Have you ever felt like Peter in Matthew 26, when he loudly and proudly proclaimed to Jesus that even if everyone else fell away, he would remain loyal — that even if faced with death, he would never deny his Lord? We all know the rest of that story. Peter not only denied Jesus three […]
How do we reconcile divine grace and human responsibility in the work of salvation? Ephesians 2:8 is maybe the best verse for understanding the divine-human dynamic in the work of salvation. Through this text we can assert, by introduction, that these two are reconciled within a particular covenant relationship. Let’s look: “For by grace […]
Prison life has beat the hellion out of me. It has helped me to learn not to be hardheaded when God is trying to teach me something. For these lessons, I thank God. Life is a painful struggle, but only the dead need not struggle. For these struggles, I thank God. Trials and tribulations have […]
Do Christians lose salvation when they sin? We do not lose our salvation by sinning. If we did, none of us could remain saved very long. More than a few scriptures affirm the reality of sin’s presence in us all — all our earthly lives (1 Kings 8:46; Psalm 53:3; Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:23). The […]
The average U.S. church will see just one unsaved person come to faith in a typical calendar year, according to research from the Barna Group. Groundwire.net will welcome about 250,000 into the kingdom of God this year alone, its president says. Sean Dunn’s organization led more than 116,000 mostly teens and young adults to Christ […]
I find myself struggling with the concept of perfection on a daily basis. I feel the need to be as close to flawless as possible in everything I do. This is called perfectionism. It appears in my school work, my art, and my music. It is hard for me to acknowledge that I cannot achieve […]
Does being made righteous refer to a status or a process? The short answer is both. Let’s take a closer look at this great word, starting with its background in the Old Testament. In both Hebrew and Greek, the basic meaning of righteousness is “conformity to a norm.” In its biblical context, the norm that […]
Is salvation free? This was completely unimaginable to the first century AD world. It is in this backdrop that the apostle Paul wrote his letters. He preaches the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the fruit of salvation and a new life for believers. Salvation and the new life in Christ can be confusing […]
“I’d like to be baptized someday, but I don’t think I’m ready yet. I need more time.” I’ve heard statements along these lines several times. Those who speak them wrongly believe that they must first be good enough before receiving the salvation that Christ offers them. Some have parents imposing this false belief on them. Others […]
Thanks be to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who, in February 2017, saved me from the cloud of confusion and years of physical pain. This was also the year of my Lord’s favor when He freed me from oppression. In fact, Jesus had begun to prepare me for salvation long before I perceived it […]
