How to Witness to Lordship Salvation Loved Ones
COP is an easy way to remember the Lordship Salvation understanding of what one must do to have everlasting life. COP = Commitment to obey Christ, followed by initial Obedience to Christ, followed by Perseverance in that obedience until death. In other words, an initial commitment to obey Christ, even if sincere and wholehearted is […]
Even a Kid Can Praise God
This Sunday, I talked to my children about young David, and we wondered why God chose him instead of his brothers to be king. What made him different? We discussed David’s youth, and I read them the following quote imagining what David would have done in his spare time while tending sheep: On those pastoral […]
Confess Your Sins to One Another (James 5:16)
“Honestly, I didn’t want to join a Bible study,” the young mother admitted to the group. “I didn’t want to be around perfect people with perfect lives…Then I found you weirdos!” I think it is comforting to know you’re in a “hospital for the sick, not a social club for saints.” A “thick” Christian community […]
Would God Have Removed the Forbidden Fruit?
At our recent conference, I suggested that if Adam and Eve had not eaten the forbidden fruit after a reasonable period of time (e.g., three months), God would have removed the temptation, and He would have changed Adam and Eve so that they and their descendants would thereafter be unable to sin. One online viewer […]
The Human Spirit Is Like Marrow (Hebrews 4:12)
Based on verses such as 1 Thess 5:23, I believe that the human person is “tripartite”—that is, we are spirit, soul, and body. Hebrews 4:12 is another verse that supports the tripartite view. It also suggests an important clue about the role of the spirit in the human person: For the word of God is […]
Did Abraham Believe He Was Eternally Secure? (John 8:56)
Here is another question from our recent annual conference: John 8:56 says, “Abraham rejoiced to see My day—and He saw it was glad.” If people say that Abraham was not rejoicing about the forgiveness of sins and eternal life that Christ would bring, what do they say he was rejoicing about? First, let’s answer the […]
Billy Graham, Space Conqueror
Christians have inherited an unbiblical view of eternity. It comes from a mixture of Greek philosophy, medieval theology, and lots of folk tradition. In sum, people wrongly think that in eternity we’ll be angels sitting on clouds and playing harps. That’s not the Biblical view. At least, Free Grace people don’t think so. God created […]
Plans for the Wicked (Proverbs 16:4)
Question What are your thoughts on this verse? The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil (Prov 16:4). Answer I think of that verse in light of God’s foreknowledge and His providence over creation. As you probably know, Christians disagree over those subjects, and I’ve written […]
Faith in the Father for Everlasting Life? John 5:24
Nick asks: Why does John 3:16 say that whosoever believeth on Him (Jesus) should not perish but have everlasting life, while John 5:24 says he who…believes in Him (God the Father) who sent Me (Jesus) has everlasting life? Do you need to believe in Jesus or believe in God the Father for everlasting life? Great question. […]
Three Words That Summarize the Christian Life: Believe, Abide, Love
Most religions are extremely complicated because their works salvation systems depend on you following intricate laws, rituals, and to-do lists in the hopes of climbing the ladder to heaven. By contrast, Biblical Christianity (and, by implication, Free Grace Theology) is simple. How so? I think you can summarize the Christian’s “duty” with these three words— […]