“My Way”—Frank Sinatra Spirituality
In “My Way,” Frank Sinatra famously sang, Regrets, I’ve had a few But then again, too few to mention. I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption. I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway, And more, much more than this, I did it my way. … […]
Four Free Bible Study Resources
I am amazed at the number of free Bible study resources that are available online. Of course, the pre-eminent Bible study software is Logos, but it is expensive. If you’re a pastor or Bible teacher, it may be worth the expense. However, for everyone else, these websites can help you with your studies. At least, […]
Satan’s Sifting
In Job 1, hasatan—the Adversary , Opponent, or Accuser—traditionally identified as Satan—asked God to afflict Job. Satan wanted to test Job’s faithfulness to prove he feared God for the wrong reasons: So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around […]
If People Are Born Unable to Believe: Six Options
Are people born unable to believe? If so, how does anyone come to faith? As I work through these issues for an upcoming book examining “total depravity,” it might help to conceptualize the different answers given to explain how people who are born unable to believe can ever come to faith. Here are six options. […]
Trust that God Is Wise (Job 38-42)
I’ve heard it said that everyone is either in a storm, entering a storm, or coming out of storm. Life is full of storms. And people are full of opinions about how to go through them—such as Job’s friends. The book of Job is full of such opinions and they were all wrong. All that […]
Four Reasons to Study Prophecy
The Evangelical Free Church recently removed premillennialism from their statement of faith (see here). I wonder if that signals a decline in the study of prophecy in that denomination. Not every pastor preaches prophecy. Not every person studies it. I can think of several reasons why that might be. Frankly, unfulfilled prophecy takes effort to […]
Nine Works of Biblical Theology
I read widely in theology (and elsewhere), but my very favorite books are by the great Bible teachers of the past. Those are the men and teachers I seek to emulate. The way they wrote was deeper than a typical sermon but more practical than academic theology. They took the Bible as the very word […]
Free Grace Evenings?
We do a national conference once a year. And we’ve been doing anywhere between three to six regional conferences a year. Those take a lot of organization. And energy. And there are lots of moving parts to synchronize. I wonder if there’s a better option to reach as many people in person as possible? I […]
Job’s Faith Grew Through Suffering
Job was extremely religious, extremely pious, and extremely good. Even God said, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” (Job 1:8). But being blameless and upright doesn’t mean you know all there is to know about God […]
Belief: Twelve Theses
Question What is the Free Grace definition of belief? Also, what is “intellectual consent,” and is it more than a belief in a historical Jesus? I would like to understand. Answer There are disagreements in Free Grace (and in Evangelicalism and Christianity) circles over those questions. Here is my answer in the form of twelve […]