Posts Tagged ‘salvation’
God Appeared in the Flesh
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/God-Appeared-in-the-Flesh.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Timothy 3:14-16 I. Before the first century ended, several varieties of false teachings arose. A. One set has been referred to as the gnostics. The name derives from the Greek word for “knowledge.” – I Timothy 6:20-21 B. These were a diverse group, but they were tied by a belief…
Read MoreChrist, the Conqueror
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Christ-the-Conqueror.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 110 I. The Jews long looked for the Messiah of God A. They saw him as a leader, like David, who would throw out the oppressive Gentiles and restore Israel to its glory days B. However, Jesus was not the conqueror they expected 1. They even tried to force Jesus and…
Read MoreWill Only Members of the Church of Christ Be Saved?
by Jeff Cavender via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 1, March 31, 1989 While talking to some friends, I stated that I attended worship services at a local church of Christ when one of them asked, “Is that the group that believes that only the members of the church of Christ will be saved?” I…
Read MoreCan We Be Sure We Are Saved?
by Sewell Hall via Gospel Guardian, 23 December 1965 Many people spend much time worrying about whether they are saved. Some believe that salvation involves some miraculous “better-felt-than-told” work of God within their fleshly heart, and they spend a lot of time trying to interpret the past events of their lives to determine if this…
Read MoreWithout Christ, All Are Lost
by Floyd Chappalear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 13, No. 4, 1987 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). That love was shown by Jesus Christ when he willingly died for all mankind, even those who participated in his crucifixion. While we were yet…
Read MoreGod’s Plan for Our Salvation
by Stephen Harper God, “according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (II Timothy 1:9), had a plan for our salvation, and Jesus Christ “was foreordained before the foundation of the world” (I Peter 1:20) as the sacrifice for our sins. This plan, though, was…
Read MoreWhy Didn’t He Save?
by Chadwick Brewer Often, we hear people lament the loss of a loved one. They are hurting and mourning the loss of those they hold dear, and they struggle with the question of why Christ would not take away the pain, suffering, and loss – especially when He had done so for others while He…
Read MoreThis Generation
by David Gibson Bad News! Jesus assessed the Jews of His day as “this adulterous and sinful generation” (Mark 8:38), “this evil generation” (Matthew 12:45), and “O faithless and twisted generation” (Matthew 17:17). Note the pejoratives: adulterous, sinful, evil, faithless, twisted. The Great Physician has pointedly and accurately diagnosed the fatal malady of our fallen human condition,…
Read MoreThe Problem and Solution
by Doy Moyer Some people are particularly good at troubleshooting problems. Whether electronics, cars, or engaging in household fixes, some just have that knack for figuring out what is wrong and then finding the solution to fix it. We need people like this in service positions. We need them in businesses. We need them in…
Read MoreSpiritual Israel
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Spiritual-Israel.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Galatians 6:12-18 I. I ran across someone claiming that there is no spiritual Israel, that all references to Israel are to the physical nation. A. From this position, he claimed that the kingdom was postponed because of Israel’s unbelief. B. He claims that physical Israel doesn’t exist today but…
Read MoreAssurance of Salvation
by Terry Wane Benton “So, any Christian who keeps the faith never has to be worried about their salvation. Once Saved, Always Saved is not in the Bible. Assurance of salvation is. We can know that we have eternal life” [from a comment received]. The key here is “keeping the faith.” If you keep the…
Read MoreWork Out Your Own Salvation
by Terry Wane Benton Paul encouraged the brethren at Philippi to continue obeying as they had in the past to work out their own salvation (Philippians 2:12). This did not mean that they were to work it out on their own, earning or meriting their way to heaven without provisions of grace from the Lord.…
Read MoreI Never Knew You
by Terry Wane Benton Jesus said that some religious people who believed in Him and thought of themselves as doing things “in His name” would be surprised on the day of judgment about what He would say to them. “Not everyone who says to Me,’Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who…
Read MoreGod’s Invitation
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Gods-Invitation.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Isaiah 1:16-20 I. As mentioned in the text, God offers invitations to people to examine what He is able to provide A. Jesus gave a similar invitation – Matthew 11:28-30 II. No one has to be lost A. Everyone sins – Romans 3:23 B. And the result is that we die…
Read MoreMaking Reservations
by Terry Wane Benton When we plan an important trip, we know it is important to make reservations. We have made some trips without good planning and spent time looking for hotels that were disasters. We cannot go to heaven by rejecting Jesus all of our lives, and then, just before we die, we want…
Read MoreJustified then Sanctified?
by Perry Hall For those who don’t consider baptism the point at which God grants us His grace but rather an outward sign of inward grace, some propose moving baptism from the justification column to the sanctification column. Here are two problems with that. First, the scriptural problem considering Scripture is our authority. Notice how…
Read MoreThe Purpose of the Birth of Jesus
by Terry Wane Benton Jesus was born to bring about our salvation and reconciliation with God by means of His death and resurrection. He was born to provide a pardon for sin on condition of repentance of sin and baptism into union with Him, which begins a walk of fellowship with Him (Acts 2:37-41; Romans…
Read MoreThe Call to Act
by Orlando Gonzalez Conversion stories are quite fascinating to hear, aren’t they? For me, I’ve heard my fair share of interesting stories. I have heard of men who used to be devout worldly religious members of certain denominations who were fully convinced that they were right with God. Still, when they came into contact with…
Read MoreSimplifying the Thief on the Cross
by Perry Hall Forget for now that the thief lived and died under the Mosaical Law, and Jesus’s Covenant didn’t become effective until after He died (Hebrews 9:16-28). Forget for now that we don’t know if the thief had been previously baptized by either John or Jesus’s apostles before he was captured and condemned. Many…
Read MoreSalvation: Light and Glory
by Doy Moyer Shortly after Jesus’ birth, His parents took Him to the temple “to present Him to the Lord.” There was a righteous and devout man, Simeon, upon whom was the Holy Spirit and who was “waiting for the consolation of Israel.” The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not see…
Read MoreYour Faith Has Made You Well
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Your-Faith-Has-Made-You-Well.mp3 Download Audio by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 18:35-43 I. While looking at some of the miracles of Jesus in order to answer a question, I noticed something that I had not seen before A. If you look at the various miracles, you soon realize that faith on the part of the person being healed…
Read MoreMiraculous Gifts
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Miraculous-Gifts.mp3 Download Audio by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Acts 3:1-11 I. For decades many of the traditional denominations have been in decline. A. The more liberal the beliefs, the larger the decline. Those espousing conservative views show some growth. But the ones showing strong growth are the charismatic groups B. Name the largest groups in a region,…
Read MoreThe SAME as They
by Terry Wane Benton “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are” (Acts 15:11). The Jews and Gentiles are saved the same way by the same gospel (Romans 1:16-17). There is no difference between the gospel to the Jews and the…
Read MoreWe Depend on God’s Grace for Salvation
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/We-Depend-on-Gods-Grace-for-Salvation.mp3 by Raymond Warfel [The first passage was Acts 15:6-11]
Read MoreI Hate Death
by Zeke Flores I hate death. Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash Yet, it’s all around us. My office is in a building across the street from a city cemetery, and it’s not unusual to see mourners sitting and weeping at the graves of their loved ones days, weeks, and even months after they’ve passed…
Read MoreIs There Just One Way?
by Perry Hall Is there only one way to God? Contrary to popular thought and recent comments made by the head of the Catholic Church, Jesus is the only way. But do we deeply understand what that means? Jesus is called the Way (John 14:6), and Jesus’s followers were so identified with their Lord that…
Read MoreI can’t grasp the concept of grace and that I don’t need to punish myself to be forgiven
Question: Hello sir, I have questions about sin, repentance, and the importance of confession and restitution. I love your website, and I admire your wisdom and helping others, which are completely backed up by Scripture. Your input would be greatly appreciated, sir. I also hope that by asking these questions, I will help others on…
Read MoreGod’s Remedy for Sin
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Gods-Remedy-for-Sin.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Isaiah 58:1-11 I. In our Scripture reading, God has Isaiah loudly proclaim the sins of His people. A. A fact that surprises the Israelites. 1. They delight in knowing God. They consider themselves righteous and followers of God’s Word. 2. They delight in the nearest of God, but God doesn’t…
Read MoreRoles in Salvation
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2003/10/Roles-in-Salvation.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Ephesians 2:1-10 I. There are many misleading claims in the denominations regarding salvation A. Most of the misconceptions come because people only look at some of the verses regarding salvation. B. They find verses which says we are saved by God’s grace and then trumpet that salvation is solely…
Read MorePharisaical Works Salvation?
by Terry Wane Benton One fellow said the following: “Terry Wane Benton, why must you be so wrapped up in your salvation by works just like the Pharisees? Jesus despised the Pharisees for this very mentality that you are showing. Grace and grace alone allow you to enter into heaven.” Grace is the only thing…
Read MoreRedemption
by Terry Wane Benton To the common man, “redemption” is seldom used in his daily vocabulary. To someone captivated and addicted or held in slavery, it means someone is going to pay the price to get them out from under their miserable burden and give them a new start. To them, it is a word…
Read MoreThe Case of the Philippian Jailor
by Terry Wane Benton He wanted to know, “What shall I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). The simple answer: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ…and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). The details of why believe in Jesus, what to believe about Jesus, and how to express faith in Jesus followed. In other words,…
Read MoreAmazing Grace
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Amazing-Grace.mp3 Download Audio by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 2:1-10 I. John Newton was born in England in 1725 A. Before he reached the age of seven, his mother died. B. His father remarried and John was sent off to a boarding school C. At the age of 11, John left school to become a sailor on his…
Read MoreFor (eis) the Remission of Sins
by Terry Wane Benton It is argued by some that “for” the remission of sins, as used in Acts 2:38, should be understood to mean “because of” the remission of sins you already have. They say it is like we use the term when saying, “Take some ibuprofen for your headache.” In that case, “for”…
Read MoreHow was Zacchaeus’ family saved with Zacchaeus?
Question: Dear Brother Hamilton, What does Luke19:1-10 mean when it says Zacchaeus’ whole household was saved when he (Zacchaeus) was saved? Answer: “And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that…
Read MoreWhat Christianity Is All About
Text: Ephesians 1 https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/What-Christianity-Is-All-About.mp3 by Don Bunting One (or Two) Chapter Lessons
Read MoreThe Solution for Sins
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 6:9-11 Sin was a big problem in the church at Corinth. It is a big problem worldwide and throughout all time. But Jesus offers a solution to sin: Washed Sanctified Justified Cleansed Set apart for a holy purpose Made right before the law Justified When we sin,…
Read MoreCan I Know for Sure?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Can-I-Know-For-Sure.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I John 5 I. Salvation means forgiveness of sins, but it also means a better life on earth and spending eternity with our God in heaven – Luke 18:29-30 A. Such a gift is immeasurably valuable – Matthew 13:44-46 B. We should not be anxious – Philippians 4:6-7 C. See the confidence…
Read MoreWhat is an alien believer or an alien sinner?
Question: Hello, I was reading somewhere in an article mentioning the “alien believer.” I am not sure what it actually means. I have noticed there are two different persons: “alien sinner” and “alien believer.” My question is: Cornelius, in Acts 10:2, was godly and had a fear of God in his heart, but he was…
Read MoreLessons from Saul’s Conversion
by Terry Wane Benton Saul would become the saved apostle Paul, and his conversion from being totally against Jesus and his disciples to becoming a disciple of Jesus, from being a persecutor to being persecuted, is a remarkable account of what is involved in the process of conversion to Christ. Read Acts 9 and then…
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