Posts by Larry Oats
1 Corinthians 15:20–50: Adam Is Dead
Years ago the God-Is-Dead Movement began. This theological position did not argue that God had died; it was more the idea that man had created God (or gods) in the past, and now we had become intelligent and sophisticated enough that we no longer need a god. Similarly, and sadly, for some segments of Evangelicalism,…
Read MoreIntroducing the P&D Baptist History Page
A recent addition to our site is our Baptist History page. Our blog focuses on making Biblical applications to modern life from a fundamentalist Baptist perspective. An important component of that perspective is Baptist History, and especially our history as the FBFI. Dr. Larry Oats is the curator of this portion of our site. We…
Read MoreThe Process of Sanctification
Sanctification is the process of becoming more like Christ in our conduct and character. The objective of this pursuit of moral integrity is to be holy as God is holy (1 Pet. 1:15, 16). There is a great deal of debate over how sanctification occurs, however. To determine the Biblical truth, we need to answer…
Read MoreSalvation in Dispensationalism
Dispensationalism inherently sees distinctions in many areas of theology and practice between the Old and New Testaments. We believe that the progress of revelation includes a progression of dispensational expectations and truth, some expanding upon information from former dispensations and some in contrast to former dispensations. Covenant theology, on the other hand, seeks to unify…
Read MoreFrontLine: Membership Matters
FrontLine May/June 2018 | VOLUME 28 | NUMBER 3 Membership Matters Church membership, graphically portrayed here as a flock of sheep under their shepherd, is one of the most important and practical areas of theology. Church is where almost all the rest of the “-ologies” are put into practical function. Paul declared that the church—and…
Read MoreWhosoever Will
FrontLine May/June 2017 | VOLUME 27 | NUMBER 3 Larry Oats As the apostle John concludes the Book of Revelation, he gives God’s last great invitation to the lost. “And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17). God gave His Son for the salvation of mankind. The articles from Maranatha…
Read MoreThe Spiritual Nature of the Church
Larry Oats “The church is God’s institution for this age.” We hear this often, and the vast majority of those reading this article would give a hearty amen to the statement. The church, however, is not an “institution” in the modern sense of the word. The Oxford Dictionary defines “institution” as a large organization founded…
Read MoreMay/June 2016 FrontLine: Creationism
FrontLine May/June 2016 | VOLUME 26 | NUMBER 3 Creationism The Truth of Scripture Concerning Creation Larry Oats Dennis Venema is a senior fellow at BioLogos Foundation, a Christian group that attempts to reconcile faith and science. In an August 9, 2011, interview he told Wisconsin National Public Radio that there is no possibility…
Read MoreA Theological Basis for Congregational Government
Larry R. Oats Baptists have consistently maintained a congregational church government. Independent, democratic congregations suffered under the domination of Roman Catholicism until the Reformation, when these same kinds of congregations suffered under the Reformers. When the modern Baptist movement began (identified by this author as the time when Baptists began to call themselves such), Baptists…
Read MoreSupreme Court Judgment
Larry Oats Some Christians have argued that the recent Supreme Court decision overriding the decision of some states to maintain the traditional definition of marriage will bring God’s judgment upon America. Paul the Apostle would tend to differ. The Supreme Court decision was instead a formal, political, and, more importantly, a moral declaration of a…
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