Posts by John Van Gelderen
The Ultimate Anti-Semite
God loves all people (the world) so much that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). According to His plan for the nations, God chose one, the nation of Israel, to be a light for all. Ultimately, light was given through the incarnation…
Read MoreThe Sin of Provoking
“Provoke not…to wrath” (Eph. 6:4). Many books have been written on forgiveness. They are definitely needed. But for all of those, it seems there ought to be a least a few written on “provoke-ness”! Bitterness is wrong, but so is provoking. Instead of focusing on someone’s negative reaction whenever our words or actions are met…
Read MoreAssurance of Salvation: Preaching for Doubt vs Preaching for Faith
Over the years, I have received more inquiries regarding assurance than any other matter. It’s a joy to offer help by pointing people to the object of faith, Jesus, based on the sure Word of God. The only infallible assurance is the infallible Word of God. A simple pattern is evident in most (if not…
Read MorePartial Baptists
Baptists have distinctives, and in a typical ordination council, a Baptist ministerial candidate is asked to articulate them. Though some people may include additional items, these seven elements are at the heart of Baptist distinctives: The Bible: the only rule of faith and practice Priesthood of the believer Soul liberty Autonomy of the local church…
Read MoreThirteen Characteristics of the Holy Spirit
The Scripture provides a number of phrases that describe the characteristics of the Holy Spirit. He is the Spirit of truth (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13; 1 John 4:6). As such, He guides us into all truth and seeks to keep us from error. He is the Spirit of holiness (Rom. 1:4). As such, He separates…
Read More1 John 1:9 — Salvation or Sanctification?
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” For much of my lifetime, I heard this verse referred to as a cleansing and restoring truth for believers who in some way had stumbled into sin. Such an interpretation affects sanctification. About…
Read MoreThe Error of Counterfeit Holiness
The Scripture upholds true godliness and holiness with statements like “Godliness is profitable unto all things” (I Tim. 4:8), and warns against the counterfeit, with statements like “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Tim. 3:5). While the context of 2 Timothy primarily addresses counterfeit religion among…
Read MoreGuns and Sanctification
The recent tragedy of the shooting in Florida reminds us once again of man’s depravity and his need for salvation through Jesus Christ to receive a changed heart. The wake of this egregious crime certainly has spurred debate about guns, but common sense recognizes the truth of the adage, “The only thing that stops a…
Read MoreGreatest Strength and Weakness of Independent Baptist Churches
John Van Gelderen Last week on the Revival Focus Facebook and Twitter accounts, we asked what people considered to be the greatest strength and the greatest weakness of Independent Baptist churches. Regarding the greatest strength, for the most part the responses indicated a high view of the Word of God, such as preaching, teaching, doctrine,…
Read MoreSeven Marks of Counterfeit Holiness
John Van Gelderen In a recent post we addressed the error of counterfeit holiness (see The Error of Counterfeit Holiness). The major error is in focusing primarily on applications of holiness instead of the person of holiness—the Holy One. Although there are many, following are seven marks of counterfeit holiness.
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