God is Not Your Employer

May 20, 2013 By 5 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 28 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...]

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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: , , ,

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: , , ,

The Commands of John

April 4, 2013 By 48 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...]

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The Root of Obedience

March 26, 2013 By 18 Comments
children-traffic

The other day I was walking with my girls to a playground. We were walking along a waterfront esplanade that is sometimes used by goods vehicles. My girls were ahead of me and with all the noise and excitement they didn’t notice a van approaching from the right. In a loud voice I told them to stop and they did. Like good Kiwi kids, they then instinctively looked to their left for the vehicle they knew must be coming, only they could see no car. It would’ve been funny if it hadn’t been dangerous. They were both straining so hard to look left that they were oblivious to the van … [Read more...]

Filed Under: eternal security, Jesus, living under grace, obedience Tagged With: , , ,

How Does God Deal With Our Sin?

March 15, 2013 By 48 Comments
Jesus_laughing

Lately I have spent more time thinking about my sin than I have in a long time. Don’t panic – I haven’t done anything stupid. It’s just that I rarely think about my sin as sin. Let me explain. I know I am far from perfect. I make mistakes. So let me call a spade a spade and admit that, occasionally, I sin. And when I sin, God corrects me. So what am I doing telling people God never convicts us of our sin? What am I? Some kind of two-faced hypocrite? As I have explained elsewhere, there is a huge difference between conviction and correction. The word “convict” found in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holy Spirit, sin Tagged With: , , ,

Biblical Correction – Old vs New

March 11, 2013 By 30 Comments
purple_handed

My three-year old son is a regular Michelangelo. The other day he drew a purple-crayon masterpiece on the walls of his bedroom. Needless to say, I was furious. I told him he was a vandal and a crook and I belted him within an inch of his life. Then I said if he did it again I’d kick him out of the family. Of course I did no such thing! And yet this sort of ridiculous over-the-top reaction is exactly how some Christians imagine their loving Father responds when they sin. They say things like, “God convicted me, then he chastised me with scourging (see Hebrews). He’s so loving to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: correction, sin, sonship Tagged With: , , ,

Conviction vs Correction

February 28, 2013 By 55 Comments
convict

What I say: “God never convicts us of our sins.” What they hear: “God is oblivious to our sins. He never corrects us nor rebukes us.” What they think: Hebrews 12 says otherwise so Paul is in error. This issue of conviction of sins is fast becoming an unnecessary shibboleth among Christians. Sincere believers are dividing themselves along one of two lines: 1.    “God never convicts us and if you think he does you are sin-conscious and need to become Christ-conscious.” 2.    “God convicts me in a positive way as a loving father and if you say otherwise you need to read … [Read more...]

Filed Under: conviction, Holy Spirit, sin Tagged With: , ,

Standing Secure on God’s Promises

February 19, 2013 By 22 Comments
anchor_blue

Ever broken a promise, not kept your word, or been late for an engagement? Of course you have. Now you know why many Christians are worried sick that they may fail God. After all, isn’t the Bible full of exhortations to hold fast, continue, and endure to the end? It is – but not so that we might get something we don’t already possess in Christ. As you may know, I spent the summer studying some 300 scriptures pertaining to this issue of eternal security. I have to be honest and tell you my motives were mixed. The pure motive was that I simply enjoy studying scripture and I wanted to … [Read more...]

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