Customer Reviews

Life in the Son

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I had personally misinterpreted many passages of Scripture on the subject of Eternal Security for many years until a friend recommended this book. Wow. Dr. Shank gives a most thorough and in fact exhaustive study, dressing down every one of my misunderstandings and showing that I was often failing to see the trees for the forest. His point ultimately is not that we must earn our salvation, of course, but that there can come a point where we can reject the gift God has given. This falls under the same heading as the "unpardonable sin" in that it takes quite a bit to get there, but once there it is impossible to renew (Hebrews 6).

"Life In the Son" is not a breezy read; it is for the serious student of theology and Biblical doctrine. While the saved person will persevere regardless of his/her understanding of this doctrine, there are many baby Christians who are led into misunderstanding and thus into license. For their sake it is critical that we be doctrinally correct, espeically those of us who teach, whether in Bible school, our children, or babes in Christ. No matter what you've read on this topic, don't think you have it settled until you've read "Life In the Son."

Absolutely wonderful! This book was tremendously helpful for me as I wrestled with the question of eternal security. If anyone is seeking objective truth within the Scriptures, this is it. A book has not been written as clearly and profoundly as this. After reading this book it was clear what the Scriptures teach. An excellent book for anyone who is willing to be humble enough and accept truth. You cannot question his conclusions simply because he sticks to what the Word of God says in it's original context and language.

Dr. Shank gives an erudite, compelling (and in my opinion, correct) treatment of the doctrine of eternal security, which is so tightly bound up in the tenets of strict reformed theology. The beauty of the book is that he relies so heavily on scripture to back his points up. In a nutshell, he rejects the doctrine; if you want to know why, you need to read it (or at least see what he does with the scriptures traditionally used to support the notion). If not, please be intellectually honest and don't assert that you know why his conclusion is wrong, having never heard his argument. Highly recommended, for proponents of the doctrine, and opponents as well.

Life in the Son must be seriously considered as the final word on the hellish doctrine of "once saved always saved". Eternal security a.k.a. "the perseverance of the saints" is the final petal of the dying tulip of Calvinism. The teaching of "once saved always saved" is the last bastion of John Calvin's doctrine which still thrives within most of today's churches. Life in the Son correctly takes the position that God's eternal life is to be found only in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and that His eternal life is enjoined only to those who ultimately and faithfully "abide" in Christ and remain "in Him". The devilish idea that Christians can turn away from Christ and His holiness; turn back to the world and continue in sin yet still be saved and go to Heaven is a deception from the pits of Hell, where unfortunately many backslidden and apostate Christians may sadly wake up one day. Robert Shank expertly and thoroughly examines each scripture which eternal security proponents attempt to twist to fit their own philosophy. The author expertly dispels every distortion of the gospel and continually demonstrates that the clear, simple, literal meaning of scripture does not teach that believers unconditionally own eternal life in themselves, but rather that it is the sole possession of God and God alone who grants it to those who "endure until the end" (Matt. 24:13). The myth of eternal security must be exposed no matter how many would teach that Jesus did not really mean the many warnings He gave like John 15:1-2 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."

The doctrine of unconditional eternal security in which Christians are led to believe that there are no consequences to fulfilling the lusts of the flesh creates a false sense of security where some believers enter into a dangerous game of "just how much can I get away with" with the holy God who hates sin so much he sent His Son to die on a cross. Oh that men would hate sin equally. Christ's sacrifice was to release men from the power of sin, not that they may continue in it.

Life in the Son truly is one of the most profoundly important books I have ever read, at so many levels. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for the truth to these eternally important questions.

I am very impressed with the author's argument in this book. After a great deal of study over the last few years, I started noticing things I'd never seen before. I ended up coming to very similar conclusions as the author in spite of years of belief to the contrary. On topics such as these, the Bible is a lot more simple than people give it credit for. Most of the bickering and complexity comes from trying to apply life support to a given systematic theology that the text just doesn't support. The author has simply taken the text at face value and let it speak. My suggestion is don't fight it. Just listen.

Life in the Son is a good critique of Eternal Security that doesn't contain much of the polemics that are so common in many books and articles (on both sides) on the issue of Eternal Security. Shank explains the key verses that always become flashpoints in debates in an easy to understand manner. There are a few problems with his book that I would like to point out. For instance, he seems to concentrate more on contradictory Calvinist commentaries of the verses rather than explaining the verses themselves. But all in all, its a pretty good book.

Stark uses he Greek witnesses to establish the ever present idea that we , as Christians, have always maintained that our Wills are our own to do as we wish. The totally absurd idea that God 'captures" our wills and forces His will down our throats is well investigated here. One is either Calvinistic or Armenian, and perhaps one can blend, but very little. To state that the Holy Spirit cares not how one can continue to sin, nor amount of sin is against God's own ideas and functions according to Scripture. Dr. Stark's work is priceless, and no matter which side you stand, everyone must read this side as presented.
I recommend this book to all.

This book gives a great response to the adherents of eternal security. Shank thoroughly refutes Calvinistic presuppositions and provides a great defense for conditional security that is contingent upon faith.

This is an invaluable book, particularly to Southern Baptists seeking to know what the Bible really teaches about the security of the believer. I speak as a former Southern Baptist.

Mr. Shank has an ax to grind, and grind it he does. He is so determined to prove that all believers are in danger of losing their salvation, that every example in the Bible of someone going into perdition was once a believer in Christ.

Coming from an early Christian belief in perseverance of the saints, I was poorly armed to deal with his highly intellectual arguments. Being of an open mind, the first day or two with the book were highly depressing. His arguments are fundamentally flawed however. In his attempt to make all examples in the Bible examples of falling away, he undermines his integrity, and ultimately his argument. Even Judas Iscariot had to be proved to be a believer who fell away. He is really over the top when he asserts that Paul in 1 Cor 9:27, was afraid of loosing his salvation, when clearly from the context of the chapter, Paul was afraid of sullying his credibility regarding the gospel. While not a Greek scholar, I know enough to be able to research the use of a word, and in this example, he claims that other uses of the word for "castaway" really mean reprobate; an idea in no way supported by the Greek nor the scripture. A rendering of "unapproved" would be more fitting.

Like another reviewer stated, his argument is not from the Scripture, but is mere conjecture. It is not only conjecture as to whether his examples ever really true believers or not, but the clear teaching of the "warning passages" warn against "false, feigned faith". Also, in many (perhaps all) of these same warning passages are given the promise of the ultimate salvation of all who truly believe. So the warnings are against unbelief, not unfaithfulness, and in addition to the warnings, God gives us precious promises of our salvation.

The ultimate premise upon which Mr. Shanks operates is an overly powerful will if I can call it that. A will so strong that God will not keep us from stumbling during temptation, even though our will before our temptation was to be faithful. Paul, in Romans 6 & 7, very clearly demonstrates that our will is captive to either sin or Christ, and that God obviously gives us grace at sometime in our lives to change masters.

While he claims that a man can fall away and be saved multiple times, he doesn't adequately demonstrate this from Scripture. Rather his examples show that these men going into perdition can not come to repentance. His argument like every other one I have encountered for losing our place with God is based on works. We are accepted by God by faith, but we must maintain our relationship by the faithfulness of our works. If his example with Paul needing to "buffet his body" in order to maintain his salvation isn't works, then I don't know what is. I thank God that I knew enough of Paul's doctrine to recognize (with God's reminding) this man's gross error.

If you would like to be set on the right path on this issue, you can do no better than to understand John Bunyan's comments on the issue. He said, "There are two deep ditches on either side of the road to heaven. The one is the ditch of despair and the other is the ditch of presumption. In front of the ditch of despair God has placed a row of hedges made of promises to keep the poor pilgrim from despair in times of defeat. In front of the ditch of presumption he has placed another row of hedges made of up of fearful warning to keep the poor pilgrim from presuming on the grace of God." Truer words were never said on this topic.

It is a very scholarly book however, but he often uses the Greek to maintain assertions that the Greek really doesn't support. I know that from only two examples I checked. Who knows how many more of the hundreds of other cases he does likewise. If one is not a Greek scholar, he can be very deceptive. Even his English logic is flawed in many places, so how much more untrustworthy is his Greek? I will give it two stars however, in that he doesn't succumb to demagoguery.