The Harsh Hand of Lordship Theology

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By Brandon Burdette Years ago I attended a Baptist church in Los Angeles. It was during this period that I’d assimilated as much Reformed theology as I could get my hands on. I was halfway through the membership course in this Calvinist church when one of my worst church experiences occurred. It happened on a
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Q&A

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By Staff Love Q: According to 1 John 3:23, must Christians love one another to be saved? A: Some think 1 John teaches that we must behave a certain way to be saved, or at least to prove we are saved. For example, they say if we don’t love other Christians, then we are not
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Salvation by the Installment Plan?

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By Phil Congdon Many Bible teachers are fond of a saying that goes like this: “You are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.” Doesn’t that sound neat? It states a fundamental truth—that we are saved by faith alone—then turns around and states that while it is faith alone that
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Calvinists Battle over Whether We Can Be Sure

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Does Your Specific Name Need to Be in the Bible in order to Have Assurance? In the September 1993 issue of Dispensationalism in Transition, Dr. Kenneth Gentry wrote: Assurance is subjective, rooted in the heart of the believer. If we say assurance is essential to saving faith, then we are ultimately saying no man is
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Opportunity All Around — John 4:1-45

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Are you aware of the evangelistic opportunities all around you? They may seem few and far between. But are they, really? In John 4, we read about Jesus’ famous conversation with the woman at the well. Jesus and the disciples arrived near the town of Sychar, in Samaria. It was unusual for a Jew like
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William Gurnall, Cowardice, and Assurance

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I’m preparing to teach a Sunday School series through Ephesians and Joshua. To that end, I’ve been reading The Christian in Complete Armour by Puritan William Gurnall (1616-1679). Spurgeon said of this book, “every line is full of wisdom; every sentence suggestive. The whole book has been preached over scores of times, and is, in
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Self-Condemnation — John 3:17-18

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Jesus did not come to condemn the world. That means He did not come to condemn you. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). That’s good news. Jesus came to save you. Of course, you know what
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Upland Bible Church and Geezer Olympics

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Sharon and I flew into Las Vegas at noon on Saturday, October 14. On Saturday evening we had a fantastic supper at the home of our wonderful hosts, Tim and Daria Vanselow. We enjoyed great fellowship with them and Pastor Dick Olsen, his wife Debbie, and one of the Deacons, Al Bingham. Cracked crab and
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Antinomianism and Preparationism

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It turns out I’m a real antinomian. That’s a ten-dollar-word. Antinominian means being “against” (anti) “the law” (nomos). Now, there are different ways of being against the Law, so there are different definitions of antinomianism. Here’s one definition: “We speak of the real Antinomians, who assert that the Law is unnecessary to conversion” (Rosenius, A
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Spiritual Cataracts

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Do you know people who have had cataract surgery? Maybe you have. Likely we all will need it if we live long enough. Cataracts are physical impairments to our vision. The lens of the eye stops working correctly. The result is a decrease in vision, especially at night. The repair is simple: replace the lens.
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