Is it Real?

Over the last 3 weeks of being a Christian, I have already noticed some things in my life changing. This has been encouraging to me, since this is evidence of what God does through people who have been saved (see Galations 2:20).

But, even as I've watched God work in me, I've been able to observe something. There are many people I know in the EXACT  boat that I was. They don't show the fruit of God in their life, but manage to hide this fact by blending in with the crowd of true believers they are surrounded by.

Oftentimes, I think that this results in a version of me before I was saved. Someone who unconsciously think they are saved by association, rather than personal salvation through the blood of Christ. As a result, they make every effort to be a part of these groups of people, even if that company consists of true Christians.

This is within the group that they find personal identity, not God.

What does this mean?

This means that unbelievers can be found playing important roles in churches, family gatherings, Christian colleges, children's ministry, etc... I know, because I was one of them.

This is what Matthew 7:15-23 was talking about:

"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. 

Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you;  DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.''

So all of this to ask a simple question (not to the unbeliever who rejects Christ outright, but to any person who professes to be a Child of God):


"Is your own salvation real?"


While I am just beginning to personally study and see how true salvation manifests itself in a believer's life, I do know that the Bible talks about what will be present in a true believer, and that is the recognition and repentance of sin in your life.

Acts 2:37-42 demonstrates this process. People who are truly saved will show the evidence through the rejection and sorrow for sin.

It's not about saying a prayer, going to church, hanging out with a Christian crowd, or doing good things to earn a free pass into heaven. This will never work, as anything good we do is considered worthless to God (Isaiah 64:6 and Romans 3). It's about the heart and whether or not that heart has been transformed by God (Romans 1:16)

In the end, you have to read the Bible for yourself to see if your life shows the evidence that true salvation brings. Paul said it best in 2 Corinthians 13:5-6 when he said:

"Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-unless indeed you fail the test? But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test."

If you are truly a believer, the evidence that Galations 5 talks about will be seen in your life.

But, if you are just putting on a good show on the outside, but hiding the evil inside, you are just like the Hell-Bound religious people that Jesus described in Matthew 23.

So, with all of that being said, I encourage you to examine yourself. Is your salvation real? If you believe so, what evidences in your life that match up with the Bible can you use to support your claim?

It is my hope that each of you will not fail the test.

A New Creation

Hey everybody, thanks for visiting my blog!

For starters, my name is Jaden, and I'm a 22 year old guy living in Northern Minnesota. I come from a large family (I'm the oldest of 12 kids to be exact), and have had many experiences throughout my growing up.

I've started this blog as a way for me to express various thoughts that I may have throughout the day, based on both experience from the past and learning in the present.

But honestly, the intention of my writing is going to be a lot more than just sharing random thoughts or stories as they come up. The intention of this blog is not just to write, but to document a journey along the way.

Now what do I mean by the word "journey"? It can refer to a lot of things, whether it's traveling to another country, or going through an entire recipe book (See the movie "Julie & Julia").

In this case, I am referring to the journey of being a New Creation.......but maybe I should back up a bit.

Like I said, I grew up in a large family, and a Christian one at that. I was taught fundamental aspects of the Christian faith such as:

• The Bible is the ultimate source of truth because it is the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16)
• Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven (John 14:6)
• Heaven cannot be attained through good works (2 Timothy 1:8-10)
• Being a Christian means that you are repentant of your sin and show the presence of God in your life (Romans 12)

However, despite all of this, there was one HUGE problem: I wasn't a Christian myself.

Oh, I believed all of the things I had been taught. I could get into a discussion with just about anyone about our need for a Savior, or the reliability of the Bible. The problem was that it was all "head knowledge" and not truly from the heart.

In fact, I became so good at blending in, that even if you knew me really well, I could hide my daily rejection of Christ by being a "good" person on the outside.

But, during all of this time, I knew deep inside that I wasn't saved. I was daily turning my back on God, and showed none of the genuine repentance that a true believer would show.

Until July 26th, 2014 at 11:21 P.M.

I was reading my Bible and trying to figure out things such as:

• Understanding how salvation works (Ephesians 1)
• Trying to find out how and why God would ever choose to save me (John 15:15-16)

• Trying to comprehend God's infinite LOVE for me (John 3:16) while understanding His infinite HATE for sin (Romans 1:18)

All of that came to a culmination when God touched my heart and brought me to the realization that I am a sinner, and that everytime I sinned it was a direct slap in the face of Him....my own Creator.

And, at that moment, I felt the peace of God (Philippians 4) come into my life...and my life hasn't been the same since.

I am now a New Creation in Christ...and I hope to share some of the things that I learn as God begins work on "The Anderson Project".


2 Corinthians 5:16-21 

Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. he made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.