The Case of Cornelius and God’s Regenerative Work in the Unsaved

Posted on January 14, 2021January 14, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD In a vision, an angel of the Lord appeared to Cornelius (who was unsaved at the time) and called unto him. Although shocked, Cornelius responded, “’What is it, Lord?’ And he said to him, ‘Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God’” (Acts 10:4; cf. 10:22, 33-44).[i] From this text, it seems quite clear that God is able and willing to receive prayers of those still unsaved. After all, Cornelius’ prayers and alms were accepted by God. Given this tim...

John 6:35 and the Doctrine of Regeneration

Posted on January 13, 2021January 13, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD Robert Wilkin in his book, Is Calvinism Biblical?,[i] offers an argument against the idea that regeneration precedes faith based on Christ’s words in John 6:35: “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst[ii].” From the verse that follows, it is clear that Jesus is speaking to non-believers. In John 6:35, he clearly tells non-believers to come first so that they may be saved eternally. With this in view, Wil...

The Offense of John the Baptist and His Modern-Day Counterparts

Posted on January 11, 2021February 6, 2022 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD Whether it be on Facebook, television, or almost any other media source, Americans are inundated by a constant stream of material that is at best frivolous and at worst utterly sin-ridden. When God is mentioned in the positive, He is typically rendered as a loving God who loves all people regardless of their intentions and responses toward Him. Unfortunately, many churches have been caught up in this societal purge of God as He is depicted in His fulness in Scripture....

Should a Christian Ask for Forgiveness from God?

Posted on January 10, 2021January 10, 2021 by markwchristy

Mark W. Christy, PhD, Pastor of MBC in Channelview, TX After salvation, all Christians enter into a sanctification process whereby a struggle ensues between the new, redeemed nature in Christ and their old, fallen, and sinful nature. Paul himself recounts his struggle in this regard, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, bu...

The Nature of Christ’s Flesh

Posted on January 10, 2021January 10, 2021 by markwchristy

Mark W. Christy, PhD, Pastor of MBC in Channelview, TX To begin with, flesh in and of itself is not sinful. Sin is disobedience in regard to God’s Law; therefore, it is an action and a rebellion against God (1 John 3:4). It is birthed in the heart of a person whereby their desire is to disobey God. This was Jesus point throughout the Sermon on the Mount. In His sermon, he demonstrates that evil, hate, greed, etc. arise from the heart of a person. it is person inhabiting flesh who is the sinn...

Is God’s Love Unconditional?

Posted on January 10, 2021January 10, 2021 by markwchristy

Mark W. Christy, PhD, Pastor of MBC in Channelview, TX If God’s love is unconditional, why do we call upon people to repent and believe? Paul in Acts 20:21 makes these two conditions quite clear: “I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.”[i] To this, one could respond that those who express repentance and belief were already chosen by God before having done so. As Paul puts it in Ephesians 1:3-4, “Praise be to the God ...

The Problem of Christian Mysticism: An Engagement with Joyce Meyer

Posted on January 8, 2021January 8, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD In Colossians 2:18-19, Paul writes, “Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.”[i] After warning the Colossians against legalism in the previous verse, P...

The Pathology of a False Teacher (1 Timothy 6:3-5)

Posted on January 5, 2021January 5, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD Paul, in 1 Timothy 6:3-5, offers his readers a profile of a heretic: “If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction between men of depraved m...

The Biblical Way to Confront Your Pastor If You Believe Him to be Teaching God’s Word Incorrectly

Posted on January 5, 2021January 5, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD Recently, the charge of being a heretic was placed upon me by what I hope to be a well-meaning brother in Christ. Unfortunately, he openly charged me on the internet, labelled me a heretic, and called upon my church to fire me immediately. Not once did he ever contact me to make sure that he perfectly understood my theology regarding his areas of concern. Instead of questioning his knowledge of what he thought to be my position and questioning his own position as true...

The Exaltation of Self in the Recasting of the Gospel

Posted on January 3, 2021January 3, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD In D. A. Carson’s Prophetic from the Center, he offers a contemporary rendition of the gospel that is pervasive among American Christians: “Ever since the fall, God has been active to reverse the effects of sin. He takes action to limit sin’s damage; he calls out a new nation, the Israelites, to mediate his teaching and his grace to others; he promises that one day he will send the promised Davidic king to overthrow sin and death and all their wretched effects. Thi...