Blog – Page 145 – Grace Evangelical Society

“A Single Act of Faith”?

April 13, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Faith, saving faith

Q. In your blog on Five Differences Between Perseverance of the Saints and Eternal Security, you said that salvation takes a “single act of faith.” Can you address“single act of faith”? I am trying to help people understand that faith is not a decision, and I am probably too pedantic about how we are describing

Star Trek Generations, Eschatology, and the Meaning of Life

April 10, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Eschatology, Star Trek

I recently re-watched Star Trek Generations, the movie that had both Captain Kirk and Captain Picard. I had not seen it since it came out in 1994. It turns out the film is a debate about the meaning of life after death. It’s about eschatology. The plot of Generations centers around an extra-dimensional reality called

KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid)

April 9, 2020 by Ken Yates in Blog

When I was in the military, there was a phrase that we used time and time again. If we were explaining a concept to another person, especially if that person was new to the military, we would say we needed to “keep it simple, stupid.” We called it the KISS principle. The point was that

Will You Not Be Accepted? (Genesis 4:3-7; Matthew 5:21-24)

April 8, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - love, offerings

After the fall, two brothers brought offerings to the Lord, but only one was accepted: And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord

Dealing with Faltering Assurance

April 7, 2020 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - John 11:25-27, John 3:16, Salvation and confessing Christ

I received via email this excellent question about assurance: I so appreciate your ministry and your desire to clearly present the gospel, and I’m hoping you can share some thoughts on something that has started to trouble me. I have believed in Jesus to save me, but lately, my assurance has been faltering. And yes,

Tips for Having an Evangelistic Conversation (Colossians 4:5-6)

April 6, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - apologetics, Colossians, evangelism

How can you have a conversation with people about your faith? I mean a real conversation. Not a fight. Or an argument. Or a clash of egos. I mean a dialogue in which you’re hearing the other person, and that person hears you, and both sides are genuinely listening. Here’s a video by apologist Greg

Confession, Not Deflection (Genesis 3:11-13; 1 John 1:9)

April 3, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Confession, fall, Genesis, scapegoat, Sin

Do you find it easy to take responsibility for your sins, or is your knee-jerk reaction to try and shift the blame to others? If you look up the term “deflection” or “blame-shifting,” most of the articles will tell you that it is a psychological disorder that characterizes narcissists and psychopaths. And many of those

Five Differences Between Perseverance of the Saints and Eternal Security

April 2, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Calvinism, Eternal Security, OSAS, Perseverance of the Saints

Q. What’s the difference between eternal security, or OSAS (once saved, always saved), and perseverance of the saints (POTS)? Aren’t they the same thing? A. Well, they are often taken to be the same doctrine, but they shouldn’t be. I admit that some people use the terms interchangeably. But I think we should be more

Figuring Out When You Were Born Again

April 1, 2020 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Everlasting life begins when you believe, John 3:16, the content of saving faith

At our church we sometimes sing a song called, “Somebody Touched Me.” You are to stand on the day of the week in which you were born again. After going through seven verses for Monday through Sunday, we sing a seventh verse, “It was on a one day, somebody touched me…” About half our assembly

Do We Need to Convince People That They Need Salvation?

March 31, 2020 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - 1 Cor 15:1-11, Acts 16:30-31, creating a felt need in evangelism?, John 3:14-18, John 4:1-26

A lot of Evangelicals suggest that before we share the promise of everlasting life to the one who believes in Jesus (or, as the Lordship Salvation person would say, to the one who commits his life to Christ, obeys Christ, and perseveres in obedience), we must first convince the person we are talking with that