Blog | Grace Evangelical Society

Gentleness Can Reach the Unreachable (1 Thessalonians 2:7)

November 16, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - evangelism, gentleness, Thessalonians

I know a man who used to be a pastor, but over time he became bitter towards God and left the faith. I find it difficult to talk to him. We’ve tried talking, but it quickly turned into debate about philosophy, politics, Christianity, where we are polar opposites. It was unpleasant for both of us.

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The Ten Commandments in Ephesians?

November 15, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Bema, Decalogue, Law of Christ, Ten Commandments

I was reading through Ephesians last night, and in chapters 4-6, I began to notice that Paul restated several of the Ten Commandments. Sometimes the restatement was explicit, such as when Paul explicitly quotes the command to honor your parents (Eph 6:1-3). Other times, the restatement was implicit. Paul did not quote the Decalogue but

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Romans 8:1 May Not Mean What You Think It Means, Part 2

November 14, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Romans 8:1 Longer Reading, Romans 8:1-13, Textual criticism

Romans 8:1 is widely misunderstood for two reasons: first, katakrima, the word typically translated as condemnation, does not mean that. We discussed that in Part 1 of this blog. Second, the people being described as having no katakrima are not all who believe in Christ for everlasting life, but a particular type of believer. That

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The Idolatry of Works Salvation (Galatians 4:8-9)

November 13, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Galatians, idols, law

How serious is it to abandon the gospel of salvation by faith apart from works, for the gospel of salvation by faith plus works? Paul compared it to idolatry: But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods (Gal 4:8). Before the Galatians came to faith

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Romans 8:1 May Not Mean What You Think It Means, Part 1

November 12, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Katakrima, Penal servitude, Romans 8:1, slavery to sin

Romans 8:1 is widely misunderstood for two reasons: first, katakrima, the word typically translated as condemnation, does not mean that. That will be the subject of this blog. Second, the people being described as having no katakrima are not all who believe in Christ for everlasting life, but a particular type of believer. That will

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What to Pray for Your Pastor (Eph 6:19)

November 9, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - boldness, pastors, Prayer

Do you pray for your pastor? What do you ask for? Here’s what Paul requested prayer for: Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may

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Can You Believe in the Lord’s Promise of Everlasting Life and Yet Still End Up Being Eternally Condemned?

November 8, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Matthew 7:21-23; Saving Faith; the Promise of Everlasting Life

A friend pointed me to a May 27, 2015, blog post by Dr. John Piper at desiringgod.org. The title of the post caught my attention: “You Can Believe the Promises of God and Be Lost.” You can see that blog here. I was hoping that Piper would say that it is possible to believe non-salvific

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“We Go to Heaven by Obeying the Ten Commandments”

November 7, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - evangelism, lutheran, Ten Commandments

Don Matzat, a Lutheran pastor of fifty years, tells the following story of teaching a new church the doctrine of justification by faith apart from works: In one parish I served, after installation, I called every active member, inviting them to come to a Sunday morning Bible Class. I got a decent response so that

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Will Your Spirit Be Saved on the Day of Christ Jesus?

November 6, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - 1 Corinthians 5:5; future salvation; the Judgment Seat of Christ

Here is a good question I just received: I’ve been chewing on 1 Cor. 5:5 for these last days, and I can’t get assurance out of the final words “hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.” The

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The Anglican Catechism Teaches Salvation by Works

November 5, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Anglican Church of North America, Episcopal, Justification, salvation by works

I’ve been reading several Anglican writers recently who I think are Free Grace friendly. For example, did you know that Dallas Seminary was co-founded by an Anglican priest named W. H. Griffith Thomas? So I started poking around the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) website. The ACNA was formed in reaction to the liberalism,

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