Blog – Page 180 – Grace Evangelical Society

Can We Be Sure That We Will Persevere in Faith and Good Works?

November 26, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Perseverance of the saints; Eternal security; Warning passages; Assurance

Recently I ran across a quote by a Calvinist. He said that he was sure he was born again and eternally secure “without a doubt.” He went on to say that he was sure he would persevere, going so far as to say that even if he tried to walk in rebellion against Christ, he

Are you a Joy or a Burden to Your Pastor? (Heb 13:17)

November 23, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - burden, Hebrews, pastoral theology

I belong to a Facebook group for small church pastors (see here). It includes pastors from every denomination. Theologically it is all over the place. But I still find it very helpful to see what other people are dealing with. I can tell you that, based on that group, there are many discouraged pastors out

Institutionalized in Galatia (Galatians 5:1, 6)

November 22, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - circumcision, Galatians, legalism, Shawshank Redemption

There’s a scene in The Shawshank Redemption in which an old inmate named Brooks is about to be paroled after fifty years of incarceration. But he’s scared of getting out. Prison is all he knows. So he attacks another inmate in order to stay. Some of the other prisoners think that Brooks has gone crazy.

Dr. Wayne Grudem Says that John 2:23 Refers to “Genuine Trust in Christ”

November 21, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - John 2:23-25; Believing in His Name; Jesus did not entrust Himself to them

Today I received a call asking me about something Dr. Wayne Grudem said in his book Free Grace Theology: 5 Ways It Diminishes the Gospel. In a footnote on page 110 (note 14), Grudem writes, “It seems to me that there is room for disagreement over the meaning of ‘many believed in his name’ in

Why Preaching Doesn’t Scare Me Anymore

November 20, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - preaching, public speaking

There was a time when I’d rather face a firing squad than speak in front of a crowd. Public speaking terrified me. But God has a sense of humor. I remember in high school history class, we did a re-enactment of the Estates-General during the French Revolution. I played the role of a Catholic priest.

Recording Radio Programs Has Been Fun and Challenging

November 19, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Christian radio, faith and trust

For the last three days Shawn and I have been recording 15-minute radio programs. We’ve had the help of a producer and post-production specialist, Danny. It has gone well. We recorded twenty-nine shows in three days. There are twenty-one shows in an average month, so we have a good start. We plan to get sixty-three

Gentleness Can Reach the Unreachable (1 Thessalonians 2:7)

November 16, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - evangelism, gentleness, Thessalonians

I know a man who used to be a pastor, but over time he became bitter towards God and left the faith. I find it difficult to talk to him. We’ve tried talking, but it quickly turned into debate about philosophy, politics, Christianity, where we are polar opposites. It was unpleasant for both of us.

The Ten Commandments in Ephesians?

November 15, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Bema, Decalogue, Law of Christ, Ten Commandments

I was reading through Ephesians last night, and in chapters 4-6, I began to notice that Paul restated several of the Ten Commandments. Sometimes the restatement was explicit, such as when Paul explicitly quotes the command to honor your parents (Eph 6:1-3). Other times, the restatement was implicit. Paul did not quote the Decalogue but

Romans 8:1 May Not Mean What You Think It Means, Part 2

November 14, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Romans 8:1 Longer Reading, Romans 8:1-13, Textual criticism

Romans 8:1 is widely misunderstood for two reasons: first, katakrima, the word typically translated as condemnation, does not mean that. We discussed that in Part 1 of this blog. Second, the people being described as having no katakrima are not all who believe in Christ for everlasting life, but a particular type of believer. That

The Idolatry of Works Salvation (Galatians 4:8-9)

November 13, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Galatians, idols, law

How serious is it to abandon the gospel of salvation by faith apart from works, for the gospel of salvation by faith plus works? Paul compared it to idolatry: But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods (Gal 4:8). Before the Galatians came to faith