Letter To a Loved One
by Rich Christianson Editor’s note: The following is an actual letter written by GES Associate Director Rich Christianson in May of 1986, just weeks before the birth of GES. The letter shows Rich’s longstanding commitment to the issues for which GES stands. It has been slightly condensed and edited for publication. I appreciate your continuing […]
The Gospel and the Church
Editor’s Note: The following is excerpted and edited from Dr. Farstad’s article, “We Believe in the Church,” which appeared in the Spring 1992 issue of the Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society. We of the Grace Evangelical Society believe in the Church. GES is what is popularly known as a “parachurch” organization, that is, we […]
He Is Able To Keep You From Stumbling! – Jude 24
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy God is able, according to Jude, to keep every believer from stumbling, that is, from experiencing major moral or doctrinal failure. A key interpretive question here is whether Jude was […]
A Charming Sound: Grace
Every profession, hobby, art, science, and “in-group” has its own vocabulary or jargon, including special meanings to ordinary words. A lawyer’s tort is not the same a chef’s torte or a restaurateur’s tortilla. “Shaft” may mean something quite different to a miner, an engineer, or to someone who has just been fired! A clear understanding […]
Is Obedience Optional?
In one sense the question, “Is obedience optional,” is merely a variation of the question Paul asks in Rom 6:1, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” It is a question I have heard often. Of course, we should not be surprised when people who do not believe in eternal security ask this […]
GES Journal Critically Reviews MacArthur’s Faith Works
As mentioned below, Dallas Seminary ran a favorable review of John MacArthur’s latest defense of Lordship Salvation, his book called Faith Works: The Gospel According to the Apostles. In the Autumn 1993 issue of our journal, we also review that book. However, our review is not favorable. Due to the importance of the book, we […]
Dallas Seminary’s Journal Favorably Reviews MacArthur’s Faith Works
The most recent issue of Bibliotheca Sacra (Oct-Dec 1993), the journal of Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), contains an essentially laudatory review of John MacArthur’s latest Lordship Salvation primer, Faith Works: The Gospel According to the Apostles. The reviewer, Robert Pyne, boils MacArthur’s argument into two beliefs: (1) “that justification and sanctification are distinct yet inseparable” […]
Who Are The Outsiders? — Revelation 22:14-17
This article is a follow-up to my article in the last issue on Rev 21:8. Some pastors and theologians use Rev 21:8 and 22:15 to try and prove that all “true” Christians persevere in the faith. In my previous article I showed that Rev 21:8 does not support that view. In this article I will […]
Does Major Sin Prove a Person Is Unsaved? — Revelation 21:8
But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Recently I received a letter from a pastor who wondered about the meaning of this verse. The following is an expansion of my response. […]
Man’s Role in Conversion
Man’s role in conversion is to believe. The answer to the jailor’s classic question, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” is still the same, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30-31; italics added). What must man do? He must believe. But can he believe? Today, many give […]