Page 512 – Grace Evangelical Society

A Crucial Reminder

November 2, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - David Zahl, Mockingbird, theology of the cross

“The cross reminds us that God is present, especially when it looks like he’s not” (David Zahl, Mockingbird Devotional, p. 62). What does Zahl mean here? When do you feel closest to God? Isn’t it when everything is going “right”? When everyone is healthy? When there’s money in the bank account? When the car or

Justification by Faith and Salvation by Works? — The Key to Understanding Romans 10:9-10

November 1, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Justification by faith alone, Romans 10:9-10, Salvation in Romans

“…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:9-10 is found in most gospel tracts. It is widely

Why Do Good If Salvation Is Not By Works?

October 31, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - good works, Grace, one-way love

If you preach grace—that God saves you through simple faith in Jesus for eternal life, apart from your works (cf. Gal 2:16)—then why do good? What’s the point of all the love commands in the NT (e.g., “serve one another in love,” Gal 5:13), if your eternal destiny in heaven or hell is not on

Knowing God in Our Experience? — 1 John 2:3

October 30, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Knowing God; 1 John 2:3; 1 John 4:7-8

Here is another good question I received: In an article on your page concerning 1 John 2:3-11, you make the following statement: “When John speaks of knowing Christ, he is using a term which can refer to one’s position or one’s experience. In this context the latter is in view. In other words, a believer knows

No Progressive Sanctification? (1 Corinthians 3)

October 29, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - 1 Corinthians 3, Mockingbird, Sanctification

I was reading the Mockingbird Devotional for October 11. The devotion was written by Curt Benham, an Anglican priest in Atlanta. I got to meet him at a Mockingbird conference held in Oklahoma City. Very nice guy. Mockingbird is a ministry that promotes grace. They are not Free Grace in a “thick” sense, but I

Jesus Makes You Family (Galatians 3:26–4:7)

October 26, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Galatians, Grace, Law & Gospel

It is a universal fact of human nature that we all want to love and be loved. We all want to belong. But how will we do it? By law or grace? Why do young men join gangs? Usually because they live at the margins of society where they have little significance in the eyes

Romans 8:1 Doesn’t Mean What Most Translations Say

October 25, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Romans 8:1; No condemnation; katakrima; slavery to sin

Today I received a question via email: In a sermon on Romans 8, Dr. Wilkin refers to the word katakrima in verse 1 as having to do with slavery to sin, though the word is only used two other times in the NT (Romans 5) and does not seem to carry such a connotation, nor

Mark’s Unique Parable: World Changers (Mark 4:26-29)

October 24, 2018 by Ken Yates in Blog - Armageddon, Joel, Kingdom, Seed

In Mark 4:26-29, we find a parable of the Lord unique to Mark’s Gospel. It doesn’t get much attention. I think the attention it does receive is often superficial. A major reason for this neglect is that this parable is often treated more or less as a repetition of the Parable of the Four Soils

A Brief Review of Craig Blomberg’s The Historical Reliability of the New Testament

October 23, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Craig Blomberg, Historical Reliability of the New Testament, inerrancy

The Historical Reliability of the New Testament. By Craig Blomberg. Nashville, TN: B & H Academic, Lexham Press, 2016. 783 pp. Paper, $39.99. I wrote a September 25, 2018, blog (see here) about a JETS review of this book. At the time I had not yet read it. Now that I have, I want to

Mining for Truth (Proverbs 2:3-5)

October 22, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - pluralism, truth

Is it easy to find the truth? Is it supposed to be easy? It depends. Some truth is implanted in your heart. You don’t need to search for it. It is right there. For example, God wrote the requirements of the moral law on the heart, Paul says (Rom 2:15). In an appendix to C.