Dr Paul Allen

TOTAL DEPRAVITY IS A REALITY, both taught in Holy Scripture and experienced in life, with important implications for pagans and Christians alike. Very often we think of this Biblical doctrine in connection with those who are unregenerate, or with regard to Christians before their conversion, but we reflect less frequently on the depravity which still infects those who have been saved by grace and reborn of the Spirit.  This is a serious omission, for misunderstanding or underestimating the continuing corruption in the believer leaves the Christian unprepared for the warfare of sanctification and leads to a variety of spiritual problems. There are many errors propagated in evangelical circles on this subject, the two main tendencies of which are: perfectionism and antinomianism. The former asserts that the Christian life is (or ought to be) characterized by complete victory over sin. Perfectionistic teachers not only distort the biblical teaching on holiness, but also dangero

English: "The Judas Kiss", (Mark 14:45) by Gustave Doré. Judas kisses Jesus in order to betray him to the guards. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Robert Gundry  delivered an address at Westmont College  in which he made the shocking claim that the apostle Peter was actually “Peter the apostate and false disciple according to St. Matthew.”  According to Gundry, Matthew’s gospel depicts Peter, after his denials — not as a forgiven apostle — but as an apostatizing false prophet. (To see the video,  click here . To read the press release from Westmont,  click here ). In essence, Gundry puts Peter on equal footing with Judas Iscariot . Gundry’s claims are astounding — especially when one considers that never in church history has anyone suggested that Matthew’s gospel depicts Peter as an apostate. But that fact does not faze Gundry, who apparently sees no problem with his novel interpretations. In defending his unconventional view, Gundry makes the following thre