Page 493 – Grace Evangelical Society

Good Works by Non-Church Goers

May 15, 2019 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - 1 Corinthians 15:58, good works, Hebrews 10:23-25

In a recent blog I suggested that Eph 2:10 is about local churches doing good works and thus about believers doing good works in and through their churches. I then got this question, “Perhaps I’m reading too much into your comments about doing good works through the local church, but do you think believers who

Asa Mahan’s Assurance of Salvation

May 14, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Asa Mahan, Assurance

Asa Mahan (1799-1889) was an Arminian philosopher and theologian. He was Presbyterian, but at a time when many Presbyterians were becoming Arminian (following the so-called “New Haven Theology”). Mahan was also the first president of Oberlin College (when it was a revivalist school and not the uber-liberal place it is today). Mahan was also co-worker

The Nature of Saving Faith

May 13, 2019 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Assensus, saving faith, Understanding

Recently I wrote a blog in which I said that before faith in Christ can occur, a person must understand the promise of everlasting life which the Lord Jesus makes to the believer. This led to an interesting question from a reader: “Where does it say in the Bible that understanding is a condition for

What Is Love? (Ephesians 5:1-3)

May 10, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Ephesians, love

Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children. Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us as a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God. And do not let sexual immorality, or any impurity, or greed be named among you, as these are not proper among saints (MEV). The Ephesians were

Created for Good Works (Ephesians 2:10)

May 9, 2019 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Assurance, Ephesians 2:10, good works, Perseverance

There is a great effort by many to soften the meaning of Eph 2:8-9 by suggesting that verse 10 means that while works are not the means of salvation, they are the necessary result of it. For example, Francis Foulkes writes, “But probably it is the whole course of life that is on view here.

The Different Benefits of the Cross: A Short Survey

May 8, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - atonement, cross

Calvinists and Arminians debate whether the atonement is limited or unlimited. My question is—what if that’s a false dichotomy? The big assumption made by both Calvinists and Arminians is that the atonement comes as a package of benefits. They claim that if one benefit applies to you, they all do because those benefits come as

To Die Once (Hebrews 9:27)

May 7, 2019 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Hebrews 9:27, NDEs, People who die twice, The age of accountability

Recently I received a question about Heb 9:27: “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” The questioner said, “Would it not follow from that that it is also appointed for men once to live?” I had said in a blog that I thought that children who died before the

The Arminian’s Difficulty

May 6, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Arminianism, Arminians, Chafer

I came across this quote from Lewis Sperry Chafer. He contrasts the eternal salvation preached by Jesus with the “transient” salvation believed by Arminians: “The Arminian’s difficulty is initial. To him salvation is no more than a state of mind, a good intention, a resolution, or an outward manner of life. Such passing or transient

Faith Is Futile If Jesus Did Not Rise from the Dead (1 Corinthians 15:17)

May 3, 2019 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - 1 Corinthians 15:17, Easter, Faith, Resurrection, saving faith

“And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” Alternative history novels explore what life would be like today if a major event in human history turned out differently. For example, Harry Turtledove’s Southern Victory explores what the United States would have been like if the South had

Justification by Faith Alone and Yet by Repentance Too

May 2, 2019 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Justification by faith alone, Justification by faith plus repentance, The role of repentance in justification

A reader sent me a famous sermon by John Wesley entitled, “The Scripture Way of Salvation.” You can read the sermon here. It is well worth reading. I was thrilled when I found a fantastic statement by Wesley on justification by faith alone. He wrote: Faith is the condition, and the only condition, of justification.