Charles Stanley on Faith, Assurance, and Eternal Security
Charles Stanley’s Handbook for Christian Living is more or less a systematic theology for laypeople. I would not call it Free Grace. And I do not know if it reflects Stanley’s current views. But it is certainly Free Grace friendly. For example, Stanley is remarkably clear that Biblical faith has an object, namely, the promises […]
Eight Reasons for Unanswered Prayer
Do you pray without ceasing? Do you have a consistent prayer life? Have you ever grown frustrated at unanswered prayer? I certainly have. In his booklet on Prayer, R. B. Thieme lists eight reasons for why your prayer may not be answered by God (see pp. 12-15): Lack of faith (Phil 4:6). Wrong motives (James […]
Michelangelo, the Last Judgment, and Sin (Revelation 20)
I want to visit Rome so I can see the art that I’ve admired since I was a kid. I especially loved Michaelangelo. I grew up reading and drawing comic books, with all the muscled superheroes. As I taught myself to draw, I drew inspiration from Michaelangelo. All his figures—whether painted or sculpted—were very muscly, […]
Saved Through Fruit?
Are you saved through fruit? John Piper thinks so: “In final salvation at the last judgment, faith is confirmed by the sanctifying fruit it has borne, and we are saved through that fruit and that faith. As Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 2:13, ‘God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by […]
The Decrees of God
A chapter from Chosen to Serve: Why Divine Election Is to Service, Not to Eternal Life. By Shawn Lazar Introduction When theologians write or talk about the decrees of God, it is usually in hushed and reverential tones. These decrees are said to lay at the very heart of the mystery of predestination and election […]
Assurance and the Fallacy of Affirming the Consequent
By Shawn Lazar There are two standards for evaluating a logical argument. First, is it true? And second, is it valid? When an argument has true premises and is valid, you call it sound. According to the first standard, in order for a logical argument to be true, the premises must be true. That’s common […]
Opportunity All Around — John 4:1-45
Are you aware of the evangelistic opportunities all around you? They may seem few and far between. But are they, really? In John 4, we read about Jesus’ famous conversation with the woman at the well. Jesus and the disciples arrived near the town of Sychar, in Samaria. It was unusual for a Jew like […]
William Gurnall, Cowardice, and Assurance
I’m preparing to teach a Sunday School series through Ephesians and Joshua. To that end, I’ve been reading The Christian in Complete Armour by Puritan William Gurnall (1616-1679). Spurgeon said of this book, “every line is full of wisdom; every sentence suggestive. The whole book has been preached over scores of times, and is, in […]
Self-Condemnation — John 3:17-18
Jesus did not come to condemn the world. That means He did not come to condemn you. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). That’s good news. Jesus came to save you. Of course, you know what […]
Antinomianism and Preparationism
It turns out I’m a real antinomian. That’s a ten-dollar-word. Antinominian means being “against” (anti) “the law” (nomos). Now, there are different ways of being against the Law, so there are different definitions of antinomianism. Here’s one definition: “We speak of the real Antinomians, who assert that the Law is unnecessary to conversion” (Rosenius, A […]