Jesus

What’s so Special about Christ’s Right Hand?

August 27, 2020 // 10 Comments

While writing my book Letters from Jesus, I discovered a lot of gems in scripture. Some of these were hidden in the introductions Jesus gives his letters to the seven churches. Consider this introduction from his letter to the church in Ephesus: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right [...]

Get Your Name in Paul’s New Book!

December 2, 2018 // 8 Comments

UPDATE: This offer has now closed. My thanks to all who signed up. Missed out? There are still plenty of good reasons for signing up on Patreon. My new book, Letters from Jesus: Finding Good News in Christ’s Letters to the Churches, comes out in ebook format in two weeks. And if you act fast, your name could be [...]

The Sign of Jonah

April 20, 2018 // 44 Comments

The scribes and Pharisees could have won the gold medal for insensitivity. One minute they’re accusing Jesus of being in cahoots with the devil; the next they’re asking for some sign of his divinity (Matt. 12:24, 38). Jesus responded by telling them: A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But [...]

Why Did Jesus Ask for Swords?

April 14, 2017 // 39 Comments

He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one… The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.” “That’s enough!” he replied. (Luke 22:36-38) On the night he was betrayed, Jesus commanded his disciples to buy [...]

Coming to the Temple

November 15, 2016 // 13 Comments

Here’s an obscure prophecy about Jesus that probably affects you more than you know: “Behold, I am going to send my messenger, and he will clear the way before me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, he is coming,” [...]

Jesus our Tithe

July 21, 2016 // 80 Comments

Many of the laws and traditions of the Old Testament are shadows that are fulfilled in Christ. For instance, the circumcision of Jewish boys points to a spiritual circumcision “not performed by human hands” (Col 2:11). Your old self has been cut off by Christ, which is why some refer to Christ as our [...]

Is Grace a Person?

September 4, 2015 // 82 Comments

People sometimes ask me, “Why do you say grace is another name for Jesus?” or “Why do you say grace is a Person?” They are referring to something I wrote in my book The Gospel in Twenty Questions: Grace isn’t a bunch of rules for you to keep. And grace is not God’s lubricant for greasing the cogs of [...]

The Lord’s Prayer

August 20, 2015 // 48 Comments

There’s a myth that we who preach grace dismiss everything Jesus said before the cross. According to the myth, we disregard the red letters of the Bible as law for to those under law. Nothing could be further from the truth! What sort of followers of Christ would we be if we ignored what Jesus said? Take the [...]

Myth: Hypergrace Preachers Disregard the Words of Jesus

March 4, 2015 // 29 Comments

“Hyper-grace preachers say the words of Jesus are not for us. They have no authority and are irrelevant to the modern church.” One of the strangest claims made against hyper-grace preachers is that we are dismissive of the pre-cross teachings of Jesus. In point of fact, hyper-grace preachers are the only ones [...]

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 [...]

12 ways Superman is NOT like Jesus

June 21, 2013 // 53 Comments

Another Superman movie has just opened. I’ll probably go see it. I like Superman. What’s not to like? He’s a cool guy. But what puzzles me is how some churches are using Superman to promote Jesus. I kid you not. I read in the paper this morning that the new Man of Steel movie sold a gazillion tickets on [...]

The Root of Obedience

March 26, 2013 // 30 Comments

The other day I was walking with my two little girls to a playground. We were walking along a road that is sometimes used by goods vehicles. My girls were ahead of me and with all the noise and excitement they didn’t notice a van approaching from the right. In a loud voice I told them to stop and they did. Like [...]

Which Jesus are you Trusting?

December 12, 2012 // 23 Comments

The whole gospel is the gospel of grace. It is Christ alone. But which Christ are we talking about? Which Jesus are you trusting in? Is it baby Jesus who appears each Christmas? Is it the tolerant teacher who was friendly to sinners? Is it Jesus on the cross dying for the sins of the world? Hopefully, it is none [...]

What was Last Adam’s greater work?

April 6, 2012 // 18 Comments

The history of the world, as told by some people, runs like this: Adam disobeyed God and as a result brought death to all mankind, but Jesus came and put everything back the way it was. This sort of thinking puts Adam and his everyday sin on the same level of Christ and His incomparable gift. What was Jesus’ [...]

Is Jesus the savior of the world?

March 7, 2012 // 72 Comments

I know, it’s a dumb question. And yet among Christians this question – Is Jesus the Savior of the world? – leads to two radically different answers: (1) Yes – all can be saved (2) Yes – all are now saved Between these two answers lies one of biggest debates raging on Gracebook, sorry [...]

Five Ways Jesus Revealed Grace

February 2, 2012 // 57 Comments

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 personified. So why didn’t he talk about it? The word grace appears just four times in the gospels and not once does Jesus say it. In contrast, the [...]

Do everything Jesus said?

January 30, 2012 // 26 Comments

“We should do everything Jesus said,” is one of the most dangerous lines you’ll ever hear. And you’ll only hear it from hypocrites. I guarantee you that those who say we must do everything Jesus said aren’t doing everything he said. Jesus said, “Be perfect” (Matt 5:48). If you are not perfect, then [...]

The Greatest Law Preacher

January 14, 2012 // 105 Comments

“Don’t stray too far from the red letters,” is a piece of advice often given to new preachers. It means, stay close to the teachings of Jesus and you can’t go wrong. It sounds good, but it’s bad advice. Everything Jesus said was good, but not everything he said is good for you. Read the red letters of [...]

Chop Off your Hand?! Was Jesus Serious?

April 7, 2011 // 80 Comments

If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole [...]

The Gospel in one word, two words…

March 22, 2011 // 85 Comments

I don’t know who said this first, but “the gospel is simple and it takes theologians to complicate it.” Recently I gave myself the challenge of presenting a comprehensive and jargon-free gospel in less than 400 words. That exercise got me thinking. What if we limited the gospel to just one word, or two [...]

This is not good news…

January 3, 2011 // 3 Comments

But this is: God is good! And so’s this: You are forgiven, redeemed, cleansed and sanctified by the blood of Jesus And this: If God has loved you once, He will love you forever! I hope you enjoy re-visiting some of the best gospel posts from 2010. For more good news about God’s grace, check out the [...]

James – Preacher of Grace

October 2, 2010 // 28 Comments

It seems everyone has an opinion about James and how his letter fits (or doesn’t fit) into the New Testament. I thought I had heard everything, but this week, one of my readers sent me Scofield’s take on the book of James: “..his epistle shows no trace of the larger revelations of the church and the [...]

The Gospel Comes to Laodicea

July 15, 2010 // 10 Comments

UPDATE: This is an old article. An updated and expanded commentary on this passage can be found in Paul’s book Letters from Jesus. Mention the Letter to the Laodiceans to a random Christian and they may respond with, “isn’t that the one where Jesus says we have to be on fire for God or he will vomit us [...]

Laodicea, Part 2: What Makes Jesus Sick? (Rev 3:16)

May 16, 2010 // 33 Comments

UPDATE: This is an old article. An updated and expanded commentary on this passage can be found in Paul’s book Letters from Jesus. And an updated version of this article can be found here. God never makes us sick but did you know it’s possible for people to make him feel sick? Now there’s a [...]

Completely Forgiven? When Confession is Bad for You

February 18, 2010 // 32 Comments

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 burden ourselves with ungodly demands and expectations. This can happen when we take scripture out of context. It can also happen when we [...]

The Need for Unreasonable Men

February 3, 2010 // 0 Comments

Reasonable men adapt to the world around them; unreasonable men make the world adapt to them. The world is changed by unreasonable men. This is one of my favorite quotes because it provides a great excuse for my bad behaviour. Whenever my wife complains I’m being unreasonable I just explain “that’s because [...]