Resources by Topic: Salvation

Thank you for your question. Though I don’t know any part of your story behind the question, I sense a deep longing in you for the answer to be, “Yes, of course there is hope!”

You want to be good, and you realize that you’re not. That kind of honesty is something Jesus loved. Read His parable in Luke 18:10-14 and you’ll see what I mean. 

We humans like to make things messy because we lost our ability to love God and love each other when we turned our backs on Him. The Bible, from beginning to end, is the story of Him reaching out to us, offering everything we need to restore our relationship with Him.

My friend Greg Stier, from Dare to Share, posted this yesterday on X. It has nothing to do with politics. It’s a sober reminder for all of us, every day, to be prepared to stand before the God who says, “Each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27, NLT).

The battle for human souls pivots on the issue of Christ’s identity. He’s the watershed, the dividing line between Hell and Heaven. Jesus made that clear when He asked His disciples about His divinity: “‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ ” (Matthew 16:15).

If you exchange your sin and brokenness, your independence and propensity for trying to control your circumstances, and even your good works—what Scripture calls filthy rags—for the robes of righteousness which Jesus offers freely, you will enter eternity with Jesus. 

Thank you for your honesty about your quest to have a meaningful relationship with Jesus. I see a couple of comments that may hold the key to freedom for you.

First, we need to profess what is right and true, and second, we need to live consistently with what we profess.

Parents of disabled children have been entrusted with a very special gift—there is no doubt these children are precious and loved by God, their Creator and Maker. 

If you run to Jesus, He will open His arms wide to hold you tight. And He won’t ever let go. And you may be very pleasantly surprised by how close He is, and what a short distance your run will be.

God defines what a “good heart” is, and His standard is perfection, something we could never, ever achieve on our own. Nothing less than accepting His offer of salvation and trusting His ability to cleanse our hearts will suffice.

Someone asked me if I could address the relationship between salvation and baptism in Scripture, because they have a friend who believes that you cannot be saved unless you are baptized.

Scripture is clear that alcoholism is a sin, and that like all sin, it is a form of idolatry. As you so painfully know, its effects are devastating and heartbreaking, both for the person addicted and for their family. However, we also know that alcoholism is certainly not an unforgiveable sin.

My friend Bruce Ware is an accomplished theologian and a professor of Christian Theology at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Here he answers some vital questions about whether Christ, and faith in Him, really is the only way to be saved.