Of all the theological debates past and present within Orthodox Christianity, few have managed to lay claim to the perpetual debate as has the discussion surrounding the eternal security of the believer. For many generations, faithful Christians have stood on opposite sides on this issue, disparaging the views of those who opposed them. In general, some view the Bible as teaching that a man who has experienced true conversion can, of his own volition, abandon the faith and lose his salvation. The opposing view counters that this same man cannot, under any circumstances, give up his salvation after experiencing genuine conversion. Of course, this is a gross generalization of the variety of views, but it is enough to demonstrate the historical conflict surrounding the issue of eternal security. In his book The Race Set Before Us, Dr. Tom Schreiner seeks to address this theological debate, particularly how we treat the warning passages, by looking only at Scripture, regardless of any personal assumptions. Schreiner does an excellent job of explaining the four major views commonly held today – the loss of salvation view, the loss of rewards view, the evidence of genuineness view, and the hypothetical view of the loss of salvation – and provides an accurate depiction of the evidence to support of each vision. He then succinctly reveals the major flaws of each view and provides the biblical basis for his view; that is, the vision of God as the means of salvation. To support his point, Schreiner uses chapter 2 to highlight the importance of understanding salvation within the framework of the already-but-not-yet, and chapter 3 is used to examine the nature of saving faith as seen throughout the Scripture. Schreiner does a great job of using Scri...... middle of paper ...... exponents of the hypothetical loss of salvation view, but the practical implications appear to be much the same. I assume this is something Schreiner will deal with at length in the remaining chapters of the book. I found this book immensely helpful in establishing a biblical framework in place of a "Calvinist" or "Arminian" grid for understanding eternal security. and the warning passages. The way Schreiner explains a holistic understanding of salvation is one of the most helpful explanations I have read on the topic. I am left with questions about how exactly he will deal with the warning passages, but I have a general understanding that since Scripture teaches a past, present, and future salvation, he will argue that the warning passages seek to “require an enduring faith.” receive the reward” (40), and is God's means of salvation.