Author: markwchristy

Critical Response to The Traditionalist Statement: Part 1 (Preamble)

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By Mark W. Christy This article is the first in a series designed to carefully consider the theological position against Calvinism taken by those who have signed what is called A Statement of the Traditional Southern Baptist Understanding of God’s Plan of Salvation (released in 2012). In short form, this document is commonly known as the Traditionalist Statement (TS) among Southern Baptists. Among Calvinists, this document has had many detractors who have unhesitatingly published articles, b...
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The Southern Baptist Half-Way Covenant

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Before beginning, it is important to note that there are many Bible-believing Southern Baptists who affirm that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. Among them however, many disagree on the role of the free will in regard to salvation. Some suggest God elects those He saves in such a way that He Himself ensures those whom He chooses will indeed respond to the gospel through the God-given gifts of repentance and faith. Others hold that these gifts of grace are g...
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The Necessity of the Doctrine of Perseverance of the Saints

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By Mark W. Christy, PhD Multiple times during Christ’s earthly life, he warned that some who came to Him were not truly His followers. In Matthew 7:21, He says, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”[i] In this text, Christ plainly connects true salvation with obedience to the will of God. This truth, for many people, has proven too difficult to bear because it places one’s eternal secu...
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Towards the Restoration of Scholarly Objectivity in the Arminianism/Calvinism Debate: An Interaction with Robert Wilkin’s Is Calvinism Biblical?

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By Mark W. Christy, PhD Both on the popular level and unfortunately to some extent among scholars, the centuries old debate between those who hold to Arminianism and Calvinism has grown increasingly emotional and disconnected from sound exegesis of Scripture. To better understand this argument, a faithful steward would be well-advised to read and study from both sides while maintaining a firm footing in Scripture. In an attempt to do just this, I recently purchased multiple books which purpo...
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Responding to God from the Pit of Despair

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By Mark W. Christy, PhD The Apostle Peter informs Christians they would be “distressed by various trials” and their faith would be “tested by fire” (1 Pet 1:6-7).[i] James connects these trials directly with “testing of [a believer’s] faith” and notes that by them a believer will develop endurance (perseverance) and perfection (1:2-4). Paul attributes this testing to the work of the devil who tries to lure believers with temptations even while God ensures the believer is not tempted beyond h...
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The Only Authentic Response to the Gospel that Leads to Salvation

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By Mark W. Christy, PhD In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus discusses four different types of reception to the gospel proclamation (Luke 8:4-15). It is clear from the range of responses that the gospel is to be preached to all. Furthermore, the central factor in salvation, in this parable, is shown to be the receptivity to the gospel and not the skill or methodology employed by the proclaimer. The first type of response is given by those who simply reject the gospel outright from the start...
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The Gospel by Those Frequently Charged with Being False Teachers

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By Mark W. Christy, PhD In this article, the salvation plan of various individuals who frequently are associated with the Prosperity Gospel Movement are laid out and examined to determine the degree of similarity and whether or not potential errors may be involved. Overall, they typically present a soteriology that could easily be construed to be correct given the simplicity and lack of detail in their statements. While their approach does not typically cross the line into confirmed heresy, ...
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The Divine Escape from the Bondage of the Will

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By Mark W. Christy, PhD In Matthew 23:37, Jesus laments, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.”[i] Some have suggested that this verse offers support for the doctrine of resistible grace. On the surface, this hardly seems surprising since Jesus Himself, in this verse, declares His desire to save the Jews but was prevented...
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God’s Desire for the Salvation of All and the Biblical Reality of Hell

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By Mark W. Christy, PhD At times, the Bible seems to teach that God desires all people to be saved. In his discussion on the coming Day of the Lord (i.e., Judgement Day), Peter writes, “The Lord is…not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9).[i] Calling upon the faithful to pray (in context, he is specifically calling on men to pray in the worship service), Paul observes the heart of God “desires all men to be saved” (1 Tim 2:4). Ezekiel, also noting the desi...
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The Gospel of False Hope Among Some Southern Baptists (and Others)

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By Mark W. Christy, PhD Before beginning, it is important to affirm that many Southern Baptists rightfully (and in line with Scripture) declare salvation comes through faith and repentance in Jesus Christ alone. As a person who grew up, professed faith, and received baptism in a Southern Baptist church before eventually earning three degrees from a Southern Baptist seminary, I can certainly attest to this. Even so, a troubling thought frequently visited me in my early years at seminary conce...
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