Dr Paul Allen

The Baptism of Christ, 1474-1475, Verrocchio assisted by Leonardo da Vinci (Uffizi, Florence) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Eternal security is the biblical doctrine stating that authentic Christians permanently possess everlasting life based solely on the gift of salvation given by God . The eternal security of every believer is a fact that is— — Initiated by God the Father … “He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” ( Ephesians 1:4) — Accomplished through God the Son … “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” (Ephesians 1:7) — Guaranteed by God the Holy Spirit … “You also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redempt...

One of Piper’s great strengths in representing and defending Calvinistic theology has been in not merely defending this doctrine, but in making it lead to wonder and to worship. “My experience is that clear knowledge of God from the Bible is the kindling that sustains the fires of affection for God. And probably the most crucial kind of knowledge is the knowledge of what God is like in salvation.” Of course this is what the five points of Calvinism are about—“not the power and sovereignty of God in general, but his power and sovereignty in the way he saves people,” which is exactly why these doctrines are commonly referred to as  the doctrines of grace . He insists that he does not begin here as a Calvinist who sets out to defend a system, but as a Christian who holds the Bible above any system of thought. As with many modern Calvinists, Piper does not love the TULIP acronym that has become synonymous with Calvinism. He steps away from the acronym and the stand...

Oil painting of a young John Calvin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’ ” (Heb. 13:5). Over the centuries, Christian theologians have recognized that although the Law is laid out in great detail throughout the Pentateuch , we actually find a summary of it in the Ten Commandments . These ten laws offer some practical ways in which we can concretely express the gratitude we have for our salvation. When we look at these commandments we might be tempted to think that they are all radically different from each other. However, this is not the case. Many theologians have noted that one of these forbidden sins is actually the root of many evils. This forbidden sin is covetousness (Ex. 20:17). John Owen has said that “covetousness is an inordinate desire to enjoy more money than we have, or than God is pleased to give us.” This comment was made in respon...

Charles Spurgeon (C.H. Spurgeon) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Charles Spurgeon affirmed the doctrine of the preserving grace of God , sometimes known as the perseverance of the saints. This biblical truth teaches that no believers in Christ will ever fall from grace, for God upholds their faith. Spurgeon affirmed, "I think few doctrines more vital than that of the perseverance of the saints, for if ever one child of God did perish, or if I knew it were possible that one could, I should conclude at once that I must, and I suppose each of you would do the same." Spurgeon saw the preserving grace of God as a primary component of the gospel. The truth of preserving grace, Spurgeon testified, was the enticing bait that drew him to Christ. Before he was saved, Spurgeon observed others who appeared to fall away from their profession. These apparent examples of apostasy made him hesitant to commit his life to Christ. He said: "Whatever good resolutions I might make, the pos...