Topical Index

Salvation

Jesus has already purchased salvation, which leads to eternal life, for each and every one of us through his death and resurrection.
When I mentioned your sin that had nothing to do with my personal opinion of you.
You won't be able to receive forgiveness from God as long as you are continuing to blame Him for the evil in the world. It is never His fault.
... in order for a human person to become a Christian, the Holy Spirit must first take the initiative by convicting the human person of his or her sin.
The most important example of God's intervention in my life is salvation -- just the fact that I'm a Christian.
... God does not ever take away the most important responsibility that each human person has, which is to be willing to choose to repent of his or her sin and to turn to Jesus for salvation.
I certainly agree that God loves all human beings and that He wants to save all of us, but the Bible also tells us that there will be a final judgment.
The meaning of the cross of Christ is so profound a subject that I do not presume to be able to explain it fully in a short reply, but let me offer a few comments.
Everyone who accepts Jesus Christ receives a guarantee that things will turn out well in the end.
... you don't have to let what you have suffered in the past drag you down.
If you continue to seek with an open mind and an open heart, then the time will come when you will see for yourself.
Do you really think that it is possible for any of us to be good enough by our own effort? I don't think so.
I hope you haven't gotten the idea that Christianity says that all we have to do is decide to believe, and then sit back, take it easy, live just as we did before, and enjoy a free, effortless ride to heaven.
Are you thinking that if Satan had not tempted Eve then she and Adam would never have fallen into sin? That's not a safe assumption.
After Adam and Eve fell into sin, God rejected them and withdrew from the full fellowship that He had had with them previously.
The physical sciences acquire knowledge based on the premise that physical laws operate as they do regardless of whether we humans understand them and accept them, or not.
In Matthew 6:28, we read ...
... Christians believe that the universe was perfect when God originally created it.
When God originally created humans, He gave them souls that were entirely sinless.
God is still where He has always been. Right there with you.
We do know that the Bible tells us that all humans have sinned.
If you sincerely turn to Him, yes, God can and will save you, but it won't be a magic quick fix ...
I do agree that we have to go through periods of struggle in our lives ...
When we receive salvation by accepting Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, we are transformed.
I have never been able to believe that God would create anyone whom He did not want to save
All of us have our emotional ups and downs.
... I'm concerned about what you seem to be saying about the idea that God could create anyone for whom His purpose might be condemnation rather than salvation.
The Holy Spirit convicts people of sin and draws us ever closer and closer to Jesus, both before and after the moment of salvation.
... most of the passion plays and pictures of Jesus on the cross that we see are greatly toned down.
You should ask yourself, privately, and very honestly, whether or not you ever really accepted Christ as your Saviour.
People sometimes get the mistaken idea that God is cruel when they read passages in the Bible that describe the severity of His condemnation of sinners.
... Jesus can do better than Red Green does at encouraging people who feel that we have messed things up in our lives.
If the average benediction doesn't encourage you, consider these two verses of Scripture ...
When we have received forgiveness from Jesus we are left with the feeling that we ourselves have nothing at all to offer but that because of Jesus we have everything.
You can't accept the salvation that Jesus offers if you don't believe that he is really able to offer it.
Yes, of course God can do anything He chooses to. He voluntarily chose to be born on earth as the boy Jesus Christ.
... I agree that atonement for sin is a spiritual matter, of course, but Jesus came to save us from all forms of evil, including physical evils as well as moral ones.
Yes, the penalty has been fully paid, but that payment does not take effect in a person's life until he or she accepts the salvation that Jesus offers.
We all need to recognize, as Paul did, that sin can cause us to be condemned to hell if we do not turn away from our sin and accept the salvation that Jesus offers.
Where does the violence that is done in the name of religion come from?
If Jesus had not risen from the dead none of us could be saved.
Reflecting on the meaning of our existence is good, but if that is all we do, we won't get very far.
The "ungodly" are those who are separated from God.
Mass communications media such as radio, TV, and the internet can give people information, but they can't provide personal contact.
... If Jesus had remained dead, he would not be able to save us ...
It's true that Jesus is God's son and that he was killed in our place ...
The need for God is within every human person, but God does not meet that need by filling us with Himself until we ask Him to.
It is God's grace alone that saves you, through your faith in Jesus.
... No one turns to God without being spiritually broken first.
... the meaning of the death of Jesus ... an effective atonement for our sins.
Christians believe that ALL people have sinned and deserve to be condemned. We are saved from that condemnation by Jesus Christ himself, not by his teachings.
There are many Christians in China. Sometimes they have to meet secretly to escape persecution ...
God always has to make the first move, to reach each person individually and to reach out to the world as a whole.
If you really mean that you want God to transform you, I'm sure He will ...
Evil is still around on earth because ...
There are at least three explanations for why Jesus had to die.
... who was it who carried out the execution of Jesus?
When I said that the crucifixion of Jesus was unjust, I meant that since Jesus himself was sinless, he certainly did not deserve to die.
Of course it wasn't fair. The crucifixion of Jesus was the worst injustice that has ever happened.
I didn't mean to imply that preaching about hell should be our primary emphasis.
There are many things written in the Bible that would be extremely arrogant if they had been said by mere human beings, but since the Bible came from God, who has the right to say such things, these things are profound revelations of truth.
The goal is to save people, and of course God's motive for doing that is always love.
... people who die without ever having heard of Jesus Christ ...
... Jesus did descend into hell ...
... Jesus suffered for the sake of all people.
... the nature of Jesus' sacrifice.
If Jesus had ceased to exist after he died on the cross, or if he had been condemned to eternal suffering in hell, we would not be saved.
We are saved by faith, not by our good deeds, but if a person's actions contradict the person's claims of having faith, that indicates that the person's faith is not sincere.
On the cross, Jesus' physical body died. He also experienced spiritual separation from God the Father, which is worse than physical death.
Certainly there are many non-believers who do have good standards of behavior ...
None the less, I believe that God still does care about justice.
You are quite right in saying that if God were to give us what we actually deserve, we would all be condemned to hell.
If you are, as you say, separated from God, then you can't expect to find His wisdom by looking within yourself.
... perhaps we have different ideas of what "apostate" means.
... I was not intending to say that people who leave the church can continue to reject Christ and still be saved ...
The suicide bombers certainly are a tragic example of misguided certainty.
... everything that is evil is a twisted, corrupted version of something that was originally good.
I would not expect to find a description of the fall from grace outside of the Bible.
From a theological perspective, the most important things we learn from the Adam and Eve story are ...
You are quite correct in saying that when Christians say that all people are sinners we are indeed accusing all human beings, ourselves included, of doing wrong.
In your story, the dog breeder's son remained dead after his father put him in the pen with the dogs and the dogs killed him.
... Admitting that we are sinners ... is the first step toward the highest level of self-esteem that a human being can have.
After finding that the worship of a dead statue did not meet your needs ...
... the willingness of Christ to be born in human form shows that he was willing to expose himself to all of the ugliness of earthly existence in order to reach the people living on earth, whom he deeply loves.
A saved soul certainly has eternal life and will spend eternity in heaven.
... a culture of soft love, in which they seek joy, peace, and comfort without justice.
... God has rescued you before and He will do it again ...
If Christians are trying to do good to win their way into heaven, then they don't understand their own religion.
... please don't throw the baby out along with the bath water. Jesus is still the one you need.
The greatest example of God's goodness and love ...
You choose mainly by praying and letting God lead you.
... moral teachings ... can't save us ...
I agree that religious tyranny is certainly wrong. I also believe that ...
... people who die without having had the opportunity to hear of Jesus or to be baptized are not necessarily always condemned.
All humans deserve condemnation ...
You ask about how can I be sure that Jesus won't be unfair to anyone? ...
... God judges people not by how much they had the opportunity to know about Jesus, but rather by how they responded to what they did know.
Jesus was quoting Psalm 22 ...
... if people die without having heard about Jesus ...
... God met us where we are, on earth, by being born as a baby boy, Jesus.
... Where do you expect to go on this trip that you mention, and how do you expect to get there?
I certainly would not argue against the idea that the kingdom of God is to be established within our souls, but we can't make that happen just by seeking truth within ourselves.
You have a great deal of faith in human nature, but it leaves a big question unanswered.
We are saved by Jesus himself, not by his teachings.
... Delaying a decision to turn to Christ is extremely dangerous. There will be a time when it will be too late.
... God does not always judge the same way humans do.
He has saved millions of people. Some of those people are following this newsgroup and may wish to join me in answering your question. I'll speak only for myself.
One of the things I believe most strongly about God is that He does not want anyone to go to hell.
I don't think intellectual attainments make any difference with regard to salvation.
... an inability to make it on our own and a desire for heaven are two of the things that help to cause people to turn to the Lord. That is as it should be.
When Christians say that Jesus is the only Saviour, we don't mean that we are better people than the followers of other religions ...
If Jesus had not risen from the dead after he was crucified, his death, by itself, would not have saved us.
I think we are using the word "attitude" with different meanings in mind.
Adam and Eve could have had children without eating of the forbidden fruit. They did not have to commit sin. They chose to.
You asked about what the gospel is.
... It takes more than caring about righteousness to make us worthy in God's sight, although we certainly should care about righteousness. ...
... Being saved also makes radical changes in our experience on earth before we reach heaven.
God does not regard anyone as superfluous.
Christians do take responsibility for our own sins.
... Jesus Christ is the Lord and Jesus Christ is God. ...
My understanding of the idea of being born again is that it is a spiritual rebirth, not a physical rebirth, and that it can be experienced by a person of any age.
I also would encourage anyone who has not seriously considered his or her questions and doubts about faith to do so ...
... non-Christians who do not have the opportunity to hear about Jesus while they are on earth ...
Consider what Jesus had to say about a son who went away from his father's house, did wrong, and then returned ...
One of the best-known teachings of Christianity is that human beings are sinners ...
... people who never had the chance to read the Bible or to hear about Christianity ...
If you don't believe that humans are born with sinful natures, then how do you explain ...
... we are born with sinful natures.
We need to make a distinction between having a relationship with Jesus and being a member of a church.
The freedom of will that God has given us certainly does not make God himself unnecessary. He did not turn the responsibility for saving the world over to us.
It's amazing how many people have trouble recognizing that human beings are not good enough just as we are.
... God hears all prayers as long as we mean what we say.
If Jesus had not actually died, none of us could be saved.
God did indeed make it possible for us to do wrong.
... the good news, or gospel, is the message that we can be saved ...
...that does not mean that we can find it all by ourselves.
... we do not have what is necessary ... until a transformation ...
If you have not had any experiences that showed you ...
... we are born with a corrupted nature, a tendency to sin. ...
The reason why non-Christians aren't forgiven by God ...
... Jesus is the only Saviour ...
It is Jesus' willingness to die that shows His love.
Praise the Lord for your baptism!
Why do we need God?
As for God's ability to foreknow what we will choose ...
We do not choose to be born physically, but ... born again spritually ...
... why God allows us even the possibility of doubting Him. ...
... everything ... possible ... to prevent people from going to hell.
Suppose a person who does not love God ... forced to go to heaven ...
...still hope for most of those ... who have wandered away from Christ.
... all people have an instinctive knowledge of God ...
The possibility that salvation can be lost ...
... a time in my life when I wanted to believe in a pain-free world ...
Children who are raised in Christian families ...