“God accepts you whether you sin or obey because you have a 100% righteous identity in Christ!” I shared this with the church audience where I was teaching. Immediately, someone raised their hand and asked, “Are you saying then, that a Christian cannot lose their salvation?” That is the perfect, logical question. There are countless
God’s Punishment Versus His Discipline
Elijah recently asked me this question on Facebook. “I know there is a difference between chastisement (discipline) and punishment, but could you explain, through the lens of grace, what the chastisement (discipline) of the Lord is according to Proverbs 3:11 and Hebrews 12:5?” This is a great question that begs a clear answer. The Scriptures
7 Ways We Cope With Rejection
Every one of us is born with a God-given need for acceptance. How do we know? It’s because the unconditional love of God is acceptance. That’s why we not only need it, we crave it. The original prototype of Adam and Eve speaks to this on a human level. Before they sinned, they experienced
Something Better Than the 10 Commandments
One of the biggest misunderstandings among Christians is that we need to keep the 10 Commandments. The reasoning goes something like this, “This is how we know when we sin”; “This is how we obey God”; “This is how we can stop sinning.” Yet, the gospel of grace in the New Testament says we have something much
God Only Sees Jesus in You?
“When God looks at me, He doesn’t see me. He sees Christ in me.” This is a quite common statement among Christians that is repeated over and over. I have found through the years that whenever I or my staff teach someone they are righteous or holy in Christ, many respond with that idea. They
Can We Believe In Too Much Grace?
Sometimes, people say that we need to be careful about believing in too much grace. Their solution is to balance grace with obedience and Law-keeping. When people say this, it may be because they have heard some Christians indicate that it’s OK to sin because we are under grace. In other words, God’s grace means
Can A Christian Have A Hardened or Evil Heart?
Have you ever been taught that your heart is wicked and hardened because you don’t obey God? For much of my Christian life, I was. I believed it and later taught it to others. However, we need to ask ourselves these questions. 1. Can a Christian harden his/her heart? 2. Does a Christian have a
Deceptions About Needing More Forgiveness
I used to believe some twisted ideas about God’s forgiveness. Maybe you can relate to some or all of them. 1. There is forgiveness that gets you into heaven and another that keeps you in fellowship with God. 2. God will not forgive you if you don’t forgive. 3. You have to show God how
Is The Best Person Living Through You?
You may not be a sports fan but allow me to use a sports metaphor to explain the concept of relying upon Christ. Let’s say you decide to release some stress by playing basketball. At first, you’re shooting by yourself in a gym. Soon after, someone walks in and joins you. He asks, “Do you
Righteousness Means Unconditional Acceptance
I had the great pleasure of being the keynote speaker at a luncheon for a group of pastors, counselors, and mental health professionals. About halfway through my message, I began to share how God has given us a 100% righteous identity through our new birth in Christ. In the midst of this, I said to
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