Luke 15 is the great repentance chapter. It has three parables related to repentance: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. I regularly speak on the parable of the prodigal son. I suggest that he represents a believer who strays away from God and then comes to his senses and returns to

Recently I attended a conference in which a main session speaker said that the statement by Paul, “then each one’s praise will come from God” (1 Cor 4:5), shows that every believer will have some good works and will receive at least some praise at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Bema). I’ve heard that claim

by Kenneth Mitchell My journey to understand the wonderful grace of God began in earnest when I was a student in seminary. I earned a Master of Theology degree and even completed all of the course work for a Doctor of Theology. I left seminary to begin my first pastorate in Detroit, Michigan, yet I

Recently, Bob Wilkin and Zane Hodges have been meeting to discuss tough texts of the NT. Here is an excerpt from Matthew 7:21-23.* BW: In Matthew 7:21-23, the people who face the judgment are those who say they’ve performed good works in the name of Jesus. This suggests that the passage particularly has in view

Recently I received an email from a pastor in Switzerland who wondered what this verse means: “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:25). Love and Hate Are Figures of Speech Concerning Priorities The person who “loves his

There is an unusual use of the word justified (Greek: dikaiow) in Luke 7. There Jesus says that the tax collectors “justified God” by being baptized with the baptism of John the Baptist. Say what? How can any human being justify God? He is the one that justifies us. We don’t justify Him. Or, maybe

by Brian Stone1 Have you ever been approached by someone who accused you of believing something you didn’t and not been able to explain why their accusation was wrong? In explaining the free grace of God, I have been in this situation many times. Below are five of the most common objections I have faced

Less than two weeks from the time I am writing this I will be debating Dr. James White, an apologist for a form of 5-point Calvinism, on regeneration, faith, and perseverance.1 On his website he recently criticized my view of saving faith, saying I believed in what he termed “naked faith” as the sole condition

This article first ran in the GraceLife newsletter. It has been revised and is used by permission. by Charlie Bing Is a disciple merely another name for a person who is born into God’s family through faith in Jesus Christ, or is a disciple a believer who meets specific conditions about following Jesus? Knowing the

The third chapter of Second Peter concerns God’s promise of a coming new earth in which righteousness reigns. The Noahic flood was a prelude to the final meltdown of the heavens and the earth. But why has God delayed so long? The answer is found in God’s nature, in that He experiences time much differently