Simply By Grace Podcast

What kind of person do you want to be? Or better, what kind of person does God want you to be? In 1 Corinthians 2:6-3:4 the Apostle Paul speaks about four kinds of people: the natural person, the spiritual, the carnal, and the newborn. Charlie describes each from a spiritual perspective, then defines God's ideal, the spiritual person. But what does it mean to be spiritual? It has everything to do with the permanent indwelling Holy ...

When it comes to our salvation, is doubt good? This verse has been and is continually used by some to cause many Christians to doubt their salvation. They claim that it is good to question our salvation by examining our works, attitudes, motives, and conduct. But the verse says nothing about examining these things. Understanding the context of the passage--and the whole epistle--is the key to understanding what Paul is saying. In s...

Christians can get confused and lose the assurance of their salvation for a number of reasons. Charlie will name some of these, but more importantly, he will show how four rhetorical questions from Romans chapter 8 are designed to give full assurance of salvation. The first question reminds us that since God is for us, no one can stand against us. He answers a question with another question by arguing from the greater to the lesser...

God's grace can meet all our needs, which is especially important when we are suffering hardships of all kinds. In this passage from Second Corinthians 12, we find an amazing revelation about the Apostle Paul's amazing revelation! He is too humble to claim ownership of it lest he be accused of boasting, but he describes his experience in unmistakable terms. We see that God did not answer His prayers to remove the "thorn in the fles...

We usually emphasize the deity of Jesus Christ, which is a good thing. But the book of Hebrews has a lot to say about His humanity also. In fact, Jesus' favorite title He used for Himself is "Son of Man." Why? Because he was identifying with the human race as the Second Adam who came to undo the damage of the first Adam. Charlie list six ways from Hebrews chapter 2 how the humanity of Jesus Christ is important. First, he came as a ...

This episode is a replay of Charlie's interview by Jamie Bryant of Faith Bible Church (The Woodlands, TX) on their Epilogue podcast in a series devoted to the free grace view. They discuss the nature of "saving faith" (a term Charlie thinks needs clarification). Their talk covers the accusation of easy-believism, the intrusion of works into faith, and illustrations of the faith that saves. #gracelifeministries #eternalsecurity #sim...

That’s the name of a new book written by pastor Gary Johnson of Westport Baptist Church in Indiana. In this interview with Pastor Gary, Charlie explains why he likes this book so much: It is clear, simple, and useful to someone without theological training or a deep knowledge of the Bible. Pastor Gary reviews his religious background that did not give him peace until he searched the Scriptures and came to understand and accept the ...

Chapter 4 of Paul's epistle to the Galatian church is a declaration of the freedom believers have as sons of God, not slaves. The author reveals his heart's affection for his readers and his desire for them to live in the freedom that Christ brings. To illustrate the contrast between the Law that enslaves and the gospel of grace which liberates, Paul uses the analogy of two women in Genesis: Sarah and Hagar. Each had a son, but the...

This final session covers chapters 5 and 6, where Paul exhorts his readers to stand strong in grace and resist those who want to enslave them to the Law. Should they go back to the Law, they will fall from grace, meaning they will no longer be under the blessings that come from God's promises because they are depending on their own efforts. If they really want to fulfill the Law, they should love one another. The liberty they have ...

As Paul continues his defense of his gospel of grace, he rebukes the Galatians for their inconsistent thinking that they can be sanctified, or finally justified, by works not faith. This leads to an explanation of the purpose of the Law. It was not given to sanctify us, but to expose our sin and lead us to our Savior, Jesus Christ. The Law did not replace the promise of God to Abraham to provide a Seed who would be our Savior. Sinc...

As the Apostle Paul continues to defend his gospel of grace through faith in Christ alone, he explains how he did not compromise his message and ministry with the legalists. He uses Titus and an incident with Peter as examples. Paul had to rebuke Peter when Peter would not eat with Gentiles and thus Peter implicitly endorsed the Law as necessary for the Gentiles. This leads to a marvelous exposition of Paul's defense of justificati...

Galatians is a critical Bible book that shows how the gospel of grace is easily corrupted by the intrusion of works. Its emphasis on the grace of the gospel is one reason why Martin Luther called this book his "Katherine," who was his wife. In chapter 1, the Apostle Paul expresses his surprise and concern at how the readers had so soon been corrupted from his gospel to a different gospel. He argues that he received his gospel from ...

In this very theological discussion based on GraceNotes no. 106, Charlie shows how the context helps us understand the assurances of the believer's future found in Romans 8:28-30. The surrounding contexts speak of the believer's future sharing in the glory of God through Christ in His millennial rule. The key to understanding the message of verses 28-30 is seeing our futures from God's timeless perspective. To Him, the past, presen...

This GraceNotes episode begins a series of messages on the assurance of salvation. This is such an important subject because so many people struggle with doubts about their salvation. In this episode, from GraceNotes no. 73, we will see that Free Grace theology is the only theological perspective that can give a believer full assurance of salvation. Three alternate views are explained. First, Reformed Calvinism believes that the el...

Flipping the question "What must I do to be saved" (Act 16:31) to "What must I do to be unsaved?" is a way to see all the things that have been accomplished in an individual's salvation. In order for someone to lose their salvation, there are many things that would have to be undone or reversed, if it was possible. Charlie duscusses twenty-two results of salvation that a believer would have to undo in order for a person to lose the...

In Romans 11:22 some think that the Apostle Paul is warning that if an individual believer does not continue to live in God's goodness, but abusees that privilege, that believer will bt "cut off" or lose their salvation. That view, however, neglects the context. Paul is not addressing individuals, but the fate of two different peoples: The Jews and the Gentiles. The Jews are the natural branches that were broken off by the Lord bec...

There is a different gospel being preached, one that differs from the gospel of grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. It is called Lordship Salvation, and many people will not recognize its subtlety--until they know what to look for. This episode explains what Lordship Salvation teaches about Faith, Repentance, Lordship, and Discipleship, then shows their erroneous thinking about these important issues. Also covere...

Where do you get your self-image from? Is it the opinion of others, society, or something someone told you in the past? When we meet God's grace, it changes everything. We view ourselves as in Christ, fully accepted by God. It is by grace that we are who we are and are able to do what we do. There is no room for self-glorification. The Apostle Paul called himself the chief of sinners, but he recognized that the grace of God working...