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The Bible says we are secure, believe it!

Welcome again to my blog. I am delighted you have taken the time to read it. 

Teleios and other authors have shown Christian beliefs can improve personal wellbeing! Therefore, we are examining the Christian life in more detail to see if we can uncover some of the potential underlying causes of the improved wellbeing. About our security of salvation, let’s look at some direct biblical statements about our eternal security.

Direct statements to our eternal security 

Verses in the Bible that directly indicate a believer, who has trusted in Jesus Christ by faith for his salvation, is eternally secure, are the following:

1 Peter 1:4-5

In these verses Peter comforts his readers that despite their troubles on earth they have an eternal home.

1 Peter 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

1 Peter 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Romans 8:29-35

This marvelous passage indicates that nothing can separate us from God's love, and no one can lay a charge against us. In contrast, it is God alone who brings us to salvation, and He will complete His work in us.

Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Romans 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Romans 8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

John 10:27-30

Although Christ had not yet died for our sins, these verses indicate that those who are given to God are also given to Christ, and no one can take them out of either of their hands.

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

John 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

John 10:30 I and my Father are one. 

1 John 5:10-13

This passage, at the end of this marvelous epistle, indicates that those who believe in Christ for their salvation have eternal life. They can have confidence in this because of the changes shown in their life noted in chapters 2-4.

1 John 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 

1 John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 

1 John 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

1 John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Well, that is our blog for today. Thank you for joining me.  Indeed, we possess wonderful direct promises in scripture as believers that we are eternally secure by our faith in Christ. We will continue with this series detailing this great promise next week by discussing perseverance.

William C. Stewart, MD

Email – info@teleiosresearch.com

Website – http://teleiosresearch.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos

X - https://x.com/TeleiosTweets

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@teleiostiktok

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/teleiosresearch

Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and/or do your own research into the scriptures.

[teleiosresearch]

Yes, we are secure!

Welcome again to my blog. I am delighted you have taken the time to read it. 

Last week we started a series on the Christian life and the wonderful promises of scripture. Teleios and other authors have shown Christian belief can improve personal wellbeing! Therefore, we are examining the Christian life in more detail to see if we can uncover some of the potential underlying causes of the improved wellbeing. As a biblical basis for the Christian life we are using 1 Thessalonians 1:5-7. Here is the passage again! 

1 Thessalonians 1:5-7

For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost. So that ye were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.

The verses are neatly outlined by the following:

Becoming a Christian - Verse 5

Security of salvation - Verse 5

Accepting God's Word in daily life - Verse 6

Becoming imitators of Paul - Verse 6

Becoming examples to others - Verse 7

Last week we discussed our glorious salvation. This week let us discuss the certainty of our salvation. This is one of the great comforting promises of scripture. It is our hope. Yet the topic remains controversial even among Christians. 

What are the evidences of our security? I believe they are on 5 levels. 

Direct statements of our security (1 Peter 1:4-5, Romans 8:28-39).

New unchangeable positions as a believer which we discussed recently (throughout a series of 6 blogs) and include our: justification, adoption, sealing by the Spirit, and spiritual baptism. 

God causing us to persevere (2 Timothy 1:12, Philippians 1:6).

God's negative reaction to those who don't believe in eternal security (Hebrews 6:1-8, 10:26-39).

We are individually chosen to belief before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-5,11, Romans 8:29-30, John 6:44, 65).

Why is eternal security so important for our wellbeing?

It is the helmet of our salvation (Ephesians 6:15) and our great hope! Life is full of joy yet sometimes disappoints with missed goals, crushed expectations, death of loved ones and ultimately even us. The knowledge of our salvation and a better future life beyond helps us through every step of our lives to maintain joy despite difficult times. It's difficult to have hope in the future and good wellbeing if you don’t even know you are truly saved.

Eternal security also allows us to better serve God as it becomes difficult to be a joyful servant when we lack confidence that we will ever really be with God. Such doubt can sap our energy and turn our thoughts from serving God to our own selves. We can only serve fully when we have a confident secure foundation (Colossians 1: 9-14).

Obviously, our salvation, but also our security, are necessary for moving on to maturity in the Christian life as noted in 1 Thessalonians 1. We may not feel we deserve salvation (we do not - it is God’s gift through Christ) and it may fight against our nature and upbringing, yet as Christians we must live by the facts of Scripture and not our emotions. We are saved eternally, get over it, and move on to maturity (Hebrews 5:11, 6:1-19).

Over the next few weeks let us discuss the points of our security as noted above.  The information is just too exciting! We then will move along to discuss the Christian lifestyle. We thank God for such wisdom in Scripture in His promises to us.

William C. Stewart, MD

Email – info@teleiosresearch.com

Website – http://teleiosresearch.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos

X - https://x.com/TeleiosTweets

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@teleiostiktok

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/teleiosresearch

Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and/or do your own research into the scriptures.

[teleiosresearch]

Where do we begin?

Welcome to my blog. I am delighted you have taken the time to visit.

This week starts a series on the Christian life and the wonderful promises of scripture and the benefits to us. Teleios and other authors have shown Christian belief can improve personal wellbeing. This is great! How do we get it?

Well, the answer is neatly outlined in scripture in 1 Thessalonians 1:5-7. Let us spend this series of blogs following and expanding on this great passage, the basis of the Christian life, and good wellbeing. Here is the passage! 

1 Thessalonians 1:5-7

For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost. So that ye were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.

In these verses the Apostle Paul reflects warmly on the acceptance of the gospel by the Thessalonians that he presented to them and their progression through the Christian life. The verses are neatly outlined by the following:

Becoming a Christian - Verse 5

Security of salvation - Verse 5

Accepting God's Word in daily life - Verse 6

Becoming imitators of Paul - Verse 6

Becoming examples to others - Verse 7

Let us start today with salvation. This is the obvious starting point for the Christian life as Christ said to enter through the narrow gate to life and to avoid the wide gate to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). To those who proceed through this narrow gate all the benefits of Christianity are available, but one must first enter! How do we do this?

The basis of salvation is to understand (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 10:9-10, and Romans 3:21-26):

Man sinned.

God is just, requiring a punishment for sin.

But out of love God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who by dying on the cross, provided forgiveness of sins in taking man’s deserved punishment.

Therefore, by faith alone in Christ’s sacrifice for our sins and belief in His resurrection, man can gain eternal life.

This forgiveness is by faith alone. No work is required. When you believe, confess it to somebody else so you're able to articulate it. A person generally does not really know something until they can tell another person.

So, there you have it; it’s that simple! If you have not believed in Christ as your Savior, please do so now. Please tell us about it and we will be happy, if you desire, to help you in your beginning journey as a Christian.

What is the next step? Simply to believe it! We will talk about this more next week.

William C. Stewart, MD

Email – info@teleiosresearch.com

Website – http://teleiosresearch.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos

X - https://x.com/TeleiosTweets

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@teleiostiktok

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/teleiosresearchDisclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and/or do your own research into the script

[teleiosresearch]

What is the cure for guilt?

Welcome again to my blog. I am delighted you have taken the time to visit. 

Our research has shown that Christians generally have better wellbeing and less depression than non-Christians. Why then are Christians known for feeling guilty? Let's discuss some potential cures.

The world screams that Christians surely have guilt because of all the restrictions of scripture that must induce this emotion. Guess what? Teleios’ research indicates quite the opposite! We have shown if you know scripture, the great freedom of salvation, and live as a Christian by faith, you won’t feel guilty!

In a survey at a large secular state university, Teleios found about 70% of both evangelical and social Christians noted they felt mild guilt while still reporting high levels of wellbeing. Interestingly, those who reported to be both evangelical and born-again (as opposed to just one or the other) had greater wellbeing. Further, those who reported they were evangelical, born-again and adhered to their faith, none had bad wellbeing and similar guilt levels as other groups. 

Further, we found in a survey in a well taught evangelical church that those with greater knowledge about the Christian faith and who practiced the faith (fellowship, praise, prayer, outreach and Bible study) noted less guilt than those who did not. 

We don't know exactly all the treatments for Christian guilt, but here are a few clues that might help:

A good relationship with God, NOT! - Understand what your relationship with God is not. It is not based on being saved by Christ and then adding a works oriented system that gives us access to God only if we feel we deserve it. Teleios research indicates this lingering doubt of God’s acceptance and having to work for His approval is the most common cause of Christian guilt. This is not scriptural.

A true Bible based relationship - Realize on what a relationship with God is really based. Scripture describes a secure position before God by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Therefore, assure yourself that you have trusted by faith, once for all time, your forgiveness of sins to God to salvation (2 Peter 1:10). This belief in God’s forgiveness allows us to have unrestricted access to God by prayer, without fear of rejection (Hebrews 10:20-23). 

Eternally secure - Be confident in your eternal security. As we have recently covered not only does the Bible tell us we are secure (John 10:28-29; 1 Peter 1:4-6; Romans 8:29ff), but we hold positions that cannot be morphologically or legally undone (please see recent blogs). Indeed God causes us to persevere (2 Timothy 1:12).

Un-chargeable - No one can bring a charge against us as we are declared just; only Christ can judge (Romans 8:33)!

Practice your faith - Studying scripture, teaching it to others, good fellowship, praise to God, and prayer allow us to have the knowledge and the right mindset of our standing before God through Christ. When you first know what you should be knowing, and do what you should be doing, the confident knowledge of our salvation follows (Colossians 1:9-14).

Even if you have sinned as a Christian (as we all have), and even if the sin is chronic, the biblical answer is not to feel guilty but to be obedient. We are already forgiven! Otherwise, do what you should be doing and most likely you will not feel guilty.

In summary, base your relationship with God on biblical facts, not your emotions. This is a great concept!

Thanks for joining me. Visit again next week as we start a series on the Christian life and the wonderful promises of scripture and their benefits to us.

William C. Stewart, MD

Email – info@teleiosresearch.com

Website – http://teleiosresearch.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos

X - https://x.com/TeleiosTweets

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@teleiostiktok

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/teleiosresearch

Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and/or do your own research into the scriptures.

[teleiosresearch]

God’s treasured possession

Welcome again to my blog. I am grateful you have taken the time to visit. 

We’ve been discussing the results of personal salvation in Christ and why it might be associated with enhanced wellbeing. We have covered what happens at the time of salvation, as taught in the Bible, resulting in a steadfast new and wonderful position of a believer. This week let us discuss the great promise of our eternal possession by God. 

The wonderful story of our being the possession of God starts in Exodus 19:5-6 when God told the Israelites that He intended them to be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation and His peculiar possession. They failed in their commitment to God and sinned against Him. Therefore, they did not become a kingdom of priests or a holy nation. However, God will keep His promise to Israel that the nation would be His eternal possession (Psalm 89; Psalm 132:11-17; Romans 11:26-29).

As we know, the sin of Israel under the law was to show us our need for Christ (Galatians 3:24). He has come and died for our sins, that through Him, those who believe on his death on the cross by faith will have eternal life. As believers, God has enabled us to become a kingdom of priests, a holy nation and His peculiar possession (1 Peter 2:9). How can Christians do this when the Israelis could not? It is because we have the Holy Spirit given to us as a seal to our redemption and to mark us as His eternal possession (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Christ noted that as His chosen, we are in His hands and cannot be removed. We are also in God’s hands and cannot be removed (John 10:28-30). Several other scriptures also note that we are God’s possession (1 Thessalonians 5:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:14; Hebrews 10:39). We have in general, God’s promise that He will secure us in His power unto salvation (2 Timothy 1:12; Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:23). 

We have covered many marvelous promises of our position as a believer that cannot be overturned, either because of legal, morphological reasons or through the direct power of God. These promises include: spiritual baptism, membership in the universal church, sealing by the Holy Spirit, adoption, justification, and now being made God's possession. 

Thank you for joining me this week and please come again next week as we continue to discuss the amazing power of God's word in our lives.

William C. Stewart, MD

Email – info@teleiosresearch.com

Website – http://teleiosresearch.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos

X - https://x.com/TeleiosTweets

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@teleiostiktok

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/teleiosresearch

Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and/or do your own research into the scriptures.

[teleiosresearch]

Justification - we are legally without sin!

Welcome again to my blog. I am grateful you have taken the time to visit. 

We recently began a series regarding the results of personal salvation in Christ and why it might be associated with enhanced wellbeing as found through our research. We have been describing what happens at the time of salvation, as taught in the Bible, resulting in a new and wonderful position for a believer. 

This week let us discuss justification! There is no other more important result of Christ’s work on the cross than our justification by faith. Let's examine in some detail the meaning of this great promise.

Meaning of the New Testament word - This word is vital because the complete meaning in Greek of the word, “justification” (δικαιος, dikaios) is not fully conveyed by the English. As you know, Greek is the original language of the New Testament. The word dikaios carried a legal meaning that still exists today in modern Greek. The word reflected then someone who was found innocent in a court of law of all charges against them. Just like now, in ancient times in the Greek and Roman world there was no double jeopardy. This important legal concept means once you have been found innocent you cannot be charged again for the same crime.

Christ’s work in justification - The Bible indicates that each of us has sinned and “fallen short” of what God requires of us (Romans 3:23). Because God is just, He demands punishment for our misdeeds. However, because He is loving, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment in our place (Romans 3:24-26). 

It's as though Christ acted as a courtroom judge and found us guilty of our sins and gave us the death sentence but afterwards, stood up, removed His judicial robe, came around in front of the judge’s bench and took the punishment for us. This satisfied God's demand for righteousness but also showed His great and gracious love for us.

Importantly, Christ is a sufficient sacrifice for our sins as He is perfect, holy and without sin (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 7:26; 2 Corinthians 5:21).  Therefore, Christ was a sufficient sacrifice to satisfy God's judgment. Accordingly, He died once for all sin, for all time, and He does not need to do this again as did the Old Testament priests (Hebrews 6:1-14; Hebrews 10:10-18).

Our legal position before God was pronounced “innocent” when we trusted Christ for forgiveness of our sins.  We do this only once and our sins are forgiven for all time. Since Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient for all our sins for all time, nobody can charge us again. There is no double jeopardy!

WOW! We are secure in our position before God. We can come to him boldly because there are no limits on our access after we believe and become a Christian (Hebrews 10:20-23). What a great promise we have in our justification!

Indeed, God has given us, as Christian believers, a marvelous salvation and a wonderful secure eternity with Him (Romans 10:9-10; 2 Peter 1:4-5). Come back again next week and we'll complete this exciting overview of the results of our salvation.

William C. Stewart, MD

Email – info@teleiosresearch.com

Website – http://teleiosresearch.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos

X - https://x.com/TeleiosTweets

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@teleiostiktok

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/teleiosresearch

Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and/or do your own research into the scriptures.

[teleiosresearch]

We are adopted children

Welcome again to my blog. Thank you for visiting. 

We have been discussing the results of personal salvation in Christ and why it might be associated with enhanced wellbeing. The current blog series is describing what happens, as taught in the Bible, at the time of salvation which results in wonderful changes for a believer. We have already discussed several fantastic promises associated with salvation. This week let us consider adoption, another marvelous biblical promise.

Adoption is important in our society because when a family legally adopts a child the new family member gains all the rights and privileges of a natural child. In other words, their new status in the family is permanent and cannot be overturned. What a great promise of security to the child!

Likewise, in the ancient Greek and Roman world, as in our own society (with some differences), adoption provided permanent legal status for a child that could not be overturned. The Apostle Paul states our status as adopted children into God’s family in four separate places in his epistles, indicating the importance of our new position as a believer following accepting Christ as Savior through faith (Romans 8:15 and 23; Ephesians 1:5; Galatians 4:5). Consequently, we are children of God, adopted into His family with legal protection and a permanent status. What a great promise!

How interesting that Paul describes adoption as one of our positions before God as New Testament Christians. It was not an image used of Old Testament believers. Adoption apparently was not common in the Hebrew world and is noted only in the Old Testament three times, all occurring outside of Israel. God appeared to handle the issue of orphaned children in Israel by the use of a kinsman redeemer as provided in the Hebrew law. 

Israel also is not noted to be adopted until Paul mentions it retroactively to the mixed audience of Greeks and the Jews in Rome (the Jews were probably Hellenized and so would relate to the image) to explain God's relationship to Israel in the Old Testament (Romans 9:4).

Adoption is the fourth of the great promises of our position as a believer because of Christ’s redemptive work on the cross, resulting in either legal or morphological irreversible changes. These changes indicate our eternal security including: spiritual baptism, membership in the universal church, sealing by the Spirit and now adoption as children of God.

Indeed, God has given us a marvelous salvation and the promise of a wonderful secure eternity with Him (Romans 10:9-10). Come back again next week and we'll talk about justification, a supposition from Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. As always, thank you for visiting.

William C. Stewart, MD

Email – info@teleiosresearch.com

Website – http://teleiosresearch.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos

X - https://x.com/TeleiosTweets

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@teleiostiktok

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/teleiosresearch

Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and/or do your own research into the scriptures.

[teleiosresearch]

Holy Spirit seal of approval

We recently began discussing the results of personal salvation in Christ and why it might be associated with enhanced wellbeing as found through Teleios research. This blog series is describing what happens, as taught in the Bible, at the time of salvation resulting in a steadfast new and wonderful position of a believer. We have covered already several wonderful promises accompanying salvation. This week let us discuss the Spirit sealing, another fantastic biblical promise!

The Holy Spirit is often misunderstood, but He is a key component in our salvation, resulting position before God and subsequent Christian walk. At Salvation the Holy Spirit is given to us. This is a great promise and is a part of the results of our belief to salvation by faith alone in Christ’s substitutionary work on the cross (Ephesians 2:8-9). These are the main points to review about the Spirit at salvation. Read and enjoy!

Spiritual baptism - We discussed this great promise two weeks ago; that the Holy Spirit regenerates us to a new life in Christ, identifying us with His death and resurrection upon the cross. We are a new creature in Christ (Romans 6:2-9; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10).

Entry into the church - The Spirit places us in the church universal through which serve Christ.

The Spirit sealing - This week we learn that the Holy Spirit at salvation is given to us as a seal unto the day of our redemption, the second coming of Christ, when we will live with him eternally (Ephesians 1:13-14; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Corinthians 5:5).

Fortunately, this seal is not talking about a cute aquatic mammal, but it is speaking of a secure seal to bind us to Christ. Seals were used in the ancient world as a legal means to close a document. If a king had created a new law or order, molten wax might be poured on the document to seal it and the king's signet ring pressed into the wax. The king’s symbol in the wax would tell the carrier or the recipient that the contents of the document were the king’s will and breaking the seal inappropriately or ignoring the order was done at a person's own peril.

We are sealed by our King, and it reflects the same legal and unbreakable character as ancient law. Further, the Spirit seals us throughout our whole life on earth until we go home to heaven. Importantly, all those who believed by grace in Christ's forgiveness on the cross are Christians and have the Spirit and the seal (Ephesians 2:8-9). 

What great promises we possess as believers in Christ with a position so eternally secure with a great hope for the future and a steadfast anchor our souls while we are on Earth (Hebrews 6:19; 1 Peter 1:4-5).

Thank you for joining me on this fascinating Journey of who we are as a Christian before God. Please join us again next week to learn more.

William C. Stewart, MD

Email – info@teleiosresearch.com

Website – http://teleiosresearch.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos

X - https://x.com/TeleiosTweets

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@teleiostiktok

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/teleiosresearch

Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and/or do your own research into the scriptures.

[teleiosresearch]

What is the universal church? 

Welcome again to my blog. Thank you for visiting. 

This blog series is describing what happens, as taught in the Bible, to individuals at the time of their salvation. We started last week with the fantastic promise of spiritual baptism, resulting in a steadfast new and wonderful position of a believer. This week let us overview our membership in Christ’s church.

At salvation the Holy Spirit places each of us into the church of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). This is a great promise and is a part of the results of our belief in salvation by faith alone in Christ. 

The form of the church into which we are placed by the Spirit can be called, in theological terms, the church universal, and can roughly be described as the following:

It is the union of all believers worldwide who form the complete body of Christ.

Its head is Christ who sits at the right hand of God the Father and currently leads His church (Colossians 1:17-18; Hebrews 8:1; Ephesians 1:20-23).

Scripture does not indicate that our membership can be revoked from the church universal. 

Although we are each instructed to be holy as God is holy (1 Peter 1:16), we each have different functions within the church (1 Corinthians 12:13-27; Romans 12:4-5).

The practical outworking of the church universal is multiple organized bodies of believers often called the local church, but in our current age might be virtual (online) as well. Para-church organizations (e.g. independent missions or college ministries) function within the church universal, but similarly to the local church. Scripture gives broad definition to how churches are organized which allows great flexibility to serve Christ in various times and cultures.

These concepts of the church I've tried to base on scripture without cultural overlays of expectations and definitions. Regardless, the concept of the universal church is controversial. For example, some denominations may not accept the concept of a ‘universal church’. However, as the Apostle Paul states, we do what we do in faith using what we need to serve God, filtered by prayer and God's word (1 Timothy 4:4-5; Romans 14:23).

In this series so far, we have covered that at our salvation through faith in Christ’s death on the cross we have a spiritual baptism that identifies us as resurrected to a new life and places by the Spirit in Christ’s church.

Praise be to God for such wonderful promises and positions resulting from such a great salvation. Stay tuned next week as we continue our discussion of the results of salvation. Thank you for joining me today.

William C. Stewart, MD

Email – info@teleiosresearch.com

Website – http://teleiosresearch.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos

X - https://x.com/TeleiosTweets

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@teleiostiktok

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/teleiosresearch

Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and/or do your own research into the scriptures.

[teleiosresearch]

Spiritual Baptsim

Welcome again to my blog. Thank you for visiting. The next several blogs will talk about what happens, as described in the Bible, at the time of salvation resulting in a steadfast new and wonderful position of a believer. The blogs are based on the list presented last week.

At salvation we receive:

Spiritual baptism 

Membership in the church

The Holy Spirit 

Adoption 

Justification 

Possession

Let's start with spiritual baptism. This important biblical truth is vital in understanding who we are as Christians. Our knowledge about baptism will transform the way we think!

First, let's consider the word itself. Although controversial, in the Epistles when baptism is mentioned it speaks generally of spiritual baptism. It does not mean dunking or sprinkling primarily; water baptism might be considered as an external ritual to signify the internal event. The word is βαπτιζω (baptizoo) in the Greek (this is the language in which the New Testament originally was written), and was an old term borrowed from the dye trade. It meant that a piece of cloth immersed in the dye became identified with the new color.

Secondly then, what does being identified with Christ have to do with us as Christians? Fortunately, a lot! When we become a Christian, we are identified with Christ’s gracious death and His resurrection. Otherwise, at salvation our old self died and was buried with Christ. We are raised now to new life with Him and we sit with Him on the right hand of God the Father (Romans 6:2-12; Ephesians 2:4-7; Colossians 2:12-13).

Why is this concept so important? Similar concepts in Scripture that also appear to speak probably to spiritual baptism are: regeneration (Titus 3:5), born again (John 3: 5) and a new man (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10):

Believer’s sin - Although every believer sins we can say ‘no’ to sin because as a new person in Christ we have the power to live a victorious life. 

The reason for the resurrection - Baptism teaches us the importance of the resurrection because we are raised with Christ to new life without which we would still be dead in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:17).

Eternal security - Baptism helps prove we cannot lose our salvation. because scripture does not indicate that if we commit sin that our new self can be killed, and the old dead self resurrected like some bad re-make of the ‘Night of the Living Dead’!  

In other words, you are transformed permanently to a new life, resurrected with Christ and sitting with Him in heaven. These changes cannot be reversed. What a great comfort we have in truth of scripture. Therefore, as a new person, we are liberated from sin and are free to serve Christ. We cannot be defeated by the misdeeds of our old self.

Christ is a fantastic and true savior! The nature of our salvation is so important that we will address each of the individual promises. Come back next week as we continue this exciting journey.

William C. Stewart, MD

Email – info@teleiosresearch.com

Website – http://teleiosresearch.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos

X - https://x.com/TeleiosTweets

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@teleiostiktok

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/teleiosresearch

Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and/or do your own research into the scriptures.

[teleiosresearch]

Wow, what a great salvation!

Welcome again to my blog. Thank you for visiting. We've been discussing in recent weeks the church, God's chosen method of administration for our time before Christ returns, and that all members should be productive believers, born-again through faith alone. This is important so the church may advance the gospel and positively affect its community. However, it is also important for the individual believer. Why is this? This question is multi-leveled, complicated, but wonderful. As understanding our salvation is transformative. Let's spend the next few blogs discussing it.

Teleios Research has found that knowledge of salvation and eternal security enhances our wellbeing. What are the biblical reasons why? Today’s blog will talk about what happens, as described in the Bible, at the time of our salvation which results in a new and wonderful position for the believer.

We know from scripture that our merciful God chose us (Ephesians 1:4,5,11; Romans 8:29-30), convicted us by his Spirit (John 16:8), and dragged us to Himself (John 6:44) that we might believe in Christ’s forgiveness.  All this by grace through the Christ’s sacrifice on the cross to grant us salvation by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). Indeed, God is worthy of praise for such a great salvation! However, it is vital for us to know exactly what happens at salvation as it enhances our wellbeing and confidence, and certainly our praise to God.

At salvation we receive:

Spiritual baptism - We are regenerated by the Spirit into a new person and our old self dies (Romans 6:2-9). We become identified (the meaning of the word ‘baptism’) with Christ's death and resurrection. This marvelous spiritual truth speaks to the importance of the resurrection because it is the vehicle for our new life in Christ and eternity (Romans 6:9; 10:9-10). Indeed, we are a new person, and the old sinful self is gone forever.

Membership in the church (1 Corinthians 12:13) - The Spirit places each believer in the church universal (the fellowship of all believers under the headship of Christ [Colossians 1:17-18]).  We serve others, and God, typically through a local church assembly.

The Holy Spirit - He is given in part as a down payment to our salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Corinthians 1:21) that we cannot lose (Romans 8:28-39; 1 Peter 1:4-5). He maintains us until the day of our redemption when Christ comes again (Ephesians 1:13-14; 2:10).

Adoption - Each believer is a child of God, adopted into his family. As generally in first world cultures today, when a child was adopted in the ancient Greek and Roman world, it was a legal right that could not be overturned. In other words, the adopted child received all the rights and privileges of a natural-born child; so with a believer as a child of God (Ephesians 1:5).

Justification - Before we believed we were guilty of sin for which Christ died on the cross to provide his forgiveness and to declare us innocent (Romans 3:24-25). The word for justified in Greek (δικαιος, dikaios) means legally found innocent as in court of law. In other words, there is no double jeopardy: οnce found innocent no one can bring a charge against us (Romans 8:33).

Possession- We are the possession of Christ and God (Ephesians 1:13-14; 2:10). No one can take us out of their hand (John 10:27-30). 

Christ is a fantastic and true Savior! The nature of our salvation is so important we will speak to each of these topics individually and how they might enhance a believer's wellbeing. Come back again next week as we start this exciting journey to discover the nature of our great salvation.

William C. Stewart, MD

Email – info@teleiosresearch.com

Website – http://teleiosresearch.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos

X - https://x.com/TeleiosTweets

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@teleiostiktok

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/teleiosresearch

Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and/or do your own research into the scriptures.

[teleiosresearch]

How to help an unbeliever

Welcome back to my blog. I am honored you can visit. We have been discussing that the church is God's plan to implement His purposes for this time before Christ’s return. It should function efficiently with love and act consistently with God's word. In the last few weeks, we covered scriptural methods to recognize true and unbelievers (tares) in the church. 

This week, let’s think about how we might help the church-attending unbeliever. It can be a tough sell! How can we bring an unbeliever’s attention to their own unbelief? Next week, we’ll provide a few suggestions about how to share your faith with an unbeliever.

What makes helping an unbeliever difficult is if you ask an unbeliever if they are a Christian, they most always will respond “yes.” Are they being dishonest? Consider that there are several levels of Christianity accepted in our culture.

Christian Seeker - These are typically new church attendees who may not recognize that they are not true believers because they are interested in learning about Christianity. Generally, they are comfortable in the social setting of the church (which often is designed expressly for that purpose). A seeker may say they are a Christian. However, they may be more willing to admit they do not yet believe, as their motivation for church attendance may be to seek a solution to their needs, which might be spiritual.

Social Christian - These are individuals, most likely church members or attendees, perhaps longstanding, who would readily indicate they are Christians. However, when asked to explain their Christian beliefs in specific terms, they might be unable to express the gospel, even with prompting. Unfortunately, since they typically are tied to the church and its social structure, they would be embarrassed to admit they are not truly a believing Christian; this would likely affect their self-esteem and social standing. Non-believers would fall into this group.

Evangelical, born-again Christian - These Christians identify as saved by grace, by faith alone in the forgiveness provided by Jesus Christ‘s death on the cross (Ephesians 2:8-9).

What’s the problem?  The first two groups are accepted socially and are comfortable within the typical evangelical church setting. Consequently, to confront them regarding salvation may (almost assuredly) produce a defensive posture and perhaps a damaged friendship.

How then can we bring these important church members to be willing to evaluate their own salvation in an objective way? Good question! We don’t yet know from research how to best approach them. Further, the method will likely differ per the individual. Consequently, we must cling to scripture where God reminds us to try to bring the gospel to all people. How to do this? We will discuss this interesting topic in the next blog! 

Thanks for joining me today. I look forward to seeing you again next week!

William C. Stewart, MD

Email – info@teleiosresearch.com

Website – http://teleiosresearch.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos

X - https://x.com/TeleiosTweets

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@teleiostiktok

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/teleiosresearch

Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and/or do your own research into the scriptures.

[teleiosresearch]

Why is helping unbelievers important?

Welcome back to my blog. I am so glad you can visit today. 

Over the past few weeks, we have reviewed scriptural methods to recognize true and untrue believers within the church.  Why is helping an unbeliever towards salvation so important? Bringing them lovingly to Christ is vital for the church for two reasons:

Salvation in Christ is essential for the individual for eternal life.

Salvation for the unbelieving church member is important for the local church. A congregation needs active members to be effective, so they help and don’t hinder the advance of the gospel and affecting society for good.

We'll deal with salvation in upcoming blogs, but let's consider today the influence of the unbelieving church member inside the local church.

Scripture stresses the importance of unity in the church (Ephesians 4:1-7). Unfortunately, churches sometimes can be a place of discord with angry splits between groups. No one knows all the reasons for disunity in churches, either on the personal or global level. The causes are probably multiple.  

However, an unbelieving church member may pursue an agenda that can be distracting to church unity either by wasting people's time for their disruptive purposes or a deeper discord leading potentially to division. Although I don’t know that this question has been researched specifically, I believe generally an unbeliever could negatively influence the church in several ways, by:

Building a power base by which they can control a portion of the church ministry

Seeking attention for their emotional pain or desires - While appropriate biblically (Galatians 6:2) this situation can become draining if the unbeliever is not willing to change to conform to scriptural wisdom, or is solely interested in soaking up people's attention.

Living a passive Christian life - Even if the unbeliever is not overtly disruptive, they can have a negative influence by merely talking continuously about subjects that are non-biblical or not encouraging others to seek scripture or act in godly ways. Otherwise, they hide the truth by their words and actions.

For the church to function productively and for individual Christians to attain the greatest benefit from body life, the effect of unbelievers and other unbiblical agendas must be limited. How to do this?

Recognize who unbelievers are.

As we discussed before, bringing them salvation is the best solution!

Expect unbelievers to conform their life to the Bible. If they do not, then members and leadership should consider:

Limiting social and fellowship time with them. 

Refraining from giving them spiritual or non-spiritual leadership positions from which they might build their expectations that they could influence the church.

Consider corrective biblical action (by the church leaders) if the unbeliever is clearly disruptive to body life (e.g., Matthew 18:15-20, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11).

The health of the modern church is vital! Each member should be a functioning, growing Christian who facilitates fruitful and positive teaching, praise, prayer and fellowship and enables the church to have a positive impact on their community. Don’t allow the agenda of a limited few, who refuse to come to Christ or be obedient to Scripture, to diminish the progress of Christ’s church!

Next week we will begin talking about methods to bring salvation to unbelievers. Please come back and join us then.

William C. Stewart, MD

Email – info@teleiosresearch.com

Website – http://teleiosresearch.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos

X - https://x.com/TeleiosTweets

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@teleiostiktok

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/teleiosresearch

Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and/or do your own research into the scriptures.

[teleiosresearch]

Who are the people helping the church?

Welcome back to my blog. I'm happy you can visit. Last week we discussed how the church is God's plan to implement His purposes for this time before Christ’s return. It should function efficiently with love and consistency with God's word. Attendees who push their own non-biblical agendas, whether for emotional comfort or personal power, represent a danger to the church. How do we recognize these people and what should we do about them? Let us consider the first topic over the next two weeks. We will deal with their treatment afterwards.

A bible-believing church is generally started by well-meaning Christians who, because of their lifestyle and biblical teaching, typically attract other people to the church. This makes sense - good message, nice people! Many of these new members will serve and desire to grow in Christ. 

However, others may come for alternative agendas, such as seeking fulfillment of their own desire for personal power or emotional satisfaction, with no real intent to grow in their faith. They may or may not be a born-again Christian, but their effect is often the same, at a minimum slowing the church by consuming the time of effective believers or actively damaging the church by causing dissension. 

Christ himself said there would be unbelievers (tares) in church who would be impossible to detect (Matthew 13:24-30). However, as best we can, I believe we should try to uncover unbelieving or unfaithful churchgoers to prayerfully help them (as they allow) and to protect the church.

The Bible assists us in providing standards for Christians and how to recognize a faithful believer. If we know who is faithful it makes it easier to know who is not (discussed next week). Here are some key sections of scripture.

Spiritual growth process

Basic measures (1 John 2-4) - This important book describes three major criteria that should characterize a true believer in the process of maturing (i.e., those in the fellowship of Christ, 1 John 1).

Love - They have a biblical (agape) love. This type of love is not just an emotional feeling but is primarily based on truth and what is good for the believer, both actions and speech (Philippians 1:9; 1 John 5:2).

Proper doctrine - This centers around Jesus and that He: came from God, is Man, is God and is the Christ (our Redeemer, 1 John 2:22; 1 John 4:2; 1 John 4:15; 1 John 5:1; 1 John 5:20).

Obedience - A true Christian’s life is generally characterized in following the precepts of Scripture (1 John 2:4-5).

Unity (Ephesians 4:1-7) - The apostle Paul often stresses unity which involves both proper doctrine and love for each other. 

The true disciple (1 Thessalonians 1:5-7) - A true believer is:

Saved by faith.

Secure in salvation.

Accepting of the guiding principles of God's Word in their lives.

Imitating scriptural principles and mature believers around them.

Influencing others to the faith.

Believer’s growth (2 Corinthians 3:18) - In short, a true Christian changes over time to become more Christ-like, as this verse states ‘from glory to glory’. 

Spiritual Outcomes

Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) - These are measures of a person's maturity in the Holy Spirit and include: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, humility, and self-control.

Qualities of an elder/deacon (1 Timothy 3:1-15) - This is a wonderful group of measures we can all use to assess ourselves and include generally: family values, personal attitudes, ability to minister and community reputation.

Controlled by the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) - This means we think, act and speak as the Spirit would.

These scriptures help you assess fellow believers. Importantly, assessment is not judging! Christ judges ultimately at the end of the age (John 5:22). Our job is to consider others so we can better understand them and help know how to love and help them (1 Timothy 4:16; 2 Timothy 2:25-26).

Interesting discussion! Let's continue next week by thinking about what a Christian should be doing in the church. Thanks for joining me I'll look forward to seeing you again next week.

William C. Stewart, MD

Email – info@teleiosresearch.com

Website – http://teleiosresearch.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos

X - https://x.com/TeleiosTweets

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@teleiostiktok

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/teleiosresearch

Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.

[teleiosresearch]

So why are we at church anyway? 

Welcome back to my blog. I'm happy that you can visit. The purpose of Teleios is to use the scientific method to show the validity of God's word as wisdom and guidance in daily life. 

Teleios performed a survey in six evangelical churches evaluating members’ impressions of their church leadership and the church itself (full report here Influence of church leadership on congregant wellbeing. We presented choices that were positive in relationship to the member’s own maturity (e.g., prayer, fellowship and biblical preaching) and also those which might indicate immaturity, such as self-focused motivations.  Fortunately, the negative rating responses were fewer than the more mature, biblically based scores, but did represent a significant minority of members’ choices.

What are the implications of members using the church for their own agenda? We believe they are extensive and potentially severe. What do these people want? Here are some examples of what we gleaned from our survey.

Table: Most frequently cited ratings potentially indicating using church for a personal agenda

Who are these people in the church? We do not know for certain but here are my best guesses:

Earnest, suffering believers needing help from the church - There are afflicted Christians who are honestly seeking God. Although it may take time and emotion from the church leadership and caring church members, scripture tells us to ‘bear one another’s burdens’ (Galatians 6:2) and assist suffering believers back to spiritual health (1 Thessalonians 5:11-12).

Young believers who do not know any better and need to be taught.

Immature believers seeking emotional attention with no intent to change - These members may cause significant damage, sucking away people's time and good grace to satisfy themselves without any intention to change their lives. They are not truly seeking God and provide little benefit the body of Christ.

Active anti-church agenda - These members use the church as a personal power base, or to aggrandize themselves in some manner. They may cause harm at a minimum by distracting other members from seeking and serving God and at worst by creating divisions that could divide the church.

Tares - Christ mentioned (Matthew 13:24-30) that tares would afflict the church. Tares are non-believers who come to church. They learn the jargon and how to fit socially while maintaining an ungodly agenda that may cause factions, waste people's time, and distract the church from biblical pursuits. 

The church is God's plan to implement His purposes for this time period before Christ’s return. It should function efficiently with love as consistent with God's word. Attendees who push their own non-Biblical agendas, whether for emotional comfort (with no desire to change) or for power, even covered in a pseudo-spiritual façade, represent a potential danger to the church. 

How do we recognize these people and what should we do about them? We will discuss these important questions over the next several weeks. Our prayer is that this information will help you make your own church more biblically effective while attempting to lovingly bring destructive members into proper fellowship. 

Thank you for joining me today. I pray for those of you who read my blog and that the blog might be encouragement to you in your daily life.

William C. Stewart, MD

Email – info@teleiosresearch.com

Website – http://teleiosresearch.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos

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Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.

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Does going to church help wellbeing?

Welcome back to my blog. I'm happy that you can visit again. The purpose of Teleios is to use the scientific method to show the validity of God's word as wisdom and guidance in daily life. 

Teleios recently performed a study evaluating church members’ ratings of their church and its leadership associated with their personal assessment of wellbeing. We performed this study to assist Dr. D. Scott Barfoot, faculty at Dallas Theological Seminary, with his leadership studies. Full results - Influence of church leadership on congregant wellbeing.

The survey was conducted online with 115 volunteers from 6 evangelical churches in Oklahoma, Texas and California. Participants were mostly evangelical (97%) and agreed they had good wellbeing (88%). Similar findings were shown in surrogate markers of wellbeing including contentment, peace, joy and purpose. However, there was no control group in our study, so it is difficult based on our data to make firm conclusions regarding evangelical wellbeing compared to other population groups.

Nonetheless, other authors have demonstrated that Christian belief generally is associated with good wellbeing more than in those who do not believe (1,2). The better wellbeing among Christians is most often linked to church attendance, postulated to be from socialization (2-6). Additionally, in prior studies a number of other wellbeing markers have been noted including forgiveness, gratitude, hope and kindness (7-12).

Teleios also has found that Christians who are more adherent to their faith, using what we describe as the five tools of maturity (Acts 2:42-47; praise, prayer, fellowship, spiritual service and biblical learning) have better wellbeing than less adherent believers (1,2). This was shown again in this survey, specifically for biblical fellowship (P=0.013), but also showing strong trends, despite the relatively small sample size of the study, for prayer (P=0.046), praise (P=0.038) and studying the Bible (P=0.071). 

Why would the 5 tools to maturity help wellbeing? We believe it may result from the satisfaction and comfort of the Holy Spirit as we pursue God (Romans 8:16). Further, we know God’s Spirit matures us to think in a biblical manner that helps us exclude negative thoughts and actions (i.e., sin) from our lives (Romans 8:13). 

In addition, the Spirit, as we allow (Ephesians 4:29), leads us and acts on our behalf according to God’s Word (Romans 8:14; Romans 6:17). The joy and freedom which come from God, help us to be excellent in all our ways, both in pursuit of God and also in our endeavors for family and professional life (Galatians 5:22; Colossians 3:16-17; Romans 8:21).

We truly have a remarkable God who provides wisdom not only for salvation but for our personal lives!

Thank you so much for joining me. Join us again next week as we continue to discuss the results of this interesting study.

William C. Stewart, MD

MacIlvaine et al. Association of strength of community service to personal wellbeing. Community Ment Health J 2014;50:577-82.

MacIlvaine et al. Association of strength of religious adherence to quality of life measures. Complement Ther Clin Pract 2013;19:251-5.

3.     Parsons et al. Religious beliefs, practices and treatment adherence among individuals with HIV in the southern United States. AIDS Subject Care STDS 2006;20:97-111.

Reed. Spirituality and well-being in terminally ill hospitalized adults. Res Nurs Health 1987;10:335-44.

Keefe et al. Living with rheumatoid arthritis: the role of daily spirituality and daily religious and spiritual coping. J Pain 2001;2:101-10.

Cotton et al. Exploring the relationships among spiritual well-being, quality of life, and psychological adjustment in women with breast cancer. Psychooncology 1999;8:429-38.

Emmons et al. Counting blessings versus burdens: an experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. J Pers Soc Psychol 2003;84:377-89.

Froh et al. Counting blessings in early adolescents: an experimental study of gratitude and subjective well-being. J Sch Psychol 2008;46:213-33. 

Datu. Forgiveness, gratitude and subjective well-being among Filipino adolescents. Int J Adv Counsel2014;36:262-73.

Krause etal. Forgiveness by God, forgiveness of others, and psychological well-being in late life. J Sci Study Relig 2003;42:77–94. 

Otake et al. Happy people become happier through kindness: A counting kindnesses intervention. J Happiness Stud 2006;7:361-75.

Lu. Injured athletes' rehabilitation beliefs and subjective well-being: The contribution of hope and social support. J Athl Train 2013;48:92–8. 

William C. Stewart, MD

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Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.

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What exactly is ‘the gospel’ anyway?

Welcome back to my blog. Teleios recently evaluated how often evangelicals share the good news of Christ, ‘the gospel’, and what makes people fear the process. We surveyed attitudes toward sharing the gospel among all attendees at one Sunday worship service in a midwestern evangelical church. Approximately 370 people participated (full results at https://teleiosresearch.com/explaining-the-gospel-and-wellbeing-among-christian-evangelicals/).

We previously discussed that although our survey indicated Bible-believing Christians may fear explaining the gospel to others, our message really is good and true, and we actually benefit others when we share. We also explored the fact that many Christians perceive they are sharing the gospel with non-believers by non-verbal messages including giving a video, praying, living a godly lifestyle, or inviting someone to church. However, we noted in Romans 10:14-15, scripture indicates that to hear the gospel the recipient must understand and believe the explicit message.

The question arises then, how do we do this? Rather astoundingly, after decades of teaching Sunday school and individual students, I have never encountered a single person who, when asked, could recite the gospel plan of salvation in an efficient and coherent way, with or without my prompting. This supports what we noted last week and as our data indicates, that most people do not share because they do not know what to say. Therefore, how do we say it?

Although the gospel should be presented with compassion as well as truth (Proverbs 3:3) it also must be spoken clearly and succinctly so a person knows what to believe. Key gospel passages are Romans 3:23-26, Romans 10:9-10, and Ephesians 2:7-10, among others.

The gospel message should contain generally the following information (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 10:9-10, and Romans 3:21-26):

1.  Man sinned.

2.  God is just, requiring a punishment for sin.

3.  But out of love God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who by dying on the cross provided forgiveness of sins in taking man’s deserved punishment.

4.  By faith alone in Christ’s sacrifice for our sins and His resurrection, man can gain eternal life.

You see, it is that easy!

What does a new believer need to do? Nothing, remember the gospel message requires only belief. A person isn’t required to say a special prayer, go to church, or be water baptized; they simply believe! 

However, the new believer should be able to repeat the gospel back to you (Romans 10:10). If a person cannot articulate their new faith, then they probably have not understood. 

What should you do after the new Christian acknowledges they believe? Good question! Since Christians are regenerated by the Holy Spirit at salvation (Titus 3:5, Romans 6:2-12) they are God's “workmanship” or product (Ephesians 2:10), not yours!  God causes them to grow and stand (Romans 14:4, 2 Timothy 1:12). It is not our responsibility! If a person truly believes they have become a new person and will eventually show others their new faith by their actions in obedient response to Jesus their Lord. 

That said, however, it is gracious to engage the new Christian in Bible study to teach them about their recently acquired faith or at least to direct them to a Bible-believing church or person who could instruct them.

I hope this information helps you. Indeed, sharing the gospel is a privilege we have as a Christian. Our society needs to hear it! The only way we will change our culture is to change hearts, and that by the power of God’s Spirit. 

Thanks for joining me today. Please come back next week as we discuss additional fascinating findings from our research.

William C. Stewart, MD

Email – info@teleiosresearch.com

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Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.