Blessed With Every Blessing
Back in the 1980s, I smuggled Bibles into China. I can remember the tears of joy that Chinese believers shed had when they received their first Bibles. Until they got a [...]
grace basics
Keywords of Grace and Law
Every Bible teaching, sermon or message you have ever heard has been one of three kinds: law-based, grace-based, or a mixture of grace and law. A law-based interpretation [...]
What is Grace?
As C.S. Lewis famously observed, grace is the one thing that makes Christianity unique. Grace is what makes the new covenant new and the good news good news. But what is [...]
The Secret to Christian Living
There is a secret to living this Christian life, and it’s a secret most Christians don’t know. If you knew this secret, it would set you free from dead works and [...]
Can You Fall from Your Secure Position (2 Peter 3:17)?
According to some, here is a scripture that says you can lose your salvation: Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be [...]
Conditional Acceptance?
“God loves you as you are and not as you should be.” That’s the gospel of grace in one sentence! Manmade religion says you have to clean yourself up before you approach [...]
Husbands’ Hindered Prayers (1 Peter 3:7)
A man recently asked me about a troubling verse. “My wife says my prayers are hindered because I don’t respect her enough.” He was referring to this verse: Husbands, in [...]
Grace bumper stickers
Recently someone wrote to ask me if they could put EscapeToReality.org on the back of their truck along with a short grace slogan. I was honored to be asked. But their [...]
How Should We Read the Words of Jesus?
Jesus is the greatest preacher of all time. He told stories and preached sermons the whole world needs to hear. The genius of Jesus is that he often preached one message with [...]
Top 12 Quotes on Grace
What is the one thing that separates Christianity from every other religion in the world? It is grace – that divine and undeserved favor of God that elevates the lowly and [...]
The Other Reason for the Season
How did Mary get to Bethlehem? If you get your history from Christmas cards, you might think she rode a donkey. But it is unlikely that Joseph owned a donkey. How do we know? [...]
Why repentance is like football
What comes to mind when you hear the word “football”? Your answer to that question says a lot about where you come from. If you’re a fan of football and you travel the [...]
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 [...]
Old vs. new
What happened to me at the cross?
Why do 90% of Christians struggle to receive grace and live the Christian life? There are two reasons. First, they do not properly value what Christ accomplished on the [...]
Take the grace test
A few weeks ago someone asked me, “how well did you understand grace before you understood grace?” Now it’s time for me to ask you that same question; how [...]
How Well Did I Understand Grace Before I Understood Grace?
Have you ever seen those Magic Eye 3D pictures that look random but then reveal a hidden picture? Maybe there’s a group of you looking and someone says, “Wow – look at [...]
Is God’s Love Unconditional?
“How do you know God’s love is unconditional? The phrase ‘unconditional love’ is not in the Bible!” Ever heard this? It’s a fair question that cuts to the [...]
The Test of Your Gospel
I once heard a preacher say that “80 to 90% of Christians are unacquainted with the gospel of grace.” I guess this estimate is not far off the mark as evidenced by the [...]
Who Do You Think You Are?
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17) I’m sure you’ve read this verse many times, but have you ever thought about what it means to be [...]
Before and After
Before he was saved, Paul was a Pharisee (Php 3:5), and like any Pharisee he would’ve prayed the prayer seen on the left (source: Encyclopedia Talmudit, Vol.4, [...]
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Escape to Reality is one year old today! I started blogging on 5 February 2010 for no other reason than I couldn’t help myself. I had words inside me that needed to get [...]
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 [...]
Will My Name be Blotted out from the Book of Life?
Are you worried that Jesus may blot out your name from the Lamb’s Book of Life? Many Christians are. They are afraid that they might do something that will cause Jesus to [...]
Son, Servant, or Friend of God?
How do you mainly identify with God? As a (a) servant of God, (b) a friend of God, or (c) a son of God? When a friend posed this question on his Facebook page yesterday, I [...]
Laodicea, Part 4: “Buy” Your Salvation (Rev 3:18)
UPDATE: This is an old article. An updated and expanded commentary on this passage can be found in Paul’s book Letters from Jesus. The letter to the Laodiceans is just 222 [...]
God is Good, But How Good is He?
I read something on the weekend that hit me like a stone. It was written by someone who is troubled that the church no longer fears God like in the good ol’ days of the Old [...]
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 [...]
Escape to Reality 