Understanding is a fountain of life. This is a Christian teaching ministry with the purpose of bringing more understanding and revelation to the global body of Christ about the Gospel of Grace.
Rediscover the Gospel
Claim This Podcastby Eduard Serediuc
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Podcast Overview
Understanding is a fountain of life. This is a Christian teaching ministry with the purpose of bringing more understanding and revelation to the global body of Christ about the Gospel of Grace.
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5/26/2016
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Recent Episodes
June 7, 2026
What is Faith?
<p>Grace Romanian Pentecostal Church<br>Houston, Texas - February 22nd, 2026</p>
September 30, 2025
The Parable of the Talents and Eternal Security (Individual Messages)
<p>Matthew 25:14–30 (LEB) </p><p>14For it is like a man going on a journey. He summoned his own slaves and handed over his property to them. </p><p>15And to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to each one according to his own ability, and he went on a journey immediately. </p><p>16The one who had received the five talents went out and traded with them and gained five more. </p><p>17In the same way the one who had the two gained two more. </p><p>18But the one who had received the one went away and dug up the ground and hid his master’s money. </p><p>19Now after a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. </p><p>20And the one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents. See, I have gained five more talents!’ </p><p>21His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge over many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’ </p><p>22And the one who had the two talents also came up and said, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents. See, I have gained two talents more!’ </p><p>23His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge over many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’ </p><p>24And the one who had received the one talent came up also and said, ‘Master, because I knew you, that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering from where you did not scatter seed. </p><p>25And because I was afraid, I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours!’ </p><p>26 But his master answered and said to him, ‘Evil and lazy slave! You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather from where I did not scatter seed. </p><p>27Then you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and when I returned I would have gotten back what was mine with interest! </p><p>28Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. </p><p>29For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. </p><p>30And throw the worthless slave into the outer darkness—in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!’ </p><p> </p><p>You probably heard that the parable of the talents is about doing good works, or using your God-given gifts and callings, and as a result, receiving rewards or judgment, to the extent of even losing your salvation. Indeed, if we read this story in isolation, there are a few apparent reasons why we might adopt this view. First, the three people who received the talents from the man going on a journey were all servants or slaves of the man, which could imply that they were already in the kingdom, saved, and born again. The throwing away of the third servant into the outer darkness from verse 30 as a result of his not using and multiplying what the master has given him can mean loss of eternal salvation. Second, the master gave each servant a different number of talents, expecting them to put it to work, steward it well, and multiply it. This can easily prompt us to think about the gifts, skills, and callings that God has given to each believer, which can be taken away if they are not used properly.</p><p> </p><p>Question: Is the third servant a genuine believer from the start, who didn’t do enough good works and lost his salvation as a result? Let’s suppose that this is the case and read Romans 4:4-5,</p><p>Romans 4:4-5 (LEB)</p><p>4 Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited according to grace, but according to his due. </p><p>5 But to the one who does not work, but who believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness,</p><p>As you can see, we have a problem elevating the ‘parable of talents’ as ‘works’ in light of what Paul taught in these verses: we have a salvation by works and not by faith in Jesus’ sacrifice alone. And what about what Jesus said in John 6:28-29 regarding works? In these verses, Jesus was asked about the kind of works we need to do to please God. I want you to notice that Jesus tells them what pleases God. It wasn’t works (plural), but only one work, and that work was to BELIEVE:</p><p>John 6:28-29 (LEB)</p><p>28 So they said to him, “What shall we do that we can accomplish the works of God?” </p><p>29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God: that you believe in the one whom that one sent.”</p><p>Even Jesus refused to elevate works. Yes, we ARE made for good works. It’s who we are. However, the notion that our salvation depends on them and is a reward is not biblical.</p><p> </p><p>Now, let’s assume that the servant is a born-again believer who didn’t use his gifts as much as he should, and he didn’t fulfill his God-given calling on this earth. Does that mean God will take away those gifts or salvation from him? Romans 11:29 teaches us that „the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” We can conclude this parable is not talking about gifts and callings either.</p><p> </p><p>Is it then possible that this servant was someone who never knew the master in the first place? Is it possible that he may have had a resemblance of genuine saving faith, but without corresponding works? In other words, he had a faith that was dead, similar to what James discusses. Let’s look at a few hints in the text that this is so:</p><p> </p><p>1. In verse 26, the master calls him „evil and lazy slave.” Has Jesus or God ever called His children slaves, evil, or lazy? No.</p><p>2. This servant lives in the fear of judgment. 1 John 4:18 tells us that “perfect love casts out fear,” and believers are not supposed to fear judgment.</p><p>3. He misunderstands the master. This servant describes the master as a “hard man,” but that’s not how the master is presented in the parable. The other servants rejoice in his kindness and generosity. Clearly, this third servant didn’t really know the master, similar to the foolish virgins to whom the bridegroom tells, “I never knew you.”</p><p> </p><p>Next, let’s analyze the context of the parable of the talents. The whole discussion theme of Matthew 24 and 25 (the arrival of the Son of Man as a thief in the night, the abomination of desolation, the parable of the ten virgins, the parable of the talents, the judgment of the sheep and goats) is the end of times, judgment, and separation. What exactly will be the determining factor or the criteria that will separate the righteous from the unrighteous at the end of times? It will be faith in the truth of the gospel that has accompanying works. Faith without works is dead, meaning that it was never there in the first place. The talents given to those three servants (in the context of the ten virgins) must then refer to the truth of the gospel given to all people in different measures of faith and understanding.</p><p> </p><p>The Parable of the Talents is not about believers being cast into hell for not doing enough good works or not walking in holiness enough. Instead, it’s about those who have been given the revelation of the Kingdom (referring to all people or, more specifically, to the Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day) and have rejected it. They are the ones who receive judgment, not faithful Christians. The third servant represents those who have received the Word of God but have not accepted it with faith. They bury it by postponing it, denying it, or neglecting...</p>
September 11, 2024
Session 15 - Suicide (Saved for Eternity)
<p><b>Objections Against Eternal Salvation (Part XII)</b></p><p><strong>Suicide<br></strong>Many Christians have wondered at least once in their lives: Is suicide an unpardonable sin? Do believers who commit suicide lose their salvation and go straight to hell? Most people, even believers, answer “yes” to this question because suicide leaves no room for repentance; a person enters eternity with unconfessed and, therefore, unforgiven sin. Such a conclusion is based on the assumption that believers’ sins are forgiven in time, depending on their confession of, and that their salvation fluctuates and is not final until they die with all their sins confessed. However, the Bible teaches all sins—past, present, and future—are forgiven and erased through faith in the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. One’s eternal destiny is sealed and set at the time of justifying faith, it has already, and forever, been determined at the time of salvation. Moreover, numerous instances of sudden death may bring Christians into eternity before they have the opportunity to confess and repent. As theologian Robert N. Wennberg puts it, “What about the heart-attack victim who dies while brutalizing his wife or amid an adulterous liaison? Does his failure to repent in this life forever remove the possibility of forgiveness in the next? And must we not pass from this life with unconfessed and unrepented sin lest we never find forgiveness and reconciliation with God in the next?” Common sense reveals that many, if not most of us, will die with sins we have not asked for forgiveness of. Repentance itself does not seal us into the Heavenly Kingdom—the Holy Spirit is such a seal (<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nkjv/Eph%201.13">Ephesians 1:13</a>, <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nkjv/Ephesians%204.30">4:30</a>). For a more in-depth study about future sins and confession of sins, I recommend reading another book, written by me, entitled The Glory of Righteousness.</p><p>People’s perspective on suicide and salvation is probably also significantly influenced by the mortal sin position found in the Roman Catholic Church, which views suicide as a lethal sin, maintaining a distinction between unpardonable and pardonable sins. The former separate a person from God’s grace, while the latter, equally serious, do not. Mortal sin is considered a severe offense that merits eternal damnation if not repented and forgiven before death. This creates a system of major or minor offenses within Catholicism. It also creates a framework where living in a state of grace is like a moving target for the believer, like a daily struggle to stay in God’s good graces. Complete and total forgiveness is conditional and requires strict repentance. The Roman Catholic position affirms that taking your own life deliberately and without remorse incurs eternal damnation.</p><p>Is suicide considered a sin in the Bible? The most basic definition of suicide is that a person intends to die or acts on the desire to die. This person pursues a course of action for the express purpose of ending their life. In this definition, suicide is a sin because it is murder and comes against one of the Ten Commandments: “You shall not kill” (<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nkjv/Exod%2020.13">Exodus 20:13</a>; <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nkjv/Deut%205.17">Deuteronomy 5:17</a>). Although we don’t instinctively think of murder in this way, unlawfully taking one’s own life does not differ morally from taking another’s. However, we should also keep the following important aspects in mind. Suicide is mentioned only six times in the whole Bible. In none of these cases is an explicit moral evaluation or judgment rendered as to whether it is right or wrong: the case of Abimelech in <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nkjv/Judg%209.50%E2%80%9357">Judges 9:50–57</a>; Samson in <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nkjv/Judg%2016.28%E2%80%9330">Judges 16:28–30</a> (although some are not convinced this is suicide in the strict sense of the term); King Saul and his armor-bearer in <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nkjv/1%20Sam%2031.1%E2%80%936">1 Samuel 31:1–6</a> (<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nkjv/2%20Sam.%201.1%E2%80%9315">2 Sam. 1:1–15</a>; <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nkjv/1%20Chron%2010.1%E2%80%9313">1 Chronicles 10:1–13</a>); Ahithophel in <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nkjv/2%20Sam%2017.23">2 Samuel 17:23</a>; Zimri in <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nkjv/1%20Kings%2016.18%E2%80%9319">1 Kings 16:18–19</a>; and Judas Iscariot in <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nkjv/Matt%2027.5">Matthew 27:5</a>.</p><p>There are also cases of apparent suicide, that are morally permissible. For example, the soldier who fights the enemy in a time of war, knowing he most likely will die, is not guilty of committing suicide. As Wennberg puts it, he is not choosing this act as a means to his death “but rather is accepting a foreseen, yet unwelcome, consequence of what he is doing.” In a sense, then, the soldier is engaging in a suicidal act but is not committing suicide. What about the case of a soldier who falls on a live grenade to save his friend’s life, or when a destitute mother stops eating what little food remains so her child may live? What about a Christian in the third century who was given a choice: either deny Jesus or be thrown to the lions? By refusing to give up on Jesus publicly, the believer chose a course of action he knew would result in his death (even though it was not his conscious intent to die), but that would not be considered suicide because the death he chose was an unintended side effect of his fidelity to Christ. What about Jesus, the Messiah, Who willingly fully chose to allow Himself to be killed? Can He be accused of taking His own life? Of course not!</p><p>Is suicide a sin? Yes, in many instances, this is a serious sin that violates God’s expressed will concerning the sanctity of life. However, even in this case, there is no evidence in the Bible to conclude that it is beyond the reach of the forgiveness obtained for us at the cross of Christ. In other words, suicide is not an unpardonable sin or one that forfeits someone’s eternal salvation. Family and friends of a believer who has committed suicide should never worry about whether their loved one is still saved. Finally, <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nkjv/Rom%208.38%E2%80%9339">Romans 8:38–39</a> says nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, not even death:</p><a href="https://biblia.com/bible/nkjv/Rom%208.38%E2%80%9339"><strong>Romans 8:38–39 (NKJV)</strong></a><strong>38</strong> For I am persuaded that <strong>neither death nor life,</strong> nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,<strong>39</strong> nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.<p> </p><p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p><p>The teaching about the eternal security of believers in Christ usually generates two types of responses and places people in two categories based on them. The first consists of people who become offended and angry with this teaching. These are the religious and self-righteous ones who behave like the older son from the parable of the prodigal son, not knowing the love of the Father. Although they might be born again as well, their image of God is more of a One Who is harsh and judging than a loving Father, and because of that perspective, they treat other fellow believers in the same way they perceive divinity. They become harsh critics or pride themselves on the good deeds they do. They think God loves people and bears with their sins only until they become born again, but after that, they are supposed to be perfectly holy in their actions. Otherwise, He will punish them or cancel their sa...</p>
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