A Protestant Tackles Mortal/Venial Sins

A Protestant Tackles Mortal/Venial Sins

For those who believe in the distinction between mortal and venial sin, 1 John 5:16-17 is often a go-to text. Even the Catechism of the Catholic Church references this text (1854) in support of its teaching on mortal and venial sin. Here’s the text: If anyone sees his...
Eat the Flesh. Drink the Blood. Really!

Eat the Flesh. Drink the Blood. Really!

There is no shortage of counters to the literal reading of Jesus’ words “eat my flesh . . . drink my blood” (John 6:54-58). One form these counters take is showing that such a literal reading entails an absurdity. Protestant Pastor Todd Baker makes this kind of...
‘But Paul Rebuked Peter!’

‘But Paul Rebuked Peter!’

Protestants often object to the Catholic doctrine of papal infallibility by appealing to Galatians 2:11 where Paul records how he rebuked Peter because “he clearly was wrong” (NAB Translation). “You see,” the argument goes, “the Bible says Peter was wrong. Therefore,...
Did Jesus Have to Die for Us?

Did Jesus Have to Die for Us?

The Bible teaches that Jesus is “the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). This is the heart of the Christian message: Christ made satisfaction for our sins (paid a debt) through his death on the cross....
Don’t Exclude the Saints

Don’t Exclude the Saints

Some Christians object to the practice of invoking the saints’ intercession because they think it takes away from the unique mediation of Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5—“There is one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ”). But those who invoke the saints counter that...
What Good is Hell?

What Good is Hell?

When it comes to the Christian doctrine of hell, there is no lack of critics. One critique, espoused by David Bentley Hart, is that hell necessarily entails punishment without reform, which seemingly would be contrary to God’s goodness. In his book That All Shall Be...