Bible

The wrath of God has come upon them at last (1 Thess 2:16)

January 30, 2014 // 55 Comments

In our ongoing series on the wrath of God, there is an important scripture we have not yet looked at. It’s this one: For you, brothers, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, who [...]

Alternatives to Hell

July 15, 2013 // 93 Comments

You may have been raised with a picture of judgment that says sinners go to hell where they are tormented for eternity. Unless you say the magic words of a formulaic prayer, you will burn forever along with all the babies and children who never got a chance to put their faith in Jesus. Unsurprisingly, this [...]

Where was God in the Connecticut School Shooting?

December 18, 2012 // 33 Comments

Yet another school shooting has resulted in the loss of innocent lives in America and now questions are being asked: Where was God? Why didn’t God stop this? Why didn’t God protect the lives of those 20 children? For a grieving parent, these are normal questions. When you have suffered the greatest loss any [...]

Exodus 4:24-25

November 29, 2012 // 67 Comments

“Why did God try to kill Moses on the way to Egypt?” This question was recently put to me by a reader and it is based on the following passage: At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet [...]

The Gospel in Ten Words

September 17, 2012 // 15 Comments

My new book, The Gospel in Ten Words, has just been released. Ta da! What’s this book about? – It’s about the good news most of us still haven’t heard. – It’s about the good news that was supposed to bring great joy to all people but hasn’t. – It’s about the good [...]

Is Adam greater than Jesus?

April 2, 2012 // 38 Comments

“Are you saying that Adam is greater than Jesus?” This is a comment I often hear from those who preach universal salvation. It usually comes at the end of a conversation like this: Me: Jesus died and rose again so that we might have new life, His life. Repent and believe the good news! They: No, everyone is [...]

“Understanding the Book of Job” by Tom Tompkins

March 19, 2012 // 50 Comments

“If you’re suffering, you must have done something bad. God must be punishing you.” That must be one of the oldest lies in history. Here’s another. “God is using these hard times to teach you humility.” These lies can be traced back to one of the oldest and most misunderstood stories in the Bible – [...]

A New Covenant picture of repentance

February 20, 2012 // 21 Comments

Two classic signs of covenant confusion are: (1) you interpret repentance as turning from sin and (2) you think repenting will get God to forgive you. As I have explained elsewhere, God does not need your permission or even your repentance to forgive you. He forgave you before you were born in accordance with the [...]

Hebrews 10:26

February 15, 2012 // 264 Comments

I get asked more questions on Hebrews 10:26 than any other verse in the Bible. Evidently, this is a verse that troubles many Christians: If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left. (Hebrews 10:26) Whoa, that looks scary! Let’s take a quick [...]

“He Loves Me” by Wayne Jacobsen

November 15, 2011 // 10 Comments

He Loves Me: Learning to Live in the Father’s Affection

How do you tell an unbeliever about the gospel? There are two basic approaches. The first approach, which is based on fear, poses hypothetical questions like, “If you were to die tonight, do you know where you would go? You could go to hell!” I don’t doubt that this approach is effective in getting people [...]

“Sit, Walk, Stand” by Watchman Nee

September 14, 2011 // 19 Comments

(Note: I wrote the following review 6 months ago but never got around to publishing it. Lately several people have asked me if I’ve read Sit, Walk, Stand – it seems this book is enjoying a renaissance among grace folk.) A few weeks ago I posted some thoughts on Watchman Nee’s book The Normal [...]

Do NIV readers have a sinful nature?

September 4, 2011 // 118 Comments

Here are two verses that seem to say contradictory things about our sinful nature: 1. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, (Col 2:11) 2. So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to [...]