Why Do People Feel Frustrated in Their Sanctification? 

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As you seek to live your life for the Lord, what keeps you motivated? Do you ever feel frustrated at your progress—or lack thereof? Are you looking in the right places for motivation? Lyle Lange offers some insights:  When Christians look to their own efforts for increasing sanctified living, one of two things will happen. First, their consciences will
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Don’t Want Rewards in the Kingdom?

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The New Testament is full of teaching that tells us Christ will reward the good works of believers at the Judgment Seat of Christ (1 Cor 3:10-15, etc.). When we teach these passages, many maintain that they do not want any rewards. Part of the reason given is that they are unworthy. Perhaps all of us have felt that
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Why Holiness Churches Lack Assurance

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If you’re in a Pentecostal or Holiness church, or if you’ve recently come out of one, you probably struggle with assurance of salvation. Why? Lyle Lange, a Lutheran theologian, explains:   The “holiness bodies” (such as Pentecostal, Church of the Nazarene, Church of God) look to special manifestations of the Spirit’s work in their lives to assure them of salvation.
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The Advent of the New Birth

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A pastor asked me this excellent question: “Is it believed that when a person placed his faith in the Lord during the pre-cross dispensations, was he given eternal security/sealed with the Spirit, etc. or is that unique to the church age?” After I sent an initial reply, he followed up in this way: “Can you supply me with any Scriptural
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Jean Vanier and the Trouble with Works Salvation

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Everyone knows Mother Teresa. But you may not know the name Jean Vanier. I did. He was Canada’s equivalent to Mother Teresa.  Vanier was the son of a Canadian ambassador, who became a Catholic theologian and philosopher and left academia to found the international L’Arche communities for people with developmental disabilities (currently 154 centers in 38 countries).   Vanier was widely regarded as a living saint.  He
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Two Abidings (1 John 2:24)

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 Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father (1 John 2:24).  Do you remember everything you hear in church or in school? Does it automatically “stick”?  Not with me.  I usually have to hear something over and over
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C. F. W. Walther on Horrible Evangelism

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Not everyone believes the promise of life the first time he hears it.  Some people are so committed to salvation by works that they think the promise of eternal life is ridiculous.  Before such a person will believe, he will probably have to go through a process of conviction first. He will need to be convinced of his total inability to earn salvation based on his good
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