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What is the Hope of His Calling?

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There is a prayer in the Bible that goes right over our heads. Here it is:

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. (Ephesians 1:18)

Paul prayed that you would know the hope of his calling. Has his prayer been answered? Do you know the hope of God’s calling?

Judging by the obsession many have with getting into heaven, I suspect that many do not know the hope of his calling.

Two great prayers

There are two apostolic prayers in the letter to the Ephesians, and it’s the second prayer that everyone remembers. That’s the one about grasping the length, breadth and depth of God’s great love for us (Eph. 3:14–21).

But in the first prayer, Paul prays that we would know three things: the hope of God’s calling, that we are his rich inheritance, and the life-giving power of the Lord (see Eph. 1:15–23).

Did you spot the common element?

Both prayers are about knowing things – knowing God’s great love, his great power, and the hope of his calling. Indeed, the entire epistle is about knowing – knowing who God is, what he is doing, and how you can participate in what he is doing (e.g., Eph. 1:9, 3:4, 6:19).

The devil wants you to remain ignorant about the things of God, but Paul wants us to know him. Knowing God in our daily lives is how we grow (Eph. 4:13).

But I digress. If you want to know more about knowing God and his will for your life, check out my recently-released study Bible, The Grace Bible: Ephesians. It will help you know God more.

What is the hope of his calling?

The hope of his calling is the restoration of all things that will come to a glorious conclusion when the Lord returns (Eph. 4:30, Tit. 2:13). On that day, all wrongs will be put right, and our bodies will be clothed with immortality (1 Cor. 15:52–53, Php. 3:21). Heaven and earth will once again be reunited under God.

When Paul refers to the “the summing up of all things in Christ” (Eph. 1:10), he is saying that everything that was lost and broken will be restored, united, and brought under the headship of Christ. Everything in the spiritual and physical realms will be made new and infused with the presence of God.

For now, we live in a fractured and hurting world. But through the church, Jesus is unveiling a new creation. And when he returns, there will be healing, harmony, and everlasting peace.

Heaven will come to earth and all will be new.

What a great and glorious hope this is! This is so much better than the religious caricature of dead saints playing harps on fluffy white clouds.

Our hope is not about us going to heaven, but heaven coming here. “Let your kingdom come, let your will be done, on earth…” (Matt. 6:10). Our future home is a new earth (not Mars), where God will dwell among us forever (Rev. 21:3).

His inheritance in the saints

What about the last part of that verse? Why does Paul pray that we would know “what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints”? Because he wants you to know that we are the Lord’s rich and glorious inheritance.

We are the reason Jesus did what he did. We are the treasure and pearl for which Jesus gave all he had.

Just as Jesus is our inheritance (Eph. 1:11), we are his inheritance.

“The glory of his inheritance” means we are his glorious inheritance. At times, it may seem like the church is anything but glorious. But God’s great big family is becoming bigger and more glorious every year.

The church Jesus started consisted of 120 people in an upper room. Now the family of God includes countless believers from all tribes and languages. God’s family grows bigger every day and this should encourage us. Jesus is returning for a glorious church.

A hope to unite us

We live in a world riddled with bad news and hopelessness. Every day seems to bring some fresh disaster, injustice, or atrocity. At times, the temptation to be discouraged can be overwhelming.

The believers who read Paul’s letter were probably discouraged to hear that their spiritual father was under house arrest (Eph. 3:13). Paul encouraged them by reminding them of the hope of God’s calling.

Jesus is making all things new (Rev. 21:5). Under his headship heaven and earth will be reunited (Col. 1:16–17, 20). The new heavens and the earth will be the home of righteousness, populated by a new creation (Eph. 2:15, 2 Pet. 3:13). This is the glorious future God has in store for you.

We have a great need for hope; God gives us a great hope for our need.

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What Did James Say About Grace?

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“Did James understand grace? Were he and Paul on the same page? Are we saved by faith plus works like he said? Should his book be in the Bible?”

People have been asking these questions for hundreds of years. According to some, James did not understand the gospel of grace. Well, maybe he did a little bit. But he was confused. And too Jewish. Either way, you can’t learn much about grace from James.

Before we proceed, here’s a pop quiz I’m calling…

“Which apostle?”

Can you guess which apostle…

  1. …was not one of the original twelve but had an encounter with the Risen Lord?
  2. …wrote letters that were included in the New Testament?
  3. …wrote about the great grace that comes from a God who loves to give?
  4. …used Abraham as an example when writing about the justification that comes by faith?
  5. …warned about the curse of living under the law?

If you answered “James”, you have nailed it. James was truly an apostle of grace.

“Wait. I thought you were describing Paul.” In that case, let’s play again.

Can you guess which apostle…

  1. …was called by God to preach to the Jews and tailored his message to suit Jewish audiences?
  2. …sometimes practiced old covenant rites and rituals including circumcision?
  3. …bragged that he knew the Jewish religion better than just about anyone?
  4. …wrote a letter exclusively for the Jews where he expounded on the gospel of Christ?
  5. … frequently quoted the Law of Moses?

Yes, this was Paul. (Scriptures to support these answers can be found at the end of the article.) Paul did all these things, yet no one says he was confused about grace. Or too Jewish. But poor James gets thrown under the bus. Let’s look at five myths people believe about James.

Myth 1: James didn’t understand Paul’s message of grace

Fact: James was one of the first people to hear the gospel of grace from Paul. He heard it way back in Acts 9, not long after Paul returned from Damascus. (Paul mentions their meeting in Gal. 1:19.) If Paul alone received some special insight into the mystery of Christ, chances are James heard about it before anyone, and he heard it long before Paul went on his first missionary trip.

Myth 2: James disagreed with Paul

Fact: James supported Paul. At the Jerusalem Council there was a dispute between Paul and Barnabas and those of the circumcision group. Who did James support? He went with “our beloved Barnabas and Paul” of course (Acts 15:25).

Much of what James said about circumcision, idol food, and sexual immorality mirrored what Paul would later write in his epistles. There is no hint that the Jerusalem apostles needed to be convinced by Paul about God’s acceptance of the Gentiles and his grace for all people. The only source of division came from the party of the circumcision.

Myth 3: James added law to grace

Fact: James preached the curse of law, just like Paul. James never preached the works of law for that what contradict what he said about the justification that comes by faith (see below).

It’s true that James asked the Gentile believers to abstain from eating idol food for the sake of their Jewish brothers, but so did Paul. James also encouraged the believers to avoid sexual immorality, just like Paul.

Myth 4: James wrote for Jewish audience (and not for us)

Fact: James’ first letter was addressed to Gentile believers (Acts 15:23). It’s true that his epistle was written for the Jews (see Jas. 1:1), but so was Hebrews and the Gospel of Matthew. Are we going to dismiss those books as too Jewish? There isn’t one gospel for Jews and another for Gentiles. The good news is for all of us, regardless of race or tribe.

Myth 5: James did not preach justification by faith

Fact: Actually, he did (see Jas. 2:23).

There is a lot of misunderstanding about James and Paul but the facts are plain. They BOTH preached justification by faith and they BOTH used Abraham as their exemplar believer. They BOTH preached on the great and abundant grace of God and they BOTH wrote letters to Jews and Gentiles.

What’s the problem with James?

The problem is when James says, “A man is justified by works and not by faith alone” (Jas. 2:24). How do you read it? Many people swing one of two ways:

  1. John Calvin’s response: “Faith alone saves, but saving faith is never alone.”
  2. Martin Luther’s response: “James was preaching law so you can ignore him.”

So either (a) you need works that prove your faith, in which case James was preaching “another gospel” making him a cursed preacher, or (b) James was preaching the law with all its curses for disobedience. In either case, his is a cursed book and you should have nothing to do with it.

What infamy! What an insult to a man who knew more about grace that most of us ever will.

The problem is not with James. The problem is with our definition of “works”.

Two kinds of works

When Paul says a man is justified by faith and not works, he is referring to the works of the law (Gal. 2:16). “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Rom 3:28).

But when James says we are justified by works, he is referring to works of faith by which he means believing in Christ.

This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. (John 6:29)

We are not justified by works of law (Paul), we are justified by works of faith (James). And lest there be any confusion about works of faith, James use the same example and quotes the exact same scripture as Paul:

James: “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Jas. 2:23)
Paul: “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Rom. 4:3)

Same message, same example, same gospel.

What did James say about grace?

James preached about the grace that God gives to the humble and the justification that comes by faith. He touched on the new creation, what it means to be righteous, and intimacy with God. He scorned “worthless religion”. He was good friends with the apostle of grace and the two men vouched for and quoted each other.

When I first called James a preacher of grace and an apostle of grace in 2010, some said I was reaching. But when I launched my grace-based commentary on James in 2023, it became the best-selling book in The Grace Bible series.

This suggests people are ready to give James another chance. They don’t want to hear that the New Testament epistles contain a mixture of law and grace because that’s confusing. But don’t take my word for it. Listen to Paul.

In the bonus materials that accompany this article on Patreon, I trace the 20-year friendship between Paul and James. These two great apostles were more than friends, they were allies and partners who steadfastly resisted the Judaizing influences in the early church.

Read James in context and you will find he says wonderful things about the new creation, faith, and the grace of God. BTW, you don’t need to buy my book to discover the treasures in James. You can read it all for free on The Grace Commentary.

—

More questions about James

Quiz answers

James’ encounter with the Risen Lord is mentioned in 1 Cor. 15:7. James wrote two letters that are found in the New Testament; the epistle of James and the letter recorded in Acts 15:23–29. When James wrote about the “greater grace” God gives to the humble, he used a word (megas) that means exceedingly great, high, large, loud, and mighty (Jas. 4:6). Like Paul, James quotes Gen. 15:6 which says “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness” (see Jas 2:23). And like Paul, James said the law curses and condemns those who try to live by it (see Jas. 2:10).

Paul was known as the apostle to the Gentiles but he was also called to preach to the Jews (Acts 9:15). Paul said “to the Jews I became a Jew, so that I might win Jews” (1 Cor. 9:20). If circumcising Timothy and engaging in purification rites in Jerusalem was going to help win people for Jesus, Paul was happy to do it. “To those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law.” Paul knew more about the Jewish religion and the Jews’ ancestral traditions than just about any of his peers (Gal. 1:14, Php. 3:5–6), and the letter he wrote especially for the Jews was, of course, Hebrews. Paul quoted the Law of Moses frequently (e.g., Rom. 7:7, 12:19, 13:9, 1 Cor. 9:9, Eph. 6:2–3, Gal. 5:14).

Am I Completely Forgiven?

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You’d be surprised how hard it is to convince some people that God has forgiven all their sins – past, present, and future.

“Sure, I believe God loved me enough to send his Son to rescue me, but has he forgiven all my sins? I’m not so sure.”

When I started Escape to Reality 15 years ago, I wrote about forgiveness every other week because so many people just couldn’t see it. They had all these crazy ideas.

“God will only forgive me if I forgive others.”

“God’s forgiveness comes in installments.”

“Forgiveness is like a debit card you can draw upon, but you gotta maintain short accounts with God.”

“God can’t forgive me because I have committed the unforgivable sin.”

Phew.

Jesus said, “All sins shall be forgiven the sons of men” (Mark 3:28), but some people, including many Christians, refuse to believe him. They add all sorts of qualifiers and conditions.

Which is a bit like calling Jesus a liar.

The front door to grace

Forgiveness is like the front door to the House of Grace. If you don’t receive the full and complete forgiveness of your heavenly Father, you’ll have trouble receiving anything.

“But I’ve done bad things.” See the cross. Your sins are there.

“I sinned this morning.” The love of God keeps no record of wrongs. Fix your eyes on Jesus and receive his grace to sin no more.

“But what about this verse…”

There are many scriptures in the Bible that seem to say contradictory things about forgiveness.

Seem to, but don’t.

Here’s a picture that’s worth 1000 blog posts:

The cross changed everything.

In the old law-keeping covenant, the forgiveness of God was something to earn. But we don’t live under that covenant. We live under the new covenant of grace. Forgiveness, along with all God’s blessings, is a gift to receive and in Christ you have it.

See the difference? Before the cross, the message was, “All sins will be forgiven” (Mark 3:28). After the cross, the message became, “Proclaim forgiveness of sins in all nations” (Luke 24:47).

Read the Bible through the lens of the cross and you will see that forgiveness is not something God does, it’s something he’s done!

—

More articles about forgiveness.

Get answers to your questions about God and grace.

Are you a teacher? Check out E2R’s treasure trove of teaching resources!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Am I Completely Forgiven?

by

You’d be surprised how hard it is to convince some people that God has forgiven all their sins – past, present, and future.

“Sure, I believe God loved me enough to send his Son to rescue me, but has he forgiven all my sins? I’m not so sure.”

When I started Escape to Reality 15 years ago, I wrote about forgiveness every other week because so many people just couldn’t see it. They had all these crazy ideas.

“God will only forgive me if I forgive others.”

“God’s forgiveness comes in installments.”

“Forgiveness is like a debit card you can draw upon, but you gotta maintain short accounts with God.”

“God can’t forgive me because I have committed the unforgivable sin.”

Phew.

Jesus said, “All sins shall be forgiven the sons of men” (Mark 3:28), but some people, including many Christians, refuse to believe him. They add all sorts of qualifiers and conditions.

Which is a bit like calling Jesus a liar.

The front door to grace

Forgiveness is like the front door to the House of Grace. If you don’t receive the full and complete forgiveness of your heavenly Father, you’ll have trouble receiving anything.

“But I’ve done bad things.” See the cross. Your sins are there.

“I sinned this morning.” The love of God keeps no record of wrongs. Fix your eyes on Jesus and receive his grace to sin no more.

“But what about this verse…”

There are many scriptures in the Bible that seem to say contradictory things about forgiveness.

Seem to, but don’t.

Here’s a picture that’s worth 1000 blog posts:

The cross changed everything.

In the old law-keeping covenant, the forgiveness of God was something to earn. But we don’t live under that covenant. We live under the new covenant of grace. Forgiveness, along with all God’s blessings, is a gift to receive and in Christ you have it.

See the difference? Before the cross, the message was, “All sins will be forgiven” (Mark 3:28). After the cross, the message became, “Proclaim forgiveness of sins in all nations” (Luke 24:47).

Read the Bible through the lens of the cross and you will see that forgiveness is not something God does, it’s something he’s done!

—

More articles about forgiveness.

Get answers to your questions about God and grace.

Are you a teacher? Check out E2R’s treasure trove of teaching resources!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Am I Completely Forgiven?

by

You’d be surprised how hard it is to convince some people that God has forgiven all their sins – past, present, and future.

“Sure, I believe God loved me enough to send his Son to rescue me, but has he forgiven all my sins? I’m not so sure.”

When I started Escape to Reality 15 years ago, I wrote about forgiveness every other week because so many people just couldn’t see it. They had all these crazy ideas.

“God will only forgive me if I forgive others.”

“God’s forgiveness comes in installments.”

“Forgiveness is like a debit card you can draw upon, but you gotta maintain short accounts with God.”

“God can’t forgive me because I have committed the unforgivable sin.”

Phew.

Jesus said, “All sins shall be forgiven the sons of men” (Mark 3:28), but some people, including many Christians, refuse to believe him. They add all sorts of qualifiers and conditions.

Which is a bit like calling Jesus a liar.

The front door to grace

Forgiveness is like the front door to the House of Grace. If you don’t receive the full and complete forgiveness of your heavenly Father, you’ll have trouble receiving anything.

“But I’ve done bad things.” See the cross. Your sins are there.

“I sinned this morning.” The love of God keeps no record of wrongs. Fix your eyes on Jesus and receive his grace to sin no more.

“But what about this verse…”

There are many scriptures in the Bible that seem to say contradictory things about forgiveness.

Seem to, but don’t.

Here’s a picture that’s worth 1000 blog posts:

The cross changed everything.

In the old law-keeping covenant, the forgiveness of God was something to earn. But we don’t live under that covenant. We live under the new covenant of grace. Forgiveness, along with all God’s blessings, is a gift to receive and in Christ you have it.

See the difference? Before the cross, the message was, “All sins will be forgiven” (Mark 3:28). After the cross, the message became, “Proclaim forgiveness of sins in all nations” (Luke 24:47).

Read the Bible through the lens of the cross and you will see that forgiveness is not something God does, it’s something he’s done!

—

More articles about forgiveness.

Get answers to your questions about God and grace.

Are you a teacher? Check out E2R’s treasure trove of teaching resources!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Am I Completely Forgiven?

by

You’d be surprised how hard it is to convince some people that God has forgiven all their sins – past, present, and future.

“Sure, I believe God loved me enough to send his Son to rescue me, but has he forgiven all my sins? I’m not so sure.”

When I started Escape to Reality 15 years ago, I wrote about forgiveness every other week because so many people just couldn’t see it. They had all these crazy ideas.

“God will only forgive me if I forgive others.”

“God’s forgiveness comes in installments.”

“Forgiveness is like a debit card you can draw upon, but you gotta maintain short accounts with God.”

“God can’t forgive me because I have committed the unforgivable sin.”

Phew.

Jesus said, “All sins shall be forgiven the sons of men” (Mark 3:28), but some people, including many Christians, refuse to believe him. They add all sorts of qualifiers and conditions.

Which is a bit like calling Jesus a liar.

The front door to grace

Forgiveness is like the front door to the House of Grace. If you don’t receive the full and complete forgiveness of your heavenly Father, you’ll have trouble receiving anything.

“But I’ve done bad things.” See the cross. Your sins are there.

“I sinned this morning.” The love of God keeps no record of wrongs. Fix your eyes on Jesus and receive his grace to sin no more.

“But what about this verse…”

There are many scriptures in the Bible that seem to say contradictory things about forgiveness.

Seem to, but don’t.

Here’s a picture that’s worth 1000 blog posts:

The cross changed everything.

In the old law-keeping covenant, the forgiveness of God was something to earn. But we don’t live under that covenant. We live under the new covenant of grace. Forgiveness, along with all God’s blessings, is a gift to receive and in Christ you have it.

See the difference? Before the cross, the message was, “All sins will be forgiven” (Mark 3:28). After the cross, the message became, “Proclaim forgiveness of sins in all nations” (Luke 24:47).

Read the Bible through the lens of the cross and you will see that forgiveness is not something God does, it’s something he’s done!

—

More articles about forgiveness.

Get answers to your questions about God and grace.

Are you a teacher? Check out E2R’s treasure trove of teaching resources!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Is “Love your Neighbor” Part of the New Covenant?

by

If there is one book that highlights the dangers of mixing grace with law it’s Galatians. Which is why I am always surprised when people use Galatians to mix grace with law.

You wouldn’t think it was possible. It’s like opening a cookbook and finding recipes for poison. It’s like finding yeast in your matzah.

A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. (Galatians 5:9)

While writing my commentary on Galatians, I did a lot of reading. I was surprised at how often I found people trying to sneak a little law into Paul’s masterpiece on grace. It usually happened with this verse:

For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:14)

You have to admit, this is an unusual verse to find smack-bang in the middle of Galatians. Quoting law in a book warning about the dangers of the law is like finding a rock in a box of chocolates. It should lead us to ask questions, like this:

Is love your neighbor part of the new covenant?

No. This is from the Law of Moses (Lev. 19:18). It is 100 percent old covenant. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad law. “Love your neighbor” is a good law, an excellent law. But it is still a law, which means it has no relevance to your walk with God.

For you are not under law… (Romans 6:14)

Yet people say things like, “we must keep the law of love” and “God commands us to love our neighbors.” Hmm. The Jews having been trying to keep the “love your neighbor” law for 3,500 years. How’s that working out?

(I’m not picking on the Jews. We all fall short of God’s standards.)

If you think keeping the “law of love” is going to make you righteous and holy, or a better person, you are as foolish as the Galatians. And if you tell others that God commands them to love their neighbors, you are putting law on them. You are pushing them away from grace and promoting dead works.

Which begs the question:

Why does Paul quote an old covenant law in a new covenant letter?

Paul is not preaching a law you must obey. Read the verse in context with the one that follows and you will see that he is using the law to expose the hypocrisy of the law teachers. “Your hostility towards me and your attacks on each other prove that you are unable to keep the law that you are preaching.” It’s a devastating body blow to the legalists.

Like all the Laws of Moses, the “love your neighbor” law is not a law we can keep, and Paul is not suggesting we try. He is warning the Galatians, “These law preachers are phonies. Don’t listen to them.”

But didn’t Jesus quote this law?

Jesus quoted the “love your neighbor” law on numerous occasions and most of the time he did so in an old covenant context. For instance, when asked about the greatest commands in the law, he said “Love God and love your neighbor” (Matt. 22:36–40). If you were to rank the Laws of Moses, these are the top two. But these laws have no relevance in the new creation.

“Love your neighbor” is a great law, and how wonderful the world would be if we could love our neighbors. But history proves that we are incapable of loving our neighbors. Thankfully there is a better law called the Law of Christ. See if you can spot the difference:

Law of Moses: Love your neighbor
Law of Christ: Love one another as I have loved you

Jesus called his commandment a new commandment, meaning it was a new kind of commandment (John 13:34). The old commandment relied on your flesh – which is why we can’t keep it – but the new commandment is powered by God’s grace.

Do you see? The Law of Moses demands that you keep the law day in, day out, even if your neighbors are not the nicest people. But the Law of Christ only asks that you receive Christ’s love. Receive, receive, receive.

Christ loves us first, and as we receive from the abundance his love and grace, we find ourselves able to love others, our neighbors, even our enemies.

All this is to the glory of his grace.

—

The latest installment in my grace-based series on the Parables of Jesus, “The Parable of the Minas”, has just been released on Patreon. It is also available on E2R’s Supporters’ Page.

Is “Love your Neighbor” Part of the New Covenant?

by

If there is one book that highlights the dangers of mixing grace with law it’s Galatians. Which is why I am always surprised when people use Galatians to mix grace with law.

You wouldn’t think it was possible. It’s like opening a cookbook and finding recipes for poison. It’s like finding yeast in your matzah.

A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. (Galatians 5:9)

While writing my commentary on Galatians, I did a lot of reading. I was surprised at how often I found people trying to sneak a little law into Paul’s masterpiece on grace. It usually happened with this verse:

For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:14)

You have to admit, this is an unusual verse to find smack-bang in the middle of Galatians. Quoting law in a book warning about the dangers of the law is like finding a rock in a box of chocolates. It should lead us to ask questions, like this:

Is love your neighbor part of the new covenant?

No. This is from the Law of Moses (Lev. 19:18). It is 100 percent old covenant. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad law. “Love your neighbor” is a good law, an excellent law. But it is still a law, which means it has no relevance to your walk with God.

For you are not under law… (Romans 6:14)

Yet people say things like, “we must keep the law of love” and “God commands us to love our neighbors.” Hmm. The Jews having been trying to keep the “love your neighbor” law for 3,500 years. How’s that working out?

(I’m not picking on the Jews. We all fall short of God’s standards.)

If you think keeping the “law of love” is going to make you righteous and holy, or a better person, you are as foolish as the Galatians. And if you tell others that God commands them to love their neighbors, you are putting law on them. You are pushing them away from grace and promoting dead works.

Which begs the question:

Why does Paul quote an old covenant law in a new covenant letter?

Paul is not preaching a law you must obey. Read the verse in context with the one that follows and you will see that he is using the law to expose the hypocrisy of the law teachers. “Your hostility towards me and your attacks on each other prove that you are unable to keep the law that you are preaching.” It’s a devastating body blow to the legalists.

Like all the Laws of Moses, the “love your neighbor” law is not a law we can keep, and Paul is not suggesting we try. He is warning the Galatians, “These law preachers are phonies. Don’t listen to them.”

But didn’t Jesus quote this law?

Jesus quoted the “love your neighbor” law on numerous occasions and most of the time he did so in an old covenant context. For instance, when asked about the greatest commands in the law, he said “Love God and love your neighbor” (Matt. 22:36–40). If you were to rank the Laws of Moses, these are the top two. But these laws have no relevance in the new creation.

“Love your neighbor” is a great law, and how wonderful the world would be if we could love our neighbors. But history proves that we are incapable of loving our neighbors. Thankfully there is a better law called the Law of Christ. See if you can spot the difference:

Law of Moses: Love your neighbor
Law of Christ: Love one another as I have loved you

Jesus called his commandment a new commandment, meaning it was a new kind of commandment (John 13:34). The old commandment relied on your flesh – which is why we can’t keep it – but the new commandment is powered by God’s grace.

Do you see? The Law of Moses demands that you keep the law day in, day out, even if your neighbors are not the nicest people. But the Law of Christ only asks that you receive Christ’s love. Receive, receive, receive.

Christ loves us first, and as we receive from the abundance his love and grace, we find ourselves able to love others, our neighbors, even our enemies.

All this is to the glory of his grace.

—

The latest installment in my grace-based series on the Parables of Jesus, “The Parable of the Minas”, has just been released on Patreon. It is also available on E2R’s Supporters’ Page.

Is “Love your Neighbor” Part of the New Covenant?

by

If there is one book that highlights the dangers of mixing grace with law it’s Galatians. Which is why I am always surprised when people use Galatians to mix grace with law.

You wouldn’t think it was possible. It’s like opening a cookbook and finding recipes for poison. It’s like finding yeast in your matzah.

A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. (Galatians 5:9)

While writing my commentary on Galatians, I did a lot of reading. I was surprised at how often I found people trying to sneak a little law into Paul’s masterpiece on grace. It usually happened with this verse:

For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:14)

You have to admit, this is an unusual verse to find smack-bang in the middle of Galatians. Quoting law in a book warning about the dangers of the law is like finding a rock in a box of chocolates. It should lead us to ask questions, like this:

Is love your neighbor part of the new covenant?

No. This is from the Law of Moses (Lev. 19:18). It is 100 percent old covenant. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad law. “Love your neighbor” is a good law, an excellent law. But it is still a law, which means it has no relevance to your walk with God.

For you are not under law… (Romans 6:14)

Yet people say things like, “we must keep the law of love” and “God commands us to love our neighbors.” Hmm. The Jews having been trying to keep the “love your neighbor” law for 3,500 years. How’s that working out?

(I’m not picking on the Jews. We all fall short of God’s standards.)

If you think keeping the “law of love” is going to make you righteous and holy, or a better person, you are as foolish as the Galatians. And if you tell others that God commands them to love their neighbors, you are putting law on them. You are pushing them away from grace and promoting dead works.

Which begs the question:

Why does Paul quote an old covenant law in a new covenant letter?

Paul is not preaching a law you must obey. Read the verse in context with the one that follows and you will see that he is using the law to expose the hypocrisy of the law teachers. “Your hostility towards me and your attacks on each other prove that you are unable to keep the law that you are preaching.” It’s a devastating body blow to the legalists.

Like all the Laws of Moses, the “love your neighbor” law is not a law we can keep, and Paul is not suggesting we try. He is warning the Galatians, “These law preachers are phonies. Don’t listen to them.”

But didn’t Jesus quote this law?

Jesus quoted the “love your neighbor” law on numerous occasions and most of the time he did so in an old covenant context. For instance, when asked about the greatest commands in the law, he said “Love God and love your neighbor” (Matt. 22:36–40). If you were to rank the Laws of Moses, these are the top two. But these laws have no relevance in the new creation.

“Love your neighbor” is a great law, and how wonderful the world would be if we could love our neighbors. But history proves that we are incapable of loving our neighbors. Thankfully there is a better law called the Law of Christ. See if you can spot the difference:

Law of Moses: Love your neighbor
Law of Christ: Love one another as I have loved you

Jesus called his commandment a new commandment, meaning it was a new kind of commandment (John 13:34). The old commandment relied on your flesh – which is why we can’t keep it – but the new commandment is powered by God’s grace.

Do you see? The Law of Moses demands that you keep the law day in, day out, even if your neighbors are not the nicest people. But the Law of Christ only asks that you receive Christ’s love. Receive, receive, receive.

Christ loves us first, and as we receive from the abundance his love and grace, we find ourselves able to love others, our neighbors, even our enemies.

All this is to the glory of his grace.

—

The latest installment in my grace-based series on the Parables of Jesus, “The Parable of the Minas”, has just been released on Patreon. It is also available on E2R’s Supporters’ Page.

Is “Love your Neighbor” Part of the New Covenant?

by

If there is one book that highlights the dangers of mixing grace with law it’s Galatians. Which is why I am always surprised when people use Galatians to mix grace with law.

You wouldn’t think it was possible. It’s like opening a cookbook and finding recipes for poison. It’s like finding yeast in your matzah.

A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. (Galatians 5:9)

While writing my commentary on Galatians, I did a lot of reading. I was surprised at how often I found people trying to sneak a little law into Paul’s masterpiece on grace. It usually happened with this verse:

For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:14)

You have to admit, this is an unusual verse to find smack-bang in the middle of Galatians. Quoting law in a book warning about the dangers of the law is like finding a rock in a box of chocolates. It should lead us to ask questions, like this:

Is love your neighbor part of the new covenant?

No. This is from the Law of Moses (Lev. 19:18). It is 100 percent old covenant. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad law. “Love your neighbor” is a good law, an excellent law. But it is still a law, which means it has no relevance to your walk with God.

For you are not under law… (Romans 6:14)

Yet people say things like, “we must keep the law of love” and “God commands us to love our neighbors.” Hmm. The Jews having been trying to keep the “love your neighbor” law for 3,500 years. How’s that working out?

(I’m not picking on the Jews. We all fall short of God’s standards.)

If you think keeping the “law of love” is going to make you righteous and holy, or a better person, you are as foolish as the Galatians. And if you tell others that God commands them to love their neighbors, you are putting law on them. You are pushing them away from grace and promoting dead works.

Which begs the question:

Why does Paul quote an old covenant law in a new covenant letter?

Paul is not preaching a law you must obey. Read the verse in context with the one that follows and you will see that he is using the law to expose the hypocrisy of the law teachers. “Your hostility towards me and your attacks on each other prove that you are unable to keep the law that you are preaching.” It’s a devastating body blow to the legalists.

Like all the Laws of Moses, the “love your neighbor” law is not a law we can keep, and Paul is not suggesting we try. He is warning the Galatians, “These law preachers are phonies. Don’t listen to them.”

But didn’t Jesus quote this law?

Jesus quoted the “love your neighbor” law on numerous occasions and most of the time he did so in an old covenant context. For instance, when asked about the greatest commands in the law, he said “Love God and love your neighbor” (Matt. 22:36–40). If you were to rank the Laws of Moses, these are the top two. But these laws have no relevance in the new creation.

“Love your neighbor” is a great law, and how wonderful the world would be if we could love our neighbors. But history proves that we are incapable of loving our neighbors. Thankfully there is a better law called the Law of Christ. See if you can spot the difference:

Law of Moses: Love your neighbor
Law of Christ: Love one another as I have loved you

Jesus called his commandment a new commandment, meaning it was a new kind of commandment (John 13:34). The old commandment relied on your flesh – which is why we can’t keep it – but the new commandment is powered by God’s grace.

Do you see? The Law of Moses demands that you keep the law day in, day out, even if your neighbors are not the nicest people. But the Law of Christ only asks that you receive Christ’s love. Receive, receive, receive.

Christ loves us first, and as we receive from the abundance his love and grace, we find ourselves able to love others, our neighbors, even our enemies.

All this is to the glory of his grace.

—

The latest installment in my grace-based series on the Parables of Jesus, “The Parable of the Minas”, has just been released on Patreon. It is also available on E2R’s Supporters’ Page.

Is “Love your Neighbor” Part of the New Covenant?

by

If there is one book that highlights the dangers of mixing grace with law it’s Galatians. Which is why I am always surprised when people use Galatians to mix grace with law.

You wouldn’t think it was possible. It’s like opening a cookbook and finding recipes for poison. It’s like finding yeast in your matzah.

A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. (Galatians 5:9)

While writing my commentary on Galatians, I did a lot of reading. I was surprised at how often I found people trying to sneak a little law into Paul’s masterpiece on grace. It usually happened with this verse:

For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:14)

You have to admit, this is an unusual verse to find smack-bang in the middle of Galatians. Quoting law in a book warning about the dangers of the law is like finding a rock in a box of chocolates. It should lead us to ask questions, like this:

Is love your neighbor part of the new covenant?

No. This is from the Law of Moses (Lev. 19:18). It is 100 percent old covenant. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad law. “Love your neighbor” is a good law, an excellent law. But it is still a law, which means it has no relevance to your walk with God.

For you are not under law… (Romans 6:14)

Yet people say things like, “we must keep the law of love” and “God commands us to love our neighbors.” Hmm. The Jews having been trying to keep the “love your neighbor” law for 3,500 years. How’s that working out?

(I’m not picking on the Jews. We all fall short of God’s standards.)

If you think keeping the “law of love” is going to make you righteous and holy, or a better person, you are as foolish as the Galatians. And if you tell others that God commands them to love their neighbors, you are putting law on them. You are pushing them away from grace and promoting dead works.

Which begs the question:

Why does Paul quote an old covenant law in a new covenant letter?

Paul is not preaching a law you must obey. Read the verse in context with the one that follows and you will see that he is using the law to expose the hypocrisy of the law teachers. “Your hostility towards me and your attacks on each other prove that you are unable to keep the law that you are preaching.” It’s a devastating body blow to the legalists.

Like all the Laws of Moses, the “love your neighbor” law is not a law we can keep, and Paul is not suggesting we try. He is warning the Galatians, “These law preachers are phonies. Don’t listen to them.”

But didn’t Jesus quote this law?

Jesus quoted the “love your neighbor” law on numerous occasions and most of the time he did so in an old covenant context. For instance, when asked about the greatest commands in the law, he said “Love God and love your neighbor” (Matt. 22:36–40). If you were to rank the Laws of Moses, these are the top two. But these laws have no relevance in the new creation.

“Love your neighbor” is a great law, and how wonderful the world would be if we could love our neighbors. But history proves that we are incapable of loving our neighbors. Thankfully there is a better law called the Law of Christ. See if you can spot the difference:

Law of Moses: Love your neighbor
Law of Christ: Love one another as I have loved you

Jesus called his commandment a new commandment, meaning it was a new kind of commandment (John 13:34). The old commandment relied on your flesh – which is why we can’t keep it – but the new commandment is powered by God’s grace.

Do you see? The Law of Moses demands that you keep the law day in, day out, even if your neighbors are not the nicest people. But the Law of Christ only asks that you receive Christ’s love. Receive, receive, receive.

Christ loves us first, and as we receive from the abundance his love and grace, we find ourselves able to love others, our neighbors, even our enemies.

All this is to the glory of his grace.

—

The latest installment in my grace-based series on the Parables of Jesus, “The Parable of the Minas”, has just been released on Patreon. It is also available on E2R’s Supporters’ Page.

Why do I Need a Bible Commentary?

by

“Why does anyone need a commentary to tell them what the Bible ‘really’ means?”

This question was put to me by someone on Facebook. It’s a fair question and it was followed by another:

“Isn’t God’s word clear enough on its own?”

The short answer is “no.” If the Bible was clear, we would all agree about everything in it and the church would be a shining beacon of peace and unity. If the Bible was clear, there wouldn’t be 40,000 denominations and we wouldn’t have 400 different English translations.

In truth, the Bible is clear; the problem lies with us. We don’t have the original manuscripts on which the Bible is based, and if we did, most of us would not be able to read them.

If the Bible seems unclear it is because our translations of it were written hundreds of years after the original texts in languages that did not exist at the time. Consequently, it’s easy to be confused by strange verses like this:

Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. (Matthew 24:28)

Do you know what that verse means? Most people wouldn’t have a clue, and this makes them susceptible to bad teaching. “It’s about moral corruption and God’s judgment on America.” “Jesus will return like a vulture.” “It’s about the rise of false Christs who are like carrion.”

This vulture quote from Jesus has been used to justify all sorts of wacky end-times stuff. But a decent Bible commentary will examine the translation (Jesus wasn’t talking about vultures) and the context to reveal what Jesus really was talking about.

How commentaries help

A good Bible commentary helps us understand scriptures by providing the context. It’s the context that provides the meaning. Consider this verse:

Women should remain silent in the churches. (1 Corinthians 14:34)

Do you know what that verse means? Many people think they do, yet there is little agreement.

On the basis of this verse, some say women can’t preach or teach in church. Others say women can teach children, but not men. A few say that women should remain tight-lipped during church services.

Then there are those who swing the other way. Paul was a misogynist, they say. His words were for another time and place. Women couldn’t speak in church then but they can speak now. Which means we can dismiss any scripture we don’t like as “out of date” and “not for us.”

Which is the thin edge of a bad wedge.

The man who wrote this verse – the apostle Paul – would have shuddered to see how we misinterpret his words. Paul not only encouraged women to speak, teach, sing, and prophesy in church, he expected it (Rom. 12:6–7, 1 Cor. 12:7, 14:5, 31). He was no misogynist. He was a champion of equality who named and praised women leaders.

It’s easy to misread this verse if you don’t know the context. Read the verse in isolation and you’ll miss the meaning.

Why did Paul say women should remain silent? He didn’t. He was repeating a question put to him by the Corinthians (“Should women remain silent?”) before giving them an emphatic answer (“No!”).

The first letter to the Corinthians is full of questions and answers like this, as any good commentary will tell you.

Why do I need a Bible commentary?

A good commentary will help you make sense of the Bible. It will turn the lights on and make things clear. Like a key, it will unlock doors to insight and understanding.

But only if it’s a good commentary.

A good commentary is one that reveals the good news of God’s goodness. A good commentary uses the written word to reveal the Living Word.

The Bible is like no other book ever written. Its purpose is to reveal the Author to humanity, and it accomplishes this using a variety of literary forms (psalms, poems, prophecies, letters, histories, etc.). The whole Bible was written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Son of God and have life in his name (see John 20:31).

Like the Bible itself, a good commentary inspires you to believe in Jesus and experience life in fellowship with him. Sadly, many commentaries fail this test.

Instead of promoting faith, they encourage dead works. Instead of inviting you to rest in the finished work of Christ, they force you to work. Instead of preaching the good news, they proclaim bad news, and the result is you are left anxious and insecure.

There are hundreds of commentaries and study Bibles and most of them, I’m sad to say, are riddled with mixture. They have good bits, but they also preach dead works and condemnation. They mix medicine with poison leaving you sick and anxious.

Thankfully, there is a simple test to determine whether the commentary you are using ministers life or death.

—

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