Is Everlasting Life the Result of Faith in Christ? Or Is It the Content of Faith in Christ?
Recently I received two similar responses to a recent blog (which you can read here). In the blog I had said that we must believe that what we get from the Lord by believing in Him is irrevocable, whether we call that everlasting life, salvation, justification, forgiveness, or new life. Those two responses I received […]
What Will Your Legacy Be?
Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance….a better resurrection…of whom the world was not worthy (Heb 11:35-39). I recently had a conversation with some friends about a movie that was recently released. It is an animated film that is based upon a religious holiday in Mexico. That holiday is called the Day of the Dead. The […]
J. I. Packer and The Bondage of Tradition
J. I. Packer, the famed Reformed Anglican theologian, has written more book forewords than anyone I know. It seems that every book published by a Calvinist either has a foreword or an endorsement written by Packer. Packer, along with O. R. Johnston, translated Martin Luther’s The Bondage of the Will (Westwood, NJ: Revell, 1957). They […]
Believing Moses, and the New Moses, Because of Signs
Many have suggested that Moses was a type of Christ. That is, as he delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt, so the Lord Jesus will deliver Israel from bondage to Gentile domination. Of course, Jesus’ deliverance is both physical and spiritual. He will not only bring the kingdom for Israel, He gives everlasting life right […]
Chosen By God
Recently, the topic of predestination has been coming up. Both Shawn and Bob have written books that deal with the topic. In my different travels for GES the subject has been coming up as well fairly regularly. It was brought to my attention that many think that Eph 1:4 proves that God has chosen people […]
Splash Pad or Trash Pad?
I took my kids to a newly opened splash pad or “sprayground” in town. It opened on May 12th. I took them the next day, on May 13th. What is a splash pad? Think of a half-basketball court with different kinds of sprinklers. The water shoots from nozzles in the ground, pours down from buckets […]
Is Ephesians 2:8-9 Talking about Everlasting Life?
In 2013 I was one of the authors of a four-views book on the role of works at the final judgment. In that book I suggested that Eph 2:8-9 says that everlasting life is by grace through faith and apart from works (Four Views on the Role of Works at the Final Judgment, Zondervan, pp. […]
Tartarus — 2 Peter 2:4
The Bible is much stranger than people allow. That’s where theology can go wrong—by trying to make it less strange than it is. I have been exploring the topic of “hell” in a series of blog posts, explaining the Biblical reasons that lead me to accept eternal conscious torment (ECT) over and against annihilationism and […]
Scot McKnight Explains What Faith Really Is
Justification by faith alone taken at face value means justification by faith alone. However, more and more today Evangelicals are saying that justification by faith alone means justification by submission and obedience. One of the leading Christian bloggers is New Testament scholar Dr. Scot McKnight. His blog is called Jesus Creed. McKnight published a commentary […]
John Wesley on Different Types of Salvation by Works
I’ve been reading through John Wesley’s journals and diaries for the years 1735-1738. They are fascinating. It’s interesting to read about his travels to America during this time; his impressions of Georgia, colony life, and the weather. I cringed a little to read his descriptions of the Native American tribes he hoped to witness […]