Grace in Focus – September/October 2023
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Believe in Jesus for the Forgiveness of Sins! (Is That a Saving Message?)
By Ken Yates I conducted a very unscientific survey. What I found is that the most popular way of presenting the gospel today is for the speaker to tell unbelievers that Jesus will forgive them of their sins if they believe in Him. We find this gospel presentation in numerous tracts, in sermons, and even
Distant Cousins Compared
By Marcia Hornok What could Ishmael–Abraham’s son by Sarah’s servant Hagar–and Abraham’s great-grandson, Joseph, possibly have in common? Since the Holy Spirit’s verbal inspiration is intentional, even small details are purposeful and, in this case, can show similarities between Ishmael and Joseph. AGE SEVENTEEN God wants us to know Joseph’s age when he was exiled
Are You Guilty of Having a Non-Profit Religion? (James 2:14)
By Bob Wilkin1 James 2:14 begins with three words in Greek: ti to ophelos. Those three Greek words are found only one other time in the NT. Guess where? Two verses later James repeats those three words. Those words are translated in four different, but related, ways in the leading English translation: What does it
Does It Really Depend on Me?
By Mike Lii Back when I was in high school, my church produced a video designed to encourage evangelism. The concluding scene of that video is burned into my memory. A young man was shown in tears and in relative darkness in order to represent his being in hell. He was looking at his friend—a
Prove or Improve: Using James 2 in Evangelism
By Kathryn Wright Of all the passages in the NT, James 2:14-26 is the one we most frequently encounter in an adversarial way when we proclaim the message of grace. Sadly, many have fallen prey to works-based salvation due to popular misapplications of these verses. Because of these misunderstandings, if you teach that eternal life
The Message of Grace in Zambia
By Ken Yates One of the ministries of GES is proclaiming the free gift of eternal life by faith alone in Christ in countries other than the United States. One way we do that is through our website. We also have Zoom classes through which citizens of other countries can participate in sound theological discussions.
Weakness
By Nancy Rempel Part I Just before midnight on September 30, 1994, a baby, one month premature, slipped out of an unwed Muslim girl in Peshawar, Pakistan. Wide-eyed with fear, 15-year-old Jan Bibi delivered her tiny boy in silence. The victim of a revenge rape, Jan Bibi was running, hiding, and dodging death. Six months
What Can Motivate Us if Eternal Life Is Assured?
By Philippe R. Sterling A motive is “that which moves or induces a person to act in a certain way” (Oxford English Dictionary). In the context of the Christian life, what motive(s) could move a believer to live in obedience to Christ if eternal life is already assured? Jesus guarantees eternal life to all who
Free Grace and Ultra-Dispensationalism
By Laurence M. Vance “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15). One characteristic of conservative Evangelicals and Baptists who are not adherents of Reformed theology is that they are Dispensationalists. This is especially true of Free Grace believers.
A Voice From the Past: If It’s Free, Why Would Anyone Need to Strive to Enter? (Luke 13:24)
By Bob Wilkin* “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” We who believe in the freeness of the gospel may be uncomfortable with this verse. At least, we should be unless we’ve carefully considered what it is saying. After all,
A Voice From the Past: God’s Role in Conversion
By Zane C. Hodges *This article was first published in the July-August 1993 issue of Grace in Focus. In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.—2 Corinthians 4:4