Episodes
Wednesday Jul 29, 2020
#24 - Introduction to Free Grace
Wednesday Jul 29, 2020
Wednesday Jul 29, 2020
In this episode, Charlie is speaking at an FGA conference where he discusses the essentials of Free Grace. But what is Free Grace anyway and what are the essentials? Is there agreement of those essentials within the community and if not, what can be agreed upon? These questions and more are directly addressed by Charlie in this episode!
For more information, be sure to checkout Charlie's Gracenotes entitled "What is Free Grace Theology?"
Thursday Jul 23, 2020
#23 - Curious, Convinced, or Committed?
Thursday Jul 23, 2020
Thursday Jul 23, 2020
Are you curious, convinced, or committed? In John 6 we see three groups of people. Some followed Jesus at a superficial level, others believed in Him as Savior, while some followed Him as disciples. In this chapter we see how Jesus related to all three groups.
It's important to keep in mind there's a distinction between those who believe in Jesus as Savior and those who commit to follow Him as disciples. There are conditions for salvation and conditions for discipleship. One is free, the other requires extensive work.
Everyone in the world belongs to one of the three groups and each group needs to be addressed accordingly. Where are you in the progression?
For further reading, be sure to checkout Charlie's GraceNotes where he answers the question Are Disciples Born or Made?
Thursday Jul 16, 2020
#22 - False Christians or Faulty Christians?
Thursday Jul 16, 2020
Thursday Jul 16, 2020
Not all who call themselves Christians act like it. How should we think about them? Can Christians be worldly? The parable of the soils in Luke 8 shows that people have different responses to the gospel. Other Bible passages mention Christians who are not living correctly.
Is it possible that some who call themselves Christians have lost their salvation? Maybe they were never really saved to begin with. It is possible that Christians can be immature in their spiritual growth and so also in their conduct. The Bible calls these "carnal" Christians or "babes in Christ." Perhaps these Christians have backslid or fallen back into sin or are struggling with sinful urges and habits.
We should not deal with the problem of worldliness in Christians by changing the gospel to demand works or commitment up front or later as proof. These faulty gospels rob people of assurance of salvation. The best option is to teach a clear gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ who died for our sins and rose again and promises eternal life to all who believe in Him for it.
For more reading, checkout "The Reality of Carnal Christians" and "What about a Christian Who Doesn't Act Like One?"
Thursday Jul 09, 2020
#21 - Assurance Deficit Disorder
Thursday Jul 09, 2020
Thursday Jul 09, 2020
Many people struggle with the assurance of their salvation. It is a huge problem. Some Christians teach that it is good to have doubts about your salvation using 2 Corinthians 13:5. But that is not at all what that passage teaches.
You will see that there are many reasons why people may doubt their salvation. Doubts are spiritually crippling, but assurance is essential to the gospel and to growth in Christ. When we understand the gospel of grace, we will have assurance. It is not helpful to look at our works or try to evaluate our faith. We have to keep our eyes on Jesus Christ. First John 5:11-13 and Romans 8:31-39 are important passages that help those in doubt.
Friday Jul 03, 2020
#20 - The Lordship of Christ in Salvation
Friday Jul 03, 2020
Friday Jul 03, 2020
Jesus is Lord of all, but how does that relate to salvation? What's the difference between the objective lordship of Christ and the subjective lordship of Christ? Charlie examines some of the issues with the Lordship Salvation view and compare it to the gospel of God's free grace. You will hear about the lordship of Jesus Christ in relation to salvation in Acts 16:31. Also, you will hear what it means to confess Jesus as Lord in Romans 10:9-10. The lordship of Christ is essential to Christ's saving work, but that does not mean that someone must make Him master of all of his life in order to be saved. Salvation is through faith in Jesus who is Lord, but sanctification is by submission to Jesus as Lord and Master of one's life.
We must distinguish between justification truth and sanctification truth and between the condition for salvation and the conditions of discipleship. The Bible has examples of those who believed for salvation, but did not fully confess Jesus as Lord or submit entirely to Him.