Simply By Grace Podcast

Charlie speaks at the Free Grace Alliance conference about the nature of passion and how God-given purpose fuels wholehearted commitment. Using Acts 20:24 and examples from Scripture, he outlines four characteristics of a godly passion: it is bigger than your life, recognizes God’s unique calling, brings joy, and serves others. Drawing on personal stories—from writing books that combine hobbies with evangelism to teaching pastors overseas—and the call to action “Let’s roll,” he urges listeners to use their gifts to share the gospel of grace and help populate and prepare people for God’s kingdom.

This episode focuses on GraceNotes number 79, titled Does John’s Gospel Demand Belief in Eternal Security for Salvation? It examines an important theological question: must a person believe in the doctrine of eternal security—the assurance that salvation, once received, cannot be lost—in order to be truly saved? While the Gospel of John strongly emphasizes eternal life as the result of believing in Jesus Christ, it never expresses the saving message as belief specifically in the permanence of that life. Rather, John presents salvation as faith in a person—Jesus, the Son of God—rather than in a doctrine about what that salvation entails. The Gospel’s focus is on who Jesus is and what believing in Him accomplishes: forgiveness, new birth, light, life, and an eternal relationship with God. Throughout the episode, the study explores how John’s assurances of eternal security serve to comfort those who already believe, not to describe the initial condition for salvation. It also considers the broader biblical and cultural implications of adding belief in eternal security as a salvation requirement. Ultimately, this GraceNotes episode affirms that eternal security is a vital and comforting truth—but it is the result of salvation, not its condition. The saving message remains the same: eternal life is received through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

This episode focuses on a vital question about the Scriptures: What is the condition for eternal salvation according to the Gospel of John? John’s Gospel is unique in that it explicitly states its purpose — to lead readers to eternal life through belief in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. From the opening declaration about Jesus who brings life and light to all people in chapter one to the complementary purpose statement in John 20:31, the message is consistent: eternal life is received by believing in Jesus as Savior. Throughout the Gospel, the verb believe plays a central role, appearing nearly a hundred times, about half of those indicating the condition for salvation. Those usages show that salvation is not earned through works, turning from sins, or obedience, but is given freely through faith in Christ alone. By trusting in Him, one receives eternal life — a present and permanent possession. John also illustrates belief with rich imagery — receiving, looking, entering, hearing, eating, and drinking — all simple acts of faith rather than effort. The Gospel’s message is clear: salvation is completely free, grounded only in the grace of God through belief in His Son. This episode highlights how John presents eternal salvation as both secure and sufficient through faith in Jesus Christ, offering assurance and the promise of life that begins now and lasts forever.

A question on the mind of many is how good they must be to get to heaven. Many people have the idea that if they do enough good things, or their good things outweigh their bad things, then they will be saved eternally. One error in this thinking is the failure to understand the absolute standard of God's goodness. He is perfectly good and therefore cannot tolerate any imperfection in His presence. Another mistake people make is thinking that their behavior is good enough to get to heaven. But they fail to understand that if they resort to performance such as keeping the law, they must have a perfect record or they fall under the curse of failure. It is also a mistake to think that behavior alone can be good enough to get into heaven. Our problem is not sins, per se, but sinfulness. We are sinners who need to have the root of the problem taken care of, and it is sin. The good news is that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to live the perfect life we could not live, and to pay the penalty of our sins, which we could not pay. So we conclude that we can get to heaven based on what Jesus did, not on what we do. Charlie challenges all who see this episode to trust in Christ's righteousness alone in order to get to heaven. That's a message worth hearing and sharing. We trust you will share this, like it, and leave a comment, especially if you place your faith in Jesus as your Savior. #FreeGracegospel#Savedbygrace#Howtogetto heaven#faithnotworks$simplybygrace

Everyone likes a new book. Dr. J. Paul Tanner has blessed us with two. The latest is called "Salvation: The Most Incredible Gift from the Most Magnificent God." It is a comprehensive book on soteriology, which is also available as a course book called "God's Free Gift of Salvation: A Coursebook for the Study of the Biblical View of Salvation." Dr. Tanner's deep scholarship is evident behind the pages of this book, but it is written at a level usable by anyone. All subjects related to salvation are covered. You will appreciate his gentle tone and irenic spirit as he writes on the difficult words and ideas that a study in soteriology must cover. But that is not his only recent contribution. He has written a commentary on Hebrews, which is also accessible to anyone. He believes it is written to believers, the warnings also. Charlie talks about both books with Dr. Tanner. In addition, you can find many more resources and scholarly articles on his website at www.PaulTanner.org. His books can be ordered from his website or from Amazon. Also, check out his commentary on Daniel, a comprehensive study that took him many years.

Charlie explains the Free Grace perspective: salvation is an undeserved, complete gift received by simple faith in Jesus Christ, not earned by works. He addresses common objections about Lordship, repentance, assurance, and whether grace promotes license, grounding his answers in Scripture and practical examples. The episode highlights how grace motivates godly living, the role of the judgment seat of Christ, and how believers can have full assurance of salvation.

Charlie explains eternal security and assurance of salvation, grounding the message in Scripture and addressing common objections. He shows how understanding God’s unshakable grace changes fear into confident, joyful service, using biblical proof, real-life stories, and the sealing of the Spirit as guarantees of our secure future in Christ.

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 Spirit who Christians have today. While there is much written and spoken about making disciples, which is an emphasis in the Gospels, we cannot ignore the Epistles which tell us how to keep the commitments of discipleship. It seems there has been some neglect of the Epistles' view of spirituality. Hear this message and ask youself again, what kind of person does God want me to be and how do I become that person? #GraceLifeMinistries#Spirituality#CarnalChristian#ChristianLife#SimplybyGrace

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 short, he is not telling them to question their salvation. But by using irony, he is making the point that they are saved, and that is how they should know that he is an authentic apostle--because he brought the gospel to them first! In other words, he is saying, "Look at yourselves. Are you saved? Of course you are! Then I must be a true apostle because I got you saved with my gospel." This understanding will free believers who are prone to look within or at their works, which is a quagmire that will stifle growth. God doesn't want us to doubt our salvation! See 1 John 5:13. #Assuranceofsalvation#eternalsecurity#gracelifeministries#Simplybygrace

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. That is, if God gave us His Son, will He not also give us everything else needed to accomplish our final salvation? The second question reminds us that no one can bring a charge against us because we have been acquitted (justified, declared righteous) by the Judge of the universe. His third question reminds us that no one can condemn us. The fourth and final question elicits from the Apostle a flourish of imagery meant to convince us that there is nothing, no one, nowhere, at no time which can separate us from God's tenacious love. After hearing this episode, you will find peace as you rest in God's securing and assuring grace. This episode is from GraceNotes no. 6 of the same title. #Assuranceofsalvation#eternalsecurity#gracelifeministries#Simplybygrace

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 flesh" for a reason--so that he could experience Christ's power in his weakness. We see that sometimes, God uses suffering to keep us humble, and may allow it to continue. It is at those times that we discover His strength and even take pleasure in our sufferings. Suffering is a part of everyone's life, but God's grace can carry us through it. He has an abundance of grace for any and every need. This message will give you a biblical perspective on your own suffering and how God can use it for your good. (We apologize for a few minutes of silence that are not crucial and are explained in the slides.) #Suffering#GraceLifeMinistries#SimmplybyGrace#Thornintheflesh

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 man to rule as the future millennial King. Second, He had to experience and suffering for our salvation. Third, He wanted to make us part of his family. Fourth, He defeated the power of death and the devil to free us from the bondage to fear and death. Fifth, He became our High Priest to make propitiation for our sins. Sixth, He can identify with those who are tempted. This truth should give us comfort in the present and hope for the future that we share with our Lord. #SimplyByGrace #GraceLifeMinistries#Hebrews#HumanityofChrist#BaysideCommunityChurchTampa

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 #simplebygrace #EpiloguePodcast #FaithBibleChurch

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 teaching about eternal security. This interview also discusses some of the key Bible passages and the objection that eternal security encourages people to sin. You will enjoy hearing Gary’s heart and hopefully will get his book and share this podcast and video with others. Here is where you can hear more from pastor Gary: Podcast: Westport’s Words of Hope & Grace - One Verse At a Time (Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Lys2GdE8McfzsE4TxNbua, also available on: Youtube, iHeartRadio, Spreaker, Amazon Music, Deezer, Podchaser, and Podcast Addict). Book: You Are Eternally Secure: Count the Cost, But Know the Promise; Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Eternally-Secure-Count/dp/B0FKHNGXTC, or from Gary Johnson. Contact: [email protected] #gracelifeministries #eternalsecurity #simplebygrace

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 they were incompatible, so Hagar and her son had to be cast out. So too, the Law and grace are incompatible when it comes to how we are saved and sanctified. Believers are of the free woman, not the slave. #Galatians #SimplybyGrace #GraceLifeMinistries #longstoryshort #winterbibleschoolnewzealand

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 in the gospel of grace should be controlled by love, not license. Don't resort to legalism--stand strong in grace! Don't try to live by the Law, but live by the Spirit and bear the fruit of the Spirit. Chapter 6 includes other exhortations that show how to display the love of Christ towards others. Paul's example was to boast only in the work of the cross, not in the work of his flesh. #Galatians #SimplybyGrace #GraceLifeMinistries #longstoryshort #winterbibleschoolnewzealand

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. Since the promise comes by grace, not Law, faith is the chief principle for living, just as it was for salvation. #Galatians #SimplybyGrace #GraceLifeMinistries

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 justification through faith. It also allows him to declare that his life is defined by Christ living in and through Him, thus grace extends beyond initial salvation into sanctification. Paul will not neglect the grace of God! #Galatians #SimplybyGrace #GraceLifeMinistries