But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. 1 Peter 3: 14-16
by Herman Bavinck
Both for unbelievers and believers, the doctrine of election is a source of inexpressibly great comfort. If it were based on justice and merit, all would be lost. But now that election operates according to grace, there is hope even for the most wretched. If work and reward were...
by C. H. Spurgeon
“But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man” —Galatians 1:11
A gospel which is after men will be welcomed by men; but it needs a divine operation upon the heart and mind to make a man willing to receive into his inmost...
Among the best books ever written on the gospel. Both available for free download
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This Week's Listing of Free Resources at Monergism
Written by john_hendryx"For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy." - Rom 9:15-16
Is it Unjust of God to Ask Sinners to Do What They Are Morally Unable to Do?
Written by john_hendryx
Some claim it would be unjust of God to command us to do something we are unable to do.Not by Free Will but by Grace through Faith -- St. Augustine
Written by john_hendryx
Men are not Saved by Good Works, nor by the Free Determination of their Own Will, but by the Grace of God through Faith
But this part of the human race to which God has promised pardon and a share in His eternal kingdom, can they be restored through the merit of their own works? God forbid. For...
Visitor: As a proof text against Calvinism:John 6:40 For my Father’s will is that everyonewho looks to the Son and believesin him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
Response: We all believe that. Calvinists also believe that anyone who looks to the Son...
I often see critiques from professing Christians online regarding their deep opposition to the biblical view that, due to a corruption of nature, fallen man has no free will to come to Christ. Recently I even encountered someone with a list of bible verses which allegedly prove that human beings...
by Jason A. Van Bemmel
Visitor: Any person can be saved, if they will.
Response: Don't we all believe any person can come if they will? The problem is, are there any persons naturally willing to submit to the terms of the gospel? Does it come naturally for fallen sinners to come to the humbling realization that they have...
Christ's Lordship is bound up in His being the Savior. Here is why:
When a person comes to faith in Christ as Savior, are they not acknowledging their helplessness, and so come to Him in the hope that He will free them from both the guilt and power of sin? Do not people come to Christ so that He...
Why does God command Christians to be holy when we are already holy in Christ?
Written by john_hendryx
“You shall be holy, for I am holy.” - 1 Peter 1:16
"Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God." 2 Cor 7:1
"...we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of...
Responding to Christianese: Since God is Love He would Never Violate our Free Will
Written by john_hendryx
When I hear professing Christians say that since God is love He would never violate our free will (btw, a concept not found in the Bible)... my first thought is to ask:
"So you are troubled that God did for you what you couldn't do for yourself? Is Hell better than being saved? In everyday life we...
I have sometimes heard the charge from skeptics that Christians come off as thinking they are better than other people. This impression perhaps arises for at least two reasons: 1) because a professing Christian who does not understand the gospel actually DOES think they are better than...
The sad irony is that the very "churches" that claim to want full inclusion of practicing LGBT persons into their fellowship/membership are the very same churches that would deny them entrance into the kingdom via the gospel. Because they have caved to the culture, fearing the opinions of men...
by Jerry Bridges
"Faith involves both a renunciation and a reliance. First, we must renounce any trust in our own performance as the basis of our acceptance before God. We trust in our own performance when we believe we’ve earned God’s acceptance by our good works. But we also trust in...
"It is misleading to say that God accepts us the way we are. Rather he accepts us despitethe way we are. He receives us only in Christ and for Christ's sake. Nor does He mean to leave us the way He found us, but to transform us into the likeness of His Son. Without that transformation and new...
Can a Professing Christian Who Has Turned Away from Christ Be Saved?
Written by john_hendryx
by R. C. Sproul
I believe that once a person is authentically redeemed, is truly in Christ, that person will never be lost to Christ. That person has what we call eternal security—not because of the person’s innate ability to persevere, but I believe that God promises to preserve His...
by Paul David Tripp.
This post is adapted from his book Awe: Why It Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do
Hope Versus Panic
It is quite clear that your view of God will inescapably shape your perspective on your circumstances. In this way your theology is like a lens through which you examine...
How Do We Relate to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
Written by john_hendryx
by Michael Horton
adapted from his new book, Rediscovering the Holy Spirit: God’s Perfecting Presence in Creation, Redemption, and Everyday Life.
What we meet in the unfolding biblical drama is not merely three “personas” but three concrete persons; not just three roles, but three...
12 Free Classic eBooks on Sanctification with Bonus Title
Written by john_hendryx
The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification (eBook) by Walter Marshall
Sanctification (eBook) by J. C. Ryle
The Doctrine of Sanctification (eBook) by A. W. Pink
Your Sanctification (eBook)by C. H. Spurgeon
Holiness (eBook) by J. C. Ryle
How to Grow in Grace (eBook) by Archibald Alexander
Muhammed taught, in many circumstances, that we ought to kill or subjugate our enemies (e.g. Surah 9). Christ by example taught we ought to die for our enemies and liberate them ... It is recorded in history that Mohammed had killed dozens of his enemies by the time of his death. Jesus, having...
Confusing the Gospel with the Fruit of the Gospel
Written by john_hendryx
by Graeme Goldsworthy
It cannot be stressed too much that to confuse the gospel with certain important things that go hand in hand with it is to invite theological, hermeneutical and spiritual confusion. Such ingredients of preaching and teaching that we might want to link with the gospel...
The Book of Revelation Is Not Just about the Future
Written by john_hendryxThis post is adapted from the chapter entitled "Revelation" by Charles E. Hill in A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament: The Gospel Realized, edited by Michael J. Kruger.
The Denouement of Scripture
The “Revelation of Jesus Christ” portrays in dramatic fashion the...
by Sinclair B. Ferguson
“The Spirit’s coming inaugurates a communion with Christ in which the Spirit who dwelt on Christ now dwells on and in believers… The coming of the Spirit is the equivalent of the indwelling of Jesus…
Having the Spirit is the equivalent, indeed the...
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