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GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION

Is the Grace Bible the New Covenant Study Bible You’ve Been Waiting For?

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The “check engine” light had been showing on my dashboard, so last week I took my car in to get checked by the mechanic. Turns out my car has been running lean. Too much air and not enough gas was being injected into the engine.

I didn’t think that was a problem. Air’s a good thing, right? I’m saving the environment by burning less gas.

Apparently it’s not good at all. “You gotta get the balance right,” said the mechanic.

That got me thinking about what might happen if Christians had check engine lights. The light comes on, you run a test, and learn that you’ve been ingesting too much law.

“But the law is good, right? The law keeps me on the straight and narrow. It keeps me from licentiousness.”

Nothing could be further from the truth.

A little law poisons the whole well

When Paul said “You are under grace not law,” he meant “You are designed to run on grace alone.” You are not supposed to ingest any amount of law. Even a little law will lead to friction, seize your engine, and leave you broken down beside the road.

Sadly, we ingest law all the time. Like micro plastics, the law is everywhere. Even if you’re careful about what you consume, you’re probably still getting a little law.

What we need are warnings and nutrition labels. Imagine if pastors gave warnings before sermons or churches had signs. “May contain traces of law,” or “May lead to improper mixture.”

I say this because in a recent study of popular Bible commentaries, I found not one commentary that was free from law. Every commentary I surveyed preached either a lot of law or a little law. None of them was 100 percent grace-based.

This is a troubling state of affairs. If Christian scholars and theologians aren’t getting the law-grace mixture right, what hope is there for the rest of us?

As a recovering mixaholic who used to preach grace and law, I am sensitive to this problem. I know first-hand the dangers of imbibing a little law. This is why I have been writing a new study Bible called The Grace Bible.

What is the Grace Bible?

The Grace Bible is the study Bible that is guaranteed free from mixture. It contains no guilt or condemnation, and it’s packed full of notes that are 100 percent grace based.

The Grace Bible is for people asking questions like:

  • How do I make sense of the Bible?
  • How do I read this scripture through a new covenant lens?
  • How do I reconcile apparently contradictory verses?
  • How do I explain “tricky” scriptures?”
  • How do I grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus?

Is the Grace Bible the new covenant study Bible you’ve been waiting for? It is if you are done mixing law with grace.

If you want grace and nothing but grace, you will find it in the Grace Bible. It is solid, new covenant theology that will strengthen your faith and refresh your heart.

I wrote the Grace Bible for ordinary people. Many commentaries and study Bibles use big words and jargon, but anyone with a sixth-grade education can read the Grace Bible. In it you will discover the treasures of grace found on every page of the Bible.

I have been releasing the Grace Bible in a series. So far, four installments have been released. The fifth installment – Ephesians – comes out in two weeks. (You can pre-order the Kindle version now.)

The Grace Bible has been endorsed by leaders from many countries and denominations, and you can download sample chapters from the Grace Bible website.

The Grace Bible might just be the new covenant study Bible you have been waiting for.

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Blessed With Every Blessing

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Back in the 1980s, I smuggled Bibles into China. I can remember the tears of joy that Chinese believers shed had when they received their first Bibles. Until they got a Bible, Chinese believers mostly relied on copied bits of scripture.

Many of us take the Bible for granted. We don’t really read it. We skim our favorite bits and ignore the rest. If a scripture seems tricky or the language is archaic, we just skip ahead to something we understand.

Which is a shame, because Paul did not say “Parts of scripture are useful for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). We need all of it.

Imagine you lived someplace where there were no Bibles. If you only had access to one book of the Bible, which would you pick? For me it would be a choice between the Gospel of John and the Epistle to the Ephesians. Or Romans. And Psalms. I can’t choose.

But for the sake of argument, let’s say I picked Ephesians. Why Ephesians? Ephesians has been called the crown of Paul’s writings. It is an epistle full of pictures of a great God who has poured out his grace and favor upon us.

I feel qualified to say this because I have just finished writing a verse-by-verse commentary for the entire letter. While writing The Grace Bible: Ephesians, I was often amazed at how much treasure was contained in even the smallest verses. Consider this example:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, (Eph. 2:3)

Let’s take a minute to look at these words closely.

“God and Father.” Everything Paul says in his breath-taking letter begins with a revelation of our God and Father and what he has done for us. God blessed us (Eph. 1:3); God chose us before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4); God predestined us to be his sons (Eph. 1:5); God redeemed us from captivity and forgave all our sins (Eph. 1:7).

Ephesians is not about what you must do for God, but what God has done for you, and what you can do because of what he has done. Because he has redeemed you, you can live free. Because he has blessed you, you can bless others. Because he has revealed his eternal plan, you can live with purpose.

“Blessed.” There are three blessed words in this verse: blessed be (eulogetos) means God is praiseworthy; blessed us (eulogeo) means God speaks words of favor and prospers us; and blessing (eulogia) means bountiful favor. We bless God because he has blessed or favored us with every kind of spiritual blessing. We praise him because he is an awesome God who has done awesome things.

“Has blessed us.” God has abundantly provided everything we need for life and godliness (Php. 4:19, 2 Pet. 1:3). He has blessed us with forgiveness (Eph. 1:7), salvation (Eph. 1:13), the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13), and an inheritance (Eph. 1:11). He has adopted us (Eph. 1:5), empowered us (Eph. 1:19), and built us into his holy habitation (Eph. 2:22).

We don’t need to beg and pound the gates of heaven to convince God to bless us. Our part is to acknowledge every good thing that is already ours in Christ Jesus (Phm. 1:6). Our part is to receive by faith that which God has already provided.

“Spiritual blessing.” The blessings of God originate in the heavenly or spiritual realm which means they are unmarred by this fallen world. God’s blessings are heavenly remedies for worldly woes. The blessings of God are not earned through service to the Lord or works of charity or by making donations. They are given to us freely by grace and received by faith.

“Heavenly places.” The spiritual realm is the geography of angels and demons. This realm includes the heavenly kingdom, where Christ sits enthroned (Acts 7:55, Eph. 2:6). It also includes the broader heavenly realm, where spiritual warfare takes place (Eph. 3:10, 6:12). “Heavenly places” should not be confused with the natural heavens or the starry sky. The spiritual realm is just as real as the physical realm, but the two realms are distinct.

“In Christ.” All of God’s blessings are received and experienced through our spiritual union with the Lord. “In union with Christ you have become rich in all things” (1 Cor. 1:5, GNB).

The word union does not appear in many English Bibles, but our union, or fellowship, with the Lord is mentioned hundreds of times in scripture. It is found in phrases like, “God with us,” “Christ in you,” “in Christ,” “with Christ,” “with him,” and “in him.” Like a branch on a vine, the believer is one with the Lord (John 15:5). “You are in me and I am in you” (John 14:20). Our union with the Lord is intimate, unbreakable, and the means by which we experience the abundant life that flows from the fullness of his love.

Selah.

I have just given you six entries or insights into part of one small verse. In my new book, there are nearly 700 entries covering every verse and phrase in Ephesians. The Grace Bible: Ephesians comes out at the end of August, but advance review copies are available now on Patreon and on the E2R Supporters’ page.

Blessed With Every Blessing

by

Back in the 1980s, I smuggled Bibles into China. I can remember the tears of joy that Chinese believers shed had when they received their first Bibles. Until they got a Bible, Chinese believers mostly relied on copied bits of scripture.

Many of us take the Bible for granted. We don’t really read it. We skim our favorite bits and ignore the rest. If a scripture seems tricky or the language is archaic, we just skip ahead to something we understand.

Which is a shame, because Paul did not say “Parts of scripture are useful for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). We need all of it.

Imagine you lived someplace where there were no Bibles. If you only had access to one book of the Bible, which would you pick? For me it would be a choice between the Gospel of John and the Epistle to the Ephesians. Or Romans. And Psalms. I can’t choose.

But for the sake of argument, let’s say I picked Ephesians. Why Ephesians? Ephesians has been called the crown of Paul’s writings. It is an epistle full of pictures of a great God who has poured out his grace and favor upon us.

I feel qualified to say this because I have just finished writing a verse-by-verse commentary for the entire letter. While writing The Grace Bible: Ephesians, I was often amazed at how much treasure was contained in even the smallest verses. Consider this example:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, (Eph. 2:3)

Let’s take a minute to look at these words closely.

“God and Father.” Everything Paul says in his breath-taking letter begins with a revelation of our God and Father and what he has done for us. God blessed us (Eph. 1:3); God chose us before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4); God predestined us to be his sons (Eph. 1:5); God redeemed us from captivity and forgave all our sins (Eph. 1:7).

Ephesians is not about what you must do for God, but what God has done for you, and what you can do because of what he has done. Because he has redeemed you, you can live free. Because he has blessed you, you can bless others. Because he has revealed his eternal plan, you can live with purpose.

“Blessed.” There are three blessed words in this verse: blessed be (eulogetos) means God is praiseworthy; blessed us (eulogeo) means God speaks words of favor and prospers us; and blessing (eulogia) means bountiful favor. We bless God because he has blessed or favored us with every kind of spiritual blessing. We praise him because he is an awesome God who has done awesome things.

“Has blessed us.” God has abundantly provided everything we need for life and godliness (Php. 4:19, 2 Pet. 1:3). He has blessed us with forgiveness (Eph. 1:7), salvation (Eph. 1:13), the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13), and an inheritance (Eph. 1:11). He has adopted us (Eph. 1:5), empowered us (Eph. 1:19), and built us into his holy habitation (Eph. 2:22).

We don’t need to beg and pound the gates of heaven to convince God to bless us. Our part is to acknowledge every good thing that is already ours in Christ Jesus (Phm. 1:6). Our part is to receive by faith that which God has already provided.

“Spiritual blessing.” The blessings of God originate in the heavenly or spiritual realm which means they are unmarred by this fallen world. God’s blessings are heavenly remedies for worldly woes. The blessings of God are not earned through service to the Lord or works of charity or by making donations. They are given to us freely by grace and received by faith.

“Heavenly places.” The spiritual realm is the geography of angels and demons. This realm includes the heavenly kingdom, where Christ sits enthroned (Acts 7:55, Eph. 2:6). It also includes the broader heavenly realm, where spiritual warfare takes place (Eph. 3:10, 6:12). “Heavenly places” should not be confused with the natural heavens or the starry sky. The spiritual realm is just as real as the physical realm, but the two realms are distinct.

“In Christ.” All of God’s blessings are received and experienced through our spiritual union with the Lord. “In union with Christ you have become rich in all things” (1 Cor. 1:5, GNB).

The word union does not appear in many English Bibles, but our union, or fellowship, with the Lord is mentioned hundreds of times in scripture. It is found in phrases like, “God with us,” “Christ in you,” “in Christ,” “with Christ,” “with him,” and “in him.” Like a branch on a vine, the believer is one with the Lord (John 15:5). “You are in me and I am in you” (John 14:20). Our union with the Lord is intimate, unbreakable, and the means by which we experience the abundant life that flows from the fullness of his love.

Selah.

I have just given you six entries or insights into part of one small verse. In my new book, there are nearly 700 entries covering every verse and phrase in Ephesians. The Grace Bible: Ephesians comes out at the end of August, but advance review copies are available now on Patreon and on the E2R Supporters’ page.

7 Reasons Why You Can’t Lose Your Salvation

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If you are worried about losing your salvation, here’s a question: When you were born again, did you do it? Did you remake or re-create yourself? Did you somehow join yourself in spiritual union with the Lord?

You did none of those things.

You were born again, saved, sanctified, and put in Christ by the Holy Spirit (see John 3:5–6, Gal. 3:3, 2 Th. 2:13). God did it all.

Once upon a time, you were dead in your transgressions…

…but God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us … made us alive together with Christ … and raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4–6)

Do you see? Since you cannot save yourself, you cannot un-save yourself.

Yet some still worry.

“God would not have saved me without my permission. If I change my mind, I could lose my salvation.”

Not a chance. Just as a little baby cannot be unborn, no one can undo what God has wrought.

“But if I break the commands, fail the test, become reprobate…”

Wrong covenant. The old covenant hinged on you and your performance, but the new covenant rests on Christ. You are not standing on your brittle promises to him but on his solid promises to you.

The unbreakable promises of God

Many Christians are worried that they might stumble and fall out of the kingdom. Perhaps this is something that concerns you. If so, let me put your mind at rest.

If I could show you one promise from the Lord that guaranteed your eternal security, would you quit fretting? Here we go:

He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. (1 Corinthians 1:8-9)

If you are worried about losing your salvation, frame this verse. Let it remind you that your salvation is not about your faithfulness but his.

Who called you into fellowship with Christ? God!

Who will keep you strong to the end so that you will be blameless on that Day? God!

Who is faithful? God!

And don’t forget that these good promises were addressed to those Corinthians “reprobates”!

In the New Testament there 130+ promises guaranteeing your eternal security. Each one is a comfort. I encourage you to write them on your heart and take them to the bank because they are gold. But I will give you just seven.

7 promises about your eternal security

For a Christian to lose their salvation and be expelled from the kingdom…

  1. God would have to forsake us, when he said he wouldn’t (Heb. 13:5)
  2. God would have to cast us out, when he said he wouldn’t (John 6:37)
  3. God would have to condemn us, when he said he wouldn’t (Rom. 8:1, 34)
  4. God would have to withdraw his Spirit, when he said he wouldn’t (John 14:16-17)
  5. God would have to remember our sins, when he said he wouldn’t (Jer. 31:34, Heb. 10:17)
  6. God would have to forget that we are his children, when he said he wouldn’t (Is. 49:15)
  7. God would have to blot our names out of the book of life, when he said he wouldn’t (Rev. 3:5)

Good news, no?

“But what about those scriptures that say we have to hold fast, continue, and endure to the end?”

Read those scriptures through the lens of the new covenant and you will find they all say the same thing – we are saved and kept by grace.

“But I need to overcome, obey, avoid sin, be holy, and persevere.”

Whatever need you may have, God will supply according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:19).

Can you imagine a three-year-old child who lies awake at night worrying about buying groceries or paying the bills or getting a mortgage? These are legitimate concerns, but they are not the concerns of a child.

It’s the same with you. Your heavenly Father does not want you to lose one minute’s sleep over your salvation. “Do not worry.” You can be confident that he who “began a good work in you will carry it on to completion” (Php 1:6).

Saint, you are one with the Lord. His future is your future. Since Jesus isn’t going to lose his place at the right hand of God, it can’t happen to you. You may fall asleep on the job, but the one who watches over you never slumbers (Ps. 121:3–4).

God’s got you and he will keep you safe and secure.

Be confident. Be secure. Be at peace.

—

Jesus told us to store up treasures in heaven and most of us have no idea what he was talking about. But to a Jewish listener, his meaning would have been perfectly obvious.

Learn the context behind Christ’s words – and learn how to store up treasure where moth and rust can’t touch it – in my Patreon-only study note “How to store up heavenly treasures.”

7 Reasons Why You Can’t Lose Your Salvation

by

If you are worried about losing your salvation, here’s a question: When you were born again, did you do it? Did you remake or re-create yourself? Did you somehow join yourself in spiritual union with the Lord?

You did none of those things.

You were born again, saved, sanctified, and put in Christ by the Holy Spirit (see John 3:5–6, Gal. 3:3, 2 Th. 2:13). God did it all.

Once upon a time, you were dead in your transgressions…

…but God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us … made us alive together with Christ … and raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4–6)

Do you see? Since you cannot save yourself, you cannot un-save yourself.

Yet some still worry.

“God would not have saved me without my permission. If I change my mind, I could lose my salvation.”

Not a chance. Just as a little baby cannot be unborn, no one can undo what God has wrought.

“But if I break the commands, fail the test, become reprobate…”

Wrong covenant. The old covenant hinged on you and your performance, but the new covenant rests on Christ. You are not standing on your brittle promises to him but on his solid promises to you.

The unbreakable promises of God

Many Christians are worried that they might stumble and fall out of the kingdom. Perhaps this is something that concerns you. If so, let me put your mind at rest.

If I could show you one promise from the Lord that guaranteed your eternal security, would you quit fretting? Here we go:

He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. (1 Corinthians 1:8-9)

If you are worried about losing your salvation, frame this verse. Let it remind you that your salvation is not about your faithfulness but his.

Who called you into fellowship with Christ? God!

Who will keep you strong to the end so that you will be blameless on that Day? God!

Who is faithful? God!

And don’t forget that these good promises were addressed to those Corinthians “reprobates”!

In the New Testament there 130+ promises guaranteeing your eternal security. Each one is a comfort. I encourage you to write them on your heart and take them to the bank because they are gold. But I will give you just seven.

7 promises about your eternal security

For a Christian to lose their salvation and be expelled from the kingdom…

  1. God would have to forsake us, when he said he wouldn’t (Heb. 13:5)
  2. God would have to cast us out, when he said he wouldn’t (John 6:37)
  3. God would have to condemn us, when he said he wouldn’t (Rom. 8:1, 34)
  4. God would have to withdraw his Spirit, when he said he wouldn’t (John 14:16-17)
  5. God would have to remember our sins, when he said he wouldn’t (Jer. 31:34, Heb. 10:17)
  6. God would have to forget that we are his children, when he said he wouldn’t (Is. 49:15)
  7. God would have to blot our names out of the book of life, when he said he wouldn’t (Rev. 3:5)

Good news, no?

“But what about those scriptures that say we have to hold fast, continue, and endure to the end?”

Read those scriptures through the lens of the new covenant and you will find they all say the same thing – we are saved and kept by grace.

“But I need to overcome, obey, avoid sin, be holy, and persevere.”

Whatever need you may have, God will supply according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:19).

Can you imagine a three-year-old child who lies awake at night worrying about buying groceries or paying the bills or getting a mortgage? These are legitimate concerns, but they are not the concerns of a child.

It’s the same with you. Your heavenly Father does not want you to lose one minute’s sleep over your salvation. “Do not worry.” You can be confident that he who “began a good work in you will carry it on to completion” (Php 1:6).

Saint, you are one with the Lord. His future is your future. Since Jesus isn’t going to lose his place at the right hand of God, it can’t happen to you. You may fall asleep on the job, but the one who watches over you never slumbers (Ps. 121:3–4).

God’s got you and he will keep you safe and secure.

Be confident. Be secure. Be at peace.

—

Jesus told us to store up treasures in heaven and most of us have no idea what he was talking about. But to a Jewish listener, his meaning would have been perfectly obvious.

Learn the context behind Christ’s words – and learn how to store up treasure where moth and rust can’t touch it – in my Patreon-only study note “How to store up heavenly treasures.”

Kept in Custody Under the Law

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When you see the law mentioned in the Bible, what comes to mind? Perhaps you think “the law” = the Law of Moses.

If so, you may dismiss chunks of the New Testament as “not for me.” You might think, “The law was given to the Jews. I am not a Jew. This is not for me.”

And you would be mostly right. The law is not for you. We are under grace, not law. We died to the law, so that we might live for God.

But it would be a mistake to dismiss all those law passages as Jewish passages. Consider this verse:

But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. (Galatians 3:22–23)

This passage is not talking about Jews but everyone. Once upon a time, the human race was captive to sin and kept in custody under the law. In this context “the law” refers to the universal law of right and wrong, a.k.a. the knowledge of good and evil.

Law 1.0 – The Law of Right and Wrong

After Adam ate from the forbidden tree, he knew he had done wrong because he had acquired the knowledge of good and evil. He had a basic version of the law, as do we all. The law of right and wrong is hardwired into the heart of every human:

(The Gentiles) show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them. (Romans 2:15)

When Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, they described their actions using words like evil, sin, and transgression (Gen. 50:15–17). It was not the Law of Moses that condemned them – that came 400 years later – but the law of right and wrong.

The law written in the hearts of sinners gives the knowledge of good and evil. It silences every mouth and holds the whole world accountable to God (Rom. 3:19).

As a sinner, you knew when you had done wrong because your conscience condemned you through the law of right and wrong.

Law 2.0 – The Law of Moses

Then we come to the Law of Moses which refers to the commandments, ordinances, and ceremonial observances given to the nation of Israel (Jos. 8:31, John 1:17, 7:19).

The Law of Moses is a souped-up version of the universal law of right and wrong. It is the Law 2.0 in the sense that it draws lines and prescribes penalties for improper behavior.

Imagine a prison with two prison guards. The first guard is a timid fellow, but the second is a bully. Step out of line and the first guard might have a quiet word in your ear, but the second guard will bash you with his big stick.

This is what Paul is describing in Galatians 3. All of us were in a prison of sin and kept under the guardianship of the law. But the law guarding the Jews was a tougher law. They got the bully. This bully was a boon to the Jews because it made them long for a Deliverer.

Law 3.0 – The Sermon on the Mount

The Ten Commandments were ten blazing spotlights revealing the Jews’ captivity and highlighting their need for a Savior. But the religious leaders dimmed the lights by preaching a partial law. Without the merciless law constantly pounding them, the Jews began to get comfortable inside the prison.

Enter Jesus.

In the Sermon on the Mount the Lord elevated the law and made it magnificent.

You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery”; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27–28)

Jesus preached a law even stricter than the Law of Moses. He introduced the meanest prison guard of all. If Guard #2 beat you for committing adultery, Guard #3 clobbered you for just thinking about it.

Jesus preached the Law 3.0 to people living under Law 2.0 so that all of us, even those living under Law 1.0, would realize our need for salvation.

What is the custody of the law?

The law – however you definite it – tells you that you are a lawbreaker or sinner in need of salvation. The law is not your friend; he is your jailer. He berates and condemns you without mercy, because that’s his job.

Therefore the law has become our guardian to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:24)

Who is this talking about? Everyone. All of us. Before faith came, we were all kept in custody under the law (see verse 22).

But that was then and this is now. Jesus has come and we don’t need any law any more. We don’t need Jewish law or church law. We who have come to Christ are no longer under the custody of the law (see Rom. 10:4).

So what value does the law have for the believer? It has no value at all. The law is for captives and in Christ we are free.

Thank God for the law that leads us to Christ, but thank him even more that in Christ we are no longer under the custody of the law.

—

Out today: The Grace Bible – Galatians

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The latest installment in the Grace Bible series has just been released. It’s called The Grace Bible: Galatians and you can get it on Amazon.

Why do we need another book on Galatians?

Like every pastor, I have preached on Galatians countless times. It’s the standard sermon on why we need to stay free from the law.

But here’s something odd.

While writing this book, I browsed numerous commentaries and found none that was free from mixture. Every one of them preached law, including those that claimed to be preaching grace!

It was bizarre. Every commentary on a book warning us about the dangers of law, preached law. The only difference was some preached a lot of law while others preached a little.

To the best of my knowledge, The Grace Bible: Galatians is the only 100% grace-based study Bible available. If you want a verse-by-verse study tool that is totally free from law, this is the book you need.

I already know the dangers of the law. Why should I read Galatians?

Galatians is about so much more than the fight to stay free. It’s about the new life we have in Christ and how to live it.

I thought I knew Galatians back-to-front. It wasn’t until I dived deep that I realized just how much treasure is in this book. With the Lord’s help, I found many nuggets I had never noticed before.

The Grace Bible: Galatians is available in several formats, including: compact paperback, easy-to-read hardcover, and Kindle.

Why not grab copies for your pastor, small group, friends and family.

Are the Gentiles Under the Law?

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Are the Gentiles under the law? Were the Gentiles ever under the law?

Your answers to these questions depend on how you define “the law.” My answers to these questions are “no, with a but” and “sort of, yes, it depends.”

I am fascinated by “the law” because the phrase means different things to different people. In my article, “What is the law in the Bible?” I identify no less than 12 types of law that are mentioned in scripture. These include the Royal Law, the Law of Christ, and the Law of Liberty.

Most of the time, “the law” refers to the Law of Moses, or the commandments, ordinances, punishments, and ceremonial observances given to the nation of Israel through Moses (Jos. 8:31, John 1:17). The Law of Moses is sometimes referred to as the law of commandments (Eph. 2:15), or the law of the Jews (Acts 25:8).

However, failing to distinguish different types of law can lead to confusion and conflict. Let me give you an example. If I say, “We are no longer under the law,” I can just about guarantee that I will get two responses.

First, I will hear from those who tell me that the law is a guide that helps us live holy lives. In other words, they prefer the law to the Holy Spirit and they would rather walk by flesh instead of faith.

I will also hear from those who say that the Gentiles (i.e., most of us) were never under the law to begin with, and this is both true and false. It’s true if you are referring to the Law of Moses, but false if you are referring to “the law” in general.

Why do we need to discuss the law?

I have been thinking about this lately because I have just finished writing The Grace Bible: Galatians. (The book comes out in a few weeks, thanks for asking.)

As we all know, Paul discusses “the law” a great deal in his letter to the Galatians. He warns us to stay free from the yoke of the law. Put yourself under law and you will no longer be walking in faith.

While writing my book, I learned that some people dismiss Galatians as an irrelevant Jewish document. (Nevermind that the Galatians were mostly Gentiles.) They hear Paul talking about the law and think, “I was never under the Law of Moses, so Galatians is not for me.”

Big mistake.

A line from the movie The Usual Suspects comes to mind:

The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist. And like that, poof. He’s gone.

If that’s the Devil’s greatest trick, his second greatest trick may be convincing us that we are in no danger of the law, and that all the warnings about it – including Galatians – can be dismissed as irrelevant old covenant stuff.

To see how dangerous this is, we need to define “the law” scripturally, and then see what Paul says about it in his famous letter.

Which law are we talking about?

“The law” refers to rules or regulations that define some standard of right living. When Paul refers to the law in Galatians, he is usually referring to the Law of Moses (e.g., Gal. 3:17), but not always (e.g., Gal. 6:2).

The Law of Moses was uniquely given to the Jews and fulfilled at the cross, but there is a broader law that applies to all of us – the law of right and wrong. This is the law we got when our ancestors ate from the forbidden tree.

After Adam sinned, he knew he had done wrong. How did he know? He had acquired the knowledge of good and evil. He had “the law,” as do we all.

In its widest sense, “the law” is a universal constraint that guides and sometimes condemns us through our consciences. Your particular brand of law is your personal moral code which might be based on the Ten Commandments, the teachings of Jesus, denominational traditions, your culture, or whatever your parents taught you.

To clarify, “the law” is universal, while the Law of Moses refers to a specific set of laws given to Israel. If the knowledge of good and evil is a kind of natural law stored in our consciences, then the written Law of Moses is the Law 2.0. It is a souped-up version of the law of right and wrong.

With this distinction in mind, let’s take a quick look at what Paul says in Galatians.

Two kinds of law

When Paul says “the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin” (Gal. 3:22), he means everyone. And when he says in the next verse, “Before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law” (Gal. 3:23), he still means everyone.

The verdict of Scripture is that everyone, whether Jew or Gentile, was captive to sin and held in bondage under the elemental things of the world (Gal. 3:22, 4:3). Our captivity was under the law, meaning the law acted like a custodian or jailer.

All of us knew right from wrong because of our innate knowledge of good and evil. This is the law hardwired into the heart of every person (Rom. 2:14–15). This law silences every mouth and holds the whole world accountable to God (Rom. 3:19).

To sum up:

  • You are not under the Law of Moses and you never were
  • Fallen humanity lives under the universal law of right and wrong
  • Many churches impose additional laws governing church attendance, giving, moral conduct, dress codes, hair length, dietary restrictions, spiritual disciplines, marital duties, women in ministry, listening to music, partaking of communion, confession, etc.

I hope you can see that “the law” is much more pervasive than we think. Every one of us was born with a moral code of one sort or another, and some religions (e.g., Judaism) and churches add their own laws on top.

So what does the Bible say about all this law?

“The law,” however you define it, is no substitute for the indwelling Spirit. The law has no place in the new creation. We are called to walk by faith which means we are not to rely on our works of law.

Why we need Galatians

In his amazing letter, Paul makes seven great claims about the law:

  • The law cannot make you righteous (Gal. 3:11)
  • The law cannot impart life (Gal. 3:21)
  • The law reveals our captivity to sin and our need for a Savior (Gal. 3:19–24)
  • Now that Christ has come, we no longer need the law (Gal. 4:4–5)
  • As believers, we are dead to the law and free from its constraints (Gal. 2:19)
  • The law has no claim on those who are led by the spirit (Gal. 5:18)
  • When you rely on the Spirit of grace, you are truly free from the law (Gal. 5:23)

Galatians is a how-to book for the new creation. Not only does it warn us of the dangers of living under any sort of law, it teaches us how to walk in the new way of the spirit.

Believers who dismiss Galatians as “not for me,” are making a terrible mistake.

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The Parable of the Rich Man & Lazarus is an oft-misunderstood masterpiece. It is one of my favorite parables.

In this exchange with greedy Pharisees, Jesus is almost Shakespearean with his wit, wisdom, and warnings. My grace-based take on this amazing Parable is available now on Patreon.

Filed Under: law

What Does It Mean To Have Our Ears Tickled?

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When I visit church websites one of the first things I look at is their sermon index. I want to see what is being preached. Do they preach the good news of Jesus? Or do they preach something else.

I’m not trying to be the Church Policeman, but we have been called to preach the good news (Mark 16:15). It’s what the world most needs to hear, and if Christians don’t share it, who will?

You can preach the good news a thousand different ways. You can preach it from any book in the Bible and you can illustrate it using everything from Shakespeare to Star Wars. There’s no limit to how you can convey the good news of Jesus.

You don’t even have to use words.

Yet it seems that many are preaching something other than the good news of Jesus. Which brings me to passage:

Preach the word… For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:2–4)

What does it mean to preach “the word”? What qualifies as “sound doctrine”? And what does it mean to have our ears tickled?

Preach the word

To preach, in this context, means to herald or speak on behalf of another. It’s speaking the word of God as ambassadors of God, as though God was speaking through us (2 Cor. 5:20, 1 Pet. 4:11).

To preach the word is to proclaim Jesus, the Living Word. Preach the word does not mean teach Bible literacy. Although knowing the Bible is important, the Bible means little if it doesn’t reveal the Author.

Jesus is the Living Word who gives meaning to the written word.

When we “preach the word” or “the truth” or “sound doctrine,” we are telling people about Jesus Christ – who he is, why he came, and what he reveals about the character of God.

Sound doctrine is the message that Jesus is Lord of all. There is no sin, harm, or problem that lies outside his purview.

Whatever your need, Jesus is your Supply. Whatever your hurt, Jesus is your Healing. The grace of God that we all need, comes to us through a revelation of his Son.

This is what we are called to preach.

Wanting to have their ears tickled

The natural man has no interest in the things of God. The gospel of grace that is revealed in Jesus Christ sounds like foolishness to him (1 Cor. 2:14).

The natural man doesn’t want grace. He wants principles for living and keys to success. He wants to work his way up the ladder of self-improvement.

Paul exhorted Timothy to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 2:1), but the natural man relies on his own strength and understanding. He thinks that if he does the right things and makes the right decisions he’ll pull himself up by his bootstraps. He’ll impress God with his accomplishments and bless himself with his all-round goodness.

But that’s a myth for ticklish ears.

Our flesh has no interest in grace. Our flesh prefers teachers who tell it what it wants to hear. What does it mean to have our ears tickled? It means we’re listening to those who gratify the flesh instead of those who would point us to Jesus.

Itching ears

Since there are many kinds of flesh, there are many kinds of teachers. There are those who indulge:

  • political flesh: “We gotta get the right candidate elected”
  • vanity flesh: “You need to dress right, look good, and get a tan”
  • victim flesh: “Bad things will keep happening to you”
  • anxious flesh: “The world is going down”
  • performance flesh: “Make a name for yourself through success”
  • tribal flesh: “Our God is better than their god”
  • conspiracy flesh: “Powerful figures are pulling the strings”
  • savior flesh: “You can fix the world”
  • racist flesh: “They are not like us”
  • religious flesh: “Let me tell you how to earn divine favor”

Where are these ear-tickling teachers? They are on our social media feeds, our podcast playlists, and in the news. They are the stars of Netflix specials, bestseller lists and gossip pages. They are everywhere.

But one place these ear-ticklers ought not to be is behind the pulpit.

Preachers may talk about any subject that is relevant to their audience – social justice, welfare, racism, politics, art, language, NASCAR. But if their message ultimately does not proclaim Jesus, they are just another voice in the crowd. They have neglected their gift and missed their opportunity.

If you have found a preacher or teacher who preaches the word, in season and out, treasure them. They may well be the only person in your life who is giving you the life-giving grace of God.

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My new book, The Grace Bible: Galatians, goes on sale next month. It is the biggest and best installment in the Grace Bible series so far.

For those who can’t wait, advance copies are available now on Patreon and E2R’s supporters’ page.

God’s Plans Are Better Than Your Plans

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The story of my life: I made a plan and God laughed.

Because I am a pastor’s kid, many assumed I would become a pastor. “Not me. No way. No how.” Then I became a pastor.

Because I blog about grace, some said I should write a book. “Not going to happen.” It happened.

Because I love unpacking scripture, some suggested I make a Bible commentary. “Not a chance.” And now I’m writing a commentary.

It’s funny how life works out.

Despite my initial reluctance to do these things, I have learned that God’s plans are always better than my own. Truly, he knows us better than we know ourselves.

Take the Grace Commentary, for example. I have gone from, “no way am I doing this” to, “I can’t wait to see what happens next!”

I know the commentary is a God-thing because I regularly get messages like these:

Wow, just wow! Every entry in the Grace Commentary is a chain-breaker, a freedom-maker!

I am a youth pastor, so I am using the Grace Commentary weekly to help me write my lessons, especially for ‘sticky’ verses where I am struggling to see grace.

Our entire church uses the Grace Commentary.

God is using the commentary to get his message of grace to people everywhere. That’s really exciting. But it is also a huge challenge. It takes a team.

If you are excited about the Grace Commentary, why not join the supporters’ team today and become a partner in this project?

I spend one week a year on fundraising so this is the only email I’ll be sending to E2R subscribers. If you’re in, you’re in. It’s easy to sign up and you can cancel at any time.

Sign up for just $10/month by this Saturday June 1, 2024, and as a token of my gratitude I will send you an advance copy (pdf) of The Grace Bible: Galatians. This means you will see my next book long before it’s released.

You will also get instant access to my library of classic sermons, study notes, ebooks, parables, publishing tips, etc.

And if you can manage $25/month or more, I will add your name to our official supporters’ list. You’ll be famous! Sort of.

It is a privilege to share the gospel of grace with so many people around the world. If you are able to join the team, we’ll be thrilled to have you.

Thanks for reading.

Paul

Gems from Galatians

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Galatians is a small but precious epistle. It is full of treasures. It has 149 verses and in my forthcoming book, The Grace Bible: Galatians, I unpack every one of them.

Here’s a taste:

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me. (Galatians 2:20)

I have been crucified with Christ. My old self – the one that was concerned with rules and sin – died with Christ (Rom. 6:3). It is no more.

Many Christians are trying to crucify the flesh or their old self, but the good news declares, “You died.” This is just about the most important thing that happened to you, yet many Christians are ignorant of it. They do not know that when they were baptized, or placed into Jesus, his history became their history. His death and resurrection are your death and resurrection (Rom. 6:4). The old has gone and the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17).

It is no longer I who live. The self-serving person you once were no longer lives.

Once upon a time, Saul had been a zealous Pharisee intent on destroying the church. But when he met the Lord, that person died and a new person, Paul the beloved son of God, was born.

No longer. Paul repeats the “no longer” phrase to emphasize the change between the old and the new. Your old self no longer lives (Gal. 2:20). We are no longer under the guardianship of the law (Gal. 3:25). You are no longer a slave but a son (Gal. 4:7).

Christ lives in me. The Spirit of Christ dwells within the believer (John 14:17, 1 John 4:13).

Christianity is not a religion of rules and rituals. Christianity is Christ living in you. This is the beating heart of Paul’s message. Because Christ lives in you, you are holy and righteous. Because Christ lives in you, you can be free and fruitful. Christ is not just your Savior and Healer. Christ is your Life (Col. 3:4).

In the flesh. In this earthly body.

Faith in the Son of God. The primary call to action of Galatians is to live by faith in Jesus (Gal. 3:11). We receive the gospel by faith (Gal 3:2), we are justified by faith (Gal. 2:16), and we are adopted into the family of God by faith in Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:26). Real life comes from trusting the Lord.

The King James Version and other translations translate this verse as the “faith of the Son of God”. (The KJV also refers to “the faith of Jesus Christ in Galatians 2:16 and 3:22.) We who have been justified by the faith of Jesus Christ (Gal 2:16) now live by the faith of Jesus Christ (Gal. 2:20). If this was Paul’s meaning, we can say that we were justified and declared righteous because Jesus was faithful unto death, and we are empowered to live in Christ because he is, and will always remain, faithful.

Son of God. Jesus is the Christ (the anointed one; Gal. 1:1), and the Lord (supreme above all; Gal. 1:3), but ultimately, he is the Son of God. His relationship to God the Father defines him (and us; Gal. 3:26).

Who loved me. The love of God is revealed to us through his Son Jesus Christ (see entry for John 17:26).

Manmade religion portrays God as capricious. “Sometimes he loves you, sometimes he doesn’t.” But the gospel of grace declares God’s love for you is constant and shadowless (Ps. 136, Jas. 1:17).

Religion prostitutes the love of God by putting price tags on his affection. “You have to earn his favor.” But the gospel of grace declares that God loved you while you were a sinner and nothing can separate you from his love (Rom. 5:8, 8:38–39).

Religion demands that you impress God with the fervency of your love, but the gospel of grace inspires you to trust in your heavenly Father who loves you without limit (Eph. 3:17–19).

God’s love changes us. It turns sinners into saints, haters into lovers, church wreckers into church planters. Everything that is good about the good news—his forgiveness, acceptance, and righteousness—is good and true because your heavenly Father loves you. He always has and he always will. God never changes.

Gave himself up for me. The cross proves that God loves you unconditionally.

The sacrificial love of God is the heart of the good news (John 15:13, Eph. 5:2). God did not wait for us to repent or get cleaned up before he loved us. While we were in the filth of our sin and self-righteousness, he came and hugged us. God justifies the ungodly (Rom. 4:5).

God will never make you jump through hoops to earn his love. He won’t love you any more if you succeed and he won’t love you any less if you fail. If you lead millions to Christ or none at all, he will love you just the same. There is nothing you can do to make him love you more, and nothing you can do to make him love you less.

His love endures forever.

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If you liked that, you will love what I wrote for the other 148 verses! The Grace Bible: Galatians will be released in July, but in next week’s post, I’ll to tell you how you can get an advance copy a month before it goes on sale.

Leaders are readers. Click on the pic to find out what others are saying about the Grace Commentary:

Why Am I Not Spiritually Fruitful?

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Did you know you have been chosen by God to bear fruit? Jesus said:

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last… (John 15:16)

One way that we show that we are disciples of Christ is by bearing his fruit (see John 15:8). But how do we do that? How do we become spiritually fruitful? And why are some Christians unfruitful?

Fruitfulness is the product of intimacy. So the way to a fruitful life is knowing God in your daily life.

Easy to say, but what does that mean? How do we live the life that is ours in Christ?

In his second epistle, Peter shows us how:

We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you – your tickets to participation in the life of God… (2 Peter 1:4, MSG)

Other translations refer to the “magnificent and precious promises” of God that release his divine power into our lives. The indwelling Word of God imparts life and the spoken word of God – his magnificent and precious promises – imparts power.

What is our part in this? Our part is to receive the word. It is to trust and believe that what God has said is true and relevant in our circumstances. As God’s word takes root in your heart, you will bear his fruit and experience the blessings of heaven.

One thing that makes us unfruitful

Peter does a good job explaining the qualities we need to take advantage of God’s promises. But then he ends with this strange verse:

He who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. (2 Peter 1:9)

In other words, forgetting that we are forgiven renders us unfruitful.

“Why am I not spiritually fruitful?”

Perhaps it is because you do not know who you are in Christ. If you don’t know that you are a new creation, totally forgiven, righteous and holy, you will be barren. Instead of being forgiven, you waste your life trying to get forgiven.

This is why the gospel of grace begins with the declaration of God’s unconditional love and his total forgiveness of all sins – past, present and future. Before you can be fruitful, you need to believe you are completely and eternally forgiven.

“But why does Peter refer to former sins? That sounds like only some of my sins have been forgiven.”

He is talking about your former way of life when you were a sinner. “The old sinner you were has been crucified with Christ and no longer lives. You are a new creation, so act like it.”

This is not to suggest you will never sin, but you are not a sinner. You are a royal priest and a citizen of a holy nation (1 Pet. 2:9).

The number one reason why some are unfruitful

One more time for emphasis: The number one reason why some Christians are unfruitful is because they don’t know who they are in Christ.

Instead of abiding in the love of God, they are striving to earn his love.

Instead of resting in Christ’s finished work, they are working hard.

Instead of praising God for the gift of his righteousness, they are trying to make themselves righteous.

And since they are walking in the flesh, they remain barren and ineffectual. Indeed, Peter says they are spiritually blind and shortsighted.

The remedy is to REMEMBER you are forgiven, REFUTE any message that says otherwise, and REJOICE in the grace of God:

Happy are those whose wrongs are forgiven, whose sins are pardoned! Happy is the person whose sins the Lord will not keep account of! (Romans 4:7–8, GNB)

If you are an unfruitful branch, allow the Gardener to lift you out of the dirt so that you can bask in the sunshine of his love.

“No branch can bear fruit by itself” (John 15:4). We all need the Lord’s help when it comes to bearing his fruit.

Want to see more spiritual fruit in your life? Then get established in the love and grace of God. Once you are secure in your Father’s love, grab hold of those magnificent and precious promises and grow, baby grow!

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Just some of the awesome study notes you can find in Paul’s Library on Patreon:

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