Gen 15:10-2 1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” 2 But Abram said, “Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Then Abram said,…
I’m a Baptist. Baptist born and Baptist bred, and when I die I’ll be Baptist dead! When I was saved at 17 years old, I worked at the local gas station – and my pastor began to teach me about tithing. I was just a high school guy – I think I was being paid about $2 dollars an hour….
One must know about the good news of Jesus Christ in order to trust in him. As Paul asks, “How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?” (Rom 10:14). In order for faith to be informed or have knowledge, it must have two things: content and an object. The content of assenting faith is the gospel…
Recently a hyper-Calvinist updated his Facebook status with the following: “If you give money to evangelical missions to reach the unregenerate your heart is veiled and the truth is hidden from you. Stop the giving. STOP THE GIVING. STOP THE GIVING! STOP THE GIVING! Cut off their money flow. Don’t finance unbelieving regenerate missionary enterprises.” No, I’m not making it…
When I was a young boy, there was a little sapling in my parent’s front yard. One day, I broke off the top of that sapling while hitting my cousin with it. You see, he was chasing me and I saw the sapling so I jumped over it (that’s how small it was). Then I reached back and pulled it…
Let me ask those of you who confess to be followers of Christ a few questions. When you accepted Christ as your Savior, did you suddenly become a smarter person? Did you look in the mirror and find that you are better looking? Were you suddenly more prone to eat right and exercise every day? Was it easier to find…
People sometimes ask, “Can’t I be a Christian by myself? Just pray to God out on the lake or under a tree?” Yes, you can pray to God anywhere, anytime. But, NO, you cannot be a Christian “by yourself.” There is no such thing as a Lone Ranger Christian! The Bible teaches that we need the community of faith. We…
What are the tenets of ROSES, in contrast to TULIP? Radical depravity: The old term, total depravity, gives the impression that fallen humanity always is as bad as it possibly can be. The new term, radical depravity, more correctly emphasizes that every aspect of our being is affected by the Fall and renders us incapable of saving ourselves. Overcoming grace:…
I have put my hand to the tar baby. Salvation and Sovereignty: A Molinist Approach (Broadman & Holman) came out this month, a book in which I tackle the divine sovereignty–human responsibility conundrum, specifically as it relates to the area of salvation. As the title indicates, the book approaches the issue from a Molinist perspective, which means I advocate a…