When to be scared you're NOT a genuine Christian. 

There is a difference between someone who is struggling with sin and wanting to live free, and a person that is almost boasting in their sinful lifestyle. Huge difference...

There was a period in my life where I was continually sinning, and as I was a believer, I was sorry that I sinned, but once the guilty feelings subsided, I would do it again. I decided that I would just trust God and his grace and not worry about it. I was going about my merry way feeling a whole lot less guilty all the while continuing in sin, but one day right out of the blue, I heard a voice inside me saying "I also said to repent". From that day, I stopped falling in that particular area of my life. If you are truly saved, you will want to please God If you are weak, don't run away from God. Run straight for him and confess your sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. However, Paul said, " shall we sin that grace may abound? God forbid!" If you love God, you will want to be obiedient to him. But if you are weak (and we all are in some areas of our lives) God is faithful and strong enough to help you overcome in your weakness. The Bible says, "For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away His face from you if you return to Him.

Hello, I was wondering if anyone could pray for my big sister. Her name is Mercedes and she is going through a horrible time. She just miscarried and she is being severely stalked. No one in my family has seen her for 9 months. Please pray for her salvation and safety. Thank you and God bless each and every one of you❤🙏

4:16 "I think it's ok to be a little scared sometimes because your lifestyle is CONTRADICTING your CLAIMS of faith, and go 'yeah' I need to get serious about Jesus." Well said. And that follow up with the call to true repentance. Well said again Mike.

Thank you for this Mike. I've been struggling with a relapse from pornography addiction and your teaching made me realize that although I had myself convinced I was doing well, I really am not taking Jesus as seriously as I need to be. Thank you again for opening my eyes with the hard truths we all need to hear.

This something Ive really been dealing with . I was saved at 13, even baptized and then went off the rails , straight into fuzzy sin world for way too long. 5ish years ago I sincerly repented but now am completely stressed/scared because sinning as a saved christian seems a thousand times worse to me versus unsaved sinning. I pray for God forgiveness and if I can warn anyone else- dont stay in the fuzzy zone. The price of failing God is too high.

My sister and I were talking about the meaning of atonement, as in, Jesus' death atoning for our sins. She pointed out that to atone for someone means not just paying a debt but also restoring a relationship. If our relationship with God is restored, then we will grow towards seeing things the way He sees them, and as a result, we will begin to hate sin more and more, and avoid it more and more. Praying for all Christians to understand this more deeply.

Yo. I needed to hear that, "when you have Jesus in your heart, you are not going to want to partake in those sin, or to the same degree". I have struggled... but I know in my heart that I am saved, I WILL get out of the fuzzy zone...thank you.

Sadly Mike, this was a problem in my small group at church. I struggled with understanding how to relate to a "sister" who was 7 months pregnant, unmarried and insisting that we accept her lifestyle of sexual immorality and not judge her. Repentance was not in her heart, and she doubled down on her deeds. I was the only one who wanted to try to restore her as stated in James, but I was called judgmental. It happened again with a new member and after years of listening to people who are supposedly being transformed by God, I felt like they were being deceived and they were trying to deceive me, based on God's Word. Eventually I had to leave before I made a concession to another's sin. It is dangerous, and even more sadly, I continue to meet more and more people in my church who overlook sexual immorality instead of battling it with the aid of the Church body.

Thank you for posting this! I have struggled to understand my testimony for years because of this very issue. As a child I prayed to be saved, got baptized then a few years later as a teenager got completely involved and overwhelmed by sin. I would repent and do better for a while, but then find myself right back in that same sin pattern again. This went on for years until I finally surrendered ALL to Jesus (to be ALL in). I had to radically cut some things out of my life and started studying the Bible over and over until I finally understood what I was reading. Thank God those fuzzy years are all behind me. I know at some point in my crying out to God, I truly became saved! If anyone struggles with this type of sin, don't only repent but also make radical changes in your life and study God's word in a translation you can understand so you can learn how to follow Jesus.

Thanks for this video, Pastor Mike! I was that unsaved person and called myself a Christian for so long because I grew up believing in God and knowing that God exists and going to church, but when the time came for me to live on my own I stopped going to church and decided to walk in the desires of my flesh and clung to them. It wasn't until things got so depressing that the Lord opened my eyes to see my sin for what it was and He called me to repentance. Then I can say that, by the grace of God, I took steps to remove that sin that I had clung to; it was definitely a process, as now I look back and see those early days as still filled with lots of compromises that I'm ashamed of now, but the pattern of sin became way, WAY less marked in my life, and the Holy Spirit kept leading me in a process of repentance and submission. All this to say, I think the difference between those two fuzzy zones is the attitude of your heart: do you want to cling to your sin, do you relish it? Or has the Lord begun to show you that sin is repulsive and destructive, and you desire to be free from it. I hope that helps someone reading. Basically, God's grace is AWESOME, and He will finish the good work He begins in us, when we truly repent and submit. God bless, sorry for the long comment.

As a new believer I’m constantly amazed at how my ability to turn away from sin is the work of the Holy Spirit in me rather than my tortured, weak, effort. All I must do is choose to ignore or distract myself from my lusts. The moment I make this small choice The Holy Spirit will join me in the fight. What was once feeble, lonely, me versus Satan is now feeble me with my big brother The Holy Spirit. Satan has no chance and he knows it.

Well said - if your scared, do not despair, come to the light.

"God have mercy on me, a sinner."

My dad is in the “fuzzy zone.” Please pray for him.

Thank you Brother Mike for constantly addressing the difficult questions and issues with a very straightforward approach.

I still struggle with anger. I keep praying and asking God to deliver me from this because I can't do it in my own strength. I need His help. I don't want to hear Jesus say He never knew me.

I have worried about my own salvation. For many years I went astray. But when I came back and truly repented, the sinful things I was drawn to before, no longer have any power over me. I still sin (we all do) but I am no longer a slave to sin and I do not do the things I used to do. I am more aware of my words and actions. I am thankful for conviction. I see so many people who are what you describe in this video as being in the fuzzy area. They claim to genuinely believe in Jesus but their lives are aligned more with the world. Willfully and knowingly do things that go against God. I try to be an example to them but it seems to not matter. I worry about them. Then I worry if I am being too judgmental. Do I have a log in my eye and am I too focused on the speck in theirs? I hate second guessing myself.

Proverbs 28:13 “He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”

🙏 please pray for me and my bf to get out of the fuzzy category and into the light 😭 I was (behaviorally) in the clear Jesus category for years but even then struggled to be certain I was saved, it's totally right to say get out of moping and ask God for a real repentance. Thank you for posting this.

I have always had non-christian friends and been afraid of telling them about Jesus. I only ever evangelise to strangers online and avoid confrontation. In irl conversations I tend to agree with my friends about topics I don't think are right or just try not to talk about them at all. I'm not sure people would be able to tell I'm a Christian. When I was a teenager I thought 'oh it's just peer pressure, I still have time to grow' etc, but I'm 20 now and struggle to see this attitude going away..

Amen, we practice what we believe in Jesus Christ, evidence of our faith, faithfulness and seeking our Savior for strength to overcome. Galatians 5:22-23🕊️ “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

I came to Christ, but still had the mindset that what is done in the Spirit and what is done in the flesh were separate things. It was a year to a year and a half later that the Holy Spirit convicted me regarding my behavior, and delivered me from that desire. I have been enabled to walk in chastity by his power ever since. There isn't a passion, lust, addiction of the flesh that God is not able to overcome, if we allow him to be the Lord of our lives.

When we truly are saved, I feel it’s like we’re tethered to God. When we move away from Him, we are pulled back because we’ve already made that decision. But I don’t know if that is sound Biblical philosophy, I’ve just noticed that even when I do stray, I can’t stay in it, as if God is nagging me to return to Him

Repentance is a change of mind not turning from sin but faith towards Christ alone That's how you know you are saved for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God🙏🏾

The problem with deception is that people don't know they are being deceived

I appreciate Mike's honest and humble approach. I have enjoyed his videos for several years. I also noticed in this passage a clear distinction between the groups: 1. The group defined by sin 2. The Ephesians who Paul is assuming to be saved. Even though this passage may be a reasonable guideline for a person to take inventory for their own life, it seems that it's not intended to be used as the end all be all of how to make a final determination on a persons eternal salvation. The "fuzzy area" analogy is spot on! So real and honest. As Paul says "every man will give an account of himself to God."

I struggled with surrendering my own Will to God for decades after baptism. Holy Spirit was with me the entire time, but i kept wandering off the path. I finally surrendered, and it is so much easier to follow Jesus. Im not saying there aren't temptations, but it is less. Therefore, I believe that surrendering to God's Will is a big part of becoming that solid Christian and knowing what will be when you meet Jesus face to face.

Woah!! Im in that fuzzy area and I’ve been trying to justify my thinking with absurdity. But I NEED God…desperately. Thank you Mike❤️God bless

This...was honest, thought provoking, challenging, encouraging, and awesome. Thanks Mike.

I think what helps me other than knowing with my whole mind, heart and soul that I love Jesus and trust fully in Him, is that when my body sins, I absolutely freaking hate hate hate it. There is such a discomfort in me when I do things I know that God did not intent for me to do. 🙏🏽❤️ Love watching your videos Mike. Thank you for everything you preach! And thank you Lord for Mike!

Thank you Pastor Mike! Videos like this always help me see what I’m doing wrong, and how God can save me from my sins!

I fell away from Jesus for sometime. The hardest thing Ive had to learn is that if a person has accepted Jesus Christ and yet falls away, if there heart if fertile to the seed s of His word, they will be chastised through this period and brought through some rough stuff until they, or in my case I submitted to Him. As the lamb that goes astray from the 100. Prayer and support in the Love of Jesus is a powerful thing when dealing with people as I once was. Your presistance to love and bring good ministry to the fallen away does matter. I will testify of this. Bless you who suffer us through these periods of spiritual harships. Descipleship in Christ is truly a group effort I have found, this is what makes the church of believers different from the world.

I’ve only recently began studying the scriptures. I wasn’t raised Christian, but was taught a general belief in God. I often feel guilty because no matter how much I want to be saved my brain throws up doubts. I have been indoctrinated to believe that science and Christianity are mutually exclusive. I am a sinner and I have a lot of regrets about lies I’ve told or times I’ve engaged in bad behavior. I lived with an ex for a time outside of marriage. Please pray for me!

I needed this! ❤ Thank you Mike! I appreciate your wisdom and trust that the Holy Spirit is sanctifying me!

I think one sign that someone is either saved or not, is whether they have what Paul describes as 'Godly sorrow'... Years ago, I used to say that I was a Christian if anyone asked me, all the while sinning and it not really bothering me. Today I will still say that I am a Christian, but now if I sin, it bothers me because I know that I have sinned against God and I hate it, sometimes to the point that it will bring tears to my eyes because I dont want to sin against God anymore.

Oh wow Mike - you're talking to me here! I was born again 10th January 2022, so just 16 months. I still find myself in sin that I hate - I'm surrounded by unbelievers in my family and at work. I am easily tempted into gossip at work, which makes my skin crawl when I do it. I also smoke cigarettes. I've prayed about these strongholds, but they're still so strong. I don't know where to go from here - I want God's will to overpower my own, but it's just not happening. Please, would you pray for me. Carole x

Thank you for making this video. This is a topic that I go back and forth with people about often...they interpret passages like these as proof that your salvation does depend partly on works, that you can lose your salvation. I have tried several times (with great difficulty!) to communicate that this is not really what these passages are saying, but at the same time, true salvation is not, "Yep, I believe in Jesus and prayed a prayer and now I'm going to behave however I want." This video really simplified and summarized it well! You're great Mike, keep it up! I can't even tell you how much your videos have helped me over the past few years...praying that God continues to bless you with peace and everything you need to continue this work, thank you!

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Matthew 7:21‭-‬23 Thank you for sharing this, Mike. I prayed that God will bless you for speaking the truth in love.

God bless you brother! That was amazing! Something so simple yet so deep! I am grateful to God for men like you! Those who bear the image for the glory of God!

Great message. So simple, yet so clear and to the point. This makes me reflect on my lifestyle. I’ve always felt uneasy proclaiming Christ as my Lord and Savior, yet still living a life full of sin. The past 6 months have been eye opening for me. But there’s great news. In the words of my phenomenal pre-marital counselors, “You did what you did, now what are you going to do about it NOW?” Thanks, Mike!

🙏 Thank you! I’ve had this on my heart for months so I absolutely needed to hear this answer! Thank You!

Love this! The wheat and the tares grow up together. The Lord sorts it out❤🙌🙏✝️

I heard a story from an Orthodox priest that might shed some light on this subject. There was once a priest who lived and struggled with the sin of drunkenness, and one day, he died. Some of the people from his church said among themselves that although it was sad that he had passed, it was probably for the best, because he shamed his profession and made the community look bad. Some wondered if he was even going to heaven at all. Another priest heard them saying these things and discouraged them, saying that he had a troubled past and wrestled with a lot of inward turmoil. Before his conversion, he would try to get drunk multiple times a day (i forget if it was multiple times per day or per week, but the point remains). He told them that after his conversion, it was a constant struggle to overcome his vices, and he often lost the bsttle, but he would get up and continue the slow and painful struggle to shed the old creation and put on the new. With much prayer and repentance, he found himself getting drunk far less often than he once did, even though he was hung over on the day he died. The lay people asked the priest whether or not the other who died was welcomed into heaven, and the priest told them he certainly was. God understands the frailty and weakness of our nature and our past, and he recognizes the conflict and desire in our hearts and the long, overarching trajectory of our lives. Even though his drunkenness was not a sin that he was able to fully conquer in this life, his desire to be more like Christ and his efforts to that end through repentant prayer and personal struggle reveal that the Spirit was still at work in his heart, and his attempt to work in sync with that prompting of the Spirit produced improvement, alebit slow improvement over the long course of his life, compared to where he had started. God recognizes our struggle and the areas in which we are weak. We have cause for concern when we do not care, even if we know the things that we make a conscious habit of doing are evil, and have no desire for genuine change. You will not simply be content with where you are for long if the Spirit is truly at work. The fact you even care at all shows that you aren't beyond help in this life and that there's something still there for the Holy Spirit to work with. If you were past some point of no return, you wouldn't be concerned with the answer to that question in the first place, and even if that were the case, there's no telling whether the grace of God will effectively impact your heart again in the future and ignite that spark of life again (although that possibility is not something I would consider wise to take for granted and try to take advantage of). If you struggle with sin and if you come to Him, genuine in your desire to overcome it, Christ responds to your desire, acknowledges the struggle, and sympathizes with your weakness as our perfect High Priest. Our perishable works of sin that are burned up and destroyed are transformed into precious metals refined in the fire of the presence of God through our repentance and requests for mercy and grace. There's a reason why Christ told his disciples to repeatedly forgive those who sin against them, even multiple times a day, if they seek forgiveness and reconciliation. The reality is that although at some point we may not be shielded from all of the natural consequences of our bad decusions, which God sometimes uses as a wake-up call, God's mercy has no limits for those who seek it. Because we are the way we are, sometimes repenting multiple times a day is what it takes to embrace the struggle, to get back up and keep on fighting uphill every time we get knocked down. Getting back up and trying again and again after getting knocked down is a part of the job description in the spiritual war into which we've been drafted upon our initial repentance and faith in Christ.

Thanks for sharing 🙏🏾 His grace and mercy be upon you and your loved ones 🕊️🥛🍯

I would say those struggling with sin who beat themselves up over it and are actively praying, fasting and working towards changing those lifestyle choices. Then those people just need to keep up the work and keep turning to God no matter how many times we fall. Hes faithful. stay repentant He will bring you through it.

Thank Jesus I was delivered from sexual sin

Consider this. If God has truly given you a new heart, will you chase after sin? I believe this is what Paul is pointing to, those who chase after sin. Those who have a war within over their sin, take heart, this is a sign that you are saved. For the unsaved do not war over their sin.

Thanks Mike, Great explanation! Maybe the scripture that talks about working your salvation out with fear and trembling is geared towards those two fuzzy groups so that you don't have to worry about being in the unsaved group.

I could listen to you all day. It is no mistake I heard this. Thanks be to our Father.

Thank you so much for this video, Mr. Winger!! It means an awful lot to me. I have a cousin who goes to church and claims to be a Christian, but we were discussing matters of faith one day, and she made statements that contradicted the Bible. When I tried to point out to her that she was wrong, she got really annoyed, and I haven't heard from her since (We live in separate states and have only ever talked online). I know this video is God's way of letting me know once again that I did the right thing by actually defending Scripture instead of taking the "warm and fuzzy," overly tolerant approach that is actually very dangerous and detrimental to true spiritual development. I think my cousin was hoping that I'd just sweep this under the rug, but I cannot do that in good conscience. It's kind of a bummer that we're not speaking right now, but I feel fine! I can't control how other people respond to my doing what Jesus wants me to do, but I can always control myself and continue to bear good fruits, even when I have to bear them all alone. As a Pinterest meme said, "Being honest may not get you many friends, but it will always get you the right ones." God bless you and your ministry. ✝❤

I've tried everything to flee from porn, yet there's always an opening, I've prayed day and night, fasted, cried on my floor, I was raped at a young age, got into porn at a young age, I'm almost thirty now and even though I'll never lose faith, I've lost a lot of hope expecting that things will ever change for me.

This teaching is so well done. Thank you!❤

I appreciate your honesty on not fully understanding this passage. Ultimately, this comes down to assurance of salvation.

I got saved because of you and other preachers who are faithful to the truth of scripture. I was on the wide path while claiming the narrow. Eternally grateful to God for bringing me to where I am today.

Thanks for always being bold and courageous, never tickling ears!!

Whenever I apply this verse to other people as a test of their salvation I cannot determine whether they are or are not saved. However when I apply the scripture to myself I find two things happen, first of all when I doubt my salvation I can launch and see an inward change which is evidence to me that Jesus has redeemed me and secondly When I find myself committing sin are you see that the newness of my life in Christ does not permit me to continue, I believe this verse is most effective when I apply it to myself and not others

When i was first getting to know God and whats good and what's sinful i was really struggling to let go of my sin, and at times i was almost hopeless but in the end that helped drive me to Jesus because i had God's promise that he could free me and now i'm still not where i want to be but way better than how i was and still praying and putting my faith and hope in him.

I love that pastor Mike is honest enough to say he’s not completely sure about some things. So many Christians just arrogantly fall on one side or the other. “ once saved always saved, no matter how much you sin!” “you sinners are going straight to hell!” The Bible says we are saved by faith. The Bible also says we need to be obedient to Gods commandments and flee from sin. Jesus sums up all the Commandments into just two. 1 love God with all your heart all your mind, and all your strength. (Faith) 2 Love your neighbor as yourself. (Good works). So to me loving God(faith) is most important. But right after faith (really the result of it) is loving our neighbors (good works).

I thank God for you and your encouragement. God bless you in Jesus Christ.

Powerful. Makes me really contemplate my own personal “exterior” image.

This is a matter of “Only God knows the heart.”

Mike, I like these shorter videos. Some of us may not have time to watch/listen to an entire podcast but will be able to listen to a short video where you answer 1 of the 20 questions. Consider making several videos per 20 questions podcast! You're doing an awesome thing Mike!

We so often want people to change and then get saved. If they are saved, God deals with the sin. My own mother always said she had to first stop smoking and then she would respond to Jesus. She screeched into the Kingdom 6 days before passing away.( still smoking) She was already dying and had no time to do any religious stuff or get baptised like the man next to Jesus on the Cross.But I know I will meet up with her one day!

As saved believers we overcome seek and knock. If you fail keep knocking and seeking until you overcome sin struggles, be faithful. Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you”

I had an indelible experience and continue too in Him. I had "believed" I thought, now I know. Huge difference in wanting to and try and actually knowing the why. He is the Way , the Truth and only Life worth giving my all too. I fall incredibly short but in Him, the narrow path is discernable. Love you all in His image!

Pastor Mike! Thank you for your faithfulness. All glory to God 🙏✨Hebrews 12:1-2

Only God knows the truth of one's salvation. However, if one's fruit indicates that one isn't saved, then all those around them who are, should be ministering to them.

My pastor and his wife spent a lot of time getting me to a place where I finally understood this, and the Holy Spirit has been very clearly changing my heart ever since. My kids are in their 20s and are a little freaked by the turn-around, but I guess I'm glad they can see what a life changed by God actually looks like right up close.

Growing up in a family of believers church every Sunday and some bible study. I'm 26 and I've only truly began to understand my salvation 3 years ago when I really put my trust into Jesus Christ. It feels like I was really saved about 3 years ago. Because my life was not centered on Christ before, because alcohol drugs people were more important. Not I'm 3 years with no alcohol and stopped my evil thought. I want to know about Jesus I belive that's a sing of a beliver that you want to truly know more about Him

How amazing your words are. I can totally relate to what you are saying me and my boyfriend of three years had to have a conversation with our pasture because I was feeling such confliction about being sexually immoral and we went so far as to stop 180 days we went and then we got married and now we're having our wedding and September 9th 2023 God blessed us with the spirit and that confliction and the conviction of knowing the difference between right and wrong like I lived my whole life in the wrong but not feeling it was wrong because whatever I want I can do cuz I'm selfish person and then once I got saved things changed and now I do things for God cuz this is his Temple so I have to use his prized possession to fight away the evil from my life

It's not a question of "how much sin?" It is about whether or not you have a heart of repentance. If you are acknowledging that your behavior is sinful, and if you want that sin to be removed but you just can't seem to get control over your flesh, then I think you are saved. But if you are nursing and protecting a sin, refusing to admit that it is sinful or something that requires repentance, then watch out.

I continue to stand on one word with regard to this ongoing queston. "REPENTANCE". Do you even BELIEVE you need to repent (turn your mind/heart against sin), or are you putting all your trust in the notion that because you once made a statement of faith, then anything you do thereafter is already forgiven? Do you believe Jesus died to ENABLE your sin, or to FREE you from sin? Do you WANT the sin, or do you wish and seek to have victory over it? I believe an imperfect, yet repentant heart is the difference. Someone who intentionally sets out to sin by abusing Grace puts themselves in real jeopardy in my opinion. Whenever Iiberal Christianity starts to push into my thinking, I always go back to 1 John, because its absolutely crystal clear. Verse 9 is so critical to understanding this. If God's seed abides in us, we have the Holy Spirit, which makes it nearly impossible to remain in unrepentant, lifestyle sin. Without the doctrine of regeneration (God performing a work in our heart), then this can turn into works. Struggling with sin is a good sign, as long as it remains a struggle! A righteous person struggles and fights against sin. An unrighteous person does not. Verse 4. "Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's[b] seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother."

Thanks for your willingness to talk about things in a very ordinary way of understanding something that everyone wants to either complicate or make too simple. Sometimes you just need to talk it out and get some understanding. Your videos do that well, thank you.

Amen! Thank you for your honest and wise thoughts about this difficult topic.

If a person chooses their sinful obsesión but is a believer. Gods spirit will continue to convict you. If he is ignored He will take you out of this world so you stop hurting yourself. And no one knows the moment it’s too late. Repent and surrender your life to the Lord.

Wow this is speaking directly to me. Thanks so much for this Mike. The lord is speaking through you.

Thank you so much for this video, and thank you for your comment at the end where you address the way we should respond. I tend to find myself in that middle category. Believing in Christ but not seeing the fruit and doing things I do not want to do. When I think on those things, I tend to get depressed and fall into a deeper spiral. Again, I appreciate how you said to respond.

Hey, Mike. Just to help add some color... you're absolutely right in that these passages don't contradict. Where many Christians fall short is when quoting Ephesians 2:8-9. It's really easy to quote, "you have been saved by grace through faith." (solo fide). It's absolutely critical that we put verses 8 and 9 back in the paragraph where they came from. Verse 10 is the point of the paragraph, NOT verses 8 - 9. "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." We aren't saved BY our works. We are saved to PERFORM good works out of loving, humble, obedient gratitude for the One who saved us. Too many make the terrible mistake of thinking works has nothing to do with our faith. Works are the manifestation of our faith, not a SUBSTITUE for faith nor a REQUIREMENT in addition to faith. Paul's warning, in Ephesians 2:1 - 10 was not to mistake works INSTEAD of a genuine faith as something that can save you. Ephesians 5 tells us we should LOOK differently than the world around us. We should TALK differently than the world around us. We should have different VALUES than the world around us. It fits perfectly.

Sorry Mike, big fan of yours but I don't think you said this well. You are confusing justification with sanctification. A great thing about grace is that you don't have to wonder if you did enough (the "fuzzy zone" as you put it). Jesus did it all when it comes to justification; we only have to accept the free gift. This grace is the only way we can have peace with God. You seem to suggest that, hey, you had better start doing more works or you may not be saved (justified). If that is your motive for doing good works, to be saved as you suggest, that is works-based salvation which results in no peace because you can never do enough. While I try to live a Godly life, I know I am not righteous and that is the requirement. My favorite verse is Romans 4:5 and there are about 150 just like it in the NT. I recommend Charlie Bing's book Grace, Salvation and Discipleship where he goes through each of these difficult verses, including Ephesians 5:5. Believers who sin will not enjoy rewards in the kingdom. That is a sanctification issue, not a justification issue. The alternative is living a life not based on the work of Christ, but on the works of yourself.

If you are still trying to earn it, there’s a problem. If you are more focused on what you DO than on what Jesus DID, there’s a problem! TRUST and BELIEVE in JESUS!

I think you hit the nail on the head, Mike. We work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.

I needed this video! Thank you Mike!

You are exactly right. There is a "fuzzy zone" To whomever sees this... Make sure you are NOT in that fuzzy zone! You can NEVER be too CLOSE to Jesus. Pray! Pray and seek God. Plant yourself in the Bible. Read and PRAY for understanding. The devil is the author of questions. This is all he has.. take away the questions and live your life for Jesus every day! if you have a pet sin, you know the one that keep that nobody knows about.. Just like in Jonah, your life will be a storm until you get Jonah off the boat. YOU MUST GET JONAH OFF THE BOAT! Don't just play church, you can't lie to God, He knows the truth, ask Him for help and He is merciful enough to help you, but you MUST be genuine.

This is a rare instance where I have to disagree with Mike. I'm a big fan of this channel and this doesn't happen often. When a person is born again, he is born of the spirit. This is the new creation we are and what gives us the new identity we have when we're saved. However, when that new birth takes place, God does not do anything with our flesh nature. That nature remains completely opposed to the things of God and stays with us until the day we die. Therefore, as saved individuals, we can choose to either walk in step with the Spirit that has indwelt us at the moment of salvation, or ignore it and walk in the flesh. Paul is clear on these points throughout his letters. We still have a choice to make, but our eternal destiny is not determined by that choice. Believers can, and often do, choose to walk in the flesh almost continuously after being saved, but that doesn't mean the spiritual birth didn't happen. I believe it to be wrong to say a person will progressively (with subjective quantification mind you) become better behaving if they're truly saved. I don't and shouldn't look to my behavioral progression (or how bad I feel about sin since it's not based in feelings) as evidence for my salvation. I know I'm saved because I believe in the promise of God, that when I trust Him for that salvation, He will keep His promise and raise me up to life eternal at the last day as He says He will. The information in this video is a wrong way of thinking regarding this topic and can only lead to doubt about one's salvation or a haughty attitude about one's own goodness despite Isaiah saying that even our best efforts are like filthy rags to God. It's either Christ's righteousness given to me as a free gift God judges me by or it's by my own inadequate self righteousness. It can't be both.

Read Psalm 119 daily if you want a deep raw relationship with the Savior!!

Wow, this is eye opening, I never heard such clear teaching, very inspiring!!! 🏆🥇🙏

That is the best explanation for this "Fuzzy Zone" issue ever!! way to go P. Mike

Thank you, Mike, I just had a terrible relapse into my porn addiction habit and this video appeared right when I needed it. God bless you. Could someone pray for me to overcome this problem? I've struggled with it on and off since I got exposed to it at 10 years old.

"The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity." "That is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, cull out the evil people from among the righteous ones, and will throw them into a blazing furnace. In that place there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” The warning is "Don't let that be you (that includes me)!" Godly fear now is better than regret later.

Thank you for your help, Mike. May God bless and keep you.

Well said, I find myself having this type of conversation often with those around me.

One way to look at it is to say that if you believe in Christ but don't even try to be better, then the sin will eventually engulf you so much that you will stop believing in Christ, and that's what to be wary of, since you are only saved if you keep believing til the end... So stay watchful, and repent!

A good thing to note is that if you're thinking "How much can I get away with before I'm clearly not saved anymore" you should probably reevaluate of you were ever saved. If you're someone who notices problems in their life and genuinely makes effort to solve those shortcomings because you believe you should be better then you're probably alright

I realized recently that I've been fuzzy on a few things --not surrendering them to God. Made me concerned about my salvation bc I felt so dead. This passage has helped challenge me to repent and change. Experiencing greater joy! Thank you Mike for sharing ❤

Amazing! Thank you pastor and thank you Holy Spirit for using this pastor so wonderfully

I love your work Mike Winger. Thanks for this. If you don't have or have never read "Life in the Son: A Study of the Doctrine of Perseverance" by Robert Shank, I can't recommend it highly enough. It's such an excellent book and the Scripture Index at the end of the book is fantastic. First published in 1960 I believe, it is still available today. I would VERY HIGHLY recommend this as a great resource on the topic.

The warning of not living an immoral life is written in almost every epistle. As Christian, we need to take this very seriously. We could lose our salvation.

Oooohhhh I like that. "It's a okay to be a little scared sometimes." Obviously not in a FEARFUL "Oh no I'm going to Hell!?!?" attitude but in a self reflective, "Can I do better, am I really taking this seriously" Mentality. Thanks, I will contemplate this.

This has been my question to myself as of late. I’ve given up a lot of my worldly things and pursuit of Jesus… but I still struggle with resentment, especially with some of the people at my church. It makes me wonder if I have any love in my heart at all… please pray for a breakthrough in my life!