What Does “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” Mean?
Paul’s Words to the Philippian Jailer The other day I came across an article in The Trinity Review—a 5-point Calvinist publication that is essentially arguing for the Free Grace message on the meaning of saving faith—entitled, “What Is It to Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ?” Great title. And the article is helpful too. More […]
Being Thankful Always
Paul said, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thess 5:18). Am I thankful all the time? Are you? I am thankful when I partake of the Lord’s Supper and remember Calvary. I am thankful when I pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” […]
Planes, Trains, Automobiles, and Studying
Last Tuesday I went from Dallas to Providence, Rhode Island, for a meeting of Bible scholars called the Evangelical Theological Society. I took every means of conveyance except a rickshaw. I took Uber to the airport. Then a plane to Boston (3.5 hours). This was followed by what I thought was a 10 minute bus […]
Arminians and Works Salvation — Q & A
Question I stumbled on a paper from your journal that left me with a big question. I don’t know when it was written, but the author was Bob Wilkin. The title of the paper is, “Justification by Faith Alone is an Essential Part of the Gospel.” Near the middle of the article, page 5 of […]
Religiously Walking in the Flesh
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are… (Gal 5:19) In Galatians 5:19-21, Paul gives a list of 17 things (in the King James Version) of what walking in the flesh looks like. A quick look at them shows that four of them deal with sexual sins. Nine deal with how we deal […]
Dictionary Definitions
I came across this nugget recently: “There are five very effective tips that anyone who desires to understand the Bible can put into practice immediately, regardless of how much or how little his knowledge of God’s word may be…” “The first tip is to bear in mind that the dictionary’s definition of a word does […]
The Annunciation
A Catholic friend was explaining to me the virtues of the Virgin Mary—that she was highly exalted by God, and how amazing her annunciation was. “The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin” is the moment when the angel Gabriel told Mary she could conceive and become pregnant with Jesus. My friend went on to point to […]
The Origin of Sin — Ezekiel 28:15
Where did sin come from? Did God create it? Is sin co-eternal with God—where both good and evil have struggled together forever? Many religions believed that. But the Bible tells a different story. According to the Bible, God made everything good. Even Satan. His original name was Lucifer. He was a guardian angel. And for […]
The Greek Verb Translated as Believe Sometimes Means Entrust
In the November-December issue of Grace in Focus Magazine, we ran the following statement by Bill Fiess: “not a single English translation ever translates pisteuo as trust” (p. 37). I received a correction on that statement from my friend, Bob Swift. He is a terrific Bible scholar and I value his insights. Thus I wish […]
Eternal Life Now
When you buy a house, you and the seller must agree on the closing date and the move-in date. If you do not have the when, you do not have a contract. There’s also a crucial when in evangelism, namely, “When does a believer gets everlasting life?” Jesus promised one thing. Sadly, many evangelists promise […]