One of the most beautiful and encouraging passages in the Bible is Luke 23:39-43. In spite of the suffering and humiliation we see faith and humility from a repenting thief and mind-blowing love, mercy and grace from our blessed Savior. It strengthens us because if a thief may enter into paradise with our Lord there must be hope for us! It is saddening that it is misunderstood and misapplied to say baptism is a useless work and unnecessary for salvation.
Category: Salvation
“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works Can faith save him?” James 2:14
This question presented in the Scriptures nearly 2,000 years ago remains for many Bible students a point of confusion and contention. What does God really require of those that seek to serve Him? Is my faith enough, or is there something more? Should I simply trust in God’s ability to save, or do the works of my life affect whether or not the Lord will redeem me by his grace?
Theologians have long contended that all mankind is guilty of Adam’s sin. This doctrine is generally entitled, “Original Sin”. One religious group defines original sin as, “a consequence of [Adam’s] first sin , the hereditary stain with which we are born on account of our origin or descent from Adam.” Western religious thinkers from Augustine forward have regarded this a fundamental Christian doctrine.
In a world of so much change and instability, the uncertainties of this life can be overwhelming and completely debilitating.Sometimes it seems nothing is a sure thing. Our bodies fail us, friends forsake us, family members pass away, we lose our jobs, our hearts are broken and our endurance is tested over and over again. We can never be certain that tomorrow will be anything like today.When our world is falling apart all around us, what can we hold on to? What can we trust to never change and never fail us?
In Exodus 13:17 we are told that God led the Children of Israel in such a direction, as they were leaving Egyptian bondage, so as to avoid the Philistine army. God tells us why in the same verse, “Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war.” The word “repent,” as we see here in Exodus, carries with it a three part meaning. Firstly, the Children of Israel would recognize a problem or danger.
If someone were to ask you to explain how Noah and his family were saved from the flood’s destruction, what would you say? The answer may seem obvious, but what would your answer be? The Bible’s answer is instructive. By inspiration of God (2 Tim. 3:16), the apostle Peter wrote that Noah and his family were actually “saved through water” (1 Peter 3:20).