The Truth Shall Make You Free — John 8:32
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). How does the truth make us free? Jesus was speaking to new believers (cf. John 8:30-31). He told them that if—if, not when!—they continued (or abided) in His teaching they would be genuine disciples. And then the truth of His […]
John Gerstner on Antinomianism and Free Grace
John Gerstner (1914-1996) was a Reformed theologian who strongly believed that doing good works are necessary in order to be justified. Here is an article called “The Antinomian Way of Justification,” where Gerstner criticizes Charles Ryrie, as well as Zane Hodges, for being “antinomian” because both denied that saving faith must necessarily be accompanied by […]
Coexist?
Have you ever seen the “COEXIST” bumper sticker? It takes the symbols of different religions—from Islam to Christianity—to spell the word, “coexist.” That bumper sticker sends two messages. The first message is social. No matter what your religion, we should all co-exist in society without doing violence to one another. Instead of Muslims fighting with […]
Caught but Not Condemned (John 8:1-11)
Jesus could give as good as He could get. The Jewish religious leaders would throw accusations at Jesus, and the Lord would throw barbs right back at ‘em. For example, they accused Jesus of breaking the Law because He healed on the Sabbath. But Jesus denied they kept the Law at all. “Didn’t Moses give […]
Ministries We Need
We need more Free Grace ministries. The field is wide open. People often contact me telling me GES should do this or that. I usually respond, “Why don’t you do it?” Here are some of the major needs that I see… Sunday School Curriculum: I would very much like GES to do one. We need […]
Watchman Nee on Assurance
Here are some excellent quotes from Watchman Nee on assurance of salvation. They are from the Collected Works of Watchman Nee, The (Set 1) Vol. 02: The Word of the Cross, Lesson 11: The Assurance of Salvation (you can search for them here): First of all, Nee affirms that everlasting life is a present possession. […]
Betraying Sola Fide: Major Denominations Join Rome
Does anyone believe in sola fide anymore? This week the World Communion of Reformed Churches signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification co-authored by the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church in 1999 (see here). The document was already formally endorsed by the World Methodist Council. And according to the article, […]
Growing Old Without Growing Up
My four year-old, Daphne, recently told me, “I’d like to grow up when I’m older.” Don’t we all! Daphne hit on a spiritual truth that is not fully appreciated in Christian circles—growing old is not always the same as growing up! In other words, age doesn’t equal maturity. Growing old takes no effort. It happens […]
Four Promises About Eternal Security (John 6:35-40)
In John 6:35-40, Jesus makes four promises concerning the believer’s eternal security. Let’s go through them one by one. Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger” (v 35a). Jesus has just fed the 5,000, so food is on their minds, especially the bread He […]
An Easy Way to Share Your Faith
By Shawn Lazar My good friend, Dr. Steve Lewis, President of Rocky Mountain Seminary, recently told me of an easy way to evangelize and I tried it out on a plane ride back from Portland. Here’s how it works. First, you have to meet someone who professes to believe in Jesus, or who goes to […]