Watch Out for Pride (Prov 16:18)
One of the Bible’s most famous proverbs is Prov 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” It is obviously a warning and is pretty straightforward. Pride can lead to disastrous results. There is a graphic illustration of this in 2 Kgs 14:1-22. Amaziah, a king of the Jews in the […]
Who Are the Righteous in the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares? Matthew 13:43
Yesterday (July 23), I heard a sermon on this parable by Michael Hewett, Associate Pastor at Coppell Bible Fellowship. It was an excellent message. As Michael spoke, I found myself wondering about this phrase in Matt 13:43, “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has […]
Is the Lord Serious?
My daughter recently told her five-year-old son to bring her an item from another room. When he didn’t, she asked him why. He informed her that she hadn’t told him to do so. When she informed him that she indeed had, he remarked, “You only told me four times!” It is hard to comprehend the […]
Would a GES Free Grace Pastor’s Fellowship Be Helpful?
Pastor Dix Winston, Crosspoint Community Church, Centennial, CO, suggested to me that a GES FG Pastor’s fellowship on Zoom should be considered. He edited this blog and added some excellent comments. I agree with DIX (who I call 509 since his name is three Roman numerals equaling that number). The idea is that the pastors […]
Meditate on These Things (Phil 4:8)
In a previous blog, I suggested that Phil 4:6-7 is often taken out of context by Evangelicals. I think this is also true of 4:8-9. In these verses, Paul tells the believers at Philippi to meditate on things that are “true,” “noble,” “just,” “pure,” “lovely,” “of good report,” virtuous, and “praiseworthy.” As is the case […]
If Repentance Is Work and We Are Saved by Faith Apart from Works…?
Lindsey sent me an amazing YouTube video. Justin Peters is being interviewed by three young Calvinists. You can see the video here. The video is 28 minutes long, but the main point comes within the first five minutes. The video’s title is “Justin Peters Thought He Was Saved Until This Happened.” Peters raises a great […]
Be Anxious for Nothing (Phil 4:6)
Philippians 4:6-7 are well-known verses to many Evangelicals. These verses however, are almost always quoted in isolation, without considering the context. When the context is considered, a completely different view of these verses comes into focus. Paul instructs the believers at Philippi not to be anxious for anything. Instead of being anxious, they should pray. […]
Should Repentance Be a Normal Part of the Christian Life?
M. E. asks a great question: You may have addressed this in the past, but what do you believe the role of repentance is in the life of the believer? I don’t think it is a requirement for salvation/justification, unless one thinks of it as turning from futile self-reliance to trust in the finished work […]
Is Faith Quantitative?
A friend of mine recently had a great way to describe faith. He said it is a state. It is not quantitative. We usually don’t use such words to define faith, but they are very appropriate. Most people think of faith as quantitative; they think we can measure how much we believe something. For example, […]
What Convinces People That Lordship Salvation Is True?
I received a letter from a Texas prisoner named Eric, who had converted from Arminianism to Calvinism. At one point, Eric explained why he is convinced that Lordship Salvation is true: Those of us who adhere to Lordship Salvation differ from Free Grace people on simply one fundamental point. We believe that the gospel transforms […]