John Wesley on Different Types of Salvation by Works
I’ve been reading through John Wesley’s journals and diaries for the years 1735-1738. They are fascinating. It’s interesting to read about his travels to America during this time; his impressions of Georgia, colony life, and the weather. I cringed a little to read his descriptions of the Native American tribes he hoped to witness […]
The Good and the Evil
Q. Doesn’t John 5:28-29 show that doing good works is a condition of salvation? How do you understand it? A. Good question. Taken on its own, that can be a puzzling passage. You would think “the good” refers to good deeds, and “the evil” refers to sins. But is that right? There’s a theme […]
He Who Lives — John 11:25-26
Do unbelievers get a second chance to believe in Jesus after they die? According to universalists they do. They say that someone who dies in unbelief today may still have a chance to believe in Jesus for eternal life in the underworld tomorrow. On that theory, when an unebeliever wake up in Hades, they […]
Can Spirits Think?
I have dialogued with several people who deny there can be conscious experiences without a physical body. I have heard this objection from both annihilationists and universalists. I don’t know if that is a majority position in either camp, but it has come up enough that I should address it. They claim that once […]
The Sin Process — James 1:14-15
Why do you sin? What is the process that leads you down that path? No one causes you to sin. Not Satan. Not demons. Not God. It all comes down to your free choice. You choose to sin. But how? How does it happen? James explains it in this passage: But each one is […]
John Wesley’s Early Evangelism
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was an ordained Anglican priest. He considered Methodism to be a renewal movement within the Church of England and resisted attempts to make it a denomination in itself. It is interesting to see how Wesley’s theology changed over time. Later in life, Wesley would claim he had been an […]
Life After Death in the Old Testament
Did the Hebrews have a concept of the soul’s life after death? Did they believe the dead continued to exist as disembodied spirits? Many (but not all) who believe in annihilationism and universalism deny it. They say the idea that the soul survives the death of the body comes from Plato, not the Bible. Why […]
Moody: Then and Now
By Shawn Lazar Institutions, especially theological ones, tend to change over time. Most of the time they change for the worse. And there is nothing more dangerous than a downward trend in your understanding of the saving message. For example, The Moody Handbook of Theology seems to have repented of its view of salvation. A […]
Annihilationism, ECT, and the Biblical Definition of Death
I’ve been exploring the debate between annihilationism and eternal conscious torment (ECT) in a series of blog posts. One of the disagreements between the two views is over the meaning of death. Many proponents of annihilationism understand death to mean the cessation of existence, especially conscious existence. They say that when someone dies, the whole […]
Genesis 1-3 and Everlasting Salvation
Does the Bible emphasize the eternality of salvation? When OT and NT people thought of salvation, was “living forever” a new idea or a basic one? Is that something they believed in God to provide? To answer those questions, consider Genesis 1-3. You know the story. You know that God created Adam and Eve […]