By Mark W. Christy, PhD In John 12:32, Jesus declares, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”[i] On the surface, some suggest that this verse is offering evidence that Christ draws all people to Himself in such a way that all people can freely respond to saving grace. This position, known as the doctrine of resistible grace (RG), lies in stark contrast to what has been called the doctrine of irresistible grace (IG). According to IG, whomever God sovereignly c...

By Mark W. Christy, PhD This doctrine is supported by many passages throughout Scripture. The Bible specifically declares that ‘the Son’ created all things (Col 1:13-16; Heb 1:2). In Colossians 1:15, Paul says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”[i] This suggests that Christ’s Sonship existed at least before creation. While Scripture speaks of Christ’s physical birth through Mary, it also teaches that Christ was sent into the world as the Son, and this i...

By Mark W. Christy, PhD In 2 Peter 2:1, the apostle seems to quite clearly suggest that false teachers have been “bought” by the Lord: “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.”[i] These false teachers, however, could not have been born-again or regenerate because Peter goes on to say (among other th...

By Mark W. Christy, PhD In the Old Testament (OT), God’s people, saved by faith in the revelation made available to them at the time, were able to repent and trust in God (e.g. Abraham, Job, David, Jeremiah). Both of these activities reveal the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. In earnest repentance, David cried out, “Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (Ps 51:11).[i] David’s prayer reveals that in some way the Holy Spirit was an active part...

By Mark W. Christy, PhD Robert Wilkin, in Is Calvinism Biblical?, offers two verses (John 1:29; 2 Peter 2:1) which he claims offer solid biblical support for the doctrine of unlimited atonement (UA).[i] This doctrine, held by Arminians among others, states that Jesus died for the sins of all people and not just the elect (those chosen by God). To be clear, this doctrine still affirms some people will still go to hell, but their final eternal destination is ultimately dependent on their respo...

By Mark W. Christy, PhD In a previous article on this blog, “Acts 13:46 and Unconditional Election,” the doctrine of unconditional election was discussed. Basically, it says that all people who receive salvation through Christ are first chosen by God and regenerated solely by the work of God within their inner persons unto salvation. At the point of salvation when a person expresses repentance and faith (both gifts from God and part of His regenerative work), God’s regenerative work is made ...