Assurance – Grace Evangelical Society

I Did Not Realize How Prevalent Assurance by Works Is

January 14, 2021 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Assurance, assurance and works, John 11:25-27

I have mentioned before that our 2006 annual conference ended up being controversial. There were two messages on assurance of everlasting life that were met with a divided response. I thought those messages would be well received but about half of the people agreed, while the other half thought that the messages by Zane Hodges

The Unsaved Christian

December 15, 2020 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Assurance, false assurance, what must I do to be saved?

The title of my blog is the title of a book by Dean Inserra. The subtitle helps explain what he means in the title: “Reaching Cultural Christianity with the Gospel.” I have often said that most Evangelicals need evangelizing (see here, for example). So, I agree in principle with Inserra. However, there is a major

Two Motivations for Ministry: A Lesson from Anthony Norris Groves

November 10, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Anthony Norris Groves, Assurance, Missions

There are two very different motivations for ministry. The first motivation begins in doubt, and the second begins in assurance. That was the experience of Anthony Norris Groves, one of the first “Plymouth Brethren,” and often called “the father of faith missions.” In his interesting biography, Robert Dann notes how Groves went through both kinds

Free Grace and Works Salvation

October 15, 2020 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Assurance, believing in Jesus, Eternal Security, promise of life, works salvation

The other day Shawn and I received the following email from BP who listens to our daily podcast: You said, “Well it is funny because I know some people in Free Grace circles who would say, ‘I know for sure I have everlasting life. It is simply by faith in Christ apart from works. I

Is Salvation a Gift or a Bargain? An Illustration from Steven Hein

September 4, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Assurance, eternal life, gift, lutheran, Works

I like Steven Hein’s analogy for two ways of presenting salvation. He compares it to the difference between receiving a diamond as a gift vs. purchasing it yourself for a bargain: What is the difference between receiving the largest, most valuable diamond in the world as a free gift—and getting it for a penny? If

Assured of the Promises

July 20, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Assurance, Doubt, promises

I was talking to a Presbyterian gentleman—a fellow admirer of Gordon Clark and John Robbins—about how Calvinists understood the nature of faith. When I asked his opinion as to whether they thought that assurance was of the essence of saving faith, he said they clearly did. “After all, when Jesus promised, ‘I go and prepare

Assurance and a Past Experience

June 24, 2020 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - altar calls, Assurance, Eternal Security, John 20:31, John 6:35

Sometime short questions powerfully capture the problem many people face. This question in my email, from someone we will call David, is a perfect example: Dear Bob: When I was in my teens, I think, or a little younger, I went forward in an invitation. I do not remember quite what happened there. I went

Five Differences Between Perseverance of the Saints and Eternal Security

May 1, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Grace in Focus Articles - Assurance, Once saved always saved, Perseverance of the Saints

By Shawn Lazar Q: What’s the difference between eternal security (or once saved, always saved, OSAS), and perseverance of the saints (POTS)? Aren’t they the same thing? A: Well, they are often taken to be the same doctrine, but they shouldn’t be. I admit that some people use the terms interchangeably. But I think we

Why Holiness Churches Lack Assurance

March 10, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Assurance, holiness, lutheran, Lyle Lange

If you’re in a Pentecostal or Holiness church, or if you’ve recently come out of one, you probably struggle with assurance of salvation. Why? Lyle Lange, a Lutheran theologian, explains: The “holiness bodies” (such as Pentecostal, Church of the Nazarene, Church of God) look to special manifestations of the Spirit’s work in their lives to

Sin-Based Assurance?

February 17, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Assurance

“I used to have a struggle with sin, but not anymore,” the man said. We were talking about assurance. He was explaining that his past struggles with addictive substances had caused him to doubt his salvation. How could he be saved if he was getting drunk all the time? But since he had overcome drunkenness,