What is sin?
9MarksDoes God promise Christians material wealth and physical health in this life?
9MarksIn the gospel, God gives us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1:3): we’re made righteous in his sight, freed from slavery to sin, given the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, adopted into God’s family, and ultimately given eternal life.
What is the difference between a man-centered gospel and the true gospel?
9MarksThere are countless man-centered “gospels” on offer today. Such “gospels” say things like, “God wants to make you rich and prosperous in this life,” or “God wants to heal you of every physical and emotional ailment,” or “God wants to provide for whatever needs you feel you have.”
But how do these man-centered gospels differ from the true, biblical, God-centered gospel?
Is penal substitutionary atonement central to the gospel or just one of many metaphors?
9MarksSome scholars and church leaders argue that penal substitutionary atonement—the doctrine that when Jesus died on the cross God punished him for the sins of his people, in whose place he stood—is at best one scriptural metaphor among many. Such teachers argue that we should push penal substitution to the sidelines of the gospel message.
What content is necessary in order to share the gospel?
9MarksIn order to share the gospel you must tell someone the truth about
What are the most dangerous threats to the gospel today?
9MarksIt’s impossible to answer what’s “most” dangerous to the gospel today without God’s knowledge of everything. But here are some prominent threats that loom on the horizon:
What is the gospel?
9MarksThe gospel is the good news about what Jesus Christ has done to reconcile sinners to God. Here’s the whole story:
How can I grow my church?
9MarksWhat weight should be given to the preferences of non-Christians for what Christians do in their gatherings?
9MarksThere are four biblical principles to keep in mind here.
Should church services primarily be for evangelizing non-Christians or building up Christians?
9MarksFirst Corinthians 14 provides us with some of the most detailed instruction about the corporate gatherings of Christians in all of the New Testament. In this chapter, Paul explains that church services should primarily be for building up Christians.
What weight should pastors give to numerical growth?
9MarksWhat is success in ministry? How can it be measured?
9MarksThat’s a tough question to answer because competing principles are at play.
1. Measuring the supernatural? Supernatural fruitfulness cannot always be measured.
2. Success equals faithfulness. One of our most important criteria for success should be whether or not a man is faithfully preaching the Word and living a life of conformity to the Word.
What can we learn from Fundamentalists?
9MarksFrom Fundamentalists, we can learn
To contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). To evangelize. To insist on the importance of penal substitutionary atonement. To vigilantly guard against false teaching. To work for the moral and doctrinal purity of the church. To separate from those who teach a false gospel.How do we discern when new doctrinal boundaries are needed?
9MarksFalse teaching changes, so old doctrinal boundaries do not always protect against new problems. But how can we know when we need new boundaries? We can discern when we need to erect new doctrinal boundaries when:
