New Articles

The Songs of Redemption

David Dunlap — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0500

True praise is always born of a great experience. Bondage and deliverance, suffering and victor--it is in these times that God's hand molds, shapes, and refines us and our song of praise. The refiner's crucible does not only remove the dross, but also brightens the metal. Out of the furnace of bondage and then in to redemption, the children of Israel learned to bow in holy worship. We read, "Israel saw the great work which the Lord did and believed the Lord. Then sang Moses and the children of I...

Believer's Standing in Christ

David Dunlap — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0500

There can be no greater joy for a believer than to know that through the work of Christ his standing with God is settled. He who was once an enemy of God is now a child of God. He who at one time was at war with God, now has peace with God. The apostle explains, “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand” (Rom. 5:1-2). Our imm...

Postmodernism and the "Emergent" Churches

David Dunlap — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0500

Today the church faces a threat far greater than the anti-supernaturalism of the 18th century rationalists and deists, potentially more damaging than the persecution under Islam or Communism, and more cunning in its inroads into the life of the church than mysticism and emotionalism. I am referring to postmodernism. To many sincere Christians, this rather new tool of the Enemy will be relatively unknown. However, among university students and those in governmen...

The New Covenent Controversy

David Dunlap — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0500

The institution of New Covenant powerfully unfolds the depth of God’s faithfulness and the integrity of His promises. This unconditional agreement was made with Israel because they had broken the terms of the earlier Mosaic covenant. This (new) covenant would be rooted in God’s faithfulness rather than Israel’s obedience. It points to a future day, when God will gather Israel out of all the nations and bring them into their own land, giving them a new hear...

The False Charge of Semi-Pelagianism

David Dunlap — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0500

Many Reformed leaders find themselves in an war of words with evangelical Christians, especially those who hold and teach Dispensational theology. This is unfortunate, for Dispensationalists have always stood on the front lines fighting for the truth of inerrancy and plenary verbal inspiration of Scripture, the person and work of Christ, and the doctrines of salvation. In their ranks number some of the stalwarts of the faith: J. N. Darby, D. L. Moody, R. A. Torrey, ...

The Phenomenon of Holy Scripture

David Dunlap — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0500

It is a tremendous understatement to say that the Bible is unlike any other book. But it is nevertheless true! The Bible is the most loved book, but at the same time, the most hated book in the history of the world. The Bible is the first book ever printed and yet remains the best-selling book of all time in nearly every language of the world. Its claims, truths, and prophecies are unique, powerful, and life-transforming. For this reason, God calls His Word living (...

The Battle For Continuing Faith

David Dunlap — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 00:00:00 -0500

Evangelical Christians have never doubted the necessity of faith for salvation. Since the days of the early church, the importance of faith in Christ as the means or “agency” of our salvation has been loudly proclaimed. During the Protestant Reformation in Europe, the cry of the Reformers was “solo gratis” and “solo fide”; that is, salvation is by grace through faith alone in the finish...

Expository Preaching

David Dunlap — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 00:00:00 -0500

The faithful exposition of the Word of God powerfully transforms lives. This was never more true than in the ministry of the Scripture by the so-called "Plymouth Brethren" 150 years ago. Men of God with such names as J. N. Darby, William Kelly, C. H. Macintosh, R. C. Chapman and others were noted and exceptionally gifted expositors of the Bible. C. H. Spurgeon commented that R. C. Chapman, was one of the most godly and gifted expositors in England. J. N. Darby visited the United States and preached to eager audiences in the largest churches in North America. He preached on a number of occasions at Moody's Farwell Hall in Chicago and at the Walnut Street Presbyterian church in St. Louis at which James H. Brooke was the minister. "Brethren" Bible conferences in North America and in Great Britain attracted overflowing crowds of serious Christians. Many of the leading evangelical church leaders of that time attended these conferences. Gratton Guiness, Henry Varley, and D. L. Moody visited the Mildmay conference in Dublin in 1872. C. I. Scofield and Arno Gaebelein frequently attended Bible conferences in the U. S. The Bible teaching among the "brethren" was considered to be the richest and most spiritual available in that day. Dwight L. Moody wrote concerning the teaching of C. H. Macintosh, "I had my attention called to C. H. M.'s notes, and was so much pleased and at the same time profited by the way they opened up Scripture truth, that I secured at once all the writings of the same author, and if they could not be replaced, would rather part with my entire library, excepting my Bible, than with these writings. They have been to me a very key to the Scriptures". ⁽¹⁾

A Defense of the Eternal Sonship of Christ

David Dunlap — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 00:00:00 -0500

The nonnegotiable doctrine of the eternal Sonship of Christ has come under subtle and disturbing opposition in recent years. Surprisingly, a growing number of Charismatic and Baptist church leaders are leading this charge. Yet this controversy is not new, nor is it merely theological semantics; this error is both fundamental and serious. Nearly 100 years ago F.E. Raven, a teacher among early brethren, declared his denial of the eternal Sonship of Christ when he wrote, "Now, 'Son of God' I ...

Bible Fact-Sheet - One Naturism

David Dunlap — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 00:00:00 -0500

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Bible Fact Sheet - Prewrath Rapture

David Dunlap — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 00:00:00 -0500

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Bible Fact Sheet - Progressive Dispensationalism

David Dunlap — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 00:00:00 -0500

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Limiting Omnipotence - Introductory Information

David Dunlap — Wed, 18 May 2005 00:00:00 -0500

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Forgotten Doctrines - Audio

David Dunlap — Wed, 18 May 2005 00:00:00 -0500

Our Home Bible Study Heritage

David Dunlap — Fri, 18 Feb 2005 00:00:00 -0600

For over 150 years those known as “Plymouth Brethren” were renown for their command of the Scriptures. This movement exerted great influence over their generation, and their impact continues to be felt in the church. They were held in high esteem by leaders of many denominations. A. T. Pierson, a Baptist minister and author, wrote concerning the spiritual stature of the brethren, “and in those days there were giants in the land.” He was referring to men such as John Nelso...

Our Standing in Christ

David Dunlap — Sat, 12 Feb 2005 00:00:00 -0600

There can be no greater joy for a believer than to know that through the work of Christ his standing with God is settled. Once an enemy of God, he is now a child of God. He who at one time was at war with God now has peace with God. The apostle explains, “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand” (Rom. 5:1-2). Our immutable standing with God is the position in whi...

Knock Knock

David Dunlap — Sat, 12 Feb 2005 00:00:00 -0600

In 1960, D. James Kennedy graduated from seminary and began preaching at the Coral Ridge Church in Fort Lauderdale, FL. After just eight months of ministry there, the congregation dwindled from 45 to 17 believers. Although he was very discouraged about what was happening, he would not give up. He realized the problem was that he lacked courage to confront unbelievers with the truth of the gospel. To his surprise, he was invited to Decatur, GA, to conduct a gospel campaign for ten days. He preach...

The Gift of Faith

David Dunlap — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 00:00:00 -0600

D. L. Moody was once asked if he thought faith was a gift of God. He replied, “Some say that faith is the gift of God. So is the air, but you have to breathe it; so is bread, but you have to eat it; so is water, but you have to drink it. Some are wanting some miraculous kind of feeling. That is not faith. ‘Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.’ It is not for me to sit down and wait for faith to come stealing over me…it is for me to take God at His word.&...

Working With Children

David Dunlap — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 00:00:00 -0600

In the late 1850’s the well-known evangelist D.L. Moody organized the largest Sunday School in Chicago. Upward of 1,000 children from all over the city would make great efforts to attend. One day a young boy making his way to Moody’s Sunday School, walked past several other Sunday Schools. A minister who was watching came out to him and sternly said, “Young man, why do you walk so far to get to Sunday School?” The young boy replied, “Sir, it’s because they love a fellow over there.”

Today in the year 2000, there is a great and urgent need to “love a fellow.” There should be an urgency in winning children to Christ. Children are today’s spiritual investment and tomorrow’s eternal dividend. Yet children are increasingly found to be unwanted, mistreated, and abused at an alarming rate. A few years ago the Office of Child Health reported that 600,000 to 1,200,000 are sexually exploited and abused every year in America. Since 1970, the teenage suicide rate has increased 44% and 76% of teenagers use alcohol on a weekly basis. Of these, 50% will be drunk in a two-week period. 1

Religious Ritual

David Dunlap — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 00:00:00 -0600

Large numbers of evangelical Christians are returning to the maze of religious ritual. Liturgical worship incorporating incense, candles, vestments, and ancient formal prayers has found its place on the platforms of evangelical churches. A recent study has reported that evangelicals are returning to ancient ritual at an alarming rate. Ritualism is finding that leading Bible schools and denominations are fertile soil in which to germinate. Robert Webber, a professor of theology at Wheaton Colleg...

The Origin of Sin

David Dunlap — Wed, 09 Feb 2005 00:00:00 -0600

The origin of sin has perplexed Christians throughout history. Many have asked: Since God is supremely good, untainted by sin, and infinitely sovereign over His universe, how is it that sin entered the world which God declared to be “very good”? It has been suggested that God could have created angels and man in a state of holy perfection, so it would have been impossible for them to sin. However, this would have resulted in reducing God’s noblest creation to mere machine-like ...

Spiritual Revival & The Lord's Supper

David Dunlap — Mon, 24 Jan 2005 00:00:00 -0600

The practice of the Lord’s supper has fallen on unfortunate times. To many believers, the Lord’s supper is considered an incidental ordinance of the church to be dispensed with quickly at the end of a preaching service; to others it is an ancient ceremony whose meaning is hidden in mystery and ritual. However, this was not always the case. In the early church, the Lord’s supper was integral in the life of the church. The Lord’s supper was instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ in the gospels. The book of Acts lists the Lord’s supper as one of the four foundational practices of New Testament church life (Acts 2:42). The apostle Paul declares that his teaching on the Lord’s supper was received by special revelation from the risen Christ (1 Cor. 11:23). The weekly Lord’s supper was important in the early church; it was important during the Reformation; it was important during the Wesleyan revivals in England. In virtually every major period of church history, the Lord’s supper stood at the forefront of the life of the local church. Throughout the history of the church, whenever the church was experiencing spiritual revival, the Lord’s supper was especially vibrant and alive. However, when the church was in spiritual decline, the worship of Christ at the Lord’s supper was stifled, muted, and shrouded in mystery. In every generation the Lord’s supper functioned as a spiritual barometer, measuring the spiritual health of the church.

The Current Situation in the Evangelical Church

Reception or Joining a Church

David Dunlap — Sun, 23 Jan 2005 00:00:00 -0600

Christians have debated for many years the issue of membership in the local church. Some churches have taught that, unless a Christian is a church member, he cannot partake at the Lord’s Supper, be married in the church, or be involved in ministries of the church. Some have gone so far as to refuse to recognize baptism from other evangelical fellowships and insist on re-baptism. (1) What does the Bible say about fellowship in the local church? What is “Reception”? Many churc...

Biblical Tithing