Do We Need to Strive to Be Saved? (Matthew 7:13-14)
A. S. writes: Hello. Thanks for your articles. I genuinely believe in salvation by faith alone, by trusting in Jesus Christ as God and His atoning death/blood for the forgiveness of sins. However, one Scripture that has always confused me is Matthew 7:13-14. What does Jesus mean when He says we need to strive to […]
The Forgiveness of Sins
My daughters are all adults now, but when they were younger, they loved the movie The Princess Bride. All I remember about the movie are certain phrases that were repeated over and over. The word inconceivable is one example. One of the characters misused it on various occasions. Once, after he said it, another character […]
Did Dr. Charles Stanley Just Confuse People about Salvation?
Peter sent this intriguing and alliterative question about Dr. Charles Stanley’s Feb 16, 2023, devotional on 2 Pet 1:1-11 entitled, “Salvation: An Ongoing Blessing”: “There is something subtly sideways about this devotional from Dr. Stanley…what do you think?” You can read the whole devotional here. I will summarize and give some quotes. Peter is correct. […]
Truth Trumps Motives (Phil 1:12-18)
Free Grace people understand that our motives are significant. At the Judgment Seat of Christ, the Lord Jesus will expose our motives for serving Him and others (1 Cor 4:5). This will determine our rewards. We can do things for our glory or the glory of the Lord (Matt 6:1-21). Sometimes our motives are not […]
What Should We Say to 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 Christians?
Toby asks two great questions: It seems to be a popular teaching to believe (or trust) in the finished work of Christ on the cross for salvation. I hold to the position that we believe in Jesus’ promise of everlasting life. Is the former view correct? How should I talk to people who hold this […]
Changing Theological Landscapes (Heb 13:8)
The older I get, the more I realize how common it is for Christian organizations and churches to change their theological views. It seems practically universal. For example, when I went to seminary many years ago, you could not be a charismatic or believe that a believer could lose their salvation if you wanted to […]
How Is Forgiveness Linked to Confession and Repentance? Part 2 (1 John 1:5-10)
In Part 1, we considered four questions that Robert asked relating to the forgiveness of sins. We saw that confession of sins is the way for a believer in fellowship with God to be forgiven and to maintain ongoing fellowship. The believers away from the Lord must turn from their sins in order to be […]
The Tragedy of Blind Teachers (Luke 6:39-40)
I recently sat in on a class on the book of James at a Bible college. The teacher was an older man who had been teaching the Bible for years. It just so happened that he was teaching on James 2. With the great amount of confusion over this chapter in the Bible, it didn’t […]
How Is Forgiveness Linked to Confession and Repentance? Part 1
Robert asks several questions relating to the forgiveness of sins. First, how does forgiveness tie in with confession and repentance? Second, if we don’t confess our sins, are we forgiven? Third, what does forgiveness mean? Fourth, will God forgive us if we do not think we have committed a transgression? Good questions. First, we know […]
Bad Theology Will Make You Sick (Rom 10:9)
On a recent trip to Mexico, I took part in a class on the Book of Romans. An older Mexican national was teaching the class. He favorably quoted John MacArthur on many occasions, saying that good fruit will automatically follow in the life of a person who has truly believed. You will, he maintained, know […]