Yesterday’s Faith
Rev. Amos Binney was a Methodist preacher who wrote a short systematic theology called Binney’s Theological Compend (published in 1840) explaining “Biblical Methodism” (see here). The “improved” version edited by Daniel Steele is very readable and succinct. I think it is a model for how a short systematic theology should be done, and I plan […]
Three Ways to Evaluate an Argument
Gordon H. Clark once said, “Unless one knows the definition, he does not know what he is talking about” (see here). I recently wrote a blog where I said that while GES believed that Jesus is God in a fully Trinitarian sense, we deny that you need to believe that to be born-again (to grow, […]
God Did It (Galatians 1:1-5)
Legalists from Israel were corrupting the Galatian churches, teaching them they needed to be circumcised and to keep different laws to be saved. Paul hit back. Hard. Paul’s greeting to the Galatian churches (1:1-5) strongly emphasized that God is the main actor in salvation. God sends the preacher (v 1a). God raised Jesus from the […]
John Wesley on How To Read the Bible
If you want to grow spiritually, you must read the Bible everyday. Or you should listen to the Bible being read. As the Psalmist said, Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of […]
Simple Principles of Giving (2 Corinthians 8-9)
What does the NT say about giving? I’m sure someone has told you that Christians should tithe. That is, you should give one-tenth of all you make to the church. That principle has the virtue of being easy to remember, but does it have the virtue of being true? The problem is, tithing is not […]
Anguish for Godly Ministers (Galatians 1:6)
“I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel” (Gal 1:6). Did you know that Harvard was founded to train ministers, specifically Puritans, to preach the gospel? Then liberals snuck in, and instead of starting their own school, they parasitically took over […]
Beyond Quiet Time
Are you a trifler? That’s not a word you hear very often. To trifle means to talk or act frivolously. If you’re a trifler, you are not taking things seriously; you are not pursuing them with purpose. John Wesley warned his itinerant preachers against being triflers in religion: “Fix some part of every day for […]
The Righteousness of God: The Heart of the Lutheran Reformation
The Righteousness of God: The Heart of the Lutheran Reformation. By Don Matzat. O’Fallon, MO: Good News Books, 2017. 61 pp. Paper, $3.99. Don Matzat is a Lutheran pastor and radio host. In this booklet, he explains the Lutheran doctrine of justification by faith apart from works. In chap. 1, Matzat begins by giving a […]
A Cloudy View of Salvation: David W. Cloud on Repentance
Shawn Lazar Associate Editor I. INTRODUCTION David W. Cloud is a Fundamental Baptist missionary, writer, and publisher. His Way of Life Literature is well-known in Fundamentalist circles and defends many conservative positions with which readers of JOTGES would agree. Cloud has even explicitly written against Lordship Salvation. But how consistent is he in rejecting it? […]
A Simple Way to Pray
By Shawn Lazar Do you know how to pray? Are you making progress in your prayer life? Do you find that your prayers have become repetitive, dry, and boring? I find I need help to pray. Do you? Martin Luther’s barber once asked for advice on how to pray to God. So Luther wrote him […]