Blog – Page 171 – Grace Evangelical Society

Everlasting Salvation and Abraham

April 13, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Abraham, eternal life, everlasting covenant

What did Abraham believe? What was the content of his faith in God? Did he believe in God for lots of grandkids and great-grandkids, or did he also have everlasting salvation on his mind? When Abraham believed, could he have believed in God for something eternal? I wish there were an explicit verse that answered

Decisionism Is Not Consistent with Faith-Alone in Christ Alone

April 12, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog

Did you know that people still write letters by hand? I got a handwritten letter in the mail asking about something I wrote in A Gospel of Doubt. I was discussing Dr. John MacArthur’s criticism of decisionism (p. 38). I indicated that I too do not believe in decisionism. Decisionism is where people indicate

The Samaritans and Everlasting Salvation

April 11, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - eternal life, evangelism, Samaritans

Did the woman at the well understand that Jesus was offering her eternal life? Is that the kind of salvation she, and other Samaritans, were expecting from the Messiah? Were they thinking in eternal terms? Or did they believe in Him with no thought of salvation, let alone of eternal life, at all? Well,

God and Temptation — James 1:13

April 9, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - evil, Sin, sovereignty, temptation, Westminster Confession

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt any one (James 1:13). Where does temptation come from? Apparently, James knew believers who thought it came from God. Some Christians still think that today, because of how

If Trust Is Not a Good Word for Faith, What Is?

April 6, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - belief, evangelism, Lordship Salvation, Trust, Wayne Grudem

I received a handwritten letter (yes, some people still do that!) asking the question which is the title of this blog. The question concerned a November-December 2017 Grace in Focus magazine article by Bill Fiess and me entitled, “Saving Faith Is Not Heartfelt Trust.” The article was not discussing trust per se, but heartfelt trust.

A Mixed Crowd — John 8:33

April 5, 2018 by Kenneth Yates in Blog

Question. Can you elaborate on what you mean when you say that the speakers are not the new believers in John 8:33? I still do not get it. Answer. In chapter 8 Jesus is talking to a large group of people. There are many unbelievers in the crowd (see v 19 and v 23). But

John Gerstner and Gehenna

April 4, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - annihilationism, conditionalism, ECT, Eternal Concious Torment, eternal conscious torment, Gehenna, Hell, John Gerstner

I am researching the topic of eternal conscious torment (ECT) for a series of blog posts, and a possible book(let). While there are many modern books defending annihilationism and universalism, there are few defending ECT. And none (that I know of) are written from a Dispensational, Free Grace perspective. One popular ECT book is John

The Dead Still Exist — Revelation 20:12-15

April 3, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - annihilationism, conditionalism, ECT, eternal conscious torment, Hell, last judgment, life after death, Revelation

Annihilationists agree with the eternal conscious torment view (ECT) that some people will be forever separated from God. However, annihilationists say that separation involves being put out of existence. They strongly deny the wicked will be tormented forever. Which view is true? I have been exploring this question in a series of blog posts. Consider

What Should We Learn from the Rich Man’s Preaching in Hell? — Luke 16:19-31

April 2, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Repentance

A friend at church told me that he has been asked to explain the rich man and Lazarus. Another friend overhead and said that he too has been asked about that passage several times. Summary of the account: A rich man and a poor man named Lazarus both die. Lazarus ends up in the