Why Do We Capitalize Biblical and Scriptural?
Over a decade ago I heard a paper at the annual meeting of Bible scholars called the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) on this question. The speaker said that everyone always capitalizes adjectives for the Quran and Talmud. Everyone writes Quranic or Talmudic, not quranic or talmudic. We also routinely capitalize Midrashic, honoring Midrash. We write […]
Revelation Assurance
Ladies, when a man says he’ll fix something, he will. There’s no need to nag him about it every six months. OK, well, maybe some promises should be met with a healthy dose of skepticism. But what about God’s promises? If God says that as a believer, you have everlasting life, do you believe Him […]
Charles Stanley on Faith, Assurance, and Eternal Security
Charles Stanley’s Handbook for Christian Living is more or less a systematic theology for laypeople. I would not call it Free Grace. And I do not know if it reflects Stanley’s current views. But it is certainly Free Grace friendly. For example, Stanley is remarkably clear that Biblical faith has an object, namely, the promises […]
What’s Wrong with This Shirt?
Take a good look at the shirt I just bought at a thrift store in St. George, Utah. Nice shirt. I love the Scripture quote on the front. But do you see any errors in the quote? There are many. First, it should say, “Run in such a way…” But it actually says, “Run is […]
Eight Reasons for Unanswered Prayer
Do you pray without ceasing? Do you have a consistent prayer life? Have you ever grown frustrated at unanswered prayer? I certainly have. In his booklet on Prayer, R. B. Thieme lists eight reasons for why your prayer may not be answered by God (see pp. 12-15): Lack of faith (Phil 4:6). Wrong motives (James […]
Michelangelo, the Last Judgment, and Sin (Revelation 20)
I want to visit Rome so I can see the art that I’ve admired since I was a kid. I especially loved Michaelangelo. I grew up reading and drawing comic books, with all the muscled superheroes. As I taught myself to draw, I drew inspiration from Michaelangelo. All his figures—whether painted or sculpted—were very muscly, […]
What Makes a Good Bible Scholar?
Bill Fiess emailed me a blog from October 23, 2017. The blog is from Logos Bible Software. It is called the LAB, or Logos Academic Blog. Here is what Dr. Matthew Bates said in response to the question, “What makes a good Bible scholar?” I think some of our best biblical scholars…act like crime-scene investigators. […]
Saved Through Fruit?
Are you saved through fruit? John Piper thinks so: “In final salvation at the last judgment, faith is confirmed by the sanctifying fruit it has borne, and we are saved through that fruit and that faith. As Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 2:13, ‘God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by […]
Steve Douglass on Cornelius Seeking God in Acts 10
I was on Staff with Campus Crusade for Christ, now Cru, from 1974 until 1978. I still get the Alumni newsletter, Connections. In the October 2017 Connections I was encouraged to read the comments of Cru President Steve Douglass about Cornelius in Acts 10. While he is not an exegete or a theologian, he makes […]
Calvinists Battle over Whether We Can Be Sure
Does Your Specific Name Need to Be in the Bible in order to Have Assurance? In the September 1993 issue of Dispensationalism in Transition, Dr. Kenneth Gentry wrote: Assurance is subjective, rooted in the heart of the believer. If we say assurance is essential to saving faith, then we are ultimately saying no man is […]