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Some years ago I learned a wonderful truth of the Bible that Christians are trophies of grace (Eph. 2:7). I'd like to tell you just briefly about God's grace in my life. Let me start by sharing how I became a Christian. I was saved by the grace of God through faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:16-17; 1 Cor. 15:1; Eph. 2:8-9) when I was about ten years old. Before my salvation I never really had peace about my eternal destiny. I went to AWANA Club, memorized Bible verses, and prayed to receive Christ whenever I heard an invitation, even if it was on the radio! But something was missing. I had a hope-so salvation, not a know-so salvation. Then one Sunday morning when I was about ten years old, all that changed. I was sitting in church and the pastor was illustrating the gospel on a dry-erase board behind him. Using dry erase markers, he sketched out the cross and the blood and the empty tomb. He explained how Christ died for our sins and rose from the grave (see Acts 2:22-32, 1 Cor. 15:3ff). It was like someone turned on a light in my mind and I realized something for the first time (2 Cor. 4:6). Although I was familiar with the gospel story (the basic historical facts of Christ's death, burial, resurrection, and appearances) and I believed it, I came to realize that Christ died for me, for my sins! He shed His blood to save me (Eph. 1:7). As the saying goes: "Believing Christ died – that's history; believing He died for me – that's salvation!" Now I know I'm saved because it's not based on what I do (Isa. 64:6; Rom. 4:4-5; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5); salvation is based on what Jesus has done (Psa. 22:31): that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures (that's the key point: "Paid in full!" Jn. 19:30), and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to many witnesses (see 1 Corinthians 15:3-5). This is the gospel message of what Jesus has done! It's the good news of salvation; and as someone has said, it's simply deep. It's so simple and yet so deep with meaning and significance.
My family has a long history with traditional Free Grace theology going back to 1932 when my great-grandfather took night classes at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Needless to say, I've been an advocate of classic Free Grace all my life, ever since I got saved at least. I remember as a kid going out witnessing with my church on the sidewalks of downtown Milwaukee near the campus of Marquette University (a Roman Catholic, private Jesuit university), sharing the Good News of salvation by grace. I remember how the college students from the university would sometimes laugh at me as they walked past: "What can a 10 year old teach us about God?!" they scoffed. But Jesus says in Matthew 18:3 that unless you enter the kingdom of heaven as a little child, you will not enter it at all! I'm also reminded of the Bible verse that says, "If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you" (1 Pet. 4:14, NASB95). The churches that I've attended for the majority of my Christian life have been influenced by graduates of Dallas Theological Seminary in the grace teachings of Lewis Sperry Chafer, the founder and first president of that school.
After I graduated from Heritage Christian School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I attended New Tribes Bible Institute (now Ethnos360 Bible Institute), located in Waukesha, Wisconsin. This school is part of the training program of Ethnos360 (founded in 1942 as New Tribes Mission) and claims Lance Latham, a well-known Free Grace advocate, as one of its original founders. It was at New Tribes Bible Institute that I became acquainted with the writings of Miles J. Stanford and other dispensational, grace-oriented Bible expositors like William R. Newell. I also attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago where I immersed myself in the writings of D. L. Moody, C. I. Scofield, Charles Ryrie and others. I have been blessed to stand on the shoulders of giants. Yet I am, as the song says,
"Only a sinner saved by grace!
Only a sinner saved by grace!
This is my story, to God be the glory,
I'm only a sinner saved by grace!"
Although I have shared a little bit about myself, this blog is not "About Me" (cf. Psa. 115:1; 2 Cor. 4:5). This blog is about the FREE GRACE of God and the truth of the Gospel. That's what I will be focusing on and speaking freely about, that's where the FREE SPEECH comes in. I like what the Lord Jesus said to the apostle Paul in this regard: "Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you" (Acts 18:9-10, cf. Acts 2:29, 26:26, KJV). Similarly, to the Bible-believing church in Revelation chapter 3, the Lord Jesus says: "See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut" (Rev. 3:8). May God be pleased to use this blog to get the gospel out to the world! Praise the Lord!
* * *
"Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Romans 3:24.
28 comments:
Hello jonathon, enjoyed the readings. I agree with the gospel as presented in 1cor.15:3-5 and not cutting it off early. however, the gospel presented is not complete without the facts of the eternal god/man jesus christ. making these facts clear is also essential and not easily believed. i have been a follower of evangelical grace society for several years early in my christian life(even used their doctrinal statement as my own till they took the word hell out of their statement)the wrath of god is not a popular topic today.
Hi Gary,
Thanks for your good thoughts!
I agree that the deity of Jesus is essential to believe for salvation. I see the deity of Jesus set forth in the 1 Corinthians 15 passage in at least three ways:
1. In the TITLE "the Christ" (1 Cor. 15:3) - In 1 Corinthians 15:3 the apostle Paul uses Jesus' divine title as a name, saying: "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures...." (1 Cor. 15:3). The appellation "the Christ" (or "Christ") is Jesus' divine title (see Matt. 16:16; John 20:31) and indicates His deity.
2. In the TESTIMONY "that He was raised" (1 Cor. 15:4) - In 1 Corinthians 15:4 the apostle Paul goes on to say that Christ "was buried, and that He was raised...." - that is, raised from the dead. In the book of Romans, Paul further explains that Jesus "was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead" (Rom. 1:4).
3. In the TIME ELEMENT "on the third day" (1 Cor. 15:4) - In 1 Corinthians 15:4 the apostle Paul further states that Christ "was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...." (1 Cor. 15:4). The reference to the resurrection specifically "on the third day" is an indication of Jesus' deity because it fulfills Jesus' own statement that "something greater than Jonah is here" (Matt. 12:41). Similarly, Jesus' resurrection on the third day indicates that "something greater than the temple is here" (Matt. 12:6; cf. Jn. 2:19-22). In other words, Jesus is more than a man - He is the Messiah, the promised Messiah of the Old Testament Scriptures!
And so we see that 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 is the gospel in a nutshell, and the deity of Jesus is set forth in Paul's gospel in several ways. These are kernels of truth to be sure, but the truth is set forth nonetheless.
For more information please see my article: In Defense of the Gospel, Part 4.
Great site. I've been similarly expose (1st church was EV Free - Chuck Swindoll). But current church is heavily influenced by John Mac & Piper. So I go and search the scriptures and eee what others have to say.
In Christ
Brian Christensen
Blessings! Be encouraged!
It looks like you have done your homework!
I look forward to receiving your blog!
If this means anything I guess I am
an elect generalist knowledge worker interested
in Biblical bi-literacy!
More simple B.I.B.L.E be instructed before
leaving earth! Homesick for heaven!
Gerald Landis aka Jerry Landis
Apopka, Florida
brogerald@gmail.com
Hello! I wanted to thank you for your posts refuting Calvinism.
My husband and I have been attending a church for the past three years and recently we have come to the realization that they believe in Calvinism. I’m not sure how it wasn’t apparent to us sooner that they believed in such, but upon learning of it and the teachings they were supporting we became concerned. As such we turned to the Bible, prayer, and listening to sermons and reading articles on the subject, seeking counsel from trusted believers. I’ve lost sleep for six weeks over the subject. I’ve been deeply uncomfortable and burdened by the thought that the believers we fellowship with believe that God created people for the very purpose of damning to Hell. At the same time I’ve also been burdened by not quite knowing how to discern certain scriptures that Calvinist’s hang onto like Eph. 1:1-6, Matt. 22:14, Romans 9, etc. I found your blog and upon such have felt a wave of comfort. I understand, finally. The Lord has shown me truth in His word and I now can earnestly say I know exactly what I believe on the subject! I feel so comforted and had to thank you. Your blog posts really helped me understand and I appreciate it so much.
In Christ, Sydney
Hello Sydney,
Thank you for that wonderful testimony!
I praise the Lord and I'm glad the blog posts were helpful to you and a comfort to you.
You're right, sometimes Calvinism can be difficult to spot and it may be hard to know at first if a church is Calvinistic. I have a certain church in mind actually that my wife visited where that was exactly the case. Some things I personally look for to spot Calvinism in a church is to see if the church is Reformed in their theology. I have found that usually signals Calvinism. Another thing I look for is to notice what books and what authors does the pastor quote from the pulpit? If the pastor is often talking favorably about and quoting John MacArthur, John Piper, and R.C. Sproul for example, it's a pretty good indication that the church is probably Calvinistic. (Related to this is to see what books the church sells in its bookstore if it has one.) Also, I look at what other churches and ministries the church is linked to and in fellowship with. That's a good indication too because churches fellowship with like-minded churches. That's how I found out that the church I mentioned above is actually Calvinistic (even though some members were denying it and telling my wife the church didn't believe in Calvinism) - the church is in fellowship with and in agreement with other FIRE churches: Fellowship of Independent Reformed Evangelicals. (I found this out on the church's website.) So that's a big red flag right there to stay away from that church.
I just want to share one last thing related to what you said, "I've been deeply uncomfortable and burdened by the thought that the believers we fellowship with believe that God created people for the very purpose of damning to Hell." I jotted down a short three-point sermon which I titled "Calvinism Refuted by the Bible":
1.) God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. (Ezekiel 18:23, 33:11; 2 Peter 3:9)
2.) God does not show favoritism or partiality. (Acts 10:34; James 2:9)
3.) God created Hell for the devil and his angels, not for unsaved people. (Matthew 25:41)
http://www.yashanet.com/studies/matstudy/mat3b.htm
This concerns me. they claim an understanding of Hebrew culture is needed to understand scripture, and that we must follow the Law. It convinced me that we're still under Law, but i feel bad now that i've tried to make a commitment to it. I thought for certain we were still under it. could you help please?
Hi Jeff,
I would recommend you read and reread the book of Galatians. The apostle Paul makes it clear that we are no longer under the law.
I would also recommend you read and meditate on Romans chapters 6-8. God bless
i've recently gone onto "Messianic" sites(not Hebrew Roots or Messianic Jewish, i mean Messianic as in going back to the so-called"Jewish roots of the faith", not necicarily as part of the HR or MJ movement), they say we need to keep the food laws, Sabbath, and all the other non-sacrificial laws to stay saved. most of them say if your'e not supremely careful, you can "fall away" and forever lose any chance of salvation. they preach repentance as abbandoning all self desire and turning towards all the known laws of the Torah. these ministries don't gather under any banner, vary widely in doctrine(although all saying the Law is still in effect, and is binding on all mankind, and that it always existed from creation), and it scares me. they seem to be completely irrefutable! i've been trying to follow them for a bit, but realizing i can't meet their standard for staying saved or even being saved to begin with.
this is the one that really bothers me
https://biblethingsinbibleways.wordpress.com/
and here's the articles on their sites that i'm worried about
https://biblethingsinbibleways.wordpress.com/2015/10/09/examining-pauls-letter-to-the-galatians/
https://biblethingsinbibleways.wordpress.com/2014/04/26/is-gods-law-a-curse/
https://biblethingsinbibleways.wordpress.com/2017/08/05/does-peters-vision-prove-we-can-eat-anything-the-difference-between-common-unclean/
https://biblethingsinbibleways.wordpress.com/2017/02/25/was-the-law-changed-misunderstandings-regarding-hebrews-712/
https://biblethingsinbibleways.wordpress.com/2015/12/26/was-gods-law-blotted-out-and-nailed-to-the-cross-misunderstandings-regarding-col-211-17/
Shalom....i guess....
Grace and Peace to you,
Did you happen to read the book of Galatians recently? That's where I would start if I were you. The theme of Galatians is freedom in Christ, freedom from the law, freedom from legalism. Galatians 5:1 is a key verse, and it says, "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery [like the Mosaic Law]." Elsewhere the apostle Paul says, "Let God be true and every man a liar". No offense to any of the ministries you mentioned, but there's a lot of people out there saying a lot of things, and we need to compare everything with the Word of God and see how it measures up to what the Bible teaches. If any particular teaching doesn't square with the Bible or agree with the Bible, then of course we need to stick with the Bible.
God bless you
But did you read the articles I gave the adresses for?
They seem to explain really well why the reasoning for "the Law is done away with" is false. and it scares me because if being saved involves enduring to the end in keeping all the Laws, i'm never getting into Heaven.
Please read them and if there's anything they get wrong, tell me please.
Hi Jeff,
Thanks for sending me the articles, but from what you've told me I think I'll stick with what my Bible says. There's so much false teaching out there and I don't want to get distracted by it. The book of Galatians is pretty clear in teaching that Christians are not under the law, so right away I know there's something wrong with the teaching that you're presenting from the articles. To put it another way, I know what the Bible says and when you know what the genuine looks like it's easy to spot the counterfeit.
The Bible says that we are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9), and it also says we live the Christian life the same way we got saved, by faith (Col. 2:6). If you want to try to keep the law to get saved or stay saved or live the Christian life, its a pretty good way to ensure that you always feel discouraged and defeated because the Bible says that the law only condemns (2 Cor. 3:6-7), it does not give life (Gal. 3:21).
God bless
I know we're not "under the Law", but these people say "under the Law" means under the death penalty, and being freed from it doesn'nt mean you're not obliged to keep it.
They also try to reason from the Greek that these verses used to say the Law is no longer in effect actully mean it is, even that it's an obligation for believers.
and that's what scares me. There seems to be no refuting their points on anthing, escpecialy this guy at Bible things in Bible ways.
I'm not surprised that those who teach we are still under the law have to reinterpret the Bible since it clearly says in Romans 6:14 that we are "not under law but under grace."
If the Bible no longer means what it says then we're in real trouble.
There's an old hymn that I'd like to share with you, written by P. P. Bliss, an associate of D. L. Moody. The lyrics of the hymn are as follows, and I trust it will encourage your heart in the Lord:
FREE from the law, oh, happy condition!
Jesus hath bled, and there is remission;
Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall,
Grace hath redeemed us once for all.
Once for all, oh, sinner, receive it;
Once for all, oh, brother believe it:
Cling to the cross, the burden will fall;
Christ hath redeemed us, once for all.
Now we are free, there’s no condemnation;
Jesus provides a perfect salvation,
“Come unto Me,” oh, hear His sweet call,
Come, and He saves us, once for all.
"Children of God!" oh, glorious calling!
Surely His grace shall keep us from falling,
Passing from death to life at His call,
Blessed salvation, once for all.
I have soemthing to confess....
i haven't gone to church in at least a couple of months. Why?
because....the church my family goes to teaches agregious false doctrine(Lorship Salvation, conditional security, ect.), being an Arminian church. Even my "Free Grace" mother is brainwahsed into beleiving CS because of years of attending Arminian churches. I don't know how to respond to this. I know we're not supposed to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, but..... false teaching is a deadly poison, and i'm torn between obeying that command and holding fast to sound doctrine. what do i do?
I don't know if you have addressed your concerns with the church leadership or if you plan to? Are you a member of that church?
Maybe start visiting other churches in your area and see if you can find a church that teaches sound doctrine, i.e. not Lordship Salvation, not Calvinism, and not Arminianism.
Maybe until you find a church that teaches sound doctrine you could stream the Sunday morning service online. I know that Pastor Andy Woods from Sugar Land Bible Church in Texas streams his services live, and so does Pastor Ralph "Yankee" Arnold from Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida.
Also, you might want to check out the links to Free Grace churches in your area which are available on the Grace Evangelical Society website. It's called "The Free Grace Church and Bible Study Tracker". I would suggest that if you find a Free Grace church in your area, just make sure it doesn't promote the "crossless" gospel or the "groundless" gospel.
A couple mounths back, i was banned from commenting on Expreacherman. It was because i made a comment vehemently decrying and denying Eternal Security. This was during my Judaising/legalistic phase. I've sent them several comments and Emails since then telling them i've realized my error and am now in agreement with them, but no response....what do i say to them?
Hi Jeff,
It sounds like you've already said to them what you felt you needed to say. I'd say "the ball is in their court" now. I wouldn't get too focused on it that you miss something else God might have for you. Put it in the Lord's hands. God will open the door if He wants you there. Remember that Bible verse that says, "What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open." (Rev. 3:7, NIV.)
I found this guy on Amino who's willing to listen to the true Gospel. his name's Haruto and he says he's willing to change his beleifs if i can convince him the Bible teaches such. he says he beleives God's Word only and not what any man says. I've already convinced him on Eternal Security, but he's still Lordship Salvation. what do I say to convince him?
That's great if he believes God's Word only and not what any man says. I would point out to him how Lordship Salvation (which goes hand in hand with Calvinism) relies heavily on the teachings of men. Maybe you can explain to him how Lordship Salvation relies heavily on the teachings of the Reformers like John Calvin and others. Maybe he's not familiar with Calvinism. You can explain how the God of John Calvin is not the God of the Bible. For example, Calvin's God does not desire all men to be saved. The God of the Bible does desire all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (see 1 Timothy 2:4). You and I were discussing this the other day in another comment thread. You had some really good thoughts in regards to how Lordship Salvation is similar to Catholicism in their practical denial of sola Scriptura, or Scripture alone.
So try to get him to see the errors of his belief system, i.e. the errors of Lordship Salvation. Reason with him from the Scriptures. Why does he believe what he believes? What Bible verses does he use to support his beliefs? At the same time, focus on the clear passages of Scripture to support your position, such as Romans 3:24, Romans 4:4-5, and Ephesians 2:8-9. Additionally, I also like the passage in John chapter 3 where Jesus uses the Old Testament account of Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness to show how He (Jesus) will be lifted up on the cross, and everyone who simply looks to Him in faith will live. As Pastor Chuck Swindoll has said, there was no issue made of Lordship-looking, no clean-up-your-life-looking, no I-promise-to-do-better-looking. It was just look and live!
Chuck Swindoll is a progressive dispensational, beliving in meditative practices (myistisium).
False Prophet's scratching itchy ears today.
Hi Speedie,
Thank you for that information. If that's the case that is unfortunate; I would not agree with Dr. Swindoll on that. I hold to the more traditional view of dispensationalism, as set forth by Dr. Ryrie for example.
I am so glad to read these comments and see that you are a brother in Christ, standing for the Truth, standing for the free grace gospel that INCLUDES the Person and finished work of Jesus Christ (not the crossless gospel). We were recently attending a church that fully embraces GES's teachings on every subject, not just the crossless gospel. Yikes.
I also saw you mention Andy Woods. He's one of my favorite teachers. He's the president of the seminary I attend, too. Glad you know of him. More people need to listen to him!
God bless you! Nice to meet you.
Kaitie
Hi Kaitie,
Nice to meet you. Thanks for your comment and encouragement! Yes, I try to warn people about the Grace Evangelical Society (GES) and in particular about their "crossless gospel". It seems like ever since Dr. Art Farstad passed away (in 1998), the GES has gone downhill doctrinally.
I like Dr. Andy Woods too. I recently mailed my mom a copy of Andy's book The Coming Kingdom. He has a good ministry and a lot of helpful material in terms of videos, sermons, printed material, etc. I appreciate too how he is very organized and how he presents the information in a very thorough and systematic way.
I hope you enjoy the website. If you have any questions please let me know. You might want to check out my Free Grace library. I have some of Andy Woods material in there too.
Blessings,
Jonathan
Thank you so much for taking the time to compile a library of links to such wonderful resources. It is like the LibGuide for Christianity on this site! Was having one of those months we all have had or are presently having, and found this place. So encouraged and so thankful and so ready to keep going! God bless you sir, God bless you!
Seeking to Serve,
Rico
Just ran across your blog looking for the Erasmus find on Repentance, & reading you testimony is very interesting fro a few perspectives, I as you were raised believing ALL the correct facts, but was NEVER Born Again, I "did" have Baptist salvation as they told me,years latter I realized that "salvation" has been redefined as an Eternal destination change INSTEAD of an INTERNAL change,ANYWAY after becoming a young adult I realized my Protestant Baptist Jesus COULDN'T give me a NEW life, but He only offered a fire escape and forgiveness, thus I said the ____ with this Jesus that doesn't work, THANKFULLY through a number of events too lengthy to mention I met a man who began to share a Jesus with me I had NEVER heard about in all the faithful years I had attended church, he said Jesus was RAISED from the dead so that HE could come LIVE IN ME to give me a NEW LIFE, I was astounded to of never have heard such, YEA on Easter morning I heard about the Resurrection but it was NEVER connected to New Birth, to shorten my story,this fellow introduced me to others as he in a small believer group and they all asked if they could pray for me? Being a polite Baptist I said sure, then they asked if they could gather around me & lay hands on me to pray, I thought these folks are serious NOT like the Baptists that NEVER prayed on the spot, they just "remembered you" as they gathered around with hands laid on me I can honestly say I was NOT searching for ANY Jesus or ANY God experience, I was just being compliant & polite, as soon as they began to pray I broke immediately and I don't think I even said it out loud but internally said God I GIVE UP, at THAT MOMENT even before the leader began to lead me into ANY prayer I was CHANGED WITHIN, there was NO emotional experience other than the initial emotional break when I said I GIVE UP,latter that night the original fellow asked how did I fell & I said different like I am a new person, he turned to 1st Cort 5:17 and as he read being a New Creature I immediately said THAT IS ME isn't it, he said yes, now being raised in a SIN / HELL / Heaven focused church I immediately asked now if I was to sin would I still go to heaven? He turned to Romans about should we continue in sin & asked do you still want to do those things that you did? & I said no & he read the rest of the verse, it took me about 5 to 10 years after that to nail down the biblical terms for that night because I had folks IN the church I was already in trying to tell me I was always "saved" & others telling me I just got "the 2nd blessing" "filled with the spirit" etc. ANYWAY, I see you have had some experience with New Tribes, went to a church where a friend of mine went to New Tribes, their name was Beach. Latter
Hi Numa,
Thanks for sharing your testimony, that's very interesting. Personally, I'd say that salvation is BOTH a destination change AND an internal change. I'm pretty sure you would agree with that, right? (As Christians our eternal destination is now heaven, not hell. So there obviously is a destination change involved in, or as a result of, salvation.)
And in regards to when the pastor asked you after you were "saved" if you still wanted to do the sinful things you did before, I think it helps to understand the believer's two natures. What do I mean? Well, the NEW you, the new nature, of course does NOT want to sin, and cannot sin. But the OLD you, your old nature (which Christians still have after salvation), still wants to sin and does sin. Paul talks about this struggle in Romans chapter 7. So I think that is the key, to understand that biblical distinction.
My other thought is that I would be careful not to base your salvation on your feelings or on a feeling. You said the pastor asked you how do you feel? And you said you feel like a new person. That's great, but just recognize that that is a subjective feeling, and we should not base our salvation on feelings. It reminds me of what Martin Luther said, which I think is good: "Feelings come and feelings go, and feelings are deceiving. My warrant is the Word of God, naught else is worth believing." Maybe you've heard the illustration used of the train, which I think is helpful, where the locomotive pictures or is representative of the FACTS of God's Word, then the next car of the train is FAITH in the facts, and then the caboose of the train is like our FEELINGS. Those come last, behind the other two. So that's just my thought on it. I hope this helps. God Bless!
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