In the previous post we examined the oldest systems of Protestant covenant thought. The two systems to emerge we labeled as belonging to “Category A: Covenantalism.” They include both the Westminster Confession and the Second London Baptist Confession. We also had the opportunity to see that Adventist theology has a lot of similarities with these … Continue reading –>
A few years ago I went through one of the most defining seasons of my life. Having been raised a Seventh-day Adventist I had come to the place where I had to confront, once and for all, the legalistic faith I had developed. The journey was both difficult and exhilarating at the same time. The … Continue reading –>
When I was a soldier I met a guy named Kenny. He smoked, drank, slept with different women all the time and got kicked out of the Army for doing drugs. However, according to Kenny, he was saved because four years before he had prayed a prayer at a youth rally. He didn’t do anything … Continue reading –>
In my last post1 I went over the four most common versions of salvation in the world and in the church. In the end I concluded all of them were pretty lame. However, I also proposed that the Bible teaches a fifth version, or better put the only version, and that is our topic today. So … Continue reading –>
There is a true story told of an Indian missionary. The young man was in India during a great festival in which all of the Hindus travel to the river Ganges to wash themselves for the forgiveness of sins. Thousands of Hindus traveled for miles to wash themselves in this river. The story goes that … Continue reading –>
Being born again is possible only through the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus made use of the fact that the Greek word pneuma means both Spirit and wind in order to illustrate the process of conversion (John 3:8). The wind blows; none of us can start it, direct it, nor stop it. Its great … Continue reading –>
A zealous Christian confronted a politician and asked her, Have you been born again? Angry at what she deemed a personal question, the politician replied, It worked the first time, thank you. Maybe it did, but considering our fallen nature, our first birth isn’t enough, at least not for eternal life. For that, we must … Continue reading –>
Do you struggle in your Christian walk? Do you get discouraged because you see the great difference between your character and the character of Christ? Do you feel that you can never “win” the battle? Recognizing our sinfulness is a good sign, because it demonstrates that we have some understanding of the beauty of Christ’s … Continue reading –>
When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong. Ecclesiastes 8:11 NLT Several years ago I was studying with a family, while the wife’s father had a stroke and was in the hospital. I went to see him and arrived literally moments after he had passed away. The family … Continue reading –>
In an effort to “get us,” the enemy tells us lies, half-truths and even complete truths (in deceptive ways) in his effort to get us to doubt our Salvation. Let’s look at a few of his arrows. Satan says that God doesn’t really love us One of Satan’s most successful lies is that God doesn’t … Continue reading –>
