Three Free Sins: God's Not Mad at You

"Three Free Sins" is an entertaining read by a talented writer who admits to being a frustrated, cynical old theologian/pastor. So while one might be glad to draw on his experience, one should also be careful as to the glasses through which he sees things. That may seem an odd caution about a book that seems anything BUT cynical on the surface (after all, how can one be cynical and be THAT forgiving?), but bitterness comes in many flavors. What seems not to vary, is the emphasis on self that accompanies all forms and degrees of bitterness. Dr. Brown is not bitter in the sense of a grumpy old man, but the reader should realize that his experiences have taught him to view an admittedly flawed church as culpable in its own failure. He lumps himself in with everyone else - that needs to be noted - but when it comes from someone who clearly enjoys bursting other people's bubbles, the emphasis becomes more of an "in your face" attempt at setting everyone straight than a thoughtful treatment of the need for grace. And that approach is at least partly conscious - some of the humor of the book is derived from the author's own personality - so any attempt to say that the reader is misconstruing can at least partly be ignored because the author knows what he is saying and is a good enough writer that he knows how to get his points across in one form or another. The premise is not entirely off-base, I don't believe, but I think it is unbalanced. And when that happens, the outworking can be messy. Now, to the specifics of the book. I. Writing Quality -- 4/5. One thing that the author cannot be charged with is poor writing skills. The style is interesting and the personality of the author comes through quite well (I've never even listened to his radio show, but have a very good idea of the sort of person he is - at least publicly). Dr. Brown is quick witted and his self-deprecatory style is used to great affect in many situations. My wife and I read the book out loud while on a long trip and we both had sore sides after getting through the story of the man who tried to get his frog to fly. And since that sort of attitude peppers most of the book, the reader gets used to it and starts reading with that mental "bent" after not too many pages. In short, the content was well-presented and the author's points clearly communicated in a variety of ways. II. Premises -- 3/5. Much of the book's credibility comes from the fact that Luther himself made a similar statement - giving the sinner free sins to underscore the immensity of God's grace. And while that certainly does come across in this book, Dr. Brown is no Martin Luther, nor does he live in Luther's day. Yet even at that, one could have valid reason to question much of Luther's approach given the wanton rioting that followed some of his teaching. However, it is also to be remembered that Luther was casting off the shackles of a system that tied his conscience to the selling of indulgences and open hypocrisy that evidenced absolutely none of God's grace. The whole theological substructure upon which Rome was leading her millions was not that of the free grace of God and the slavery of her followers to doing works to absolve sin was just one of the unscriptural notions that prevailed. Luther was going against the entire system and his extremes could be more understood and explained than could those in today's day and age where such extremes are commonplace. The premise itself is that one does not have a limited number of sins before God's grace runs out. A forgiven believer is just that - forgiven. Dr. Brown makes the observation that most pastors spend most of their time in the pulpit trying to keep their parishioners from sinning. This is one of the foundational ideas that led to him getting frustrated at his own failures. One wonders (and I am NOT a pastor) what sort of instruction he received? I have been in many different services and only a few of them were attempts to keep people from sinning. The vast majority are those that, while they indeed rail against sin, are meant to lead men to repentance before God for their sinful condition. Not just because they stole a piece of gum from the store. They become convicted for being sinners, not guilty for having committed some specific sin. The difference may seem minute, but it is vast in the way salvation is viewed. One leaves conviction to the Holy Spirit while the other does its best to act as the conscience of the hearer. One uses human effort, the other relies on God's moving. The difference in results is as big as can be conceived and I can't help but wonder if Dr. Brown (I say this genuinely questioning - he is older than I and has far more ministerial experience and I can only judge based on a short book he wrote, but he did write it!) missed that somewhere. So certainly it is good news that we are forgiven! Certainly it is good news that God is patient and slow to anger. With that I agree. Dr. Brown mentioned a woman who sinned by committing adultery. Her church took immediate action (and well it should have). Over time, she showed evidence of repentance and it seemed that all was forgiven. But the actions of the church members even years after that made it obvious that they never really fully forgave her. That is a problem. Evident contrition, repentance and humility should be more than enough to reinstate such a sinner. Even at that, Jesus said that all that was necessary for forgiveness was the asking. Indeed, there certainly are troubling issues. But the answer is not a priori free sins. Even Jesus required the sinner to ask for forgiveness.III. Practical application -- 2/5 Yes, grace is wonderful (and God's grace beyond understanding), but it is BECAUSE of that grace that we recognize He has forgiven us and set us free. Galatians 5:1 makes it abundantly clear that that freedom is not found in sinning. Sin always has consequences and anyone who has truly and genuinely been forgiven will not (nor should they) treat that forgiveness lightly. The reaction to sin should not be "I have free sins, so I know I'm forgiven". That is presumption - even if there is a kernel of truth. There are some examples of forgiveness cited in the book - and these are why I do give this part 2 stars. It's not, in my view, devoid of value. Just that the whole attitude is unbalanced. Is Dr. Brown (and, indeed, any other preacher of the gospel) supposed to be looked up to only because they have more knowledge? He said, more than once, that he was only half-reliable and at least as wicked a sinner as anyone else and that you would have to try and figure out which 50% of his preaching was true and which was false. While that may well be exaggeration to prove a point (much like the title of the book itself), it belies an attitude that is lacking in honor and respect. We don't honor our elders because they are better people than we, but because they have endured more and, in many cases, their maturity is to be emulated as it has produced good fruit in them. It doesn't mean they don't sin, but this is what this book reduces people down to - all the same for all intents and purposes. How well will you listen to an elder who freely admits they may be wrong - possibly more than not or just as much as anyone else? How much respect should you have for someone who is cavalier about how sinful he is? In any layperson, that, possibly, could be tolerated. But in a teacher, how can that not harm the message? We have this treasure in earthen vessels that the glory may be of God and not of us. So we must have respect and humility and honor for those vessels for what they bear - not for what they are. With Dr. Brown, the message seems to have been drowned out by the medium. It is notable for its uselessness. "Excessive humility" can just as easily be a lack thereof (and often is) - in anyone. God forbid that any of us should bring undue focus on ourselves to obscure that which God has given us to proclaim.All in all, an entertaining read but one that should be read with caution and a keen eye to what is being proposed - both implicitly and explicitly. The gospel encourages neither antinomianism nor legalism, but in leading someone away from one, we need to be very careful we don't tend to the other.

This week, I read a book that at least a half dozen people asked me about just by seeing the cover. Every one of them questioned the title, which gave me a chance to talk about what a great book it is in spite of the provocative title. So what is the book? Three Free Sins: God’s Not Mad at You by Steve Brown.Perhaps you, like many of my friends, hear me say that title and you wince, but give me a moment. If you are at all familiar with Steve Brown, he’s been around a long, long time. In fact, he refers to himself as “old as dirt.” He is a conservative, Bible believing seminary professor who has been telling people about Jesus for a very long time with his amazing baritone voice. But in the introduction to the book, he tells his readers that he has tried really hard to live in the “religious box” for a long time, a stiff container of legalism and lovelessness. Although the title catches almost everyone off guard, the message inside is pure gospel.Too often, you see, Christians use methods of discipleship that don’t work. For example, we inflict guilt or we hold up stories of “Bible heroes” without recognizing their dark sides. We present the Bible as a list of rules to be followed rather than a story of a God pursuing sinners right in the middle of their mess. We confuse law and gospel. What happens is not that we sin less, but that we get better at hiding our junk. And then we get self-righteous.Brown turns this whole approach to the Christian faith (which is ineffective anyways) upside down. He asks the question “What if the Christian faith isn’t about getting better?” Rather, what if the Christian faith is developing a deeper and deeper recognition that God loves us in spite of our sins—past, present and future. What if being a Christian really is about freedom, recognition of our need for Jesus, and the beauty of forgiveness? On page 87, Brown wrote, “I’ve found that the greatest need among Christian leaders isn’t for more commitment, more ‘religion’, and more ‘making an impact for Jesus’. What they need to be taught is that they are seriously sinful and God loves them anyway.” Bingo!When we begin to recognize God’s love, grace, and forgiveness, something interesting happens. We begin to live as free people. We live fearlessly. We will get better when we aren’t watching and trying so hard.Three Free Sins is an amazing book. Don’t let the title scare you off. If you are a Christian, God. Is. Not. Mad. At. You. You are his beloved child. You are free.

Steve Brown's works are priceless jewels of Light and Life. This is a dark, dark time we're living in and for such times as these God raises up his lights for the perilous journey's of his people. I've bought 18 copies of some of his best which I've given out as gifts to friends and family. I plan to read all of Steve's works and will keep giving them away again and again. This was one of my favorites, my very favorite. Until I read his Scandalous Freedom. Now that's my favorite. Steve does a great job of showing our need to get our eyes off of ourselves and keeping them where they belong, on a healthy obsession with Christ. The only healthy obsession there is! The only perfect word is Christ, that's why we are ever needing to eat the meat, and throw out the bones. Steve's writings are like a fantastic beef stew, the meat is outrageous good, and any bones only add more flavor. I can't recommend Steves books enough. And I encourage you to start your own walk on the wild side, or go yet further along the wilder side of life if you've already begun along the path of the real Gospel, the Gosepl of God's Living Grace (Acts 20:24). There's many ways to grow in grace and in knowing Jesus, but a key one is through brothers of ours like Steve in whose writings we get to see Christ ever more clearly, for who He is, our only way of real peace and rest and joy - not to mention the real fun God has for us, somehow Steve manages to add his own hilarious flavor to it all. Steve is warm, funny, and again, I add, outrageous, challenging us to grasp the real gospel of Christ, the true good news, real bread from our real Father.

I love this book. My walk with God has always been to try and please him by being a good moral upstanding Christian. Now I realise that Jesus has done it all. I want to wallow in His love for me . Bingo!!!!

Normally love the Osteen books, but this one is difficult to get in to.