Book Reviews -- By: Anonymous

Journal: Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society
Volume: JOTGES 11:2 (Autumn 1998)
Article: Book Reviews
Author: Anonymous


Book Reviews

Free and Clear: Understanding & Communicating God’s Offer of Eternal Life. By R. Larry Moyer. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1997. 272 pp. Paper, $13.99.

Larry Moyer, co-founder and executive director of EvanTell ministry in Dallas, has been a Free Grace evangelist for over twenty years. In this book Larry shares insights gained from his many years as an evangelist. There is much to like about this book.

Moyer’s discussion of assurance of salvation is excellent. He indicates that the ground of assurance is the promises made in Scripture to the believer, not the works which we do: “The fruit of such a walk is … love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control ([Gal 5:22–23). Nowhere in Scripture, however, are these things the basis for determining if one is saved” (p. 58). Larry deals with a number of so-called problem passages such as Luke 8:13, John 8:30-32, John 15:6, Col 1:21–23, 2 Cor 13:5, Jas 2:14–26, and 1 John 3:6 (pp. 62–79). His explanations are completely consistent with those given in this journal and in Grace in Focus.

Also highly commendable is Moyer’s refutation of false conditions of eternal salvation such as commitment to Christ’s Lordship (pp. 99114), confessing Christ (pp. 115–126), baptism (pp. 127–140; his discussion of Acts 2:38 and 22:16 on pp. 130–34 is also outstanding), and good works (pp. 145–59). His discussion of Rom 10:9–10 on pp. 116–23 is worth the price of the book.

The discussion of repentance (pp. 85–95) will certainly please all that hold to the change-of-mind view. While I no longer hold that view, I appreciate his position as being one that is consistent with justification by faith alone.

There is one point that deserves attention. The discussion of saving faith lacks the clarity found elsewhere in the book. Since I hold a somewhat different view of saving faith, my perspective is admittedly biased. However, it seems to me that Moyer is on shaky ground when he suggests that saving faith is more than “mental assent” (p. 41).

Take, for example, his illustration of a lu...

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