Resources by Topic: Doctrine and Theology

Question from a Reader: In Revelation 3:5 Jesus says, “The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life.” Doesn’t that clearly suggest that it is in fact possible to be blotted out of the book of life? In other words, that a saved person can become unsaved if they fail to “conquer,” that is, to live a victorious Christian life?

Last year, Paul Young, author of The Shack, had a book come out called Lies We Believe About God. Ironically, many of the doctrinal concerns that I and many others expressed about The Shack have proven to be true.

Question from a reader: What are your favorite books on apologetics?

By all means, we should rejoice in God’s mercy and love. But we must also recognize that our Lord is relentlessly holy, righteous, and just. 

Question from a Reader: I’m studying the book of Luke. I know that the Jews were expecting a Messiah that was king, deliverer, etc., but did they also expect a Messiah that was actually God? Are there any Old Testament prophecies that mention that?

When people say they believe the Bible contains errors, it’s a good practice to ask them to name those errors so you can open a Bible and look at them together.

The people Jesus spoke to lived without streetlights. If they didn’t have a lamp and a means to light it, they groped in darkness, vulnerable to assailants. They understood what it meant when Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

If you follow social media and news online, you’ve likely heard about the Nashville Statement, put together by The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Along with several dozen other Christian leaders, I’m one of the initial signatories of this statement, which seeks to provide a Christ-honoring and biblically faithful standard on homosexuality and transgenderism.

Echoing David in Psalm 22, Jesus cried out on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In that haunting cry, Christ identifies with our despair and bridges the gap between God and us not only theologically, in the Atonement, but emotionally—between our suffering and God’s, between our agonizing cries and those of God’s Son.

Since Jesus is God He cannot be tempted by evil, yet He has been tempted in every way we are (and surely we are tempted by evil!). This is one of many paradoxes in Scripture. 

Many apparent contradictions in Scripture are resolved through a closer look. I recently responded to a question related to the differing number of days that the gospel writers use to refer to the same event. I share it as an example of how details in biblical passages are often claimed to be errors, but upon careful examination, we can see they are not. 

Failure to believe in inerrancy must logically lead to my inability to trust the Bible as authoritative. Clearly those parts which are supposedly false cannot be authoritative. I cannot rely upon what I do not believe to be accurate. 

This is a vital question. A chain is only as strong as the weakest link. If we can’t trust the Bible in our hands, the communication God intended collapses and becomes untrustworthy as well.

In 1991, the year after we started Eternal Perspective Ministries, John Piper came out with The Pleasures of God, which was updated in 2000. This is a truly great book that I highly recommend.