Sins Are Not the Issue in Regeneration
An interesting question came from someone who happened to see one of my blogs: I came across Bob’s Sept 1, 2019, article. While I appreciate much of what Bob says, his statement in the last paragraph was puzzling to me: “Because of the cross of Christ, our sins and our works are not the issue.” […]
The Image of God and Ruling with Christ
What is the image of God? I have read just about every different theory you can imagine trying to identify the nature of the image of God. I have seen candidates such as being self-aware, or intelligent, or capable of speech, or capable of love, or having a soul, or (as Karl Barth suggested) being […]
The Doctrine of God: Essence and Existence
Are you ready to learn a basic theological distinction? What is the difference between Jesus, the Easter Bunny, and a square circle? One way to think of the difference is between what older theologians called essence and existence. Essence is what something is. What is its nature? What do we know about it? If you […]
Job’s Limited Mind and the Problem of Evil (Job 13:15)
The world is and has long been full of evil. As I write this, the COVID-19 pandemic has been sweeping the globe, and there are riots across the country in response to what appears to be a case of police brutality. Many people are dying. Even more are suffering. I don’t think evil is a […]
Three Books for a Student about to Enter College
A pastor gave me an interesting challenge: Greetings! I am a pastor in a free grace church in PA. I have received your magazine for many years. My question: we have a high school student graduating now and going on to a secular college in the fall. She is a believer and has had a […]
Four Reasons the Doctrine of Eternal Rewards Answers Solomon’s Quest for Meaning
The teacher in Ecclesiastes—who was most likely King Solomon—was on a search for the meaning of life “under the sun.” However, all his attempts to find meaning failed. He looked for purpose through pursuing wisdom (Eccl 1:12-14, 18), pleasure (Eccl 2:10-11), legacy (Eccl 2:18-20), wealth (Eccl 5:10-11), even children (Eccl 6:3-4)—among other things—and concluded all […]
A Free Grace Letter from a Student
My daughter Kathryn and I teach at a Bible Institute in Nepal. We try to go once a year. This is an email I received from one of our students. His name is Suresh Budhaprithi. I thought it would make a good blog. It has been slightly edited for format purposes: Coronavirus, known as COVID-19, […]
Is the Gospel Missing in John?
I was reading this article (“The Gospel Missing in John”) by a mid-Acts theologian about the saving message in John’s Gospel. Although I sympathize with emphasizing the “Jewishness” of the Gospels, and I’ve learned a great deal from mid-Acts and Acts 28 dispensationalists, I think the contrast between the Twelve and Paul is often overblown. […]
Deny Christ and Ruling with Him
Some Free Grace people are very sophisticated in the questions they ask. A solid Free Grace person knows about the doctrine of eternal rewards and may have some concerns in that regard that others would have concerning their salvation. I received an interesting question from an actual handwritten letter. Larry asks, “Anyway, my question is […]
The Wrath of God Abides on Unbelievers (John 3:36)
I received the following question via email: Hello, Bob. Lately on your radio program you have said when the Bible uses the word “wrath,” you think it’s talking about TEMPORARY punishment in this life. But look here in John 3:36: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the […]