Salvation Summaries

I believe a number of people may have a negative view of God after hearing or reading about violence in the Old Testament, especially stoning. How could a loving and compassionate God allow, let alone command, such a barbaric act? If God condones this, why would a person believe in…

Warren Buffett, the “Oracle of Omaha,” is known as one of the greatest investors of all time. In his first ever interview broadcast on national television years ago, he was asked about the most important quality of an investment manager. He said it’s temperament not intelligence; that one needs a…

By way of background, I have had health problems for more than three years. My main problems are chronic fatigue, insomnia and a few others I won’t mention. I’ve seen more than 20 different medical professionals (including doctors of internal medicine, endocrinologists, ENT doctors, a gastroenterologist, allergist, dietitians, etc.), had…

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. (Mt 5:5) A few months ago I wrote a post on this verse, but when I reviewed Matthew 5 again as part of my daily Bible reading, I felt like my post didn’t get to the “heart” of what meek…

This morning I decided to go to our nearby Verizon store to buy a new phone. I did this only because the battery in my old one was no longer holding a charge for very long. I arrived at 10:00 am when the store opened. Only one person – a…

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Of the beatitudes I’ve studied so far, this one stood out to me.  Why?  The blessing that the pure in heart will receive. THEY will see God.  Wow! What a promise!  If you want assurance that you…

Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. I have been “working through” the beatitudes to understand what they say about salvation and how a Christian should live. I believe the beatitudes summarize how a person becomes saved and how a saved person becomes mature spiritually.…

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6 In my recent posts, I reviewed Jesus’ first three beatitudes in His Sermon on the Mount. The first two, poor in spirit and mourn, show how a person becomes saved. The third, meek (or…

I would guess that a number of professing Christians believe that all one needs to do to be saved, or become a Christian, is to believe in Jesus. Is this true? Actually no, at least not according to Jesus. “Well, well…” you say. “That’s not something I’ve heard before. What…

In my last post, I reviewed Jesus’ first beatitude in Matthew 5:3 about poor in spirit. In this post, I will evaluate His second beatitude in Matthew 5:4 about those who mourn. My purpose is to determine if mourning relates to how a person is saved or how a saved…