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Wednesday, June 26, 2019

What young Christians believe about the Holy Spirit

Welcome back to my blog. Thank you for visiting today. We are exploring relevant research findings from Teleios! More compelling findings are on our website.

Teleios examined the important role of the Holy Spirit in Christians’ lives in visitors to the Instagram account, InstaPray. We had 475 participants, 68% were adolescents (<18) as well as millennials (18-34), 78% evangelicals and 71% female. Wow, we received some amazing answers!

The Holy Spirit is a very important yet controversial and often emotional topic. Opinions vary widely about the role of the Spirit, from traditional orthodox to charismatic beliefs. However, in all groups there is often a general lack of knowledge of what scripture teaches. Let's cover some pertinent topics over the Spirit examining what scripture says and perhaps we can all better shape our own thinking based on the truth of God.

I generally breakdown scriptures handling of the Spirit for the New Testament Church into three basic realms:

The Spirit’s work in salvation
The Spirit's role in our Christian walk
The Christian’s duties to the Spirit

Let's examine what our participants said regarding the Spirit and salvation (please see table).

What the Bible says

Indeed, the Spirit in salvation in scripture is key. He performs the following vital functions.

Convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8) - This role is vital because left to our own resources, as fallen man both physically and mentally, we would not come to faith and salvation by our own reckoning (Romans 3:10-12). Therefore, the Spirit is central to help unbelievers recognize their faults, coming judgment and God’s demand for righteousness.
Baptizes (Romans 6:2-3,9; Ephesians 2:4-7; Colossians 2:12-13) - In the epistles the word ‘baptism’ signifies spiritual baptism which occurs at our salvation by the Spirit. The actual meaning of the word baptism (βαπτιζω, baptizoo) is ‘to identify with’. Therefore, the Spirit baptizes us by identifying us with Christ’s death and resurrection.

The Spirit accomplishes this by putting to death our old person and resurrecting us to a new living person. ‘Regeneration’ and ‘born again’ are other concepts in Scripture signifying this important event (Titus 3:5; John 3:3). These wonderful verses demonstrate to us the profound importance of the resurrection because there is no eternal life without the resurrection and regeneration (1 Corinthians 15:13-19). The incredible fact of spiritual baptism (which water baptism may symbolize) gives us surety for our great salvation as a new creature that cannot be slain and re-created our old dead self.

Seals to Redemption (2 Corinthians 1:20; 2 Corinthians 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14) - This great promise indicates that each of us has the Holy Spirit from our time of belief in salvation until the day we die and go to be with God. Indeed, one of the definitions of a Christian is that we have the Holy Spirit for we if do not have it we are not yet a Believer (Romans 8:9).
Places us into the church (1 Corinthians 12:13) - The spirit graciously has placed us at salvation into the universal church of Christ for which he is the head.

As you can see, the Spirit is integral in bringing us to salvation, completing salvation and bringing us to our eternal life. What a fantastic blessing that we have such a gift from God as the Holy Spirit!

Please join us next week as we continue the scriptural discussion of what the Spirit does for us. Thank you for reading my blog. I hope it is an assistance to you.

For questions or to view more of our research…

Email teleiosresearch@outlook.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Be confident, you are saved by grace!

Welcome back to my blog. Thank you for taking time to read it.

We have started a series on discovering exciting research findings from Teleios! Today let’s look at the compelling findings of a recent survey Teleios performed that explored the incidence of tares in the church.

A tare is a plant that resembles wheat, but cannot be correctly identified until harvest; so, Jesus’ term means those who appear as a Christian, but really are not true believers. Please read last week’s blog which discussed this fascinating topic.

To investigate the incidence of tares in the church, we performed a survey of users of the Instagram app, Instapray, often visited by young adult Christians. In total, 1526 individuals participated and 73% described themselves as evangelicals. Just over half had at least some college education and the average age was 23.

The key finding in the survey was that while 94% of participants, when prompted by the correct answer, indicated they were saved by grace, while only 16% (78% difference) had the confidence in the knowledge of their salvation to provide a correct answer without a written prompt. Was there a difference in the personal characteristics of this confident group of individuals who indicated without prompting they are saved by grace?

Participants who most confidently identified themselves as saved by grace:

Adhered more closely to the practice of their faith (prayer, praise, fellowship, outreach, Bible study, sharing the gospel)
Had greater confidence in the security of their salvation
Indicated better personal general wellbeing but also specific measures of wellbeing such as: contentment, peace, joy and purpose
Enjoyed reduced guilt levels

The Teleios survey reflects wonderfully how knowing and believing God's word can impact a person's wellbeing. Scripture indicates that our great salvation is by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9) and those who understand this well enough to confess it without prompting, as well as believing that it cannot be lost, on average enjoy better wellbeing.

Participants who most confidently identified themselves as saved by grace also indicated they had less feelings of guilt. The reduced guilt levels might have resulted by this group’s better understanding of the complete sufficiency of Christ’s forgiveness and that there is no sin so horrendous for which Christ’s precious sacrifice did not atone. Indeed, what a great Savior we have who provides for us every benefit not only to salvation but also a mentally healthy life!

Summary, this survey suggests that if a young adult who identifies themselves as evangelical can express confidently that they are saved by grace, and actively practice their faith, they may possess higher levels of wellbeing than those who do not. More results from this survey can be found here http://teleiosresearch.com/index.php/gospel-survey/.

Thanks for visiting my blog today. I’ll look for you again next week.

For questions or to view more of our research…

Email teleiosresearch@outlook.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

What drives us at Teleios?

Welcome back to my blog. Thank you for taking time to read it.

We will soon start new series about exciting research findings from Teleios! However, before we begin this vital series I want to review briefly what pushes us at Teleios to explore the veracity of scripture.

My wonderful wife, Jeanette, and I have had the privilege over many years to teach the scriptures to college-age students and young adults. Interestingly, what we observed during these studies motivated us to demonstrate the exciting practical value of scripture. Below, I summarize our observations from these fun studies. I will discuss the research findings supporting many of the statements in subsequent blogs.

Our observations, in general!

Young Christians almost always say they believe in the truth of scripture (yay!)
Upon further discussion, they need to know more (we all do and therefore, we study the Bible!)
Consequently, they usually base their decision-making upon precepts learned in: church or college groups, social Christian settings, or from their church denomination
Accordingly, they lack confidence in the direct knowledge of God's word
They then do not test God’s word in their lives resulting in a failure to build confidence in His precepts
Further, they suffer with a nagging doubt, that if they really faced a crisis, their scriptural knowledge could not supply an answer. This crisis appears usually in two forms:

An emotional crisis with themselves or a friend
A conversation with a non-believer about the Gospel.

Consequently, the temptation exists, because of their insecurities about scripture, to avoid confronting internal or external spiritual conflicts and to simply survive within the social church setting
And of course, there is the minority (16-20%) that want to do what they want to do, regardless of God’s Word!

It is like a security guard at the local shopping mall who might enjoy the comfortable job among the nice orderly shoppers. However, he knows deep inside he should learn how to fight in case a crisis ever occurred at the mall, such as armed robbers or an Islamic Jihadist attack. But he doesn’t, knowing that he could run away if a crisis ever came. Consequently, he has no opportunity to ever gain confidence in fighting techniques or his own abilities.

So, it is with many Christians in what I call the ‘cycle of failure’ (please see figure below). They enjoy the social Christian setting and do not learn God's word. Therefore, they really never gain confidence in their biblical knowledge. Accordingly, they never test themselves and obtain a deep confidence in the Bible’s value for daily life.

The figure describes the ‘Cycle of Failure’ of those who do not learn or test God’s word, not building the confidence to act based on its precepts. Consequently, they never knowing its full power.

God has granted us a sure and quality Bible text upon which we can base not only our great salvation but the guidance for our lives! The Bible tells us to test God‘s Word to build confidence (Romans 12:2; Greek word ‘dokimazo’) and utilize its power to live our lives with surety and maturity (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 5:14).

Therefore, the name of our foundation is Teleios…

Original Word: τέλειος, α, ον
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: teleios
Phonetic Spelling: (tel'-i-os)
Definition: having reached its end, complete, perfect
Usage: perfect, (a) complete in all its parts, (b) full grown, of full age, (c) specially of the completeness of Christian character

Let us help you reach your spiritual maturity!

Thanks for reading my blog. Please join us as we explore in the next few weeks the compelling findings from Teleios’ research that demonstrates the overwhelming power of the Bible to salvation and living a fruitful life.

For questions or to view more of our research…

Email teleiosresearch@outlook.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Thank you God!

Welcome again to my blog. I am delighted you have come to visit.

Teleios and other authors have shown Christian belief actually can improve personal wellbeing! Therefore, we are examining the Christian life in more detail to see if we can uncover some of the potential underlying causes for improved wellbeing.

We are discussing currently the practice of Christianity based in Acts 2:42-47. These wonderful verses describe the practice of the Christian walk within the early church. They are repeated throughout the Epistles and so are vital to us today. I call them the ‘5 tools to maturity’: prayer, fellowship/community, outreach, Bible study and praise.

Last week we covered Bible study. This week let’s expl

ore praise!

Definition of ‘praise’

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines ‘praise’ as:

To express a favorable judgment of: commend

To glorify (a god or saint) especially by the attribution of perfections

Content of praise

Therefore, as a Christian what should be the content of biblical praise? The Bible gives some hints:

Acknowledgement of God's perfect character (Ephesians 1:6)

Acknowledgement of God’s righteous actions (Psalm 139:14, Psalm 148)

Thankfulness (Hebrews 13:15)

Reason we praise

Why do we praise God? The reasons are vital to our Christian life and are listed below:

The Bible commands us to praise - It is our duty to praise God. However, God does not give us commands without reason, so several potential explanations follow below. (Psalm 150, Romans 15:11, Hebrews 13:15)

He deserves praise - Our Father in Heaven is the almighty God who has provided for us salvation through his Son, Jesus Christ, as a free gift through faith that we could have eternal life. This salvation is a sure hope and anchor for our souls. Surely, He deserves glory, thanks, and praise. (1 Peter 4:11, Hebrews 6:19)

It is good for us to praise - God made us! Therefore, He knows what is good for us. It is good for us to praise at least for the following reasons:

God ordained order – Praise reminds us of the order of the universe. We are not the most important thing in creation. God’s goals and priorities are above, and better than, ours.

Humility - Realizing that God’s plans are more important than ours might limit our complaining and remind us that we are here to serve our great God.

Attitude – Praise teaches us thankfulness in realizing God’s gifts to us in creation, in Christ and His benefits in this life as our Father. These should promote an attitude of thankfulness and reduce expectations (Philippians 4:8).

We do indeed have a great God who is worthy of all praise! Thank you for joining me today.

For questions or to view more of our research…

Email teleiosresearch@outlook.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Outreach!

Welcome again to my blog. I am glad you can visit.

Teleios and other authors have shown Christian belief can improve personal wellbeing! Therefore, we are examining the Christian life in more detail to see how biblical truth may improve wellbeing.

We are discussing the practice of Christianity based on Acts 2:42-47. These wonderful verses describe the practice of the Christian walk within the early church. They are repeated throughout the Epistles and so are vital to us today. I call them the ‘5 tools to maturity’: prayer, fellowship/community, outreach, Bible study and praise. Last week we discussed fellowship. Today’s tool is outreach.

Problem – Unfortunately, teaching others or sharing the gospel appears to rank right below ‘going to the dentist’ among desired activities. Teleios’ research has shown that people who fear sharing the gospel specifically report being afraid of: social rejection, offending the other person, not knowing what to say, or how to answer others’ questions.

What teaching is not - Teleios has examined people's habits in mentioning the gospel (a part of what we teach others). In a well-taught Evangelical Church, attendees indicated they conveyed the gospel to others most commonly by:

Sharing their lives - 78%
Praying for others - 71%
Encouraging others - 70%
Loving others - 68%
Explicitly mentioning how to accept Jesus Christ as Savior - 30%

Although sharing our lives is important, it does not replace actually telling someone the gospel or directly teaching the Bible. People cannot guess what we are thinking. Scripture recognizes that we do not have visual support to our faith until Christ comes again (Hebrews 2:8) so others need to hear what to believe and someone must explicitly tell them (Romans 10:14-17).

It is a command - We are told to teach others (2 Timothy 2:2, 15, 24-26, 1 Timothy 4:6, 16, Hebrews 5:12) which involves instructing others in the Word of God. However, teaching also may include admonishing others to correct action or thinking (Colossians 3:17, Ephesians 5:19).

Benefits of teaching

Better wellbeing - Teleios has found that people who teach and share the Gospel actually enjoy better wellbeing than those who do not. What initially seems fearful -is actually enriching after a person has shared the Gospel or taught God’s Word.
Good judgment – The ability to teach appears associated with accurate and efficient judgment and avoiding nasty pitfalls in life (Hebrews 5:14).

Maturity - Being able to teach is associated with maturity, especially the attributes of an elder (1 Timothy 3 :1-7, Hebrews 5:12).

Uplifting the church - Further, the benefit of teaching others Scripture or the Gospel is not just for the individual but to the church itself. Teaching the Bible and the Gospel is the primary way that we can grow the church and influence our culture generally (Colossians 1:5-10). Without Christians passing down the precious words of our Father to the next generation, the church certainly can suffer from lack of support as opposed to influencing and benefiting our society.

So, let us get to work! What we possess in the Bible is true and good for our family and acquaintances as well as for our society!

That's all for today. Thank you for joining me. Come back next week when we talk about Bible study!

For questions or to view more of our research…

Email teleiosresearch@outlook.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Find Your Christian Community

Welcome again to my blog. I am delighted you have come to visit.

Teleios and other authors have shown Christian beliefs actually can improve personal wellbeing! Therefore, we are examining the Christian life in

more detail to see if we can uncover in the Bible some of the underlying causes of the improved wellbeing.

We are now discussing the practice of Christianity for which we are using Acts 2:42-47 as a basis. These interesting verses describe the activities involved in the Christian walk within the early church. They are repeated throughout the Epistles. I call them the ‘5 tools to maturity’ and can most easily be summarized as: prayer, fellowship/community, outreach, Bible study and praise.

Last week we discussed prayer. Today’s tool for consideration is fellowship/community.

Definition - The biblical word ‘fellowship’ is most closely expressed in the Greek by the word koinōnia (κοινωνία), and its derivatives, which mean basically ‘communion’ as well as the word metochē (μετοχή) which means ‘participation’.

What does the Bible say about fellowship?

The Bible describes fellowship in the most general ways:

It occurs only between Christians - This is because we cannot be encouraged or learn from those who do not have the Spirit or who do not understand the Christian faith (1 John 1:6-10, 2 Corinthians 6:14)
Do not neglect - We are not to avoid fellowship. This is because it is good for us. It is also good for other people to see God working in us. Please see below (Hebrews 10:15-18, 13:15)
Functional definition - In reality, the Bible does not give a lot of detail, or a singular text, defining ‘fellowship’. However, functionally any interaction between Christians that is spiritually based, as described in the Bible, is fellowship (Colossians 3:12-17, Ephesians 5:15-20).

Why do we need fellowship?

The benefits of fellowship are assumed in scripture. As Christians, we need the example, as well as the verbal encouragement and reminders of God's word from others, to help promote our own walk with God (1 Timothy 4:12, 16). Likewise, our actions and speech provide this to other believers.

It is our fellowship with the Holy Spirit that provides the strength of character, understanding and knowledge to encourage other believers (Philippians 2:1, 2 Corinthians 13:14).

What fellowship is not!

One benefit we derive from church is social fellowship around food, games, sports, parties, etc. However, these events may not include true fellowship which should have a spiritual basis.

Think about it! Be careful in your own life that you provide not only a lifestyle that is encouraging (1 Thessalonians 2:10), but speech that helps others (Ephesians 4:29). How do we do this? Here are some ideas:

Know God's word – This is important, so you are speaking to others correct biblical truth and not church based jargon such as ‘that is not my gift’ or ‘God will open a door.’
Plan ahead - Consider before meeting with a person how you might encourage them specifically with: gratitude, commendation, thought provoking questions, sharing God's word or recounting what God has done in your own life (Colossians 1:3-7, 1 Thessalonians 1:5-7, 1 Timothy 4:16). If you don't know what to ask them, go to their social media accounts and learn about them. If you are attending a gathering, then choose one person to target with whom to fellowship.
Listen - Be sure and listen when conversing so you can learn and discover how you can even better encourage them (James 1:19).

Thank you for joining me today. Enjoy your opportunities for Christian fellowship! Come back next week and we'll discuss outreach!

For questions or to view more of our research…

Email teleiosresearch@outlook.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Power of Prayer

Welcome again to my blog. I am delighted you have come to visit.

Teleios Research, along with other authors, has shown Christian belief actually can improve personal wellbeing! Therefore, we are examining the

Christian life in more detail to see how to uncover some of the potential underlying causes of the improved wellbeing.

We are now discussing the practice of Christianity based on Acts 2:42 and 47. These fascinating verses describe the activities involved in the Christian walk within the early church. They are repeated throughout the Epistles. I call them the ‘5 tools to maturity’. These activities most easily can be summarized as: prayer, fellowship/community, outreach, Bible study and praise.

Today’s tool for consideration is prayer. We do indeed have a great God who to whom we are privileged to pray. How do we pray? Here are the basic concepts:

Access - As a forgiven Christian God views us as sinless which allows us the privilege of direct, unimpeded access to Him so we can pray. We can come before God with courage (Hebrews 10:20-23)! The only limitation is ourselves from lack of obedience, guilt or fear, that would limit or damage the content of our prayers (1 Peter 3:7).
Attitude in prayer

Faith - James tells us not to doubt when we pray and we can accomplish much (James 1:6-7; James 5:16).
Glorify Christ - We are to pray in such a way that is consistent with the goals of Christ as established in the Bible (John 14:13-14).
Continual - Our prayers are to be persistent and frequent (Romans 12:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Everywhere - Pray in all places (1 Timothy 2:8).
Attitude adjustment - Allow prayer itself to correct our attitudes and requests (1 Timothy 4:5).
Unhindered by sin - 1 Peter 3:7
Sober and watchful - 1 Peter 4:7
According to the Spirit - Our prayer should be consistent with God’s revealed Word (i.e., scripture) which the Holy Spirit uses to provide us power (Ephesians 6:17; Jude 1:20).

Content of Prayer

Thankfulness - We should express gratitude for what God has done in in our and other people's lives (Philemon 1:4)
Praise - We should acknowledge God’s holy character and actions
Note: The first two aspects of the content of our prayer adds to the proper attitude of prayer mentioned above but are also important content.
Our requests - We may petition God with anything that worries us or concerns us. We should remember that we are praying to the great God of the universe in our attitude as mentioned above (Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Peter 4:12).

Specific requests - They should be consistent with God’s desires and example prayers (John 14:13-14; Ephesians 1:15-19; Ephesians 3:15-18; Colossians 1:9-14).
Pray for others – Examples of prayer for other people are frequent in Scripture (James 5:16)
Request prayer from others - It is not a numbers game but allow others to share in God’s answers to your prayers by asking them to pray for you (Colossians 4:3).

What about confession of our sins? This is a controversial point. We are free to confess but it is not necessary for the following reasons:

The Epistles do not instruct us to confess our sins to God.
We are already forgiven.

The common injunction in the Epistles for our attitude with respect to sin is simply to obey. It is the Holy Spirit who helps us obey and defeat our sins. Therefore, our prayers can be more forward-looking, service-oriented and filled with praise and thankfulness.

Thank you for joining me today. Come back next week and we'll discuss fellowship, the third of the 5 tools to maturity.

For questions or to view more of our research…

Email teleiosresearch@outlook.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Walk the Walk

Welcome again to my blog. I am delighted you have taken the time to visit.

Teleios and other authors have shown Christian belief actually can improve personal wellbeing! Therefore, we are examining the Christian life in more detail to uncover some of the potential underlying causes of the improved wellbeing. We have spent the past few weeks discussing the convincing biblical truths which explain why your salvation is forever secure. Today we begin to discuss what scripture teaches about our Christian lifestyle.

As a biblical basis for the Christian life we are using 1 Thessalonians 1:5-7.

Let’s now consider verse 6:

1 Thessalonians 1:6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:

Let’s take the 2^nd half of the verse first, the importance of accepting God's word in our lives.

In Paul's informative prayer in Colossians 1:9-14, he indicates the importance of approaching our Christian walk in a knowledgeable way (verse 9). Accordingly, to act correctly (verse 10) we first must know how to think. We do this first by knowing God's Word, especially the Epistles in the New Testament (Romans to Revelation 3). This is the section meant specifically to provide directions for the church age.

How do we come to understand the importance of the New Testament epistles in our lives? There is a process by which it develops:

Jesus Christ - He came and spoke to us in the Gospels so people would believe in Him as Messiah. Upon the rejection of His message (Matthew 12), He taught the disciples about the coming age (Matthew 13-18; Matthew 24-25; John 14-17) and later the Apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 12:2-4).
The Apostles – To the apostles it was given to teach God's truth to the church (Matthew 28:19-20, apostolic authority). It was the listener's duty to obey what they heard from the apostles, not yet having the written Scriptures. Importantly, the authority of the Scriptures themselves are established not by just direct statements that they are Scripture (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Peter 3:16; 2 Timothy 3:16) but also by verses that indicate the authority of the apostles (2 Thessalonians 3:4,6; 1 Thessalonians 6:12; Colossians 1:25). To them God gave the charge to teach His truth and later to write the epistles, because they were taught by Christ Himself.
Second generation Christians - These received the Word from the apostles and taught new believers under their authority (e.g., Timothy in the Pastoral Epistles).
The Biblical canon - The true Word of God was written down as Epistles with guidance by the Holy Spirit. These letters were circulated probably in the early church period when apparently an informal canon of Scriptures was formed. A generally accepted canon existed in the 2^nd century. The New Testament in its current form was finalized at the Synod of Hippo in 393 AD. The late finalization occurred probably due to Christians could not openly meet until Constantine legalized Christianity after he became the Roman emperor in 313 AD.
Biblical authority for the Christian walk - The Bible speaks of accepting God's Word and using it as a basis for how we live our lives. Consequently, we receive not only the will of God and the benefits of the Spirit but also a healthy mind and good wellbeing through the Christian life as outlined in the Bible.

Far from being restrictive, the Bible liberates us by teaching us wisdom and what is true … with very few commands! It allows us to live a life of faith without being deceived by damaging practices in the world.

That's all for today; thank you for joining me. Next week we'll begin a series of blogs on how to apply this Word to our lives to receive its benefits.

For questions or to view more of our research…

Email teleiosresearch@outlook.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Yes, we are secure! You better believe it! (Part 5)

Welcome to my blog. I am so glad you have taken the time to read it.

Teleios and other authors have shown Christian belief actually can improve personal wellbeing! Therefore, we are examining the Christian life to uncover potential underlying reasons of this improved wellbeing.

As a biblical basis for the Christian life we are using 1 Thessalonians 1:5-7. We are discussing currently our blessed eternal security. Here is Verse 5:

1 Thessalonians 1:5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.

The fifth point regarding the security of our great salvation is God’s unhappy attitude to those who do not believe in eternal security (please see prior blogs for the others)!

So yes, God not only endorses eternal security with wonderful promises, as we've discussed in the last four blogs, but also expresses His displeasure to those who do not believe it. This statement is supported by two main passages in Hebrews Chapters 6 and 10. Let's examine briefly the main passage in Hebrews 6, which although it can be controversial, is an exciting statement to our eternal security.

Here are the main points:

The author tells the young Hebrew believers that they should be mature by now; being teachers and able to judge quickly between right and wrong (Hebrews 5:12-14).
He urges them to leave the rudimentary principles of the faith dealing with issues related to their salvation (Hebrews 6:1-3).
He inquired how could those who were saved (have known God’s gift and enlightenment and receive the spirit [all words or events consistent with salvation]) and have believed their sins were forgiven, could have another means to salvation apart from Christ. Indeed, their insistence that some sin was not forgiven indicated they would want Jesus to return to the cross and submit to public humiliation again. This is not viewed favorably by God (Hebrews 6:4-7).
The Hebrew Christians should recognize their salvation as evidenced by the acts that they have already done (Hebrews 6:9-10)
Certainly, the wonderful security we have based in Abraham; God’s promises to him and His confirmation by an oath are two things that provide a sure anchor for our souls (Hebrews 6:13-20).

Hebrews 10 also indicates that for those who are unsure of forgiveness there is no other means for salvation except by Christ. The author urges those who doubt their forgiveness to progress in their faith (Hebrews 10:19; Hebrews 10:26-39).

Certainly, we have a wonderful salvation by which Christ is sufficient to cover each and every one of our sins, past, present future. For us to say that somehow His painful, long, suffering, humiliating and unjust death is not enough to cover even one of our sins is an offense to God.

To review, to date we have covered now five spectacular scriptural proofs of our internal security:

Direct statements (e.g., 1 Peter 1:4-5)
Unchangeable positions in Christ (noted in our recent blogs, especially our: spiritual baptism, justification, sealing by the Spirit and adoption)
Perseverance (2 Peter 1:12)
God chose us to salvation (Romans 8:28-30)
God’s critique of those not believing in the sufficiency of Christs sacrifice once for all to salvation (Hebrews 6:1-10)

Well, that is my blog for today. Thank you for visiting. Join me next week when we begin to discuss the Christian walk!

For questions or to view more of our research…

Email teleiosresearch@outlook.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch