[Editor’s note: This was published prior to 2021. It is republished here so it can be accessed.-JS] I believe a person can be a Calvinist and still be a Christian…I just don’t know how. Calvinism (named after John Calvin 1509-1564) teaches a person must be chosen by God for salvation and has no free will… Read More »
Here’s Why Your Faith Only Friends Believe What They Believe
[Editor’s note: This was published prior to 2021. It is republished here so it can be accessed.-JS] Have you ever been frustrated by your friends or relatives when discussing Bible issues because they hold so strongly to their “faith only” position on salvation? Have you ever wondered how someone can insist their deceased friend is… Read More »
Trampled By Steps (A Tulip’s Lament)
In 1618 in the town of Dordt, men came together to claim they had grown a tulip which would rule the Protestant world. Of course, Dordt is located in the country of Holland which is world famous for the sought after flower1. This all seems pretty rosy until you realize this Tulip led people away… Read More »
Hearing With Faith vs. Faith Without Hearing
“Let me ask you only this: ‘Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith’”-Galatians 3:2 Have you ever thought it strange that “Hear” was the first of the “Five Steps” taught to so many newcomers to Christ? I always found it was odd. My thought was, “Well, of… Read More »
The Possibility Of Apostasy
The title of this article is a rewording of a false theory many of our religious neighbors espouse which claims a Christian can not be lost once they come to faith in Jesus. They teach humans have no free will concerning salvation, God chooses who will be saved or damned, and once God elects you… Read More »
In Defense Of The Five Steps; Part II
In 1874, a preacher and medical doctor named T.W. Brents wrote a 500-page book entitled The Gospel Plan of Salvation. It would be difficult to overestimate its influence. It is an exhaustive and decisive rebuttal of Calvinism. It was not new doctrine, but it codified The Five Steps (hereafter TFS) as the best way to… Read More »
In Defense Of The Five Steps; Part I
One of my favorite sermons is entitled The Five Steps Is Not The Gospel. I am fond of it because I believe it is important to focus on God’s grace extended to me through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Son of God. “The Five Steps” (hereafter TFS) are often referred to… Read More »