Does Fire Always Consume? — Revelation 19:20 and 20:10
The unhappy flipside of the promise of life is that if you do not believe in Jesus, you will perish (John 3:16). In fact, Jesus said unbelievers are condemned already (John 3:16, 18). Traditionally, that is known as “going to hell.” Most of what we think concerning hell comes to us from Roman Catholic art […]
Is Free Grace Universalist?
A Grace in Focus reader alerted us to the following bad quote. It comes from an Assemblies of God pastor named David Kowalowski. He wrote it for a website called www.apologeticsindex.org. As a Pentecostal, his main concern seems to be the hyper-grace movement. But along the way, he says this about Free Grace Theology: “Though […]
The Anti-Altar Call
Someone asked whether we should practice altar calls. It’s a question I’ve asked myself, especially since starting to pastor a new Baptist church plant. Do I continue the tradition of doing altar calls? I am inclined against it. Asking people to come up front for prayer, or to join the church, is a good thing. […]
Introduction: Ruth and Redemptive History
At first glance, Ruth seems to be a very personal story about a struggling widow and her daughter-in-law trying to survive in the world. It’s a relatable story, about real people, facing real trials, who go through a tragedy. We all know a story like that. You read about them in the papers. See them […]
Who Is in Charge? — Ruth 1:1-2; Ruth 4:16-17
Who’s in charge? When the world is falling apart, who’s in charge? When the government is hopelessly corrupt, the religious leaders are little more than hypocrites, and the kids are running wild, who’s in charge? Who’s in charge when tragedy strikes? When a child dies? When you lose everything you own to the loan sharks? […]
Bible Study Fellowship, Romans, and Calvinism
Bible Study Fellowship has been going through the book of Romans. They are currently in Romans 9-11, and they are taking a very Calvinistic position. I’m told they have taken the view that in these chapters, Paul is teaching about individual election to eternal life, where God chooses some individuals for eternal life, but not […]
Kalen Fristad on Belief
I am reading a book on universal salvation by Kalen Fristad, a United Methodist minister. It hasn’t started well. Here is a bad quote on the definition of belief: Salvation is what this book is all about. I believe salvation is best defined in the words of Jesus where he says, “For God so loved […]
Unity in Community — Gen 2:18; John 17:11, 21, 23
Have you heard the expression, “A God-shaped hole”? The idea is that you cannot be a complete human being without God. If God is not in your life, you’ll have a vacuum you cannot fill. But the God-shaped hole isn’t the only one that people have. Genesis 2:18 hints at another: Then the LORD God […]
Billy Graham’s Final Contradiction
Billy Graham went to be with the Lord he loved and served. Here is his final column (see the image below). I thought it was a good one until I read the last sentence. At the beginning of the last paragraph, Graham explained he will be in heaven, not because of the works he did, […]
Is Jesus Prominent or Preeminent?
By Shawn Lazar I love mountains. Given a choice between a mountain cabin, a beach resort, or an ocean cruise, I’ll take the cabin. Sadly, Texas has few mountains. The highest is Guadalupe Peak at 8,749 ft. Guadalupe might be prominent here in Texas, but not compared to the rest of the world. Mount McKinley […]