Lord, Can You Pour Some More Mercy on Me?
In Luke 6:37-38, the Lord tells His disciples what He requires if they want to follow Him. He tells them they are not to “judge,” not to “condemn,” but to “forgive.” In thinking about this passage, I realize that we may have misunderstood it. Most believers think the Lord is saying that we should be […]
How Do We Keep Going When the Going Gets Tough?
Two famous Americans are credited with originating the saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” They were Joseph P. Kennedy, the father of President John F. Kennedy, and Knute Rockne, the coach of the Fighting Irish. When our hopes for present blessings are dashed, we are to keep on. But how? We […]
Withdrawing with the King (Mark 3:7)
Anybody who reads the Gospels knows that Jesus lived a very difficult life. He was born into a poor family. These humble beginnings resulted in His being a common laborer in an insignificant town. At the beginning of His ministry, however, the suffering amped up. Most Bible scholars agree that the first act of His […]
Are You 100% Sure?
Assurance of salvation is the cornerstone of Free Grace theology. Because GES and Focused Free Grace proponents strive to reflect the teachings of the NT, we teach that at the moment of faith, the believer has eternal life–life that can never be lost. At the moment a person believes in Jesus for the gift of […]
Why Is the Word “Day” Vital to Understanding Human History?
First, the word day is vital to understanding the start of history. Genesis 1 speaks of the six days of creation and the seventh day of rest. The OT concept of the sabbath rest is based on the creation week. Theologians debate whether these were 24-hour days or seven periods of unknown length. Many believe […]
Did You Know that Jesus Is the Exact Image of the Invisible God?
Many Christians are familiar with the phrase the image of God. Theologians use the Latin designation: Imago Dei. Humans were created in the image of God. Even though that image was marred by the fall of Adam and Eve, it was not destroyed. Humans today still bear the image of God. Paul was alluding to […]
Wisdom Calls Out (Proverbs 1:20)
In the book of Proverbs, wisdom is sometimes pictured as a person. She calls out for people to listen to what she says. The book is full of teachings that, if followed, will result in peace and life. We might say that wisdom cries out to us to live in such a way that we […]
Why GES Doesn’t Punch Down
Have you heard the term punching down? I was unfamiliar with it until Colin Jackson (on the GES staff) explained it. Cambridge Dictionary defines punch down as follows: “to attack or criticize someone who is in a worse or less powerful position than you.” It adds, “If a comedian punches down, they make fun of […]
Doing Great Things with a Little
In Mark 14:3-14, Mark records two events. The first involves a woman who anoints the Lord’s body with a bottle of perfume. The second involves a homeowner who allows the Lord to celebrate the Last Supper at his home. Even though they seem to be completely separate events, I think they have a couple of […]
Is Assurance of Everlasting Life a Matter of Experience, Not Belief?
A friend sent me an electronic copy of a magazine. I was struck by an article dealing with assurance of salvation. In the article, the author said, “Assurance is more than a theological truth to be understood. It is something that is experienced—not just theologically proven.”i How does one experience assurance, especially when it is […]