Key Old Testament Books
John asks this interesting question: “Which Old Testament books are a must read for Free Grace born–again believers?” That is a bit like asking which food is must-eating for the person who wants to remain healthy. We need all of the food groups. Proteins, carbs, veggies, good fats, water, etc. In one sense, the Free […]
The Word “Gospel” in the Book of Romans
The word “gospel” is an interesting but misunderstood word. In fact, in Bob Wilkin’s book, The Ten Most Misunderstood Words in the Bible (you can get this great book at the GES website), Bob picks it as one of the ten. The reason it is misunderstood is because when most Christians hear the word “gospel,” […]
The Meaning of the “Supper”
For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of […]
The New Testament Understanding of Following Jesus
A friend sent me some comments and asks my thoughts: Interested in your opinion. I am trying to craft a reasonable response to the “follow Jesus to be saved” concept. I noticed something: the only times people are told to follow Christ is when He is present and able to be literally followed. The terminology abruptly stops […]
Did John’s Readers Lack Assurance? Re-Examining 1 John 5:13
Someone recently challenged the idea that assurance is of the essence of saving faith by quoting 1 John 5:13. That question has been answered before (see here and here). But I’d like to put an answer in my own words. The verse in question reads: These things I have written to you who believe in […]
The Teaching That You Cannot Be Sure That Christ Died for You Is One of the Worst False Teachings of All Time
A reader of our blog, K, cited one of my blogs in which I said that you know you are believing in Jesus to save you if you have assurance of everlasting life. K responded with this cry for help: I do not have assurance of everlasting life. I want to be saved. I’m terrified I’m […]
Investing When Times Are Tough (Jeremiah 32:1-9)
There is a very interesting account in Jeremiah 32. The prophet had told the people that God was going to judge the nation and take them as slaves to Babylon. In Jeremiah 32, that time is at hand. The army of Babylon had surrounded Jerusalem. Jeremiah knew that the city would be destroyed and the […]
A Prayer for 2021 (Ephesians 1:18-19a)
At the beginning of last year, you probably heard a sermon series that punned on 2020. There were titles such as “20/20 Vision,” or “God’s Vision for 2020,” “2020: Clear Vision for your Life,” or “Give us 20/20 in 2020.” And whatever vision or plan was presented in that sermon series was probably completely wrong! […]
Do Not Trust in Politicians
Did you ever notice that the New Testament barely mentions the names or actions of the ruling authorities of the day? For example, during the time of Jesus, Caesar Augustus was leading the Roman Republic into its epoch-making transformation into the Roman Empire. Humanly speaking, that was one of the most important events in history, […]
I Did Not Realize How Prevalent Assurance by Works Is
I have mentioned before that our 2006 annual conference ended up being controversial. There were two messages on assurance of everlasting life that were met with a divided response. I thought those messages would be well received but about half of the people agreed, while the other half thought that the messages by Zane Hodges […]