Faith Alone Saves, But the Faith That Saves Is Never Alone—A Dangerous Contradiction?
I received an email pointing me to a video by Dr. Wayne Grudem entitled, “Salvation without Repentance from Sin: A Critique of the Free Grace Gospel.” You can see that 45-minute video here. I’ve written a book responding to Dr. Grudem’s book Free Grace Theology: 5 Ways It Diminishes the Gospel. So I won’t cover […]
What Does Paul Mean When He Says That Jesus Will Give the Kingdom to His Father? — 1 Corinthians 15:24, 28
“Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power” (1 Cor 15:24). “Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that […]
Justification and Identity Politics
Although we’re told that belief in God is on the wane in Western society, I think one of the oldest forms of religion is on the rise, i.e., State worship. The ancients worshipped the Pharaohs, Caesars, chieftains, and emperors as divine. Isn’t that how most young people see the State? Instead of looking to God […]
The Judgment Seat of Christ and Early Childhood Trauma
I wrote a blog on 1 Cor 4:1-5 and praise at the Bema for the faithful (see here). I was moved by this question in response to my blog: Bob, I have a question related to faithfulness. I have quite a bit of resentment toward God due to my childhood environment and the actions of […]
Gracious Listening
Are you a good listener? Are you a loving listener or a selfish one? When you’re having a conversation, does your flesh show through? I was convicted by this passage from Paul Zahl: A prime example of original sin is the way people listen, or rather do not listen, to each other. When you are […]
Help From Unexpected Sources (Mark 6:3)
Have you ever been helped in your spiritual walk from an unexpected source? Maybe the person who explained the gospel of eternal life to you was an “ordinary” person. Maybe someone like that has helped you understand a certain passage in the Bible, and maybe that has happened on more than one occasion. Probably most […]
Why I Believe the Sign Gifts Are Not Operative Today
The great questions keep on coming. Check out this question: Hello, my friend Bob. I just read this blog, and I was wondering about the last part where you say that you don’t believe the prophetic gift is in operation today. So does that go for speaking in tongues too? I would like to know […]
The Rose Bowl Queens of Ephesus?
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 1:1-2). Ephesus was a city of idolatry and filth. Or was it? Our 2019 National […]
In the Midst of Trials
My wife of 42 years, Sharon Dallas Wilkin, went in on Dec 19 to have a large ovarian cyst removed. All the tests indicated that it was benign. Here is a short catalog of some of the trials since then. We had to wait four extra hours (6 total) before the surgery started. The three-hour […]
Waiting for the Christmas Star — Rev 22:16-17
We just celebrated Christmas and the birth of Jesus Christ. When we remember His birth, part of the story involves a star that the wise men from the east saw (Matt 2:2). They followed it to Judea and came to Jerusalem to meet the King. We don’t know how they knew that that star would […]