Theology / Doctrine

Every world view takes a position regarding eternity. Even those who don’t believe in God, still believe something about death and the possibility of heaven. To disbelieve a claim requires a belief in something contrary. When I was an atheist, I believed something about eternity and the possibility of life …

A recent study revealed 63% of young Americans (age 18-29) believe in demon possession. Even though fewer people in this age group claim any affiliation to organized religion, their belief in demons is actually increasing. While there are good reasons to believe in the existence of angelic beings (even apart …

We often describe God’s gracious offer of Salvation as “good news”, and while this makes sense, given the magnitude of God’s gift to us, there are actually good etymological reasons for describing Salvation in this way. The word “Gospel” is derived from an Anglo-Saxon word, “godspel”, or “good story” and …

Over the centuries, believers have sometimes struggled to understand the nature of God and the great mystery of Jesus. The Bible describes Jesus as having the nature and power of God, and the Gospel of John tells us that He existed before the universe began (He was, in fact, the …

The first year I decided to take a group of students to Utah to share the Gospel with Mormons, a parent of one of the students asked me why I would take such a trip: “Why would you want to strip someone of their faith in God and Jesus?” This …

I’ve taken many missions trips to the great state of Utah. Our high school and adult teams have had the opportunity to talk with many LDS and Christian believers about the nature of salvation. Many of our conversations centered on the relationship between faith and works. Christianity is unique in …

As Christians who ought to understand the role and importance of worship, most of us have limited our view and experience of worship to the singing of songs on Sunday morning. The New Testament Greek word most frequently translated as “worship” (proskuneo) means “to fall or bow down before”, but …

Over the years, I’ve taken many missions teams to Salt Lake City to talk with Mormons about what they believe and the many differences between Mormonism and Christianity. For theists, the most important question we will ever ask (or answer) is simply this: “How does one attain eternal life?” Mormonism …

Some would say that the Bible presents an irreconcilable dilemma. Both the New and Old Testament declare that there is only one God. Verses like Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Isaiah 43:10, James 2:19, 1 Corinthians 8:4, 6 and 1 Timothy 2:5-6 make it rather clear; the writers of Jewish and Christian scripture …

I’ve been writing this week about the truth of the triune nature of God, so I thought it might be appropriate to list a few reasons why this doctrine (commonly called the Trinity) is so important. It is certainly true that according to the claims of Christianity, salvation actually requires …