Most people who are familiar with church or Christianity have some idea of the relationship between the death of Jesus and the Lord's Supper. But in 1 Corinthians 11, where Paul lays out a proper understanding of communion, what exactly does he mean by the phrase "the Lord's death?," and what does it mean for God's people to "proclaim" Jesus's death when they eat the bread and drink the cup?
How do I grow in Christ-likeness? Sanctification—the process of becoming more like Christ—is a profound mystery: God alone causes the growth (1 Cor. 3.6-7), and yet Christians are commanded to pursue their own spiritual growth (Php. 2.13, 2 Pet. 3.18). How can that be? More than that, what are we supposed to do about it? The apostle Paul answers that question for us, but maybe not in a way we might expect.
Spiritual immaturity is a problem because God commands Christians to grow (2 Pet. 3:18), but also because true spiritual life inherently includes growth (2 Cor. 3:18). More importantly, however, spiritual immaturity could be an indication that we don't actually belong to Christ at all. For all these reasons, it is crucial for those who claim to be Christians that they be clear on the essentials of Christian truth and living, and that they be growing from that foundation into greater degrees of Christlikeness.
The warning passage of Hebrews 6 has long been one of the most sobering passages in all of Scripture because of its straightforward warning: if you fall away from the faith, you cannot be saved and there is nothing left for you but hell. What does it mean to fall away, and how do I know if I am a candidate? Thankfully, the Word of God is not silent about this, but has given several points by which to examine ourselves to see if we are, in fact, in the faith.