Commentaries Recognize Philippians 2:12 Is Not about Individual Salvation
While working up my recommendations for various books of the Bible, I looked up how two commentators, Ralph Martin and Gordon Fee, handle Phil 2:12. While both men believe that perseverance is required to attain “final salvation,” neither sees Phil 2:12 as dealing with that. Fee says, Obedience in this case takes the form of […]
The Good and the Evil
Q. Doesn’t John 5:28-29 show that doing good works is a condition of salvation? How do you understand it? A. Good question. Taken on its own, that can be a puzzling passage. You would think “the good” refers to good deeds, and “the evil” refers to sins. But is that right? There’s a theme […]
What Was Zane Hodges Saying about Salvation in 1 Timothy 4:16?
“Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tim 4:16). We ran an article in the May-June Grace in Focus magazine where Zane Hodges discussed 1 Tim 4:6-16. At the end of the article was a short […]
He Who Lives — John 11:25-26
Do unbelievers get a second chance to believe in Jesus after they die? According to universalists they do. They say that someone who dies in unbelief today may still have a chance to believe in Jesus for eternal life in the underworld tomorrow. On that theory, when an unebeliever wake up in Hades, they […]
Salvation Is Final the Moment You Believe
On September 25, 2017 Dr. John Piper published a blog at the DesiringGod.org website. It was entitled, “Does God Really Save Us by Faith Alone?” His answer was No! In part Piper writes: These works of faith, and this obedience of faith, these fruits of the Spirit that come by faith, are necessary for […]
Can Spirits Think?
I have dialogued with several people who deny there can be conscious experiences without a physical body. I have heard this objection from both annihilationists and universalists. I don’t know if that is a majority position in either camp, but it has come up enough that I should address it. They claim that once […]
The Sin Process — James 1:14-15
Why do you sin? What is the process that leads you down that path? No one causes you to sin. Not Satan. Not demons. Not God. It all comes down to your free choice. You choose to sin. But how? How does it happen? James explains it in this passage: But each one is […]
C. S. Lewis Said Repentance Is a Condition for Everlasting Life
The following question came today via email from a friend: I know that you (and presumably everyone at GES) do not believe that repentance is “necessary” for salvation. I have several of Zane Hodges’ books on free grace, and he appears to hold this view mainly based on his understanding of the Biblical meaning of […]
If We Must Believe What We Get Is Irrevocable, Then What about the Pentecostals and Methodists?
One of the readers of my recent blog “Are Assurance Verses in John Directed to Believers or Unbelievers?” (which you can see here), left the following comment: Hi Bob, I just finished reading the above and I’m afraid I may be misunderstanding you. Are you saying that the only saved people are those who believe […]
John Wesley’s Early Evangelism
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was an ordained Anglican priest. He considered Methodism to be a renewal movement within the Church of England and resisted attempts to make it a denomination in itself. It is interesting to see how Wesley’s theology changed over time. Later in life, Wesley would claim he had been an […]