<a href="http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/3FSBookCover.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-6648" src="http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/3FSBookCover-217x300.jpg" alt="" width="217" height="300" /></a>What would you do with three free sins?

Now, you may say, "Hold on a second. That question presupposes that I believe there is such a thing as sin and that under normal circumstances I have to pay someone for them." Agreed. So let's suppose you believe those things. What do you think? Three free ones, what would you do?

Before you answer, let me be clear. You may still have to suffer consequences for the three nasty things on your list, but you won't owe God jack. When it comes to these three sins, the slate is clean. They never show up on Santa's list.

I'll go first. I'm a pretty simple guy with common vices. I'd get drunk, masturbate to porn and smoke a joint... not necessarily in that order.

Now, you may say, "Hold on a second! That's just not right! Masturbation and viewing pornography count as two sins." I understand where you're coming from, but I don't buy it. One without the other just isn't worth it. Press me on this and I'll use my second free sin on another joint, or maybe give you a purple nurple. I'm sorry, that was harsh, but I'm trying to get to a book review here and you keep interrupting.

You know what? Forget the three free sins. What if Jesus gave you unlimited free sins?! You still have to deal with cause and effect on this side of the veil, but God will never be angry at you for what you did or didn't do with your life. That's the heart of the message in Steve Brown's new book, <em>Three Free Sins: God's Not Mad at You</em>.

At this point I need to insert a disclaimer. I've worked for Steve Brown for almost 15 years. Even so, Brandon Wallace, one of the editors at Provoketive.com, asked me to write a review of <em>Three Free Sins</em>. To me that's like asking Robin to review Batman's work. What do you expect? Robin's gonna tell you his boss is the coolest and he wishes he could trade in his lame uniform for one just like Batman's. Batman wrote the book on badass vigilante justice and that book gets five stars from the boy in green underwear, all day long. Even if <em>Three Free Sins</em> sucked, I'd use one of my free sins and lie because Brown signs the paycheck.

However, I don't have to lie. <em>Three Free Sins</em> is Steve Brown at his finest. As Steve admits, he couldn't have written this book even a few years ago. He had too much to lose. Today that's not the case. Steve's old. He's done everything he set out to do, and more. He’s a successful author, broadcaster and seminary professor. Nobody is pulling Steve’s strings and nobody has any leverage on him, so he tells it like it is. <em>Three Free Sins</em> is the gospel of grace with no punches pulled, but it's more than that.

<em>Three Free Sins</em> charts a course correction for the church. It's a call to abandon the fruitless efforts of sin management in exchange for a life of radical freedom, infectious joy and surprising faithfulness to God. In fact, Steve argues that the reason Christians are so bad is that we're trying so hard to be good, and that the only people who get any better are those who know that if they don't get any better, Jesus will still love them anyway.

Without this focus on God's grace and unconditional love, the church has become filthy with the grotesque sins of self-righteousness and pride while frantically scrubbing at a few select sins with the narcissistic zeal of someone with OCD. <em>Three Free Sins</em> is the pure, cleansing water of gospel sanity.

Not only that, this book is funny. Steve's illustrations and crotchety attitude are sprinkled throughout, making <em>Three Free Sins</em> a delightful combination of revelry and revelation.

Plus Steve is secretly a multi-millionaire playboy who has a jet car and a utility belt with all kinds of great gear (including shark repellant).

So, if you think God is mad at you, or you've been trying really hard to make God happy and you're tired and want to give up, you must read <em>Three Free Sins</em>. The infectious joy of finding out God is already quite pleased with you will give you strength in your weakness.

If you think you've got it all together, this book will probably just tick you off, but read it anyway. Hopefully there will come a day when you find out the truth about yourself and you'll remember reading a book by that old white heretic, Steve Brown. Maybe then you'll be able to hear the message that your sins are free because Jesus picked up the tab.

Well, that's my book review. I've gotta go finish this spliff and wash the Batmobile. Go buy a copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Three-Free-Sins-Gods-Not/dp/1451612265/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1336790066&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank"><em>Three Free Sins</em></a>. Steve has a staff to pay.