Free Republic

In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features save for the mysterious array of black filing cabinets. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endlessly in either direction, had very different headings. As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read “Girls I Have Liked.” I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to...

Question: "Is eternal security a "license" to sin?" Answer: The most frequent objection to the doctrine of eternal security is that it supposedly allows people to live any way that they want and still be saved. While this may be "technically" true, it is not true in reality. A person who has truly been redeemed by Jesus Christ will not live a life characterized by continuous, willful sin. We must draw a distinction between how a Christian should live and what a person must do in order to receive salvation. The Bible is clear that salvation is by grace alone,...

Question: "Can a Christian lose salvation?"Answer: First, the term Christian must be defined. A “Christian” is not a person who has said a prayer or walked down an aisle or been raised in a Christian family. While each of these things can be a part of the Christian experience, they are not what makes a Christian. A Christian is a person who has fully trusted in Jesus Christ as the only Savior and therefore possesses the Holy Spirit (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8–9). So, with this definition in mind, can a Christian lose salvation? It’s a crucially important question....

Once upon a time, Groucho Marx hosted the popular game show, “You Bet Your Life.” At the start of the show, a “secret word” was revealed to the studio audience. If a contestant said the word during the course of the show, a reward would descend from the rafters (a one hundred dollar bill). Whether we know it or not, we are all, Christians and non-Christians alike, contestants in the spiritual equivalent of “You Bet Your Life.” If we bet wisely, our reward is eternal life. But if we bet foolishly, we condemn ourselves to eternal damnation. That brings to...

A recent sermon by Pastor David Jeremiah has been weighing heavily upon my mind. He recounted the true-life story of contemporaries William Franklin Graham and Charles Templeton, up and coming young evangelists who began their ministries during the 1940s. Most thought Templeton, rather than Graham, would achieve greater things in the name of the Lord. But, in fact, the former fell away from his Christian faith – actually declaring himself atheist – while the great Billy Graham remained a good and faithful servant of the Most High. Pastor Jeremiah shared the story of Graham and Templeton to remind his congregation...

For those of you who have not been following the dialogue Chris Redford and I have been having, this is the 2nd part of a series of answers Chris, an atheist, gave to questions about his beliefs. He chose to answer as he would have answered when he was a youth attending an Assembly of God church and as an atheist. The difficulty with this Sisyphean approach is the assumption that he can answer and "defend" a position he no longer holds. It is one thing to tell somebody what you believed, it is a whole other thing to...

Thank, you, Brother and Sister Hudson for coming to Akron. As St. Paul stated, that no matter how the Gospel is delivered, I am thankful, even if I do not agree with, maybe, some of your message. None of us Christians agree in entirety with another Christian's theology. I hope you are successful in delivering the milk of the wonderful Gospel message to the young teens in our area, many of whom will be in the pews because of your daughter Katy Perry's stardom. Of course, I hope that these same kids will be taught not to revere Katy even...

Is eternal security a "license" to sin? Question: "Is eternal security a "license" to sin?" Answer: The most frequent objection to the doctrine of eternal security is that it supposedly promotes the idea that Christians can live any way that they want to - and still be saved. While this is "technically" true, that is not the "essence" of eternal security. A person who has truly accepted Jesus Christ as his or her Savior "can" live a sinful life - but he or she "will" not do so. We must draw a distinction between how a Christian should live -...

No Condemnation: A New Theology of Assurance. Michael Eaton. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1995. 261 pp. Paper, $16.99. In a postscript to his commentary, Ecclesiastes (IVP), Eaton concluded by citing the words of Luke in Acts 17:32-34: Some . . . sneered . . . others said, 'We want to hear you again,' . . . A few . . . believed. I believe the responses to his new book will draw the same diversity. Many will sneer, others will want to know more and still others will consider the evidence and believe, as a scholar from the Reformed...

ETERNAL SECURITY IS ONLY FOR THOSE WHO OBEY J. Grant Swank, Jr., POB l984, Windham ME 04062 Pastor, New Hope Church, Windham ME The popular Calvinistic teaching of eternal security is colloquially referred to as "once saved, always saved." That is, one cannot lose one's salvation once being saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. In other words, once one becomes saved, he cannot be "unsaved." He is locked into salvation / heaven forever, even if he should so decide at some point that he does not wish to go to heaven. Further, once one is saved, free will ceases...