Watch Out for Legalism
By Ken Yates Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?” (Mark 7:5)…[Jesus said] “There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are […]
Did John the Baptist Lose His Faith While in Prison? Matthew 11:2-3
By John H. Niemelä Did imprisonment cause John the Baptist to doubt? Did this courageous herald of the Messiah fail to finish strong? Over 99 percent of Christians would assert something like the following: “Matthew 11:2–3 is clear about John’s struggle at the end of his life. He developed an Elijah complex as he collapsed […]
Introduction to the Plagues of Egypt
By David M. Renfro It is probably the most famous story in the Old Testament. It involves God’s miraculous and gracious deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt. Yahwehi had spoken of the plagues earlier in the book of Exodus. When He commissioned Moses to be His spokesman before Pharaoh Amenhotep II (1450-1425 B.C.), […]
The Powerless Gospel
By Kathryn Wright INTRODUCTION In 2023, well-known Calvinist Tim Keller created a series of YouTube videos aimed at showing that the gospel is found in every book of the OT. Keller passed away before completing the series, but he did finish videos covering Genesis through the book of Job. According to the YouTube description of […]
What Is the Filling of the Holy Spirit & How Do We Get It?
By Bob Wilkin I came to faith and was discipled through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. We had a booklet about how to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Four Spiritual Laws booklet was our essential evangelistic resource. The Holy Spirit booklet was our key discipleship resource. I served as a staff […]
Sad Saga of Saul – Part 2: A Believer Who Lost His Crown
By Philippe R. Sterling On October 22, 2012, the International Cycling Union stripped Lance Armstrong of the seven Tour de France titles he won from 1999 to 2005 and banned him from competitive cycling for life. He was guilty of repeatedly using illicit performance-enhancing drugs and blood transfusions. He had influenced some of his Tour […]
A Hero Like Me
By Ken Yates INTRODUCTION When I was in the military, I had the privilege of meeting some POWs (Prisoners of War) from the Vietnam War. I had the same reaction whenever I heard one of their stories. I thought that I could never do what these men did. I would have given up. They were […]
What Is the Israel of God in Galatians 6:16?
By Philippe R. Sterling Believing Jewish individuals are “the Israel of God” in the Church age (Rom 9:6-8; 11:1-6; Gal 6:16). They are part of the Church and of ethnic Israel (Eph 2:11-22). Non-Jewish believers are part of the Church and of their respective ethnic groups and nations (Acts 17:26; Rom 13:1-7; 1 Cor 10:32). […]
Voice From the Past: The Doctrine of Rewards, Part 2
By Zane Hodges This article originally appeared in the November-December 1994 issue of Grace in Focus. INTRODUCTION In the previous issue, we discussed a problem some Christians have with the subject of rewards. Some are troubled by the doctrine of rewards because it seems to suggest “merit” instead of “grace.” We saw that this point […]
Why Tithing Is not a Big Deal
By Bill Fiess Recently, a friend from Zambia (a young student studying to be a pastor) asked me about tithing. In the Zambian churches, tithing is considered by many to be a condition for keeping your salvation. He stated (in an email): Some do question someone’s salvation if they can’t give the tithe. I can […]