Questions and Struggles

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New and old believers alike have honest questions. Here are some of the most common.

"Am I good enough? Have I done something too bad?"

The gospel is for sinners. "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief" (1 Timothy 1:15), wrote Paul, who had persecuted the Church. Jesus said, "him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). If you fear that you have committed an unforgivable sin, notice that the desire to turn to God is itself a sign of His work in you. Jesus's warning about blasphemy against the Spirit (Matthew 12:31-32) concerns a hardened, persistent rejection of Christ, not the anxious fears of a seeking heart.

"What if I doubt?"

Doubt is not the opposite of faith; unbelief is. One father cried to Jesus: "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief" (Mark 9:24), and Jesus helped him. Thomas doubted the resurrection until he saw the Lord (John 20:27-29). Bring your doubts to God and into the Scriptures, and to wise Christian friends.

"Can I lose my salvation?"

Christians hold two main views. Some (often called Calvinist or Reformed) teach that those whom God has truly saved will persevere to the end, citing John 10:28-29 and Romans 8:38-39: "neither death, nor life ... shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Others (often called Arminian or Wesleyan) teach that a believer may fall away by persistently rejecting Christ, citing warnings such as Hebrews 6:4-6 and 2 Peter 1:10. Both groups agree that salvation is by grace, that Christ is faithful, and that believers should live in faithful obedience [13].

"What about people who have never heard?"

The Bible says God "is not willing that any should perish" (2 Peter 3:9) and that "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25). It also teaches that people need to hear: "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?" (Romans 10:14). Christians have therefore always been missionaries. Christians differ on the details: some hold that salvation is only through explicit faith in Christ, while others hope that God may save some through Christ without their having heard His name. Few claim to know exactly how God will judge [14].

"Isn't it narrow to say Jesus is the only way?"

It is a claim Jesus made (John 14:6) and one that many people of other faiths, and of none, find objectionable. Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and secular people each have their own understanding of ultimate things, and these differ from the Christian claim at key points. The Christian reply is that the claim was made by Jesus, is supported by His resurrection, and is offered as good news to everyone, not as pride. Reasonable people differ, and Christians are called to hold their conviction with humility and love.

"If grace saves, do works matter?"

Works do not earn salvation, but they show it. James says: "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone" (James 2:17). Paul says that we are saved by grace, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). Good works are the fruit of salvation, not the root.

"Why does a Christian still suffer?"

Jesus did not promise an easy life: "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Paul gives this assurance: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). Suffering remains a mystery, but the Christian does not face it alone.

CHAPTER 12