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Grappling with Once-Saved-Always-Saved Premise

Believers are likely to wonder if the once-saved-always-saved assurance (as taught by certain denominations) is reconcilable with the anomalies routinely reported among different Christian communities.  The worst-case counter-example will be when renowned mega-church leaders fall dramatically into abject disrepute and leave in their wake such adverse impact that the large followings they attracted thereafter become disillusioned and rudderless.  In a similar vein, supposedly staunch followers are prone to feel distraught when interacting with close relatives or bosom friends who have openly renounced their Christian faith in favour of other religions.  As regards pew-warmers in church, even they may find occasion to query the beliefs of their ostensibly Christian bosses who keep resorting to business practices that run afoul of biblical ethics.   Given the prevalence of such counter-examples, what is the basis for pastors and counsellors teaching Christians how t...
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Delving into Clues about "Mother of Harlots"

Truly  “the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secrets to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7) but then the prophecies recorded in scriptures are more often than not couched in oblique language.   T he apparently-enigmatic messianic passages found in different Old Testament books are a case in point:  Christians are nowadays able to grasp the import of these precious verses only because  they have the benefit of hindsight to follow the fulfilment of every prediction regarding the manifold aspects of the Messiah ’ s ministry on earth ( from incarnation to resurrection followed by ascension).  Also pertinent is the narrative  —  tucked amidst all the missionary trips meticulously chronicled by Luke  — where  the Ethiopian eunuch, whilst contemplating the messianic prophecies compiled by Isaiah, must have been grateful for the unexpected arrival of Philip the Evangelist whose opening line to this learned pre-believer is:  “ ...
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Worrying Tendency toward Fixation on Miracles

In this day and age where instant gratification is actively promoted across commercial sectors because of consumerism, certain Christian communities have effectively come to expect miracles on all occasions — to the extent of even seeking divine aid for not-so-desperate matters like  chasing alternate jobs with better terms (despite being disfavourably regarded by current colleagues ),  hoping own children ace school examinations (despite acknowledging their disinterest in academic studies) or  obviating need for tooth-decay treatment (despite protracted inattention to proper dental hygiene ).   Given this feverish mindset to look heavenward for help in almost every mundane situation, it may be worthwhile to glance back and check out what certain biblical characters went through.   The following representative list of illustrative examples ought to be helpful for a broad appreciation of what different OT characters had experienced during trying times beset ...
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Mulling over Issue of Salvation for Sinners Unreached by Gospel

  As declared by the Son of Man, “ I am the way … [and] no one comes to the Father except through Me ” (John 14:6).   Additionally, believers have been specifically taught that “a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ ” (Galatians 2:16).   Given that these oft-quoted verses appear in the New Testament, the query that springs to mind is whether both of them are retroactively applicable to all who lived prior to the Messiah’s earthly ministry as well as those uninformed about God’s offer of salvation relayed since then by evangelists commissioned to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature [and] he who believes and is baptised will be saved but he who does not believe will be condemned ” (Mark 16:15-16).   Available in another New Testament book is the divine assurance that “God our Saviour … desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (I Timothy 2:3-4).   This Pauline ...
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