By Ken Yates I attended one of our nation’s military academies when I went to college. There were around 4,000 young cadets at the institution. We were studying to become future military leaders. The buildings where we worked and lived were named after past military leaders. We read of their exploits and saw their portraits

By Bob Vacendak Is assurance of salvation “of the essence of saving faith” in the Gospel of John? Of course, when we say of the essence we mean: “Is assurance of salvation a necessary part of saving faith?” Since the Reformation, scholars have debated the assurance of salvation. The crux of the issue is: Can

By Kathryn Wright Recently, I have read some writings by Bible teachers who say we can determine true believers by what they say. These teachers propose that Isaiah does that by describing the language a believer uses and what a believer does with his lips. It is then maintained that the NT Book of James

By Ken Yates Introduction In any field of thought, the people involved develop a specific vocabulary. They often forget that most people are unfamiliar with this vocabulary. For example, if I find myself in a group of auto mechanics, I quickly realize that I don’t know what many of their words mean. They may talk

By Bob Wilkin A 2019 doctoral paper by Nicholas James Claxton (available online)1 is entitled “Faith Without Works: The Gospel According to Zane Hodges.” Claxton’s paper is irenic in tone. In his conclusion, he raises seven objections to the views and exegetical method of Hodges. I’ll briefly answer those objections in this article. His seven

By Dix Winston In 1999 the NFL instituted the red challenge flag, allowing a coach to challenge certain calls made by the officiating team. Once the flag is thrown, the referee reviews the video replay from a number of different camera angles. If there is indisputable visual evidence, the ruling on the field will be

By Kathryn Wright Introduction According to the American Psychological Association, to gaslight someone means: “To manipulate another person into doubting their own perceptions, experiences, or understanding of events.” This form of psychological manipulation is a common tactic of abusers who make their victims feel unstable or irrational by claiming that their legitimate concerns are minor

By Philippe R. Sterling Life is often difficult. One of my most difficult years was my second year in college. I was taking some of my most demanding classes: organic chemistry, physics, and physiology. Three weeks before finals I got a severe sinus infection, which made it look as if I had a softball under

By Mike Lii It is one of the most iconic moments in Super Bowl history and probably the most famous example of an athlete celebrating his victory too early. In 1993, during Super Bowl XXVII, Leon Lett of the Dallas Cowboys scooped up a fumble by Buffalo Bills’ quarterback Frank Reich, then proceeded to run

By Bob Wilkin *This article first appeared in the March 1993 issue of Grace in Focus. It has been slightly edited. According to the Westminster Confession of Faith, there are three pillars of assurance of salvation: the promises of God’s Word, the works which the Holy Spirit produces through us, and the inner witness of