Eternal Security vs. Personal Assurance
I can’t leave the subject of the gospel without a word on being saved forever – or as we say in the south, “Once saved, always saved.” There are passages in the Bible when taken at first glance have the tendency to shake our security. Come to think of it, we looked at...
We Can Work it Out!
The Bible makes it overwhelmingly clear that we are not saved by works. We are saved by the cross work of Jesus Christ and His work is sufficient to save all who hear of it and respond by personal faith in Him. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that...
“Rose Again According to the Scriptures”
There are two major miracles that stand at the top of all miracles, according to this writer. The first is the incarnation – the fact that God became a man, and the second is the resurrection of Jesus Christ – or as a friend of mine once said, “a dead man got up and...
Christ Died for Our Sins
I am going through the entire passage found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8. Verses 3-4 say: For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day...
“That Christ”
Paul spent three years in Arabia (Galatians 1:18-20). It was during this time that the Lord Jesus taught him face-to-face the doctrines of grace that he penned in his thirteen letters in the New Testament. These letters contain the vast majority of the information...
How Did Paul Receive the Gospel?
Paul is clearly explaining the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8. Yesterday we looked at the value of preserving the clarity of the gospel at all cost. We live in a nation that has not done this. We have blurred the lines of the true gospel. We have not valued the truth...
The Gospel is Not the Gospel When Works Are Added
Paul said, “I declare to you the gospel” (1 Corinthians 15:1-8). It seems reasonable to assume that what follows from his pen is the gospel – the good news. Yesterday we looked at the little phrase “by which you are saved.” Today we move a little further in the...
Saved from What?
Well, it’s Monday! I woke up early this morning thinking and thanking. Thinking about the storm that passed and thanking God for sparing our lives once more. But there were some who were not spared. Some lost homes, and others their lives. We should remember them...
The Resurrection
Pondering from the Ponderosa. I am thinking today along with Christians all over the world about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Every event surrounding Christ’s death and resurrection had to fall into place perfectly. Every detail of His crucifixion was...
Public Enemy Number One
Pondering from the Ponderosa. Public enemy number one to the Christian’s walk with Christ is not drugs or alcohol, as devastating as they can be. Nor is our enemy abortion, euthanasia, pornography, divorce, sexual immorality, or a corrupt government, or even a...
Ministry of the Holy Spirit: Control (part 2)
Still pondering! Our subject is the control of the Holy Spirit. There is no substitute for learning to lean on the Holy Spirit for guidance. We are told to walk by means of the Holy Spirit and not by the flesh (Galatians 5:16-17). We are told to trust in the Lord with...
Ministry of the Holy Spirit: Control (part 1)
More pondering from the Ponderosa. The last ministry of the Holy Spirit that I will cover is His controlling ministry, or His filling. This will take a few posts, but please bear with me. We are told to walk by means of the Holy Spirit and not by the flesh (Galatians...