Comments for Buck To Basics

Comment on Does salvation require our acceptance and belief? by Brian.

Brian. — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:06:41 +0000

Very interesting blog!

So, where from scripture do Christians get the idea that we need to accept salvation through the sinner’s prayer or something similar in order to be saved? I know this idea of our need to accept salvation has been hotly defended in our group.

One of the arguments that comes up is the need for humans to have free will.

Comment on Are we in the end-time? by Brian

Brian — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:43:41 +0000

This is a very timely subject for me. My brother was up for the holidays with my sister, her husband and their 6 mo old daughter.

My brother asked what I thought about the end-times prophecies, etc. I told him that it isn’t clear to me that there will be a global apocalypse before Jesus returns. In fact, isn’t it possible that the gospel will be preached everywhere, resulting in a better world than we have now, before Jesus returns?

I don’t really know, I’m sitting on the fence right now on this.

To help explain my thinking, I played the Gordon Fee interview on his Revelation commentary for my brother. If you consider that Revelation was written to the early church to warn them of the coming three-century holocaust and the ultimate end of the Roman empire, you have to wonder where we can get the idea that the message is an end-time warning for our generation.

Hopefully, it gave him something to think about and question what is being pitched by many Christians today.

Brian.

Comment on New Year’s resolutions – bah humbug! (part 3) by Brian

Brian — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:31:06 +0000

Just going through your recent posts on New Years resolutions and Christianity.

Coincidentally, one of the TV ministers we watch (CP) has been talking lately about grieving the spirit, which would seem to be the flip side of what you are saying.

My take on what he is saying is that we are not to grieve the Spirit by our actions.

So, are you saying that we can’t affect our spiritual transformation by what we do? Would grieving the Spirit negatively influence our transformation?

Thanks Jonathan.

Comment on It all backfires on the Devil in the end by Brian

Brian — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 17:31:46 +0000

I came across another area which appears to be one of Satan’s deceptions and may be infecting the thinking of some Christians. For the limited reading that I did, it appears to be called “deliverance” ministry and may be a branch of the charismatic movement.

It centres on addictions, demonology, casting out demons, etc. Their central premise seems to be that Christians can be possessed by demons and we need specially trained deliverance ministers to drive them out.

The whole idea didn’t make any sense to me and one article that I found helpful on the subject – it seemed to be well-written and biblical in the approach – was here:

http://cicministry.org/commentary/issue78.htm

I thought it was interesting that you had written your articles on the Devil at about the same time that I had been reading about this.