Religion

Who is Alive but Dead?

January 6, 2021 // 14 Comments

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 letter to Sardis: I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. (Rev. 3:1) This passage is usually [...]

The Secret to 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 [...]

The High Cost of Free Grace

July 18, 2019 // 102 Comments

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 reason than he loves us. The good news reveals that the grace that sets us free is entirely free – there’s nothing to pay because Jesus [...]

Did Peter Preach Conditional Forgiveness to Simon the Sorcerer? (Acts 8:22)

April 5, 2018 // 63 Comments

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 Christ, you are eternally and unconditionally forgiven. Good news, no? It’s a liberating truth, yet many haven’t heard it. They’re [...]

What About Those Who Cry “Lord, Lord?”

January 25, 2018 // 47 Comments

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 find themselves on the wrong side of Christ? First, note that Jesus is NOT talking about believers. Whenever Jesus used the phrase “Lord, [...]

How Religion Makes Us Stupid (And Jesus Makes Us Wise)

January 19, 2017 // 73 Comments

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 on and on, and I get to watch people slamming into the hard wall of rules and unforgiveness. I don’t particularly want to watch this, but [...]

The Feeble Gospel

January 5, 2017 // 57 Comments

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? • The feeble gospel says you better love God; the mighty gospel declares he surely loves you! • The feeble gospel preaches God can [...]

Why is the Narrow Gate Hard to Enter?

June 23, 2016 // 70 Comments

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 would try to enter the narrow gate and fail? Make every effort to enter through the narrow gate, because many, I tell you, will try to [...]

How to Cultivate Hope

April 7, 2016 // 25 Comments

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 a mixed-up gospel has made us a wishful people. We ought to be strong in the faith but religion has weakened us with disappointment. [...]

Seven Ways Religion Damages Hope

March 31, 2016 // 72 Comments

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 confronted by Gmork, the wolf-like servant of the Nothing. Atreyu asks Gmork why he is helping the Nothing destroy the world and stirring up despair. [...]

10 Ways Religion is Bad for You

February 10, 2016 // 102 Comments

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 trusting self. Grace says, “God helps you,” but religion says, “God helps those who help themselves.” Some have said that I’m giving [...]

Pure religion (James 1:27)

January 28, 2016 // 40 Comments

Religion is bad. By definition, religion is a kind of bondage, which means there’s no such thing as good religion. But what about James who said this: Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the [...]

Job’s Grace Encounter

November 4, 2015 // 77 Comments

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 for us all to follow. Baloney. Read the Bible and you will see that Job was a self-righteous whiner who complained to high heaven. He blamed [...]

Is Satan God’s Sheepdog?

October 28, 2015 // 120 Comments

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, we think the devil is a sheepdog sent by the Lord to do his dirty work. This crazy notion is based on the following passage: Then the Lord [...]

Religious Gangsters

October 7, 2015 // 104 Comments

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 Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and [...]

The 9 Lies of Religion

April 1, 2015 // 185 Comments

“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 Facebook page and you’ll get flamed. “Jesus, how dare you claim to have the inside track on truth? Why must we take sides? How ungracious. How [...]

5 Signs of Nose-Punching Preachers

June 10, 2014 // 67 Comments

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 hear. In contrast, a nose-puncher is one who tells you what he wants you to hear, and he does so with the fervor of an Old Testament prophet. A [...]

How to Recognize a Mixed-Grace Gospel

May 8, 2014 // 100 Comments

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 difference? A mixed-grace gospel combines the unmerited favor of God with the merited wage of human-effort. “You are saved by grace but you [...]

What is the Whole Gospel?

December 6, 2012 // 51 Comments

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 proclaim the good news of God’s unconditional love, I can just about guarantee that someone will chide me for not preaching the whole [...]

When Doing Good is Bad for You

August 7, 2011 // 21 Comments

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 doing something good. You use a cat for a football and you just know you’re doing something bad. You don’t need anybody to tell you. Being [...]

Are you Religious? Take the Test!

March 28, 2011 // 32 Comments

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 to good works, the religious mindset is fatally opposed to grace of God. Religion is a form of bondage that causes a man to stand when he [...]

Two Religions: Works vs Blood

July 5, 2010 // 55 Comments

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 men religion based on the blood of Jesus People waste years studying different religions trying to figure out which one is best. But strip [...]

Laodicea, Part 3: Who’s Wretched and Poor? (Rev 3:17)

May 18, 2010 // 17 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. The Laodicean church was one of the most messed up churches in the Bible. So I guess it should be no surprise that today it remains one of the most preached about churches. We can [...]