Browsing Category:

Salvation

In Blog, Salvation, Theology on
September 25, 2023

The Crucifixion: Substitutionary Atonement or Cosmic Child Abuse?

There are many areas of the Christian life that believers can disagree about in good faith. These secondary and tertiary issues, while certainly being important enough to discuss and debate, do not qualify any Christian to be thought of as a heretic or asked to leave a congregation. Things like modes of baptism, church leadership roles, or styles of worship music are certainly convictions that we can argue over, but at the end of the day, those we disagree with are still our brothers and sisters in Christ.

One example of an issue that Christians today disagree about is the atonement. Now, I do not mean whether atonement occurred as a result of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection (it did indeed, and that would be more of a primary, salvific issue), but rather what the atonement primarily accomplished. There are various theories out there about the purpose of the atonement: the ransom theory, the moral influence theory, Christus victor. Perhaps the most prominent theory today (and the theory I find the most in line with Scripture) is called penal substitutionary atonement, which is essentially the belief that Jesus died on the cross as our substitute, paying the debt of our sins and satisfying the wrath of God so that we may be forgiven of our sin and deemed righteous in the eyes of the Father.

However, there are some who fall in the progressive camp that hold a very different view of the crucifixion. Instead of believing that Jesus’ death on the cross was a ransom payment, a victory against evil, or even a good moral example, these progressive “Christians” argue that the crucifixion was merely an act of “cosmic child abuse.” But when we look to God’s Word, we will find that, unlike the theories listed above, this specific belief about Jesus is heretical.

Read more
By /
In Blog, Salvation, Theology on
September 11, 2022

The Transformation of Sanctification

I am a Christian, and I still struggle with sin.

Daily.

Like the Apostle Paul, I do sinful things that I don’t want to do, and I don’t do the things I know I ought to do (Romans 7:18-20). Such is the life of a Christian. Through the work of Christ, we’ve been made righteous in the eyes of the Father and we’ve been filled with the Holy Spirit, who gives us the desire and ability to obey God’s Word and do what is right. But all of us, even the godliest of saints, are still sinners. We still mess up and make mistakes. We hurt and offend people, and we disobey what’s written in the Scriptures. We say and do the wrong things, even if we have the best of intentions.

Thankfully, God doesn’t leave us this way. He doesn’t just save us and say sayonara, leaving us to fend for ourselves and figure out how to behave on our own until Jesus returns. No, God actively works in and through us every single day to make us more and more like Him through a process called sanctification.

Read more
By /
In Blog, Salvation, Theology on
May 16, 2022

Just As If I’d Never Sinned

One Sunday when I was in middle school or early high school, my pastor was teaching about the difference between the three parts of the salvation process: justification, sanctification, and glorification. As he was describing justification, he said “When I am justified, it’s just as if I’d never sinned.” This play on words has always stuck with me and reminded me of what being justified means.

But even this helpful phrase may leave you wondering—What exactly is justification? How is justification possible, and how can I know if I’ve been justified? What happens to me when I’m justified? If you’ve ever considered these questions, keep reading because this post is for you!

Read more
By /
In Blog, Salvation, Theology on
February 7, 2022

Real Repentance

“Say you’re sorry!”

We’ve all seen it. A child hits a classmate, says something mean to a friend, or steals a toy from a sibling, and the offended child runs to tell an adult. Then, the parent or teacher goes over to the offending child with, “Say you’re sorry!”

But how many children who mutter a begrudging “I’m sorry” are actually sorry? How many of these children will turn around and do the exact same thing again? These children may say that they’re “sorry,” but they’re often just sorry that they got caught, not that they did a bad thing. Because they are not truly sorry, they will go right back to hitting classmates, saying mean things, and stealing toys.

Adults do this, too. We confess to God and say we’re sorry for doing things like gossiping about a co-worker, putting ourselves first, and being envious of what others have. But then we turn around and do these exact same things the very next day. Why do we do this? Why do we continue to commit the same sins we just apologized for? Because we have not really repented.

Read more
By /
In Blog, Salvation, Theology on
September 7, 2020

The Great Debate

During the Protestant Reformation, there were five phrases that were popularized and used to describe the key teachings of protestants, and they all began with the word sola, which is Latin for “only” – solo Christo (Christ alone), sola scriptura (scripture alone), soli Deo gloria (to the glory of God alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and sola fide (faith alone).[1]

These phrases may already seem familiar to you, especially if you have read some of Paul’s letters. Nearly everyone who has been in church for a significant amount of time knows Ephesians 2:8-9 by heart –

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV

But if you turn a few more pages in your Bible to the book of James, you’ll find a very different message-

“You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” James 2:24

So, which is it? Are we saved by grace through faith, or are we saved by our works?

continue reading
By /