Articles by Paul Ellis

How to Test the Spirits

March 30, 2023 // 6 Comments

Spirit, soul, and body – do you know the difference? Your spirit is that inner part of you that connects you to the spiritual world; your body or flesh is that external part of you that connects you to the physical world; and your soul is that part of you that chooses whether you are going to walk after the [...]

How to Walk in the Spirit

March 23, 2023 // 12 Comments

You were designed to be spiritual. You were created to walk in the spirit. Yet many people walk after the flesh. They make judgments based on what they hear, see, and understand, rather than listening to what their spirit is sensing the Lord is saying. To be led by the Spirit is to live with our eyes fixed on the [...]

What Does it Mean to be Spiritual?

March 16, 2023 // 10 Comments

What comes to mind when you think of the word spiritual? In scripture, we are exhorted to desire spiritual gifts, sing spiritual songs, and pray spiritual prayers. We are to walk in the spirit and live a spiritual life. Sounds good. But what does it mean? Here’s what spiritual does NOT mean: Spiritual does not [...]

Duck Church

March 9, 2023 // 2 Comments

Søren Kierkegaard, the Danish existentialist, used to tell a story about Duck Church. It goes something like this: Once upon a time there was a town of ducks. On Sunday morning all the ducks came waddling out of their houses and waddling into church where they squatted in their pews. After they sang their duck [...]

Six Reasons Why Original Sin Cannot be True

March 2, 2023 // 48 Comments

Original sin says we were born bad to the bone. From the moment we drew our first breath, we were inclined towards sin, utterly depraved, and hostile towards God. Since beginning this series, I’ve received messages from readers who defend original sin by quoting Romans 3, 5, and other scriptures that say we are [...]

Are your Children Natural Born Sinners?

February 16, 2023 // 20 Comments

A few years ago, the Babylon Bee published a satirical article entitled “Woman Finally Accepts Doctrine of Total Depravity Now That Daughter Is Two.” The article was about a young mother who became convinced about the doctrine of total depravity after her child became a toddler: I had the hardest time coming [...]

E2R Turns 13 and It’s Time for a Change

February 2, 2023 // 40 Comments

I used to write about grace and nothing but grace. When I started writing Escape to Reality 13 years ago, I wrote about forgiveness and the unconditional love of God and how the cross changed everything. I wrote about eternal security and eternal rewards, healing and holiness, repentance and righteousness. But [...]

Can you Trust ChatGPT to Teach You about Grace?

January 27, 2023 // 20 Comments

ChatGPT, an A.I.-based chatbot that was released in November 2022, may be the biggest technological breakthrough to affect the church since the invention of the printing press. What does it do? It answers questions and writes essays. It also writes sermons, lessons, prayers, lyrics, dissertations, movie scenes, [...]

30 Ways Your Flesh Reacts to Trouble

January 20, 2023 // 14 Comments

You arrive at a moment of crisis. Perhaps you are in your boss’s office or the medical clinic. You’re fighting with your spouse or you’ve heard bad news. The heat is on and the pressure’s rising. What do you do? The smart thing to do is take five, lean into God, and see what he says. Let him guide you [...]

What Happens to Unbaptized Infants Who Die?

January 5, 2023 // 35 Comments

If the doctrine of original sin is true, and everyone is born with a sinful nature and a rebel towards God, what happens to babies who die? Do babies go to hell? Do they go to heaven? Do they go someplace in between? Augustine of Hippo said babies go to hell for eternal punishment, but added that they get a mild [...]

Feeling knocked down this Christmas?

December 21, 2022 // 13 Comments

What will be your highlight of 2022? I’ve got a bunch, but one that tops the list happened in September. It ranks right up there with Lazarus rising from the dead. Almost. We had received the sad news that a family friend had suffered a crippling stroke and was in a bad way. It was a real shock because [...]

What Does it Mean to Keep His Commandments?

December 8, 2022 // 12 Comments

Here’s a verse that can really trip you up: For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. (1 John 5:3a) What commandments is John talking about? If you have not learned to read scripture through a new covenant lens, you might think he’s talking about the Ten Commandments or the Law of Moses. If [...]