Friends, do you understand how dangerous it is for people to believe that no matter what they do, they cannot lose their salvation and go to Hell, even though God says they can? Many churches teach a doctrine called “Perseverance of the Saints,” which is part of a false doctrine called Calvinism (named after John Calvin). They allege that a saved child of God may “fall” into sin, but somehow God will ultimately keep him from losing his salvation.… Read more
Category: Faithfulness
The Book of Life and Falling from Grace
The first time the Book of Life is mentioned in the Bible, God said He would blot names out of it: “…him will I blot out of my book” (Exodus 32:32-33). Also, the last time the Book of Life is mentioned in the Bible, it says God will take people out of it: “…God shall take away his part out of the book of life…” (Revelation 22:19; see also 3:5; Psalm 69:28). A Baptist preacher I studied with this week said that God would never take someone’s name from the Book of Life, and another one I studied with in recent years claimed that God never said He would do that.… Read more
A Living Faith
Works without faith = dead works (Heb. 9:14).
Faith without works = dead faith (Jam. 2:14-26).
Faith including works of obedience to God’s New Testament commands = a living faith granting salvation by God’s grace and the blood of Christ (Matt. 7:21-27; 26:28; 28:18-20; John 14:15, 21-24; 15:10, 14; Acts 2:38-41; 10:34-35, 48; 22:16; Rom. 1:5; 2:5-10; 6:3-5, 16-18; 16:26; Gal. 5:6; Eph. 2:1-19; Php. 2:12; Titus 1:16; 2:11-14; Heb. 5:9; 10:22; 1 Pet. 1:22; 3:20-21; 1 John 1:6-2:6; 5:3; Rev.… Read more
How Are We Using Our Days?
A 30-year-old person has lived about 11,000 days. 50 years is 18,250 days. An 80-year-old has lived over 29,000 days! What have we done with our days, and what are we doing with our days? God will hold us accountable for how we have spent the time He gave us (Matthew 25:14-30). Will we be justified to tell God we had no time for Him, the very one who gave us our existence? Do we realize how valuable time is, and do we use our time wisely?… Read more
Death Reminds Us
Someone I knew from my childhood passed away recently, and the death of someone we know often has a way of reminding us of what is most important. The older I get, the more people I know who leave this life and go on to the next. Places I knew when I was young are not the same as they were when I was growing up, and I am constantly reminded that this world and everyone in it is passing away.… Read more
Majoring in Minors
After all that God has done for us, He deserves all our love and dedication, but is that what we give Him? It is so easy to become distracted by the things of this world and completely focus on things that are not as important as eternity. Do we have our priorities straight? Are we focused on less important things in life more than the most important things? Are we majoring in minors?
- Are we knowledgeable and passionate about politics but lack interest in God’s Word and eternal matters?
Body Members Out of Control
Christ is the Head of His body, His church (Col. 1:18). Christians are described as members of His body, such as hands, feet, etc. (1 Cor. 12:12-27). If we consider ourselves members of Christ’s body, are we doing what the Head of the body commands? What if your body members refused to do what your head (your brain) told them to do?
- What if, whenever you wanted to go somewhere, your feet always moved in the opposite direction of where you wanted to go?
Did Christ Do ALL the Work on the Cross?
Christ finished His main mission on earth by giving His life on the cross, saying, “It is finished” (Jn. 19:30), but today some are twisting His statement into a false doctrine. They claim that since Christ said, “It is finished” on the cross, there are no “works” (no actions) men can do today that will have any effect on their salvation. This has led some to the conclusion that baptism cannot be essential, and that once a person is saved, there is no work he is required to do.… Read more
The One Body of the Saved
What do the following things from the Bible have in common?
– The body of Christ
– The flock of Christ
– The fold of Christ
– The kingdom of Christ
– The nation of Christ
– The church of Christ
– The nation of Christ
– The family of Christ
– The bride of Christ
They are all Biblical descriptions of the one group of people saved by Christ, the group purchased with the blood of Christ in the first century A.D.… Read more
Surprised When Searching the Scriptures
With today’s technology, Bible study has become easier and quicker than ever before. One innovation that expedites Bible study is the ability to search for anything in the Bible very quickly with Bible software. One can learn rapidly from some simple searches, and many people are very surprised at what they find (or fail to find). For example:
- Search for the phrase “faith only” and you only get one verse: “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (James 2:24).
Lawbreakers Will “Receive Damnation”
Here is an unpopular truth: God commands, “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors…For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men” (1 Peter 2:13-15).
Did you see the word “every”? This would include laws that some people consider trivial, such as wearing a seatbelt, obeying the speed limit, or obeying copyright laws.… Read more
Question Your Answers!
If someone were to ask you why you believe what you believe, or why you do what you do religiously, would you be able to answer? More importantly, would your answers come from the Bible? God commands us to “…be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you…” (1 Peter 3:15). Are we able to do that? In the next chapter of Peter’s same epistle, we are commanded: “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:11). … Read more
True Christians Don’t Reject Religion
Those who have had bad experiences with “religious people” or a certain church should not use such experiences as an excuse to totally reject religion in general. Some say they reject “organized religion” and do not “attend church” but still follow Christ. Is that possible? The word “religion” is not a bad word, as many people seem to think. James used the word in a positive way (Jam. 1:26, 27). Christ Himself was a religious person who had a “custom” of regularly assembling with others of like faith (Lk.… Read more
Perfect and Blameless in Every Dispensation
In every major dispensation of time, there have been people God described as “perfect” or “blameless.” That does not mean they never sinned, but when they sinned, they repented, they did what God commanded for forgiveness, and they renewed their commitment to love God and live for Him. Whenever God gave a law to man, He knew there would be times when man would fail to obey, which is why God always had a system of forgiveness in every dispensation.… Read more