By Dr. Fred Lybrand Repentance has been a sticky issue and has been around as a major conversation piece since the Reformation. I know, because ‘my view’ (which I found out I share with Dr. Elliot Johnson of Dallas Theological Seminary) has been labeled an error by those involved in the Marrow of Divinity Controversy way back in the 1600s! Of course, no need to get excited, every view on the planet and throughout history is an error to someone or some group. So, the issue of concern here --- is repentance necessary to get saved (as in from-hell-to-heaven)? If it is necessary, then is it a part of saving faith? These are the essential questions. There are many views, often being represented as repentance meaning the necessary turning from all known sin (and interest in future sin, usually) to ‘believe’ in Christ. In this regard, some purveyors of salvation make repentance as much of a part of faith as they do works (see http://www.backtofaith.com ). I have a b...
Those who know me well know I am committed to endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph 4:3). I am also committed to sound doctrine for the same reasons. I often see commitment to sound doctrine and commitment to unity in the Body presented as opposing principles, but that idea doesn’t reflect reality. I don’t believe any believer in Christ has ever had a stronger commitment to unity in the Body than the Apostle Paul. He was obsessed with it and saw it as an elementary implication of the gospel. As a Pharisee, a Hebrew of Hebrews, his Jewishness was an integral part of his identity, perhaps the most fundamental aspect of it. Yet, it was primarily to him that the mystery of Jews and Gentiles together in one Body was revealed. He was the one sent as the Apostle to the Gentiles. It was he that publicly rebuked Peter for his implication that the Gentiles were not equal members of the Body, and it was he that championed the Gentiles’ case as fully acc...
(Originally posted at thegracelings.org) Bible wasn’t given to us as a bunch of unconnected verses that all make perfect sense on their own. Sometimes, without the context, verses can sound like they mean the opposite of what the authors meant by what they wrote. It’s a terrible thing, but many times people take advantage of this fact and use isolated verses in a way that hurts people and devastates their walk with Christ. (Sometimes it’s out of ignorance. Sometimes it’s malicious. It’s always tragic.) It’s especially common for people to cite Scripture out of context in order to cause believers to doubt Christ’s love for them or the security of their salvation. This article is about one verse that is often used this way. It’s Hebrews 10:26, which reads, “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins” (NKJV, same throughout the article). Often, people throw this verse out there on social media like a grenade wi...