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Salvation is more complicated than you think

A study of the teachings of Jesus

Repentance is noticeable

SALVATION IS MORE COMPLICATED THAN YOU THINK
A study on the teachings of Jesus
By Alan P. Stanley
Paternoster. 212 pages. £8.99
ISBN 978-1-934068-02-1

As sound evangelicals we rejoice in the free grace of God and that salvation is ‘not of works, so that no one can boast’ (Ephesians 2.9). There is a tension, however, and we live with the constant danger that we may unwittingly offer what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called ‘cheap grace’ — a failing to preach the true life-changing gospel. So, here is a vital and compelling book that enables us to test the gospel we have believed and are responsible for passing on to others.

Dr. Stanley searches the Scriptures to see how Jesus describes those who are truly saved, seeking to address such vital questions such as, ‘Who will go to heaven?’, ‘Can any one be sure?’, ‘What will such a person’s life look like?’, ‘What happens to one who started out well but no longer shows any signs of being a Christian?’

If the title seems misleading, it is because the author is simply aiming to show that there is more to the Christian faith than a superficial or intellectual acceptance of the basic facts of the gospel, and by using the word ‘Complicated’ he doesn’t mean that the way of salvation is hard to understand, but that true conversion will show in a changed life with changed priorities.

Although holding to firm Calvinistic convictions, Stanley warns us against a glib ‘once saved, always saved’ teaching that gives encouragement of salvation to one who has divorced ‘faith and works’ and who shows little or no evidence of a godly, caring lifestyle. He uses Christ’s teaching from the Sermon on the Mount to prove that ‘repentance will be noticed’ (p.92) and that ‘a beatitude lifestyle cannot be hidden, just as “a city on a hill cannot be hidden”’ (p.93). There is a particularly searching chapter on the Christian and money and he states that ‘Jesus spoke more on money than any other subject, even heaven and hell itself. If Jesus was preaching in our churches today, he would be speaking seven or eight Sundays a year on money’ (p.129).

To bring people to truly know, love and honour Christ is the aim of this book. It is a warm, easy read, a must-read for all who want a true understanding of what salvation is. Preachers in particular will greatly benefit from the ‘health check’ this book provides — and surely we all need to be constantly reminded that if there is no fruit then there most probably is no root! Having sought to show us that our salvation is past, present and future, Alan Stanley warns us that ‘salvation is not over until we reach the shores of heaven’ (p.195).

Mike Mellor,
pastor for evangelism at Moordown Baptist Church, Bournemouth