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GraceNotes
GraceNotes is a concise quarterly Bible study on the important issues related to
salvation by grace and living by grace. They are designed for downloading (*pdf available)
and copying so they can be used in ministry. No permission is required if they are
distributed unedited at no charge. You can receive new GraceNotes by subscribing to
our free quarterly GraceLife newsletter.
When sharing the gospel clearly we should have two great concerns.
This passage is often used to argue against the doctrine of eternal security.
Because the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only message that can save people, we want to be as clear as possible in explaining how someone can have eternal life.
Interpreting 1 John is troublesome to some because of statements that appear to be tests or conditions. The prevailing view among commentators is that the purpose of these tests is to determine if someone is saved eternally or not.
This well-known verse is often used when presenting the gospel to show that unsaved sinners will pay for their sin with eternal separation from God (death), and that they can escape that fate through the gift of eternal life that Jesus Christ provides. Is that how this verse should be interpreted and applied?
Those of us who teach that grace is absolutely free are sometimes accused of teaching license or antinomianism.
What then do the three references to fire in the warning judgments (6:8; 10:27; 12:31) mean to believers?
This passage says that God has forgiven believers all their trespasses, or sins. Does all include every kind of sin no matter when it was committed?
In the New Testament, grace is usually mentioned as something in the past for those who have been saved through faith, or something that can be appropriated in the present for Christian living.
Does a person have to be baptized in water in order to have eternal life?
A person may wonder if he or she has believed enough to be saved. No wonder - there are those who claim that salvation is given only to those who have enough faith, a full faith, a special faith, etc., implying that one's faith in God's promise of salvation can be insufficient.
Many people have the idea that if they do enough good, or don't do too much bad, then God will allow them to enter heaven. In other words, when it comes to obtaining eternal life, they think God grades on a curve.
There is every reason to think that those who have believed in Jesus Christ as Savior and are consequently born into God's family will experience a changed life to some degree. Some would say that this changed life is evidenced by good works which proves they are saved.
Like Jesus, we must share the truth of grace graciously so that this wonderful message will not be tarnished, undermined, and even contradicted by ungracious words and conduct. How can we be gracious as we seek to proclaim grace?
A commonly asked question is whether a born-again believer who commits suicide will still go to heaven.
Universal affirmation does not necessarily mean universal agreement about how we are eternally saved. That depends on how one defines grace. When the meaning of grace is changed, the condition for salvation is also changed.
Can a person once saved ever lose or forfeit that salvation?
Is a disciple merely another name for a Christian who is born into God's family through faith in Jesus Christ, or is a disciple a Christian who meets specific conditions about following Jesus?
The meaning of repentance must be determined by usage and context, but any study of repentance must begin with a discussion of the word itself.
God has given us Peter as a model of a typical disciple. Disciples today can learn and be encouraged from his example.
*GraceNotes are designed for downloading and copying so they can be used in ministry.
No permission is required if they are distributed unedited at no charge.
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