Best-selling author and pastor John MacArthur brings his deep knowledge of Scripture to this foundational subject. Step by step, he walks through the impact of God's sovereignty, our submission, the characteristics of holy living, and our assurance of salvation.
From the author of the bestselling novel The Shack and the New York Times bestsellers Cross Roads and Eve comes a compelling, conversational exploration of twenty-eight assumptions about God—assumptions that just might be keeping us from experiencing His unconditional, all-encompassing love. In his wildly popular novels, Wm. Paul Young portrayed the Triune God in ways that challenged our thinking—sometimes upending long-held beliefs, but always centered in the eternal, all-encompassing nature of God’s love. Now, in Wm. Paul Young’s first nonfiction book, he invites us to revisit our assumptions about God—this time using the Bible, theological discussion, and personal anecdotes. Paul encourages us to think through beliefs we’ve presumed to be true and consider whether some might actually be false. Expounding on the compassion fans felt from the “Papa” portrayed in The Shack—now a major film starring Sam Worthington and Octavia Spencer—Paul encourages you to think anew about important issues including sin, religion, hell, politics, identity, creation, human rights, and helping us discover God’s deep and abiding love.
This book is my hope to send a beacon of truth into a world of confusion. Thousands of denominations, sects, and beliefs about God and salvation crowd the landscape of our day. Each has a different view about salvation. This book presents the only true biblical truth about salvation. Bold statement, I know, but true nonetheless. But this book goes further, exploring who you are, what you are chemically and molecularly, when you are on the timeline of history, and why you are.
“If there were a Guinness Book of World Records entry for ‘amount of times having prayed the sinner’s prayer,’ I’m pretty sure I’d be a top contender,” says pastor and author J. D. Greear. He struggled for many years to gain an assurance of salvation and eventually learned he was not alone. “Lack of assurance” is epidemic among evangelical Christians. In Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart, J. D. shows that faulty ways of present- ing the gospel are a leading source of the confusion. Our presentations may not be heretical, but they are sometimes misleading. The idea of “asking Jesus into your heart” or “giving your life to Jesus” often gives false assurance to those who are not saved—and keeps those who genuinely are saved from fully embracing that reality. Greear unpacks the doctrine of assurance, showing that salvation is a posture we take to the promise of God in Christ, a posture that begins at a certain point and is maintained for the rest of our lives. He also answers the tough questions about assurance: What exactly is faith? What is repentance? Why are there so many warnings that seem to imply we can lose our salvation? Such issues are handled with respect to the theological rigors they require, but Greear never loses his pastoral sensitivity or a communication technique that makes this message teachable to a wide audience from teens to adults.
A revised and abridged edition of Beyond Calvinism and Arminianism: An Inductive Mediate Theologyof Salvation, in Which theologian/missiologist Olson gives the fruit of a 25-year theological pilgrimage. His inductive focus on Scripture results in a middle view of salvation truth, thus resolving polarized extremes. This edition is much more readable and accessible for most Christians. The exegetical methodology emphasizes context, word studies, and grammar of all relevant passages, with extensive support for eternal security and refutation of deterministic concepts of salvation. In the foreword, Dr. Tim LaHaye refers to the incredible distribution of the academic edition, which sold out in 3 years. A revised academic edition is forthcoming in 2006.
Where are you going to spend eternity? Can you answer this question honestly without hesitation or are you unsure? This Bible study, The Truth About Salvation will help you know for sure if you have eternal security. It will take you on a four week adventure that will help you see clearly where you stand with Christ and will address some controversial beliefs that cause confusion in today's church. If you have ever questioned your salvation or don't understand what salvation is?this is the book for you!
The single most important event in a person's life is the new birth. Yet, this is also one of the most neglected doctrines in the church. Many Christians would be hard-pressed to describe exactly what the new birth is, let alone what it means to the rest of their walk with God. What happens when we are born again? Does everything in our lives change immediately? Is it just a kind of spiritual do-over, a chance to get it right this time? What happens when we fail? Does it mean we weren't really born again to begin with? With a pastor's heart and a professor's insight, Steven Lawson carefully examines the encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus found in John 3 to uncover the nature of this spiritual rebirth. He shows you the necessity of the new birth, how God changes our hearts through it, and what follows after, from baptism and involvement in a local church to handling doubts and setbacks. This book is perfect for believers who want to understand what happened when they believed and for non-Christians who are curious about what a new life in Christ is all about.
At one time or another virtually everyone searches for God—or something beyond themselves—to give meaning to life. Is there one religion that stands out among all those claiming to be the way to spiritual wholeness? In the ever-growing quest for spiritual meaning people are searching for the God of the universe and asking: Do all religions contain a measure of the truth? Is there compelling evidence for Christianity? Why do Christians say Jesus is the only way to God? What do we learn when we ask non-Christians about God? You'll discover insights to help you understand and embrace the one true God.