Soteriology – Page 2 – Grace Evangelical Society

Saved by Faith, or by Faith Formed by Love?

November 3, 2014 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - fides caritate formata, Free Grace, justification by faith, legalism, lutheran, sola fide, Soteriology

By Shawn Lazar Sola fide or fides caritate formata? Are we saved by faith alone, or faith formed by love? During the Reformation, that was one of the questions faced by Martin Luther, and it is an objection that the Free Grace movement still hears today. Faith in Jesus isn’t enough, some people say, you

Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire? J. D. Greear on Assurance

October 23, 2012 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Assurance, extra nos, Free Grace, J. D. Greear, Luther, lutheran, Soteriology

Assurance Lost In a recent article in Christianity Today (“Should We Stop Asking Jesus Into Our Hearts?” Posted 7/13/2012), pastor J.D. Greear writes about his struggle to attain assurance of salvation. Greear recounts how his assurance was lost after a Sunday school lesson on Matthew 7:21-23, that pointed to the possibility of false professors. The

Faith Taken Captive

September 14, 2012 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - eternal life, gerhard forde, legalism, lutheran, Soteriology

“Faith itself has been taken captive by legalism.” ~Gerhard Forde Ever since Paul’s fiery denouncement of Judaistic law-keeping in Galatians and Romans, the Christian tradition has recognized, if only grudgingly, that legalism is the death-knell of faith in Christ. Even those churches most closely identified with deeply legalistic tendencies (I am thinking of Catholicism and

Watchman Nee on Eternal Life and Repentance

August 16, 2012 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Culture Wars, eternal life, Free Grace, Soteriology

I recently came across the following quote from Watchman Nee, the famous Chinese evangelist and martyr. It is taken from a lecture he gave in Shanghai, during the spring of 1937, translated in The Gospel of God Vol. 1 (Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1990). It is almost word for word what Zane, Bob, and

And Then the Onion Broke

July 10, 2012 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Soteriology, What's Happening

One of the most misguided and depressing illustrations of salvation is found in Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, in the Parable of the Onion. It illustrates the deeply legalistic character of popular Orthodox soteriology, which, despite its talk of grace, mercy, and love, teaches that our eternal destiny ultimately depends on our works. Indeed, while the

Zane and Reaping Eternal Life (Gal 6:8)

July 10, 2012 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Soteriology

Feb 22 Response to Ardel Caneday’s Blog Post Entitled, “Eternal Life, Both God’s Gift and Reward” First I will weave in Caneday’s blog post with my comments. To set my words apart, I will put Caneday’s comments in blue and quotes from Zane in green. At the end, after Caneday’s comments end, I will have