Do you know how to stay free? We stay free by testing everything. We test the spirits to see whether they are from God (1 John 4:1). We test teachings to see if they align with scripture (see Acts 17:11). And we test our Bible commentaries to see if they fully proclaim the gospel of Christ. I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. (Romans 15:19b) In an earlier article I said that your pastor reads two books – a Bible and a Bible commentary. Many Christians have been profoundly influenced by the Bible, but few realize they have also been influenced by their pastor’s favorite commentary ..read more

List all the verses that scare people and this one would be near the top: “If we deny him, he will deny us” (2 Tim. 2:12). Having been raised on a diet of Chick Tracts, I used to worry that I might lack the courage to maintain my faith in the face of persecution. As an occasional Bible smuggler, I sometimes wondered what I might do to avoid a Chinese prison sentence. If someone held a gun to my head would I deny the Lord? And if I did, would he deny me? Would he kick me out of the kingdom? It’s a ridiculous question, when you think about it. No one thinks we can use guns to force people into ..read more

Recently I was listening to a podcast that said young men are becoming emasculated because they live life through a screen. They don’t take risks, they don’t leave home, and they definitely don’t ask girls out on dates. The remedy, apparently, is they need to be taught how to handle rejection. Learning to handle rejection is an important life skill. But there’s an easy way and a hard way to learn it. The hard way is to let life knock you down again and again until you either harden up or die trying. The easier way, is to lean into your Father’s acceptance. Because when you know who is for yo ..read more

As a young preacher preparing to preach, I needed to take care that I didn’t say anything stupid. For this reason, I would check my sermon notes against one or two of my favorite Bible commentaries. I considered these commentaries guard rails that kept me in line. I now realize they were also fetters keeping me shackled to dead works. Pastors read commentaries, sometimes late on a Saturday in a mild state of panic. Of course, you don’t have to be a pastor to read a commentary. Many believers use Bible commentaries and study Bibles for their own personal study, and why wouldn’t they? A Bible ..read more

Every Bible teaching, sermon or message you have ever heard has been one of three kinds: law-based, grace-based, or a mixture of grace and law. A law-based interpretation puts the emphasis on you and your works, while a grace-based interpretation puts the emphasis on Christ and his work. Law- and grace-based interpretations can be recognized by their different vocabularies. Keywords of law Words that often appear in law-based messages include; you must, you should, work, duty, debt, obligation, perform, produce, lack, service, strive, struggle, suffer, obey, sin, confess, convict, judgment ..read more

Are you familiar with Biblical covenants? Reading the Bible without understanding covenant is like going to a medicine cabinet when you are ill and swallowing whatever pills you find. You might get better, or you might get sick and die. All medicine is good, but not all medicine is good for you. In the Bible there are at least five covenants between God and man. But the two biggies are those by which we divide the scriptures, the Old and New Testaments, or the old and new covenants. (Pro tip; the old covenant does not begin in Genesis 1 and the new covenant does not begin in Matthew 1. The o ..read more

Imagine going through 12 years of school and never being taught how to read or write. Your teachers taught you maths, music and physical education, but they neglected to teach you the basics of reading and writing. That would be a serious oversight. You would leave school illiterate and ill-equipped for life. You wouldn’t be able to apply for jobs, complete a mortgage application, receive texts, read contracts, or check the labels on medicine bottles. Your life would be seriously impaired. In the same way, there are some who have been in church for years who have never been taught about the ..read more

Saint, you don’t have a sinful nature. The old sinner you used to be has been crucified with Christ. One with the Lord you have his heart, his desires, his spiritual DNA, his mind, and his holy nature. “So why do I still sin?” This is a great question. So are these: “If I’m 100% holy in Christ, how come I don’t act 100% holy?” “If I’m righteous, how come I don’t feel righteous?” “Why do I sin when I don’t want to sin?” “Is it possible to lead a sinless life?” “Will I lose my salvation if I keep sinning?” We all sin from time to time. The most saintliest person you know sins. Even your pastor ..read more

Yesterday I heard from a pastor who is a long-time Escape to Reality reader. He asked me about a particular scripture, and I directed him to the relevant page on the Grace Commentary. “What’s the Grace Commentary?” He’d never heard of it. Perhaps you have not heard of it either. If not, the Grace Commentary is the place to go when you come across tough scriptures like this: It is time for judgment to begin with the household of God. (1 Peter 4:17) This scripture is sometimes used to frighten Christians by portraying a twisted image of God: “God purifies you with pain.” “God uses persecutio ..read more

Two men go to see the doctor. The first is suffering from advanced cancer and needs immediate treatment. The second is completely healthy and is going for a routine check-up. The doctor is a perfect physician who prescribes the appropriate treatment in each case. However, the pharmacist bungles the prescriptions and gives each man the other’s medicine. The man with cancer is given multivitamins and told to exercise daily, while the healthy man is given an extensive course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Unsurprisingly, the sick man dies from taking the wrong pills while the healthy man suf ..read more