Category Archives: Salvation
Does Jesus teach the existence of purgatory?
In Matthew 5:25 Jesus warns that a person who owes another and does not settle the debt with them will be thrown into prison until all is paid. What is the prison Jesus warns about? Some have said this prison is purgatory.
According to those who believe in purgatory, if a Christian is not reconciled to his brother during this life, then after life ends the sinner will be held in a place of spiritual punishment until the entire debt is paid. When the sinner is purged of all their sin they will then be allowed to enter Heaven.
Interpreting the prison in Matthew 5 as a spiritual prison is defended on the grounds that the Sermon on the Mount is talking about spiritual things. Therefore, the prison must also be a spiritual prison. Jesus is teaching what is necessary to enter Heaven, but the Sermon on the Mount is not a list of instructions on how to get there. In Matthew 5:20-48 Jesus shows the impossibility of gaining Heaven by following the Mosaic law or a list of religious regulations. To enter Heaven a person has to be as perfectly righteous as God Himself. (Matthew 5:48)
Furthermore, the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 5 involved real, physical things. He speaks of marriage, divorce and adultery. He speaks of giving away a cloak and a tunic, of responding to a slap on the cheek and of going the extra mile. Those were all physical realities that Jesus’ first century audience would have experienced first hand. The coerced mile of Matthew 5:41 was not an allegorical mile, but a genuine journey taken at the command of a Roman soldier.
In Matthew 5:29-30 Jesus does use figures of speech when He speaks of plucking out an eye or cutting off a hand. Those two statements are the only ones which need to be understood as figurative. All the surrounding verses make the most sense as literal descriptions of familiar things. Therefore, the prison Jesus referred to is best understood as a real debtors prison, not a spiritual one.
The great problem with applying Matthew 5:25 to purgatory is the assumption of purgatory itself. Those who teach the existence of purgatory teach that the mercy of Jesus enables the person to become righteous. Each person is responsible, by the grace of Jesus, to put away their sin and make themselves righteous. Sin not put away by the person is punished after this life. Because the person has received the grace of Jesus, Heaven is waiting for them. Because the person still has unresolved sin, he must be punished before he can enter Heaven. Purgatory exists as a theological concept because some sin is left unpunished. Those seeking Heaven must have a means of satisfying the demands of justice on their unpunished sin. The Bible clearly teaches otherwise.
In Hebrews 10:17 God says, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Verse 18 adds this most important truth, “Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.” God promises those who trust Jesus as their Savior that He will forgive all their sin: past, present or future. First John 1:7 says, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Since God completely forgives all a person’s sins when that person receives Jesus for salvation, then no more offering, punishment, purging or purgatory is needed.
What is Christian Liberty?
November 26, 2023 Pastor’s Roundtable
Pastor Dave Chambers
Pastor Ted Jolls
Pastor Tom Schierkolk
Pastor Jon Michael
Why Does God Condemn Everyone?
Can Christians live however they want?
What is Life in Christ?
October 22 Pastor’s Roundtable
Pastor Dave Chambers
Pastor Ted Jolls
Pastor Tom Schierkolk
Pastor Steve Jenson
Pastor Jon Michael
What is “The Great Controversy”?
Residents in the region recently received in their mailboxes a copy of The Great Controversy. The front cover and title pages provide little information about the contents of the book. The back cover promises an answer to the question, “If a political superpower and a religious superpower join forces, what will be the inevitable result?” The book is likely to grab the attention of those who have an interest in politics, religion and prophecy.
The Great Controversy is an official text of the Seventh Day Adventist Church written by Ellen G. White, a co-founder of the Seventh Day Adventism. The book provides an overview of Christian history and is filled with Biblical quotes. However, The Great Controversy is not to be trusted. The author makes serious historical errors. For example, she claims the Catholic church moved the Sabbath to Sunday. This is simply not true. The New Testament and early church history show Christians met together on Sunday to worship the risen Jesus.
Furthermore, the author makes many errors in Biblical interpretation. She upholds the teachings of William Miller who taught that Jesus was going to return to the earth in 1844. She fell into the error of believing the date of Jesus’ return could be determined ahead of time. This is contrary to the clear statement of Jesus, “That day and hour no one knows . . . Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.” (Mark 13:32-33) The New Testament teaches that the return of Jesus will happen at a time when no one expects. Her commitment to this error led her to devise many imaginative, but ultimately unbiblical, interpretations of the Bible.
These errors render the book untrustworthy, but its teachings regarding salvation make it spiritually dangerous. The teachings of The Great Controversy undermine the work of Jesus on the cross by effectively denying the completeness of Jesus’ work of atonement at Calvary. According to White the sins of “penitent believers . . . still remained upon the books of record.” In other words, before 1844 the sin of believers had not been removed. They still stood in the Heavenly records against the individual. They were forgiven because of the work of Jesus, but their sin had not yet been taken away. This is contrary to many clear Biblical statements. Jesus’ own words on the cross show salvation was fully accomplished and sin fully forgiven by His sacrifice, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) The promise made to all believers was a promise of complete forgiveness, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” (Hebrews 9:17) Hebrews presents this promised as already fulfilled in Jesus’ death on the cross, not waiting for a future, final cleansing.
Equally serious is the error that obedience to the law is necessary for salvation. White says, “All who have truly repented of sin, and by faith claimed the blood of Christ as their atoning sacrifice, have had pardon entered against their names in the books of heaven; as they have become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God, their sins will be blotted out.” The condition of pardon is not just repentance and faith, but also having a character in harmony with the law of God. The entire 28th chapter of The Great Controversy discusses how a person is finally saved. According to White diligence in obedience, particularly to the Ten Commandments and especially the Fourth Commandment, is integral to salvation. According to White a life of obedience is necessary for a person to receive salvation.
This is not only erroneous doctrine, it is damning doctrine. The book of Galatians was written to correct an error incredibly similar to White’s. Galatians says, “you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen (short of) grace.” (Galatians 5:4) All who believe they must keep the law to keep their salvation will not be saved until they reject their own attempts to secure salvation Galatians also says, “A man is not justified by the works of the law . . . for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” (Galatians 2:16). “For as many as are under the works of the law are under the curse.” (Galatians 3:10) The teachings of Ellen G. White do not bring salvation, hope or victory. They condemn the sinner in a hopeless attempt to secure one’s own salvation by obedience to a law which can never bring eternal salvation.
Modern Seventh Day Adventism has pulled away from some of the doctrines taught by Ellen White, and some would disagree that Ellen G. White taught salvation by works. However, her teaching clearly ties obedience with salvation. By distributing her book the Seventh Day Adventist church is affirming and promoting false doctrine.
Instead of reading The Great Controversy read the Gospel of John. There you will see Jesus is God the Son and the only means of eternal life. “These are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31)
Are Good Works Needed for Salvation?
What is the most widely believed dogma in the world? Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and the majority of other worlds religions affirm the need to do good works of some variety, whether it be participating in a specific ritual or a life of goodness, for the person to reach that religion’s definition of salvation. One can safely estimate billions of people around the world believe the performance of good works is necessary to achieve a positive outcome in the afterlife. Does the Bible teach this?
The Bible says the following about salvation by works:
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Titus 3:4-5
But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
Romans 4:2-5
For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
Galatians 2:16
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ,
Galatians 5:4
You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
2 Timothy 1:9
God has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus.
The Bible is plain. No one is saved by works. No one can be saved by works. The person who relies in any way on their works to get them to Heaven will not be saved. Many in the broad family of Christian religions affirm that good works are vital to salvation, but the Bible teaches something different. No one needs to do any good works at any time in their life in order to be saved. Galatians 5:4 says that those who attempt to be saved by some good deed have actually fallen short of Gods’ grace. The attempt to earn Heaven cuts a person off from Heaven. The only way to receive God’s saving grace is through faith which never attempts to do anything to earn salvation.
According to the Bible no work brings salvation. Obeying the ten commandments, being circumcised, being baptized, taking the Lord’s Supper, making confession to others, attending church, giving to the needy, maintaining religious devotion and living a life of self denial will never bring anyone salvation. No religious ritual or virtuous deed will bring any one the tiniest step closer to heaven.
The only way to get to Heaven is through faith in Jesus. (John 14:6) Admit you are a sinner who is guilty before God and deserving of His eternal punishment. Believe Jesus is God who became human, died on the cross to pay the penalty of your sin and rose to life again. Believe Jesus will forgive your sin and give you eternal life. Place all your trust in Jesus for salvation. Rely only on Him to get you to Heaven. Ask Jesus to take away all your guilt and make you His child. He will. “Whoever calls upon the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
How is Jesus’ death on the cross loving and just?
The death of Jesus on the cross was unfair. Many view the Christian teaching that Jesus died for our sins as a barbaric relic of an ancient world awash in oppression, cruelty and blood. How could a loving God demand His Son suffer a death as terrible as crucifixion?
Death by crucifixion was a horrific torment designed to be as cruel and slow as possible. Before being nailed to the cross Jesus suffered a vicious scourging. His final hours were filled with intense pain and anguish beyond description. Few Americans can truly comprehend the brutality of Jesus’ death. The savagery of crucifixion is shocking.
The Bible says, “The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14), “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16) and “But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) How could such a brutal death be an act of love?
The problem is not the violence of the cross, the problem is the failure to understand the true severity of sin. We cannot truly comprehend the wickedness of man’s treason against his Creator and Sovereign. The savagery of the cross reveals the heinousness of sin. One sin, seemingly no more severe than a child swiping a cookie from the cookie jar, plunged the entire world into the misery it now experiences. All the war, abuse, rape, assault, murder, suffering, poverty, starvation, disease and every other horror that fills this world is the direct result of Adam and Eve’s single act of disobedience in the Garden of Eden. When God cursed them He cursed all the world. Now all things groan in agony under the curse of sin.
The consequences of sin are severe because God is holy. God’s holiness involves absolute separation from all sin. God is also the only source of all good. When man’s sin separated him from God all creation drew back from the source of good. When even a little of God’s good favor is removed from His creation terrible things come upon the world. Sin removed creation from God’s blessing thereby bringing on all the terrors of being allowed to attempt life without Him.
Holiness also involves the proper response to all sin. The book of Habakkuk declares that God is too pure to overlook any evil. Isaiah 59:18 says, “According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay.” Job 34:11 says, “He repays man according to his work.” In Jeremiah 17:10 God says, “I the Lord search the heart. I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings.” Because God is the Holy Judge of all the earth (Genesis 18:25) He will always punish all sin with a judgment equal to its severity.
On the cross Jesus suffered God’s punishment for the sin of humanity. The cross must be horrible and the punishment of sin must be terrible because sin is an appalling rebellion against God. Romans 3:26 says that the cross shows how God can remain just and still justify sinners. God’s justice permits an innocent party to take the place of the guilty. The sinless Jesus willingly took the place of sinful men and was punished for all our sin. He bore the wrath of God as if He were guilty of all our iniquities. The cross shows God’s love because God the Son willingly suffered our punishment (2 Corinthians 5:21), God the Spirit willingly enabled Jesus to endure the cross (Hebrews 9:14) and God the Father willingly accepted the sacrifice of Jesus for the sin of mankind.
What is Redemption?
Redemption is a concept addressed throughout the Bible. Redemption is not a completely unfamiliar idea outside the church, but it is one most likely to be found mentioned in Christian circles. Outside of the church redemption seems to be used most often in reference to claiming rewards that have been earned. If someone has earned cash back through a credit card or upgrades through frequent flyer miles, then those benefits are claimed by redeeming them. The Biblical use of redemption is much different.
Redemption is used in the Bible in several different ways, including the purchase of something from bondage and the atonement of someone from sin. The most common use of redemption among Christians is that of redemption from sin. Redemption from sin is a purchasing of someone out of bondage to sin by paying the penalty required by their sin. Biblical redemption is not a business transaction but a judicial one. Because redemption is a legal process, the price and process is set by the Judge of all the Earth. God has established what is required to redeem a person. The price of redemption is the wages of sin. The deliverance of redemption is release from sin’s slavery and sin’s curse.
Redemption from sin is never accomplished by the person. The sinner cannot redeem himself from his own sin. Psalm 49:6-8 says that no no one can redeem a person from sin because the cost to redeem the soul is more than any one can pay. Instead, God provided a substitute who would redeem men. The Old Testament is filled with temporary substitutes who redeemed sinners from death. Every sacrifice offered under the Old Testament law was a substitute for the sinner.
Ultimately, God Himself became the Redeemer for sinners who provided the full redemption sacrifices could not accomplish. This Divine redemption is pictured in the deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt. In Exodus 6 God said, “I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.” In Isaiah 43 God said, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.” God promised to send a redeemer who would deliver them from sin. That redeemer is Jesus.
The New Testament declares that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to send Israel a redeemer. Jesus is not only the redeemer of Israel, He is the redeemer of all who trust in Him. The New Testament repeatedly calls Jesus the redeemer of men. “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law.” (Galatians 3:13) “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:25) “Who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from every lawless deed.”( Titus 2:14) “You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood.” (Revelation 5:9) Jesus redeems sinners by being their substitute who pays the price of their sin through His death on the cross. Jesus paid the penalty of sin, thereby satisfying Gods’ justice and covering the guilt of those who trust Him. Those who receive Jesus as Savior are set free from the curse and enslavement of sin. As a result, the redeemed are forgiven of all sin and reconciled to God.
Everlasting Truths 