"The Scriptures, however, make it clear that when we come to the Savior, we are saved from the wrath to come (see 1 Thessalonians 1:10). That message is offensive because it paints God as being angry at sinners." - Ray Comfort
"It’s a meticulous exegetical case for forensic justification on the basis of Christ’s obedience—imputed to us in union with him and received by faith alone. Even if (like me) you’re someone who doesn’t need to be convinced, you can still be sharpened by Owen’s thorough treatment of the relevant biblical texts" - TGC
"Despite characterizing itself as a defense of traditional Southern Baptist theology, the resolution expresses sentiments which actually conflict with the SBC’s long-standing confessional position." - London Lyceum
"Piper’s most recent book, What Is Saving Faith?: Reflections on Receiving Christ as a Treasure.... Piper argues for his 'affectional' understanding of saving faith.... treasuring Christ is an affectional 'act of faith,' not in the sense of an action that results from faith, but as one of the 'actings that constitute what faith is.'" - TGC
"he demonstrates conclusively that the ancient church fathers—from Irenaeus to Augustine (and he could have gone further) believed in and taught substitutionary atonement. It is simply a myth that they taught the Christus Victor or ransom theories instead." - Roger Olson
One of the primary ways the church advances the kingdom of God is through corporate prayer. And when God’s people gather at the throne of grace, they shouldn’t limit their prayers to the elect. They should pray for all people. Why? Because there’s a wideness in God’s mercy. While his special grace secures the repentance of some, his common grace solicits the repentance of many.1 Thus, there’s a real sense in which our heavenly Father desires, provides for, and pursues the salvation of all people. Such a big-hearted God calls for big-hearted prayers.
Paul begins his first letter to Timothy by issuing a warning against false teachers (1:3-7). While scholars debate the precise identity and nature of the heresy, it seems that it bore some relation to Judaism. In particular, the teachers appear to have pushed the notion that the “law” or torah was only for a particular class of people, i.e., “the just” (1:8-9). Hence, they taught a kind of “Judaizing exclusivism.” The gospel isn’t for all; it’s only for some.2
"The next issue of The Master’s Seminary Journal just released. It’s on regeneration. I contributed this article.... This article inductively examines what key passages in the Gospel according to John say about election, regeneration, and faith" - Andy Naselli
Reposted from Rooted Thinking.
Everyone who seeks to make disciples in obedience to Jesus Christ faces the same difficulty:
We all try to discern whether or not those we lead to profess Jesus Christ have genuinely believed.
None of us wants to give an unbeliever false hope of salvation if they have not yet repented and placed their faith in Jesus. And so, we all face frustration.
Christians try to deal with this problem different ways. Some decide to take every profession of faith at face value. This is especially true if the new believer knows how to answer basic Gospel content questions. Those who deal with the problem this way usually baptize those that profess Jesus as Savior right away. If you question them, they will point to the book of Acts and respond, “We just trust the Lord with the true results.”
Others, genuinely concerned about false professions, seek to be more careful and discerning. They do not give new believers in Christ assurance of salvation until after they have studied the Bible for a while, come to church, have completed a certain number of lessons, or a certain length of time has passed.
