The Faithful Christian a blog of The Lighthouse Ministries

  I don’t like debating Christians. I’d rather emphasize our common faith and hope in Jesus (Eph. 4:2-5; John 17:20-23). However, there are erroneous doctrines that  need  to be corrected (or at least explored further) because they contradict the Gospel at its very foundation. One such doctrine is pejoratively called “easy-believism.” It is described as a faith that consists  only  in cognitive assent a simple mental acknowledgement of certain Gospel truths apart from repentance or a determination to follow the Savior. Favoring this doctrine, J.B. Hixson writes: Saving faith occurs when one believes in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died and rose again to pay one’s personal penalty for sin and the one who gives eternal life to all who trust in Him and Him alone for it. ( Freely by His Grace , 145) In support, Hixson quotes Charles Ryrie: The issue is whether or not you believe that His death paid for all your sin and that by believing in Him you can have forgiveness and eternal lif

There are quite a few sayings that Christians like to quote as if they are from the Bible when in actuality they do not. Some even blatantly contradict the Bible. While our nation’s biblical illiteracy shows up in our inability to recognize phrases that come from the Bible, many struggle with phrases that “sound biblical” but come from somewhere else.   For instance:   ” God will not give you more than you can handle.” Not in the Bible anywhere.  If you believe this saying, you need to talk to the early Christians.  They were hated.  They were beaten, imprisoned, tortured, and executed for their faith. What about the reformers?  Thousands of them were exiled, tortured, imprisoned, and executed, why?  For defying the wicked, Roman Catholic Church and for trying to give people the word of God in their own language. For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life