Blog – Page 135 – Grace Evangelical Society

Mental Assent and the Roman Soldiers Guarding Jesus’ Tomb (Matthew 28:12-15)

August 31, 2020 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - faith and mental assent, Matthew 28:12-15, Roman soldiers at Jesus’ tomb

JJ likes the material on faithalone.org. He has sent in an interesting question about mental assent: I really appreciate your website and content very much. I live in Houston, TX. Have you written/published anything on Matthew 28:12–15? The guards (and presumably the Chief Priests) knew the facts of Jesus’ death and resurrection were true, yet

Pre-Emergent Fertilizer and Cell Phones

August 28, 2020 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Luke 8:14, the importance of beating addiction to cell phones

The changes in communication within my lifetime have been staggering. As a young boy, we had rotary phones which we leased from the phone company. And we had a party line. If you picked up the phone, one of the other families sharing our line might be speaking on it. We would have to put

Sanctification Through Falling Deeper in Love: A Lesson from Anthony Norris Groves

August 27, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Anthony Norris Groves, love, Sanctification

How can you be holy? How can you live a “deeper” life with Christ? I am reading a biography of Anthony Norris Groves, written by G. H. Lang. So far, it is excellent. Groves was one of the pioneers of the faith missions movement—he went to the mission field without salary or support and depended

The Word “Wrath” in the Book of Romans

August 26, 2020 by Ken Yates in Blog

In my last blog, I discussed that the word “salvation” in the Book of Romans does not mean salvation from hell. Instead, it refers to salvation from the negative consequences of sins here and now. In this blog, I would like to look at the word “wrath.” A similar situation exists with this word. Often,

The Timing of the Lord’s Supper

August 25, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - communion, eucharist, Lord’s Supper, Lord’s Table

You can discuss the timing of the Lord’s Supper in three different senses: frequency, intent, and Dispensation. First, you can discuss the timing of the Supper in terms of frequency. It would be nice if the Bible had direct teaching about how frequently you should celebrate it. But despite several passages devoted to discussing the

We Implore You on Christ’s Behalf, Be Reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20)

August 24, 2020 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - 2 Cor 5:18-21, Reconciliation

Dr. Charles Ryrie was my professor for the doctrine of salvation. I remember him discussing 2 Cor 5:18-21 one day in class. This comment stuck with me: “Reconciled people need reconciliation.” In 2 Cor 5:19, Paul says, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed

Would You Give Up Your Church Buildings to Show Love?

August 21, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - love, Matthew 5:40, Philippians 4:5, Robert Chapman

We know that eternal life is a free gift—an extraordinary, extravagant gift—given simply on the condition of faith in Christ, totally apart from any works that we can do (Rom 6:23; Eph 2:8-9). But then what? What comes next? The short answer is: love. Freed from the burden of having to earn your salvation by

You Should Read Christian Biographies

August 20, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Christian biographies, Robert Chapman, Sanctification

My friend Allen Rea is always reading inspiring Christian biographies, and I often ask him for recommendations. Frankly, although I read a lot, I do not read many biographies. But Allen inspired me to pick some up. For example, I’m currently reading a biography of Robert Chapman, who became influential among the Plymouth Brethren. Apparently,

Foreknowledge Without Foreordination (1 Sam 23:10-13)

August 19, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - doctrine of God, foreknowledge, middle knowledge, predestination, simple foreknowledge, theology

God is omniscient. That is, God knows everything that could be, would be, has been, is, and will be. But how does God know the future? Upon what does His knowledge depend? Some people (e.g., Calvinists) claim that God’s foreknowledge depends upon His foreordination. For example, Lewis Sperry Chafer said, “Nothing could be foreknown as

Do Not Let the Anti-Assurance Bird Make a Nest in Your Hair

August 18, 2020 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Assurance of Salvation, false professions, genuine faith, saving faith

A regular reader of our blogs named John asks this insightful question: I just read your latest blog concerning Dead Spoken Faith Alone. In your point #10, you mention that assurance is essential to a faith that saves. I must admit that the thought of eternal conscious torment still frightens me. I believe in Christ,