Blog – Page 54 – Grace Evangelical Society

Splash Pad or Trash Pad?

May 23, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - common sense, discipline, Matthew 25:29, resources, Stewardship

I took my kids to a newly opened splash pad or “sprayground” in town. It opened on May 12th. I took them the next day, on May 13th. What is a splash pad? Think of a half-basketball court with different kinds of sprinklers. The water shoots from nozzles in the ground, pours down from buckets

Is Ephesians 2:8-9 Talking about Everlasting Life?

May 22, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Ephesians 2:8-9, Everlasting Life, Faith, Salvation, Saving

In 2013 I was one of the authors of a four-views book on the role of works at the final judgment. In that book I suggested that Eph 2:8-9 says that everlasting life is by grace through faith and apart from works (Four Views on the Role of Works at the Final Judgment, Zondervan, pp.

Tartarus — 2 Peter 2:4

May 21, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - annihilationism, ECT, Fallen Angels, Tartarus

The Bible is much stranger than people allow. That’s where theology can go wrong—by trying to make it less strange than it is. I have been exploring the topic of “hell” in a series of blog posts, explaining the Biblical reasons that lead me to accept eternal conscious torment (ECT) over and against annihilationism and

Scot McKnight Explains What Faith Really Is

May 18, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Faith, Justification by faith alone, Soteriology

Justification by faith alone taken at face value means justification by faith alone. However, more and more today Evangelicals are saying that justification by faith alone means justification by submission and obedience. One of the leading Christian bloggers is New Testament scholar Dr. Scot McKnight. His blog is called Jesus Creed. McKnight published a commentary

John Wesley on Different Types of Salvation by Works

May 17, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Aldersgate, Assurance, John Wesley, legalism, works salvation

I’ve been reading through John Wesley’s journals and diaries for the years 1735-1738. They are fascinating. It’s interesting to read about his travels to America during this time; his impressions of Georgia, colony life, and the weather. I cringed a little to read his descriptions of the Native American tribes he hoped to witness

Commentaries Recognize Philippians 2:12 Is Not about Individual Salvation

May 16, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Phil 2:12, Salvation in Philippians, Sanctification, Soteriology

While working up my recommendations for various books of the Bible, I looked up how two commentators, Ralph Martin and Gordon Fee, handle Phil 2:12. While both men believe that perseverance is required to attain “final salvation,” neither sees Phil 2:12 as dealing with that. Fee says, Obedience in this case takes the form of

The Good and the Evil

May 15, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Believe, Daniel, Good, Resurrection

Q. Doesn’t John 5:28-29 show that doing good works is a condition of salvation? How do you understand it? A. Good question. Taken on its own, that can be a puzzling passage. You would think “the good” refers to good deeds, and “the evil” refers to sins. But is that right? There’s a theme

What Was Zane Hodges Saying about Salvation in 1 Timothy 4:16?

May 14, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - 1 Tim 4:16, false teachers, Sanctification, Soteriology

“Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tim 4:16). We ran an article in the May-June Grace in Focus magazine where Zane Hodges discussed 1 Tim 4:6-16. At the end of the article was a short

He Who Lives — John 11:25-26

May 11, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Post-mortem Salvation, universalism

Do unbelievers get a second chance to believe in Jesus after they die? According to universalists they do. They say that someone who dies in unbelief today may still have a chance to believe in Jesus for eternal life in the underworld tomorrow. On that theory, when an unebeliever wake up in Hades, they

Salvation Is Final the Moment You Believe

May 10, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - evangelism, Final Salvation, Salvation, saving faith

On September 25, 2017 Dr. John Piper published a blog at the DesiringGod.org website. It was entitled, “Does God Really Save Us by Faith Alone?” His answer was No! In part Piper writes: These works of faith, and this obedience of faith, these fruits of the Spirit that come by faith, are necessary for