MGA BATA, TABAKO AT KATIYAKAN
Nang ako ay sampung taong gulang, dumalo ako sa isang reunion ng pamilya sa Kentucky. Dalawang malayong pinsan ang dumating sa reunion. Magkapatid sila at halos kaedad ko sila. Hindi ko pa sila nakita ngunit masaya kaming naglaro sa parke. Napakabait nila ngunit kakaiba sila. Pareho silang ngumunguya ng tabako at dura ng dura ng […]
A Dozen Significant Things the Bible Does Not Tell Us About Church
I like Garry Friesen’s book, Decision Making and the Will of God. He suggests that God’s moral will for us is found in Scripture. Anything not discussed in Scripture is a matter of freedom. For example, a believer can choose any job except those forbidden by Scripture (e.g., hit man, thief, prostitute, pimp, drug dealer). […]
Is Assurance “of the Essence of Saving Faith” in the Gospel of John?
By Bob Vacendak Is assurance of salvation “of the essence of saving faith” in the Gospel of John? Of course, when we say of the essence we mean: “Is assurance of salvation a necessary part of saving faith?” Since the Reformation, scholars have debated the assurance of salvation. The crux of the issue is: Can […]
Language, Lips, and Loving Words: A Free Grace Response to Isaiah 19:18
By Kathryn Wright Recently, I have read some writings by Bible teachers who say we can determine true believers by what they say. These teachers propose that Isaiah does that by describing the language a believer uses and what a believer does with his lips. It is then maintained that the NT Book of James […]
Focused Free Grace Versus Flexible Free Grace: Can Two Walk Together? Part 1
By Mike Lii1 Introduction Free Grace theology is unified around the concepts that (a) salvation is by faith in some truth about Jesus and (b) this salvation, when received, can never be lost (eternal security). However, Free Grace theologians do not all agree upon (1) the truth about Jesus that must be believed in order […]
Believing in the Gift and the Giver
By Vince Deegan When Free Grace folks tell unbelievers what they must believe to have eternal life—that is, to be saved from the lake of fire and live in the kingdom of God forever—we tell them they must believe in the gift and the Giver. The gift is eternal life. The Giver is Jesus Christ. […]
Is Believing in Jesus’ Promise of Life Easy?
By Bob Wilkin Many people charge that the faith-alone view of salvation is easy believism. A while back I did a seven-minute YouTube video entitled, “What Is Easy Believism?” Check it out if you have time. In this article, I’ll discuss whether believing in Jesus for everlasting life that can never be lost is easy. […]
Honoring a Janitor
By Ken Yates I attended one of our nation’s military academies when I went to college. There were around 4,000 young cadets at the institution. We were studying to become future military leaders. The buildings where we worked and lived were named after past military leaders. We read of their exploits and saw their portraits […]
A Voice From the Past: Who Are You?
By Zane Hodges1 On one occasion, described in John 1:19-27, John the Baptist was visited by an important official delegation from the religious leadership of Jerusalem. Speculation had mounted that this Elijah-like prophet might be the Messiah Himself (cf. Luke 3:15). If ever there was a golden opportunity for John to “blow his own horn,” […]
Why Doesn’t God Say That Justification Is by Faith Alone?
By Bob Wilkin O. O. (not 7) writes: “You continue to see individual passages saying one is saved by faith. But nowhere do they say by faith alone.” In January of 1996, I debated a Church of Christ evangelist on justification by faith alone. One of his points was that the only place in the […]