A Question of Torment: Can You Lose Your Salvation?
Again and again, God makes it very clear that he will keep and preserve every true believer.
Because God was the one who started the work of salvation and God would be the one who would complete it. This gives me an incredible amount of peace. If my final salvation were up to me, I wouldn’t make it. I’m sure of that. I’m no spiritual Superman or hero (to paraphrase Dave Matthews). Without... Continue Reading
The Gospel for Single Moms
It is the very fact that few single moms actually want to be single moms that highlights why the gospel is so sweet and necessary.
The result of the Fall of Man is that we all live in less than ideal circumstances. The great deception that Paul addresses in Galatians in particular is that we are tempted to start our Christian walk in dependence on God but try to continue it through out own ability to maintain ideal circumstances. Paul... Continue Reading
How Should We Understand “Her Desire” in Genesis 3:16b?
Tracking the metanarrative reveals that Genesis 3:16b points to “frustration” as the foundational longing that underpins “desire” as used to describe Post-Fall marriages.
“Desire” in Genesis 3:16b is not just the “battle of the sexes” as presented in the NLT. Desire is not the crutch for unwise counsel that often has been dispensed by pastors and counselors to otherwise victimized wives. Rather “desire” in Genesis 3:16b results from the frustration felt by the victim of an abusive relationship,... Continue Reading
Why You Should Study Theology
Sound doctrine is good for followers of Jesus. We need to know the truth, which means we must study the truth.
“Doctrine” is a biblical word and the Apostle Paul shows us that sound doctrine is a good thing we should embrace. After all, “doctrine” refers to teaching and “sound” means something is healthy. Sound doctrine is a shorthand way of saying that teaching is healthy and good for us. This means it corresponds to what... Continue Reading
The Dangerous ‘Well Done’
Three Risks in Receiving Affirmation
Very much like fire, praise from (and of) other people is both a gift and a danger, meant to be carefully stewarded. We ought to be wise, thoughtful, and measured in receiving it — and in giving it. It is sometimes good, and often dangerous, to be praised by other people. We know praise... Continue Reading
6 Misconceptions About the New Testament
Biblical revelation unfolds in an organic step-by-step way, rather than all at once.
Christ inaugurated what the apostles built upon through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Additionally, a concept may be present despite the lack of specific vocabulary naming the concept. Christ clearly indicated that salvation could only come through him (Jn. 3:16-17; Jn. 14:6) despite never using the word justification. Likewise, Paul also taught that Christians... Continue Reading
The Problem Is Enmity, Not Ethnicity
The problem of racial reconciliation is rooted in our inherent enmity with God, not our inherent ethnicity.
What Christians who are demanding justice must understand – and accept – is that the gospel doesn’t promise relief from the injustices and inequities of this world. In fact, it promises just the opposite (Jn. 16:33). The world in which you and I live still lies in the power of the evil one (1 Jn.... Continue Reading
Nurturing Friendship
Just as a plant will not thrive without water, sunlight, and rich soil, a friendship will not thrive if left on its own.
Deep friendships take time and are often forged through the fires of trial and suffering. Just as a gardener gets their hands dirty when they tend their garden, tending a friendship may be messy at times. We’ll have to sacrifice time. We’ll have to hear hard stories. We’ll have to walk with friends through painful circumstances.... Continue Reading
Keeping the Evangel in Evangelism: Why Evangelicalism Can’t Abandon the Old, Old Story
Evangelism that calls sinners to repentance and spreads the fame of God’s name is at the very heart of the mission of God’s people.
Historical evangelicalism has always valued both theological principle and vigorous evangelism. Indeed, we cannot be authentically and faithfully evangelical without holding both of these features in tandem. The unity between evangelical theology and evangelism is not forced or fabricated. Our theological convictions should irrevocably give birth to our evangelistic fervor. The Great Commission stands... Continue Reading
When You Face the Impossible
Nothing is impossible with God. If he saved us when we were rebels, dead in sin with no desire for him, then he can save anyone.
Every one of us will face impossible situations at one time or another. It may be a situation at work or school, or a financial need. We just can’t see any possible way to change things. I think the most tempting “impossible” situation we face is a loved one who is not saved. Especially when... Continue Reading