God is Not Your Employer

May 20, 2013 By 16 Comments
GITW_5th_word

The good news of God’s acceptance is not widely preached. You are much more likely to hear about God’s high standards than his unmerited favor. It’s like Jesus has this list of positive qualities he is looking for in his ideal bride. “She needs to be a good cook, like Martha, and have plenty of good works, like the woman in Proverbs 31. She should have a sense of humor and enjoy long walks on the beach.” It’s ridiculous. Jesus has no list and if he did, none of us would ever make it. Yet many act as if Jesus was grading them on their performance. They mistake the voice of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: acceptance, gospel of grace, works of faith Tagged With: , ,

Endure to the End and be Saved

May 14, 2013 By 48 Comments
Fallen-runner

Is the Christian eternally secure or does he need to take steps to ensure he doesn’t fall away? This is the Big Question we have been asking in our series on eternal security. So far we have looked at scriptures that seem to connect our salvation with our perfect and sustained obedience. Soon I will look at those that seem to link salvation with our abiding or continuing. But today I want to starting looking at those scriptures that have to do with endurance. Here is the question: Can a Christian can lose their salvation if they fail to stand firm or endure to the end? There are 22 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: endurance, eternal security Tagged With: , , ,

1 Corinthians 9:27 – Disqualified for the Prize?

May 6, 2013 By 21 Comments
Paul_running_vs

I’m a bit of a runner. Last year I clocked up 500 miles in runs around my neighborhood. No marathons or ultras or anything like that. Just regular 5 mile runs and the odd 10k race. I’m not particularly fast and I’m not going to win any gold medals, but I am pretty confident that my physical discipline is earning me big points with God. The Bible says so: I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Cor 9:27) I hope you can tell I’m joking. Physical training has some value but doesn’t figure much in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: eternal security, rewards Tagged With: , , ,

12 Reasons Why a Sentimental Hell Appeals

May 2, 2013 By 75 Comments
Heaven-or-Hell

I have never written about hell and once this series is done I may never write about it again. Fact is, unless you are a smug, self-righteous, look-at-me-God-I’m-impressive kind of law-loving wing-nut, you don’t need to know anything about it. What you do need to know is the good news. Problem is, many of us have been given a mixed up version of the good news. We’ve been told that we have to perform, jump through hoops, and generally earn God’s favor. And if you believe that it will totally mess up your view of wrath, judgment and hell. Let me state plainly that no one goes to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: hell, lists Tagged With: , , ,

The Sentimental View of Hell

April 29, 2013 By 95 Comments
hell_Chesterton

Here’s an interesting fact: Jesus preached about hell a lot while Paul never mentioned it by name. Have you ever wondered why? The reason has to do with their different audiences. Since Jesus mostly preached the law to those under law, it was necessary for him to be a hellfire preacher. Hence his references to the “fiery furnace” (Mt 13:42, 50), the “eternal fire” (Mt 18:9, 25:41) and the fire that “never goes out” (Mk 9:43). As we saw in the last post, the condemning ministry of the law reaches its ultimate expression in the eternal condemnation of hell. What does that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: hell, historical reconciliation, universalism

What About Hell? 10 Things To Know

April 23, 2013 By 132 Comments
trolley_hell

A few people have asked for my views on hell. I have never written on hell before. Like the weather on Uranus, hell is not a subject I think much about. I’m unlikely to come up to you at a party and say, “Hey, what about hell?” Hell is just not on my radar. But I appreciate that hell has become something of a “hot” topic lately, another shibboleth if you like. On one side are those who say, “Hell is hell and you’re just going to have to accept it.” On the other side are those who find it inconceivable that a good God could cook his kids in an eternal roasting pan. So … [Read more...]

Filed Under: hell, judgment, wrath Tagged With: , , ,

Top 10 Brennan Manning Quotes

April 19, 2013 By 16 Comments
brennan_manning

Brennan Manning passed away last Friday at the age of 79. I only found out this morning and I’ve been thinking of him all day. I never met Brennan Manning and I never heard him preach. Yet I would count myself as one of the millions who have been touched by his life. Why? I've read The Ragamuffin Gospel, of course. Chances are, you have too. I’ve also read some of his other books but for me Ragamuffin Gospel takes the cake. I consider it one of the grace standards. (You can read my review of it here.) This week many who knew Brennan better than I did are writing obits better … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Brennan Manning, quotes

“Classic Christianity” by Bob George

April 19, 2013 By 12 Comments
Classic Christianity

If knowing the truth sets you free and part of your life is not free, what does that tell you? It means that part of your life is in error. It means you are living under a lie. This is the revelation that opened the door to grace for Bob George. He loved the Lord and was busy with ministry, but he was frustrated and miserable. Something was wrong. That’s what bondage looks like to a Christian; it’s joyless, misery no matter how hard you are working for the Lord. Happily, Bob George was set free by grace and he then wrote a book called Classic Christianity. This book has since become … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Bob George, book reviews

7 More Things that Happen to Christians Who Stray

April 17, 2013 By 13 Comments
off the rails

Nearly every book in the New Testament warns Christians of the dangers of false preachers and teachers who preach another Jesus or another gospel. Jesus, Paul, Peter, et al. had some harsh words to say about those who mislead the saints. But what about the saints who are misled? What happens to them? The usual answer is, “They could lose their salvation and go to hell along with the lost.” The usual answer is wrong. Since a Christian, by definition, is one who has been united with Christ, the only way he can go to hell is if Christ goes – and Christ isn’t going! In fact, the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: eternal security, lists, walking after the flesh

What Happens to Christians Who Stray?

April 10, 2013 By 97 Comments
lost-children

What happens to Christians who stray, or follow another Jesus, another Spirit, or another gospel? This is not a hard question to answer because it happened in the Bible. The consequences of going astray are well-documented. Yet the question is worth asking because many don’t know the answer. Or, rather, they have the wrong answer, which is this: What happens when Christians stray? Why, they fall from grace prompting a loving God to discipline them with punishment. If they don’t repent they’ll lose their salvation and be eternally condemned. The bit about falling from grace is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: dead religion, eternal security, lists

The Commands of John

April 4, 2013 By 49 Comments
obey

A year ago I made a bunch of people mad by saying John never mentions the word “repent” in his gospel. To this day I still get messages from angry folks who say things like, “Well even if John didn’t preach it, you should! We need more preaching on repentance.” Actually I think we need more preaching on Jesus, but hey, that’s just me. The reason I mention John is because those of us who preach grace often get accused of not emphasizing repentance. My response: neither did John. Anyway, I’m not about to poke that hornet’s nest again. Perhaps it’s time to throw the angry … [Read more...]

Filed Under: eternal security, obedience, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Can Unbelievers Take Communion?

March 31, 2013 By 29 Comments
Jesus_communion

Communion ought to be a time of celebrating Christ’s finished work on the cross. It ought to be a time when we proclaim his victory over sin and sickness. Yet for many, communion is a time of navel-gazing self-examination. It’s a time of asking, Am I good enough for God? Am I worthy? Although Jesus said “take this cup in remembrance of me,” often we drink it in remembrance of ourselves. This is a misplaced focus. Communion isn’t about you but him. As I have explained elsewhere, communion is a time for receiving the full benefits of what Jesus paid for. Yet many churches have … [Read more...]

Filed Under: communion, Easter, judgment, the cross Tagged With: , ,
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