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| Vol. 15 No. 3 March 2013 | Page 11 |
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| Vol. 15 No. 3 March 2013 | Page 11 |
Andrew J. McPherson
Do we ever think of our salvation as being secure? We all have the freedom of choice, but can we run the possibility of apostasy? Of course we can, but by the blood of Jesus Christ we can have a firm, secure salvation! Apostasy (falling away from the faith) does not just happen by pure instinct. We see that throughout the inspired Word, the Bible does not take human freedom from us. “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4). Also in 1 John 5:13 we find, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” The Scriptures affirm that it is possible to fall away from our salvation. There are other Scriptures to consider (2 Peter 2:20; Hebrews 6:18-19; 10:22; 2 Corinthians 5:1; 1 Timothy 4:8).
There are three ways we can be confident and secure in our salvation toward God. We first need to know that God is stronger than our enemies (Romans 8:31-35; John 10:28)! Second, we see God’s grace is more abundant than our sins (Romans 3:24; 5:20-21; 6:23; Titus 3:5)! Lastly, we can see that perfection is not the means to forgiveness, but forgiveness is the means to perfection as John wrote, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
We may encounter times of struggle in Christian living. It is so important to remember, God is always helping us through life! We sometimes fall to temptation (Romans 6:23), but let us never fall short of a secure salvation through Christ Jesus our Lord! Keep a positive outlook on life. God would not want any less from us. Have strong belief in knowing that your salvation is secure in Him!
Thomas Baxley
One of the major tenets of the beliefs of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is that Jesus Christ is a creature, not God. They do not believe in the trinity; they simply teach that Christ was a created spirit-person created directly by God (which is why He is called ‘Son’) who existed long before our history began. Jesus was the instrument that God used to do His creating on earth, which is why He is called the “Word.”
The claims made by Jehovah’s Witnesses are completely unfounded. The Bible does teach the trinity, and it also teaches the deity of Jesus Christ. Jesus is God who took on flesh, and not only does the Bible assign Him the title of “God,” but it is one that He claimed for Himself on numerous occasions.
One of Jehovah’s Witnesses favorite texts that they put forward, which they say teaches that Jesus is a created being and not God, is Colossians 1:15. Here, Paul wrote that Jesus is “the firstborn of all creation.” What else can that mean except that Christ was the first thing that was created? Does it, then, mean that since Christ is also the “firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18) that He was the first to be revived from death? Certainly not! Christ Himself raised several from the dead during His ministry, not to mention the several who were raised from the dead in the Old Testament. What does it all mean, then?
The meaning of the passage as a whole is found at the end of verse 18 and in verse 19. Christ has the first place or preeminence in everything, because the fullness dwells in Him. Fullness of what? “For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9).