Are There No Righteous People?
Tom asks, Just finished reading your book, Turn and Live: The Power of Repentance. Exegetically sound and insightful. A masterful work. THANK YOU so much. Just one question: on page 115 you state that the righteousness of Zacharias and Elizabeth spoken of in Luke 1:6-7 is not speaking of imputed righteousness. How does this reconcile with […]
One-Word Meditation? Evaluating Tradition in Light of Scripture
In Eastern mysticism, a person is to clear his mind and simply focus on his mantra. A mantra is the name of a pagan deity. Mystics in the Catholic church slightly modified that type of meditation and replaced the name of a pagan deity with a special word like love, peace, Jesus, or justice. Many […]
Homosexuality and Same-Sex Marriage? Evaluating Tradition in Light of Scripture
Most people who identify as Christians believe and teach that homosexuality is not sin and that people are born as homosexuals. They suggest that homosexuality is fine as long as it is with just one partner for life. Even many Evangelicals support gay marriage. Yet that is a rejection of the creation mandate. God originally […]
It’s Okay to Be Mad (Ephesians 4:26)
In my previous blog, I argued that in Eph 4:30, grieving the Holy Spirit deals with the way a body of believers acts. If a local church is one in which members serve and build up each other, the Spirit is pleased. If the members do not act and speak in that way, the Spirit […]
How Bad Is the Tradition of Salvation by Works? Evaluating Tradition in Light of Scripture
Catholic churches teach works salvation. So do Eastern Orthodox churches. So do most Protestant churches. Matthew Bates is associate professor of theology at Quincy University in Quincy, IL. He has written several books on justification by works. The first was called Salvation by Allegiance Alone (Baker, 2017). The second was titled Gospel Allegiance (Brazos, 2019). […]
Can Women Be Preachers, Elders, Seminary Professors, Conference Speakers? Evaluating Tradition in Light of Scripture
The role of women in the local church is a hot topic today. There are many traditions concerning women and the local church. Many churches have women elders and even senior pastors. Are those traditions consistent with God’s Word? Many churches teach that women should never teach men the Bible or theology, whether in church […]
How Do We Grieve the Holy Spirit? (Eph 4:30)
We have all been told that as believers we should not grieve the Holy Spirit. I think it is safe to say that what we normally think this means is that if I commit a sexual sin, or some other kind of sin, the Holy Spirit who lives within me is grieved. I have also […]
A High Doctrine of Grace
I love being accused of giving people a license to sin. True, that’s a serious misunderstanding of my position. However, it’s a misunderstanding that arises when someone realizes what I’m saying about the freeness of eternal life. They don’t make that mistake about other religions! Every other religion in the world, and most of the […]
Are Wives to Submit to Their Husbands (Eph 5:22)? Evaluating Tradition in Light of Scripture
A high percentage of churches today say that wives are not to submit to their husbands. I remember hearing a DTS graduate preach on Eph 5:22-33. He said that in Eph 5:21 the words “submitting to one another in the fear of God” meant that there should be what he called mutual submission in marriage. […]
Two Reasons People Oppose Eternal Security
Children flourish most when they live in a stable, loving home. Likewise, believers thrive best when they know their relationship with God is stable and loving. Knowing that we have everlasting life through faith in Christ and will never perish (i.e., once saved, always saved) is what motivates us to grow as Christians. As Miles […]