Have I Truly Accepted Christ? – Greg Albrecht

Question: When I asked for salvation at a younger age, a part of me wondered if I was truly accepted by Christ. I held to some bad theology and thought I’d committed the unpardonable sin in the past. I literally cried for forgiveness (wondering, “Is it even possible for me!”). But I was still not 100% completely convinced Jesus’ sacrifice would apply to my particular sin. I believed in him entirely as the King and Source of salvation. I believe he died for our sins. I also looked to him in faith and begged for his help. So was asking that enough to be saved? Was it turning to him? Or because I didn’t trust completely that ...

March 2023

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Articles: Come Out of Her and Come to Me! – pg. 1 Confronted by Christ – pg. 2 Which Thief Are You? – pg. 5 Master Potter – pg. 7 Quotes & Connections – pg. 8

February 2023

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Greg Albrecht: How Sorry Are We? – pg. 2 Ed Dunn: Our Choice of Words – pg. 5 Brad Jersak: Zaccheus Makes Amends – pg. 6

SALVATION – How Many are Saved? – Greg Albrecht

SALVATION – How Many are Saved – Who, Where, When and Why? Question: When you responded to a question I had, you included the following statement: "I hope and believe in my faith that many more have and will accept God’s invitation, but because it’s ultimately our choice, some will reject him, even after he pursues us relentlessly." I would like your thoughts to my following questions: 1) Can any human be eternally responsible for rejecting God's offer of eternal salvation while tainted with human nature? 2) Why do you think any human, after being saturated in a world of sin and misery and then experiencing ...

When “Every Eye Shall See Him…” The Salvation of the Human Will – Brad Jersak

Question Christ's death saves humanity from hell as a place of eternal torment, but many people don’t realize it and live apart from God. When they cross over in death, I believe all deception will be removed, and they will know the truth. But they can still have the option to accept the gift or not. Then the purification begins. Is that generally right? Response I would personally tweak these thoughts a little bit: 1. You said, "Christ's death saved all humanity from hell as a place of eternal torment." I don't believe Christ saved us from a non-existence place conceived in human imaginations by literalizing biblical imagery ...

Guest Post: Salvation, Love’s Restoration – Craig Stephens

"Love is everything." William Booth (Founder, Salvation Army) Revelation: Craig Stephens Here is the revelation that is shaping my life today: love does everything to recapture my heart, with the purpose of doing everything to restore my heart. 13 We always have to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, for you are dearly loved by the Lord. He proved it by choosing you from the beginning for salvation through the Spirit, who set you apart for holiness, and through your belief in the truth. 14 To this end he handpicked you for salvation through the gospel so that you would have the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ....

Can We Lose Our Salvation? – by Greg Albrecht

Q: Do you believe we can lose our salvation once we are truly saved? My personal belief is that, yes, we can. While God will never take it away, through constant and willful sinning, we can turn our eyes away from God. This will eventually lead to a case of "Pharaoh's hardened heart," a state whereby we can reject God's offer, and create a wall between ourselves and God that even God will not cross—for to do so would be to break his promise to us of free will. A: No, I do not believe we can lose our salvation. Before explaining why, let me say that this discussion, in my view, is not a "make or break" theological perspective. Christians differ ...

Can We Lose Our Salvation?

Q: Do you believe we can lose our salvation once we are truly saved? My personal belief is that, yes, we can. While God will never take it away, through constant and willful sinning, we can turn our eyes away from God. This will eventually lead to a case of "Pharaoh's hardened heart," a state whereby we can reject God's offer, and create a wall between ourselves and God that even God will not cross—for to do so would be to break his promise to us of free will. A: No, I do not believe we can lose our salvation. Before explaining why, let me say that this discussion, in my view, is not a "make or break" theological perspective. Christians ...

Salvation: Three Perspectives (Transactional, Unilateral, Reciprocal) – Brad Jersak

“Salvation”(Gk. soterion – Luke 2:20; 3:6; Acts 28:28; Eph. 6:17; Titus 2:11).Related to: save (sozo); savior (soter). Remember that moment in Christian history or biblical revelation when the people of God arrived at consensus on what “salvation”meant and how it is achieved? Me neither. But amid the roiling ocean of competing ideas, opinions and systems, we can occasionally discern currents—popular themes surface through the cacophony and congeal into doctrinal streams. Allow me to identify three visions of salvation that compete for our attention and form our practices. Indeed, one’s image of salvation ...

Salvation by Faith Alone? – Greg Albrecht

Question How can you justify saying that salvation is by faith alone or as you often say “faith alone, grace alone and Christ alone” when James 2:14-20 says something different? Answer Some suggest, from the passage in James 2:14-26, that works or deeds in some way conditions of God’s acceptance of us. By way of response: 1. If this passage can be perceived to say such a thing would one passage (a proof text if you like) invalidate the gospel of Jesus Christ and the many passages in the New Testament that emphatically teach that salvation is by Christ alone – faith alone, grace alone and Christ alone? This ...

When Were You Saved… And Does it Really Matter? Greg Albrecht

Here's an email I received recently: I said the prayer to be saved when I was ten years old. I don't remember much about it—just that my mom was upset that the church I was attending with my friend would baptize a child (me) who was not really sure what was going on. Many years later, in another church service, I asked Jesus to come into my heart again. The pastor announced to the church that I was rededicating my life. Yet looking back, I feel that God was with me all along. Is it possible that I was truly saved when I was age ten, even though I was unaware of its great importance? I know that God knows my heart and I have a great passion for my ...

August 2020

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Greg Albrecht: Destroyed But Not Defeated– pg. 3 Brad Jersak: Grace Is the Real Offense– pg. 7 Blair Baker: Keep Shining – pg. 10 Jonathan Foster: My Soul Is Like a Chiminea – pg. 11 Brad Jersak: With Hope for All, Why Share Our Faith? -pg. 15

Can God Be Too Good? Part 5 by Greg Albrecht

How Free Is Free Will? by Greg Albrecht How much choice does any individual human actually have? We speak of "free will"—but how much of a choice to accept God's grace does anyone have, given the brainwashing and propaganda to which they are subjected? How much of a choice to accept God's grace does a young boy in a radicalized Muslim school have? How much of a choice to accept God's grace does someone have who is ensnared by some ultra fundamentalist church, where performance-based religion rules? Being in Christ is a divine invitation to an eternal relationship, open toeveryone. But being in Christ is not an automatic, divinely ...

Can God Be Too Good? Part 3 by Monte Wolverton

What Does the Bible Say? Let’s consider three passages from the New Testament, beginning with Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in ChristJesus our Lord. Now let’s look at Matthew 25:41-46:“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ They also will ...

Can God Be Too Good? Part 1 by Monte Wolverton

Join Editor Monte Wolverton and Greg Albrecht on an eight-part mini-series journey through one of the most hotly debated, fascinating topics within our christian faith. Here is part 1 of "Can God Be Too Good?" …And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.—Ephesians 3:17-19 Can We Hope That All Will Be Saved? Sam Thompson sat on a concrete bench, staring at his father’s tombst...

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19 results for tag: salvation