Why God Allows Wicked Rulers
FH asks this great question: I have read a number of passages and heard a number of preachers and Christians, but I am still trying to understand whether God puts into place and takes down every single king, leader, and president in every nation past, present, future. No matter if they are good or bad, godly […]
Existential Reasons to Believe the Promise of Eternal Life
Some people claim that you cannot be saved until you are first convicted of your sin. They deny that anyone can believe in Jesus without that conviction. To them, the law must always come before preaching grace—without exception. Otherwise, believing in Jesus for salvation does not count. I disagree. There are many reasons why someone […]
The Point at Which the New Birth Began
I received this quality question in response to a blog I wrote: A thought that came up in your article is whether the believers were born again (regenerated) before Jesus’ resurrection and the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. I have always held the view that believers before Pentecost were justified by faith but […]
Can Someone Be Free Grace and Reject Fundamental Doctrines?
Buddy, who asked me a question recently that led to a blog post, asked a follow-up question: I have another question that is a bit different. I have noticed a disturbing trend, that is, a number of Evangelicals are rejecting the penal substitution view of Christ’s atonement. I have even run across “free grace” people […]
Is Showing Grace Irresponsible?
The story of Lot reminds me of the story of the prodigal son. You’ll remember that Lot was Abraham’s nephew and had followed his uncle to the Promised Land. Both men grew rich, so much so that the land could not support both their herds, and their respective cowboys were getting into fights. Something had […]
Should Assurance of Salvation Be a Lifelong Struggle?
I use Logos Bible software (from Faithlife) almost every day. It is very helpful as a super concordance (in English, Greek, and Hebrew) and also a repository of many commentaries. I receive the Faithlife bimonthly publication, Bible Study Magazine. The January/February 2022 issue had an article whose title jumped out at me: “Three Uses of […]
Is the Outer Darkness Protestant Purgatory?
M. P. asks for a comment on this important issue: Several teachers I highly respect, like Chuck Missler, Charles Stanley, and Zane Hodges, say that the outer darkness in Matthew 22 is for believers who really wasted their lives. In my opinion it is Protestant Purgatory. Would appreciate your comments. Zane Hodges and I recorded a […]
Is Salvation Merely the Result of Believing in Jesus?
C. C. sent me this captivating question: Hello there; thank you for all the work you do! I was reading the first article of the 2013 spring issue of JOTGES.i I am writing to see if you would answer in greater depth this objection. [You cite another writer who said that] “Niemelä says that eternal […]
Is Having Everlasting Life Different from Living Forever?
I recently heard a new song for John 3:16. The line about everlasting life jumped out at me. In place of “whoever believes in Him has everlasting life,” the lyrics were, “whoever believes in Him will live forever.” Did you notice the difference there? First, the Lord spoke of the present possession of everlasting life: […]
What “Gospel” Did Jesus Preach?
In my book The Ten Most Misunderstood Words in the Bible, I include the word gospel as one of the most misunderstood Bible words. If you asked a hundred Evangelicals to explain what the gospel is, most of them would quote 1 Cor 15:3-4. They would say that the gospel is the death and resurrection […]