Blog – Page 165 – Grace Evangelical Society

Is Context Really That Important? (Matt 24:14)

June 27, 2019 by Ken Yates in Blog - Matt 24:14, Olivet Discourse, Rapture, Tribulation

One of the emphases of Free Grace Theology is its insistence on looking at the context of a verse when we study it. Hopefully, we challenge ourselves and others by the light that the context sheds on the verse. As a result, we often find ourselves changing views we previously held and invite others to

J. Dwight Pentecost on Salvation

June 26, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - journal, Salvation, Soteriology

I’m writing a journal article on what Dallas Theological Seminary professors taught about salvation to the general public, from 1965-1995. I’m looking at books by DTS professors, aimed at a general reading audience. I want to know whether they leaned Free Grace or Lordship. (Be sure to subscribe to the journal to get these longer

An Evangelical Postmodern Understanding of the Bible

June 25, 2019 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Bibliology, Brian Zahnd, Christology, Hermeneutics, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God

A friend asked me what I thought about pastor Brian Zahnd and his book Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God. I had not heard of him or the book. So I got the book and I was disturbed by what I read. Zahnd thinks that the Bible is filled with contradictions and pagan

What Are Some Free Grace Distinctives?

June 24, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog

Someone on Facebook asked what were some Free Grace distinctives. Here are ten things that I think make Free Grace distinct from other traditions. There are different schools of thought within the Free Grace movement. These ten things reflect our corner of the movement: 1) Saving faith is persuasion that the saving message is true,

Can Legalistic Thinking Explain All Suffering? (Job 3-14)

June 21, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Bildad, Eliphaz, Grace, Job, law, Zophar

Kūmāré is a 2011 documentary about a New Jersey man who pretends to be a guru from India—complete with accent—to see if he can get a following. The documentary is painful to watch because he does gather a following, and the people are totally convinced that Kūmāré is a spiritual man, with spiritual powers, who

We’re All Barabbas

June 20, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - atonement, Barabbas, substitution

One of my favorite novels is Barabbas by Par Lagerkvist, winner of the Nobel prize for literature. The novel imagines what happened to Barabbas after he was released: “He was about thirty, powerfully built, with a sallow complexion, a reddish beard and black hair. His eyebrows also were black, his eyes too deep-set, as though

The Husband-Wife Relationship

June 19, 2019 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Ephesians 5:21-33, Mutual submission, Submission, Wives submitting to husbands

A friend, who is a Free Grace pastor and Bible scholar, sent me an interesting note about a blog I wrote on Eph 6:1-4. Here is a portion of his note: Too many weddings have the preacher preaching on the “Wives submit to your husbands” theme. Based upon Eph 5:21, “submit to one another in

A Is for “Able to Believe”

June 18, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Arminianism, Calvinism, Total depravity, total inability

Bob and I wrote an article called “TULIP or ASSURE?” in which we briefly outlined what we thought was the Biblical alternative to the Five Points of Calvinism (and Arminianism). Our thinking has grown since then. Previously, we defined “A” as “All have sinned.” That was too general a statement. I now prefer “Able to

Believing Strong Deception and Taking Pleasure in Unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:12)

June 17, 2019 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - 2 Thessalonians 2:12, Taking pleasure in unrighteousness, The strong delusion

Some questions are harder than others: I’m struggling to reconcile the free grace position with 2 Thess 2:12. Would you please help me understand what Paul is saying? The verse reads: “that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” It seems to me that according to

Three Ways to Comfort Your Suffering Friend (Job 2:11-13)

June 14, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - comfort, Job, ministry of presence, Suffering

I was reading an article by a woman who lost her brother, sister, and her sister’s children in a car crash. Horrific. She was stunned. She walked around as if in a fog, unable to think clearly. Of course, friends offered to help. Several said, “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to