Salvation

In Jesus, disciples have peace and good cheer (John 14:1; 16:33). God’s blessings have often been restricted to specific locations: Peace, spiritual prosperity, and safety are where God placed them—in the church (Ephesians 1:3; 3:21; Psalm 122:7). Being in Christ is synonymous with being a member of His church (Galatians 3:26–27; Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:4). Some of the blessings found “in Christ” (a phrase Paul used 169 times) include the following: Since all spiritual blessings are in Christ, and none outside…

Many people look to the thief on the cross next to Jesus as an example of how to be saved today. Is this reasonable in light of scripture? Can I be saved like the thief on the cross? We don’t know a lot about this man who joined Jesus in paradise on the day of His crucifixion (Luke 23:43). Jesus obviously forgave the thief’s sins but unanswerable questions abound. Had he believed in Jesus before this interaction? Was he present…