If apostolic authority was meant to end with the last apostle, how are autonomous local congregations meant to settle doctrinal disputes?  The sheer number of differing Protestant denominations only proves that leaving the church with the Scriptures alone only leads to division and fragmentation.  Calvinists believe in predestination, Lutherans believe in baptismal regeneration, Baptists believe in symbolic adult full-immersion baptism, Pentecostals believe in speaking in tongues, the church of Christ believes in no musical instruments, and Seventh Day Adventists worship on Saturday.  All of these local congregations are interpreting the same Scriptures, and yet, all are divided on any one of a number of important doctrinal positions. They can’t agree on the nature of baptism, the causes of salvation, the gifts of the Spirit, the study of eschatology, and so on.  The differences are endless.  Why would Christ leave His church with a set of Scriptures but no authority to properly interpret them?

Sincerely,
Needing More

Dear Needing More,

Religious confusion isn’t because of the Scriptures.  The Scriptures aren’t the weak link; people are.  If you look at the vast majority of religious organizations, they don’t take the Scriptures as their only guide.  They allow religious tradition, personal whims, various creeds, etc. to sway them from basic Bible teachings.  It is when people warp and pervert the Scriptures that they get the divisions and fragmentations that we see today (Gal 1:6-8).  False teachers disguised as ministers of righteousness infiltrate churches and lead many astray (2 Cor 11:13-15).  False teachers are described as “wolves in sheep’s clothing” (Matt. 7:15) because they pretend to teach Bible, but instead, they teach their own devices.  False religions spring up when people are tired of the pure and simple Bible pattern and itch for a more comfortable message (2 Tim 4:3-5). The problem isn’t that we have too much emphasis on Scripture – it is the exact opposite!  If you want to remove division and chaos, return to simply studying Scripture and expel all creeds, traditions, and personal preferences from religious discussion.

Your assertion assumes that the Scriptures alone aren’t powerful enough to teach and prepare people to meet their God.  The Bible teaches that the Scriptures are the power of God for salvation (Rom 1:16).  2 Pet 1:3 says that the Scriptures provide every answer to life and godliness.  Peter said that the apostles wrote down the wisdom God had given them so that long after they departed, we would still have it (2 Pet 1:12-15).  When Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, He condemned them for their lack of Bible knowledge (Matt 22:29).  Jesus believed the Scriptures were plain enough for anyone to understand if they had an honest heart and applied some effort… He believed it enough to be angry with the Pharisees when they didn’t know their Bibles.  When Paul taught the people, he reasoned with them using only the Scriptures (Acts 17:2).  The Berean converts were praised as being noble-minded for not accepting the apostle Paul’s teachings without first examining the Scriptures for themselves (Acts 17:10-11).  The Bible is sufficient for our salvation, and there is no need for anyone to have modern abilities to “interpret” the Bible for us (2 Pet 1:20-21).

I would like to know if once you are saved, are you always saved?  Can you never lose your salvation no matter what you do?  This is what I was told about this basic teaching in Jhn 10:27-29.  Thank you.

Sincerely,
For Keeps

Dear For Keeps,

The idea that you can’t ever lose your salvation is a warping of Christ’s message in Jhn 10:27-29.  “Once saved, always saved” is a basic doctrine of Calvinism (read “Calvin And Sobs” for more details on the errors of Calvinism).  The Bible clearly says that you can lose your salvation.  Heb 3:12 says that we must be wary and protect our hearts because an evil, unbelieving heart can fall away.  2 Pet 3:17 says that we can lose our salvation if we get caught up in false teaching (1 Tim 4:1 also states this).  If we return to a life of ungodliness, then we crucify Christ again (Heb 6:4-6).

“This pretemporal choice [election] was not based on the fact that God knew which persons would believe of their own free will, for there is no person which fits that description.” – quoted text from Monergism.com’s statement of faith as pertaining to “election”.  So what I understand them to be saying is that God created mindless robots that are inherently evil and cannot choose goodness and righteousness born of free will.  How then do we glorify God if we do not have the capacity for a free will choice?  How are we to be lights unto the world if there is no possibility of us changing anything anyway?  This God they describe is not the God I know.  I believe that He wants people to choose Him from free will, and this, in turn, brings Him glory because of our capacity to CHOOSE to follow Him.

Please explain the Arminianism vs. Calvinism (election vs. free will) point of contention.  Are we simply mindless robots, or do we in fact have free will to choose God?  This question really hits home for me considering my own walk and how I came to be a believer.

Sincerely,
Not On Autopilot

Dear Not On Autopilot,

Jacobus Arminius (the creator of Arminianism) and John Calvin (the creator of Calvinism) are both men, and what they think about eternity, free will, God’s character, and salvation doesn’t matter unless it agrees with the teachings of the Bible.  In the case of freewill, Jacobus Arminius was correct, and John Calvin was dead wrong.

The Bible states time after time that you have choices in life and that those choices make a difference.  Jhn 3:16 says that Christ died for the sins of all mankind, and those who choose to believe in Christ will receive forgiveness.  Joshua told the Israelites to choose which god they would follow (Josh 24:15).  God has consistently told mankind that we can choose life or death (Deu 30:15).  Jesus calls us to come to Him and receive freedom from our burdens (Matt 11:28).  We must choose to follow the narrow road to salvation (Matt 7:13) and flee from wickedness (Jas 4:7).  We can choose to obey God and receive salvation, and we can choose to turn from God and lose our salvation (Heb 3:12-14).  God is constant in His love and willingness to help all mankind (Heb 13:8)… it is our choice whether or not we heed His call.

If you would like more information on the fallacies of John Calvin’s teachings, we recommend reading “Calvin And Sobs”.

Question: Are we TRULY saved by faith alone, and what is a “true Christian”?

Hello, my name is (omitted), and I am a christian (Protestant).  I had always believed that we were saved by “faith alone,” but I read an article that talks about 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and states that those sins can keep you from heaven.  Furthermore, in that same article, they say this:

“However, a true Christian will always repent, will always eventually return to God, and will always resume the struggle against sin.  But the Bible gives no support for the idea that a person who perpetually and unrepentantly engages in sin can indeed be a Christian.”

Based off of that, it seems they are saying that even if you have faith (believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior), you have to do “good works” by “repenting” in order to be called a “true Christian” and keep your salvation.

To sum it all up:

I’m confused.  If there is a Christian that practices the sins in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 without repenting (good works), and even if they believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, is the Bible saying that they are not “true Christians”, thus they are not saved?  If that’s the case, then aren’t we saved by faith + good works instead of just “faith alone”?  Thanks.

Sincerely,
Working On My Faith

Dear Working On My Faith,

The Bible says that we are saved by faith (Eph 2:8), but it never says that we are saved by faith only.  The Scriptures mention a lot of things that are involved in our salvation.  We are saved by hope (Rom 8:24).  We are saved by baptism (1 Pet 3:21).  We are saved by the love of the truth (2 Thess 2:10).  All of these things are involved in your salvation.

We are told that in order to be saved, we must believe in Jesus (Jhn 3:16), repent of our sins (Acts 2:38), be baptized (Mk 16:16), and continue to grow in the knowledge of Christ through the Bible (2 Pet 3:18).  Faith is hearing what God says (Rom 10:17)… and then acting upon it.  James says that faith without works is dead (Jas 2:17).  It is impossible to be a faithful person and live an unrepentant life.  Faith is more than belief; even the demons believe in God (Jas 2:19).  Faith is belief combined with action.  We must be hearers and doers of God’s Word (Jas 1:22).  1 Cor 6:9-10 lists a multitude of unrepentant lifestyles.  If someone continues to live a life of sin, they are not faithful, and God will condemn them.

Are we born sinners or born into sin?  My boyfriend’s mom said we are all saved, but the Bible says that if you believe with your heart and confess with your mouth, then you will be saved… so if you haven’t done either, how are you saved?

Sincerely,
Lost On Salvation

Dear Lost On Salvation,

We aren’t born sinners (all babies are born pure and without sin just like Adam and Eve – read “What About The Children” to better understand the spiritual state of children), but we also aren’t all saved (Matt 7:13).  Though it is true that all adults have sinned (Rom 3:23), sin is a choice… not a genetic birth defect.

When an adult breaks God’s laws and commits sin (and we all do), they die spiritually (Rom 6:23).  The only person to never sin was Jesus Christ (Heb 4:15).  All the rest of us have sinned and, therefore, are impure and unfit to dwell eternally in heaven.  It is only through Jesus’ blood that we can be freed from our sin (1 Jn 1:7).  Jesus says that He will cleanse us of our sin if we have faith in Him (Gal 3:22).  We learn how to have faith in Jesus through the Bible (Rom 10:17).  In our post “What Must I Do To Be Saved”, we explain what the Bible requirements are for salvation.  (You mentioned belief and confession, which are two of the requirements).  If we haven’t put our faith in Christ, we will not be saved.  The only way to get to heaven is through faith in Jesus (Jhn 14:6).

Our pastor has recently started studying books on John Calvin – the 5 steps (TULIP).  I don’t agree with a lot of its content and statements.  What are your thoughts?

Sincerely,
Taking A Step Back

Dear Taking A Step Back,

There is a reason you don’t agree with a lot of the content – it disagrees with the Bible.  A while back, we wrote a large post dealing with the five steps of the TULIP theory.  The post is entitled “Calvin And Sobs”, and it will give you a detailed answer to your concerns.

The short answer is that John Calvin believed that all humans are born sinful and incapable of doing anything pleasing to God.  This goes directly contrary to the Bible’s teachings.  The Bible commands us to turn to God (Acts 3:19), a command that makes absolutely no sense if we are incapable of choosing to do good.  Furthermore, Calvin taught that once you were saved, you could never be lost.  This also is false.  Heb 6:4-6 clearly states that we can fall away if we stop being faithful.

Calvinism destroys the hope for the lost, and it removes the importance of a lifetime of service to God.  It is in direct contradiction to the Biblical teaching that all can be saved in Christ (Jhn 3:16).