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  So in conclusion…to our little discussion on the topic of ‘once saved-always saved’ that we touched on the past two days here…or as some folks like to debate- ‘can a person lose their salvation…or not?’…I’m reminded of a framed cartoon/sketch my dad, (who was a dentist) had in his office for years. The picture is of a dentist standing on a dental chair in the clinic with pieces of plaster laying all over the chair and floor. The bewildered dentist is sticking his head through a hole in the ceiling and asks: “Did I hit a nerve?” :- ). I have to wonder at times if when Jesus ran into opposition from the ‘religious experts’ of His day, usually in response to things He was teaching, if not doing…was He was ever tempted to ask: “Did I touch someone’s ‘golden calf’?” Church doctrines can become that to us if we are not careful; and usually it is the word of God itself that causes those ‘defensive impulses’ to rise up within us. Personally speaking…I have no issue with anyone if you be...
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  We waded in to a rather sensitive (if not ‘hot) topic yesterday that centers around ‘eternal security’; a.k.a. ‘once saved-always saved’. In other words, for those who may not be familiar with this terminology…it has to do with a person who comes to Jesus in faith, recognizing their need for a savior if they have any hopes for ‘eternal life’. The debate arises when the question comes up…can a person who ‘receives salvation’ ever ‘lose’ that ‘free gift’? Interestingly...the phrase 'lose your salvation' never even appears in scripture; but the idea of 'falling away from the faith' is addressed repeatedly. Do you know that one of the more significant teaching moments I have had over the past six years, (and there have been plenty) had to do with realigning how I approach this topic of ‘salvation’. We tend to always want to ask ourselves…’are we saved’…or ‘when were you saved’…and ‘can you ever be ‘unsaved’ or ‘lose’ your salvation. The real question we need to be asking...
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  Soooo…..let’s talk about it. ‘Once saved – Always saved’; it’s a phrase I’ve heard tossed around and debated amongst Christians ever since I first became aware of the concept of 'getting saved’, over 40 years ago. And I guess the definition or explanation of what it means would vary, depending on who you ask. So let’s dive in and examine this touchy topic more closely. Most of us have probably heard the statement, if not had it taught to them as ‘truth’…that once a person has ‘placed their trust in Jesus…they can never ‘lose their salvation’. I would think having a better understanding as to what ‘salvation’ is, or what it means to be ‘saved’… including ‘what are we saved from?’…would help to address this concept. And we can circle back to that later; but for now, let me present three general scenarios in how many of us have heard this 'eternal security' explained over the years. The first scenario is presented with the understanding that ‘salvation’ is like receivin...
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  A young adult leaves home to set out and make a life on their own, but after a series of unfortunate events, mixed in with some bad decisions, they end up drowning in credit card debt and hit rock bottom…before humbly returning home seeking help from his/her parents. Suppose the parents are more than willing to welcome their child in and help them get back on their feet; even offering to pay off all their accrued debt. Such a scenario might surpass the expectations of many of us, even if living in perfect world. So let’s assume that son/daughter is overcome with gratitude, knowing they were undeserving of such mercy and grace to have their debt cancelled like that, and they are now determined to ‘get their act together and turn a new page on their life story. Now imagine…that despite living back at home for a while, they begin to slip back into some of those reckless spending habits, racking up more monthly debt while being unable to pay their bills. And once again, they go to t...
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  “Nobody can live a sinless life; only Jesus did!” “God knows we’re not perfect and He’s always ready and willing to forgive us of our sins!” “The Bible says that we are deceived if we claim to have no sin!” (1 John 1:7) Those may have been a few of the first thoughts to come to mind after reading yesterday’s message. Trust me…it’s not like I’ve not been down this path myself and had those same ‘lines of defense’ rise up within me to refute some of the very things we read from God’s word yesterday. Which is why we have to be very careful when other ‘arguments’ well up within us in opposition to what God’s word says. Where do you think those thoughts are coming from? Yes, there was a Bible verse thrown in there in that third statement, but let’s not forget that even Satan quoted scripture to Jesus in the wilderness when trying to tempt Him to back off from the word (Luke 4:10-11). So let’s take a look at that first statement, about how ‘nobody but Jesus can live a sinless life...
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  I hope the graphic of this algebra equation I used today didn’t trigger anxiety attacks for anyone who suffers from math-phobia. While I never considered myself as a ‘math person’, I did well in college algebra when I went back to school later in life to finish my education before becoming a school teacher. I had hopes on teaching JRH History but began my career teaching 9th grade algebra at our local high school for two years before taking a position as a Reading teacher for 6-7th graders. When I taught the algebra class, I remember having to grade a lot of homework, and there was a common mistake that was made frequently, which unfortunately always led to an incorrect answer for the students. And that common error usually involved the multiplying of positive and negative integers. For those who might remember those days….algebra problems could get …lengthy, in that there were multiple steps one had to work through to find the solution to the problem. So if the student began ...
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  There is a wealth of intel made available to us in those first two chapters of the Book of Job. I’m not suggesting it is ‘easy’ to come to terms with what we can learn here…but it sure fills in a lot of ‘blank spaces’ when it comes to gaining a better understanding of this world we live in, especially in light of who we are told exercises power and influence over it. (1 John 5:19; Eph. 2:1-3; Acts 26:18). Do you remember those worksheets we used to do in school, where we would ‘connect the numbered dots’ on the paper…and as we did, a ‘picture’ would begin to form? There is a very clear picture that begins to emerge as we ‘connect these verses’ that have been laying in our Bibles all these years; and for those who are open to allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us in this journey of learning more truth…there is the promise of greater freedom to experience as we come to ‘know the truth’ (John 8:32,36). In the story of Job, we begin to see a clear picture of what happens when God ‘rem...
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