“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Philippians 2:12
This is very important to realize. We have to work out our own salvation. Nobody can do it for us.
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:12
Several years ago, I had a friend who was upset. She felt like she wasn’t going to heaven, that she wasn’t saved. I was trying to help her. She was a Christian, she had accepted Jesus, so I told her she was saved and she could be assured she was going to heaven.
Later that night, I remembered the conversation and the Lord very clearly said to me, “Don’t ever tell anyone they are going to heaven again.”
I knew a lot of the scriptures that talked about salvation, but none of them told me I was able to tell someone else whether they were saved or not. That is between them and God.
I told her what the Lord told me the next day. She was even more worried. I couldn’t change anything. I had already mistakenly judged her into heaven when it wasn’t my place.
I realized the same thing went for Hell. I wasn’t to tell anyone they are going there nor can I save anyone from Hell. That was God’s job, not mine or any human’s for that matter.
And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. Genesis 32:24-31
Jacob wrestled with God. It has a similar meaning and impact. That night was representative of his flesh wrestling, giving up the old man, letting God reign in his life. There are probably more meanings to this encounter, but for the sake of our discussion, this is what I want to point out.
The bible is clear how to get saved. It remains that each person must come to that knowledge themselves. They need to keep wrestling with God until they get an answer, until they know they have received that gift from Jesus Himself. No human can give them that gift or assure them. They can point the way to the Lord and to the scriptures that speak of salvation but each person must receive and grasp salvation for him or herself.