Church Autonomy, Pastoral Authority, Closed Communion, and the Gospel: The Means Becoming the End
I believe scripture teaches church autonomy, pastoral authority, and closed communion — all three. I think I’m strong on all three, because scripture teaches all three. If you lose the gospel, none of the three matter any more though. Church autonomy, pastoral authority, and closed communion are about protecting and propagating the truth. They are […]
Divorce, Deuteronomy 24:1-4, Remarriage, and New Testament teaching
Deuteronomy 24:1-4 is an important passage relating to the Biblical teaching on divorce and remarriage. The text reads as follows: 1 כִּי־יִקַּח אִישׁ אִשָּׁה וּבְעָלָהּ וְהָיָה אִם־לֹא תִמְצָא־חֵן בְּעֵינָיו כִּי־מָצָא בָהּ עֶרְוַת דָּבָר וְכָתַב לָהּ סֵפֶר כְּרִיתֻת וְנָתַן בְּיָדָהּ וְשִׁלְּחָהּ מִבֵּיתוֹ׃ 2 וְיָצְאָה מִבֵּיתוֹ וְהָלְכָה וְהָיְתָה לְאִישׁ־אַחֵר׃ 3 וּשְׂנֵאָהּ הָאִישׁ הָאַחֲרוֹן וְכָתַב לָהּ סֵפֶר כְּרִיתֻת […]
Bock and Wallace, Reliability of the New Testament
Dallas Theological Seminary with Darrell Bock has what they call a table podcast, which looks like a decorated room with a table and a couple of microphones to do a video podcast. I like the format and would like to do something like it myself — stay tuned because in the next year, I think […]
How Are Men Supposed to Act?
Men don’t know how to act today. I admit that. I believe it 100%. I also believe that women don’t know how they want men to act. So what do men do? More and more news arises of men treating women different than, it seems, how they want to be treated. Is it different than […]
Sunday, 11/12/2017, Last Day of Word of Truth Conference, Panel Discussion, Provide Questions
We are having our panel discussion at 2:30pm, Pacific Time, for at least an hour. If you want to ask questions about the gospel, repentance, the sinner’s prayer, the deity of Christ, eternal security, you can ask the questions here, and they will show up in the Panel Discussion, answered by a panel of David […]
Abiding in Christ: What Does it Mean? part 3 of 9, Word Study Concluded
Php 1:25 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; In this passage, Paul’s “abiding” with the Philippians was his continuing with them, “coming to” them, and “seeing” them again; it was his bodily presence with them, rather than his death. Paul abode with […]
So Long, Sola: Convenient Evangelical Sola Scriptura
I’m sola scriptura. I’m contending almost all evangelicals now just use sola scriptura. They throw down the sola scriptura card without actually being sola scriptura. It’s hot to say that you are sola scriptura, sola anything. Amazon prime has sola banners to hang up front your theater shaped worship center. For a Protestant to say he’s […]
WORD OF TRUTH CONFERENCE 2017
This year from Wednesday November 8 to Sunday November 12 is the ninth annual Word of Truth Conference at Bethel Baptist Church of El Sobrante, CA, where I have pastored for thirty years. The first three years covered the theme of A Pure Church, and a book was published shortly thereafter. Our next three years […]
Books on Christian Sanctification for Baptist Separatists: My Recommendations
At different points, I have been asked what are some works that I would recommend on the Christian doctrine of sanctification. I believe that the books below are useful, even if I cannot recommend them without qualifications. For the reasons explained in the study of the unscriptural nature of TULIP theology here, Calvinism is contrary […]
What Is the Guidance of the Holy Spirit in John 16:13?
Today among church leaders, you will hear a message of Holy Spirit guidance. For the most part, the concept is ambiguous. Specifically John 16:13 says, Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall […]