Beyond the Sinner’s Prayer

12th January 2025
Salvation extends far beyond the initial moment of conversion or the sinner's prayer. A good representation encompasses both Jesus' ministry to the lost, as seen in His encounter with Zacchaeus, with its challenge for a change of ways and example of change in behaviour. Jesus’ call is not just to conversion but also for the new believer to pursue godly perfection. The Lord's work of salvation includes not only forgiveness of sins but also the ongoing transformation of the believer's character through sanctification, ultimately looking forward to Christ's return. This broader understanding of salvation helps explain why many Christians struggle with living the Christian life after conversion, when their new salvation needs time to find help and hope through the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work.
Making disciples is not separate from preaching the Gospel - they are one and the same process. The evidence from Matthew and Mark's Great Commission accounts reveals that genuine discipleship occurs through deep, sustained exposure to Gospel truth rather than through a shallow initial conversion followed by different teaching. When churches focus on teaching the Gospel thoroughly and repeatedly, rather than seeing it merely as an entry point, their converts are far more likely to remain strong in their faith. This understanding shaped the early Church's approach and remains the Biblical pattern for creating lasting disciples.

Progressive Revelation

21st January 2024
"I don't know whether you're aware of the fact that Jesus sees you as not necessarily able to take what he really wants to tell you. Are you aware of the fact that the Bible, in all of its teaching, examples what the theologians now call progressive revelation. And progressive revelation is nothing to do with contradicting some earlier truth and saying it was wrong. It's not correcting things. But it is the fact that God always has the problem with humanity that we humanity can't take in all the things he'd want to tell us."

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