Eternal Security

Wesley expresses as “almost” a faith that is built upon outward things. Outward things, such as good behavior, firm fulfilment of religious duties, knowledgeable doctrines about God, and a true and sincere yearning to serve God. The first thing implied for the “almost Christian,” is “heathen honesty,” he defines this as one who knows that lying is wrong, knowing the difference between justice and injustice, and obeying to the commandments of God. These noble individuals love and serve others by going out of their way to help one that is underprivileged. The second thing implied in being an “almost Christian,” is having a form of godliness. This form of godliness is the outward exterior of being in right relationship with God and Christ. For instance, one with the form of godliness goes beyond the idea of being honest and devoted to justice. One for all intents and purposes need to help others as they are able if one wishes to be an “almost Christian.” Also, those in the form of godliness must avoid excessiveness, seek peace, and honestly seek to help even those who are deemed to be their adversary by speaking against evil to gain a better life. Furthermore, the “almost Christian,” will encourage others to repent of their sin and pursue God. The “almost Christian,” third implied notion, according to Wesley is sincerity,

Though Jesus was sinless and undeserving of death, he offered himself as a sacrifice in atonement for all sin (Invitation to World Religions, pg.418). Paul was always emphatic in maintaining that salvation cannot be earned by “works”, whether humans’ effort to obey the commandments in the Torah or excellent work in general. Instead, he taught that the salvation made possible by Christ’s sacrifice is a gift, the ultimate expression of God’s love and grace. Salvation is given to those who respond to God’s grace in faith, the conviction that God has acted through Jesus Christ to amend for human sin. Although Paul was very clear in teaching that salvation depends on God’s grace and the individual’s turning to God in faith, he did not dismiss the importance of works (Invitation to World Religions, pg.419). For Paul, faith does more than bringing salvation; it unites the believers with Christ in a “newness of life”. He believed that the spirit lives in believers and brings them into union with God. As a divine presence within, the spirit encourages the growth of spiritual virtues, the greatest which is love and makes all Christians one in the church often called “the body of Christ”.

the belief that "salvation came only as a free gift from God" and those who

Our world today is filled with unnecessary oppression. Slavery is one common form of human oppression, but there are numerous other forms as well. War, death, hunger, and sadness caused the elders in the society of The Giver to force each citizen to live extremely structured, controlled lives. That structure and control effected each person’s ability to live unique, private, and free lives. The elders in The Giver wanted all the citizens in the community to be undifferentiated for their own safety, so they greatly censored all citizens. Lack of freedom to pursue individual happiness is, indeed, a form of oppression not only faced by fictional book characters, but also by twenty-first century Americans. American society is changing so rapidly that we as independent Americans must decide whether safety, or freedom, is more important.

There is a point where this general model fails, though. Ephesians 2:8 states, " For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God." This verse is the basis of sola fide, meaning we as humans are given the

saved” appose to the Church of Christ states when you sin you must truly repent by emerging again in

In his book, Getting the Gospel Right, Dr. Olson states and I quote that “any sinner can be saved by grace only through explicit repentance faith in the finished work of Christ alone.” This is a very powerful statement and one that brings questions and in many cases confusion as to what is the truth of salvation. In this book the author poses diverse views of salvation truth particularly those of Calvinism and Arminianism, and how they agree in some ways and differ in others from his doctrinal view of salvation in mediate theology. In mediate theology, Christ is the only way to salvation though his saving death and resurrection. Through saving faith a believer inherits a new birth and a right standing with God. When the believer comes to trust in Christ for salvation he receives the

The answer to the first question is found in Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God[.]” One must have faith in Jesus Christ by accepting who He claims to be, the Son of God who is God. (John 1:1-4, 3:16-17, 14:6) In accepting God’s grace, one rejects the Roman Catholic belief of

A universal theme seen throughout the writings and letters of Paul is "justification by faith." Justification by faith means that those who truly share a belief in God are saved by him. During the biblical period, it was commonly thought that our pending salvation was dependent on our ability to obey the laws given to the "chosen people," those whom were believed to be chosen by God. Instead, Paul argues that our righteousness is obtained through our faith in Jesus alone.

Salvation comes from the Greek word soteria which means deliverance, and preservation. It is the spiritual and eternal deliverance granted immediately by God to those who accept His conditions of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus, in whom alone it is to be obtained. It is an experience in which one receives God’s power to be delivered from the bondage of sin. Salvation is of grace through the sacrifice of Jesus the Christ. By His death He made full atonement for the sins of humankind.

When we say that we can lose our salvation we are saying that God is not in control, that God is not sovereign, and that God lacks power over something. We have seen, especially from Romans 8:28, that God is in control of everything and lacks power over nothing. He is in complete and absolute control of everything and that includes our salvation.

One of the pillars of preservation, as described by Dr. Piper, is that the maintenance of everlasting faith rests on the holiness of God. However, God cannot preserve someone in salvation, if their faith is not active. This is demonstrated in 2 Peter 1:10 which says, “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.” Dr. Piper uses this verse to demonstrate his understanding of election as a relationship, a two-way street. Our actions do not save us, but true faith cannot help but be active, growing and changing. True faith demands that the believer be “diligent to confirm”. Some charge that the concept of preservation can cause true believers to despair. Dr. Piper points out verses such as 1 John 1:8-9 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Those

salvation that is offered to us, not by angels, but by the Lord himself (Hebrew 2:1-4) and Do not" depart

Legislations are put in place to reduce the risk of abuse in certain environments and workplaces that are targeted by abusers. The definition for legislation is the act or process of making or

1 John 5:18 states, “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.”