Grace in Focus – January/February 2020
Romans 2: A Concise Commentary
By Zane Hodges, edited by Bob Wilkin The Universality of This Manifestation (2:1-5) 2:1. Paul now addresses himself to a would-be judge (you who pass judgment). He is without a defense for himself because he does the same things which he judges. Paul draws on the vices found in 1:24-32. He certainly does not mean
Spiritual GPS
By Marcia Hornok Finding the will of God can be a conundrum. One wise saint said, “I didn’t know it was lost.” Indeed, it isn’t. Many Scriptures tell us God’s will. For example, that none of these little ones should perish; that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life;
Where Did We Get the Term “Free Grace”?
By Shawn Lazar We believe in Free Grace Theology—which is distinct from Calvinism, Arminianism, Lutheranism, Thomism, and other -isms. But where did the term “free grace” come from? Historically, the expression “free grace” was used by both Calvinists and Arminians. Arminans Have Used the Term For example, John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, preached a
No Man Is an Island
By Bob Wilkin In 1624, English poet John Donne wrote a poem whose first line reads, “No man is an island entire of itself…” He went on in the same short poem to write, “any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell
The Greatest of These
By Bill Fiess and Pam Esteven In a recent study, I noted that some form of the Greek word family agapaō (verb, noun, participle, adjective) occurs in every single book of the NT. As many Grace in Focus readers know, agapaō and its various forms denote love in the highest sense of the word, both
The Potential Impact of Christian Hospitality
By Shawn Lazar What does a practical “Christian spirituality” look like? That’s what I’m trying to understand as I seek to follow the Lord more closely and to raise my kids to do the same. The problem those of us in the Free Grace movement face is that so much of today’s teaching about “spirituality”
Tips for Prospective Seminary Students
By Bob Wilkin Fourteen years ago, I taught a discipleship group for seminarians. I sought to help them avoid some of the pitfalls of seminary education. In this article I will share some of the tips I gave to those I was mentoring. These tips apply to both seminary students and Bible college students. Historically
Divorce: Are We Missing the Main Point? (Mark 10:11)
By Ken Yates If you ask ten theologians their views on divorce and remarriage, you will get eleven different answers. I have engaged in many of these discussions myself. One verse included in all these debates is Mark 10:11. The Lord says, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.” While this
Bye Bye Netflix
By Shawn Lazar Since having kids, my wife and I have time to watch maybe one show a night. It often takes two or three nights to finish a movie. But over the last four or five years, finding things to watch has become increasingly difficult. We’ve had to tune out more and more shows