WesleyGospel Ministries

STRONG.

Now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality (Gk. pornos) or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler–not even to eat with such a one.
–1 Corinthians 5:11 (ESV)–

The same shall drink of the wine of THE WRATH OF GOD, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of HIS INDIGNATION; and he shall be TORMENTED WITH FIRE AND BRIMSTONE in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and THE SMOKE OF THEIR TORMENT ASCENDETH UP FOR EVER AND EVER: and THEY HAVE NO REST DAY NOR NIGHT.
–Revelation 14:10-11 (KJV)–

THE BEAST was taken, and with him THE FALSE PROPHET that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. THESE BOTH WERE CAST ALIVE INTO A LAKE OF FIRE BURNING WITH BRIMSTONE.
–Revelation 19:20 (KJV)–

He laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him A THOUSAND YEARS…And THE DEVIL that deceived them WAS CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE, WHERE THE BEAST AND THE FALSE PROPHET ARE, AND SHALL BE TORMENTED DAY AND NIGHT FOR EVER AND EVER.
–Revelation 20:2, 10 (KJV)–

I agree with 100% of what Joe Schimmel argues about eternal punishment in Hell, but I don’t agree that an annihilationist, a person that currently or even stubbornly holds to a Hell-denying view–to the extent that a person might say people in Hell don’t exist anymore–I really can’t say a person like that is born again of the Holy Spirit. I would consider annihilationism a shade of unbelief, almost in the agnosticism category. I mean, people make mistakes all the time, but this is ridiculous. I find it almost impossible that a person could be indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God, and then neglect God’s Word to such an extent, so as not to believe in the eternal punishment of the lake of fire. I find it very, very doubtful that Chris Date is a genuinely regenerated believer in the true Gospel. I think Joe was very charitable, but I really don’t think a person that holds to Chris’ view could ever be in the state of salvation: its the same as rejecting the Gospel, its a bipartisan issue–it shouldn’t matter if you’re Catholic, Calvinist, or Wesleyan–eternal punishment is a non-negotiable aspect of saving faith.

I personally believe that the modern day Baptist teaching of Biblical inerrancy is just about as modern as the Baptist teaching of cessationism. These words are modern. Cessationism just used to be called deism–if you rejected miracles, dreams, visions, etc–you were labeled a deist a few hundred years ago. Inerrancy–in the Norman Geisler sense, the Chicago Statement–it just doesn’t exist throughout the history of theology. The top verse is Psalm 19:7 (KJV): “The law of the Lord is perfect.” And by that we mean the Ten Commandments; or perhaps the 613 commandments, but even they didn’t last the test of time. Only the Ten Commandments did. So I personally believe that most Bible difficulties or “contradictions” can be adequately answered (see Norman Geisler’s When Critics Ask, and the biblio at the back). But I think its wrong to say there are absolutely no discrepancies about dates, times, and places in the Bible…And if you do find them, then Hell’s not real and atheism’s true? That’s the problem with inerrancy teaching! It’s like a spiritual land mine for Christians.

The smallest tiniest thing with this stuff can lead to atheism. This is why its so important to have an actual relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit through God the Father. The level of certainty required by anti-Bible contradiction thinking today–I think is unrealistically high–so high, that its kind of foolish. And it just sets people up for failure. As if a perfect God can’t inspire imperfect and fallible men to write things out. If the slightest punctuation is wrong–the level of perfectionism!–now Hell’s not real. That’s what’s going on with this stuff. I think the way inerrancy is presented by Baptists, its spiritually dangerous, intellectually dishonest; and it distracts people from just trusting in Jesus and the Word of God as inspired by the Holy Spirit and useful for holy living. Its a massive spiritual distraction.

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Dr. Michael F. Bird, “Inerrancy Is Not Necessary for Evangelicalism Outside the USA,” in Five Views on Biblical Inerrancy (Zondervan, 2013).

God does not show favoritism.
–Romans 2:11 (NIV)–

I will have mercy on
whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on
whom I have compassion…
the Lord will carry out his sentence
on earth with speed and finality…
The one who trusts in Him
will never be put to shame.
–Romans 9:15, 28, 33 (NIV)–

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The following Wesleyan-holiness denominations would likely accept the books below for an Arminian view of predestination and election: the Wesleyan Church, the Free Methodist Church, the Church of the Nazarene, the Salvation Army, Church of God (Anderson), Church of God (Cleveland), the Bible Methodist Church, the Evangelical Methodist Church, Assemblies of God, and the Pentecostal Holiness Church.

Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans (Kregel, 1982).

Jack W. Cottrell, “The Classical Arminian View,” in Perspectives on Election (B&H, 2006).

Randolph S. Foster, Objections to Calvinism As It Is (Schmul, 1998), chs. 2-3.

John Wesley, Calvinism Calmly Considered, 2 vols (Schmul, 2002).

—. “Free Grace: Against the Favoritistic False Doctrines of Calvinism.”

Adam Clarke, Clarke’s Commentary, 6 vols (Schmul, n.d.).

Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline (HarperCollins, 2018).

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen.
–Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)–

Faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the Word of God.
–Romans 10:17 (KJV)–

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Dr. Cornelius Van Til, The Defense of the Faith, 4th ed. (P&R Publishing, 2008).

Dr. Greg Bahnsen, Always Ready (Covenant Media Press, 1996).

Dr. Richard Pratt, Every Thought Captive (P&R Publishing, 1980).

Lee Strobel, Seeing the Supernatural (Zondervan, 2025).

Josh McDowell, The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict (Thomas Nelson, 1999).