The Nature of Saving Faith

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Recently I wrote a blog in which I said that before faith in Christ can occur, a person must understand the promise of everlasting life which the Lord Jesus makes to the believer. This led to an interesting question from a reader: “Where does it say in the Bible that understanding is a condition for saving faith?” 
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Faith Is Futile If Jesus Did Not Rise from the Dead (1 Corinthians 15:17)

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“And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!”  Alternative history novels explore what life would be like today if a major event in human history turned out differently. For example, Harry Turtledove’s Southern Victory explores what the United States would have been like if the South had won the Civil
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Fire Insurance Evangelism

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Many object to the practice of some evangelists who say that if you believe in Jesus, then you will be saved from eternal condemnation. They say that is just fire insurance.   John Piper has a November 8, 2017, post entitled, “Jesus Isn’t Your Insurance Policy” (see here). He writes,  What is this [saving] faith?…It is a receiving of Christ for who he really is:
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Continuous Drinking Required for Everlasting Life? (John 4:13-14)

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I received this email question from a reader:  In the article “The One Who Believes: Is Continuous Faith Required to be Born Again?” by Bob Wilkin ( https://faithalone.org/magazine/y2006/06jf1.html ) in the second footnote regarding John 4:13, Bob Wilkin mentions: ‘Amazingly, Wallace says ho pinōn here means, “everyone who continually drinks…,” ibid, p. 621, text. Of course, he must say that
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Chuck Swindoll Says That People Will Miss Eternity with Christ If They Make Salvation Too Difficult

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A reader told me about a January 7 Insight for Living broadcast in which Chuck Swindoll talks about the time when Moses lifted up the bronze serpent, and those who looked on it were healed of the plague (Numbers 21). I just listened to the section in question, and it is fantastic. You can hear that message here by clicking on Part
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Saving Faith Should Result in a Lifetime Overflowing with Good Works

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The following comments and question were in response to my recent blog (see here) about the saying, “Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is never alone.”   This is in response to the article on your website responding to Dr. Grudem’s critique of the Free Grace message. I would appreciate thoughtful answers because I am genuinely trying
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Faith Alone Saves, But the Faith That Saves Is Never Alone—A Dangerous Contradiction?

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I received an email pointing me to a video by Dr. Wayne Grudem entitled, “Salvation without Repentance from Sin: A Critique of the Free Grace Gospel.” You can see that 45-minute video here.   I’ve written a book responding to Dr. Grudem’s book Free Grace Theology: 5 Ways It Diminishes the Gospel. So I won’t cover his view of
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Missing the Boat on Faith

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Truth Aflame is a Charismatic and Evangelical systematic theology written by Larry Hart, who is professor of theology at Oral Roberts University. I have the first edition. There is a second available here.  I was skimming through what he wrote about faith.  Hart starts off well:  “It is through faith alone—faith plus nothing—that we are
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Ghost Writers Often Confuse the Issue in Saving Faith, Even Billy Graham’s Ghost Writers

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A reader sent me an article dated August 28, 2018 from The Commercial Appeal. I think this is from the Memphis paper. The article is entitled, “It is not enough for us to just ‘believe in Jesus Christ.’” A question is given: “My friend asked me to become a Christian and said all I had
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