Blessed Assurance

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/BlessedAssurance.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Hebrews 10:19-26   I.         If you died at this very moment, would the Lord place you in Heaven or Hell?             A.        Most would answer, “I hope it would be in Heaven.”             B.        Yet the answer lacks confidence. They are not certain.             C.        But why not? Who else would know of your standing before…

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The Song “Blessed Assurance”

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I.         This song declares the praises of our Savior             A.        What is meant by saying this is my story?             B.        The foundation of this song is II Corinthians 3:1-6                         1.         The Christians in Corinth were the living proof of the work of the apostle Paul.                         2.         They have confidence towards God, not from themselves, but from…

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Doubts

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Doubts.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Jeremiah 17:5-8   I.         I had the opportunity to study with a member of the International Church of Christ.             A.        Many of their core beliefs are similar to our own, but they diverge from the plain teachings of the Scriptures in a number of significant ways.             B.        While researching their beliefs and…

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Reclaiming John 10:28

by Matthew W. Bassford It is sad but true that often, the most emphatic refutation of doctrinal error is another error. Consider, for instance, Martin Luther’s reaction to the Renaissance Catholic practice of selling indulgences. He objected, and rightly so, to the notion that we could purchase our salvation, whether with money or with righteous…

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Our Security in Christ

by Edward O. Bragwell In our Grace – Obedience – Fellowship discussions, we are often told that without those in Christ being continuously cleansed of sin (even as they sin) we can have no real sense of security in Him. It goes something like this: It must be that God forgives us as we sin…

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Is Salvation Assured?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/IsSalvationAssured.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I John 2:15-25   I.         During the Reformation, a man named John Calvin came up with a system of belief that has impacted a large portion of the denominational world.             A.        The ideas were not original with Calvin. He based his work on many that preceded him.             B.        What Calvin did was…

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Assurance of Our Salvation

by Bryan Sharp “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that…

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Doubting Your Salvation

by Clem Thurman via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 58, No. 8, Feb. 20, 2009. QUESTION: Would you please explain I John 3:20,21? ANSWER: John wrote: “Because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemns us not, we have boldness toward God” (I John 3:20,21).…

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The Search for Assurance

by Paul Earnhart It was a discussion between preacher friends.  We were wrestling with the question of how confident Christians ought to be, moment by moment, about their salvation. Some were arguing for absolute assurance, others for a more cautious one. There is perhaps no concern that weaves its way so pervasively through the history…

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I John 3:19-24: Our Assurance

by Ethan R. Longhenry “Hereby shall we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before him: because if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God; and whatsoever we ask we receive…

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The Security of the Believer

by Robert F. Turner via Guardian of Truth, October 1985 There seems to be a resurgence of interest in “security” perhaps due to emphasis upon “grace” and both subjects are worthy of our consideration. Because of earlier battles with Calvinists on grace, faith only, and “once saved, always saved,” certain prejudices adhere to the very words…

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