Grace in Focus – March/April 2024
Myrmecology: Lessons from an Ant (Proverbs 6:6-8 and 30:25)
By Philippe R. Sterling Have you ever heard of a myrmecologist? No…it’s not a person who studies murmuring! Myrmecology is the study of ants. Myrmecology (from Greek: myrmēx, ant and logos, study) is a branch of entomology (the study of all insects) that focuses on the scientific study of ants. Some early myrmecologists, considering ant
Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing – Matthew 7:15
By Ken Yates In Matt 7:15, the Lord warns us about false prophets. They can come to us in sheep’s clothing but are wolves. In other words, sometimes people can look good when, in fact, they are evil. People who teach evil things can appear to be godly. Wolves can look like sheep. It is
A Voice From the Past: Are You a Saint or an Ain’t?
By Art Farstad1 Many well-meaning Christians are not well taught on this supremely important and practical subject. A common phrase heard in Christendom (and sadly even by supposedly evangelical Christians) is, “I’m a Christian, but I’m no saint.” The idea is that while we can expect a person to go to church, give money, and
Believing in the Gift and the Giver
By Vince Deegan When Free Grace folks tell unbelievers what they must believe to have eternal life—that is, to be saved from the lake of fire and live in the kingdom of God forever—we tell them they must believe in the gift and the Giver. The gift is eternal life. The Giver is Jesus Christ.
Is Believing in Jesus’ Promise of Life Easy?
By Bob Wilkin Many people charge that the faith-alone view of salvation is easy believism. A while back I did a seven-minute YouTube video entitled, “What Is Easy Believism?” Check it out if you have time. In this article, I’ll discuss whether believing in Jesus for everlasting life that can never be lost is easy.
Honoring a Janitor
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
Is Assurance “of the Essence of Saving Faith” in the Gospel of John?
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
Language, Lips, and Loving Words: A Free Grace Response to Isaiah 19:18
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
Focused Free Grace Versus Flexible Free Grace: Can Two Walk Together? Part 1
By Mike Lii1 Introduction Free Grace theology is unified around the concepts that (a) salvation is by faith in some truth about Jesus and (b) this salvation, when received, can never be lost (eternal security). However, Free Grace theologians do not all agree upon (1) the truth about Jesus that must be believed in order
A Voice From the Past: Who Are You?
By Zane Hodges1 On one occasion, described in John 1:19-27, John the Baptist was visited by an important official delegation from the religious leadership of Jerusalem. Speculation had mounted that this Elijah-like prophet might be the Messiah Himself (cf. Luke 3:15). If ever there was a golden opportunity for John to “blow his own horn,”
Why Doesn’t God Say That Justification Is by Faith Alone?
By Bob Wilkin O. O. (not 7) writes: “You continue to see individual passages saying one is saved by faith. But nowhere do they say by faith alone.” In January of 1996, I debated a Church of Christ evangelist on justification by faith alone. One of his points was that the only place in the