The Position that Miracles Ceased. Both positive and negative arguments are offered for the position that the special gift of miracles ended with the time of the apostles.
Proving Present Miracles from the Past. Logically there is no connection between past and present miraculous occurrences. Even during thousands of years of Bible history miracles were clustered in three very limited periods: (1) The Mosaic period: from the exodus through the taking of the promised land (with a few occurrences in the period of the judges); (2) The prophetic period: from the late kingdom of Israel and Judah during the ministries of Elijah, Elisha, and to a lesser extent Isaiah; (3) The apostolic period: from the first-century ministries of Christ and the apostles. Occurrences of miracles were neither continuous nor without purpose. Theologically the three great periods of miracles have certain things in common: Moses needed miracles to deliver Israel and sustain the great Read More »
I remember the confusion I experienced understanding salvation when I first read the Bible. I had heard that whoever believes in Jesus is saved and forgiven for all their sins. But seven passages of Scripture confused me as I made my way through the New Testament. The first concerned denying Christ (Matthew 10:33), the second addressed the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31), the third spoke of being disqualified (2 Corinthians 13:5), the fourth mentioned falling away from the Christian faith (Hebrews 6:6), the fifth warned against sinning willfully (Hebrews 10:26), the sixth referred to a sin unto death (1 John 5:16), and the seventh revealed the mark of the beast (Revelation 13:16). Each of these caused me to wonder if it was possible to believe in Jesus, and still not be forgiven for my sins. After carefully studying, I learned that none of those passages (nor any others in the Bible), teach the possibility of a believer in Jesus not be forgiven for all their sins (1 John 1:7). In this article I will explain why that is, beginning with the Biblical doctrine of “once saved, always saved,” then examining each of those seven passages. Lastly, I’ll discuss Biblical hermeneutics and forgiveness for all sin.
Once Saved Always Saved
Dr. Norman L. Geisler explains the eternal security of believers in chapter 11 of his Systematic Theology Volume Three: Sin/Salvation, this excerpt is Read More »
Prove God exists! This challenge is often voiced with the subtext, “If you can’t prove God exists with absolute certainty from neutral ground, using unaided autonomous human reason, I shouldn’t feel obligated to believe in Him.” In this piece I will explain why it is impossible from a finite attempt at neutrality, to prove anything whatsoever with absolute certainty, and God’s existence in particular. Then I’ll look at the possibility of proving things beyond a reasonable doubt from a finite attempt at neutrality. Following that, I will show why The Almighty One Himself will not allow people to prove His existence beyond question autonomously. Finally, I will explain why people are rationally and morally obligated to believe in God, despite our inability to provide the aforementioned proof beyond a shadow of a doubt from “neutral” autonomous ground. Prior to these however, as a prerequisite for the discussion, I will explain who has “the burden of proof” in a dispute and the different standards of what constitutes proof from a “neutral” standpoint.
The Burden of Proof
The burden of proof can define the duty placed upon a party to prove or Read More »
