Biology of Sin (Matthew Stanford)
I quit a pack-a-day smoking addiction several years ago. I brought my problem before God with fasting and prayer, and relied on Him heavily for the first excruciating weeks and months. I am quite certain that my success is owed to Christ’s power in me. Strangely, however, the second most helpful source of encouragement and strength came in a small pamphlet on how to quit smoking packaged with my nicotine patches. The pamphlet very...
Arminius on the Sanctification of the Believer
While Arminius is often known for his disagreements with Calvinism’s five points, many other aspects of his theology are often neglected. One such issue is the doctrine of sanctification. Both Arminians and Calvinist ignore his teachings as if he never spoke of it at all. Yet this issue defines much of so-called Arminianism today. So what does Arminius teach about sanctification? To answer this question, let us first examine what...
Intentional Sanctification
What makes the difference between the person who simply fills their spot in the pew on Sunday morning and the person who takes the next step? Let’s answer this question by asking another: Is sanctification inevitable or intentional? In short it’s both: we receive it at conversion, and we progress in it. While most agree that we receive sanctification at conversion, many disagree as to how precisely we progress in it. Because we focus...
Reclaiming the Spirit
Jesus stated the following concerning the Holy Spirit: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever… [T]he Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (Jn. 14:16, 26). Jesus’ words notwithstanding, many of us know little about the Holy Spirit. If Baptists talk about Him at all, it is...
The Danger of Answered Prayer: When Our Daily Bread Turns Into Stone
It was in a garden in Gethsemane that Jesus Christ offered one of the most desperate prayers in all of human history: “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Mt. 26:39). Yet the Scriptures tell us that the cup did not pass. For millennia believers have offered prayers to God. While some requests are granted, others are denied or, in some cases, seemingly unanswered. It...
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