'salvation' Tagged Posts
Does God Desire All People to Be Saved?
1 Timothy 2:4 states that God “desires all men be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” But what does it mean that God “desires” all people to be saved when Scripture plainly teaches that not all people will be saved? Toward an answer to this question, we must distinguish between God’s “desire” (i.e., what God would like to see happen) and God’s “plan” (i.e., what God makes happen). The reason we must distinguish between God’s desire…
Is Belief In The Virgin Birth Necessary for Salvation?
As Advent season is upon us, the virgin conception/birth of our Lord Jesus Christ takes prominence in our hearts and minds. That his virgin conception and birth is clearly taught in Scripture is undeniable (Matthew 1:20, 25; Luke 1:35). But is it necessary to believe in the virgin conception/birth for personal salvation? Before I answer this question, I want to state what I think this question is really asking. The real question is this: what is the minimum someone must believe…
Comfort and Christ
I inherited, for better or worse, cold blood and poor circulation. What I mean is that I often feel cold rather than warm. Consequently, I love warm weather . . . and space heaters! The other day while I was praying in my study, I literally laid right in front of my space heater, so my cold hands would warmup. Immediately, upon beginning my prayer, this thought crossed my mind: I am as pathetic as Jonah! If you remember the…
Is God Great?
I remember where I was standing in a local bookstore several years ago when the New York Times bestselling book, God is Not Great, appeared on the bookshelf. Scanning through the pages, I learned about the late Christopher Hitchens. The premise of Hitchen’s book is outlined in the subtitle: How Religion Poisons Everything. He asserts that religion is the main source of hatred in the world. I agree with Hitchens that religion is the main source of hatred in…