Blog – Page 147 – Grace Evangelical Society

Find the Poor, Sick, and Needy, and Serve Them

March 16, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - love, Martin Luther, spirituality, Tuomo Mannermaa

Since Jesus gave you everlasting life by simply believing in Him (John 3:15-16, 36; Eph 2:8-9), what should you be doing with all your free time? You don’t need to be earning, keeping, or securing your eternal salvation—so that eliminates 99% of what usually passes for religious activity in the world—so what kinds of things

Being Cut Off God’s Olive Tree (Romans 11:19-24)

March 13, 2020 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Being cut off from the olive tree, Eternal Security, OSAS, Romans 11:19-24

You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore, consider the goodness and severity

Why Do People Feel Frustrated in Their Sanctification?

March 12, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Lyle Lange, motivation, Sanctification

As you seek to live your life for the Lord, what keeps you motivated? Do you ever feel frustrated at your progress—or lack thereof? Are you looking in the right places for motivation? Lyle Lange offers some insights: When Christians look to their own efforts for increasing sanctified living, one of two things will happen.

Don’t Want Rewards in the Kingdom?

March 11, 2020 by Ken Yates in Blog

The New Testament is full of teaching that tells us Christ will reward the good works of believers at the Judgment Seat of Christ (1 Cor 3:10-15, etc.). When we teach these passages, many maintain that they do not want any rewards. Part of the reason given is that they are unworthy. Perhaps all of

Why Holiness Churches Lack Assurance

March 10, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Assurance, holiness, lutheran, Lyle Lange

If you’re in a Pentecostal or Holiness church, or if you’ve recently come out of one, you probably struggle with assurance of salvation. Why? Lyle Lange, a Lutheran theologian, explains: The “holiness bodies” (such as Pentecostal, Church of the Nazarene, Church of God) look to special manifestations of the Spirit’s work in their lives to

The Advent of the New Birth

March 9, 2020 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - 1 Samuel 10:6, 1 Samuel 3:7, Genesis 3:16, John 8:56, regeneration in the OT

A pastor asked me this excellent question: “Is it believed that when a person placed his faith in the Lord during the pre-cross dispensations, was he given eternal security/sealed with the Spirit, etc. or is that unique to the church age?” After I sent an initial reply, he followed up in this way: “Can you

Jean Vanier and the Trouble with Works Salvation

March 6, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - anthropology, Jean Vanier, ladder theology, sexual abuse

Everyone knows Mother Teresa. But you may not know the name Jean Vanier. I did. He was Canada’s equivalent to Mother Teresa. Vanier was the son of a Canadian ambassador, who became a Catholic theologian and philosopher and left academia to found the international L’Arche communities for people with developmental disabilities (currently 154 centers in

Two Abidings (1 John 2:24)

March 5, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - 1 John, abide, Fellowship

Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father (1 John 2:24). Do you remember everything you hear in church or in school? Does it automatically “stick”? Not with me. I usually have

The Day of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 5:2

March 4, 2020 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - 1 Thess 5:2, Like a thief in the night, Matt 24:40-44, the Day of the Lord, the Rapture

For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. Like a Thief in the Night This expression only occurs three times in the NT: Matt 24:43; 1 Thess 5:2; and 2 Pet 3:10. Paul and Peter received this expression from the Lord’s teaching in the

C. F. W. Walther on Horrible Evangelism

March 3, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - evangelism, preparationism, Walther

Not everyone believes the promise of life the first time he hears it. Some people are so committed to salvation by works that they think the promise of eternal life is ridiculous. Before such a person will believe, he will probably have to go through a process of conviction first. He will need to be