Blog – Page 4 – Grace Evangelical Society

Priestly Celibacy Nullifies the Word of God

February 19, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - lavender mafia, priestly celibacy, Roman Catholic

The issue of priestly celibacy is being debated again in the Roman Catholic Church. For one, there is a shortage of priests. Reformers think that allowing for married priests would encourage more men to take the role. But that would go against a thousand years of Church tradition and law (by contrast, in the East, the Orthodox

Seeing Things Through the Eyes of the Lord (Mark 13:1-2)

February 18, 2020 by Kenneth Yates in Blog

Mark 13 contains the famous Olivet Discourse in the Gospel of Mark. It starts off with the disciples being very impressed with the temple in Jerusalem. They point out to the Lord how beautiful it was (Mark 13:1). Many have remarked that it was an architectural wonder of the ancient world. Josephus and others observed how beautiful it

Sin-Based Assurance?

February 17, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Assurance

“I used to have a struggle with sin, but not anymore,” the man said. We were talking about assurance. He was explaining that his past struggles with addictive substances had caused him to doubt his salvation. How could he be saved if he was getting drunk all the time? But since he had overcome drunkenness, doubts about his assurance had settled down. He

Are You Discipling Your Family? (Deuteronomy 6:5-9)

February 14, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Church, Deuteronomy, Discipleship, kids

My kids are getting to the age where they can ask serious questions about the faith. Recently, we attended the funeral for Abby’s grandfather, Roy Whisler. It was a good funeral. Jesus was front and center. Roy’s nephew officiated, and Abby’s brother gave a eulogy. They both made it clear that Roy believed in Jesus. The saving message was presented

SBC President Says Once Saved, Always Saved—IF

February 13, 2020 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Always Saved, Eternal Security, Lordship Salvation, Once Saved, Perseverance of the Saints, Romans 11:17-21

J.D. Greear is the Pastor of the Summit Church in Durham, NC, and is the 62nd President of the Southern Baptist Convention. A few days ago, on Jan 29, 2020, he wrote a blog entitled “Beware of Complacency of ‘Once Saved, Always Saved.’” You can read his blog by clicking here. (See here for a similar article by John Piper.) He engages in

Don’t Treat Jesus Like a Spiritual Product

February 12, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - church growth, marketing, preaching

Do you ever feel like you have to “sell” Jesus? Or church? Or youth group? You want to have a spirit of excellence in all you do, of course (cf. Col 3:23). If you want to preach or write or publish or make PowerPoints or put on a conference or make music or do anything for the Lord, you want

Aaron Rodgers Rejects Eternal Conscious Torment

February 11, 2020 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Aaron Rodgers and Theism, eternal conscious torment, Rob Bell and Aaron Rodgers

Famed Super Bowl winning and future Hall of Fame quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, Aaron Rodgers, lit up the internet when he spoke about how he rejected the faith of his family, the faith he was raised in. In an article entitled, “NFL Quarterback Aaron Rodgers Questions How Anyone Could Believe in God” (which

Contradictions in a Family Catechism

February 10, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Bevins, catechism

I’ve been reading Winfield Bevins’s Grow at Home: A Beginner’s Guide to Family Discipleship. It is a simple introduction to every parent’s responsibility to teach his or her children about Jesus. The book (or booklet) contained little new information for me, but it might be helpful to a family thinking about this issue for the first time. The fourth chapter, “Teaching

Does “Dead” Always Mean “Unable”? (Luke 15:11-32)

February 7, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Death, Total depravity, total inability

One area of theology that needs to be rethought is the doctrine of total depravity, particularly the ability or inability of the unregenerate to respond in faith to God. Often, Calvinist and Lutheran theologians will appeal to the use of the word “dead” to prove that someone is unable to respond. After all, how can dead people respond to anything? But in

Reaching Out to a Seeker (Mark 12:35-37)

February 6, 2020 by Kenneth Yates in Blog

In Mark 12:35-37, Jesus points out to the scribes that they have a deficient view of the Messiah. They correctly understood that the Messiah was going to be a descendant of David. But the Lord shows them, from Psalm 110, that they didn’t realize the Messiah was going to be more than simply a son of David.