What does it mean to “deny the faith”? — 1 Timothy 5:8
Recently, a reader of our magazine wrote in with a question. What does it mean to “deny the faith” (1 Tim 5:8)? This question brings up a couple of issues. First, is it possible for a Christian to verbally deny the Christian faith, or to renounce Christ? Even though many today would say a Christian […]
The Minority Report — Numbers 13:27-33
Israel was at the edge of Canaan, the promised land. Egyptian slavery was behind them. Freedom was before them. All they had to do was walk in. But they hesitated. God commanded them to go in. He promised them victory and protection. But Israel wanted to see things for themselves. They wanted a contingency plan. […]
Why Isn’t Everybody Clamoring for Everlasting Life?
A friend emailed me this question: In our nation and world, we see so many people who want a “good deal” on material things, such as holiday sales. They will line up and wait for hours to get desired things for a great deal. People will even wait for hours in a line to get […]
An Unleavened Life
I love bread. The smell. The taste. The whole process of mixing and kneading and rising and baking. Maybe it’s due to growing up in a French city, but I can’t think of a more perfect pairing than warm bread and butter. Can you? Mmm. I love sourdough, too. It’s one of the most ancient […]
The Gospel and Young Earth Creationism
I believe in a young earth. Such people are called Young Earth Creationists (YEC’s). I believe that the Earth and Adam and Eve were created just as Genesis 1-2 tells us, in six literal 24-hour days, about 6,200 years ago (around 4,200 BC). See Paul Tanner’s article, available on our website, defending YEC, here. I […]
Engineered to Be Dependent
There are two themes in John’s Gospel that may appear to be contradictory, but together teach an important lesson about the Christian life. The first theme is the divinity of Christ. The Gospel begins and ends with two statements that Jesus is God. They act like bookends for the Gospel. The very first verse reads, […]
Act or Attitude?
I’ve been reading through the works of Major Ian Thomas. He was the founder of Torchbearers International and the stunning Capernwray Bible School (look at that scenery!). Many in the Free Grace movement hold to “higher life’ or Keswick spirituality. Thomas was an influential figure in that movement, so I thought I should get to […]
The Source
One of the recurring ideas in John’s Gospel is that Jesus can do nothing of Himself: “I can of Myself do nothing” (John 5:30). The works Jesus did were what He saw the Father do: Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, […]
Strong in Grace
Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim 2:1) Recently, I heard a friend of mine, Allen Rae, speak on 2 Timothy 2:1-6. In this passage of Scripture, Paul tells Timothy that Timothy needs to be strong in the grace of Christ. Clearly, Paul is not telling […]
The Cross and the War for Dominion
My book, Chosen to Serve, was meant to rethink the Biblical doctrine of election. I was presenting an alternative to the Calvinist doctrine of Unconditional Election and the Arminian doctrine of Conditional Election. I found the Bible taught something different from either of those two positions. My next big project is to rethink the meaning […]