The Waking up to Grace Podcast

We explore how misunderstanding biblical context leads to "spiritual sleepwalking" - practicing self-effort religion instead of resting in Christ's finished work. This common mistake occurs when we fail to recognize which covenant was operating during Jesus's earthly teachings. • Most Christians unknowingly read Jesus's teachings without recognizing He spoke to people unde...

We use a water skiing analogy to illustrate how many Christians struggle with legalism, hanging on to self-effort instead of trusting in Christ's finished work. The key to living by grace is letting go of trying to please God through our own efforts and starting fresh with true dependence on Him. • Identifying the disease of legalism plaguing the church in every age • Understanding when the N...

We clean the smudged lenses of your "gospel glasses" to help you see who you truly are in Christ and break free from the false teaching that you need to work to maintain fellowship with God. • Mainstream teachings wrongly tell us sin breaks our fellowship with God and requires our efforts to restore • Like a dentist with dirty glasses, we cannot properly see ourselves or our relationship...

Christ has made his way back into humanity through believers, and Christians are quite literally how Jesus continues to live his life in our world today. • Understanding our identity as temples where Christ dwells • Transitioning from being slaves to sin to slaves to righteousness • Why sin creates internal conflict for Christians • The limitation of self-effort in overcoming sin • How God's...

Today’s episode centers on the fundamental identity of Christians as new creations in Christ rather than merely having a positional status. We challenge the misconceptions surrounding positional salvation by illustrating how true grace transforms lives, empowering believers to live in the fullness of their relationship with God through Christ. • Exploring our identity in Christ as a new creation ...

We uncover how a commonly misinterpreted passage in Hebrews 12 has caused most of the Christian world to stumble into a wrong view of God and His relationship with believers. • Examining Hebrews 12:4-6 where God "disciplines" and "chastises" those He loves • Exploring how proper hermeneutics requires interpreting all scripture through the gospel lens • Tracing how the Greek wor...

Understanding our reconciliation with God through Christ is the foundation for living responsibly as Christians in a world where God is sovereign yet our choices matter. We explore the paradox of complete dependence on God while taking meaningful action in our daily lives. • The spiritual infant analogy – just as newborns depend completely on parents, we depend fully on God • Our actions affect ot...

Main Thesis Lenny argues that God does not punish Christians. Distinction is drawn between punishment (a penalty for past sins, which Christ absorbed fully) and discipline (future-oriented training for growth). The episode asserts that viewing God as an angry punisher contradicts the New Covenant gospel of grace, where believers are fully reconciled and no longer have their sins counted against th...

Main Thesis Part 2 argues that the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16) is a parable filled with symbolism regarding the shift from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant, rather than a literal description of the afterlife or Hell. Key Points: The Nature of Sheol/Hades: Lenny contends that the Hebrew Sheol (translated as Hades in Greek) simply refers to the grave or the state of death where t...

Main Thesis Lenny argues that the traditional concept of "Hell" as a place of eternal, conscious torture is a misunderstanding of Scripture caused by mistranslations and a lack of historical context. Instead, the text posits that the wicked face literal destruction (annihilation) and death, while eternal life is a gift reserved only for believers. Key Points: Gehenna vs. Hell: The episod...

Main Thesis Lenny proposes a non-mainstream theological view that the Letter of James may have been written during Jesus’ earthly ministry , prior to the Cross, Resurrection, and Pentecost. The episode argues that understanding this timeline is crucial to interpreting the letter's strong focus on works and the Law. Key Arguments Historical Context: The letter is addressed solely to the "...

The Mystery of James The episode begins by highlighting the unique and often controversial nature of the Letter of James. Lenny points out five distinct characteristics, most notably that the letter never mentions the finished work of Christ (the Cross and Resurrection), refers to the law as the "law of liberty," and is addressed exclusively to the "twelve tribes in the dispersion&q...

In this study of 1 John 5, Lenny emphasizes that the Christian walk is based on regeneration and God’s work within the believer, rather than self-effort or legalistic rule-keeping. Key takeaways include: Faith and Obedience: Loving God and keeping His commandments are not burdensome tasks performed to earn salvation; rather, they are the effortless result of being "born of God" and letti...

We walk line by line through 1 John 4 to connect discernment with love, showing why testing the spirits begins with confessing Jesus come in the flesh and ends with confidence instead of fear. Along the way, we revisit Cain and Abel, expose counterfeit gospels, and rest in the new creation promise. • aim to build confidence in reading New Covenant letters • Cain and Abel as a pattern for false rig...

We trace how Scripture grounds our identity as children of God, why John contrasts belief and unbelief in 1 John 3, and how love in deed and truth becomes the clearest sign of life in Christ. Assurance grows as we abide, trust, and let the Spirit turn doctrine into action. • apostles and prophets as the foundation with Christ as cornerstone • Scripture as the test of every belief • “from the begin...

We walk through 1 John 2 to show how John anchors a pressured church in the finished work of Jesus, clarifies the command to believe, and warns against mixing law and grace. We trace how love for the body, not the world, marks those who abide and stand confident in the true light. • purpose of the study and recap of 1 John 1 • advocate and propitiation explained as final and complete • keeping his...

We trace the urgent context around First John and show how John grounds assurance in Christ’s manifested life, not in law-based effort. We read chapter one, define light and darkness, and explain confession as agreement with God that leads to full cleansing and true fellowship. • persecution rising and the last-hour urgency • why pre-70 AD context and temple pressures matter • law-based righteousn...

We test a common church reflex—asking God for forgiveness—against the cross, context, and covenant, and show why the new covenant frees us from guilt maintenance. We walk through 1 John 1:9, the Lord’s Prayer, repentance, communion, and identity in Christ with practical clarity. • 1 John 1:9 aimed at sin denial, not ritualized self-cleansing • audience relevance: Gnostics and law-reliant Jews chal...

We trace Paul’s revealed mystery in Romans 9–11 and argue that God’s promise stands by redefining Israel around Christ. Old Testament imagery, New Testament claims, and first-century history converge to present the church as the true Israel that inherits the promise by faith. • mystery revealed by Paul in Romans 9–11 • promise secured by remnant and election • Jesus as true Israel fulfilling Israe...

We read 1 John 1:9 with fresh eyes and show why confession is about admitting need and entering the light, not performing daily forgiveness rituals. Hebrews anchors the once-for-all sacrifice that frees the conscience and opens real fellowship with God. • context for 1 John 1:9 and a mixed audience • proclamation of Christ to invite fellowship • walking in light as believing the gospel • confessio...

We trace baptism from its ancient meaning to its New Testament fulfillment, showing why Spirit baptism unites and water baptism celebrates. Paul’s correction to Corinth, John’s role of preparation, and Acts 19’s clarity lead us to assurance in Christ’s finished work. • meaning of baptism as immersion and union • Paul sent to preach, not to baptize • water as sign, Spirit as saving reality • concer...

We read 1 John 1:9 with fresh eyes and show why confession is about admitting need and entering the light, not performing daily forgiveness rituals. Hebrews anchors the once-for-all sacrifice that frees the conscience and opens real fellowship with God. • context for 1 John 1:9 and a mixed audience • proclamation of Christ to invite fellowship • walking in light as believing the gospel • confessio...

We trace the true start of the New Covenant to the cross through Hebrews 9 and show how this changes the way we read the red letters, understand repentance, and view forgiveness. We confront mixed messages about “Jesus plus works” and point to the Spirit as the One who keeps us, leads us, and bears fruit through us. • the New Covenant as will-in-force at Christ’s death • red letters in Old Covenan...

Celebrating and Exploring the finished work of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Full Grace. Nothing in its place. The finished work of Christ Yeshua goes further than most realize, even beyond the cross and resurrection...