Free Republic

Spent the last week with Mom in hospital. A very close friend of Mom's (like an adopted daughter) is a wonderful help, but as a Catholic, is always fearful of her destination.She says that assuming that she will go to Heaven is beyond her...so she is painfully afraid and spreads that fear to others. Please help with your opinions.What should I say to her? She is neurotically fearful of her own future and spreads that fear generously.

Outline: (1) What do we mean by the phrase "grace alone?" (2) What is the human condition according to the Scriptures? (3) What do the Scriptures say about Sola Gratia? (4) Why do American Evangelicals have such a difficult time with this doctrine? (5) How do we respond when these issues are at stake? 1) What do we mean when we say "that we are saved by grace alone?" When we use the term "grace alone," what we mean is that our salvation from the wrath of God - our deliverance from hell - is because of something good in...

At the time of the American Revolution, almost every Christian denomination in America affirmed the Reformed doctrine of predestination. Christians believed that God alone was to be credited with their salvation—even their cooperation with God’s grace was brought about by God’s grace. God had chosen some for eternal life and not others, and only God knew his reasons for the selection. Baptists, Anglicans, Congregationalists, Dutch Reformed, and (of course) Presbyterians—all stood solidly upon this biblical teaching. One thing, however, was sure—God didn’t choose us because he knew we would believe. Rather, we believed because God chose us. God was God,...

Introduction At the time of the Reformation, many hoped Martin Luther and Erasmus could unite against the errors of the Roman Catholic Church. Luther himself was tempted to unite with Erasmus because Erasmus was a great Renaissance scholar who studied the classics and the Greek New Testament. Examining the Roman Catholic Church, Erasmus was infuriated with the abuses in the Roman Catholic Church, especially those of the clergy. These abuses are vividly described in the satire of his book, The Praise of Folly. Erasmus called for reform in the Roman Catholic Church. Erasmus could have been a great help to...

The Church celebrates Reformation Sunday on the last Sunday of October, commemorating a significant event in the history of the Reformed tradition. It was on October 31, 1517, that Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg... Reformation Sunday