Nat Crawford - Executive Coach, Speaker, Leader

In light of some recent tragedies, I have heard this discussion come up again. This is a sad debate, but one that rages on.  So, can a Christian lose their salvation? Some Christians argue that believers can lose their salvation and they must be born again and again and again. . Remember the words Jesus to Nicodemus in John 3:7 “…you must be born again.” It was not that you must be born again…and again…and again. Some use Matthew 10:22 “ You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.” Others quote John 15:6 , “ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. ” There are other verses as well.  Let’s look at the Luke 13:27 “ and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers .’ ” What these verses are referring to are the false convert and not at true Chr...

A friend shared this article with me and I could relate. I think at times, Christians, as well as other faiths, have felt the need to silence questions and doubts.  This cannot go on. We have minds designed by God to think, question, and answer. Take the time and read Douglas Groothuis ' article below: Countering a Distortion: Christianity as Intellectual Suicide The following is an excerpt from   Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith (InterVarsity Press, 2011). Some refuse to give Christianity the time of day because they deem it anti-intellectual---a religion that values ignorance and credulity far above critical intelligence. In a book on how to leave one's religion behind, Lauren Winnell writes of a young man named Sandy who was in her "religious recovery support group," who lost his faith in college through an encounter with an anti-intellectual pastor. The young man was experiencing doubts as a result of what he was expose...

We have examined the Bible and found it to be the most reliable ancient document without a near contender, so how does the Mormon’s “the most correct book on earth"stack up? The Book of Mormon was the result of an encounter between the religions founder, Joseph Smith, and the angel Moroni in 1823. The angel provided the location of ancient golden plates comprising the “fullness of everlasting gospel.” The plates were abridged by Moroni and his father, Mormon, over a millennium before. Smith claims they were written in “reformed Egyptian hieroglyphics.” Smith was quite lucky to find a pair of magical spectacles to interpret the writing. That is how the Mormon’s got their book. To finish Smith’s quote on The Book of Mormon , it is “the most correct of any book on earth and the keystone of our religion.” Does evidence back this claim up? Unfortunately for those of the Mormon faith, it falls flat because of a slew of errors. For example, in Ether 3:14, Smith denies the ...

Joseph Smith founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1820. It came about when two celestial individuals came to Smith. They told him all the churches were not the true church. Their creeds were nothing shy of abomination. All their ministers were, yep, false teachers. Joseph had been chosen to restore the true and original church, a church that had disappeared. The doctrine that Smith conjured up is in direct contradiction to the Bible and twist the nature of Scripture and salvation. First, Mormons believe that “God Himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!”(History of the Church). Mormons also believe “as man is, God one was; as God is, man may become”, as stated by former LDS President Lorenzo Snow. As we know from Scripture these claims are false. God is the “I Am” (Exodus 3:14). According to 1 Timothy 1:17 “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God…” And let us not forget that God is spirit (John...

I now laugh when I get on Facebook, Twitter, read the paper, or watch the news, and I see comments land blasting Christians for being intolerant and narrow-minded. Do people not realize their attacks and demands of silence of Christianity as narrow-minded and intolerant? I am aware the topic of universalism and all roads lead to God brings up these responses, and truth must not be ignored.   When challenged with the statement “God is love and therefore God is the god of all religions” the simple answer is “No. That is wrong.” Why do I make such an “intolerant and narrow-minded” statement? First, if you actually examine religions of the world, they are contradictory. Moses and Abraham taught and acknowledged only one God. Krishna believed there are many gods. Buddha was an agnostic. So you are going to argue that they are all right? The belief that all is right and none are wrong is illogical and ridiculous. Next look at the fundamental difference of Christianity and...

The topic of Christ's bachelorhood has been discussed both in non-fiction and fiction for years, but does it hold any validity? In recent years the book, turned movie, The Davinci Code by Dan Brown has delivered this myth to the masses. A close review of evidence supporting Jesus being married is a fairytale by historical revisionists. There is zero proof in Scripture, in early church tradition and historical records, nor in secular accounts of Jesus' life that He was ever married or even romantic with any woman.  There are two main documents the accusers use to propose the myth of Jesus' marriage. First is the Gospel of Philip, a gnostic gospel. The other is the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, another gnostic gospel. These documents were written many years after the authentic New Testament books. Also gnostic writing specifically or implicitly states Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married. And above all there is zero mention in Scripture of Jesus being married or in a romant...

A common objection from skeptics and atheists is the denial to believe in a God in which you can't see. At face value, it is a fair question, but does it hold up to other beliefs in things unseen? I think it's first important to establish that just because something cannot be seen, does not mean it does not exist. We believe in electrons, wind, black holes, and gravity yet we cannot see them. If tomorrow I decided that gravity didn't exist and therefore I walked off the top of a building, my disbelief in gravity would prove me wrong. Remember the words of the apostle Paul in Romans 1:20, "God's invisible qualities-His eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly understood fro what has ben made, so that men are without excuse." I just last night watched the birth of my son, Gracen Zacharias. One minute he was in my wife's womb, swimming in liquid and being fed from a chord from within her. The next minute he breathes his first breath of air. He then...