Grace in Focus – March/April 2016
Did They Really Believe?
By Wes Spradley Introduction The church I attend stands firmly on the truth of the inerrancy of the Scriptures. (That is the teaching that the Bible has no errors in it.) The Sunday school I attend is blessed with several godly men who are able to teach the inerrant Scriptures. Not too long ago, one
The Building Block of Self-Control
Felix was a man of humble beginnings. However, through the influence of an older brother, he was able to rise above his lowly station in life and worm his way into a position of social prestige and political power. In his relentless quest for political and personal advancement, he was willing to resort to adultery,
The Danger of Seeking to Make a Name for Yourself
The Warning of Zane Hodges in 1983 I was taking a Greek course on the exegesis of James and the Johannine epistles with Zane Hodges as my professor. I remember the day we discussed Jas 4:4, which says, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to
The Lame Man (Acts 3)
Introduction (3:1-12) 3:1-8. In Acts 3, Peter and John heal a man who was lame from birth. There are three ways to look at the miracle of this passage. First, we can look at the man himself. Over 40 years old (Acts 4:22), he was doubt- less a pitiable sight. It is not unlikely that
No Strings Attached Salvation
By Al Acevedo It was the winter break before my last semester of seminary at Liberty University Online, and I did not know where I stood on the Calvinism/Arminianism debate. Was I a Calvinist? If so, how many of the five points did I accept? Maybe I was more Arminian? After all, it was hard
Three Gospel Studies
Study I: Four Simple Observations from the Evangelistic Ministry of the Lord Jesus I recently did a Logos software study revealing four facts which, while simple, have significant implications: 1. Jesus Christ did not spend a lot of time convincing unbelievers that they were sinners. 2. The Lord also did not spend much time convincing
Getting Back to Basics (1 Timothy 1:15-17)
Where We Come From One day a seminary student saw his advanced Greek professor reading a book. He noticed that it was the textbook used by first-year Greek students. The professor was extremely knowledgeable in New Testament Greek, and the student was intrigued as to why he was reading it. When he asked the professor
“Father, Take This Cup”
Many Christians find our Lord’s Gethsemane prayers perplexing, even downright troubling. Seemingly, Jesus tries to convince the Father into allowing Him to avoid crucifixion. How could that be? The Cross Was Unavoidable Jesus’ repeated predictions of the cross and resurrection—starting with John 2:19—prove that He knew that His death on the cross was unavoidable. Note
10 Things Your Minister Will Never Tell You (If He Believes the Bible!)
A few years ago a member of my congregation told me about a book by a Baptist pastor entitled 10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You (But Can’t, Because He Needs the Job). I was intrigued: Was this a book to help the average Christian understand what a pastor really thinks? Or maybe a
Why Might Believers Have Shame at Christ’s Coming? — Another Look at 1 John 2:28
Introduction Zane Hodges calls 1 John 2:28 the theme verse for the epistle. It reads, And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence [or boldness] and not be ashamed before Him at His coming [parousia]. Arminians and Calvinists see this as a warning regarding eternal destiny. The believer