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 ...
https://escapetoreality.org/2024/05/16/why-am-i-not-spiritually-fruitful/
“God is not mad at you, he’s mad about you.” “Oh, yeah? What about the rebukes of Revelation? How does that fit your lovey-dovey grace theology?” Tell people that God loves them just as...
https://escapetoreality.org/2024/05/09/what-about-the-rebukes-of-revelation/
We all stumble from time to time. We all make mistakes. Even you. Even though you are 100% righteous and holy in Christ, your behavior is not 100% righteous and holy. From time to time… you sin...
https://escapetoreality.org/2024/05/02/how-does-god-respond-when-i-sin/
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 Act...
https://escapetoreality.org/2024/04/18/how-to-tell-if-your-commentary-is-grace-based/
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...
https://escapetoreality.org/2024/04/11/what-if-i-deny-the-lord/
Everyone needs to learn how to handle rejection, but there's an easy way and a hard way.
I examined 8 popular commentaries to see how many preached grace. The results… were not surprising.
https://escapetoreality.org/2024/03/21/which-bible-commentaries-are-grace-based/
My dad was a pastor and when he died young I inherited all his books, Bibles and commentaries. When I became a pastor, I bought more Bibles and commentaries. I have quite the library. Your pastor...
https://escapetoreality.org/2024/03/14/the-two-books-your-pastor-reads/
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...
https://escapetoreality.org/2024/03/07/keywords-of-grace-and-law/
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 g...
https://escapetoreality.org/2024/02/22/the-old-vs-the-new-covenant/
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 r...
https://escapetoreality.org/2024/02/15/what-is-the-new-covenant/
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...
https://escapetoreality.org/2024/02/08/why-do-i-still-sin-if-i-am-saved/
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...
https://escapetoreality.org/2024/02/01/what-does-it-mean-that-judgment-begins-at-the-house-of-god/
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 perf...
https://escapetoreality.org/2024/01/18/the-dangers-of-taking-bible-verses-out-of-context/
Did you know that Jesus sent letters from heaven? I suspect 90% of people do not know, and many of those who do know dismiss them as irrelevant. “The seven letters to the Revelation churches ar...
https://escapetoreality.org/2024/01/11/who-are-the-seven-letters-for/
I want to show you a list of 7 names. Count how many you recognize: Leonardo da Vinci Johann Sebastian Bach Ludwig van Beethoven Johannes Brahms Rembrandt George Gershwin Jackson Pollock I’m gu...
Update: This Giveaway has ended. Subscribe to E2R to be notified of future giveaways. Looking for something fun and Biblical and Christmassy to do with your friends and family? As a special treat...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/12/14/king-herod-and-the-christmas-giveaway/
Every year on my birthday, my wife makes a delicious gumbo. It’s so yummy I usually have a second helping. And by second, I mean third or fourth. It’s that good! But according to some theolog...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/12/07/the-real-seven-deadly-sins/
One of the questions asked at Christmas is, “Was Jesus really born of a virgin?” Is this an important question? Some say no. They say they do not need to believe that Jesus was born of a virg...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/11/30/why-does-the-virgin-birth-matter/
As a teenager, I didn’t need anybody to tell me what to do. As an adult, I wish somebody would. Life is big and confusing. It’s full of anxiety, uncertainty, and questions that have no answer...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/11/16/watch-out-for-the-holiness-preachers/
Tell people the good news of God’s unconditional love, and I can guarantee that some will chide you for not preaching the whole counsel of God. Tell people about the goodness of God, and some c...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/11/02/what-is-the-whole-counsel-of-god/
Perhaps you know the story of Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda of the Imperial Japanese Army. When WW2 ended, it was a time of great joy and celebration. Prisoners were set free, and millions of soldiers w...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/10/25/what-does-it-mean-to-be-alienated-from-god/
“I am a bondservant of the Lord.” So said Paul and every other New Testament epistle writer. Works-preachers ever since have been saying that we are God’s servants who serve so get busy ser...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/10/19/you-are-not-a-doorkeeper-in-the-house-of-god/
I’m just gonna say it: it is not God’s will for you to live in sin. “Wait, Paul. I thought you were a grace preacher. Aren’t you supposed to accept people just as they are? Aren’t you s...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/10/12/will-i-lose-my-salvation-if-i-keep-sinning/
My next book is a labor of love. I have been working on it for seven years and it’s time to let you know. It’s about a subject near and dear to my heart – the parables of Jesus. The parable...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/10/05/an-early-look-at-pauls-next-book/
“What kind of church are you?” I wasn’t sure how to answer the question. The lady who had rung my office was thinking of attending one of our Sunday services, but she wanted to know more ab...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/09/28/we-are-not-a-red-letter-church/
Are all your sins forgiven, past, present and future? This is one of those questions that sounds hard but is easy to answer, provided you have the right definition. What does forgive mean? Biblic...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/09/21/are-all-sins-forgiven-past-present-and-future/
The late Brennan Manning once told a story about a new patient admitted to an alcoholic rehabilitation clinic. The patient, Max, appeared to be a healthy and respectable citizen. When grilled by ...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/09/14/tough-love-for-drunks-and-sinners/
There are several types of law in the Bible, and if you don’t know which is which, you could get confused. Or worse. Follow the wrong sort of law and you could fall from grace and cut yourself ...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/09/07/what-is-the-law-of-liberty/
Ever read something in the Bible that seemed to contradict something else in the Bible? I used to be confused about those apparent contradictions, but now I love them. I know that if I dig a litt...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/08/31/how-to-rightly-divide-the-word-of-truth/
Do you know your spiritual gifts? Every believer has spiritual gifts (see 1 Pet. 4:10), but not every believer has put their gifts to work. Have you? Spiritual gifts are special abilities God giv...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/08/24/spiritual-gifts-an-incomplete-list/
There is perhaps no more controversial scripture in the Bible than this gem from James: What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? (Ja...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/08/17/faith-without-works-is-dead/
The best lies are the ones that have a little truth mixed in. They sound convincing, they make sense, but like medicine mixed with poison, they can be deadly. This is why you need a clear and und...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/08/10/10-things-that-distract-you-from-christ/
Wisdom is the ability to make good decisions and sound judgments. Wisdom is knowing how to walk in the favor and will of God. We all need wisdom, especially when we come to the crossroads of life...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/08/03/how-to-get-wisdom-from-god/
Imagine a world where every believer knows how to read scripture through a new covenant lens. Imagine they have a study guide that is simple, beautiful and free from mixture. Something like this:...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/07/26/a-grace-commentary-for-every-believer/
A new generation is rising – men and women who eat, drink and breathe undiluted grace. They are done with dead works and mixture. For them, it’s grace or nothing. If this describes you, here ...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/07/20/3-reasons-why-you-need-the-grace-commentary/
When I was a kid, my favorite moment in the school year was the minute the last exam finished. “Time’s up, pens down. Please remain seated until your paper is collected.” Can you remember t...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/07/13/what-does-it-mean-to-be-righteous/
Abiding in the vine is the antidote to independence, and the remedy to barrenness. Every believer knows these words of Jesus. “Abide in me, and I in you” (John 15:4). But what did he mean and...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/07/06/what-does-it-mean-to-abide-in-the-vine/
Can you recommend a grace-based church in my area? I get asked this question a lot. What people want to know is, where are the grace preachers? Or who are the grace preachers? As if there was a s...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/06/29/who-are-the-grace-preachers/
Update: This giveaway has ended. Don’t miss out on future freebies. Sign up today and be the first to know. Hi friends, This Sunday is Fathers’ Day in many countries. If you are looking for s...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/06/15/special-fathers-day-giveaway/
One thing pastors like to do is dress up as Roman soldiers and preach on the armor of God. “You need to wear the full armor of God,” they say as they bash their gladii (swords) against their ...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/06/08/are-you-wearing-the-full-armor-of-god/
The stories we tell ourselves shape our lives. For example, if you buy into a narrative that says, “The Bible is a book of rules we must obey,” you will find laws to obey on every page. If yo...
Do you know how to use a Bible commentary? A commentary is a kind of explainer. It tells you what the scriptures mean. Or to be precise, it tells you what the commentator thinks they mean. Which ...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/05/24/the-study-bible-youve-been-waiting-for/
When I wrote my book about women in the church, my aim was to examine every verse that has been hijacked to oppress and silence women. I wanted to show that contrary to what many of us have heard...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/05/04/whats-with-the-head-coverings/
Once upon a time you were spiritually dead. Then you met Jesus and now you are spiritually alive. Or so the story goes. Like many religious phrases the idea that we were spiritually dead makes se...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/04/26/were-you-born-spiritually-dead/
“Paul, why are you writing a Bible commentary? There are so many.” It’s true. There are many Bible commentaries out there. But as far as I know, there are no grace-based commentaries. Inste...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/04/13/is-it-gods-will-for-you-to-suffer-1-peter-419/
The Bible contains the most beautiful, life-giving words. Yet many don’t see them because they’re reading scripture through the wrong lens. Consider the following verse: If you address as Fat...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/04/05/do-we-need-a-new-covenant-study-bible/
Spirit, soul, and body – do you know the difference? Your spirit is that inner part of you that connects you to the spiritual world; your body or flesh is that external part of you that connect...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/03/30/how-to-test-the-spirits/
You were designed to be spiritual. You were created to walk in the spirit. Yet many people walk after the flesh. They make judgments based on what they hear, see, and understand, rather than list...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/03/23/how-to-walk-in-the-spirit/
What comes to mind when you think of the word spiritual? In scripture, we are exhorted to desire spiritual gifts, sing spiritual songs, and pray spiritual prayers. We are to walk in the spirit an...
https://escapetoreality.org/2023/03/16/what-does-it-mean-to-be-spiritual/