PowerPoints
Source Of PowerPoints
Studying over the years has produced doctrinal points that can be used as stand-alone bits of truth. I'm sure every student of Scripture experiences this. I am posting some of mine here. I previously used some of them as tweets, too.
Free will is the greatest and most serious endowment we possess.
Stating part of the truth as the whole truth is a lie.
People ususally gravitate to the easiest of demands.
It’s an expression of a corrupt heart to not accept salvation on biblical terms but to try to claim it on own’s own (John 10:1).
We prove our love for souls, not by our acceptance of their errant position, but by our desire to help them see the truth.
Correct interpretation of Scripture is the most important role of the Church and of anyone who is in a position to tell someone about Jesus.
There is no bigger step to be taken in life, nor one more resisted, than full surrender to Christ.
To want the truth and to live the truth indicate that you are true.
There’s no greater difference to make in the world than an Apostolic difference.
“The more simple and easy the thing enjoined, the more blameworthy the act of disobedience.” — Barnes Notes, Genesis 3:7
Rule 1 of proper interpretation: Scripture interprets Scripture.
The Bible is only true correctly interpreted.
Scripture only means what it means to God.
Misinterpretation of Scripture changes the meaning of Scripture.
Interpretation of Scripture is as important as the Scripture itself.
“Misinterpreting Scripture is making a new Scripture.” — Jonathan Edwards
The fact that so many different Scriptures are cited as the means by which to claim salvation shows the necessity of correctly applied principles of interpretation to make them all agree without explaining any of them away.
If you say you don’t need salvation, you argue against the wisdom of God in providing it and trample upon the blood that bought it.
If you consider the greatness of heaven or the horribleness of hell, you will understand why the devil fights against the truth.
The tenets of faith can never change or be replaced within the covenant (dispensation) to which they are relevant.
God represents Himself and His truth as findable and knowable.
It’s astonishing that people can see things in the Bible that aren’t there and miss things that are.
Justification by faith in Christ simply means that we are saved by what Christ prescribed for salvation rather than by keeping the Law.
Refusal to learn truth when one has the opportunity is willful ignorance.
To believe in Jesus means to believe everything the Bible reveals about Him and what He taught.
Part of believing in Christ, according to Jesus in John 17:20, is believing what the Apostles preached.
I think the truth is so important that a person would be better off in the hands of the worst Apostolic pastor in the world than in the hands of the best non-Apostolic one.
One of the greatest things you can learn is how to learn.
The devil designs misinterpretation of Scripture for a fatal purpose (Matthew 4:5-6).
Free will gives us the liberty to do what’s wrong but not the right to.
We don’t have anything permanently but God, and what His mercy allots us. And that arrangement could not be better (Psalms 23:6; James 1:17).
The only thing I can think of on earth that I would miss in heaven is kids! They are the most perfect thing on the planet (Matthew 18:3).
Often when there is a choice to make between two courses, neither of which is sinful, usually one is distinctly better than the other. That would represent the perfect will of God over His permissive will.
The most serious thing a person can ever do is give another person an indication that he is saved. In such a case, the teacher better be right (James 3:1).
Jesus is the Son of God, which means that He is the God of the Old Testament manifested in our nature (Matthew 1:23; 1Timothy 3:16; Colossians 2:9).
Giving false doctrine a nod of approval doesn’t help a soul but, instead, hurts everyone.
Religion is a battle for the souls of men. Only truth can win that battle (John 8:31-32).
The world’s most serious threat is a spiritual one— false doctrine. It is more transmissible than the Coronavirus— and a lot more deadly. And the world is less aware of it.
The resurrection of Christ validates every precious Christian doctrine.
Relevant quote from Matthew Henry (d. 1714): “Some that are willing to honor Christ, and bear their testimony to Him, yet labor under mistakes concerning Him, which would be rectified if they would take pains to inform themselves.”
“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8
To err regarding the Person of Christ and the plan of salvation are the most egregious errors possible.
Definition of culture: the current way to be lost but still feel alright because of the masses, most of whom seem decent enough.
“Give a person a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Give a person a command and you order him about for a day. Let God give him the Holy Ghost and He will lead him about for a lifetime.
Free will means that God will never make us do what’s right. But He does make us do one thing— manifest ourselves. We do that by the choices we make. And it’s impossible for people to not choose because to fail to choose is still a choice.
Without holiness, absolutely nothing else matters religiously (Hebrews 12:14; 1Thessalonians 4:3,7; Matthew 7:21-23). True conversion, involving new birth and walking in the Spirit, is the necessary process to get us to heaven.
True doctrine and holiness go together. Deficiency in holiness is because of deficiency in doctrinal understanding (Romans 6; 1Peter 1:15-16). Decline in true doctrine will lead to decline in holiness.
In Romans 6, holiness is sandwiched between baptism, its theological base, and the hope of the resurrection. It’s that way in real life, too.
Doesn’t the fact that we aspire to go to the Holy City tell us something about how we ought to live? A Holy City suggests that its inhabitants love holiness.
In most things in life, people say, “Tell me more”. In salvation, “Tell me less”. In holiness, “Don’t tell me”.
Have you ever seen a bumper sticker that read, “God is holy”?
Faith in Christ is the principle of salvation in the New Testament (John 3:16; Acts 16:31), not the plan of salvation. The plan of salvation is Acts 2:38.
There is a biblical interpretive grid, into which every verse of Scripture fits like a piece of a puzzle, both advancing the view and meaning of the whole and receiving meaning and significance from the whole.
An honest person can be deceived.
We have all been the victim of lies. But an honest person, upon hearing the reasons that support the truth compared with the reasons which support the lie, will come to see and believe the truth. He will see through a lie.
Many people don’t see the truth because they won’t listen to the reasons for the truth. By refusing to hear the reasons for the truth, they prefer and embrace the lie.
Christ was so good and wise to show that every Word of God is necessary for life (Matthew 4:4). Complying with His order and applying all Scripture, no one then would miss Acts 2:38 and thereby everyone would come to receive the vital remission of sins and Holy Ghost.
No lie is of the truth (1John 2:21).
That’s a good reason for a person to possibly leave his Church. If a person’s Church teaches error in a significant area, such as salvation doctrine (for example, baptism), it is not a true Church.
Baptism is the essence of the Great Commission. It is the faith response upon hearing the Gospel.
The Apostle Paul designated Christ, faith, and baptism as inseparable (Ephesians 4:5).
Remission of sins is the greatest aspect of salvation. It should be the most sought after benefit of the cross.
Remission of sins and receiving the Holy Ghost are all a person needs to be justified (1Corinthians 6:11).
Do you know why John the Baptist refused to baptize some folks? It is because baptism is too important to be trifled with.
Re-baptism may show the necessity of baptism more than any other statement in the Bible, with the exception that it is said to be for the remission of sins (Acts 19:5; 2:38).
The devil is against the doctrine of baptism in Jesus’ name because he is against the blood of Christ, which is applied at baptism for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).
Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission (Hebrews 9:22). The implication is that where there is no remission of sins, there is no salvation.
Considering that baptism is for the remission of sins, it has to be resisted by the devil.
The Bible says that baptism is for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16). Remission of sins for one person is remission of sins for all. Is there a valid reason for us to reject this as the means for us to receive remission of sins today?
There must be a biblically verifiable way for a person to know he has received remission of sins. Baptism is expressly stated to be for that purpose (Acts 2:38; 22:16). The second reference in Acts concerned the example of Paul himself.
“And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is,…”(Hebrews 10:17-18a). Remission of sins means that God has no more memory of them. What God does not remember does not exist! The Bible promises in black and white that baptism in Jesus’ name remits sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16). There is not a greater promise in the Bible.
Paul’s need to be baptized to wash away his sins three days after surrendering to Christ (Acts 22:16) has profound theological implications. The modern view of justification by faith without baptism simply cannot be true. Paul’s view of justification involves water and Spirit (1Corinthians 6:11; Titus 3:5-7).
Notice Paul’s description of justification in Titus 3:5-7 involving regenerational washing and the Spirit. His theology aligns with Jesus’ requirement of regeneration in John 3:5 and Peter’s follow up imperative in Acts 2:38 and describes his own conversion in Acts 9:17-18 & 22:16.
Sin is shameful and is man’s greatest dilemma. Remission, then, is a GREAT aspect of salvation! The alternative is to have all one’s sins exposed at Judgment and then to suffer their just due. Remission of sins should be the most sought after benefit of the grace of God. And, due to Calvary, it is so easy to obtain.
Some theologize that remission of sins takes place by mere faith. Paul, whom they claim taught this, didn’t receive remission of sins until three days after believing in Christ (Acts 22:16).
Baptism in Jesus’ name is faith in Christ. It was prescribed by Christ Himself for salvation in the Great Commission (Mark 16:16; Luke 24:47) and followed through by Peter to the first believers (Acts 2:38). Obedience to our Savior is faith in our Savior.
Nothing reveals shallowness in religion as does error in baptism.
The blood Jesus Christ that remits our sins is covenantal (Matthew 26:28) and is not available apart from the covenant of grace. That means it is applied according to the terms of the New Covenant, which was enacted on the Day of Pentecost. Remission of sins was prominently addressed on that day to occur through baptism in Jesus’ name (Acts 2:38).
The book of Acts solves all salvation issues.
The book of Acts is the anchor of Christian salvation doctrine.
The book of Acts showcases Christian salvation.
Without remission of sins, there is no salvation (Hebrews 9:22).
Without the Spirit, there is no salvation (John 3:5; Romans 8:9).
Salvation in the New Testament would be confusing without the book of Acts. Both the Gospels and the Epistles pivot on it. If Acts is left out when considering Christian salvation doctrine, error will inevitably and necessarily occur.
Acts does not witness of any belief system or salvation example that denies baptism.
The book of Acts is for serious seekers of salvation.
Nothing proves salvation doctrine more than examples of salvation.
Justification by faith began on the Day of Pentecost.
The Day of Pentecost is the prime example in the Bible of the preaching of the Gospel. Nothing superior is found anywhere.
Longevity as a proof of Christian salvation doctrine is only valid in the case of the original.
The Day of Pentecost was the most significant day in Christian history and determines the plan of salvation.
Acts does witness of any belief system or example of salvation that denies the baptism of the Holy Ghost, speaking in other tongues.
If a person denies Acts 2:38 as the plan of salvation, he must be able to show how it is not so.
Whatever a person believes to be the Christian plan of salvation, he must be able to provide examples of it in Acts.
From the Day of Pentecost until the Rapture of the Church, the tenets of salvation cannot change.
If ever the Gospel was preached and received correctly, it was on the Day of Pentecost when three thousand received the grace of God through faith in Christ. And this grace through faith was in the form of baptism in Jesus’ name and the infilling of the Holy Ghost.
If, upon conviction of sin, Acts 2:37 is the most important question in the world, then Acts 2:38 has to be the most important answer in the world.
Some people are unwilling to obey Acts 2:38 but still want to claim its benefits, namely, remission of sins and having the Spirit. By their claim, they pay homage to Acts 2:38 as the plan of salvation. These two tenets are the essence of Christianity.
The Day of Pentecost is epochal. Every New Testament verse of Scripture has meaning according to its placement relative to the Day of Pentecost.
There is no salvation evident in the Christian era but what is contained in Acts.
Acts 2:38 is the plan of salvation for the Christian era because it is the first occasion of Christian evangelism and salvation.
The imperative of Acts 2:38 involving water baptism in Jesus’ name and receiving the Spirit is the fulfillment of the imperative of John 3:5.
John 3:5 is serious and absolute. Therefore, it must be highly evident in Acts which contains all the examples of Christian conversion.
The devil’s plan is to replace the real plan of salvation (Acts 2:38) with anything else, Scriptural or non-Scriptural, just like he supplanted God’s Word at the Fall.
Acts doesn’t witness of any belief system or salvation example that denies the tenets of salvation revealed on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38).
Citing the thief on the cross as an example of salvation recognizes the validity of examples as salvation models, but all the examples of Christian salvation are in Acts.
Peter’s and Paul’s message of salvation were identical (Acts 2:38; 19:1-6).
Christian salvation can only be correctly understood in its actual historical context, which is provided in Acts.
An often overlooked feature of Christian salvation is that it would be revealed to the world by Peter (Matthew 16:19). It was fulfilled in Acts 2:38.
The teaching of Jesus in John 3:5 regarding salvation in the Christian era had to begin on the Day of Pentecost, the first day of the Church.
It’s no wonder Acts 2:38 is fought against so hard by the devil. Anything so effective for salvation must be.
Acts 2:38 is the only New Testament verse that can be proven to be the Christian plan of salvation.
Examples of Christian salvation in Acts, involving thousands of people, provide assurance that salvation is understood and received correctly.
Christian salvation did not begin until the Day of Pentecost. Therefore, there are no biblical examples of salvation to support Christian salvation prior to that day.
Whatever a person believes the plan of salvation to be, he must be able to cite examples of it in Acts where Christian salvation occurred.
Acts is the only place in the New Testament where the Christian plan of salvation was stated. And it occurred right where you would expect it— on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38).
Acts 2:38 is the plan of salvation for the Christian era because it was stated on the first occasion of Christian evangelism and salvation. By simple chronology, the plan of salvation must be evident on the first day of the Church.
The Christian plan of salvation was announced in Acts 2:38. In verse 39, Peter stated it to be for the entire Church age. Acts2:38-39 explicitly states salvation for “everyone of you…even as many as the Lord our God shall call”, making it the means whereby God would call all souls.
The New Testament is about the grace of God. The most gracious verse in the Bible is Acts 2:38. It epitomizes grace and is the height of it because it provides for complete remission of sins and the infilling of God’s Spirit.
Paul said the Gospel is so evident that it shines (2Corinthians 4:4). It sure is radiant on the Day of Pentecost, which is the greatest display of it in the New Testament.
By far, the most powerful proof of Christian salvation doctrine, more than anything else declared in Scripture, are the examples of it in Acts.
It’s not scholarship if the study of Christian salvation does not primarily include the examples of it given in Acts 2,8,9,10,19.
What was said on Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38) is exactly what every person claims for salvation, whether he does so legitimately or not— namely, remission of sins and having the Spirit.
Acts covers a history of 30 years. That’s a whole generation. The salvation once delivered to the saints and universally received was Acts 2:38 (Jude 3).
The most concise way to summarize the New Testament is: Christmas, Easter, Pentecost.
Paul’s own conversion was in accordance with Acts 2:38 (Acts 9:17-18; 22:16). This was Paul’s justification by faith in Christ and was the basis of his theology of justification in his Epistles.
If Christian salvation is by faith alone, why didn’t Jesus say that in the Great Commission? Why did He say instead that baptism saves (Mark 16:15-16)? The Apostles followed what they were commissioned to do (Acts 2:38; 1Peter 3:21).
An instance of Christ giving the Great Commission is recorded in all four Gospels: Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20. In every case, baptism (remission of sins) is mentioned. Fulfillment of the Great Commission begins in Acts 2. Consequently, and necessarily, baptism is required in Acts 2:38.
A person cannot be saved lacking any feature of Acts 2:38. Which would you feel comfortable without? Turning to Christ in repentance? Remission of sins? Having the Spirit? All are vital for salvation. And which is not to be desired? The grace of God in Acts 2:38 could not be more complete.
When considering the Great Commission, there’s a rule of interpretation that ties it to the Day of Pentecost— the antecedent-consequence rule. It applies anytime there is a command and its fulfillment or a prophecy and its fulfillment. The Great Commission is the mandate; the Day of Pentecost is the beginning of the consequence.
The Great Commission literally drives the book of Acts. It is the only New Testament book where you can see the Great Commission fulfilled. And the first instance of this is on the Day of Pentecost when 3,000 were saved according to the prescribed terms of the Gospel presented in Acts 2:38.
Have you ever noticed that the full-orbed Great Commission (John 20; Mark 16; Matthew 28; Luke 24; Acts 1), which occurred over a forty-day period, is identical in substance to Acts 2:38? And isn’t this exactly what has to be since the fulfillment of the Great Commission began on the Day of Pentecost?
The Great Commission is a mandate from Christ. Therefore, the tenets of salvation that are contained in the Great Commission are mandated by Him.
Simple chronology is an interpreter’s best friend. The plan of salvation, justification by faith in Christ alone, the real meaning of John 3:5, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 10:9, and any other idea that contends to be salvation doctrine MUST be presented on the Day of Pentecost.
None of the examples of salvation in Christ’s ministry serve as an example of salvation today.
The only tenet-specific words of His that apply to salvation in the Christian era are those He spoke of prophetically for this era, such as John 3:5 or the tenets in the Great Commission, which include repentance, water baptism in the name of Jesus, and receiving the Holy Ghost.
Romans 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
“The redemption that is in Christ Jesus” is anchored in prophecy, given to the Apostles by Jesus in His Great Commission, and showcased by many examples in the book of Acts where it was declared initially by Peter on the first day of Christian evangelism and salvation and followed throughout the book of Acts by Paul and other Christian ministers. It can only refer to Acts 2:38, which is unequivocally the New Testament plan of salvation once and for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3; Ephesians 4:5; Galatians 1:8-9).
The principle of salvation in the New Testament is faith in Christ (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9). That is not the plan of salvation but it is the principle of salvation. Justification by faith in Christ simply means that we are saved by what Christ prescribed for salvation rather than by any other means. Acts 2:38 is the plan of salvation because the tenets expressed therein were mandated by Christ in His Great Commission. The Great Commission is a mandate. Therefore, the tenets of salvation that are contained in it are mandated by Christ for use in evangelism. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter spoke as a commissioned minister and preached the plan of salvation that every New Testament minister is commissioned to preach.
Acts 2 explodes on the scene to ground the plan of salvation for the Church age.
Acts 8 bombards the notion that the Spirit is given when a person believes or is baptized.
Acts 9 destroys the misinterpretation of justification by faith.
Acts 10 compares mere relationship with God with covenant relationship.
Acts 18 and 19 illustrate the deficiency of faith in Christ without the inalienable covenant terms of faith.