christian, who has external Christian habits in his life, but you haven’t however received living faith and regeneration?
For it is really possible, that if God has not got to awaken us, that we are just these kinds of people. For we can have all external forms of Christianity, we may have turn from the certain forms of sins and to think that we are on the way to heaven, even though we are going to just opposite direction. Of this kind is so quite possible, if we have not yet seen our condition and need for salvation in the light of God.
For example Oswald J. Smith, who had much experience about meeting of people during his long career of preacher, has indeed written about this matter. He revealed, that many people, who supposed, that their matters were very well, didn’t have at all any comprehension about that, how saving took place:
Everywhere, where I go, I meet people, who live in wrong experience and lean on the wrong foundation, believing that they are saved, even though they are not. Thousands and again thousands members of churches, hundreds of professing Christians, confess that they can’t inform the foundation of their heavenly hope. They think, that in their life everything is well; they suppose that they are ready to face God, but when to them is presented a few simple questions, their answers expose, that they are as ignorant about the salvation way of God as the heathens of Africa. Satan has blinded their eyes, blocked their ears and darkened their understanding, so that they wouldn't notice their mistake and wouldn’t turn to God. Almost coal-black night covers their souls, and as a task of the enemy is hold them in this condition. Many of them are active employees of churches, faithful members of boards and associations, good, moral and honest in their life, but - unsaved. (1)
So, that you wouldn’t remain to the condition of uncertainty in the matter of your salvation, we are going to examine a little this area on the coming lines. We will try to clarify, how the convert - in other words how generally religiousness without Christ - comprehends salvation and of what kind his life is. In the same way we will try in the light of the Bible to indicate, how this kind of person can be released from the foundation of lies, which generally appears in convert’s life. Perhaps you, who have not yet "oil in your lamp", can find salvation by these researches.
http://koti.phnet.fi/elohim/foolish_virgin
May GBU!
Are you a foolish virgin, about whom Jesus is speaking in the preceding parable (we are going to use on coming lines about this kind of person generally name convert)? In other words are you a such person, who wants to be a Christian and you perhaps go in the meetings, but who however has not any "oil in his lamp", in other words any spiritual life in his heart? Are you in other words only a nominal Christian, who has external Christian habits in his life, but you haven’t however received living faith and regeneration?
For it is really possible, that if God has not got to awaken us, that we are just these kinds of people. For we can have all external forms of Christianity, we may have turn from the certain forms of sins and to think that we are on the way to heaven, even though we are going to just opposite direction. Of this kind is so quite possible, if we have not yet seen our condition and need for salvation in the light of God.
For example Oswald J. Smith, who had much experience about meeting of people during his long career of preacher, has indeed written about this matter. He revealed, that many people, who supposed, that their matters were very well, didn’t have at all any comprehension about that, how saving took place:
Everywhere, where I go, I meet people, who live in wrong experience and lean on the wrong foundation, believing that they are saved, even though they are not. Thousands and again thousands members of churches, hundreds of professing Christians, confess that they can’t inform the foundation of their heavenly hope. They think, that in their life everything is well; they suppose that they are ready to face God, but when to them is presented a few simple questions, their answers expose, that they are as ignorant about the salvation way of God as the heathens of Africa. Satan has blinded their eyes, blocked their ears and darkened their understanding, so that they wouldn't notice their mistake and wouldn’t turn to God. Almost coal-black night covers their souls, and as a task of the enemy is hold them in this condition. Many of them are active employees of churches, faithful members of boards and associations, good, moral and honest in their life, but - unsaved. (1)
So, that you wouldn’t remain to the condition of uncertainty in the matter of your salvation, we are going to examine a little this area on the coming lines. We will try to clarify, how the convert - in other words how generally religiousness without Christ - comprehends salvation and of what kind his life is. In the same way we will try in the light of the Bible to indicate, how this kind of person can be released from the foundation of lies, which generally appears in convert’s life. Perhaps you, who have not yet "oil in your lamp", can find salvation by these researches.
http://koti.phnet.fi/elohim/foolish_virgin
May GBU!