grace basics

What is Grace?

January 13, 2022 // 48 Comments

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 grace? Do you know what it means? I read a lot of grace books and I have found that very few define grace. They tell you what grace isn’t. [...]

The Secret to Successful Christian Living

August 22, 2019 // 36 Comments

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 insecurity. Here it is: This is a faithful saying: For if we died with him, we shall also live with him. (2 Timothy 2:11, NKJV) If you don’t know [...]

Can You Fall from Your Secure Position (2 Peter 3:17)?

June 29, 2017 // 104 Comments

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 carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. (2 Pet 3:17, NIV) Don’t panic. This scripture does NOT say [...]

Conditional Acceptance?

February 26, 2015 // 65 Comments

“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 the Lord, but grace shouts, “Come as you are!” So how do we explain this passage which seems to say something different: Therefore come [...]

Husbands’ Hindered Prayers (1 Peter 3:7)

January 7, 2015 // 77 Comments

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 the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the [...]

Grace bumper stickers

August 8, 2014 // 47 Comments

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 request got me thinking about grace slogans. In short, can the message of grace be reduced to a bumper sticker? The gospel is simple. You don’t [...]

How Should We Read the Words of Jesus?

November 19, 2013 // 47 Comments

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 two punchlines: If you were confident of your own righteousness, you got law, but if you were not, you got grace. Consider Jesus’ story [...]

Top 12 quotes on grace

November 12, 2012 // 32 Comments

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 loves the unlovely. Grace is the good news that a sick and dying world needs to hear. Grace is what God’s love looks like from our side. [...]

The Other Reason for the Season

December 23, 2011 // 16 Comments

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? Because he was poor – he brought a poor man’s offering of two doves when they presented baby Jesus in the temple (see Lu 2:24 and Lev [...]

Why repentance is like football

November 20, 2011 // 55 Comments

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 world you’ll often have conversations like this: “So you like footy. Who’s your favorite team?” “Collingwood.” “Never heard of [...]

Are sinners forgiven too?

October 18, 2011 // 119 Comments

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 backslide?” I have written numerous posts on all these points, but forgiveness seems to be a blind-spot for many. We just can’t get it into our [...]

Old vs. new

October 11, 2011 // 8 Comments

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