Solomon Lecture Series, Lecture 24: Teaching exchanged life living

The following post contains some highlights from the twenty fourth lecture in the Solomon Lecture Series, presented by Dr. Phil Jones. The entire lecture series is available, here, at Grace Fellowship International.

-       Dr. Jones uses the “1 John” tests to allow a person to see if they are saved. They are not ways of becoming a Christian, rather they are ways of seeing the evidences of being a Christian.

-       He believes that the church is not good at making disciples, but good at making converts.

-       He believes that most people who say they have been born again are deceived. He bases this partially on a Barna study that showed that there was essentially no behavioral differences between the saved and the unsaved.

-       Good news is not good news until you hear the bad news first. The unsaved must be confronted with their failure of being able to keep God’s law perfectly, realizing that through the law is the knowledge of sin. The law is not bad and is used by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of convicting of sin. Then the good news is presented, that you can meet God’s standards of righteousness through Christ’s righteousness. We are currently telling people first that God loves them. The order is reversed in Dr. Jones’ opinion.

-       “Do to be” is the typical discipleship program (e.g. if you do these spiritual disciples you will be a good Christian and please and be acceptable to God). You must be (know who you are in Christ) in order to do. The books of Ephesians and Romans starts out with who you are in Christ and then leads to doing.

-       Dr. Jones believes that the person who leads someone to Christ should disciple them as well.

-       He believes most people view Christianity as a self-help program. People aren’t “standing in line to die.”