Grace Blogs

A number of questions regarding the current teaching was submitted last week. I’d like to address one here:

Does the Roman Catholic church today believe in taking money to in exchange for forgiveness of sins?

In my understanding, this is not an overt doctrine of the RCC. However, given their system of salvation (process justification—as Dan has pointed out), almsgiving is seen as one of many “bricks” in one’s road toward justification. Whereas we believe that the Bible teaches that one’s forgiveness of sins is a one-time event (forensic justification), we would hold that giving money to the church or to the poor would be as a RESPONSE to forgiveness. Not as a means of forgiveness.

To make it more simple, the …

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If you missed getting your free audio copy of C.H. Spurgeon’s All of Grace when it was offered a couple of years ago on ChristianAudio.com, you’ve got a second chance.  I cannot recommend this little book highly enough. This is a great illustration of a preacher who is passionate about reaching people with the gospel of salvation by grace alone through faith in Christ alone.

Simply go to the Free Downloads page and follow the directions for the free download.

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Disclaimer: I didn’t realize that Hugh was going to blog regarding Mr. Bentley. Although I thought about not posting, I realize that we took very different angles in our approach to the subject. While Hugh’s post is much prettier than mine (oh’ he is so good!), I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night! (just kidding, but it’s all I got!)

If you have been hanging around Grace for the last few months, you have certainly been exposed to the teaching we have been moving through regarding developing discernment when it comes to spiritual gifting. As part of this development, we actually assigned a church-wide project using the actions of Todd Bentley and the “Lakeland …

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Listen as J.I. Packer draws to a tight focus the central issue in regard to homosexuality, the Gospel itself. Dr. Packer makes a very lucid argument for why it is the very Gospel of Christ that is at stake when it comes to the issue of same-sex relationships.

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When we speak that there must be a necessary change when a person trusts in Christ there is often an undercurrent of distinction between the message of Jesus and the teaching of Paul. Advocates for looking toward Paul for the Gospel (and not the messages of Christ) will appeal to the sections of Scripture like Romans 3 and 4 because it is in these chapters we see the clearest picture of justification by faith alone. The reasoning goes something like this, “if there must be fruits of obedience to express a person truly being justified, then Paul would have most certainly included that teaching in these chapters.” At this point, a citation of a teacher(s) such as …

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There are those who would have you believe that trust in Christ is all that is needed when it comes to the foundational element in starting a relationship with God. Furthermore, if anything is added to this basic formula the Gospel message will become corrupted. Consider the following:

In the same way [as first-century legalism], the most telling modern assaults on the integrity of the Gospel do not deny the cruciality of faith in Christ. On the contrary, they insist on it. But to faith are added other conditions, or provisos, by which the essential nature of the Gospel is radically transformed. Often, in fact, a distinction is drawn between the kind of faith which saves and the kind which does

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In teaching this passage, I noted that a fundamental issue with the church today is directly connected with our understanding of what happens when a person becomes a follower of Christ. In other words, how do we know when someone becomes a Christian and, thus, part of the church universal? To Paul, it was clear that he took great confidence that the Church at Thessalonica was real and true (“chosen” by God, v.4) because they had clearly changed and everyone knew it. In fact, they were joyfully accepting abuse from people who didn’t like the fact that they had turned from worshiping idols (see I Thess.1:6). Therefore, the change that these people underwent was obvious, radical, and complete.

Are …

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This past Sunday in our Overflow class I promised to post an overview of some of Oprah’s beliefs and how they originated. I wish the clip simply played her commenting on her beliefs, but is wrapped in a type of “Oprah is the AntiChrist” garb.

This is not about cracking on Oprah. It is about reaching out to people, like her, who may believe that there “couldn’t possible be just one way” to God. It is also about encouraging people at Grace Fellowship and other churches into discussing subjects that may confuse us or that we may truly question. We need forums in which questions, like Oprah had, regarding God being a “Jealous God” can be …

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In America there are false teachers and preachers who say if you become a Christian all of your life issues will be solved. I became a Christian when I was 19, that’s 20 years ago. I still have big issues! I have issues of insincerity. I have issues like wanting to be entertained more than wanting to make the most of my time. I have issues about disciplining myself to do the right things when I don’t feel like it. I have issues about loving my wife in the way Christ loved the Church. I have issues…

But false teachers don’t want you to think of your need to be holy or recieve grace …

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The following helped me this morning to be better prepared to spread God’s fame during the day.

A spiritual experience which is thoroughly flavored with a deep and bitter sense of sin is of great value to him who hath it. It is terrible in the drinking, but it is most wholesome in the bowels, and in the whole of the after life. Possibly, much of the flimsy piety of the present day arises from the ease with which men attain to peace and joy in these evangelistic days. Too many think lightly of sin, and therefore think lightly of the Savior. He who has stood before his God, convicted and condemned, with the rope about his

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