Who Are the Called of Jesus Christ? (Romans 1:6)
I have a confession to make. I like gangster movies. Everything I know about organized crime I learned from watching movies like The Godfather, The Untouchables and The Road [...]
Religion
Who is Alive but Dead?
If you want Christians to work harder, there are two scriptures you can trot out to boost productivity. The first is the one about being lukewarm; the second is this one from [...]
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 [...]
The High Cost of Free Grace
The gospel of grace is not a philosophy to debate or a lifestyle to adopt. Grace is the power of God that saves those who receive it. Grace is God blessing us for no other [...]
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 [...]
What About Those Who Cry “Lord, Lord?”
On four occasions, Jesus spoke about people who would cry “Lord, Lord” yet not be received into his kingdom. Who are these people and what have they done, or not done, to [...]
How Religion Makes Us Stupid (And Jesus Makes Us Wise)
Religion is an endless car race and I have a trackside seat. I smell the fumes of religious ambition, and I hear the sickening crunch of condemnation. The religious race goes [...]
The Feeble Gospel
The number one reason we have a feeble church is we preach a feeble gospel. We will never have a strong church unless we preach a mighty gospel. Do you know the difference? [...]
Why is the Narrow Gate Hard to Enter? (Luke 13:24)
Jesus spoke about entering the kingdom through a narrow gate, but what is the narrow gate? Jesus is. But what does it mean to find the narrow gate, and why did Jesus say many [...]
How to Cultivate Hope
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. (1 Peter 3:15) We Christians ought to be a hope-filled people but [...]
Seven Ways Religion Damages Hope
You can learn a lot from watching the movies. When I was a kid I saw The Neverending Story, and one scene has endured in my memory. It’s the scene where Atreyu is [...]
10 Ways Religion is Bad for You
Every story needs a villain and the villain I most often employ is religion. Grace is good, but religion is bad. Grace promotes trust in God, but religion is all about [...]
Pure Religion (James 1:27)
Update: My line-by-line commentary on this passage can be found in my book The Grace Bible: James. Religion is bad. By definition, religion is a kind of bondage, which means [...]
Job’s Grace Encounter
Tradition teaches that Job endured unimaginable suffering with poise and noble patience. He was a giant of the faith who never said anything wrong, and he is a great example [...]
Is Satan God’s Sheepdog?
The Book of Job is one of the most amazing stories in the Bible, but we read it wrong two ways. First, we elevate Job into some kind of faith hero. Second, [...]
Religious Gangsters
Here’s a scripture that frightens some people: Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my [...]
The 9 Lies of Religion
“I came into the world to testify to the truth,” said Jesus. “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (John 18:37). Strong words, Jesus. Put them on your [...]
5 Signs of Nose-Punching Preachers
A recent article in Charisma News warns about the dangers of ear-tickling preachers and their deceptive message. An ear-tickler is someone who tells you what you want to [...]
How to Recognize a Mixed-Grace Gospel
In churches every week, you will hear one of two messages. You will either hear a mixed-grace gospel or you will hear the hypergrace gospel. Do you know how to tell the [...]
What is the Whole Gospel?
Heaven forbid that we preach half a gospel, but what is the whole gospel? Your answer to that question says a lot about your understanding of grace. For instance, whenever I [...]
When Doing Good is Bad for You
Ever since our ancestors ate the forbidden fruit, we humans have had an innate sense of good and evil. You help a blind person cross the street and you just know you’re [...]
Are you Religious? Take the Test!
Religion can be defined as man’s attempt to impress God. It is an attitude that says, “I can make something of myself, I can earn God’s favor.” Although it may lead [...]
Two Religions: Works vs Blood
Travel around the world and you would be forgiven for thinking there are thousands of religions and belief-systems. In reality there are only two: religion based on works of [...]
Laodicea, Part 3: Who’s Wretched and Poor? (Rev 3:17)
UPDATE: This is an old article. An updated and expanded commentary on this passage can be found in Paul’s book Letters from Jesus. You can also read this commentary for [...]
