"Salvation" by Robert Glenn Gromacki: Book Review

Robert Glenn Gromacki is author of Salvation is Forever. He was born on September 20th, 1933 in Eerie, Pennsylvania. He married Gloria Gay Julyan on June 4th, 1954 and had two children. Two years after marrying Gloria, Gromacki started his education journey by attending Baptist Bible Seminary to earn his bachelor’s degree of theology. He continued his study of theology by earning his Master of Theology degree in Dallas Theological Seminary. Finally, he earned his Doctor of Theology degree at Grace Theological Seminary. Before finishing his education however, he started teaching at Cedarville University in 1960. He was a theology studies educator for about forty years. While he taught, Gromacki was also a pastor at Grace Community Baptist Church in Ohio for about twelve years. As for other works he has written, Gromacki has written a total of fifteen books and a survey covering the New Testament.

Summary of the Book

Chapter one of Salvation is Forever is titled “What Does it Mean to be Lost? ” In this chapter, Gromacki explained to the reader what it means to be lost. To be lost is to be “unaware of his [or her] spiritual lostness until he is convicted of his moral plight by the Holy Spirit” (13). Gromacki wanted to communicate that a lost person is one that breaks and even goes against the will of God. Gromacki also wrote that a lost person tends to not be spiritually aware of the spiritual position he or she is in, which benefits Satan. One of the main subjects Gromacki focused on as well was the question of “Why are people lost? ” In order to answer the question, Gromacki gave four reasons that explain and answer the question.

The following chapter of the book deals with the question of “what does it mean to be saved? ” Gromacki emphasized the idea that many people do not know what it means to be saved. He defined salvation as a lost person realizing that he or she has broken the will and commandments of God. It also includes said person repenting and asking for forgiveness for the sinful acts he or she has committed. Gromacki also noted that the he believes that God is the one who initiates salvation, not the lost person. In addition to this, Gromacki wrote a couple of reasons as to why a saved person cannot lose his or her salvation. The author ended the chapter by stating the process of ‘sanctification’ as saved person goes through.

Chapter three of Gromacki’s book dealt with the main topic of the book. Titled “Does God Guarantee Our Salvation? ”, Gromacki used this chapter to highlight a couple of God’s characteristics. He also explained how these characteristics, such as His grace and righteousness, play a vital role in the process of one’s salvation. Additionally, Gromacki used the characteristics to tell the reader how God guarantees one’s salvation. One of the ideas that Gromacki emphasized in the chapter as well was the thought that God himself is the one who “picks”, for a lack of better words, those He wants to work in so that they may be saved. Gromacki stated multiple times that there is nothing the lost person can do to save his or herself.

The fourth chapter in Salvation is Forever tackled the subject of principles found within the Bible. Gromacki listed a total of ten different ideas that were meant to encourage the reader about his or her salvation. One of the principles he listed stated went in-depth regarding the meaning behind the word “never” in John 4: 13-14. Gromacki explained that Greek meaning of “never” had more intense implications so that the reader understood that, once obtained, salvation could not be lost. The ten principles were not only to listed to encourage the reader about his or her salvation, they were also present so one could truly evaluate whether he or she was truly saved. For example, the seventh principle stated, “persistent sin after profession reveals the lack of a genuine conversion” (100).

Chapter five, the longest chapter of the book, tackled passages within the Bible that seem to contradict the idea of eternal security. Overall, Gromacki stated multiple times that the passages people present as contradictions are often misinterpreted. To prove this, Gromacki contextualized the passages to interpret their meaning. There were even times where Gromacki used another passage to give better meanings to the misinterpreted passages. One passage that Gromacki gave a meaning to was Matthew 7: 21-23, in which Jesus declares that there will be some “believers” that He will not recognize despite them claiming His name. Gromacki used John 6: 63-66 to clarify the message Jesus was trying to tell.

The final and shortest chapter of Salvation is Forever was mainly concerned with the reader. Gromacki used this chapter to summarize the overall message he tried to convey. He, in case the reader forgot, claimed that salvation is truly forever. Gromacki, throughout the chapter, kept challenging two types of readers. The first group of readers he challenged were those who are saved. He stated that they should evaluate themselves to see if their life aligns with the teachings of the Bible that relate to how a believer should live. Gromacki then challenged the second group of readers, the readers who are not saved. Gromacki encouraged them to evaluate their spiritual position with God and to even confess that they have sinned against Him. He closed by telling them “With open arms, receive and embrace Him as your Saviour” (184).

Evaluation

The whole purpose of Gromacki writing the book was to tell the reader that a believer can never lose his or her salvation. He intended to give reasons that would back up his belief. A second purpose Gromacki seemed to have was to give a set of “principles” a believer should be following to prove that he or she is truly saved. Overall, the author did achieve the purpose that he aimed to fulfill. He gave reasons to back up his claims throughout the book and did not shy away from dissecting the views that opposed his own. The opposing views mainly revolved around scriptures that are often misinterpreted. As mentioned above, a whole chapter was dedicated to address the problematic scriptures. An example of this was previously stated above dealing with a passage in the book of Matthew. Chapter seven in the book of Matthew finds Jesus preaching the ‘Sermon on the Mount. ’ As Jesus nears the end he states: Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? ’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. Gromacki knew that this passage could imply that some people could lose their salvation. To clear up this misconception, Gromacki clarified the verse by linking it to a passage in John 6: 60-71. This specific passage focuses on Jesus declaring that there are some disciples who lack faith and followed Jesus only to gain some knowledge from an academic standpoint. They were disciples who were not believers. Gromacki furthered explained by stating: They knew that He was a miracle worker because they had eaten of the multiplied fish and bread, but they had never believed in Him. Jesus knew that and told them so. They had not been drawn to Christ by the Father. They had come to Christ out of self-interest, rather than by Spirit conviction. These disciples did not lose their salvation; they never actually had it. They professed but they did not possess. (116) By explaining this this, Gromacki was able to link both passages together to clarify the meaning of the passage found in the book of Matthew. This section of the book outlines one example of how Gromacki was able to fulfill the purpose of the book.

The whole book seemed to be written in a persuasive style. It seemed that the author’s intent was to persuade the reader to agree with his views. The presentation of different arguments reinforced with scriptural passages makes this specific style obvious to the reader. In addition to this, the author appears to use an expository type style throughout his book. One of the main goals Gromacki tried to achieve was to explain the meaning of salvation to the reader. He thoroughly defined salvation multiple times and even gave examples such as “When one realizes the guilty, lost condition from which he has been saved and blessed position to which he has been brought by salvation, then he will better understand the divine purpose behind the program of salvation” (34). Gromacki then quotes Ephesians 2: 7 to give the reader a better understanding of what he said within the context of the Bible. The two different styles of writing helped Gromacki greatly when it came to present his different arguments. The book itself seems to be structured around a specific patter: present a new idea or argument (or a contradictory point of view, present biblical evidence, explain the evidence in-depth to either reinforce or refute an argument. This structuring made Gromacki’s reasoning strong. Gromacki was not able to do everything perfectly however. His biggest weakness was perhaps the lack of explanation pertaining the opposing views. While he presented plenty of opposing views, including scriptures, Gromacki seemed eager to rip apart the views without giving much background on said viewpoints. While it is important to dissect and correct incorrect viewpoints, especially in a book of this nature, it is also important give the opposing viewpoints a thorough explanation. Had Gromacki done this, he would perhaps have an easier time convincing those who oppose his arguments.

Overall, the arguments Gromacki proposed throughout the book seem to align with the teachings of the Bible. Chapter four had plenty of points and statements that many Christians would agree with. The biblical principle of genuine faith producing good works does indeed align with the Bible, specifically James. The way Gromacki presented the principle helps the reader be able to use to evaluate their life to see if their faith is genuine. A common question among Christians is “Can I lose my salvation if I sin? ” Gromacki addresses this in an appreciable manner. He states that a saved person that grows closer to God over time will become “more sensitive to his own sinfulness” (104). He goes further by stating that a believer should not worry about his or her salvation if they commit a sin. He tells them to instead confess them and try to do better for the Lord. Overall, Gromacki’s Salvation is Forever is an enjoyable and eye-opening read. It not only successfully refutes any arguments against secured salvation but it also encourages any believers that may have underlying doubts about their salvation.