Liberating you from bad ideas about God
Is Paul teaching in Ephesians 2:1 that unbelievers cannot even believe in Jesus for eternal life unless God first regenerates them? Must God give unbelievers new life (regeneration) before they believe and so that they can believe? No. This is not what it means to be dead in trespasses and sins.
There are several verses in the Bible which seem to teach that you need to make a public confession of Jesus in order to be saved. One of these is Romans 10:9-10. Many people interpret this to mean that if you do not let others know that you are a follower of Jesus, then you do not truly have eternal life and will therefore not spend eternity with God in heaven.
In 1 Peter 3:21, it appears that Peter is saying that we must be baptized in order to be saved. He writes that baptism saves us. But if this is true, then how is eternal life by faith alone and not of works?
If I say “salvation is from the Lord,” what do you think of?
If you are like most Christians, you think of how God forgives your sins so you can receive eternal life and go to heaven when you die.
Well, the phrase “salvation is from the Lord” is found in Jonah 2:9, which are looking at in this podcast episode, and we will see that it means something quite different from what many Christians think it means.
People often ask me if I believe in Once Saved, Always Saved. I say that I do not, but I DO believe in eternal security. Confused? Read this post to understand what I mean…
Since I am neither a Calvinist nor an Arminian, I want to offer my perspective on Romans 9 over the course of the next few posts so that people who are trying to understand what Paul is saying in Romans 9 about election, Esau, Pharaoh, and the potter and the clay.
Note that all of these posts are drawn from the longer explanation in my book The Re-Justification of God.
Have you heard of the “Golden Chain of Salvation”? It is found in Romans 8:28-30, and indicates God’s plan from all eternity to bring those whom He has foreknown into the state of glorification with Him.
I like what the Golden Chain of Salvation teaches, but we must be careful to understand what it teaches and what it does not.
What is your experience with study Bibles?
Do you love them? Hate them?
If you have used them, which ones, what do you recommend, and why?
The Evangelism Study Bible might be helpful for evangelists and those seeking clarity on the Gospel, but other study Bibles are better for the deep study of God’s Word.
The terms salvation and Kingdom of Heaven do not refer to eternal life, but to how we should live in this life on earth. Once we clarify what these words mean, a lot of confusion get pushed away about what the Bible teaches regarding eternal life and the condition for receiving it.
Repentance is something all people should do to avoid the devastating consequences of sin, but repentance is not a condition for receiving eternal life. Passages on repentance are calling all people to change their lives so that they can avoid the negative and physical consequences of sin and live the life of joy and freedom that God wants.
Send this to a friend