I was saved in 1968 through the preaching of salvation in Christ that I first heard at Hydewood Park Baptist Church, in New Jersey. It was a rigid fundamentalist Bible believing church. Thankfully, many are saved in and through first hearing the word of salvation in a denominational church setting, hearing a message of God’s grace and the free gift of salvation “through faith” alone in Christ alone.
A Five-Part Study Series
by Arthur J Licursi
Fear is common to all men, including we Christians.
Fear is a natural reaction that works to keep us from harm, to be safe…
but we as believers are often tempted with the “fiery darts” of thoughts
that are intended to provoke “fear,” to immobilize us.
“But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: (1 Corinthians 1:30)
Both redemption and sanctification (Holiness) flow to us from the cross in the person of the indwelling “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.”
But distinctively, Grace and faith are the great characteristic features of the present age of “the dispensation of the grace of God.”
“Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
“Be careful (anxious) for nothing”— pray the Pauline way… and relax in God’s grace!
By Arthur J Licursi
Before one can be saved from eternal damnation they need to know and acknowledge their true condition, as to how they are seen in God’s eyes. Who can receive and answer until they first come to the question… which is, “Is man able to save himself?”
God’s word gives us the answer starting with the revelation of our true condition, apart from His Salvation.
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)
Mercy and grace are often confused. While the terms may seem to have similar meanings, grace and mercy are not the same.
To briefly summarize the difference:
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,”
Reference Text: Romans 4:16-22
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6 KJV).
The third verse of Jack P. Scholfield’s classic 1911 hymn, “Saved, Saved, Saved,” the truth of our Salvation.
“When poor and needy and all alone,
In love He said to me,
‘Come unto Me and I’ll lead you home,
To live with Me eternally.’”
A friend asks: “Have you heard the good news?” and you reply: “What good news?” Naturally! Not all good news is the same. The word “Gospel” simply means “the good news.”
Yet today, few people ask this question, “What gospel” when they read in the Bible the phrase “the gospel.”
Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, Chapters One and Two, present a dark picture of the human race, but if you acknowledge the facts they record, you have taken the first step to salvation. By nature all of us tend to shrink back from facing up to our sins and our latent sinful nature… but we are better off if we do.
If a man has early indications of cancer, and his physician keeps the truth from him, the patient will die of cancer. A good and wise physician will say: “You have cancer and we should do something about it without delay.”