Welcome

Try this challenge: See if you can explain salvation without using words like "Justification", "Faith", "Sanctification", "Imputed", "Atonement", or "Grace". See if you can do it while avoiding all the spiritual cliches and metaphors like "accept Christ into your heart", or "be born again", or "surrender your heart to Him".

Of course I will be the first to say that there is nothing wrong with these words and phrases--except we usually don't understand what they really mean! Think about this: if the only way I understand salvation is by using words and phrases that I don't understand, then do I actually understand it?

Suppose I said to you, the way to be saved is to "agapao kurios ho theos sou en holos ho kardia sou kia." I think you would realize that you had no idea what I was talking about and that I must be talking Greek or something!

On the other hand if someone told you the way to be saved was to "allow Christ to come into your heart through faith and let His blood justify you", there's a good chance you wouldn't stop to realize that you also had no real idea what they were talking about! We've heard those kinds of words and phrases so many times that we're used to hearing them.

One of the mistakes we have made has been to surround ourselves with a lot of great big fancy theological words. They sound good. They make us look good--and even feel good. But for most of us, these words and phrases don't actually mean any more to us than Greek. Figuring out these great big fancy words (or trying to use words we actually understand) is something that will immensely help our spiritual growth and understanding.And when you are able to explain what you believe using only words you that you might use in a normal conversation, you'll have gained a deeper understand of the most important subjects there ever was! --Tony Evert