Blog | Grace Evangelical Society

My First Year in Seminary*

January 21, 2019 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Assurance, Divorce, Failure in the Christian life, Seminary education

Sharon and I drove by ourselves the long drive from Raleigh to Dallas. I drove the U Haul truck with our stuff. She drove her car. This was before the days of cell phones. So, we had to watch each other. Carefully. We were to meet a DTS couple who had volunteered to host us for

Naming Grace

January 18, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Grace, names

“So why did you start coming to this church?” the man asked. “When I moved to Denton, I started looking for a church, and I saw this one was ‘country-friendly,’” I explained. “I figured if I was going to be in North Texas, I should get that country experience. Of course, I asked the pastor some basic questions about what they believed and it

Is Jesus Our Father (Isaiah 9:6)?

January 17, 2019 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Isaiah 9:6, Jesus as Everlasting Father, Trinity

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). My sister asked me whether I thought songs which call Jesus our Father are incorrect. If God the Father is our Father—and He

Is the Church Prophesied in the Old Testament?

January 16, 2019 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Ephesians 3:3-7, Mystery of the Church, The Church in the Old Testament

“…by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles

Owning Our Theology

January 15, 2019 by Kenneth Yates in Blog - Free Grace, hate, Repentance

In 1 John 3:15, John writes, “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” Those of us in the Free Grace movement maintain that this verse deals with fellowship with the Lord. A believer can indeed hate his brother. If he does, he is out of fellowship with

The Snow Beneath Your Feet

January 14, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - 1 Thessalonians, joy, simplicity

This winter break I kept my promise to Zane and Daphne and took them to Canada. I was only supposed to take Daphne, but I managed to save up enough for Zane, too. The trip went great. We stayed with my sister in her apartment. My family planned everything for me. I told them some key things I wanted to do, and they got it done. Everyday had

Sex and Salvation

January 11, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - evangelism, good works

As the saying goes, “Now that I’ve got your attention…” I came up with an illustration about the role of good works in the Christian life. Maybe it will help you explain it to your congregation, friend, or family member who is struggling with the grace message. It’s a little risqué, but I think it gets the point

Faith Alone Saves, But the Faith That Saves Is Never Alone—A Dangerous Contradiction?

January 10, 2019 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Assurance, Lordship Salvation, saving faith, The faith that saves is never alone, Wayne Grudem

I received an email pointing me to a video by Dr. Wayne Grudem entitled, “Salvation without Repentance from Sin: A Critique of the Free Grace Gospel.” You can see that 45-minute video here. I’ve written a book responding to Dr. Grudem’s book Free Grace Theology: 5 Ways It Diminishes the Gospel. So I won’t cover his view of

What Does Paul Mean When He Says That Jesus Will Give the Kingdom to His Father? 1 Corinthians 15:24, 28

January 9, 2019 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - 1 Corinthians 15:24, 1 Corinthians 15:28, Jesus delivers the kingdom to His Father, Psalm 110:1

“Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power” (1 Cor 15:24). “Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in

Justification and Identity Politics

January 8, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Justification

Although we’re told that belief in God is on the wane in Western society, I think one of the oldest forms of religion is on the rise, i.e., State worship. The ancients worshipped the Pharaohs, Caesars, chieftains, and emperors as divine. Isn’t that how most young people see the State? Instead of looking to God for their daily bread, “secular” young people look to the State for personhood, education, employment, protection, healing,