-
Sanctification: The Work of the Holy Spirit
As promised in our introduction to Sanctification, this workout time will be given over to becoming better acquainted with the Holy Spirit, our Trainer and Coach for this entire series of exercises. The way in which we will do this is by asking and answering the following questions… His Person—Who is He? His Position—What does He do? His Power—How does He do it? and, His Presence—How does He relate this to each one of us? His Person: Who is He? Although some may have mistakenly thought of the Holy Spirit as nothing more than an emanation of God’s power, or some impersonal spiritual force from God, in reality, He is a Person—the equal, yet distinctive third…
-
Sanctification: Regeneration Perfected
In our first set of exercises, we began stretching our spiritual muscles as we learned some of the basic principles of Salvation, such as… What it is and why we need it; How to obtain it through the New Birth; That it’s God’s destiny for everyone but that only those who “elect” to have it will receive it; and, Once it is received, it can never be lost or stolen. We also learned that Salvation is the process by which God redeems lost sinners—those who have been in bondage to the world, the flesh, and the devil since their births; buying their freedom for them through the substitutionary death of…
-
Salvation: Can We Lose It?
Many years ago, I attended a church which staunchly supported its denomination’s position that a person can lose his salvation. Up to that point in my Christian experience, I hadn’t given much thought to the matter, probably because the thought that a saved person could somehow become unsaved had never occurred to me. However, since all I have ever wanted to know is the truth, I decided to try and keep an open mind about it, at least until I could search the scriptures for myself. As I started thinking about it, though, the idea of a person losing their Salvation began to seem like a very far-fetched and…
-
Salvation: Do We Have a Choice?
I have been a Christian for many years and in all that time, the three subjects which seem to have generated more confusion and conflict within the Body of Christ than anything else have been… Predestination and Election The Eternal Security of the Believer, and Women in Ministry. However, for all of the discussion and arguments provoked by these subjects, not much in the way of a consensus seems to have been reached. I believe this is primarily due to the fact that proponents on both sides of the issues have often failed to interpret the verses supporting their positions within their immediate contexts and within the overall context…
-
Salvation: What It Is and Why We Need It
When it comes to thinking about Salvation, there seem to be two vastly different approaches to the subject. Although both of these are very broad generalizations… To the “Unsaved,” Salvation is often regarded as either– an antiquated theological doctrine, designed to rob life of its happiness and any sense of personal fulfillment; or, a religious crutch for those who lack the intelligence, sophistication, attractiveness, or success necessary to do life well on their own; while… To the “Saved,” it is often regarded merely as the means by which— their sins are forgiven and their lives are made right with God; and, their eternal destination is changed from Hell to Heaven.…
