Grace and Works Free Grace theology emphasizes that eternal salvation rests upon the grace of God. We receive eternal life as a free gift through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ, apart from our works, the moment we believe in Him for that life. Unfortunately, throughout Church history people have taught that works are

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He props up; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you” (John 15:2-3, author’s own translation, emphasis added). Perseverance theology distorts John 15 by suggesting that

By Staff Does the Parable of the Talents Refer to Church-Age or Tribulation Believers? Q: My questions have to do with the Parable of the Talents found in Matt 25:14-30. In verses 21 and 23 we read, “Well done, good and faithful servant…” These are words we would all love to hear at the Judgment

I wrote my dissertation on the question of repentance and salvation in the NT. Croteau quotes me a number of times in this article (though he seems unaware that I changed my understanding of repentance in 1998, 16 years ago). Though this is a 27-page article, the author’s contentions are quite simple and easy to

A CITY IN DARKNESS In contemplating the issue of missions, I immediately thought of Montreal, the city where I was born and raised. With a metropolitan population of nearly four million, Montreal is the 15th largest city in North America, and the 2nd largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris. Its vibrant European-style culture

Why I Love Problem Verses If you’ve ever preached that justification is by faith apart from works, someone has most likely asked you to explain James 2:14-26. What did James mean when he said that “faith without works is dead” (Jas 2:17, 20, 26) and that “a man is justified by works” (Jas 2:24; cf.

By Ronald E. Diprose Indirectly Replacement Theology Obscured the Biblical Doctrine of Salvation We have seen that one of the effects of Replacement Theology was the transformation of the church into a priestly hierarchy. This in turn obscured the Biblical doctrine of salvation by grace through faith. On a personal level, this is the most

By Keith Pesce Introduction As most students of the Bible know, James 2:14-26 is a very controversial passage. Much of the difficulty revolves around the meaning of the word save in Jas 2:14 and the way many people equate salvation with salvation from hell. I believe that is a serious misinterpretation that compromises the free

By Hersh Lange and Shawn Lazar The Autumn 2013 issue of The Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society was a special festschrift published in honor of Dr. Earl D. Radmacher. Many of our readers know Dr. Radmacher from his long tenure at Western Conservative Baptist Seminary where, for thirty-four years, he taught systematic theology, and

Our Works Will Be Evaluated One of the distinctions of Free Grace theology is the teaching about the believer’s judgment for rewards. All Christians will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Jesus will evaluate every Christian’s service record, “whether good or bad” and we will receive payment for services rendered in this life (2

Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21). This verse certainly is confusing for the person who understands it as dealing with how a person obtains eternal salvation from hell. Note there are two conditions. The first is

While doing a Logos search I discovered that the expression woe to that man (ouai tō anthrōpō ekeinō) occurs only four times in the NT, twice in Matthew (18:7; 26:24) and once each in Mark (14:21) and Luke (22:22). I wondered whether the Lord might have a specific man in mind in all these places,