Lessons on Faithfulness and Providence From Ruth
By Philippe R. Sterling Life is often difficult. One of my most difficult years was my second year in college. I was taking some of my most demanding classes: organic chemistry, physics, and physiology. Three weeks before finals I got a severe sinus infection, which made it look as if I had a softball under […]
No Rejoicing if You Don’t Know That Salvation Is Guaranteed, Acts 16:31
By Mike Lii It is one of the most iconic moments in Super Bowl history and probably the most famous example of an athlete celebrating his victory too early. In 1993, during Super Bowl XXVII, Leon Lett of the Dallas Cowboys scooped up a fumble by Buffalo Bills’ quarterback Frank Reich, then proceeded to run […]
A Voice From the Past: Assurance by Inner Witness?
By Bob Wilkin *This article first appeared in the March 1993 issue of Grace in Focus. It has been slightly edited. According to the Westminster Confession of Faith, there are three pillars of assurance of salvation: the promises of God’s Word, the works which the Holy Spirit produces through us, and the inner witness of […]
A Voice From the Past: The Bible and the Presidents
By Art Farstad February is a presidential month for historically minded Americans. And rightly so. Our first and truly great president, George Washington, was born in February (Feb. 11, 1732, “Old Style” calendar, Feb. 22 “New Style”). So too was Abraham Lincoln, perhaps our greatest and most beloved president of all (Feb. 12, 1809). Their […]
Ignorance Is Bliss, Luke 9:57
By Ken Yates Introduction I am a guy who likes creature comforts. I like indoor plumbing, a nice hot meal for supper, and a comfortable bed. Two or three pillows are pretty much a necessity as well. When I joined the Army, I had to make a few sacrifices regarding these comforts when I trained […]
A Voice From the Past: Another Good Year
By Zane Hodges1 You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance (Ps 65:11). So wrote King David centuries ago. Or perhaps he wrote this as a young man taking care of his father’s sheep. Or he might even have written it while he was a fugitive from the hatred of […]
What Is Free Grace?
By Ken Yates Introduction In any field of thought, the people involved develop a specific vocabulary. They often forget that most people are unfamiliar with this vocabulary. For example, if I find myself in a group of auto mechanics, I quickly realize that I don’t know what many of their words mean. They may talk […]
Was Zane Hodges’ View of the Gospel “Misguided, Anemic, Inconsistent, and Evasive”?
By Bob Wilkin A 2019 doctoral paper by Nicholas James Claxton (available online)1 is entitled “Faith Without Works: The Gospel According to Zane Hodges.” Claxton’s paper is irenic in tone. In his conclusion, he raises seven objections to the views and exegetical method of Hodges. I’ll briefly answer those objections in this article. His seven […]
Throw the Challenge Flag
By Dix Winston In 1999 the NFL instituted the red challenge flag, allowing a coach to challenge certain calls made by the officiating team. Once the flag is thrown, the referee reviews the video replay from a number of different camera angles. If there is indisputable visual evidence, the ruling on the field will be […]
Happy Hanukkah? Should Christians Be Happy About Hanukkah?
By Dix Winston Hanukkah, also called the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish festival celebrating the time when Israel gained independence from Greece and, beginning on the 25th of Chislev, the subsequent rededication of the temple. This year, Hanukkah will be celebrated December 7-15. The temple had to be rededicated because Antiochus Epiphanes had […]