Why Do Some Faithful Believers Die Before Reaching Old Age?
Matt asks a super question: I know that most if not all Free Grace theologians hold that unfaithful believers may be disciplined by God with an early death. Obviously, there’s Scriptural evidence for this, such as Ananias and Saphira. However, someone new to Free Grace may ask, can faithful believers die before their time? What […]
Speak Truth and Do Not Lie to One Another (Ephesians 4:25; Colossians 3:9-10)
Our culture has a truth crisis. You can see the crisis at work on many levels. For example, you can see it in journalistic bias, where unquestioned “facts” seem to change week by week. And the confusion over fact and fiction is unmistakable in the crazy posts shared on social media by friends who can’t […]
Does God Guarantee That Believers Won’t Sin Much? (1 John 3:9; 5:18)
I just received an email asking for an explanation of 1 John 5:18, which in most translations says, “we know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin” (HCSB, NET; KJV; NKJV; RSV; WEB; LEB; CEB; see also, NASB). However, a few translations translate the last part of that phrase as “does […]
Where All Minister (Ephesians 4:11-12)
Free Grace Theology is exciting. It clarifies the freeness of salvation, and in doing that, it clarifies other areas of theology, too. The Free Grace movement involves a reformation of more than one area of theology. For example, did you know that the NT places spiritual growth squarely within the ekklēsia—the believing community? As Paul […]
Does Psalm 73:27 Disprove Eternal Security?
That exact question was asked to me in a July 6 email. Psalm 73:27 says, “those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert you for harlotry.” At first reading, it is hard to see the problem. There is a persistent teaching in both the OT and NT that […]
Assurance Can Be an Elusive Thing (Mark 10:17)
You don’t have to talk to many people in churches today to soon discover that the majority of them do not know if they will “go to heaven” when they die. It is common to hear people say things like “I hope so,” or “I am trying.” GES has been in the forefront of the […]
Is Jesus’ Evangelism Obsolete?
How should you evangelize? Readers of this blog know that we promote Jesus’ method of doing evangelism. In stark contrast to much of what happens in the name of evangelism today, Jesus simply told people that whoever believes in Him has everlasting life (John 3:15-18; 5:24; 6:47; 10:28-29; 11:25-26). It’s that simple. The Lord stated […]
Was David Asking God to Send His Enemies to Hell in Psalm 69:28?
I recently received the following question via email: How would you fit David’s request in Psalm 69:28 with Free Grace theology and ultimately with several NT passages about “blessing those who curse you” (Luke 6:28; Rom 12:14)?Psalm 69:28 says, “May they be blotted out of the book of life And may they not be recorded […]
Will You Be a Co-Heir with Christ in the Life to Come?
The word co-heir (sugklēronomos) only occurs four times in the NT: Rom 8:17; Eph 3:6; Heb 11:9; 1 Pet 3:7. While a common NT theme is that believers should strive to be Christ’s co-heirs in the life to come, different Greek words are used to convey that thought most of the time (metochos = partner […]
The Christian Life Is Often Filled with Dirty Feet
Let’s admit it—the Christian life and Christian service are not always thrilling. Both are often merely ordinary. And yet, faithfulness in ordinariness can please God. Think of Ruth. The Book of Ruth takes place during the period of the Judges when big, important events were happening in the life of Israel. And God has much […]