Blog – Page 134 – Grace Evangelical Society

Can You Be Sanctified by Pressure Tactics?

September 14, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Miles Stanford, Sanctification

The diamond industry has long been marred by violence and exploitation—hence the term “blood diamonds.” That tragic reality has helped fuel efforts to discover ways to make synthetic diamonds. Recently, German scientists were able to make diamonds out of peanut butter! The process involved applying staggering amounts of pressure over a few weeks to the

Another Look at James 2:14-17

September 11, 2020 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - assurance and works, dead faith, James 2:14-17

David asks a good question about James 2:14-17: I’m taking an online course from DTS on James, as taught by Dr. Stanley Toussaint. Through GES I’ve learned that the free gift of life comes through faith alone in Christ alone plus nothing. Dr. Toussaint teaches that unless that is followed by works, your faith is

Revenge Is a Cycle (Judges 15)

September 10, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Judges, revenge, Samson, vengeance, violence

Judges 14-15 is a study in the cycle of revenge. It all started with Samson’s troubled relationship with women. Did you know that before his infamous entanglement with Delilah, Samson had an unnamed Philistine wife? Their relationship was rocky from the start. However, God planned to use Samson’s woman troubles “to move against the Philistines”

The God-Given Authority Believers Have Today

September 9, 2020 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - authority God gives believers, John 1:12, Rev 2:26

Deborah asks a very difficult question: In today’s climate of evil, it is very hard to not pray for God to overcome the evils.  But for believers who want to walk in faith, do we have a duty to expose the devil’s work?  I am also studying the book of Luke, chapters 9 and 10.  Since

Immortality Is Not Eternal Life

September 8, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - annihilationism, conditional immortality, eternal conscious torment, final punishment, immortality

Free Grace Theology impacts the issue of final punishment. The question is, what happens to unbelievers after the Great White Throne Judgment? One way that Free Grace makes a difference is relatively subtle. We emphasize that, according to Jesus’ promise, believers have eternal life as a present possession (John 3:16, 36; 5:24; 6:47). Believers do

Using Cell Phones for Bible Study

September 7, 2020 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - cell phones and Bible study, Electronic Bible study

In a recent blog, I was warning about the dangers of overusing cell phones (see here). In that blog, I made this passing comment about using cell phones for Bible study: When I preach and ask people to follow along in their Bibles as I read a section of Scripture, I often see multiple people

Is Salvation a Gift or a Bargain? An Illustration from Steven Hein

September 4, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Assurance, eternal life, gift, lutheran, Works

I like Steven Hein’s analogy for two ways of presenting salvation. He compares it to the difference between receiving a diamond as a gift vs. purchasing it yourself for a bargain: What is the difference between receiving the largest, most valuable diamond in the world as a free gift—and getting it for a penny? If

God’s Sovereignty and the Length of Our Lives

September 3, 2020 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Acts 5:1-11, Gen 18:16-33, God’s sovereignty and our free will, Jonah 3:1-10, Length of life, Lev 10:1-11

I have often been asked whether we can do anything to lengthen—or shorten—our lives. The question typically is stated like this, “We know that God is in control and that He knows everything. He knows the day that each person ever conceived will die. Isn’t it true, then, that nothing we do is going to

God’s Ability or Inability to Be in the Presence of Sin

September 2, 2020 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - James 5:16, Job 1:6, Job 2:1, The prayer of a righteous man

This good question just came in from a radio listener: In a book I read my children, it says “God is perfect and holy and anyone who sins cannot be in His presence.” I know this is a concept I have been taught somewhere else before. I heard it brought up in passing on one

Unlocked to Love

September 1, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Law and Gospel, spiritual theology, spirituality, Tullian Tchividjian

Many teachers avoid legalism in justification, only to endorse it (unintentionally?) in sanctification. That is, they present the Christian life as a series of commands for you to fulfill. Living the Christian life becomes an attempt to fulfill the same “to do” list that was completely inadequate to save you in the first place. These