I recently heard a popular teacher of Calvinism argue that unlimited atonement (“Christ died for all”) cannot be true, because such a notion cannot include eternal security for the believer. This teacher did not seem to realize that it is possible to believe that Christ died for all and that, after one is born again, the new birth is irreversible, and therefore we believers are secure. Some appear to think that the only way we can be secure in our... Read more

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People sometimes ask if aspects of my teaching are different from a Reformed view of living under grace. Here below are three key differences. Difference #1: We Don’t Use the Law to Convict Christians of Sin We should not use the Law to convict Christians of disobedience. After all, it’s a slippery slope. I mean, should we convict believers of eating pork? Eating shellfish? How about not observing the Sabbath? If not, then we’re down to nine commands. So we... Read more

“Many Christians struggle to articulate what the resurrection means to them personally. I’ve asked groups of Christians what the resurrection means, and I often don’t get a response beyond that it demonstrated God’s power over death. Is that all there is? Paul stated that if there was no resurrection, then the whole gospel message is meaningless and we are to be pitied for our beliefs (1 Corinthians 15:12-19). There has to be more to the resurrection than God showing off... Read more

What does it mean to “be filled with the Spirit”? 3:18 — explains –> 5:18 “Do not get drunk with wine…but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18) does not mean we need more of the Spirit. We already have Him! No, being filled with the Spirit means “to know the love of Christ” and to thereby be “filled up to all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:18-19). Wine relaxes us. God’s unconditional love relaxes us. Paul is simply advising... Read more

Now, if anyone says this total forgiveness teaching is going ‘light on sin,’ it’s not. It’s actually going heavy on sin. The wages of sin is death, not God being hacked off at you for five minutes until you apologize, like some suggest. So sin is serious, with death as the only just penalty. But Jesus died, so he paid that penalty in full, and that’s the message of the gospel. Some say that this much grace is too radical,... Read more

I could try to imitate Jesus Christ for the rest of my life. But even the most rigid conformity to Christ-like behavior wouldn’t place me in his spiritual bloodline. I am who I am by birth, not by behavior. Realizing that it’s all about birth, not behavior, is illuminating. It brings new meaning to that often misused and even abused term ‘born again.’ This phrase is so frequently uttered that many have lost sight of its true meaning; however, in... Read more

’Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.’ (Col. 3:2-3) Too often, we Christians presume that we’re ‘sinners’ at the core just like everyone else. In doing so, we ignore one of the greatest aspects of the cross—the killing off of our old self. When we take on the ‘I’m a dirty worm’ theology and then seek to ‘be like Jesus,’ we’ll find it to... Read more

We desperately need a deep sense of value as a person in order to function mentally and emotionally in the way that God intends. Having a sense of irrevocable value can and will affect our attitudes and actions. If we merely try to change our behavior without realizing that it is our quest for value that is motivating much of what we do, then we engage in a fruitless endeavor. We might spend our entire lives hunting for love and... Read more

“The fellowship is free too, by the way. People talk about fellowship like it’s a connection with God that comes and goes with our behavior. No way. In the Bible, if you’re a new creation, a child of God, then your Father remains ‘in fellowship’ with you at all times (1 Cor. 1:9; 2 Cor. 13:14;1 John 1:7). ‘Out of fellowship’ would mean that you were lost, spiritually dead, without hope. You’re either in fellowship with God, connected to him... Read more