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E2R Turns 13 and It’s Time for a Change

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I used to write about grace and nothing but grace.

When I started writing Escape to Reality 13 years ago, I wrote about forgiveness and the unconditional love of God and how the cross changed everything. I wrote about eternal security and eternal rewards, healing and holiness, repentance and righteousness.

But over the years, I began delving into other topics.

In 2012, I warned against the dangers of inclusionism. In 2015, I began writing about eschatology, the rapture and the great tribulation. In 2018, my theme was marriage and divorce, and women in ministry. Last week I wrote about artificial intelligence.

Any time I have branched out, there has been a small chorus of voices saying, “Paul, I wish you’d stick to grace.”

I get that.

You may like what I write about grace but you may not like what I write about _______ (insert your topic).

Maybe you’ve become a little wary. You think, is this article going to be about grace or has Paul gone off fighting another one of his crusades?

Fear not. It’s time for a change. I’m returning to my roots.

I recently started a weekly “Word of Grace” newsletter that is pure grace and always will be. It’s a short word to encourage you and strengthen your faith. This grace-only newsletter comes from The Grace Commentary and you can see the past four articles here.

Escape to Reality will continue as normal, meaning I will write about whatever the Lord lays on my heart or whatever takes my fancy. I like to think that everything I write here is infused with sweet grace and I want to thank those of you who follow me down my various rabbit trails.

Artificial intelligence? What was he thinking?!

But if you would prefer a simpler diet of gracious exhortation accompanied by timely reminders of God’s great love, then head over to the Grace Commentary and sign up for my weekly Word of Grace.

Grace and peace,
Paul

PS: I should add that you do not have to choose and you can subscribe to both Escape to Reality and the Grace Commentary and that both are free and always will be.

Can you Trust ChatGPT to Teach You about Grace?

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ChatGPT, an A.I.-based chatbot that was released in November 2022, may be the biggest technological breakthrough to affect the church since the invention of the printing press.

What does it do?

It answers questions and writes essays. It also writes sermons, lessons, prayers, lyrics, dissertations, movie scenes, blog posts, poems, recipes, computer code – you name it.

ChatGPT may be bad news for school teachers but it’s terrific news for busy preachers, bloggers, and worship leaders. At least that’s according to pastor and leadership guru Carey Nieuwhof. In a recent article entitled, “5 Future Technologies the Church Isn’t Prepared For,” Nieuwhof writes:

Let’s be honest: Will you really be able to tell the difference between an A.I.-composed worship song and one mass-produced by the Christian music industry? Would it matter? If your pastor got up on Sunday morning and delivered an A.I.-written sermon to the congregation, would you notice if they didn’t tell you beforehand? What about an A.I.-generated prayer or homily?

There is no doubt that ChatGPT has the power to make creative people more productive. It’s also handy for personal Bible study. Consider how ChatGPT answered my question: What is the gospel of grace?

The gospel of grace is the message that salvation and forgiveness of sins is available to all people through faith in Jesus Christ, without the need for works or human effort. It teaches that this grace is a free gift from God, and cannot be earned or deserved. This doctrine is a central tenet of Christianity, and is based on the teachings of the New Testament.

That’s a great explanation of grace, and it was written by an algorithm. A machine!

So you can understand why social media has lately been buzzing as people have been quizzing ChatGPT about all sorts of grace-related topics. What is the new covenant? What is righteousness by faith? Are we under law or grace? To these sorts of questions, the A.I. behind ChatGPT typically generates grace-based answers.

Which means I may be able to quit writing about grace.

Or maybe not.

Be careful what you ask for

If you ask ChatGPT a grace-based question (e.g., are we under law or grace?), you will get a grace-based answer (e.g., we are under grace, not law). But ask it a more generic question, such as, should Christians live by the Ten Commandments?, and you will get an answer that mixes grace with works:

Christians believe that the Ten Commandments are still applicable today as they provide a moral foundation for the believer’s life… The Ten Commandments serve as a guide for believers to live according to God’s will and to understand what is right and wrong, and to understand the nature of sin…

Jesus said the Holy Spirit would guide us into all truth (John 16:13), but the greatest artificial intelligence ever created says we need the law to guide us. To be fair, ChatGPT clarified that we are saved by faith (that’s grace). But then it insisted that “the Ten Commandments still have a place in the believer’s life” (that’s mixture).

I challenged ChatGPT to write a movie about two people discussing hypergrace. (Yes, ChatGPT can write dialogue!) I asked this question a few different ways and got different scripts each time.

In one version Jessica and Mike were in a coffee shop discussing the dangers of hypergrace. They both thought hypergrace was a bad teaching and it sounded like the sort of thing Michael Brown might write. But in another version, Jessica was trying to convince Jason that hypergrace was not the evil doctrine he had been led to believe.

Out of curiosity (or job insecurity) I peppered ChatGPT with questions such as: Are all my sins forgiven? What does God require of me? Will Jesus blot out my name from the Book of Life? Do Christians have a duty to serve the Lord? Should Christians tithe? Does God teach us with sickness? If I give will God bless me?

The answers generated by ChatGPT were all over the place. Some had bits of grace; some had no grace at all. It was a mess.

(The full list of questions and answers along with a couple of hypergrace scripts generated by ChatGPT can be found in the bonus materials on Patreon that accompany this article.)

Sermons by Skynet

To sum up, ChatGPT is a neat tool, but like any tool its usefulness depends on who is using it and how it is being used.

If you want answers to questions that are longer than what Google will give you, ChatGPT is helpful. It’s just like talking to another person, someone who is well-read and concise.

But can you trust ChatGPT to write a sermon, article, or lesson about the gospel of grace? Definitely not. Sure, it’ll throw up some quotable nuggets, but it will also mix in a little law while calling for dead works. Do not be fooled. If you drink from the well of artificial intelligence you will be imbibing a toxic cocktail of grace plus works.

Which means my job is safe – at least until they release the next version of ChatGPT later this year.

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30 Ways Your Flesh Reacts to Trouble

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You arrive at a moment of crisis. Perhaps you are in your boss’s office or the medical clinic. You’re fighting with your spouse or you’ve heard bad news. The heat is on and the pressure’s rising.

What do you do?

The smart thing to do is take five, lean into God, and see what he says. Let him guide you through the storm. But that’s not what your flesh wants to do. Oh no. Your flesh wants to ACT NOW, take charge and work the problem.

What is the flesh?

The flesh refers to our natural selves as opposed to our spirits. To heed the flesh is to lean on your own strength and understanding. It’s walking by sight instead of faith.

When faced with a crisis, your flesh will instinctively react. It will want to run or fight or take charge. It’s perfectly natural. But the problem is your flesh can distract you from the Lord. Listen to your flesh and you may miss what the Spirit is saying.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Here are 30 ways that our flesh reacts to trouble:

  • Chicken flesh – “Trouble? I’m outta here”
  • Quitter flesh – “That’s it, I’m done, we’re through”
  • Bully flesh – “It’s my way or the highway”
  • Nike flesh – “Just do it, git ‘er done”
  • Cavalry flesh – “I need to be needed”
  • Sunny-day flesh – “We’re okay” (even when we’re not okay)
  • I’m right you’re wrong flesh – “Yeah, but…”
  • Whiney flesh – “Pleeeease? I’ll be your friend”
  • Detective flesh – “I’m gonna figure you out”
  • Macgyver flesh – “I’m gonna fix this”
  • Martyr flesh – “If I don’t do it, nobody will”
  • Scrooge flesh – “You’ll get nothing from me”
  • Daddy Warbucks flesh – “Let me write a check”
  • Magnifier flesh – “This is a huuuge problem”
  • Maverick flesh – “I don’t need nuttin’ from anyone”
  • Loner flesh – “Nobody understands me”
  • Self-pity flesh – “Nobody loves me”
  • Ken & Barbie flesh – “I need to look good”
  • Mr Hyde flesh – “Don’t make me angry!”
  • Insecure flesh – “What do you mean by that?”
  • Can’t say no flesh – “Sure boss, I can work weekends”
  • Histrionic flesh – “Look at meeee!”
  • Workaholic flesh – “I don’t have time for this right now”
  • Herod flesh – “You need to know your place”
  • Boss flesh – “You need to lift your game”
  • Anxious flesh – “It’s hopeless”
  • Victim flesh – “It’s not my fault”
  • Milquetoast flesh – “I won’t make trouble”
  • Mature flesh – “I used to think like you but I’ve grown”
  • Religious flesh – “Thank God I am not like you”
  • Christian flesh – “My Jesus is better than your Jesus”

Know your lures. Your flesh will tempt you with the promise of control (“You got this!”) while robbing you of the opportunity to hear your Father.

When the pressure comes, don’t react. Stop.

Be still. Breathe.

Hit the pause button, and ask your Father how to lead you in the path of life.

What flesh types did I miss? Let me know in the comments below?

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This list was inspired by Ralph Harris’s excellent book, God’s Astounding Opinion of You, chapter 7. An earlier version of this article appeared on Patreon and I am grateful for feedback provided by patrons. To learn more, check out the entry for The Flesh in the Grace Glossary.

What Happens to Unbaptized Infants Who Die?

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If the doctrine of original sin is true, and everyone is born with a sinful nature and a rebel towards God, what happens to babies who die? Do babies go to hell? Do they go to heaven?

Do they go someplace in between?

Augustine of Hippo said babies go to hell for eternal punishment, but added that they get a mild sort of punishment. If there’s such a thing. The following comes from the Catholic Encyclopedia:

St. Augustine and the African Fathers believed that unbaptized infants share in the common positive misery of the damned (i.e., hell), and the very most that St. Augustine concedes is that their punishment is the mildest of all.

Eight hundred years after Augustine, a French philosopher named Peter Abelaard (1079–1142) said dead infants went to a cooler place on the edge of hell. He called this place the Limbo of Infants. (The word limbo comes from the Latin word limbus meaning edge.)

“But Paul, I don’t want my child to go to hell or even the edge of hell. What can I do?”

Fear not. Augustine offers a way out: “An infant’s original sin is remitted through baptism.”

Bingo!

If you have ever wondered why Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Moravians, and others baptize their babies, this is why. A sprinkle of water and voila, your child has a get-out-of-hell-free card.

Infant baptism, the cure for your baby’s sin

In the Catholic Church infants are baptized or sprinkled within a few weeks of their birth, but sometimes the ritual is not performed until they are six months old. So infant baptism offers no relief to those who have lost newborn babies.

I have friends who lost their precious son shortly after he was born. It was a heartbreaking tragedy. But at least they weren’t fed Augustine’s line about babies going to hell.

In fairness, many Catholics don’t agree with either Augustine or Abelaard. In its 1980 “Instruction on Children’s Baptism”, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith reaffirmed that: “with regard to children who die without having received baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God.”

Trusting a lost child to the mercy of God is a lot more compassionate that condemning them to hell.

The Lutherans have a similar view to the Catholics. They do not know what happens to unbaptized infants but they trust God has it figured out:

There is some basis for the hope that God has a method, not revealed to us, by which he works faith in the children of Christians dying without baptism (Mark 10:13–16). For children of unbelievers we do not venture to hold out such hope. We are here entering the field of the unsearchable judgments of God (Romans 11:33).

You have to give the Lutherans credit for abandoning Augustine’s damnable diagnosis, but they lose marks for condemning the children of the unsaved and for being uncertain about the will of God.

Some Protestant denominations practice infant baptism, but others don’t. How do those in the second group deal with hell-bound babies? Most give them a free pass until they reach the age of accountability.

Until the child reaches an age where they are accountable for their actions, the thinking goes, God will not hold them responsible for their sin.

The age of accountability myth

How old does a child need to be before they become accountable? Nobody knows. Some say seven years, others say ten, but definitely by the age of thirteen.

What if the child is a late bloomer, has Downs Syndrome, or is otherwise different?

These are the questions that keep theologians busy writing books, but the short answer is nobody knows. And the reason nobody knows is because the age of accountability is a manmade solution for a manmade problem.

Like Augustine’s doctrine of original sin, the age of accountability teaching is not found in the Bible. It’s a fiction.

Although there are scriptures that speak of children being too young to know the difference between good and evil, there is nothing to suggest that God gives grace to kids for a limited time only.

The truth is God gives grace to all of us, young and old alike. Because of Jesus, not even adults are held accountable for their sins (2 Cor. 5:19). We are not judged by how good or bad we are. We are judged by our response to Jesus.

Artist unknown

So what happens to babies who die? Do babies go to hell on account of original sin?

This question has led to much confusion and hand-wringing. It has caused some to abandon the faith (because God is cruel) and others to embrace universalism (because a good God could never do this). Uncertainty over their children leaves parents riddled with anxiety and prone to deception.

Bad questions usually lead to bad places.

The gospel for babies

What would Jesus say if he was asked about babies and young children? He would say “the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Luke 18:16).

However, because we have swallowed so much religious mumbo-jumbo we doubt whether the kingdom really does belong to such as these.

We have been fed the Augustinian lie that babies are bad to the bone. We’ve heard the Calvinist trollop that infants are depraved little sinners.

Some say that babies will be judged according to the light of their revelation. But how much revelation does a new-born have? What about a miscarried baby?

Others say God looks into the baby’s future and judges them for what they would’ve done. This is absurd. The baby died. They didn’t do anything. How can a just God judge them for what they didn’t do?

The problem with these silly scenarios is they define faith as something you must do, while unbelief is doing nothing at all. Since babies do nothing, they must be unbelievers. But this is back to front. In the Bible unbelief is described as a work and faith is a rest.

What happens to babies and children who die young? They go to be with Jesus.

Every. Single. One.

If you have lost an infant or child, you can be 100 percent certain about this. Don’t listen to those comfortless frowners who say your child is lost, but trust the One who said his kingdom belonged to such as these.

It is a mistake to say babies are rebels, but it’s also incorrect to say babies are righteous and holy. So how do we deal with verses that say things like “without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14)? We don’t. We give those verses to God and trust him to figure it out.

Like the Catholics and Lutherans we entrust our unbaptized babies to the mercy of God.

Happily, God’s mercy is vast beyond all comprehension. His mercy trumps any judgment that may come against our children (Jas. 2:13).

If we could see heaven right now we would find that it is full of the lost children of earth – deceased babies, HIV babies, aborted babies, and miscarried babies. I don’t know what age they are in heaven, but I know they are there.

How do I know? Because if grace is for anyone, it is for babies and children such as these.

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Extracted and adapted from Paul’s ebook, Original Sin: What Does the Bible Really Say? available now on Patreon, along with these great titles:

Having trouble logging into Patreon? Read this. Issues with a declined card? Read this.

Feeling knocked down this Christmas?

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What will be your highlight of 2022? I’ve got a bunch, but one that tops the list happened in September. It ranks right up there with Lazarus rising from the dead. Almost.

We had received the sad news that a family friend had suffered a crippling stroke and was in a bad way. It was a real shock because “Mike” was a young father – my age – and in excellent physical shape. As a family, we prayed for healing.

A few days later, Mike sent us a text. “Paul and Camilla, we’re in town. Can we swing by?”

“Sure,” we said. “It’d be great to see you.”

We had so many questions. Did Mike write that text or did it come from his wife? Isn’t he supposed to be in hospital? Is he mobile? Will he be able to climb our stairs?

When Mike and his wife drove up we met them in the driveway. He climbed out of the car and gave us a big grin. He looked his regular self. I was astonished. “Mate, you look terrific.”

“I won’t lie to you,” said Mike. “It’s been a rough ride. But things are looking good.” He was a walking miracle. Thank you, Jesus.

I mention Mike because his story is the story of 2023. Think about it. At the start of the year we were in good shape. Then we got hit with a war, fuel prices skyrocketed, and groceries became a luxury item. It’s been tough year. But like Mike, we’re still here.

A couple of weeks ago, I caught Covid. It was my first time. A dozen different symptoms came at me like enemy soldiers, one after the other. It was no fun. But like Mike, I’m still here.

When I was fighting the virus, a friend pasted an encouraging verse on my FB page: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers us from them all” (Ps. 34:19). We get knocked down, but by the grace of God we get up again.

This being my annual Christmas message is normally the place where I talk about all the big things we’ve done this year or the things we’re hoping to do next year. (You can read about my plans here.)

And this is normally the place where I personally thank all those wonderful people who support my writing and make it possible for me to produce things like the Grace Commentary and the new Grace Bible.

But today I just want to encourage your faith. If you’re knocked down, be encouraged. You’re going to get up again.

Here’s another great verse: “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise” (Mic. 7:8). It may be the end of 2022, but it is not the end of you.

May your family enjoy the peace and favor and VICTORY of our Lord in this season.

Merry Christmas!

Paul

PS: I have a special Christmas gift just for patrons. It’s a story called “The Traveler and the Monk It can be found on Patreon and the supporters’ page here on E2R.

What Does it Mean to Keep His Commandments?

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Here’s a verse that can really trip you up:

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. (1 John 5:3a)

What commandments is John talking about?

If you have not learned to read scripture through a new covenant lens, you might think he’s talking about the Ten Commandments or the Law of Moses. If so, you’ll be setting yourself up for disaster.

If you think you must prove your love or earn God’s love by keeping Old Testament laws, you have fallen from grace and cut yourself off from Christ.

“Keep his commandments” – but which ones?

As you may know, I recently started a project called The Grace Bible. This is a series of books designed to help you read scripture through a new covenant lens.

You may be wondering, why I began The Grace Bible with the three short letters from John? Because the 105 verses in those letters contain just about everything you need to know about the gospel of grace.

In his letters John proclaims the unconditional love of your heavenly Fatherand the complete forgiveness of your sins. His letters are full of grace treasures, but today I want to look at that verse linking love with commandment keeping: “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments” (1 John 5:3a).

To keep his commandments does not mean obeying the Ten Commandments or the Law of Moses. How do we know? Read the rest of the verse:

His commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:3b)

The yoke of Moses is unbearably heavy (Act 15:10). No one can keep all the commandments of the old law.

So why does John say his commands are not burdensome? Because he’s not referring to the commands of Moses but his command, meaning the Lord’s command, and the Lord’s yoke is easy and light. Here it is:

This is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ… (1 John 3:23a)

John calls this a new command because it is a new covenant command as opposed to an old covenant command. In the old, you were commanded to keep long lists of rules, but in the new you are commanded to believe.

How do we keep this new command? It starts with a revelation of God’s great love for you. When you know how much your heavenly Father loves you, he is easy to trust and obey. It is his great love for us that empowers us to trust him.

That is the first part of the command; here is the second:

…and love one another, just as he commanded us. (1 John 3:23b)

Moses said “Love one another” and to this old command Jesus added five words: “as I have loved you” (John 13:34). John was there when Jesus said it which is why he refers to it as his command or the “commandment we heard” (2 John 1:6). He wants us to know this is the Lord’s command, not Moses’ command.

Just in case there is any doubt, John adds, “just as he commanded us.” It was Jesus not Moses who said love others as I have loved you. It was Jesus who came for us while we were sinners and went to the cross to set us free. And it is Jesus who intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father.

We don’t love others because it is required of us; we love others with the love we have received from the Lord. It’s both a new command and a new kind of command.

(For those taking notes: The new commandment is sometimes referred to as the law of Christ.)

One more verse:

The one who keeps his commandments abides in him, and he in him. (1 John 3:24a)

Again, what are “his commandments”? John has just told us: “His commandment is that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another” (1 John 3:23).

The one who keeps his commandments is the one who continues in the grace of God. Conversely, someone who tries to keep other commandments, such as those of the old law, is no longer walking in grace. They are trying to keep the old laws because they do not believe Christ fulfilled the requirements of the law on their behalf.

The one who keeps his commands (i.e., believes in Jesus) abides in him. But the one who trusts in his own law-keeping performance does not abide in him and is alienated from Christ (Gal. 5:4).

Short version: When we receive the love of God that is revealed to us through his Son, we are empowered to trust him and love others.

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If you liked this, you will love The Grace Bible: 1–3 John & Jude which is available in paperback, hardback, and also in the Kindle store.

Out today The Grace Bible: 1–3 John & Jude

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If you have ever wondered, How do I read this scripture through a new covenant lens? The Grace Bible is for you.

In The Grace Bible every verse is explained from the perspective of grace. While other study Bibles can leave you feeling like you’re not doing enough for the Lord, The Grace Bible reveals how much the Lord has done for you.

It’s the study Bible with good news on every page!

The first installment of The Grace Bible has just been released. With more than 400 notes, it covers every verse in the dynamite letters of John and Jude. In John’s letters we are dazzled by the light of God’s unfailing love, while in Jude’s letter we are equipped to contend for the faith.

The Grace Bible: 1–3 John & Jude is available now in three formats: paperback (compact), hardcover (larger print), and ebook.

Thanks to the support of our patrons, the paperback is cheap and the ebook is even cheaper. So grab a copy for your pastor, your Sunday School teacher, and your loved ones. It’s the perfect Christmas present. Hint, hint.

I wrote The Grace Bible because there is else nothing like it. It is a distillation of my very best writing. It is the book I wish I had read years ago.

Happy reading!

Paul

PS: The second and third installments of The Grace Bible will be released early 2023. Sign up at thegracebible.com and be the first to know.

Patriarchy is not God’s Plan for Your Marriage

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God intended for marriage to be between one man and one woman, but the fall of man opened the door to two evils; polygyny and patriarchy.

Polygyny replaces partnership

Adam’s offspring took multiple wives, a practice known as polygyny. (Polygyny is a kind of polygamy. The other kind—having multiple husbands—is known as polyandry.)

Polygyny was common among the ancients. A few generations after Adam, Lamech became the first recorded polygynist in history when he took two wives (Gen. 4:19). Jacob and Esau had two wives at the same time (Gen. 26:34, 28:8–9, 29:21–30, 32:22, 36:6), as did Samuel’s father Elkanah (1 Sam. 1:2).

King David was a polygynist (2 Sam. 3:2–5), while his son Solomon was the most infamous polygynist of all (1 Kgs. 11:3). Herod the Great, who tried to murder baby Jesus, had nine wives.

Interestingly, the Law of Moses legitimized polygyny but not polyandry. A man could have several wives, but a woman could not have several husbands (see Deu. 21:15). Josephus, the Jewish historian, noted it was a custom of the Jews to have many wives.

What does polygyny have to do with us?

The old custom of polygyny casts a shadow over the modern church whenever we discuss divorce. By failing to grasp the historical context of polygyny, we misread the words of Jesus when he spoke about divorce. And we misread what Paul said about elders having only one wife.

As a result, divorced people, and especially divorced women, are wrongly condemned as sinners. They are told they can’t lead and can’t teach and they definitely cannot remarry.

None of this is remotely Biblical.

Polygyny is obviously contrary to God’s plan for partnership because it exalts a husband above his wives. He is no longer an equal partner in a matched pair but a little king ruling his harem. He has become a patriarch.

And so does patriarchy

We honor the patriarchs of the Bible, and rightly so. But we must also acknowledge that any system where men hold all the power is contrary to God’s original plan of partnership.

Patriarchy literally means the rule of the father, and it is the oldest and most enduring form of gender discrimination. Patriarchy sounds benevolent, especially to those who have been raised by loving fathers. But its inherent imbalance can lead to the mistreatment of women.

Just ask Lot’s daughters what they thought of their father offering them to the lecherous men of Sodom (Gen. 19:8).

Or ask Hagar how she felt about being used as a surrogate mother before being fired by her employer Abraham (Gen. 16:3–4).

Or ask the Levite’s concubine what it was like to be offered to a mob of rapists (Jud. 19:25–28).

Nearly every culture practices some form of patriarchy, but scholars disagree over its origins. Some say patriarchy is a consequence of biology (women are stuck at home raising the kids while the men conquer the world). Others look to anthropological and historical causes.

But patriarchy comes straight out of Genesis 3. It’s a fruit of sin.

Patriarchy is oppressive to women, yet many Christian women accept it because they’ve been told it’s biblical.

“The husband is the head of the home and his wife is his helper.”

Such claims are derived from scripture, but they are no more biblical than slavery and genocide. The husband is the head of the marriage, but that does not make him the boss or his wife his valet.

A husband acts like a head by nurturing his wife in the same way Christ cares for his church. In a biblical marriage, both partners have authority over each other, both freely submit to the other out of love, and both let Jesus take the lead.

Patriarchy is demeaning to women, but patriarchy also hurts men. By weakening our queens it weakens our marriages and families. By silencing our wives, it makes it harder for us to hear God’s voice.

Patriarchy clips the wings of our partnerships and deprives us of countless blessings.

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Has Original Sin Made you a Bad Parent?

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One of the strangest things I had to get used to as a young father, was my children freely admitting to their sins. Adam and Eve hid when they sinned, but my kids bragged about it.

One time I discovered crayon drawings all along the hallway wall.

“Who drew on this wall?” I asked.

“I did!” replied the little offender.

I hoped the frown on my face would convey my displeasure, but her response was one of delight, as though she was thrilled that her father had discovered her artwork.

“Aren’t you impressed Daddy? Isn’t this an amazing picture? Would you like me to draw another?”

Clearly my daughter had no idea that she was a sinner. She was too young to know right from wrong.

I was angry, but only for a moment. My daughter’s innocence disarmed me, and we ended up discussing the merits of her art. Then I suggested that for future drawings she might try alternative media, like paper.

Why did my daughter vandalize the hallway wall? Why did she occasionally fight with her siblings and disobey her parents? It was because she was a born sinner and a rebel by nature. She entered this world inclined to sin.

Or so says the unbiblical doctrine of original sin.

The doctrine of original sin is one of the most enduring and influential ideas in the church. Original sin says we all inherited Adam’s fallen nature. From the moment you draw your first breath, you were inclined towards sin, utterly depraved, and hostile towards God.

There is no question that sinners have a sinful nature and that we all need to be saved from sin, but Augustine went further. He said we are born corrupt, and that we inherited a rebellious streak from our forefather Adam.

Augustine’s doctrine of original sin is one of those ideas that appeals to our religious sensibilities. We think it explains why the world is godless and broken.

But blaming original sin for our problems is like blaming your parents for all the stupid stuff you did when you were a rebellious teen.

There is no question that we live in a corrupt and sinful world. But the idea that we inherited a predisposition to sin – a sinful gene, if you will – is worth questioning.

We humans are good at sinning. But were we born corrupt or were we corrupted as a result of living in a corrupt world?

Your answer to this question matters a lot.

Imagine we lived in a world where we could genetically test our kids to discover their hidden talents. You take your two-year-old to the testing center and are told that your child has the genes of a virtuoso violinist.

You and your spouse are thrilled. You start making plans.

“We’re going to get Junior some violin lessons. We’ll hire the best teacher around.”

Fast forward a few years and your child has become a talented violinist.

But what if the DNA test said your child was likely to become a raging alcoholic or a serial philanderer or a sociopath. Say goodbye to violin lessons Junior, we’re taking you to therapy!

If you believe in original sin, it will influence the way you raise your children. If you see your kids as little rebels ready to explode into a life of sin and depravity, you will train them different than if you see them as curious explorers, talented artists and gifts from God.

Our children are profoundly shaped by the words we speak over them. Tell them they are born sinners and chances are that’s what they will become.

Original sin will also affect your witness. If you see your neighbors as sinners and godless rebels, you will never connect with them in a meaningful way.

“Why don’t you come to our small group so we can talk about how angry God is with your sin?”

When they refuse, you’ll dismiss them as unregenerate rebels.

And they’ll dismiss you as weird.

Original sin also affects your sense of self-worth. If you think you were born bad to the bone and bearing Adam’s guilt, you’ll behave different than someone who sees themselves as the apple of their Father’s eye.

What you misdiagnose, you will mistreat. We have been told that we inherited a sinful gene and that Jesus is the cure. But the issues are far more serious than that.

You were not born with a bit of bad code; you were born dead in sin.

You do not need to excise your sinful habits; you need to be raised from the dead.

The bad news is that sin is deadly, but the good news is that Jesus raises the dead.

Augustine’s doctrine of original sin conveys a message of “sin with us,” but the gospel proclaims a better message of “God with us.”

Let us abandon manmade notions of original sin and learn to see ourselves, our kids, and our neighbors and as God sees us – as dearly-loved and precious beyond words.

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Extracted and adapted from Paul’s new ebook, Original Sin: What Does the Bible Really Say? available now on Patreon.

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The True Meaning of Holiness

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When I was a teenager, I was involved in a band with some church friends. There were four of us in the band and I played the keyboard. One day, I got in an argument with the guitarist. It was an argument that Christian musicians have been having for centuries.

My friend: “We’re a Christian band. We should only play Christian music.”

Me: “I think we can play anything as long as it it’s good, excellent, and praiseworthy.”

My friend: “No, there’s sacred and secular music. We should have nothing to do with worldly music.”

Me: “To the pure, all things are pure.”

I didn’t realize it at the time, but we were having an argument about the meaning of holiness.

It didn’t end well. Some time later, the band broke up.

The argument I had with my friend encapsulated one of the deepest sources of division in the church. It has to do with the true meaning of holiness. What is holiness?

Two kinds of holiness

We might say there are two kinds of holiness. There’s old covenant holiness and new covenant holiness. There’s Moses-holiness and Jesus-holiness.

And because many people don’t know the difference, we end up arguing about things like music.

Holiness may be the most important word in your vocabulary. Your definition of holiness affects the music you listen to, the books you read, and the friends you have.

How you define holiness, is how you define yourself.

What does it mean to be holy?

Under Moses, holiness was something you got by running away from things. You ran from sin and temptation and unclean people.

But the Jesus kind of holiness runs from nothing. It shines in dark places. It dines with sinners and converses with foreigners.

Be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:23–24, KJV)

True holiness, which comes from God, can be distinguished counterfeit holiness which is manmade.

True holiness, like true righteousness, is not something we earn but a gift we receive. The moment you were put in Christ, you received his righteousness and holiness.

It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. (1 Corinthians 1:30, NIV)

The reaction of my bandmate illustrates how manmade holiness is defined by the lines it draws. “This is sacred, but that is secular. This is clean, but that is unclean.”

Manmade holiness separates us from our neighbors and causes us to hide inside our temples. Manmade holiness says:

“Your secular job is inferior to full-time ministry.”

“You are not allowed to dance or go to parties or do worldly things.”

“Even though it’s an hour away, you should send your kids to the Christian school.”

“To win the culture war we must boycott the latest movie/Disneyland/Walmart.”

Manmade religion leaves you anxious that you might stray across the holiness divide into the realm of the unclean. It causes you to distance yourself from the world when Jesus prayed that we would be sanctified in it (John 17:15–18).

The pursuit of manmade holiness has made the church tribal and Pharisaical.

Instead of shining like stars, we’re cursing the darkness.

Instead of influencing those around us, we’re hiding in our sanctuaries.

Instead of leading the way, we’re criticizing those at the front.

If only we had a better definition of holiness: Jesus is our holiness from God.

When Jesus, the Holy One of God, visited sinners, he did not become unholy or unhealthy. Rather than being tainted by their sin, he “contaminated” them with the love of a holy and wholesome God.

The Holy One healed the broken and made them whole.

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Want to go deeper? Check out my new study note “The True Meaning of Holiness: From St. Jerome to John Wycliffe and Back Again.” In this 20-page note I tell the story of how the word holiness came to be shaped by the worship of idols and the writing of the Latin Vulgate. I discuss John Wycliffe’s heroic attempts to restore the word to its original meaning. Drawing on the work of Charles Finney, A.W. Tozer, Watchman Nee and others, I show how the church is split over two very different definitions of holiness. Holiness – it’s better than you think!

Ten years in the making, the study note is now in Paul’s Library (Patreon).

How to Have a Perfectly Good Conscience

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Many people struggle with guilt on a daily basis.

They feel guilty for not spending more time with their kids and for not calling their parents.

They feel guilty for working too hard, not working hard enough, and not working at all.

They feel guilty for getting up too late, giving into cravings, taking meds, not taking meds, not doing the laundry, not recycling, and for scoffing an entire packet of Oreos while watching What We Do in the Shadows.

If you have been raised with rules or high expectations, or if you have an idealized picture of marriage and home life, chances are you are familiar with guilt.

Guilt is what you get when you don’t measure up, and most of us don’t measure up.

But did you know it’s possible not to have a guilty conscience? Maybe you don’t believe me, but there was this guy in the Bible who said this:

Brethren, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day. (Acts 23:1)

And before you go, “Well that was Paul the superstar church-planter,” remember that this was also Saul the persecutor of Christians. If anyone should have had regrets and a guilty conscience, surely it should be the chief of sinners.

Yet Paul frequently spoke about having a good and clear conscience.

We are sure that we have a good conscience. (Hebrews 13:18)

If Paul could have a perfectly good and clear conscience, you can too. But first, you need a proper definition of conscience.

What is your conscience?

Perhaps you imagine your conscience to be a judge inside your head who accuses you when you break the rules. Or maybe you hear a Jiminy Cricket-voice scolding you when you mess up. But these are caricatures and not the real thing.

Your conscience is that inner voice that lets you know whether you are walking in the will of God or whether you have departed from it.

The word conscience loosely means “with knowledge.” Your conscience knows when you have crossed the line and missed the mark.

How does it know?

For some, this knowledge is defined by cultural norms. For others, it may come from some religious code such as the Law of Moses.

But ultimately any definition of right and wrong is grounded in the character of God.

How to have a healthy conscience

A healthy conscience is not one that hammers you with the law or one that is subject to society’s definitions of right and wrong. A healthy conscience is one that is in tune with the Holy Spirit.

I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 9:1)

The conscience makes judgments based on knowledge, and the most reliable source of knowledge is the Spirit of Truth.

When the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirits that this is the way to go, and your conscience heeds this instruction, you will be convinced and it will not matter what anybody says.

This is why Paul could stand before the Sanhedrin and talk about having a perfectly good conscience. He knew his conscience was submitted to the Holy Spirit, and no teacher of law could convince him otherwise.

We are exhorted to keep the faith and hold onto a good conscience, and these two things are connected. If you reject or cast away a good conscience your faith will be shipwrecked (1 Tim. 1:18–19). A good conscience is something to protect, and that means knowing how to handle condemnation.

How to silence the inner critic

Sometimes we battle condemnation in the form of self-criticism or self-doubt. “I’m a failure. I’ve messed up. God will never accept me.” When that happens, we need to remind ourselves that:

God is greater than our heart and knows all things. (1 John 3:20)

Your heavenly Father knows every dumb thing you’ve done and every dumb thing you’re going to do, and knowing all this he still loves you and calls you “Beloved” (1 John 2:7). There is nothing you can do to make the Father love you any more, and nothing you can do to make him love you any less. Knowing this fills you with confidence and helps to silence the inner critic.

But God does more than just love you; he justifies you and makes you righteous.

In the eyes of the world, you may not measure up. You may fall short again and again. But God himself is for you! Who can be against you?

What to do when you mess up

We all make mistakes and when we do it’s easy to cower before the voice of condemnation. But there is another voice. When you sin, Jesus doesn’t accuse you; he defends you (1 John 2:1). And then he gently guides you back onto the right path.

This is why we need to listen to the Spirit of Truth when we sin. The Holy Spirit tells you the true facts: God still loves you. Yes, you screwed up but your Father’s got this. Now eyes back on Jesus.

The way to a perfectly good conscience is to walk in step with the Spirit and to believe all the good things that God says about you.

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God. (1 John 3:21)

You don’t have to feel guilty all the time. You have a choice. You can choose to live under condemnation or confidence. You can live under guilt or you can live submitted to God.

The way to be free from a condemning conscience is to assure your heart that God justifies you, he is for you, and he loves you no matter what.

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Want to learn more about maintaining a healthy conscience? Check out the full entry for “Conscience” on Paul’s rapidly growing Grace Glossary.

Do Christians have a Sinful Nature?

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Ever heard the one about how you have two natures wrestling inside you and the one that dominates is the one you feed the most?

It’s not true.

Christian, you do not have a sinful nature. One with the Lord, you have a new heart and a new mind with new desires (1 Cor. 2:16). As a new creation, you get to share in the divine nature of Christ (2 Pet. 1:4).

You don’t have a sinful nature, but the devil would love for you to think that you do.

He will tell you that you are wicked and inclined to sin. The devil wants you resisting yourself because then you won’t resist him.

“Die to yourself daily.” Heard that one? It’s one of the devil’s best lines. So many churchgoers are trying to die daily because they don’t what happened to them at the cross:

Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with him… (Romans 6:6)

Your old self is gone. The person you used to be died with Christ (Col. 2:20). The moment you came to the Lord you were baptized by the Spirit into his death and resurrection (Rom. 6:6–10). Your old self was nailed to the cross and no longer lives.

You don’t need to die daily. Once was enough.

The difference between your old self and the person you are now is found in three words: Christ in you.

Formerly you were inclined to follow the flesh down the well-worn path of self-destruction. But now the indwelling Spirit of God helps you to live whole and righteously.

Formerly, you were corrupted by the sinful choices you made. But now the incorruptible seed of the living Word is bearing good fruit in your life.

Why do I still sin?

Although Christians don’t have a sinful nature, we can be tempted to sin just as Adam and Eve were tempted. When we give into that temptation, perhaps because we have forgotten who we are or because we are not resting in Christ, the result is sin (Jas. 1:14–15).

But unlike Adam and Eve we are not alone in our struggle against temptation. We have the indwelling Holy Spirit. It’s us and Him versus the Tempter. It’s a totally unfair fight against an already-defeated enemy.

With God on your side, how can you lose?

From time to time we all make mistakes. But when you stumble, the Lord is right there to pick you up and speak in your defense (1 John 2:1).

How do I stop sinning?

When we come to Jesus we are set free from sin, but we may need to unlearn some sinful habits. The Bible calls this laying aside the old self and being renewed in the spirit of our minds (Eph. 4:22–23).

If in your former life you were a judgmental bully, by the grace of God you can become kind and compassionate.

If you were bitter and unforgiving, you can learn to forgive others as Christ forgave you.

You were not born bitter and judgmental; you learned these bad habits. And since you learned them, by the grace of God you can unlearn them.

It may seem that sin has a strong grip on your life, but God’s grace is stronger still. Where sin abounds, his grace super-abounds.

Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:11)

Christians do many things in response to sin; we confess our sins, we hold ourselves accountable for our sins, we discuss our sins. We pray against sin, preach against sin, and warn against sin.

But when it comes to sin, there is one thing we must do above all, and that is reckon ourselves dead to it.

When sin comes knocking, don’t open the door.

When sin calls, don’t answer.

A dead person cannot react and cannot be tempted by sin.

Alive to God

That is the first part of the verse, here is the second: reckon yourself alive to God in Christ Jesus. Once upon a time, we were disconnected from the life that is in Christ (Col. 1:21). But now we enjoy fellowship and intimacy with the One who knows us better than we know ourselves.

In Christ, the deepest longings of our heart are fulfilled.

Every one of us wants to feel truly alive, to be full of life, energy, and purpose. Not merely existing but connecting, thriving, and being everything God made us to be.

This is the life we have in union with the Lord.

To be “alive to God” is knowing and being known, and it’s loving and being loved. It is seeing the touch of God in everything you do and in everyone you meet.

This new life begins with a revelation of God your Father and yourself as his dearly-loved child.

God delights in you. He rejoices over you with singing. You are the apple of his eye. When you know Who is for you, it changes everything (Rom. 8:31).

No one who abides in him sins. (1 John 3:6a)

Those who abide or make their home in the sinless Son drop their sinful habits like rotten garments.

No one who is born of God practices sin, because his seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (1 John 3:9)

One with the Lord, you are a sinner no more. John is not saying you will never sin (see 1 John 2:1). He is saying it is not in your new nature to sin. Sinning has lost its appeal. Having been set free from your old way of life, you no longer want to sin.

And why would you, when you have found something better by far.

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