Three Verses That Expose Your Teacher’s Theology
Know what your teacher believes before you trust what they teach.
You don’t have time to read every book.
You can’t audit every sermon. But you can ask some questions, and get most of the answers you need from just three verses.
In a previous post, I identified the three primary theological divisions within conservative evangelicalism: Calvinism vs. Arminianism, Dispensationalism vs. Covenant Theology, and Lordship Salvation vs. Free Grace.
Too many teachers won’t tell you where they stand. That forces you to find out for yourself.
Here’s how.
A Word on Method
This approach works best with books, commentaries, and written studies.
Regarding sermons, a preacher can deliver years of topical messages without ever being forced to interpret certain verses directly. Sermons are contextual and pastoral; a skilled teacher can navigate around difficult texts indefinitely.
A commentary cannot. When an author reaches one of these passages, they have no choice but to deal with it. Their interpretation is on record, in writing, with their name on the cover.
The same principle applies in a pastor search. A pastoral candidate interview is one of the most consequential theological conversations a church will ever have, and most search committees never ask the right questions. These six verses give a search committee a structured, Scripture-based framework for understanding exactly where a candidate stands before he ever steps into a pulpit. Ask him to walk you through John 6:44. Hand him Romans 11:26 and let him interpret it. The answers will tell you more than his résumé ever will.
Calvinism vs. Arminianism: John 6:44
John 6:44 — “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.”
The entire Calvinism debate compresses into one Greek word: helkō — draws.
The Calvinist reads it as effectual, sovereign compulsion; the same word used in Acts 16:19 for forcible dragging. The Arminian softens it to an invitation that man can resist.
If the author says God “woos” — Arminian. If he says God draws irresistibly — Calvinist.
One word. Maximum diagnostic value.
Bonus Verse: Acts 13:48
Acts 13:48 — “And as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.”
Notice the sequence. They believed because they were appointed, not the reverse. The Calvinist reads this as straightforward: God’s appointment precedes and produces faith. The Arminian is forced to reframe it as God foreseeing who would believe and appointing them on that basis.
If you’re still unsure after John 6:44, Acts 13:48 will settle it. Watch whether the author reverses the order or explains it away with “God looking down the corridor of time.”
Dispensationalism vs. Covenant Theology: Romans 11:26
Romans 11:26 — “And in this way all Israel will be saved.”
Does the author understand “Israel” as ethnic, national Israel with a future literal restoration? Or does he redefine it as the Church, “spiritual Israel”?
That single interpretive move reveals his entire hermeneutic; how he’ll handle Old Testament prophecy, Daniel, and Revelation.
One critical distinction worth noting: Reformed does not mean Dispensational only. R.C. Sproul, one of the most theologically rigorous men of the last century, was Covenant Theology, not Dispensational. He and John MacArthur agreed on Calvinism and Lordship Salvation. They diverged sharply on Romans 11:26.
Knowing the difference matters.
Bonus Verse: Revelation 20:4
Revelation 20:4 — “They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”
Does the author take the thousand years literally — a future, physical reign of Christ on earth? Or does he spiritualize it as symbolic of the Church age?
Dispensationalists insist on the literal reading. Covenant theologians typically recast it as figurative. If Romans 11:26 left any ambiguity, Revelation 20:4 should remove it.
Lordship vs. Free Grace: James 2:17 + Matthew 7:23
James 2:17 — “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
Matthew 7:23 — “And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you.’”
Watch for how the author interprets James 2:17. Free Grace theologians often argue that dead faith still saves — it just results in lost rewards at the Bema judgement. On Matthew 7:23, watch whether the author says these people lost salvation or never had genuine faith.
The Lordship position is unambiguous: Christ never knew them. Their profession was always false.
Bonus Verse: 1 John 2:3-4
1 John 2:3-4 — “And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says ‘I know Him’ but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
The Free Grace position typically argues that obedience is about fellowship or rewards — not evidence of genuine salvation. The Lordship position reads this as John’s stated test of authentic conversion.
If James 2:17 produced a nuanced or evasive answer, 1 John 2:3-4 rarely does. It’s too direct to dodge cleanly.
The Bottom Line
MacArthur, Pink, Paul Washer, and Lloyd-Jones read all six passages the same way.
Watch carefully for those who don’t, and more importantly, for teachers who never tell you how they read them at all.
The Bereans didn’t just receive the word eagerly. They examined it daily. Acts 17:11 is still the standard.
Six verses won’t replace that discipline. But they will quickly tell you where your teacher stands, and knowing that changes how you receive everything else they teach.
To His Glory,
For the biblical and textual foundation of these positions, see my previous post on the three major theological fault lines within conservative evangelicalism.
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I really enjoyed this! Thanks Thad. Excellent piece of writing.
By your good graces, I would like to repost this on Truth Social