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GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION

The One about the Millstone and the Sea

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A pastor makes an announcement: “Great news, church. Our kids’ program is growing and we need teachers. If you have a heart for teaching children, let me know. But take care, if you do a poor job, God will punish you. It would be better for a millstone to be hung around your neck and for you to be drowned in the sea than mess this up.” Wait, what?! Okay, that never happened. And yet that is the message some take from these words of Jesus: Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. (Matt. 18:6, also Mark 9:42, Luke 17:2) What is Jesus saying here? “Misleading believers is an offense against the Almighty,” says the serious man. “Don’t you know that those who teach will be judged more severely?” And you wonder why we have trouble finding people to run our kids’ programs! Contrary to what you’ve heard, Jesus is not talking about divine punishment or Sunday School teaching or anything like that. Let’s unpack this verse in context: [...]

Are Unfruitful Branches Lifted Up?

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Here is possibly the worst verse in the Bible: I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit. (John 15:1-2, NIV) I say worst verse because this is a shockingly poor translation. A better one is, “He takes up or lifts every branch in me.” If you’re not bearing fruit for Jesus, God helps you. He doesn’t lop you. Several years ago I wrote an article entitled “What happens to unfruitful branches?” In it I argued that most Bibles get it wrong when they translate Christ’s words as cutting off or taking away branches. Lifting is better. (Full disclosure: I was inspired by a book written by Bruce Wilkinson called Secrets of the Vine.) I wrote that article and moved on, but it turns out the cutting vs. lifting issue has become something of a hot potato. I had no idea until someone sent me this passage from a book: “No Free Grace publication produced any evidence from the ancient world that said that unfruitful vines or branches were ‘lifted up.’” I was intrigued. You want evidence? I’ve got plenty. A bit more digging revealed that this [...]

The Sign of Jonah

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The scribes and Pharisees could have won the gold medal for insensitivity. One minute they’re accusing Jesus of being in cahoots with the devil; the next they’re asking for some sign of his divinity (Matt. 12:24, 38). Jesus responded by telling them: A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:39-40, NIV) The sign to look for was Jesus rising from the dead after three days. But there’s more to the sign of Jonah than this. Much more. Consider these ten interesting parallels between Jesus and Jonah: Jonah spent three and nights days in the belly of a fish (Jonah 1:17); Jesus spent three days and nights in the belly of the earth Jonah, as good as dead, rose from the depths (Jonah 2:10); Jesus rose from the dead After he rose, Jonah preached for 40 days (Jonah 3:4); after he rose, Jesus preached for 40 days (Acts 1:3) Jonah, understood [...]

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

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If God loves you, God forgives you, and God loves you indeed! God’s forgiveness is revealed in the matchless and unrepeatable sacrifice of the One who died for all sin. In Christ, you are eternally and unconditionally forgiven. Good news, no? It’s a liberating truth, yet many haven’t heard it. They’re bringing sacrifices of tears and confession and they are trying to earn what God has freely provided. Their efforts are all for naught. Grace cannot be purchased; it can only be received by faith. So thank the Lord for his forgiveness and live free. But what about… Whenever I tell people that God’s forgiveness is complete and unconditional, I invariably get hit with questions like these: What about the Sermon on the Mount? What about 1 John 1:9? What about James 5:15? What about 2 Peter 1:9? My answers to these questions can be found in the links above. But what about when Peter said this to Simon the Sorcerer: Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. (Act 8:22) May be forgiven. That doesn’t sound like unconditional forgiveness. It kind of sounds like [...]

The Eagles are Coming

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For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. (Matthew 24:28, NKJV) This is one of the strangest prophecies in scripture. It is also one of the most interesting. It is found in the middle of Christ’s warnings about the fall of Jerusalem. Jesus is basically saying there will be a dead body (the fallen city) and birds of prey will gather around it. But why eagles? Because that’s what the Romans carried on their aquila or ensigns, and it was the Romans who destroyed the city and burned the temple. But note that Jesus says eagles and not eagle. There’s more than one and this is particularly interesting once you understand the context of the temple’s history. When Herod built his temple he stuck a golden eagle on its gate, perhaps as a nod to Roman benevolence. It was a gorgeous sculpture, but the Pharisees didn’t like it one bit. “What blasphemy! Doesn’t Herod know we forbid the making of images?” The religious Jews loved the new temple but they hated the eagle, so a couple of scholars pulled it down. Herod was furious and had the two men burned alive. After that he let the [...]

Did God Hand Job Over to Satan? (Job 2:6)

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God good; Satan bad. That’s deep revelation, yet many don’t know it. They think a good God does bad things and that he sometimes employs the devil to do his dirty work. Take the subject of sickness, for instance. When we get sick it’s natural to ask, how did this happen? Did I catch a bug? Did I eat something bad? Is God punishing me for some sin? That last question is nuts, yet many think that’s how God operates. When sickness comes, they figure God sent it. Why am I sick? God must be trying to teach me something. Hallelujah. It’s absolutely bonkers. Jesus made nobody sick; he healed people, both good and bad. If you must blame someone for your afflictions, blame the devil (see Acts 10:38). “But didn’t God hand Job over to Satan? Didn’t God give Satan permission to afflict Job with sickness?” From where does this scandalous notion come? It comes from this scripture: “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.” The Lord said to [...]

What Are Heavenly Treasures?

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We know there are heavenly rewards, because Jesus says so, but what are they? Some say God is going to dispense treasure, mansions, and even cities to those who have proven faithful. “There had better be some reward for my hard work—a gold star at least—otherwise why I am working?” Others say there are no rewards at all. “Everything comes to us by grace alone, so there can be no rewards for effort.” I have problems with both views. My problem with the God-of-the-gold-stars is that he promotes a servant mentality when we are sons. And my problem with the idea that there are no rewards, is that it contradicts what Jesus said: Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matt 6:20, NKJV) The issue of heavenly treasures or eternal rewards is riddled with question marks. It’s a subject that has been abused by some (“Store up treasure by giving to my ministry”) and left in the too-hard basket by others. Grace-minded folk seem particularly allergic to any talk of earning rewards, and this is understandable. Grace and rewards don’t go together. Yet Jesus said [...]

The Myth of Exclusionism

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I know what you’re thinking. “Clear my diary because I’ve been waiting for someone to write about exclusionism. Finally!” No, you’re probably not thinking that at all. You’re thinking, “What’s exclusionism?” Exclusionism, in the context of grace, is a myth, a yeti. It’s a fake gospel. And apparently, I have been preaching it for years. Since I have been in the habit of warning people about the dangers of inclusionism, some have taken to calling me an exclusionist. At first, I had no idea what they were talking about. “Paul, I don’t know what you’re talking about. What are inclusionism and exclusionism?” They’re a pair of yetis. One is a counterfeit gospel; the other is a strawman. Inclusionism teaches that humanity was included in Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension. In other words, every one of us was “in Christ” when he went to the cross. Humanity, whether we believe it or not, is now seated in heavenly places in Christ. I find this hard to swallow, especially since the Apostle Paul spoke of people being in Christ before him (Romans 16:7). Inclusionism: Jesus carried all of humanity on the cross Exclusionism: Jesus carried some of humanity on the cross The [...]

Jesus for Jerusalem

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On the night he rose from the dead, Jesus instructed his disciples to preach a new message of unconditional forgiveness. Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:46–47, NKJV) The message of grace and forgiveness was for all nations, but it was particularly for the Jews. “Beginning at Jerusalem,” said Jesus, as though he knew there would be some who would deny grace to his killers. “God’s grace is for all, but those in Jerusalem get to hear about it first.” Then, before he ascended to heaven, he said it again. “Be my witnesses in Jerusalem …” (Acts 1:8b). There is a reason why Jerusalem is considered the birthplace of Christianity and it is not just because Christ died there. By the Lord’s command Jerusalem was the first place evangelized with the gospel. By the Holy Spirit’s direction, Jerusalem was the location of Pentecost. And by the apostles’ obedience, Jerusalem was the birthplace of the church. Jesus did not wash his hands of Jerusalem. [...]

Free Book for Subscribers

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Escape to Reality is eight years old this week! To celebrate, I want to give you a free PDF copy of my latest book, AD70 and the End of the World: Finding Good News in Christ’s Prophecies and Parables of Judgment. This offer is limited to the first 1,000 subscribers, so get in quick. How to get your free book: 1. Got to the AD70 website 2. Click on PDF 3. Click “I want this” 4. Enter this offer code without any spaces: princeofpeace 5. After the price drops to $0, click “Get” Can’t find your download, check your spam folder? The price didn’t fall? This means the 1,000 free copies have been snapped up. Enjoy your new book! My deepest thanks to my patrons, whose generosity makes these giveaways possible. Patrons also get the inside track when it comes to promotions and fun giveaways like this. And thanks to you, dear reader, for sharing the journey. Grace and peace, Paul

Can You Lose Your Salvation?

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Can you lose your salvation and become unsaved? When I first began writing about the gospel of grace this was a subject few people spoke about. It was too contentious, too uncertain, too hard. So one summer I set out to read every single scripture on the subject. Turns out there are about 300. About half of them say you can’t lose your salvation, while the other half seem to suggest you can. At first glance, these two groups of scriptures seemed to be in conflict with one another. One group was full of God’s unconditional promises; the other was full of conditional statements. But when I read these scriptures through Jesus-glasses, I found not one scripture that said you can lose your salvation. Although there are bad consequences to straying or falling from grace, having your Father unchild you is not one of them. (If this is news to you, I recommend reading this list of the top 12 promises regarding your eternal security. You will be encouraged!) Can you lose your salvation? No. Not a chance. God’s Word is crystal clear. So why do people worry that they can? They worry because they don’t know what makes the [...]

What about those who cry “Lord, Lord?”

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On four occasions, Jesus spoke about people who would cry out “Lord, Lord” yet not be received into his kingdom. Who are these people and what have they done, or not done, to find themselves on the wrong side of Christ? First, note that Jesus is NOT talking about believers. Whenever Jesus used the phrase “Lord, lord,” he was talking about people who don’t know him: In Matthew 7:21 and 22, “Lord, Lord” is the plea of the self-righteous who brag about all they’ve done for the Lord only to find their works count for nothing. In Matthew 25:11, “Lord, Lord” is the cry of the foolish and locked out virgins. In Luke 6:46, “Lord, Lord” is said by those who have not built on the solid foundation. In Luke 13:25, “Lord, Lord” is uttered by those who refuse to enter the narrow door. What do these Lord-Lord folk have in common? Jesus doesn’t know them. They may claim to prophesy and cast out demons, but Jesus calls them evildoers. They may be busy “working for the Lord” but it’s all dead works because they haven’t done the one thing that matters. They have not received from the abundance of [...]

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