Bio

Dr. Mike Halsey is the chancellor of Grace Biblical Seminary, a Bible teacher at the Hangar Bible Fellowship, the author of Truthspeak and his new book, The Gospel of Grace and Truth: A Theology of Grace from the Gospel of John," both available on Amazon.com. A copy of his book, Microbes in the Bloodstream of the Church, is also available as an E-book on Amazon.com. If you would like to a receive a copy of his weekly Bible studies and other articles of biblical teaching and application, you can do so by writing to Dr. Halsey at michaeldhalsey@bellsouth.net and requesting, "The Hangar Bible Fellowship Journal."

Comments may be addressed to michaeldhalsey@bellsouth.net.

If you would like to contribute to his ministry according to the principle of II Corinthians 9:7, you may do so by making your check out to Hangar Bible Fellowship and mailing it to 65 Teal Ct., Locust Grove, GA 30248. All donations are tax deductible.

Come visit the Hangar some Sunday at 10 AM at the above address. You'll be glad you did.

Other recommended grace-oriented websites are:

notbyworks.org
literaltruth.org
gracebiblicalseminary.org
duluthbible.org
clarityministries.org

Also:

Biblical Ministries, Inc.
C/O Dr. Richard Grubbs
P. O. Box 64582
Lubbock, TX 79464-4582

Friday, September 20, 2024

HAVE YOU SEEN ROMANS 8:28-29?

 The problem with some is that when they look at Romans 8:28-29, they see something that's not there and consciously or unconsciously, they read that something into the text. Here's Romans 8:28-29: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren."

Upon reading the word, "called," we see that in this text, Paul does not inform the reader concerning how God calls them, also He doesn't say that God only called them. He explains how God calls by the the gospel in other texts: II Thessalonians 2:14; Galatians 1:6-7; Romans 1:15-16; 10:17. To say that this "call" is irresistible or that there are two types of calling is to see what's not there in the text. 

Who are the ones Paul is talking about: "those who love God"? What are they per-appointed to? "To be conformed to the image of Christ." To say that they were pre-appointed to salvation is to see something that's not in the text. The two, loving God and salvation are not the same. Those who respond positively to "the call" of the gospel are per-appointed "to be conformed to the image of Christ."

When will the ones who responded to the call be conformed to the image of Christ? Not in this life but when they are resurrected from the dead. Jesus is said to be the firstborn through His resurrection (vs. 30). The reader is in a resurrection context, an eternal security context. God's calling and pre-appointment all depend, according to vs. 28, on whether a man loves God, not on some decisions made in eternity past as to what few go to heaven and the majority of those who have ever lived go to hell, all decided before they were ever born, according to the philosophical system of Calvinism. To say that this text is saying that is to see what's not there

God's foreknowledge is not an act of God; God's foreknowledge is an attribute of God. One should also notice that regeneration is not in the list given in the verses.

Once a person responds positively to the gospel God pre-appoints him to be conformed to the image of Christ at the resurrection. as I John 3:2 promises, "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.


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