God Didn’t Change the Patriarch’s Names to Show They Were Regenerate
Introduction In a recent podcast, I heard a preacher say that Saul of Tarsus’ name was changed to Paul after his conversion. He went on to describe the miracle of transformation that occurred in Paul’s life. Because of this supposed transformation, the Lord gave the apostle a new name. The preacher associated salvation with a […]
A Message for John: Jesus Did Not Release the Captives
By Ken Pierce Matthew 11:1-15 and Luke 7:18-23 record parallel accounts of a fascinating exchange between Messiah and two disciples of Yochannan ben Zecharyah (John, the son of Zechariah, better known as John the Baptist or, more accurately, John the Baptizer), in which Jesus relayed a covert message to his incarcerated cousin. Herod Antipas had […]
Believing in Jesus Is Easy for Some and Hard for Others
By Mike Lii and Bob Wilkin Introduction Have you heard it charged that those of us who accept the Focused Free Grace position teach “easy believism”? Those who level such a charge usually mean that we make salvation too easy by not requiring that people turn from their sins, commit their lives to Christ, and […]
Are You a Good Team Player in Your Church?
By Ken Yates Introduction The 1995 Chicago Bulls were quite a team. They were a historically successful team. Not only did they win the NBA championship, but they did something no other team had done during the regular season. They won over seventy of their eighty-two games against the best competition in the world. They […]
Voice From the Past: How to Have An Effective Quiet Time
By Art Farstadi “What a beautiful service!” is a comment you often hear after a fine public worship gathering. But we shouldn’t be dependent solely for our spiritual nourishment on weekly or bi-weekly services at church. We need “Christian” vitamins every day! It is appalling how many believers don’t follow the advice of the (true) […]
Voice From the Past: Man’s Role in Conversion
By Zane C. Hodges* Man’s role in conversion is to BELIEVE The answer to the jailor’s classic question, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” is still the same, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30-31; italics added). What must man do? He must believe. But can he […]
Are Eternal Rewards Secure? Part 2
By Bob Wilkin In Part 1, we saw that there are two types of rewards: instant winners and perseverance prizes. Instant winners are secure the moment they are earned. Perseverance prizes are only secure once one finishes the race (2 Tim 4:6-8). There are two related questions we will address in this article. Will we […]
Why Aren’t All Who Believe in Christ Overcomers?
By Bob Wilkin Many people who’ve watched my YouTube videos on assurance and eternal security have asked me to explain how we can be sure of our eternal security if we’re not sure we’ll be overcomers. They also wonder if 1 John 5:4-5 teaches that all believers are overcomers. An Overcomer Is Victorious The word […]
The Habit of Bible Reading
By Ken Yates I think many readers of this blog can relate to my church background. The churches I attended when growing up did not really teach the Bible. I never heard a sermon in which the speaker looked at the context and explained the meaning of the verses that were read. Once the Bible […]
Was Mark Driscoll Wrong to Make a Public Correction at the Stronger Men’s Conference?
By Kathryn Wright At a recent men’s conference in Springfield, Missouri, Mark Driscoll, the well-known former pastor of Mars Hill, was booted off stage during his guest speaking appearance. The “Stronger Men’s Conference” was hosted by the James River Church, pastored by John Lindell. The conference aimed to equip men to “live out God’s vision […]