Faith – Page 13 – Grace Evangelical Society

Scot McKnight Explains What Faith Really Is

May 18, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Faith, Justification by faith alone, Soteriology

Justification by faith alone taken at face value means justification by faith alone. However, more and more today Evangelicals are saying that justification by faith alone means justification by submission and obedience. One of the leading Christian bloggers is New Testament scholar Dr. Scot McKnight. His blog is called Jesus Creed. McKnight published a commentary

Is the Object of Faith Jesus or His Promise?

March 28, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Faith, object of faith, promise of life, saving faith

A week ago (March 20) I received this excellent email question: I am re-reading The Ten Most Understood Words in the Bible. I am having a problem reconciling a statement you make in the book with the stance you have on grace alone for everlasting life. On page 22 you state, “If people have never

Is Free Grace Universalist?

March 27, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Faith, kowalowski, pentecostal, Sandeman, Works

A Grace in Focus reader alerted us to the following bad quote. It comes from an Assemblies of God pastor named David Kowalowski. He wrote it for a website called www.apologeticsindex.org. As a Pentecostal, his main concern seems to be the hyper-grace movement. But along the way, he says this about Free Grace Theology: “Though

No Deed Too Small

January 2, 2017 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Faith, Works

About a week after my son was born, he developed a fever and ended up in the hospital. Zane was weak. He wasn’t eating well. His oxygen was low. It turned out it was all due to a urinary tract infection. Then, as I was talking to the doctor about Zane’s condition, he asked if

Rewards, Selfish?

October 25, 2016 by GES Webmaster in Blog - Faith, Selfishness, Works

by Zane Hodges, excerpted from an article originally originally published in the Autumn 1991 edition of the Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society, note: this is a follow up from the blog posted October 25, 2016 Jesus taught rewards Another problem some Christians have with the doctrine of rewards is that this doctrine seems to

Salvation vs. Testimony

October 24, 2016 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Faith, James 2, Justification, Works

Shawn Lazar We recently received a review copy of Evangelism Made Simple: How a Clear Presentation of the Gospel Can Make Your Witnessing More Effective by Jim Scudder and Phil Stringer. We are not yet through the book, but I thought the following quote from Stringer on the meaning of James 2:14-18 was excellent: “This

The Subtle Redefinition of Faith via Trust

October 13, 2016 by GES Webmaster in Blog - Bob Wilkin, Faith, Reformed Theology, Trust, Wayne Grudem

by Bob Wilkin It was sometime in the 90s, maybe 1996. I was in downtown Dallas at the office of Zane Hodges. I mentioned something about trust to Zane. I think I may have asked, “Do you think that trust is a good synonym for believing in Jesus?” At the time, I thought it was.

Is Repentance the Flip Side of Faith?

October 6, 2016 by GES Webmaster in Blog - Faith, Repentance

by Bob Wilkin I heard it when I was on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ. I heard it in some of my classes at Dallas Theological Seminary. I’ve heard it a lot in the three decades since I graduated from seminary. It is often said that repentance is the flip side of faith. Imagine

Do Reformed Theologians Teach That Faith Is Obedience?

October 5, 2016 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Faith, Reformed Theology, Shawn Lazar

“I am aware of no recognized Calvinist or Reformed theologian who says that faith is obedience or that faith is perseverance.” So claimed Wayne Grudem in his “Free Grace” Theology: 5 Ways It Diminishes the Gospel (p. 74). But Grudem adds the caveat, “They will say that saving faith results in obedience and that faith