February 7, 2022
Feb. 13 | Justified by Faith
If grace is God’s love for us that we do not deserve, then faith is how that grace is appropriated in our lives.
Articles for tag: Ephesians 2:8
January 31, 2022
Feb. 6 | Justified by Grace
As the Justifier, how can God stay true to his character and punish sin (that is, how can he be “just”), and at the same time release the offender (i.e., the sinner) from punishment? Grace is the answer.
January 29, 2018
Lesson for February 4, 2018: Faith without Works Is Dead (James 2:14-26)
Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in issue no. 5–8 (February 4–25, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott We conclude our three-month study of faith this month. Two lessons come from the “blue jeans theology” of the New Testament, namely James. This small five-chapter letter lives close to the ground. It is New Testament wisdom literature and nitty-gritty. It is similar in content to the Sermon on the Mount and might
August 23, 2009
Baptizing Grace
by Bill Hallsted I was recently asked (again) why the Bible says, in Matthew 28:19, to baptize “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” but on the day the church began, Simon Peter said, “be baptized . . . in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 2:38). The questioner asked, “If the wrong words are said, is the baptism valid?” Behind the question is failure to understand a vital, underlying tenet of Christianity, so important that God spent thousands of years teaching it. The lesson is this: Rules and regulations won”t help
October 12, 2008
The Ultimate Purpose in Evangelism Is Not Church Growth
By David Bycroft Smitty was arrogant, opinionated, selfish, and a regular at the local coffee shop. Three mornings a week, I would go there before my morning jog. I had known Smitty for years, but he recently had moved a block from our church building. His house was across the street from where we parked our church buses. One morning, in front of the six or seven guys gathered for the morning coffee ritual, Smitty blurted out, “Preacher, I want you to move your buses because I can”t see the highway from my front porch.” I returned with a challenge.
May 17, 2006
Free to Share Our Freedom
Many believers carry lingering guilt and uncertainty about eternity. This article explains Paul’s “justification” as God’s answer—Christ has paid the penalty—freeing Christians to live in peace and extend grace to others.
Filling Time or Shaping Hearts?
A substitute teacher celebrates a smooth first-grade class but struggles with a lesson aim too abstract for kids. Mark A. Taylor points to HeartShaper as a practical, multisensory curriculum built around how children actually learn.
