Archive for the ‘Doctrinal’ Category
Isn’t faith a leap in the dark?
No. Actually faith demands the surest evidence, and finds it in the Word of God. There is nothing as certain as God’s Word. His Word is truth (John 17:17). To trust Him is the most sane, logical, reasonable thing a person can do. What is more reasonable than that the creature should trust his Creator? He cannot lie, deceive, or be deceived.
You say that the only way to be saved is through faith in Christ. Isn’t it narrow minded to think that there is only one way?
Then the Bible is narrow minded. Jesus said that no one could come to God, the Father, except through Him (John 14:6). Peter said that no one could be saved in any other way than through Christ (Acts 4:12). And Paul wrote that there is no other foundation except Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11). Faith in Christ is the only way of salvation.
Look! Put it to me simply. What do I need in order to be saved?
You need to be born again. Jesus said it tersely, “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again'” (John 3:7). Unless a person is born again, he will never see or enter the kingdom of God. The new birth is a marvelous, miraculous, supernatural work of God that takes place when a person repents of his/her sins and receives Jesus Christ by faith as Lord and Saviour. Your first birth was physical; the new birth is spiritual.
You keep saying salvation is by grace. What do you mean by that?
Grace is God showing favor to those who don’t deserve it, but who, in fact, deserve the very opposite. It is closely linked with the idea of a gift. You do not earn a gift. That would be wages. You receive a gift and say “thank you.” Grace and works cannot be mixed. It has to be one or the other. Grace must be distinguished from justice. In justice, you get what you deserve. In grace you get favor that you don’t deserve.
Can I earn or merit salvation?
Salvation by works is a popular teaching today. It is popular because it makes men think that they can be their own saviour. It gives a place of honor to man’s sinful nature. But there is no way you can earn or deserve salvation. God says that we are saved by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8-9).
What do you mean by repentance?
Repentance is a change of mind about sin, self, God, and Christ, which changes the attitude, which changes the actions. It involves not just the mind but the conscience. It is the sinner’s acknowledgment of his ungodliness, lostness, helplessness, and hopelessness, and his need of grace. It is an about face. It is taking sides with God against one’s self. It involves penitence, that is, sorrow for sin, but it is more than this. You can be sorry for sin and yet not turn away from it.
Should I be doing penance for my sins?
The word “penance” is not found in the Bible, neither is the idea found there. The Bible tells us that all our righteousnesses (that is, all the best we have to offer) are no better than filthy rags (see Isaiah 64:6). It is not penance that God wants, nor mere penitence, that is, sorrow for sin, nor remorse, but repentance.
Do you mean to say I’m as bad as a lot of other people I know?
From your own standpoint, or from the standpoint of your relatives and friends, you may not be as bad as others. But those are not the standards that count. The Bible says that those who measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves among themselves are not wise (see 2 Corinthians 10:12). It is God’s standpoint that counts. In God’s sight we all are guilty sinners.
If good people go to heaven and bad people go to hell, then what do I have to worry about?
The premise is wrong and therefore the conclusion is wrong. The premise is wrong. It is not true that good people go to heaven. According to God’s standard, there are no good people. “For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). The only kind of people who go to heaven are sinners saved by grace. Because the premise is wrong, the conclusion is wrong. If you are not saved by grace, you have plenty to worry about.
What is Sin?
Sin is anything short of God’s perfection. That is what God means when He says that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It is doing what we know we should NOT do — “All unrighteousness is sin” (1 John 5:17). It is failing to do what we know we should do — “To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). It is violating the conscience — “Whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). It is self-will or lawlessness. It is saying to God, “Not your will but mine be done.” Not only are our thoughts, words, and deeds sinful, but our inner lives are sinful. In fact, what we are is a lot worse than anything we have ever done.