FaithContrary to popular opinion, true faith is not the courage, strength, fortitude, and power of its possessor. True faith is what God gives to the poor and needy. True faith is the only hope the fearful, the weak, and the helpless have. True faith is the admission of one’s total inability. True faith is the acknowledgment of one’s total […]
Faith and Works There are many who call themselves Christians who would say a man is not saved by works. They then turn around and make a work out of believing or look to their works as evidence of their salvation. If by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no […]
“I defy anyone to find a solitary text of Scripture in the New Testament that uses the law to motivate, inspire, regulate, or even guide the believer. Believers are motivated by love, inspired by gratitude, regulated by grace, and guided by the Holy Spirit. The whole Word of God, the complete revelation of His will, […]
The One Pearl of Great Price “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls. Who when he found One Pearl of Great Price, went and sold all that he had and bought it” Matt. 13:45-46 Over the years men collect a jewelry box full of pearls. In one drawer they […]
Sovereign or Superior Grace? Many, I have found report to believe in Sovereign Grace. They speak of their love for a God who sovereignly elected a people, a Christ who sovereignly atoned for those particular people alone, and a Spirit who sovereignly and successfully regenerates the same chosen people. In their confessions, they boldly and […]
Prevenient Grace What is Prevenient Grace? It is grace before grace, or that which is pre (before) convenient (purposed to an end)? In fact, it is everything, (yes, everything) a child of God experiences in life and thought prior to being effectually called to Christ by the Holy Spirit. Our Heavenly Father knows each one […]
When is a Sinner Saved? Men have debated this questions for millenniums. Most of the controversy stems from man’s effort to reconcile the temporal to the eternal. Living in a world of time and space, he tries to define the when in this question as a single event! Scripture settles all controversies. So, what sayeth […]
Exclusive and Inclusive Greg Elmquist The gospel of God’s grace in Christ Jesus is both exclusive and inclusive. It is a double-edged sword. It cuts people out and it cuts people in. The exclusivity of God’s gospel will not allow a person to be saved while believing another gospel. One’s complete hope and trust must […]
THE OFFENSE OF THE CROSS Let us not confuse Brashness with Boldness. What some want to believe is the offense of the gospel is just their own offensive personality. A martyr mentality is another form of self-righteousness. Now, that being said, the gospel of God’s grace in Christ is offensive to the natural man. The […]
‘Holier than thou’ or ‘Chief of sinners’? The Lord judges the self-righteousness in Is. 65 for believing themselves to be “Holier than thou”. In contrast, the Apostle Paul confesses himself to be the “chief of sinners”. The truth is that all men believe themselves to be one or the other. Which one we believe ourselves […]