Tag Archives: redemption

One Door, One Shepherd

In John 10 we hear powerful and encouraging words from the Lord Jesus Himself: “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:7-10 NKJV). Continue reading →

Survival or Love?

“Axiom 1: SURVIVE!” Thus declared L. Ron Hubbard, delineating the Primary Axioms of Dianetics in 1948. A few years later, in 1951, he described the Eight Dynamics which are foundational for Dianetics and Scientology. Here he stated, “The FIRST DYNAMIC is SELF. This is the effort to survive as an individual, to be an individual. It includes one’s own body and one’s own mind. It is the effort to attain the highest level of survival for the longest possible time for self.”*

Lately I have been studying Scientology in preparation for a seminar on the group coming up next week. Scientology is a complex system, with a very convoluted process of advancement and an equally complicated belief structure. But wading through books by Hubbard and books about Scientology I have come to see that Hubbard’s declaration in 1948 is a fundamental, if not the fundamental, concept of the entire system of Scientology. It is all about SURVIVAL. Continue reading →

Is Hell Temporary or Eternal?

Note: This posting is somewhat lengthier than most of those dealing with cultic groups and false teachings. However, the nature of the subject warrants a more in-depth consideration than normal.

There is a growing trend in some Christian circles to question whether hell is truly eternal, or only temporary. Generally it is asserted that a loving God would not condemn anyone to an eternal punishment. This is a serious enough issue that it needs to be addressed.

The first point that must be made is that we have only one genuine and reliable authority for deciding this issue. This is the Bible, the Word of God.

Second, it is obvious that much of real issue concerns the terms used in the Scriptures for hell and eternal destruction. Much of this study will concern the meaning of these terms and how to properly understand them. Continue reading →