Marshall on the perseverance of the saints

This is something that I have been pondering about lately (very much in fact). There are probably no easy answers, with both the Calvinists and Arminians viewpoints varying so very much. On one hand I guess salvation at the point of conversion is a gift that we freely receive. Yes we cannot do anything to earn our salvation.. But I really wonder is a person truly saved if he behaves in a manner contrary to the standards that God has set in his holy Word? If I fall so short of the indicative markers of what a Christian is, then does that mean I really have not yet come to the point of being regenerated.

The desire to sin is still a very existent daily reality. I trust not in my own determination but I guess I can go to sleep every night, having repented, to know that his grace and mercy is more than sufficient to keep me from falling into apostasy the next day? It seems that my limited understanding of the reformed position seems to help my heart be in a better state of rest. Well lets see how the book shapes my understanding!

Here's the excerpt from the book where Marshall defines or comments on the perseverance of the saints.

From Page 22 of Btcl/Kept by the Power of God

On the one hand, the Christian life is a life which is continually sustained by the power of God. It does not merely depend upon a once-for-all gift of God received in the moment of conversion, but is a continual relationship to God in which His gracious gifts are received by faith. On the other hand, the believer is continually faced by temptations which jeopardize his faith. He is thus in a state of tension as he receives the gift of life from God and at the same time faces the forces of temptation which threaten to deprive him of that life. Positively, his duty is to grow in the Christian life towards the goal of sinlessness, i.e. of victory by the power of God over the temptations which assail him. This is the process known as sanctification. Negatively, the believer faces the danger of succumbing to temptation through failure to trust in God. He may be said to fall away from his faith in God, and the limit to this process would be apostasy, i.e. complete abandonment of faith and surrender to temptation; in such a case the divine life would cease to exist in the man.

Review: Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved

Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved by J.D. Greear
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For a title so offensive, one would think that Greear is going to decimate the notion of the sinner's prayer (which was what attracted me to this book). But no, this book is far more than that. And I'm so very grateful for that. Having read (and reviewed) so many books lately, it is a breath of fresh air to have one speak right to your heart (after having to go through many mediocre ones).

This book would speak both to the person who is ever worried whether he is saved, because he continually falls into sin and wonders whether it is worthwhile to keep attempting to live a life worthy of the blood that Jesus had shed. It too would speak equally loudly to a person who is so sure of his salvation that he is not even concerned about sin in his life, because he believes that nothing he does can jeopardise his eternal destination.

I was thoroughly blessed by this book and would heartily recommend it to any Christian. Even though I received this book from B&H Publishing Group through Netgalley.com in exchange for this review, I enjoyed it so much I'm seriously considering purchase a copy to keep on my bookshelf!

View all my reviews

The altar call

I last reflected about "the sinner's prayer" and then this article came up on its related sibling "the altar call," another 19th century innovation that most of us thought came from Jesus' time. I am hesitant to say that we should abolish "this vile and manipulative" practice, but rather am inclined to suggest that pastors and leaders be more mindful of how they want to invite a person to the point of unconditional surrender to God's Lordship of their lives. Because if this is a compulsory tool in the handyman's box, the discipleship process is going to be alot more challenging trying to persuade unconverted "christians" of God's ways.

Source: You Asked: Should Churches Perform Altar Calls?

"The altar call relies on the powers of emotion, rhetorical persuasion, and social pressure to induce people to make a hasty and premature decision. And producing professions is not the same thing as making disciples. Surely a number of factors are responsible for the many nominal Christians that typify Christianity in the West, but I believe that the altar call is one of them."

Reservations of "the Sinner's Prayer"

At first I was horrified to discover that some churches did not encourage using "the sinner's prayer" and that it was a very modern invention. As I reflect further, I begin to better understand why. When a person comes down to the altar, he may not necessarily want "God's will and not my will be done;" rather, it may be just an addition of another spiritual force that can be manipulate according to one's will.


From Pages 36-38 of Radical

Radical Revelation to be Radically Received

So how do we respond to this gospel? Suddenly contemporary Christianity sales pitches don’t seem adequate anymore. Ask Jesus to come into your heart. Invite Jesus to come into your life. Pray this prayer, sign this card, walk down this aisle, and accept Jesus as your personal Saviour. Our attempt to reduce this gospel to a shrink-wrapped presentation that persuades someone to say or pray the right things back to us no longer seems appropriate.

That is why none of these man-made catch phrases are in the Bible. You will not find a place where a superstitious sinner’s prayer is even mentioned. And you will not find an emphasis on accepting Jesus. We have taken the infinitely glorious Son of God, who endured the infinitely terrible wrath of God and who now reigns as the infinitely worthy Lord of all, and we have reduced him to a poor, puny Saviour who is just begging for us to accept him.

Accept him? Do we think Jesus needs our acceptance? Don't we need him?

I invite you to consider with me a proper response to this gospel. Surely more than praying a prayer is involved. Surely ore than religious attendance is warranted. Surely this gospel evokes unconditional surrender of all that we are all that we have to all that he is.

You and I desperately need to consider whether we have ever truly, authentically trusted in Christ for our salvation. In this light Jesus’ words at the end of the Sermon on the Mount [Matt. 7:21-23] are some of the most humbling in all Scripture.

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Jesus was not speaking here to irreligious people, atheists, or agnostics. He was not speaking to pagans or heretics. He was speaking to devoutly religious people who were deluded into thinking they were on the narrow road that leads to heaven when they were actually on the broad road that leads to hell. According to Jesus, one day not just a few but many will be shocked-eternally shocked-to find that they were not in the kingdom of God after all.

The danger of spiritual deception is real. As a pastor, I shudder at the thought and lie awake at night when I consider the possibility that scores of people who sit before me on a Sunday morning might think they are saved when they are not. Scores of people who have positioned their lives on a religious road that makes grandiose promises at minimal cost. We have been told all that is required is a one-time decision, maybe even mere intellectual assesnt to Jesus, but after that we need not worry about his commands, his standards, or his glory. We have a ticket to heaven, and we can live however we want on earth. Our sin will be tolerated along the way. Much of modern evangelism today is built on leading people down this road, and crowds flock to it, but in the end it is a road built on sinking sand, and it risks disillusioning millions of souls.

Redman on asking God for healing

...we are not bargaining with God. It is not a case of 'I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" -- or, in other words, "I'll call You Savior if You agree to heal me." Instead we are proclaiming Him for who He is and then falling upon His mercy and good judgment. In His infinite wisdom and kindness, God may well purpose to bring us healing. But perhaps we will have to wait awhile to see our situation changed. Or perhaps we will never be healed this side of heaven. And if we are not, God hasn't become any less wise or merciful. Indeed, one day we may well realize for ourselves just how merciful and wise He was in without a healing. We are entirely in the hands of His great mercy and wisdom.

From Page 41 of

Blessed Be Your Name

Lichi on salvation and santicification

Dr. Don Lichi, "Salvation makes sanctification possible but not inevitable."