300 Years Later
The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress 241 years ago. The Constitution was ratified 228 years ago. A lot has changed in 200 years. Do you think the Founding Fathers would be pleased with the progress of freedom in this country? Would they think we were faithful to their vision? I […]
Pee-Ew!
“Pee-ew!” my four year old daughter exclaimed, dramatically waving her hand in front of her nose. “Daddy, the sandbox really stinks. The cats pooped in it a LOT!” “But, haven’t you been playing in it for the last hour!?! You still played in it even though you knew it was full of poop? Isn’t Zane […]
Viewing Persecution as Success
Last week I heard Rush Limbaugh say that one of the great lessons he learned is that being hated by people is a measure of success. Of course, Rush has an audience in the millions. And he surely has millions who at least strongly disagree with what he says. Many of them may actually hate […]
Going Down the Wrong Road
…for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. (Gal 3:21b) When a soldier decides to join one of the elite units in the Army, he must go through very tough training. My best friend when I was in the Army did that […]
John Piper Unquestionably Believes in Salvation by Works
A reader alerted us to this quote from John Piper. It appears in the Foreword to Thomas Schreiner’s Faith Alone: The Doctrine of Justification (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015). As Tom Schreiner says, the book “tackles one of the fundamental questions of our human condition: how can a person be right with God?” The stunning […]
How the Debate Over Justification by Faith Alone Went with Dr. Matthew Bates
On Saturday, June 3, 2017, I debated Dr. Matthew Bates, author of Salvation by Allegiance Alone. You can hear the debate by clicking here. My overall reaction to the debate is that the issue of what a person must do to be born again was made clear. Bates argued that what is required is “embodied […]
Does the Leading Greek Dictionary Say That Pistis, Normally Translated as Faith, Actually Means Being Faithful to God?
The Claim by Dr. Matthew Bates: Pistis Means Faithfulness in Salvific Contexts Recently (June 3, 2017) I was involved in a debate about saving faith on Moody Radio’s Up for Debate program. I debated Dr. Matthew Bates, author of Salvation by Allegiance Alone. You can listen to the debate by clicking here. The host gave […]
When Was Abraham Justified?
When was Abraham justified before God? We don’t know when Abraham first came to believe in God, or when the Lord first spoke to him. We do know that Abraham was 75 years old when, at God’s command, he departed Haran for the promised land (Gen 12:4). But, presumably, Abraham had come to believe in […]
Why Licona’s New Book about the Gospels Disturbs Me
We just got the book, Why Are There Differences in the Gospels? in our office last week. So I’ve only had a chance to give it a fast read. However, I’ve seen enough to be disturbed. Actually in the Foreword Dr. Craig Evans anticipates my reaction, “Many Christian readers of Dr. Licona’s book will be […]
Bob Debates Matthew Bates
A few months back I committed to doing an on-air debate on the issue of justification by faith alone. I thought I’d be debating a Lordship Salvation person, but I did not know who until two days ago. I’ll be debating the author of Salvation by Allegiance Alone: Rethinking Faith, Works, and the Gospel […]