a Not Once and for All	3Back to Home

4 Navigation --------------- Homepage St. Matthew St. Matthew 2 St. Mark St. Luke St. Luke 2 St. John St. John 2 Acts of Apostles Acts of Apostles 2 --------------- The Letters --- Romans --- 1. Corinthias --- 2. Corinthias --- Galatians --- Ephesians --- Philippians --- Colossians --- 1. Thessalonians --- 2. Thessalonians --- 1. Timothy --- 2. Timothy --- Titus --- Philemon --- Hebrews --- James --- 1. Peter --- 2. Peter --- 1. John --- 2. John --- 3. John --- Jude --------------- The Apocalypse

Some people assume that this happens "just like that." (To get the effect, snap your fingers as you read "that.") For them the moment of clarification is sudden. Usually it takes people a long time. But for no one is the event or long series of events (usually called "conversion") the end of the road. It is simply the beginning of a new road. Paul talks about "pressing on." He recognizes, correctly, that we do not "arrive," that we do not reach (in this life at any rate) the full achievement of Christian living. That is why it is more correct to speak of "becoming" a Christian, than of "being" a Christian. The Bible calls this ongoing process "sanctification." This sounds like a forbidding word, but it is not hard to understand if you have had a smattering of high school Latin. The word breaks down into sanctus (holy) and ficare (to make). "Sanctification" is thus the process of becoming more holy, or as Christians sometimes put it, "growing in grace." It doesn't happen overnight. It isn't easy. It can never be claimed as an achievement. But the thing that makes it supremely worth-while is that on this pilgrimage the Christian realizes that he isn't alone any more. He is being helped. God conquers death God gives us the power to conquer The Only Real "Answer" A Question You Can't Avoid Some Current Answers -- a Dime a Dozen The First Part of the Biblical Answer What Is the "Image of God"? Some Consequences The Second Part of the Biblical Answer What Sin Is Supplying Some Documentation What Sin Is Not Getting Straightened Out How Can I Be Changed? The Third Part of the Biblical Answer The First Step After the First Step The Heart of the Matter Not Once and for All Some Hints for Growing -- Tried and Tested A Final Warning Why Isn't "Individual Religion" Enough? The Case Against the Church -a Bagful of Objections When Did the Church Get Started? Just What Is a "Covenant"? The "New Covenant" Becomes a Possibility Those Words of Jesus to Peter Those "Upsetters of the World" A Rebuttal of the Case Against the Church Why the Church? Last Judgment? Second Coming? What Do They Mean? The Inescapability of Eschatology The Point of Biblical Eschatology: History Is Going Somewhere The Dangers of Literalism Exploring New Testament Eschatology The Kingdom of God A Few Bits of Help The Gift of God Schatology and "What I Do Today" What Happens When I Die? Sheol -- Where God Is Not Present The Community of the Resurrection Paul's Attempt to Describe the Christian Fact A "Spiritual Body" The Facts of the Case I Try to Live a Good Life. Why Isn't That Enough? The "Micah" Variation The "Worship and Action" Variation The "Therefore" Variation The Biblical faith that God is the Creator