Why Am I Not Spiritually Fruitful?
Did you know you have been chosen by God to bear fruit? Jesus said: You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit [...]
forgiveness
Are All Sins Forgiven – Past, Present and Future?
Are all your sins forgiven, past, present and future? This is one of those questions that sounds hard but is easy to answer, provided you have the right definition. What does [...]
5 Myths about God’s Forgiveness
No religion preaches the complete forgiveness of sins like Christianity. You might say it’s one of our unique selling points. So why do we do such a bad job with it? We [...]
Did Peter Preach Conditional Forgiveness to Simon the Sorcerer? (Acts 8:22)
If God loves you, God forgives you, and God loves you indeed! God’s forgiveness is revealed in the matchless and unrepeatable sacrifice of the One who died for all sin. In [...]
How your Bible may be ruining the Gospel
My wife is a good cook. She does a Danish roast with crackling pork and all the trimmings that is second-to-none. In fact, she is preparing a sumptuous roast dinner as I [...]
Love Keeps No Record of Wrongs
Have you heard the one about how God is recording everything you say and do, and on Judgment Day he’ll show all your dark, dirty secrets on a big TV screen? It’s a [...]
Does James 5:15 preach conditional forgiveness?
Those who put price tags on grace sometimes point to this verse: The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, [...]
Did Jesus put price tags on forgiveness? (Matthew 6:14-15)
The gospel that Jesus revealed declares that God loves you like a father, he holds nothing against you, and he longs for his sons and daughters to come home. It’s the good [...]
Is Forgiveness Like a Debit Card?
Are you completely forgiven or partly forgiven? It’s a simple question that reveals whether you appreciate all Christ did for you on the cross. Recently I heard a critic of [...]
Is it wrong to ask God for forgiveness?
“Beware the grace Pharisees who jump on you if you dare to ask God for forgiveness. They will say you’re operating in unbelief and legalism.” This claim is sometimes [...]
1 John 1:9 – Ask the Right Question
In many grace books it is common to find some discussion on 1 John 1:9. This verse is special because it is the only verse in the new covenant that appears to link confession [...]
Why do people need to receive the gift of forgiveness if the whole world is already forgiven?
A friend of mine recently asked me some questions about forgiveness. If God forgave everyone at the cross, what use will sinners have for Jesus? Why will they care about the [...]
Is Forgiveness Something God Does or Gives?
When you sin against someone, your relationship with that person comes under strain. There’s this Thing that comes between the two of you. To be reconciled you need to deal [...]
1 John 1:9 – Something old, something new
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” What’s the problem with 1 John 1:9? The problem is [...]
Forgiven, reconciled, and saved?
The world sure is a strange place. Just when you think you’ve seen everything, something new hits you on the side of the head. When I was growing up, the number one [...]
Five Ways Jesus Revealed Grace
Have you ever noticed that Jesus never said the word grace? Doesn’t this strike you as odd? After all, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Jesus is grace [...]
Are We Completely Forgiven?
Read the Bible indiscriminately and you’ll get a mixed message. You’ll take on board laws that were never meant for you and you’ll end up confused and lukewarm. [...]
Are sinners forgiven too?
I get asked more questions about forgiveness than any other subject. “Am I really forgiven? What if I sin and don’t repent? What if I don’t confess? What if I [...]
What happens to Christians who commit suicide?
What do you say to the parents of a Christian teenager who has just killed himself? I faced this situation several years ago and, I have tell you, it’s not easy. Premature [...]
What is the Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?
I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an [...]
What is the Unforgivable Sin?
I know people who think that they were cursed because they, or their parents, have committed the “unforgivable sin.” It was partly this conviction that made Søren [...]
12 reasons why you don’t need to confess-to-be-forgiven
The grace of God has many expressions, but forgiveness is the first. Miss forgiveness and you’ll miss grace. How do we set aside grace? One way is to treat forgiveness as [...]
Son or sinner – what are you confessing?
Imagine hearing a sermon like this: “Marriage is wonderful. Marriage is a gift from God. God wants everyone to enjoy the gift of marriage. If you give Him just $50 today, [...]
Confession, Conviction, Confusion!
Did Jesus sneak out of heaven against His Father’s wishes to come and die for our sins? Did He distract the Holy Spirit then slip away on His own initiative to shed His [...]
The axe of forgiveness
Have you ever noticed how Jesus went around forgiving people who neither asked for forgiveness nor deserved it? A paralyzed man is brought to him. Everyone watches for the [...]
What keeps Christians weak and unproductive?
If you were the devil and you wanted to keep Christians barren, sick and ineffective, there is one simple thing that you could do: you would hide or distort the good news [...]
Nothing but the Blood of Jesus: Five Reasons to Thank Him
The gospel of grace is underwritten by the most precious commodity in the universe – the blood of Jesus. Some have lost sight of an important truth, possibly the most [...]
Where Does Forgiveness Come From? And Why Does it Matter?
There are two statements in the Bible that seem to contradict each other: 1. If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. [...]
Granddad’s Bumper Sticker
Back in the 1970s my Granddad had a bumper sticker on his Ford Cortina that read: Christians Aren’t Perfect, Just Forgiven In the past 40 years I have thought more about [...]
God Doesn’t Do Half-Jobs: Why Partial Forgiveness Is Completely Bogus
There’s a teaching going around that says that God has only half-forgiven us. If it sounds wacky, that’s because it is. But partial forgiveness is what you have if you [...]
Psalm 51 – The Badness of David versus the Goodness of God
Christians sometimes battle with guilt and condemnation even though God declares them “not guilty” and Christ has given us the gift of “no condemnation” (Rms 8:1). [...]
Completely Forgiven? When Confession is Bad for You
Jesus died to set men free. Galatians 5:13 tells us that we have a holy calling to be free – to live free, walk free, stay free. One way that we can lose our freedom is to [...]
Escape to Reality 