Resources by Topic: Doctrine and Theology

The following material was originally part of my book The Grace and Truth Paradox.

Nineteenth century London pastor, preacher and writer Charles Haddon Spurgeon was a Calvinist. As such, he was opposed by anti-Calvinists and a variety of non-Calvinists. He recognized their salvation and sincerity, but believed their view of God was often too small, and hence their view of man too big.

Think about the person you would most want to spend time with. Who would that person be? Your favorite singer, author, or athlete? Your best friend who moved away? A family member who’s already died? Many Christians would say they’d want to spend time with Jesus. They’d want to see the Savior who created them, died for them, and made their life in Heaven possible—the one who loves them more than anyone else.

This is a classic question, and you are not the first to propose it. The answer is two-fold, one from God’s view, and one from man’s view.

As I say in the introduction to Heaven, readers should carefully examine God’s Word and evaluate the book’s claims accordingly (Acts 17:11). If they do, I believe they will discover that the great majority of the book is solidly grounded in Scripture.

Question from a reader: On page 174 of Heaven you talk of the thrill of seeing Jesus in Heaven. You say, “Being with him. Gazing at him. Talking with him. Worshiping him. Embracing him. Eating with him. Walking with him. Laughing with him.” But how will millions of resurrected believers be able to do this? Do we take turns?

Truth is rooted in the eternal God who’s all powerful and unchangeable. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is Truth” (John 17:17).

In adoring the providence of God, we are apt to be struck with what is new and out of the usual course, while we too much overlook long, habitual, and uninterrupted mercies.

I seek the will of the Spirit of God, through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also. If the Holy Ghost guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them.

What matters isn't what someone else says, but what the Bible says. The Jehovah Witnesses are wrong in many number of areas about the New Earth. However, their belief that there will be a New Earth is correct.

Some of the portrayals of Heaven in my novels Deadline and Dominion are surprising and unconventional.

God gave Lucifer a capacity of true free choice which involved the possibility of sin. It is possible for a being with free choice—even living in a perfect environment and without having some exterior temptation, such as Satan provided for Adam and Eve in the garden—to make a choice contrary to God’s will.

The Bible speaks of two separate judgments: the judgment of faith, and the judgment of works. The judgment of faith determines our inheritance, whereas the judgment of works determines our recompense.

While we believe in a salvation that is secure, bought and paid for by Christ alone and not by our works, we do not subscribe to the fire insurance/cheap grace/easy believism notion that all who raise a hand or repeat a prayer at one moment in their lives are automatically truly born again.