WHEN YOU READ THE FOUR GOSPEL ACCOUNTS… …Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and you read of everything concerning the Lord Jesus Christ BEFORE His arrest, beatings, and work on the cross, what are you reading? Are you reading the final remnants of the Old Testament economy, and the things pertaining to it, or are you actually…
On Obedience… A Case In Point
Consider language like the following: “Your obedience means nothing because it accomplishes nothing.” Now, if this is aimed at unbelievers, those who have not been born from above, those who have not been saved by the finished work of Christ, then it is 100% spot on. However, if it is aimed at Christians, or if…
Obedience: True Believers Hear, Love, Keep, and Obey God’s Commandments / Extant Law
Anomianism/Antinomianism has spread like wildfire through Reformed, Predestinarian, Sovereign Grace, and related circles. It is on my heart deeply, due to my own state, and due to the state of the church as a whole, to put forth an even clearer refutation of it. 1 John 3:4 in the KJV reads as follows: “Whosoever committeth…
Words Have Meaning: Shame
SHAME THE SAD TRUTH: There was a time, covering most of recorded history in fact, wherein people had the moral, intellectual, and emotional wherewithal to understand that it was actually good to feel ashamed over that which is shameful. They had the capacity to understand that there is a positive aspect to shame, e.g.,…
Words Have Meaning: At What Point Can We Stop Lying?
The phrase “Gender is a social construct” is absolute, abject nonsense when considered from an (accurate) lexical and etymological point of view. Perhaps it’s my “high functioning autism” that causes me to hyper-focus on the actual meaning of words (as opposed to the meanings imposed by Orwellian attempts to redefine them). Or, maybe it’s because…
Manifest Sanctification… [A Conversation]
The following is based upon real discussions on the topic of experimental/manifest sanctification. Though not verbatim, it nonetheless accurately represents the gist, tone, and sentiment behind much of what has been encountered. CHRIS WANNAGROW: One of the most overlooked aspects of the Christian walk and warfare, even woefully so in my own life, is the…
“Standards”
We all have them… or should. Often, we do not live up to our own. That’s okay, it means we have much more room to grow/improve. Often however, others do not live up to our own. Sometimes, that really is okay (in very limited circumstances), and sometimes, maybe even most times, it really, really isn’t…
False Gospels: On Blindness > Antics > Compromise
These debates were quite difficult to endure (so much misrepresentation, non sequiturs, and other logical fallacies). Whether “Church of Christ” or “Oneness Pentecostal,” and as with many other such organizations, pathos far exceeds logos in these discussions. Emotional conviction, strong emphatic passion, and (not so) “witty” antics, cannot make up for the inability to follow…
On The Nature Of Grace (And Why It Matters)
SINCE GOD HAS TO GIVE GRACE TO BELIEVE THE GOSPEL…As even the leaders amongst the Arminians and Sacramentalists concede (as opposed to the Pelagians and most Semi-Pelagians, as often found in the pews): 1) It stands to reason that man, by nature, cannot believe without said grace. 2) If man cannot believe without said grace,…
Yes, But… [A.K.A. Conversations with Semi-Pelagians]
The following is based upon recent discussions. Though not verbatim, it nonetheless accurately represents the gist of what has been encountered both recently, and over the years. Semi-Pelagian: When people hear the gospel, they have the natural ability to either accept christ or to reject him; to make a decision for him or to decide…
Spiritual Wrestlings 