The Gospel

Your questions about Salvation

- I have a friend who thinks she's a Christian but she says she doesn't want to be. How can I help her to to actually get to the point where she can believe in Christ with out disbanding Christ?

no one is a Christian who doesn’t want to be - a Christian is a follower of Christ
being a Christian is like being a Braves fan - one day you’re in, the next you’re out
the work of Christ is eternal, effectual,
to be made alive - you can’t go back
a. unbelievers acting/going along with being a Christian to keep someone happy (eventually choked out - see there is no root)
b. unbelievers going along with it for some nefarious reason (shady manipulative - wolves to destroy the flock, the older brother)
c. immature believers, deceived for a season, they will be brought back (PHILIPPIANS 1:6)

- How can you know if you are a true follower of God or if you just want to feel like you’re a good person?

any spiritual conversation should revolve around JESUS
if you just want to be a good person - that is the end - “was I good”
for believers the end is “did I honor the LORD with my life and make his name known the best that I could?”
a follower of Jesus goes where Jesus went - life of service, obedience, honoring the Father
PHILIPPIANS 1:9-11 a continuation of the verse we looked at earlier…

- If God was always present, what did he do before the universe was created?

he was always satisfied
there was no “need” that we fulfilled in God
he existed in perfect harmony in relationship with himself
JOHN 17:24 “you loved me before the foundation of the world” EPHESIANS 1:4 chosen before the foundation of the world
The question of God's activity before creation assumes God dwells in time.
The Bible say that God has eternally existed and that space and time were created by Him.

- If all sins, past, present and future were forgiven at the cross, why do we need to repent?

there are people who would argue against your premise - that phrase isn’t in the Bible
regardless of the particularness\ of the atonement - this hold true: it is by grace you have been saved, through faith
“as many as received him, to those who believe in his name - he gave the right to become children of God (JOHN 1:12)
faith is the means of grace - the avenue by which Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us (Abraham the believer - GALATIANS 3:9

- How come people don’t believe in God - why is that?

- If God has all power, why doesn’t he make everyone believe in Him?
- Why does God make people to be his enemies, is it like they don’t have a chance at redemption?

CURSE and BLESSING
- would you want God to force you to do something you don’t want to do?
everyone who believes wants to believe
everyone who doesn’t believe doesn’t want to believe
everyone who wants to live apart from God, will
- everyone is under a curse GALATIANS 3:10, 13
- you can be set free
- faith comes by hearing ROMANS 11 - share the GOSPEL with your friends

- if we actually care about these things:
1) we will try to grasp them (know them, be confident in them)
2) practice sharing our faith and dealing with the shortcomings that are inevitable
3) pray for our friends and enlist others to pray
4) live a life that doesn’t confuse the message