Posts tagged 'salvation'

  • 1 Corinthians: Chapter 1 (verses 17-25)

    Paul wrote, For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Book of Galatians, Chapter 6 (verses 6-18)

    This is the final article in this series, covering the last chapter of Paul’s letter to the Galatians.

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Book of Galatians: Chapter 6 (verses 5:25–6:5)

    While the first two verses here are part of Galatians chapter 5, most commentators consider them to be the first two verses of chapter 6. Accordingly, I am including them as part of Galatians 6.

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Book of Galatians: Chapter 5 (verses 13-24)

    The previous article covered the first part of Galatians chapter 5, ending with verse 12. We’ll continue here with verse 13.

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Book of Galatians: Chapter 5 (verses 2–12)

    The Apostle Paul taught the Galatian believers that through faith in Christ they had been set free from following the Mosaic law; however, they had returned to the old covenant, believing that they needed to undergo circumcision. ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Book of Galatians: Chapter 4 (verses 4:21–5:1)

    The Apostle Paul continues to exhort his readers to live in freedom from the Old Testament law. He tries to help the Galatians to see the folly of reverting to the law, and reminds his readers that those who trust in God’s promise ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Book of Galatians: Chapter 4 (verses 1–20)

    Paul ended Galatians chapter 3 with the statement: If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.1 In Galatians 4, he goes on to explain the significance of being Abraham’s heirs. ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Book of Galatians: Chapter 3 (verses 15–29)

    In the first part of Galatians 3, the apostle Paul made the point that the Galatian believers did not need to be circumcised in order to be part of the people of God, the family of Abraham. What was needed to receive the blessing ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Book of Galatians: Chapter 2 (verses 11–21)

    When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.1

    Antioch was one of the larger cities in the Roman Empire, with a population estimated at 250,000 people, 25,000 of which were Jewish. ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Christmas Hope

    I was contemplating Christmas and everything that it means and all that could be said about it. Over the years, Christians have considered the wonders of the event of Jesus’ birth and how its impact has influenced the world. ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: The Death of Jesus …

    While each of the four Gospels give the same account of Jesus’ death on the cross, they each also include some unique details. The Gospel of Matthew is the account used here, and portions of the other three Gospels ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • “My Sheep Hear My Voice…”

    This life is one grand set of experiences, designed by our Creator to help us to develop into a manifestation of His love. There is so much to be learned, not just from our own experiences but also from the lives of others, ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: John 17: Jesus’ Prayer …

    Having told His disciples that He was going away to “Him that sent me” (John 16:5), and that the Helper—the Holy Spirit—would come to guide them into all truth (John 16:13), Jesus then began to pray to the Father. ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: The End of His …

    In John chapter 12, Jesus stated,

    “While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.1 ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: The Greeks

    The Gospel of John tells of an event, just prior to the passion and death of Jesus, which is not included in the synoptic Gospels.1 It describes Jesus’ encounter with some Greeks who desired to see Him. It is significant ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: Zacchaeus

    The Gospel of Luke tells of Jesus’ surprising interaction with Zacchaeus, a Jewish man who was a chief tax collector for the Roman government.

    [Jesus] entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchaeus. ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Creed (Part 10)

    Having covered God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the creed moves on to the last four vital Christian beliefs. It states:

    We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
          We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Thoughts on the King

    One question that could be asked regarding God’s gift of salvation is why God, who is all-powerful, had to send His beloved Son to earth to die for us in the greatest sacrifice of all time. Couldn’t He have just forgiven us ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • The Creed (Part 6)

    The previous part of this series about the Nicene-Constantinople Creed was focused on Jesus, who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven. The next lines of the creed focus on the main events of His birth, ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Creed (Part 5)

    After expressing Jesus’ deity as the Son of God, who is of the same essence as the Father, the creed then moves on to addressing Jesus’ humanity and the events of His life—the manner in which He died, His resurrection, ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Creed (Part 1)

    Throughout Christian history, various statements of belief have condensed the fundamental beliefs of the Christian faith into relatively short statements generally known as creeds. The word creed comes from the Latin word ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Christmas Promises

    Each Christmas, as we commemorate Jesus’ birth, we are looking back to the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises in which God vowed to send a savior into the world. As we mark this glorious event, ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: The Father and the …

    At the end of the previous article, we read that Jesus stated, The works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.1 Earlier in this chapter, ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: The Father and the …

    At the end of the previous article, we saw Jesus state that those who hear His word and believe in the One who sent Him have eternal life, that they have passed from death to life.1 He then continued, ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: The Feast of Tabernacles …

    In the middle of the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus left Galilee and went to Jerusalem. While there, He went into the temple and began teaching. He faced opposition from the Jewish religious leadership, who wanted to have Him arrested but failed. ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Captives No More!

    A witness through stone walls and iron bars

    A friend wrote me about a young man named Jake who is in prison. She had corresponded with him in the past and had just received a letter from him after a long period of silence. ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Hope in the Darkness

    One day I was answering some correspondence from one of our TFI missionaries who serves on a very poor field. As I was dictating my response, I felt an urge to not only write him but to also write a letter to the people ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: Isaiah’s Prophecy

    In Conflict with the Pharisees parts 1–4, we saw how some of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, known as the Pharisees, were vehemently opposed to Jesus and His message. In Matthew chapter 12, ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: The “I Am” Sayings

    The Way, the Truth, and the Life

    The next “I Am” statement from Jesus that we will look at was made during His last supper with His disciples. This is recorded in John chapter 14, ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: The “I Am” Sayings

    The Good Shepherd

    In the first part of John chapter 10, Jesus stated:

    Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers …

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: The “I Am” Sayings

    The Door

    In John chapter 10, Jesus made two “I Am” statements: Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep1 and I am the good shepherd.2 ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Celebrating Life!

    Easter is a time when we look back to the most powerful event in the history of mankind. We see God’s supernatural, undeserved love for us being expressed through Christ’s death on the cross and His glorious resurrection. ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: The “I Am” Sayings

    The Resurrection and the Life

    Just before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead,1 He spoke to Lazarus’ sister Martha and said:

    “I am the resurrection and the life. ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: The “I Am” Sayings

    The Light of the World

    The second of Jesus’ “I Am” sayings is found in John chapter 8.

    Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: The “I Am” Sayings

    The Bread of Life (Part 2)

    In Part One, we read how Jesus declared that He is the bread of life,1 the bread of God who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world,2 ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: The “I Am” Sayings

    The Bread of Life (Part 1)

    Within the Gospel of John, we see how Jesus uses various metaphors to describe Himself: “I am the bread of life,”1 “I am the light of the world,”2 ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Stories Jesus Told: The Great Banquet, Luke …

    The setting in which Jesus told the parable of the great banquet was a Sabbath meal that He was eating at the house of a prominent Pharisee. During the meal, He gave some instruction about invitations to banquets, ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Easter Effect

    Easter week is just ahead—the week in which we read about and meditate on the events of the last days of Jesus’ earthly life: telling the disciples that He would be crucified; the chief priests and elders gathering ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Christmas Prequel

    In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, we read the story surrounding the birth of Jesus. We’re told of the angel visiting Mary; of her miraculous pregnancy; of the difficulty that Joseph, her betrothed, had when he found out she was pregnant; ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • In It for the Long Term

    “The salvation of a soul is the miracle of a moment, but the manufacture of a saint is the task of a lifetime.”—Alan Redpath1

    It’s wonderful at Christmas to think about the manger, the angels, ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • The Heart of It All: Salvation

    Predestination?

    In the previous article, I wrote about the different views within Protestantism regarding the assurance of salvation or the possibility of losing one’s salvation. There is another notable ...

    (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Heart of It All: Salvation

    Eternal Salvation

    While all Christians believe that Jesus died for our sins and we are saved through the sacrifice of His death on the cross, there are some differences in belief among different denominations as to whether ...

    (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Heart of It All: Salvation

    Results—Justification, Adoption, and Regeneration

    In the previous articles about salvation, we have looked at four concepts that illustrate how God’s plan of redemption works—how it reconciles us with God ...

    (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Just One Life

    This is a different article than those that I usually place on the DC site. In most cases, the materials that are posted here are directed toward our members. But in the spirit of the Christmas season and the fact that it is a wonderful opportunity ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • The Heart of It All: Salvation

    Substitutionary Sacrifice and Reconciliation

    In the last article we covered propitiation and redemption (ransom), two of the four scriptural concepts that help us to understand how Jesus’ death saves ...

    (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Heart of It All: Salvation

    Propitiation and Redemption

    In the previous article we saw that God’s plan for the redemption of humans was set in place before the creation of humanity, and that it was rooted in His love, mercy, and grace, ...

    (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Heart of It All: Salvation

    God’s Plan

    The core teaching of the New Testament can be found in one of the most beautiful verses of Scripture:

    For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him ...

    (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Heart of It All: The Nature and …

    God’s Eternality

    God’s eternality is another aspect of His essential nature. God is eternal; He existed before the creation of the universe, and thus before time was created. ...

    (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Story

    In the previous post I wrote about the you factor, your importance as the one who brings the message of the Gospel to others. In this article I want to talk about the story behind the message. It’s a story that you are already familiar with, ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Heart of It All: Introduction

    Something that I find particularly wonderful about Jesus is that His life-transforming gift of salvation is freely given to anyone who simply asks for it with a sincere and believing heart. One’s level of understanding ...

    (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Forgiveness and Salvation

    In two previous posts on the topic of forgiveness I wrote about 1) forgiving others and 2) avoiding the need to be forgiven, by doing unto others what you would have them do unto you. In this post I’ll address how principles ... (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Are You Santa Claus?

    It’s Christmastime—such a wonderful time of the year! I love it when it comes around every year, because as Christmas approaches, people tend to appreciate others more. They’re more aware of the importance ... (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam