The Art Of Grace

If you belong to a religious tradition that mixes grace and law, or faith and works, you’ll probably lack assurance of your salvation. After all, if salvation depends on what you do, and you know that you’re undependable, you’ll never be sure that you’ve done what it takes to be saved. You might hope to […]

One of the most persistent sins in the Old Testament was grumbling and complaining against God. And if you consume the news at all, you’ll see the same grumbling in most headlines about all aspects of life. If that’s the world’s attitude, what kind of words should come out of a Christian’s mouth? Life can […]

Here's a proven method for discerning the will of God for specific decisions and situations.

Do you practice ageism in discipleship?

Each of Jesus' seven last words speak to an existential need that we all have...

Do you believe that Jesus can save you from the power of sin now? You should! Consider what John told his spiritual children...

What did Jesus teach about worrying about finances and trusting God to provide?

Christians should give according to what they have purposed in their hearts. But what are some heart issues when it comes to money and giving?

Christians are under grace, not law. What grace-based principles can guide Christian giving?

Popular teaching about tithing assumes that Christians are under the Law. Is that true?

Everyone has heard that Christians should tithe. But is that really Biblical? What if what popularly passes for tithing is really a myth?

Sometimes God chooses to save us through the skin of our teeth!

Find out the how, who, when, and why of baptism!

How much forgiveness do you want from God? How much would you show to others? Why should you forgive?

God allows us to be overwhelmed to the point of death so we will learn to trust in Him who raises the dead.

Christmas means God became man—an act of divine love and grace that reveals His deep involvement in our world, bringing hope and redemption to humanity.

We would rather ignore suffering than do something about it. How can Christians be motivated to be compassionate?

Does the Eastern Orthodox church teach salvation by works? This quote makes the answer clear...

Did God create Satan? Is He unable to destroy the devil?

Is grace a license to sin? That is one of the most common objections to Free Grace theology and to the grace message in particular. People are afraid that if you teach that salvation really is by grace, through faith in Christ, and given as a gift totally apart from your behavior, that will encourage […]

Reece (10 years old) asks: “If something can’t come from nothing, where did God come from?” Answer: Great question, Reece. That’s also an age-old question. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle asked it. And so have most of the great teachers in Christianity. Let me give you two different kinds of answers. First, there’s the answer […]

One of the mistakes that Free Grace people can make in discipleship is to lose sight of how eternal rewards are also a matter of grace. In one of the most crucial passages on rewards in the New Testament (i.e., 1 Cor 3:5-8), Paul has something to say about whether we really “earn” our rewards: […]

The gospel is so very simple. The Son of God became a man, died on the cross for your sins, and rose again from the dead three days later so that He could offer us salvation by grace through faith in Jesus, totally apart from our works. Faith is merely the instrument through which we […]

Tucker Carlson recently said, “I should say at the outset, I’m an Episcopalian, so don’t take any theological advice from me because I don’t have any. I grew up in the shallowest faith tradition that’s ever been invented. It’s not even a Christian religion at this point, I say with shame.” That’s a sad evaluation […]

In January, we adopted a calico kitten that we named Beans. She was intelligent and affectionate. I called her my “theology kitty” because she’d sleep in my lap or among the piles of books in my library as I studied and wrote. She was a delightful addition to the household. Then last week, while the […]

Not everyone’s brains are wired the same. We consider some behaviors “normal” and other behaviors “atypical.” I’m thinking about things such as paying attention, reasoning, problem-solving, emotional control, comprehending texts, interpreting social cues, and sensitivity to sound and touch. Over the decades, we’ve learned more about the natural range of human behaviors and neurology. In […]

One of the hardest things about parenting is getting my kids to pay attention. Getting them to remember instructions has been very challenging. I know they’re capable of it. They have amazing memories…when they want to! They can remember, down to the penny, how much money I owe them for doing chores. Or they can […]

Are you still hopeful about the Christian life or are you just about ready to give up? Have you been burned out for so long that you’re not sure how much longer you can go on? You can get so beat down by sin that you don’t know what’s possible for Christ to do for […]

Have you made your New Years’ resolutions? What are you planning? Will you go to the gym regularly? Cut out carbs? Buckle down on learning that new language? Save more money? Drink more water and less alcohol? Read the Bible in a year? Do you know what those resolutions are? Laws. They’re little-“l” laws you […]

As my kids get older, it’s satisfying to see them do more and more on their own. Today, Daphne spent five hours working on a horse ranch. She won’t be paid any money; she’s earning riding lessons. At breakfast, Abby was teaching Scout how to make oatmeal. She already knows how to make the instant […]

All Christians are designed to be fruitful. Jesus compared us to branches on a vine, and in John 15:1-5, He presented four possibilities of fruitfulness: you can bear no fruit, some fruit, more fruit, or much fruit (see here). However, it is worth pointing out that you can take two very different approaches to the […]

I’m growing a Meyer lemon tree in a container in my kitchen. It’s inside the house because they’ll die in the cold, so it’ll stay in my kitchen until spring. I grew it from seed. It’s now a seedling with leaves, and I hope that, in a few years, it will start to flower and […]

Christians are not under a legalistic obligation to give money to support other Christians. You should never feel condemned for not giving. And you certainly should never think that your salvation depends upon it. Everlasting life is free (Rom 6:23). God loved you while you were still a sinner (Rom 5:8), so His love for […]

Has a preacher ever accused you of robbing God because you don’t tithe, or threatened you with a curse if you didn’t donate to your church or to another ministry? Christendom is filled with messages of fear and condemnation about giving that are designed to get you to open up your wallet. And these threats […]

People often confuse the doctrine of eternal security with the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. But the two are entirely different things and operate according to different principles. Free Grace people believe in eternal security, popularly called Once Saved, Always Saved (or OSAS for short), while Calvinists believe in the perseverance of the […]

Does your mind get stressed with thoughts and speculations about the future? Are you constantly thinking about tomorrow—about dreams, plans, and visions? Are you always thinking about what other people think about you? God gave you a mind, so you can’t help but think. The question is what should you be preoccupied with? Well, what […]

Is tithing Biblical? We’re exploring what giving looks like under grace. Some people point to Abraham as an example of tithing. Isn’t that what he did before the Mosaic Law was given? And doesn’t the New Testament also show that Abraham practiced tithing, indicating that’s our model under grace? Although some people claim that Abraham […]

What should the Free Grace attitude be towards tithing? Doing ministry takes money. And if you’ve spent any time in Evangelical circles, you’ll have heard about tithing. There’s a widespread expectation that God calls Christians to give 10% of their income to the Church. We’re told that’s what God’s people did in the Old Testament […]

One of my very favorite theologians is Watchman Nee, the great Chinese evangelist, preacher, and martyr. He was one of the very first Christians I ever read. What did Nee believe about the doctrine of once saved, always saved? Not everyone believes that salvation is eternally secure, but they should. Nee believed it was. He […]

Jesus called Satan a liar and the father of lies. Lying is a major part of how Satan attacks you. But have you ever wondered why lying is so important to Satan’s schemes? Here's a very common-sensical reason. When Satan went to Eve, he attacked her through her mind. He led her to question God’s […]

Christians are called to love their neighbors (Mark 12:31). Of course, that also applies to your spouse (Col 3:19; Titus 2:4). Did you realize your wife or husband is your closest neighbor? But loving your neighbor is a broad command—it tells you to do good without telling you what good you should do. So how […]

Are you active in Christian service? According to one survey, 43% of evangelicals are considered “highly active” in their local churches, while only 16% of Catholics are (see here). It seems that most evangelicals are not serving as much as they should. But what is your motivation for service? And how does having the wrong […]

Question: If believers are eternally secure, why did Jesus say, “He who endures to the end will be saved”? Doesn’t that show you need to keep believing and doing good work to the end of your life to go to heaven when you die? Answer: Whenever the Bible speaks about salvation, you must find out […]

God answers every prayer. Sometimes it’s with a “Yes,” but often His answer is “No!” You might think getting a “No” is disappointing. But you should be happy about it. Why are you disappointed when God says “No” to your prayers? Is it because you’re so invested in your plans that you can’t stand to […]

Giving to support the work of spreading the gospel and preaching God’s Word is a practical act of discipleship and an exercise of faith. But where should you give, and to whom should you give? Unlike giving under the Old Covenant, which had very specific rules, percentages, and timelines, New Testament giving is much freer, […]

Why does God want you to give money to support the work of spreading the gospel? You might think the answer is obvious—isn’t it because God needs your money to get the job done? And yet, as soon as you put the matter that way, you know that’s the wrong answer. God created the universe […]

Grace and work don’t mix. You’re either saved by one or the other but never by a mixture of both. But even though grace excludes works as a basis of salvation, does that mean Free Grace theology is against godly living? Religious people find it very hard to believe that God relates to you based […]

One of the hardest things about communicating the grace message to religious people is getting them to see they’re not believing in Jesus for what He promised. That can be hard because they often do believe in Jesus for something—but for something less than what He is. Do you know what supplemental health insurance is? […]

A “hostile takeover” refers to “the acquisition of one company by another corporation against the wishes of the former.” If the Christian life is a kind of takeover, is it hostile? Jesus is Lord and wants to exercise that Lordship over your entire life—over your every thought, word, and deed. However, making Jesus “Lord of […]

In Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis used the term “deeper magic” as a metaphor for the gospel. He didn’t explicitly put in a Christian sermon, but the concepts still rang out clearly in the story. Likewise, if you listen carefully to culture, you’ll hear echoes of gospel themes—echoes of that “deeper magic”—present in secular […]