Question:
Matthew 6 verse 19 says , do not lay up treasures for yourself on earth... Does this mean we should not save up our money in savings accounts or in pennny banks or jars hiding under our beds etc...
Answer:
The Bible is the word of God and it speaks meaningfully to our life situation. But in order to understand the message of the Bible we need to interpret it accurately. Sometimes the Bible uses figurative language to compare things which is allowed in any literature. Such words cannot be taken literally.
We need to understand Matt 6:19 in light of Matt 6:21 which says "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Jesus is certainly not against wealth or earning money. But here he is just warning about not being carried away by the love of money or set your priority on it. Money is a good servant but a terrible master. We need to use money wisely recognizing we are God's stewards. Rather than merely accumulating material wealth we need to understand there is a heavenly bank account where rewards for our good deeds done here on earth gets credited. This means we need to live not just for the present but in light of eternity.
So we cannot extend the meaning of the verse to say that Christians should not save money at all. It was certainly not Jesus' intention. When our hearts are set on God and not on material things we are in the right track irrespective of our material status in life.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Jesus our Creator
Question: Is Jesus Christ our Creator?
Answer:
Yes, the Bible very clearly says that Jesus is our Creator. While Genesis 1:1 states, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," Scripture shows that the second person of the Godhood, Jesus, did the actual work of creation.
Many verses in the New Testament support this fact. John 1:1-3 says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." Again Colossians 1:16 says referring to Christ, "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him." God the Father used God the Son to create this world.
Jesus is not a created being. He is eternal and has always existed. He Himself is the Creator of all things. Jesus accomplished what His Father wanted Him to do and therefore it is right to call Him the Author of Creation.
Answer:
Yes, the Bible very clearly says that Jesus is our Creator. While Genesis 1:1 states, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," Scripture shows that the second person of the Godhood, Jesus, did the actual work of creation.
Many verses in the New Testament support this fact. John 1:1-3 says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." Again Colossians 1:16 says referring to Christ, "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him." God the Father used God the Son to create this world.
Jesus is not a created being. He is eternal and has always existed. He Himself is the Creator of all things. Jesus accomplished what His Father wanted Him to do and therefore it is right to call Him the Author of Creation.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
God's Judgement
Question
Pharaoh ordered the midwives to kill any male child at birth and let the females live. Why did God allow all the first born of egypt to be killed when what pharaoh did was evil?
Answer
Pharaoh's command to kill the male Hebrew children is certainly an act of evil. He did this because he could no longer trust the Egyptian midwives. It was an act of gross murder which deserved punishment. Pharaoh did this in order to prevent the people of God from growing in numbers.
We cannot compare Pharaoh's evil act of killing Hebrew children with God's act judgment that resulted in the killing of the first born child of all of Egypt. God's judgment is always righteous and just. God never does injustice. When God sent the angel of death to move over the land it was the final plague to teach Pharaoh and the Egyptians a lesson for their stubborn disobedience. God also made a provision for His own people to escape the judgement by asking them to apply lamb's blood on their doorposts. It was God's execution of judgment on those who opposed Him and extension of mercy to those who trusted in Him.
There is clearly a parallel here between this scene in the book of Exodus with the final judgment of God when Jesus Christ returns. Everyone who comes under the protection of the blood of Jesus Christ by trusting in Him will escape the wrath of God. The rest of them will face God's wrath on the day of judgement. God's judgment and wrath also indicates His perfections and cannot be termed as injustice. God’s holiness demands that the world be punished for their sins. No one can complain against God’s standard of judgment.
Pharaoh ordered the midwives to kill any male child at birth and let the females live. Why did God allow all the first born of egypt to be killed when what pharaoh did was evil?
Answer
Pharaoh's command to kill the male Hebrew children is certainly an act of evil. He did this because he could no longer trust the Egyptian midwives. It was an act of gross murder which deserved punishment. Pharaoh did this in order to prevent the people of God from growing in numbers.
We cannot compare Pharaoh's evil act of killing Hebrew children with God's act judgment that resulted in the killing of the first born child of all of Egypt. God's judgment is always righteous and just. God never does injustice. When God sent the angel of death to move over the land it was the final plague to teach Pharaoh and the Egyptians a lesson for their stubborn disobedience. God also made a provision for His own people to escape the judgement by asking them to apply lamb's blood on their doorposts. It was God's execution of judgment on those who opposed Him and extension of mercy to those who trusted in Him.
There is clearly a parallel here between this scene in the book of Exodus with the final judgment of God when Jesus Christ returns. Everyone who comes under the protection of the blood of Jesus Christ by trusting in Him will escape the wrath of God. The rest of them will face God's wrath on the day of judgement. God's judgment and wrath also indicates His perfections and cannot be termed as injustice. God’s holiness demands that the world be punished for their sins. No one can complain against God’s standard of judgment.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Paul's Burden
Question: In Romans 9:3 why would Paul rather lose his salvation for the sake of his brothers?
Answer:
Paul was deeply burdened by the fact that that Israelites had rejected Jesus Christ as the Messiah. They were cut off from God by virtue of rejecting His offer of love. Paul had a great longing in his heart to see them come to Christ. In order to express this pain he states in Rom 9:3, "For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race,".
What Paul means is that he would do anything in order to see his own people come to Christ. If need be he would give up his own salvation, his most prized possession in order to see his people get saved. It is just a style of language to show his deep concern and willingness to do anything for his people. Paul was expressing the deep anguish of his heart. It is similar to Moses when he told the LORD in Exodus 32:32 to blot out his name for the sake of his people. It is truly amazing to see Paul's burden and commitment to see the lost come to the saving knowledge of Christ.
Answer:
Paul was deeply burdened by the fact that that Israelites had rejected Jesus Christ as the Messiah. They were cut off from God by virtue of rejecting His offer of love. Paul had a great longing in his heart to see them come to Christ. In order to express this pain he states in Rom 9:3, "For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race,".
What Paul means is that he would do anything in order to see his own people come to Christ. If need be he would give up his own salvation, his most prized possession in order to see his people get saved. It is just a style of language to show his deep concern and willingness to do anything for his people. Paul was expressing the deep anguish of his heart. It is similar to Moses when he told the LORD in Exodus 32:32 to blot out his name for the sake of his people. It is truly amazing to see Paul's burden and commitment to see the lost come to the saving knowledge of Christ.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Praying for a Dead Person
Question:
Is it right for Christians to do a 40 day prayer when family members die in remembrance of Jesus' ascension and to have yearly death prayers for them.
Answer:
Thank you so much for your question. There are no Scriptural recommendations regarding praying for the dead for 40 days or having yearly death prayers. Just because Jesus' Ascension happened after 40 days doesn't mean the souls of Christians who die today will have to wait for the same period of time before going to God. Paul clearly said in 2 Cor 5:8, "We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord."
In fact we should never pray for the dead person's soul/spirit because our prayers will have no effect on them. Many people falsely believe that when they pray for the dead they will be taken from the place of torment to heaven. This is totally an unscriptural idea. Our prayers will not determine whether the departed soul will go to heaven or hell. Prayer is a means of getting God's will done on earth. It does not have an effect on the person who has left the earthly realm.
Having said that, there is nothing wrong in remembering the dead person and acknowledging the fact that we miss them. We can thank God for bringing that person into our life and the lessons we have learnt from them. Such a prayer as you see will not affect the eternal destiny of the departed loved one.
Is it right for Christians to do a 40 day prayer when family members die in remembrance of Jesus' ascension and to have yearly death prayers for them.
Answer:
Thank you so much for your question. There are no Scriptural recommendations regarding praying for the dead for 40 days or having yearly death prayers. Just because Jesus' Ascension happened after 40 days doesn't mean the souls of Christians who die today will have to wait for the same period of time before going to God. Paul clearly said in 2 Cor 5:8, "We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord."
In fact we should never pray for the dead person's soul/spirit because our prayers will have no effect on them. Many people falsely believe that when they pray for the dead they will be taken from the place of torment to heaven. This is totally an unscriptural idea. Our prayers will not determine whether the departed soul will go to heaven or hell. Prayer is a means of getting God's will done on earth. It does not have an effect on the person who has left the earthly realm.
Having said that, there is nothing wrong in remembering the dead person and acknowledging the fact that we miss them. We can thank God for bringing that person into our life and the lessons we have learnt from them. Such a prayer as you see will not affect the eternal destiny of the departed loved one.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Sin and Punishment
Question: If you don't believe you deserve punishment for your sin are you really saved? Because we were born sinners, i don believe that we deserve it because we cannot change the fact that we are sinners.
Answers:
When we use the word 'we are saved' we have to ask ourselves the question 'What are we saved from?' We can understand the good news of salvation only in light of the bad news. If there is no punishment for sins, then our salvation loses its meaning. When we say 'we are saved' we are stating that we are saved from sin, darkness, and destruction because of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ died in our place and took the punishment that we deserve for our sins.The Bible says in Rom 3:23,"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,". Again it says in Rom 6:23,"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." So it is obvious from the Scripture that we deserve condemnation for our sins and we have to believe what the Bible says because it is the word of God. It may go against our sentiments and may even offend us but we have to humble ourselves and accept what God has to say in His word.
It is true that the only criteria for salvation is faith in Christ and all we have to do is to trust in Christ alone in order to be saved. But when we believe we need Jesus Christ in order to be saved we are also assuming that a person is lost without Jesus. Otherwise, the choice to follow Jesus Christ does not make sense. If sin does not deserve punishment Jesus would not have left His heavenly kingdom and come into this world as a man and die on the cross.
Even though we are born with a sinful nature, yet we cannot excuse or justify ourselves for the personal sins we commit. We are accountable to God for our actions and without Christ all people are lost. It is in light of this grim and sobering message the light of the gospel emerges and shines so brilliantly. We don't have to die in our sins, we can have life through Jesus Christ.
Answers:
When we use the word 'we are saved' we have to ask ourselves the question 'What are we saved from?' We can understand the good news of salvation only in light of the bad news. If there is no punishment for sins, then our salvation loses its meaning. When we say 'we are saved' we are stating that we are saved from sin, darkness, and destruction because of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ died in our place and took the punishment that we deserve for our sins.The Bible says in Rom 3:23,"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,". Again it says in Rom 6:23,"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." So it is obvious from the Scripture that we deserve condemnation for our sins and we have to believe what the Bible says because it is the word of God. It may go against our sentiments and may even offend us but we have to humble ourselves and accept what God has to say in His word.
It is true that the only criteria for salvation is faith in Christ and all we have to do is to trust in Christ alone in order to be saved. But when we believe we need Jesus Christ in order to be saved we are also assuming that a person is lost without Jesus. Otherwise, the choice to follow Jesus Christ does not make sense. If sin does not deserve punishment Jesus would not have left His heavenly kingdom and come into this world as a man and die on the cross.
Even though we are born with a sinful nature, yet we cannot excuse or justify ourselves for the personal sins we commit. We are accountable to God for our actions and without Christ all people are lost. It is in light of this grim and sobering message the light of the gospel emerges and shines so brilliantly. We don't have to die in our sins, we can have life through Jesus Christ.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Christian Prize
Question: Can you please explain what Paul means by running a race in order to win the prize in 1 Cor 9:24-27?
Answer:
Paul is talking here about rewards which will be given to all believers in heaven. When the Bible writers use figures of speech we have to be careful not to always interpret it literally. It will lead to major Hermeneutical problems. Usually, the figure of speech highlights certain truths.We have to be careful not to draw anything more than what the writer intended.
Paul compares the Christian life to a race. The prize here is referring to the rewards in store for us. So just as an athlete trains himself, endures hardships and disciplines his body to win the race in the same way Paul expects Christians to work for their rewards. Our salvation is a free gift; we do not earn it. It is freely available to all of us who have trusted in Christ. But the Bible teaches that we have to earn our rewards. On the basis of our life here on earth the Lord will evaluate us and distribute rewards accordingly. If the athlete works so hard for a perishable crown how much more we as Christians need to work in order to earn an imperishable crown! It should motivate us to work for God's kingdom and live a life that honours Him because we will be rewarded accordingly. Every sacrifice we make for God, every good deed or act of kindness is being noticed. While the Bible is not very clear about the nature of rewards we can be sure that God has something special in store for us. So we have to persevere in the race of life with the expectation that we will be rewarded one day!
Answer:
Paul is talking here about rewards which will be given to all believers in heaven. When the Bible writers use figures of speech we have to be careful not to always interpret it literally. It will lead to major Hermeneutical problems. Usually, the figure of speech highlights certain truths.We have to be careful not to draw anything more than what the writer intended.
Paul compares the Christian life to a race. The prize here is referring to the rewards in store for us. So just as an athlete trains himself, endures hardships and disciplines his body to win the race in the same way Paul expects Christians to work for their rewards. Our salvation is a free gift; we do not earn it. It is freely available to all of us who have trusted in Christ. But the Bible teaches that we have to earn our rewards. On the basis of our life here on earth the Lord will evaluate us and distribute rewards accordingly. If the athlete works so hard for a perishable crown how much more we as Christians need to work in order to earn an imperishable crown! It should motivate us to work for God's kingdom and live a life that honours Him because we will be rewarded accordingly. Every sacrifice we make for God, every good deed or act of kindness is being noticed. While the Bible is not very clear about the nature of rewards we can be sure that God has something special in store for us. So we have to persevere in the race of life with the expectation that we will be rewarded one day!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Sovereignty of God in NT
Question: Is God in control of everything? because i can not find it anywhere in the new testament in my bible.
Answer:
The Bible clearly presents God as Sovereign and in total control over all things. Nothing can happen in this world without God's permission. It is because God is the ultimate ruler over His creation. It is true that there are many references in the Old Testament which clearly speak on the Sovereignty of God and His rulership over all creation.
The word Almighty itself means 'one who has power over everything', in other words the one in total control. The title Almighty occurs many times in the book of Revelation. Even otherwise, we see the fact that God is in control over all things in the Gospels through the life of Jesus and the book of Acts in how God directs all things.
Ephesians 1:11 emphatically says God works all things according to His will. So we can be rest assured that our God is in control over all things and the teachings of God's Sovereignty in the Old Testament is approved and sustained in the New Testament.
Answer:
The Bible clearly presents God as Sovereign and in total control over all things. Nothing can happen in this world without God's permission. It is because God is the ultimate ruler over His creation. It is true that there are many references in the Old Testament which clearly speak on the Sovereignty of God and His rulership over all creation.
The word Almighty itself means 'one who has power over everything', in other words the one in total control. The title Almighty occurs many times in the book of Revelation. Even otherwise, we see the fact that God is in control over all things in the Gospels through the life of Jesus and the book of Acts in how God directs all things.
Ephesians 1:11 emphatically says God works all things according to His will. So we can be rest assured that our God is in control over all things and the teachings of God's Sovereignty in the Old Testament is approved and sustained in the New Testament.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Priority
Question: What does it meen to put God first, and how do you do that?
When we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour He comes into our life. God is not someone who is far away but He is deeply interested in every area of our life. He is concerned about every decision we come. The Bible teaches about the Lordship of Christ in the lives of the believers.
When Jesus is our Lord we give Him the total control of our life. That means we put God first over everything else. Normally, people put their interests above everything else. But as Christians we have to give priority to God's interests even if it is at the expense of our own interests. Jesus affects the way we live our life radically. He calls us to align our life according to His will and His word. One may think that the Christian life is so boring because we have no place for ourselves. But sooner we will realize that our life becomes so exciting and meaningful when we learn to give God the priority over everything else and die to our 'self'. When God takes the centrestage we will be full of His joy and peace. None of us are perfect and therefore we will fail sometimes because the flesh within us is still active. But we will slowly progress in our spiritual maturity and learn to yield more and more to Christ.
When we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour He comes into our life. God is not someone who is far away but He is deeply interested in every area of our life. He is concerned about every decision we come. The Bible teaches about the Lordship of Christ in the lives of the believers.
When Jesus is our Lord we give Him the total control of our life. That means we put God first over everything else. Normally, people put their interests above everything else. But as Christians we have to give priority to God's interests even if it is at the expense of our own interests. Jesus affects the way we live our life radically. He calls us to align our life according to His will and His word. One may think that the Christian life is so boring because we have no place for ourselves. But sooner we will realize that our life becomes so exciting and meaningful when we learn to give God the priority over everything else and die to our 'self'. When God takes the centrestage we will be full of His joy and peace. None of us are perfect and therefore we will fail sometimes because the flesh within us is still active. But we will slowly progress in our spiritual maturity and learn to yield more and more to Christ.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Miscellaneous
Isn't it unjust to let someone suffer for the sins others did? It is not our fault that Adam sinned so why are we guilty of it? What is the relationship between god and Isa? Why is the holy spirit included in the trinity?
Answer:
Let me answer your questions one by one. Many persons suffering the consequences of one person's act of sin seems like injustice in our eyes. But we see it in our day to day life all the time. The very nature of sin is destructive and therefore because of one person's sin many do end up paying the price. When a husband is an alcoholic the wife and the children suffer because of it. When one terrorist gets brainwashed with false teachings many people die. A drunkard riding a car rashly ends up killing an innocent mother. Such instances in day to day life tells us that when one person commits a serious sin it is inevitable to prevent the consequences of that sin from affecting others.
Adam was a representative of the entire human race and therefore his act of disobedience affected the whole human race. On the other hand Jesus Christ also became a human being and paid for the sins of the entire human race so that all of us can receive the benefit of His act of obedience.
I assume by Isa you mean Jesus Christ. This will help me to answer your second and third question together. The Bible presents God as a triune person. God is one but He has revealed Himself in the form of three distinct persons - Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three of them are part of the Godhead and are equal to each other and same in essence. But they are distinct in personality. Jesus Christ is God and so is the Holy Spirit. It is not that we have included them in the Trinity. Our Triune God has always existed from everlasting to everlasting in this manner. While the Christian faith is Theistic (belief in one God) but yet we believe in the Trinity. Our One God has revealed Himself in three persons.
Answer:
Let me answer your questions one by one. Many persons suffering the consequences of one person's act of sin seems like injustice in our eyes. But we see it in our day to day life all the time. The very nature of sin is destructive and therefore because of one person's sin many do end up paying the price. When a husband is an alcoholic the wife and the children suffer because of it. When one terrorist gets brainwashed with false teachings many people die. A drunkard riding a car rashly ends up killing an innocent mother. Such instances in day to day life tells us that when one person commits a serious sin it is inevitable to prevent the consequences of that sin from affecting others.
Adam was a representative of the entire human race and therefore his act of disobedience affected the whole human race. On the other hand Jesus Christ also became a human being and paid for the sins of the entire human race so that all of us can receive the benefit of His act of obedience.
I assume by Isa you mean Jesus Christ. This will help me to answer your second and third question together. The Bible presents God as a triune person. God is one but He has revealed Himself in the form of three distinct persons - Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three of them are part of the Godhead and are equal to each other and same in essence. But they are distinct in personality. Jesus Christ is God and so is the Holy Spirit. It is not that we have included them in the Trinity. Our Triune God has always existed from everlasting to everlasting in this manner. While the Christian faith is Theistic (belief in one God) but yet we believe in the Trinity. Our One God has revealed Himself in three persons.
Eternal Security
Salvation is granted as a gift, not because of our deeds. As such it does not depend on our acts, so we cannot lose it by because of our acts.
Now a second case. If it is given as a gift, can the Almighty father take that gift away from us? What if the basis on which the gift is granted changes? We get gift of salvation because we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. What if we stop believing in him?
For example there is a person, who at the age of 25 comes to the lord and as such receives salvation. Then till the day he dies he commits crimes over crimes. He rapes women, kills children spread hate. By the time he dies, he has long stopped believing in Christ. Will he still have salvation?
Help me understand this.
Answer:
Thank you so much for your insightful question. One of the major difficulties people have in believing in the doctrine of eternal security is not because we do not have enough verses supporting it in the Bible. On the other hand our difficulty comes from our experience because some time or the other we have seen a person who professed he is a believer but turned away from the faith. Once we understand the truth of God’s word correctly we will be able to overcome such doubts that come forth from our experiences.
The Bible says in Eph 2:8, “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not by works, so that no one can boast.” The tense of the phrase ‘you have been saved’ suggests a completed action with emphasis on its present effect. No human effort contributes to salvation but it is entirely a gift of God. The source of our salvation is the grace of God. Our faith is only a channel of our salvation and certainly not the cause. Because salvation originates from God, He is the one who begins it and completes it. So Paul says in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” God takes the responsibility of completing the salvation work he has started in us. That is why a believer’s salvation is secure and cannot be lost. The entire package of salvation including our faith which functions as a channel to receive it is a gift of God.
Now what about some people who seem to have trusted in Christ and lose their way after a while and backslide totally? First of all, we need to understand what ‘believing in Christ’ really means. Our faith in Christ is not just a mere intellectual experience but an experience that brings a radical transformation. The Bible uses the term ‘born again’ to describe a person who has trusted in Christ and received the gift of salvation. God Himself declares him as righteous and makes him a part of His family. Now true belief is evidenced in the works or good deeds of an individual. The Book of James deals with this issue. A person who considers having faith but does not demonstrate it in his life has never really trusted in Christ. (James 2) It is not a true faith but a mere emotional experience without a genuine change of heart. So faith in Christ is authenticated by righteous deeds. A saved person has a transformed heart and he can never go back to a life of ongoing sin. The security of a believer’s salvation does not give us a licence to sin. It rather should cause us to fall on our knees before God with gratitude. The person whom you cited as an example who got saved at the age of 25 and commits crime after crime has never really trusted in Christ because a true believer can never commit such terrible acts of sin without feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit who lives within him. A truly born again person who has received God’s grace will not lose his salvation. Even if he were to fall God promises to bring him back (Jude 24,25). The Lord is our Shepherd and the job of the Shepherd is to bring back the wandering sheep.
Jesus said it so clearly in John 10:27-29, “27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[d]; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30I and the Father are one."
Our salvation is secure because it does not lie in our hands but it is safe and secure in the hand of a God who keeps His promises.
Now a second case. If it is given as a gift, can the Almighty father take that gift away from us? What if the basis on which the gift is granted changes? We get gift of salvation because we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. What if we stop believing in him?
For example there is a person, who at the age of 25 comes to the lord and as such receives salvation. Then till the day he dies he commits crimes over crimes. He rapes women, kills children spread hate. By the time he dies, he has long stopped believing in Christ. Will he still have salvation?
Help me understand this.
Answer:
Thank you so much for your insightful question. One of the major difficulties people have in believing in the doctrine of eternal security is not because we do not have enough verses supporting it in the Bible. On the other hand our difficulty comes from our experience because some time or the other we have seen a person who professed he is a believer but turned away from the faith. Once we understand the truth of God’s word correctly we will be able to overcome such doubts that come forth from our experiences.
The Bible says in Eph 2:8, “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not by works, so that no one can boast.” The tense of the phrase ‘you have been saved’ suggests a completed action with emphasis on its present effect. No human effort contributes to salvation but it is entirely a gift of God. The source of our salvation is the grace of God. Our faith is only a channel of our salvation and certainly not the cause. Because salvation originates from God, He is the one who begins it and completes it. So Paul says in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” God takes the responsibility of completing the salvation work he has started in us. That is why a believer’s salvation is secure and cannot be lost. The entire package of salvation including our faith which functions as a channel to receive it is a gift of God.
Now what about some people who seem to have trusted in Christ and lose their way after a while and backslide totally? First of all, we need to understand what ‘believing in Christ’ really means. Our faith in Christ is not just a mere intellectual experience but an experience that brings a radical transformation. The Bible uses the term ‘born again’ to describe a person who has trusted in Christ and received the gift of salvation. God Himself declares him as righteous and makes him a part of His family. Now true belief is evidenced in the works or good deeds of an individual. The Book of James deals with this issue. A person who considers having faith but does not demonstrate it in his life has never really trusted in Christ. (James 2) It is not a true faith but a mere emotional experience without a genuine change of heart. So faith in Christ is authenticated by righteous deeds. A saved person has a transformed heart and he can never go back to a life of ongoing sin. The security of a believer’s salvation does not give us a licence to sin. It rather should cause us to fall on our knees before God with gratitude. The person whom you cited as an example who got saved at the age of 25 and commits crime after crime has never really trusted in Christ because a true believer can never commit such terrible acts of sin without feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit who lives within him. A truly born again person who has received God’s grace will not lose his salvation. Even if he were to fall God promises to bring him back (Jude 24,25). The Lord is our Shepherd and the job of the Shepherd is to bring back the wandering sheep.
Jesus said it so clearly in John 10:27-29, “27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[d]; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30I and the Father are one."
Our salvation is secure because it does not lie in our hands but it is safe and secure in the hand of a God who keeps His promises.
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