Shawn Stamp

Can Salvation be lost? (part 2)

In Part 1 of this series on Assurance, we considered what Scripture has to say about whether someone can “lose their salvation”, and the clear message is that Christ’s disciples cannot be “snatched away” from Him. Moreover, since we know that Jesus’ work of atonement cannot be reversed or nullified, it is indeed true thatContinue reading “Can Salvation be lost? (part 2)”

“Got Faith?”

If someone asked you to define faith, how would you reply? According to the dictionary, faith is “complete trust or confidence in someone or something” or “strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof”. Indeed, many people instinctively equate faith with religious conviction per theContinue reading ““Got Faith?””

Can salvation be lost? (part 1)

When it comes to the subject of the security of the believer, there are almost as many viewpoints as there are denominations: You’d think that Scripture would be crystal clear on something so important, but what makes this question of “losing your salvation” so tricky is that adherents of every position can readily point toContinue reading “Can salvation be lost? (part 1)”

Merry Christmas!

If you’re looking for some new arrangements to add to your playlist for Christmas, these may fit the bill… God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen O Come, O Come Emmanuel Hark, the Herald Angels Sing Silent Night

Answers to Prayer

If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, chances are pretty good that you’ve run across the idea that God answers our prayers in one of three ways: “Yes”, “No”, and “Not yet…” This can be very encouraging when it seems like God is silent, because it gives us reason to hope thatContinue reading “Answers to Prayer”

The Essence of Prayer

How should we pray? What should we pray about? How do we know if God hears us when we pray?

No Strings Attached…

I’m happy to announce that you can now read Testing the Trinity on-line, without investing anything but your time. It traces the origins of this enigmatic doctrine as it attempts to distill a coherent view of “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” that actually aligns with Scripture, because more often than not, the historic doctrine ofContinue reading “No Strings Attached…”

Predestination (Part 4) – Transformation, not Destination

In Part 3 of this series on predestination, I challenged you to do a little homework and search for the word “predestination” using your favorite Bible app. If you did this, you discovered that the word “predestination” isn’t actually in the Bible! What the Bible does talk about, however, are people and events being “predestined”Continue reading “Predestination (Part 4) – Transformation, not Destination”

What is a Christian?

It has been said that “the Gospel is simple enough for a child to understand, but deep enough for you to spend the rest of your life studying it.” I’m not certain where I first heard this notion, but I would argue that the same principle applies to answering the question, “What is a Christian?”Continue reading “What is a Christian?”

Predestination (Part 3) – Who Decides?

In Part 2 of this series, we considered the question of whether anyone is capable—prior to God supernaturally changing the disposition of their heart—of heeding the Holy Spirit’s call to repent and to receive Christ. The two predominant schools of thought are Calvinism and Arminianism, and while both camps would agree that sin’s pervasive impactContinue reading “Predestination (Part 3) – Who Decides?”