Category: Salvation
The Cross or Loss
The cross is the character of Christianity. As the self-appointed spokesman for Jesus’ handpicked coterie, Peter says the right thing at the right time: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” But Peter cannot leave good enough alone. As Jesus goes on to...
Stand Firm and Be Saved:The Necessity of Perseverance
Near the end of 1 Peter we read this: “I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!” (5:12). Peter’s letter was a sustained exhortation for believers to see the difficulties of the Christian...
Seven Laws of the Race
The motif of the Olympic race was dear to the Apostle Paul. Did he sit in the stands in Athens or Corinth? Perhaps so. Regardless, parallels between “the games” and the believer’s race in life were often on his mind. He (along with the author of...
Obtaining the Inheritance: The Big Story
It was a starry night when God told Abram, soon to be Abraham, that he would have as many descendants as the stars of the sky. On that same night He told him that the land he was on would be his also. I am the...
Many Believed, But . . .
John’s gospel is all about people believing in Jesus. He tells us near the end that this was his purpose. Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so...
Of Currant, Maine: A Brockton Dialogue
A Brockton Dialogue The younger, inexperienced, James: Does failure to obey God tell us the truth about a man? Is this so even if he claims to know Christ, and to trust him? The wiser Mr. Brockton: Yes, without question. A man is known by his...
The Problem With “Panmillennialism”
“I’m not amillennial, postmillennial, or premillennial. I’m pan-millennial.” “Huh?” “Yep, I’m pan-millennial—I believe it will all pan out in the end!” I’ve occasionally heard this humorous remark made when the end times are discussed. Technically, if we believe in the biblical gospel, we should be panmillennialists....
Understanding God’s Purpose in Sending His Son
. . . and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)God the Father sent His Son into the world with a definite purpose. It was a purpose that can even be seen in His name. When...
The Worth of Warnings (Part 1)
Why do the writers of Scripture promise sure salvation for believers, but then warn those same believers not to fall away from the faith and be lost? It’s a fair question, after all, because if something cannot happen, why caution someone against allowing it to happen?...
You’re Going the Wrong Way!
A few years ago, I was preaching in prisons in Oklahoma. In one of those prisons, I had to go into the meeting location several minutes after the pastor who had invited me. When it was time to go in, the guard opened the iron door...
