“Can a practicing homosexual be saved and continue to live that way?” That’s a popular question, and Free Grace theology has an unpopular answer. That question is a great litmus test to see whether someone believes (1) in salvation by grace, through faith, apart from works, and (2) in Biblical sexual morality. The popular Evangelical […]

When people ask me to define Free Grace Theology, I usually explain that it exists on a spectrum. Picture a line. The line has a thin and thick end. Different debates have defined either end. On the thin end, there’s the debate with Lordship Salvation. That group teaches that salvation is earned, kept, or proved […]

Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ (Eph 4:31-32, emphasis added). Are you angry at anyone in church? Do you have an unresolved grudge that won’t […]

I sincerely appreciate Anabaptism—the groups that sprang out of the Reformation and became known as Mennonites, Amish, Hutterites, Dunkers, Doukhobors, and German Baptist Brethren (among others). I wrote my undergraduate thesis on the Swiss Brethren and have long considered myself a “Baptist” with a small “b,” having an affinity for the broader Anabaptist movement over […]

Why exercise church discipline? Many assemblies are reluctant to do it. There are several reasons, one of which is that people think discipline is fundamentally uncaring. Is that true? Here are three reasons why Biblical discipline is caring when done right and for the right reasons. First, it is caring for us because it produces […]

My brothers and sisters, I myself am convinced about you that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another (Rom 15:14). Who is responsible for teaching the Christian community? Paul’s letter to the Romans could have been interpreted as implying they were ignorant of something as basic […]

I’m a good person. Not the best, but better than average. If you ask my dad, he’ll tell you I was a good kid. I ate my food, brushed my teeth, and went to bed without griping. I had some fights with my little brother, but nothing major. And I’d never hurt my little sister […]

Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor. Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, Do not commit […]

The Devil is actively at work persecuting believers in Jesus Christ. If you’re not sure the devil is prowling around, think of how the sexual revolution has gone from wanting mere tolerance to outlawing any dissent to its agenda, down to enforcing patently incorrect pronoun usage. If you don’t think there are demons at work […]

A common objection to the doctrine of eternal security involves the hypothetical problem of a believer who later becomes a serial killer. The critic will ask, “Are you saying that if someone believes in Jesus, they get eternal life and can never lose it, even if they become a serial killer like Ted Bundy?” Yes, […]

Sometimes people claim to have found a “third way” between salvation by grace and salvation by works. In my experience, that’s never true. But David Bercot, an Anabaptist theologian, claims there is a third way. In this video, Bercot explains that Martin Luther rejected the Catholic beliefs about salvation and “went to the opposite extreme […]

I was reading a theologian who said that salvation was by grace. Which was good. He said the gospel was not another form of law as if salvation depended upon our works. That was also good. He said that God loved us unconditionally. I believe that (though not everyone does). He claimed that salvation is […]

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the koinōnia, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer (Acts 2:42). Loneliness is a major social problem—even a health risk. We want to make lasting friendships. We crave love. One of the main reasons people meet in small groups is for fellowship. The word koinōnia is often […]

If you want to turn your small group into a functioning New Testament church, Luke summarized the four components of an early Christian meeting, one of which is praying together: They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer (Acts 2:42). I assume your small group already […]

If you want to turn your small group into a functioning New Testament church, consider eating together. That’s one of the four components of a meeting that Luke summarizes in Acts 2:42. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer (Acts 2:42). “Breaking bread” refers to […]

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer (Acts 2:42). Many Christians meet in small groups (or cell groups). However, small groups are not thought of as church meetings. That, even though, for the first few centuries of Christianity, until Constantine, believers met exclusively in homes, […]

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer…Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day […]

Society hates the word sin. One of the only secular sins is to use that term. We’d rather speak about making mistakes, or suffering from an addiction, or having a lapse in judgment. But leave sin out of it! But we can’t. Not using your turn signal is a mistake (I see you Texas!). Lying […]

How did the early Christians worship? Did they worship the way that we do today? Did they watch priests perform rituals, as in the liturgical churches? Did they sit quietly listening to a lecture, as in Protestant and Evangelical churches? Was the meeting centered around a priest, pastor, or another clerical figure, while the laity […]

Are you finding it hard to praise God right now? Maybe things haven’t been going your way—not for a while. Work has been challenging, and your future at that company is still being determined. You’re struggling with your kids’ behavior and unsure of what to do about it. Things haven’t been the same with your […]