Tag: Salvation

Christ living in you brings eternal life and a close relationship with God

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

When a person puts their trust in Jesus Christ, something remarkable happens on the inside, and it changes everything about who they are and where they are headed. Christ comes to live within every believer through the Holy Spirit, and with him comes the gift of eternal life.

The Bible speaks of believers living in Christ and Christ living in them, which points to a deeply personal relationship rather than a distant or formal one. This is not something a person earns or achieves on their own; it is given freely the moment someone places their faith in him. Because of this, every believer carries within them the very presence of the living God, which is the foundation of all the hope and peace that following Christ can bring.

I am not implying Christians suddenly become “good people.” I am saying they no longer see sin as a good thing, but something from which to be delivered.

On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I in you.

John 14:20

Receiving Jesus means accepting who he is and what he did for you

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

Accepting Jesus as your personal Saviour means more than agreeing with a set of ideas; it means personally trusting that he is God’s Son and the only way for people to be forgiven of their sins. When you receive Christ, you are accepting that he died for your sins and that this applies directly to your own life by faith.

God the Father and God the Son have both spoken clearly in scripture about who Jesus is and what he came to do. When you place your faith in him, you are taking God at his word and trusting that belief in Christ brings salvation. That is not a small thing; it is the most important decision any person will ever make.

How Romans 8 and Jude 21 fit together on the question of salvation and God’s love

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JEFF TURNER

Romans 8 says that nothing in all creation can separate a believer from the love of God, which settles the question of whether salvation can be lost. But Jude 21 seems to place some responsibility on the believer, saying “keep yourselves in the love of God.” Read quickly, these two verses can seem like they are pulling in opposite directions, but they are actually speaking to two entirely different things.

Romans 8 is addressing the permanence of salvation itself. God’s love holds the believer securely and nothing can undo that. Jude, on the other hand, is writing to people who are already saved and encouraging them to live in such a way that they experience the full blessing that comes with that love. Building up faith through scripture, living in obedience to God’s word, these are the things that keep a person walking in the place where God’s love flows into everyday life in a meaningful and noticeable way.

Security in salvation and a call to pursue godliness are not contradictions; they are two sides of the same life of faith.

and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.

John 10:28

The eternal nature of hell and what Jesus actually taught about it

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JEFF TURNER

Jesus spoke more about hell than almost any other topic, and what he said in Matthew 25 makes it clear that punishment is not a one-time event that ends in annihilation. He described the fire as eternal, meaning it never consumes what it burns, which is precisely why it lasts forever. This doesn’t appear to be figurative language being stretched to make a point; it lines up with what other passages of scripture say as well.

Passages throughout the New Testament describe this judgment as unquenchable, everlasting, and inescapable. Second Thessalonians 1:9 speaks of everlasting destruction, and the imagery of the undying worm and the unending fire appears more than once. Those who suggest that the ungodly simply go out of existence at judgment have to work around a large body of scripture that points in the opposite direction.

The consistent witness of the Bible is that the punishment of the wicked has no end. And it’s a punishment no one need endure because Jesus paid the price.

 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

Revelation 14:11

Courage to speak the truth

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JEFF TURNER

The idea of sharing one’s faith can make people feel eager, while others feel uneasy or even afraid. These reactions are not unusual. The New Testament speaks to these feelings and addresses them directly. In Romans 1, Paul says he is not ashamed of the gospel.

While some believers would agree with Paul, they also admit that speaking about their faith can make them nervous. There is an important difference between feeling anxious and feeling ashamed. Anxiety can come from the difficulty of the message itself. When speaking to someone who is trying to feel good about their life, the message of the gospel brings a hard truth. It tells them that they are sinful and stand guilty before God, facing judgment. This is not an easy way to begin a conversation, and it can make anyone feel uneasy.

When talking about salvation, there must be an understanding of what a person is being saved from. It is not about finding meaning or purpose. It is about rescue from eternal judgment because of sin. .

One helpful way to begin may be to focus first on that good news. A simple opening, such as telling someone that you have something important and good to share, can make the first step easier. From there, the deeper parts of the message can follow. In the end, the call is to move past fear and speak with honesty.

The message is serious, but it also carries hope, and that is worth sharing.

For God has not given us a spirit of [a]timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,

2 Timothy 1:7–8