As to Eternal Security. I am not sure. There are proof texts on both sides. These days I am tending toward the belief that we can lose our salvation. I believe that God honors our freedom beyond all else [how else do we explain the state of the church and the world]. When Paul lists [...]
Absolutely. I think the value of my book is it's emphasis on seeing our faith as fundamentally a relationship rather than a religion. When I look at the issue of forgiveness and repentance, I think in terms of the effect my behavior is having on my relationship with someone I love. In regard to God, [...]
Yes, regularly. And to answer "Does God see our sin?" Yes, for the purposes of sanctification, not for the purpose of judgement.
Hi Bob Thank you for taking the time to comment on my book. I think you have some great questions so please put them in the comment box so we can get some more thoughts on these points.
Mark Cowper-Smith I grew up under religion. It almost ended any chance of finding God. Religion is a treadmill of performance with ever increasing speed and inclination. My journey toward God was one of stepping off of the treadmill – no easy task. When I finally discovered that God wanted a relationship with [...]
It's official. The book is being printed and will be released on Shell's birthday October 4th. What if your faith was never meant to be a religion? Could religion be standing in the way of your relationship with God? Does your faith seem like more work than joy? What if holiness isn’t as hard as [...]
Mark Cowper-Smith The pre-release reviews I have received are far more positive than anything I expected or hoped for. Isn't God good? The review I value most is one in which the writer [who is also a writer] said she felt the presence of God as she read the book. What more [...]
Only when you are asleep. God always loves us but like any good Father, His love must sometimes be expressed as disapproval. We must always distinguish between acceptance and approval. We always have His acceptance but we do not always have His approval. His disapproval promotes our growth in holiness as does His approval.
It depends on how you define striving. Much of what we do "for" God is not what He has asked us to do. When we undertake work which He has not asked us to do, we end up working in our own power and fulfilling human potential rather than accomplishing His work which reveals His [...]