Sanctification – Grace Evangelical Society

Why Do People Feel Frustrated in Their Sanctification?

March 12, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Lyle Lange, motivation, Sanctification

As you seek to live your life for the Lord, what keeps you motivated? Do you ever feel frustrated at your progress—or lack thereof? Are you looking in the right places for motivation? Lyle Lange offers some insights: When Christians look to their own efforts for increasing sanctified living, one of two things will happen.

Some Strong Language About Sanctification and Sin

December 9, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Sanctification, Sin

What does it mean to be sanctified? What’s supposed to happen to the sin in your life? As I’ve been meditating on that subject—wondering to what extent Scripture describes sanctification as a process, or as an event, or as both—I noticed some of the verbs that Paul uses to describe what has happened, or what

Knowing Him in Our Experience (1 John 2:3-11) Nine Principles of the Christian Life

November 26, 2019 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - 1 John 2:3-11, Fellowship with God, Knowing God, Sanctification

The following is a condensed version of a message I gave on Nov 22 at the New Jersey/Pennsylvania GES Regional Conference. The longer you live in fellowship with someone, the better you get to know that person. A couple might have been married for 50 years and yet not know each other very well

Romans and Perseverance of the Saints

May 31, 2019 by Kenneth Yates in Blog - Assurance, Perseverance, Sanctification

A reader recently wrote GES asking for comments on an article found online. The article deals with Romans 5-8. Click here for the article. In Romans 5-8, Paul deals with the Christian life. The main point of the article is that in these chapters Paul is saying that a productive Christian life is inevitable in

Grace vs Permissiveness

April 16, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Grace, Sanctification

I was recently chatting with an Episcopal priest about grace. He was very nice, and it was a pleasure talking to him. I asked how the message of grace was received in the Episcopal church. He suggested that while the Episcopal church is not very theological—in that people are not talking about and debating theology—he

Leaving Sin City (Romans 6:1-2)

February 1, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Romans, Sanctification

The Red Light district in Amsterdam is one of the most depressing places I’ve ever been. Abby and I had just moved to the city. We loved walking through it. Amsterdam is more like a large village than a city, filled with beautiful architecture, canals, and shops. But it has some ugly parts, too. We

Burden Bearing (Galatians 6:1-6)

December 17, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Christian living, Galatians, Sanctification, spirituality

I believe that Christian “spirituality” boils down to loving Jesus and loving your neighbor. There are some other elements, to be sure, but that’s the master theme. And this isn’t an emotional-sentimental love. It’s a practical, get-your-hands-dirty kind of love. It’s a give a hungry person a sandwich, or better yet, give him a job,

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

Commentaries Recognize Philippians 2:12 Is Not about Individual Salvation

May 16, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Phil 2:12, Salvation in Philippians, Sanctification, Soteriology

While working up my recommendations for various books of the Bible, I looked up how two commentators, Ralph Martin and Gordon Fee, handle Phil 2:12. While both men believe that perseverance is required to attain “final salvation,” neither sees Phil 2:12 as dealing with that. Fee says, Obedience in this case takes the form of

What Was Zane Hodges Saying about Salvation in 1 Timothy 4:16?

May 14, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - 1 Tim 4:16, false teachers, Sanctification, Soteriology

“Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tim 4:16). We ran an article in the May-June Grace in Focus magazine where Zane Hodges discussed 1 Tim 4:6-16. At the end of the article was a short