Grace in Focus – September/October 2012
Three Things God Cannot Do
From John 3:16 by Kenny Hodges A college professor once asked, “Are there any Christians in the class?” A few hands hesitantly went up. The professor continued, “I have a question for you. Can God do anything?” Several heads nodded. “Well then, if God can do anything, can He make a rock so big He
Is Salvation Probationary? Part 2
by Willard Maxwell Aldrich [Editor’s Note: Originally published in 1934 in the journal Bibliotheca Sacra, this article was written by then Th.M. student Willard Aldrich. He later went on to get his Th.D. and to be president of Multnomah Bible College (1943-1978). He died in 2009. Part I appeared in the May/June issue of this
A Religion of Gratitude & Grace
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthains 15:57) Christianity is foremost a religion of gratitude. Or so says C. F. W. Walther, developing an insight from Luther: Luther says that the Christian religion is—in a nutshell—a religion of gratitude. All the good that we Christians
The Proposed New Southern Baptist Convention Statement on Salvation
Christianity Today had an online article about the June 2012 SBC meetings in New Orleans (link here). The introduction to the proposed statement indicates that it would distance the SBC from 5-point Calvinism. Five point Calvinism holds the following doctrines not held by most Southern Baptists: (1) Christ only died for a small percentage of
Downward Trends: Salvation by Self-Sacrifice According to Pastor Mark Dever and the Together for the Gospel Conference2012
Lillian Kwon, a Christian Post reporter, gave a fascinating snapshot of what Pastor Mark Dever said at the 2012 Together for the Gospel Conference (Read here.). Dever, a well-known Calvinist and Southern Baptist, was speaking to 8,000 pastors and seminary students. His message concerned the danger of false conversions. Here is a direct quote of
Alan Chambers of Exodus International
Homosexuality is a hot topic these days. While social media is filled with inflammatory comments being thrown in every direction, many Christians wrongly think that their only options are to compromise their views or tell the world that homosexuals are going to hell. But Alan Chambers of Exodus International is reaching out to homosexuals in
Somewhere Under the Rainbow
Genesis 9:1-17 Introduction The rainbow is an amazing thing even for unbelievers. But it should have much more significance for the believer in Jesus Christ. I realize, of course, that the rainbow as a symbol has been hijacked in our day and it now has lost its God intended meaning for many people. Well, for