Mark Ballenger

ApplyGodsWord.com is the writing ministry of Mark Ballenger. To reach Mark, send him an email anytime: markballenger@applygodsword.com

Is Eternal Security Biblical?

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Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. – Jude 1:24-25

Is eternal security biblicalPerhaps the reason so many Christians question if God will take away their salvation is because deep down every Christian should know they deserve for their salvation to be taken away. However, while every Christian deserves to lose their salvation, Jesus Christ deserves that every Christian retain their salvation for eternity.

Eternal Security is Biblical Because Christ Deserves for Us to be Saved

Since our salvation was never based in our own merit to begin with, but only in the merit of Christ (Philippians 3:9), we will retain our salvation even when we do sin because our sinlessness was never what qualified us for heaven to begin with. Christ’s sinlessness transferred to us through faith by grace is the only reason we are saved (Ephesians 2:8-9), and Christ perfections are still perfect even after we sin. Our sins after we are saved do not stain the perfect life of Christ which our salvation is based upon (but they do hinder our experience of it).

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(1 Timothy 2:9-10) Is it Sinful for Women to Dress Nice?

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1 Timothy 2:9-10
Bible Verses: 1 Timothy 2:9-10

When you read the above passage, it feels at first that women should all resemble Mennonites or Amish women if they want to remain true to Scripture. No jeans, makeup, nice clothes, attention to your hairstyle.

No normal women (or man!) likes this idea. Women don’t want to be “plain Jane” and men don’t want women to look like they just rolled out of bed. Internally, when passages are read like the one above, Christians either pass it off as “one of those outdated parts of Scripture” and go on wearing what they want, or they just ignore 1 Timothy 2:9-10 and feel guilty about it.

Perhaps there’s a better way.

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Why Did God Love/Bless King David So Much?

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Bible Verses: 1 Samuel 16:1, 13
Bible Verses: 1 Samuel 16:1, 13

In the Scriptures, there is no king who was the apple of God’s eye like David. The heart of God had a special affection for the man who was later described by the Lord as, “a man after my heart, who will do all my will.” (Acts 13:22). A Bible study on the life of David, however, would not reveal a perfect man, but rather a man who failed and sinned in many ways. So the questions must be asked, Why did God love and bless David so much?

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How to Love the Opposite Sex as a Single Christian

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guy and girlThis is my command: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friend. -John 15: 12-13 (NLT)

How can a single person love those of the opposite sex well? To properly answer this important question, the first thing you must do is define your definition of love. The truest essence of love is expressed in the words and actions of Jesus (John 15:13), “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.”

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Can Other People Cause Me to Sin?

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There are many roads temptation travels on to get into our lives. The world, the sinful flesh, and the devil work together in tempting people to sin. However, whenever we sin, no matter what avenue or form the temptation came to us in, as James 1:13-15 explains, sin is always the result of a person’s individual choice to turn from God and rebel.

can other people cause me to sinOther people are usually involved in tempting us. 1 Corinthians 15:33 states, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” Proverbs 13:20 also explains, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” People in rebellion towards God not only tempt others on their own, they can also be used by Satan to do his tempting. If a person is unsaved, they are still under immense influence from Satan, “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).

With these verses in mind, it is wise to protect oneself from negative influences when possible.

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Who Should Be the Spiritual Leader in the Home?

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Key Scriptures for this Article: Genesis 2:15-18, 1 Timothy 2:12-14
Bible Verses: Genesis 2:15-18, 1 Timothy 2:12-14

In a day and age where we are told as children that we can be whatever we want if we just try our hardest, to be told God has ordained men to be the spiritual leaders, not women, in the home and church is seen as a crime.

Regardless, the Bible makes clear that Christian men and women are equal and yet are to play different roles in their homes and churches, which is theologically described as complementarianism.

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