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Faith That Lasts: How to Find Joy in Your Walk with God is a brief book by Pastor Colin Smith on Hebrews 5-6. This passage is notoriously difficult, but the book isn’t. Pastor Colin introduces us to three characters—Drifting, Defiant, and Doubting—and then tells us what God has to say to each one.
The genius of Faith That Lasts is not the way Hebrews 6 is explained, or the arguments for the Drifting, Defiant, or Doubting person to return to Jesus—though both are solid and compelling. The genius of Faith That Lasts is the way one pastor humbly pleads with the reader to respond to God’s Word.
10. On Lasting Faith
This book is about faith that lasts, and the first thing to say is that lasting faith is the only kind of faith worth having. (18)
9. On “Once Saved, Always Saved”
There’s a phrase often used among Christians that conveys a wonderful truth and at the same time conceals a dangerous error: “Once saved, always saved.” (19)
8. On Self-Righteousness
As long as you hold onto the idea that you can produce a life that will win the favor of God, you won’t see why you need Jesus. (27)
7. On Our Only Hope
You need Jesus because death will not be the end for you. There is an eternal judgment that you cannot avoid, and Jesus Christ is your only hope. (32)
6. On the Hardest People to Reach
The hardest people to reach are not those who have never heard the gospel. Nor are they those who live in open and flagrant rebellion against God. The hardest people to reach are the ones who have tasted the truth and turned away. (36-7)
5. On Assurance
Assurance is the comfort, peace, and joy of knowing that Christ is yours and you are His forever. (58)
4. On Faith & Assurance
Faith is knowing that Jesus saves. Assurance is knowing that Jesus has saved you. (60)
3. On the Marks of a Christian
Jesus said, “By their fruits you shall know them” (Matthew 7:20). How many blackberries do you need to find on a bush before you know it’s a blackberry bush? It’s not a hundred. (68-9)
2. On God’s Love
When your experience tempts you to doubt God’s love, look at the cross. (74)
1. On Heaven
Your arrival in heaven does not depend on the strength of your faith but on the strength of your Savior. (77)
Tim Augustyn
Pastor of Ministry Resources
Tim serves as the resident pastor, writer, and editor of Open the Bible. He was born and raised in northern Wisconsin, came to faith in his 20's while working in the business world, and received a Master's in Divinity from Trinity International University. He is author of the children’s book Man on the Run, and co-author of The One Year Unlocking the Bible Devotional with Colin Smith. Tim lives in Arlington Heights, IL with his wife Janna, and they have four grown children.
