As we recently announced, Free Grace International recently hired Shawn Lazar. I thought it would be valuable to have a chat with him about what he’s going to get up to in his work with FGI. 

LUCAS: What’s your first project with free Grace International?

SHAWN: I’m starting with writing a daily blog and recording a podcast version of it. 

I’ll also be editing and proofing FGI’s other network of blogs.

We have a beautifully redesigned front page. I’d like people to think of freegrace.in as a destination site to check every morning for an encouraging message for that day.

LUCAS: Tell us what to expect from your daily blog? 

SHAWN: You can expect a devotional-style message focusing on grace. I want to show that grace is not just for salvation (Eph 2:8-9), but also for encouraging, equipping, and empowering believers to live an abundant life. We’re supposed to live moment by moment in complete dependence on Christ as our life. That’s not an easy lesson to learn. There’s so much in the world telling us to live out of our own resources, and that beats us down and distracts us from Jesus. I want to build them up with a word of grace and continually point them to Christ.

LUCAS: Why is this blog needed?

SHAWN: People in the Free Grace movement have strongly emphasized the freeness of eternal life. There has been great work done on refuting Lordship Salvation and explaining problem passages that seem to contradict the faith-alone message. I want to do more of that myself.

What happens after you believe and are born again? Jesus wants us to have abundant life (John 10:10; 20:30-31). But how?

A works salvation mentality is not just a serious error in salvation, it’s also a problem in teaching about spiritual growth. If you took a class on “spiritual theology,” most of the authors you’d read were firmly committed to a false gospel of salvation by works, and their spirituality is an extension of that. By contrast, my blog will explore how justification and sanctification are both by grace. As Paul said: 

“Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh?” (Gal 3:2-3)

Growth doesn’t come through legalism but through grace. I’d like to explain why that’s the case.

LUCAS: What types of topics will your first few blogs touch on? 

SHAWN: One of the first blogs will address prayer. In another blog, I write about how God is full of surprises! Another will talk about the guilt trip that some people feel when they’re told they should remember their “spiritual birthday” but can’t.

Along the way, I want to address everyday situations where a grace mentality makes a difference in marriage, parenting, grandparenting, and being single. I want to talk about living by grace when faced with the daily grind of going to work or school.

And I’d like to do all of that while focusing on Scripture.

LUCAS: Thanks, Shawn. 

We are so excited to see where God leads us together. Shawn is a great addition to our publication and production team. To get his daily devotional blog updates in your inbox, click the subscribe button on this page. Shawn’s blog will start up on Aug 15, 2022. 

You’ll also be able to find the corresponding podcast wherever you normally listen (coming soon). 

With growth comes expense, of course. If you’d like to become a financial contributor to the work Shawn is doing, please consider clicking the donate button. 

If you’re excited about this new adventure we’re starting, place share this page to the social media of your choice. It’s a big help.