The complete sinner's guide is a podcast dedicated to practical, theological truths, edifying all who listen with simple, common language for the "junkie" (as I, Tyler once was) all the way to the academic Mastermind of Biblical theology. We all are in the same boat...we all are sinners in desperate…
We begin this episode with some background and a introduction to the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) as well as what Nicholas sees as the greatest difficulties to presenting the Gospel in a 21st Century context today! That segue's us into a discussion about two types of evangelism, public and private! After that we discuss the emphasis the RCC places on personal evangelism and touch on RCC beliefs concerning different sacraments and the role of prayer within the life of a follower of Jesus! We wrap up this episode with the practicalities and importance of evangelism as well as the mental health and well being of Pastor's and Priest's, and how we ourselves, as Christian's and Roman Catholic's, must be praying for our leaders as they fulfill the important, yet stressful task they've been called to do! Priest's and Pastor's alike need us for encouragement, exhortation, and they are asking for our prayer's as we ask them, so let us not forget to pray for and help as much as we can, the local shepherds of our communities! Absolutely loved having Nicholas on to discuss this with us and we hope you are blessed and take what you learn from this CSG episode and APPLY IT to your walk with Jesus! May God be praised and glorified and His children exhorted and edified!
CSG host's Joshua Davidson and Tyler Fowler sit down with their good friend Michael Moore to discuss the practical benefits of STUDYING God's Word as well as the importance of having an active prayer life in our relationship with Jesus Christ! We are getting practical on our 6th episode of our Practical Christianity series about Scripture and Prayer and we begin by unpacking a definintion for prayer by John Piper. After that, Josh, Tyler and Michael address questions like "What if I can't find time to pray or study Scripture?", "What do I do if prayer or Bible study feel's like a routine/ritual?" and "What do I do if I don't feel like praying/studying Scripture?" and dive into Romans 8:22 to explain the Holy Spirit's role of intercession in the life of the follower of Jesus! We then turn to Ephesians and James to examine what the Apostles say about prayer and Bible study and the results of those activites!
What is Narrative Structure and why should I even care about it? This was my (Tyler) initial thought when Josh first began talking to me about this topic, but WOW, I am ever so glad we had this conversation with our good friend Gerritt Schuitema! Josh and Gerritt break down the importance of PARTICIPATING in the story in order to achieve an end goal, namely to become as Christ. All who are born again are also being sanctified (becoming more like Jesus), and when participate in the things Jesus Himself has commanded us to do (baptism, the Eucharist aka the Lord's Supper, ect) we are transformed degree by degree into His Image! This episode of CSG dives into details of Narrative Structure, emergence and emanation, how narrative structure connects to the Imago Dei, why it's so important for all human beings to be participating in what Christ has commanded all people everywhere to do and what happens when we don't!
David Russell and Dane Van Eys are back with Josh and Tyler as we continue our Practical Christianity series and Part 2 of our episode on Temptation! This time we turn to Luke 4 to get the full picture of Jesus' temptation by Satan! What did Christ do and how did our King fight temptation? Hang out with us this hour to add to your own arsenal of practical tactics you can use the next time you find yourself staring temptation in the face!
David Russell (Proselytize or Apostatize – PorA) and Dane van Eys join Noah, Josh and Tyler to answer questions like “How do we handle temptation & sin practically” and “How do we help others that are struggling with temptation”. All temptation is circumstantial yet, for believers, God has promised a way out in every temptation (1 Cor. 10:13). As believers in Jesus Christ, sanctified by the Holy Spirit of God, we must, at times, grit our teeth, push through the pain, find the door that God has promised to put in every temptation, and walk through it, even when we don't “feel like it”. In the second half, we offer exegesis of Matthew 4 so come hang out with us for an hour and let us know what you thought of this episode of The Complete Sinner's Guide!
In episode 3 of our 10 part series on Practical Christianity Josh, Noah and Tyler read through Galatians 5 and give you some practical application of the "Fruits of the Spirit" found verses 22 and 23!
Get your Bible's out for this one ladies and gents as Josh, Tyler and their special guest Dane Van Eys dive into the Scripture's and expound the truth that is the incarnation of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ! We show from texts like Isaiah 9, 43, 45; John 1; 2 Peter 1 that God indeed as come to save us in the person of Jesus Christ! We also discuss the practical importance of this Biblical truth as we look at Hebrews 4:14-16 and show WHY Jesus experientially became a man and how important it is to seek Him in times of trouble and tribulation!
In this first of 10 episodes in our “Practical Christianity” series, Josh, Tyler and they're special guest William Tanksley begin with some elementary “what's” and “why's” of the faith to lay a solid foundation for our Christian worldview in order to build on that foundation in subsequent episodes! Subtopics touched on in this episode include Faith, Hope, Love; the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, His Death, Resurrection, Ascension & Second Advent and much more!!!
Andrew, Dr. Dalcour and I will be discussing oneness theology proper and theological implications of this doctrine as a whole. Get your Bible's ready because we are diving into the Scriptures to exegete passages oneness theologians use to support their claims as well as think through the logical and systematic outworking of oneness doctrine! We will also be looking back in time in Church history to see the origins of where this theology stems from as well as taking YOUR QUESTIONS about oneness theology in general! So join Andrew, Dr. Dalcour and me as we dive into this movement to see what exactly "Oneness" or "Jesus Only" theology has to bring to the table! This is part 2 of this episode so make sure to check out part 1 first over at completesinners.com!!! Find more Dr. Edward Dalcour & get his book here: https://christiandefense.org/ Find more Andrew Elliott on TikTok here: @andrewdoesapologetics
Andrew, Dr. Dalcour and I will be discussing oneness theology proper and theological implications of this doctrine as a whole. Get your Bible's ready because we are diving into the Scriptures to exegete passages oneness theologians use to support their claims as well as think through the logical and systematic outworking of oneness doctrine! We will also be looking back in time in Church history to see the origins of where this theology stems from as well as taking YOUR QUESTIONS about oneness theology in general! So join Andrew, Dr. Dalcour and me as we dive into this movement to see what exactly "Oneness" or "Jesus Only" theology has to bring to the table! This is part 1 of a 2 part episode so make sure to check out part 2 over at completesinners.com!!! Find more Dr. Edward Dalcour & get his book here: https://christiandefense.org/ Find more Andrew Elliott on TikTok here: @andrewdoesapologetics
To begin Joshua Sherman (not reformed) brings up a few things that left a lot of people feeling confused with in the James White & William Lane Craig Debate, namely the nature of exactly HOW free will coincides with the Reformed/Calvinistic understanding of determinism. We then take audience Q&A and wrap up the episode with an encouraging message, calling Calvinist's and Non-Calvinist's alike to unite under the Gospel of Jesus Christ as we build on the groundwork laid by our brother's and sister's before us! I personally think this episode answered A LOT of questions that were left unanswered in the James White/WLC debate and an intro to a clearer understanding of what Calvinist's actually believe about determinism and compatibilism was laid! Let us know what you think and where YOU stand in the comments below! Find More CSG here: completesinners.com Find Chris Date & Rethinking Hell on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/user/rethinkinghell Find Andrew Elliott on TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewdoesapologetics Find Jeremiah Short on TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@blackdoctor21
Join Joshua Davidson, Joshua Sherman, David Russell, Tim Steadman and myself as we discuss Giants, "Nephilim", Genesis 6 and ANE myths and legends concerning angels and humans!!! We invited Tim to come hang out with us and discuss these topics to help us better understand what Genesis 6 and other Biblical (and extra-biblical texts like Enoch for example) tell us concerning Nephilim/Giants!!! We are answering the big questions on this special episode of CSG and seeking to understand topics like the incarnation of Jesus Christ, Imago Dei, conspiracy theories about demon/angel-hybrids (Ancient Aliens, ect.) better and ultimately grasp why 4 verses in Genesis 6 matter to me today?! Join us for Part 1 of the discussion now!!! FIND PART 2 HERE: https://youtu.be/bHkh_sAhlgc Buy Tim Steadman's book "Answer's to Giant Questions" here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1710795549/ref=cmswrcpapiitpzbFb3VFX1HG Check out Tim's website and podcast here: https://giantanswers.com/index.html Check out Joshua Sherman's YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB6_hYWRfyKTQb0AspIf-ag Check out David Russell's YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOaSzolYnkqL2OhjiJSyg Find more Complete Sinner's Guide here: https://completesinners.com/
Join Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller, Joshua Sherman (Tending Our Nets) and myself as we discuss Law and Gospel from the Lutheran perspective! In this episode we break the title up into two parts: Law & Gospel. In the first half, we seek to understand exactly what the New Testament author's mean when they use phrases like "the Law", "the Law of Moses", "the Law of Christ", ect.; how the Law applied to Israelite's under the Old Covenant and how it applies to Christians under the New Covenant today; and finally different uses of the Law for believers and unbelievers in Jesus Christ alike! Then, in the second half, after seeing our need for a Savior because the Law exposes the fact we are sinners, we dive into what exactly "The Gospel" is by examining promises found in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament for follower's of Jesus Christ! We also examine the Greek word "πίστις" (pistis - "faith/trust") as we learn what it really means to "believe in Jesus"! We also get into issues like the New Perspective on Paul, Karl Barth's arguments and Lutheran answers to his ideology, as well as a whole host of side topics you would expect when you sit a #Lutheran, #Calvinist and #Non-Calvinist down on a CSG episode!!! Had a blast with Pr. Bryan as well as Josh Sherman and cannot wait for Episode #3!!! Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PastorBryanWolfmueller Pastor Bryan's website: https://wolfmueller.co/ "Has American Christianity Failed?" Video (Our FIRST episode with Bryan!): https://youtu.be/ieBUYlAzFTs Tending Our Nets (Joshua Sherman's) YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB6_hYWRfyKTQb0AspIf-ag The Complete Sinner's Guide Episode Archive: https://feed.completesinners.com/episodes
We begin this discussion by going back in time to when Braxton first began interacting with atheists and discuss what it was that originally got him interested in apologetics in the first place. After some background on the events that unfolded that has lead him to where he is now with atheism and apologetics, we get into topics like our favorite arguments/evidences for God (Kalam Cosmological Argument); the role of the Imago Dei in asking questions like “Where do we come from?”; the Evidential Argument from Evil and other objections against the existence of God (and answers to those objections); then ending the show by looking into the future at the direction Braxton sees Christian apologetics going, especially with topics like consciousness and quantum physics! Highlights and Conclusions Overall I think the episode was fantastic! I love the Toy Story analogy Braxton used to describe Kalam and the practical direction the episode went when we began discussing evil and sin. I (as well as the rest of the CSG crew) really enjoyed having Dr. Braxton Hunter on and look forward to, Lord willing, doing more episodes with Braxton and Dr. Johnathan Pritchett in the future! Trinity Radio YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BraxtonHunter Trinity Bible College and Seminary Website: https://trinitysem.edu
On this episode of CSG, Josh, Noah and I have the privilege to have Dr. Chris Featherstone (ViZion United Podcast) back for the 2nd time to discuss personality disorders and a Christian's approach in respect to them! These are REAL disorders those created in the Imago Dei have to face daily, so we invited Chris, who works in the field of psychotherapy, back on CSG to give us a run-down of different types of personality disorders (to better understand what, exactly, those who have them are going through) as well as explain how we might better serve those with personality disorders, around us! Also where is the line between "sin" and "disorder"? Very engaging/practical discussion in my opinion and definitely believe seeds were planted in this episode. The question is, what are you going to do with them? :) God bless and a big thanks to Dr. Chris Featherstone for the fantastic conversation! Acronyms Used: (Cluster A) Weird - schizophrenia, paranoid, ect. (Cluster B) Wild - narcissistic, anti-social, ect. (Cluster C) Worried - O.C.D., dependent, ect. O.C.E.A.N - Big 5: Openness to Experience, Conscientousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism Find more Chris and ViZion United here: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrisFeatherstone Check out our first discussion here: https://youtu.be/W7BD1T1rBnk CSG YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj5tQ-U89BIjrmQIQ_35zbg CSG Episode Archive: feed.completesinners.com/episodes
Join us on this special episode of CSG as Josh and I sit down with author, podcaster, husband and dad, Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller to discuss problems and solutions to those problems within the larger context that is "American Christianity". Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller is pastor of St. Paul and Jesus Deaf Lutheran Churches in Austin, TX. He is the author of Take They Our Life: Martin Luther's Theology of Martyrdom (2019), A Martyr's Faith for a Faithless World (CPH, 2019), Has American Christianity Failed? (CPH, 2016) and Final Victory: Contemplating the Death and Funeral of a Christian (CPH, 2010). He is the co-host of Table Talk Radio podcast, posts videos on YouTube at wolfmueller1, and has a number of other theological projects that all end up on his blog, www.wolfmueller.co. Bryan is a member of the Doxology Collegium. He and his wife Keri live with their four children in Round Rock, TX. Find More Pastor Wolfmueller Here: Pastor Wolfmueller's Blog: https://wolfmueller.co/ Pastor Wolfmueller's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PastorBryanWolfmueller
We cover a wide range of topics in this one from practical advice for new believers, drinking from the fount of knowledge and understanding well, the extremes and dangers of complacency and arrogance in following Christ and how your actions (as God's representative) affect other's that are made in His Image. We also tackle what we see as a growing problem in the Body of Christ in the second half of this episode, namely, unnecessary division and a lack of genuine Christian love. Going through 1 Corinthians 13, Josh and I expound what “love” looks like in our walk with not only Christ, but others who we engage with on a daily! Can we, who are created in God's Image, honestly love a God who we cannot see if we do not love other Image bearer's who are right in front of our eyes?! 1 John 4:20 is pretty clear... so we remind ourselves of what the Biblical definition of love is and how to begin to apply that characteristic of every believer in Christ faithfully! Practical Advice 1. Don't let a wealth of knowledge and understanding become a stumbling block. Pick and choose your battles. Don't divide unnecessarily. Shoot for confidence, not arrogance. Never repay evil for evil, but love you're enemy. Don't spend too much time looking at yourself. Examine yourself but keep your eyes on Jesus. Biblical Texts Referenced 1 Corinthians 13 John 16:12-13 Matthew 5:9 Galatians 5:22
We begin this episode by welcoming back Jimmy D after being out of commission for a few weeks due to having covid! We then kick off this PART 1 by giving a brief overview of what we have already touched on in past episodes, such as the 3 main views of the Imago Dei (substantive, relational, functional). Then, Sherman poses a great question of how different systems of theology (I.e Calvinism/ Non Calvinism) can have an impact on how we view the Image. We then center the entirety of the two episodes on one very important question concerning Genesis 1-3….did something “go wrong” with God's original intention in Creation with human beings? This episode really is a mashup of previous episodes we've had with Joshua S. and J.D. before and throughout the two parts, it is really cool to see how our personal view of what it means for humans to be created in God's Image effect so many different aspects of our theology. I think bringing two differing systems of thought together, like we did in this episode, just makes the possibilities of how one can view theology in general, all the more incredible! It also shows that when we come together as family, we can truly do all things through Christ who gives us strength in His Name and through His Holy Spirit! God Bless everyone, and remember, if you like CSG's content give us a big thumbs up and share our videos on social media! Also subscribe to our YouTube channel and check out our other platforms like Apple & Google Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, Listen Notes, etc! All CSG content is 100% FREE so head over to our website and get to listening, downloading and sharing with others!!! :) BIBLICAL TEXTS CITED Genesis 1-3 1 Corinthians 15 Romans 5 SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: Imago Dei Part 2 https://youtu.be/6elavNlc9bU CSG Episode Archive www.feed.completesinners.com/episodes CSG Facebook www.facebook.com/CSG2G CSG YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj5tQ-U89BIjrmQIQ_35zbg/videos Tending Our Nets (Joshua Sherman's YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB6_hYWRfyKTQb0AspIf-ag Exploring Theology (J.D. Martin's YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKr4xur6rhTrvkw_fAAuJRg
After brief introductions, new stories about getting stung by bees #sharethesting! and all the fun things everyone else has been up to with their podcasts and personal lives, Joshua presents us with an introduction to the “functional” interpretation of Genesis 1. This view is currently being set forth by scholars like John Walton and Scot McKnight. David, however, takes a more traditional view of the text! The two bring out their similarities, for example, both denying “eternalism”, but there are differences the two handle with arguments laid out in a brilliant, Christ-like, and productive way! Meanwhile, Andrew and I offer engaging commentary as David and Joshua spar it out in the episode to END ALL EPISODES ON CREATIO EX NIHILO!!!!!……. …...jk :] Check this episode out if Genesis, creation, or different interpretations of Genesis 1 & 2 interests you!!! Extremely thought provoking in my opinion and a great starter episode for anyone interested in diving deeper in this subject! We also want to give a shout out to our co-host, Joshua Davidson, who is at home recovering from Covid 19. We have a fundraiser set up to help them out with their bills for the month pinned at the top of CSG's Facebook Page! Since Josh is down & out of work, if you would like to give to him and his family you can on Facebook or Venmo @Joshua-Davidson-84 Also...make sure to check out PART 2 of this discussion on the CSG YouTube channel (as well as other content that's not uploaded anywhere else)!!! Make sure to hit that big red SUBSCRIBE button and click “all” when you click that notification bell so you will get notified every time CSG goes LIVE and uploads a video on YouTube and Facebook!!! See links below! May God bless you! Genesis 1:1-2:4 ¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, to separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the expanse and separated the waters beneath it from the waters above. And it was so. God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, so that the dry land may appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each bearing fruit with seed according to its kind.” And it was so. The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and years. And let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. And He made the stars as well. God set these lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth, to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. And God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.” So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed according to their kinds, and every bird of flight after its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land crawlers, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that crawls upon the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.” Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food. And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. ² Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished. This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made them. Genesis 1:1-2:4 BSB Other Creatio Ex Nihilo Texts__ As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the presence of God, in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not yet exist. Romans 4:17 BSB Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. John 1:3 BSB For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1:16-17 BSB Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see. This is why the ancients were commended. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Hebrews 11:1-3 BSB I beg you, child, to look at heaven and earth. See everything that is in them and know that God made these things from nothing, and created humankind in the same way. 2 Maccabees 7:28 CEB Questions To Ponder Did God create with the appearance of age? What roles do other ANE texts, like Enūma Eliš for example, play in interpretation of the Biblical text? Does denial of Creation Ex Nihilo impact the Kalam Cosmological Argument? Social Media Links Creation Ex Nihilo Part 2: youtu.be/0rb0Rh2NQmg CSG YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCj5tQ-U89BIjrmQIQ_35zbg/videos CSG Facebook: www.facebook.com/CSG2G Tending Our Nets - YouTube (Joshua Sherman): www.youtube.com/channel/UCB6_hYWRfyKTQb0AspIf-ag PorA - YouTube (David Russell): www.youtube.com/channel/UCOaSzolYnkqL2OhjiJSyg Andrew Does Apologetics – TikTok (Andrew Elliot): www.tiktok.com/@andrewdoesapologetics
THE SACRAMENTS AND WORSHIP OUTLINE • Heaven meeting earth ◦ In the beginning ▪ Image of God ▪ Temple cosmology ▪ Eden – the garden/mountain of God, where heaven meets earth (Genesis 2, Ezekiel 28:13-16) ◦ Old Covenant ▪ Tabernacle and temple modeled after Eden (Exodus 28, 1 Kings 7) ▪ Priests representing the people to God, and God to the people (Exodus 28) ◦ New Covenant ▪ Pentecost (Acts 2) ▪ “God has raised us up with Him…” (Ephesians 2:4-7) ▪ Heavenly temple (Hebrews 9) ▪ “You have now come” (Hebrews 12) ▪ Revelation and the New Jerusalem ▪ “The communion of saints” ◦ Does it feel like we come to worship with the expectation of heaven meeting earth? Do we sell short the concept of the “Communion of Saints” (ἁγίων κοινωνίαν)? • “Holy Ones” ◦ Qedosh'im/Hagioi ◦ Exodus 15:11, Psalm 89:5, 89:7, Romans 15:25, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 1 Corinthians 14:33, Ephesians 1:1, Ephesians 2:19, Revelation 5:8, Revelation 20:9 ◦ What does this mean? • “Sons of God” ◦ Bene Elohim/Huioi tou theou ◦ Job 38:7, Job 1:6, Job 2:1, Luke 20:36, Romans 8:14, Romans 8:19, Galatians 3:26, ◦ “You will judge angels” ◦ “Sons of God, equal to the angels” • “The Assembly” ◦ Edah/Ekklesia ◦ Leviticus 8:3, Psalm 82:1, Psalm 89:5, Acts 2:47, Hebrews 12:23; Revelation 2:1 • The Incarnation ◦ The Word became flesh (John 1) ◦ God incarnate in us “the Body of Christ” – 1 Corinthians 12:27, Ephesians 4:12, 1 Corinthians 10:16-22 (ἁγίαν καθολικὴν ἐκκλησίαν from the Apostle's Creed) ◦ Early heretics denied that Christ came in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16, 1 John 4:2, 2 John 1:7 • Why is the Eucharist just symbolic, then, and not incarnational? ◦ The Body: 1 Corinthians 10:16, 1 Corinthians 12:27 ◦ Partaking of the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner: 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 These were basically ubiquitous, in our collective experience of Communion, growing up. • Focus on remembering Jesus's death • Focus on "getting right with God" to avoid partaking in an unworthy manner These were very common • Focus on private relationship with God • Focus on the sacrifice's accomplishment, and forgiveness It looks like 25% or fewer of us had any of these as part of our Communion experience. • Focus on healing divisions, where possible • Focus on meeting with God corporately for a meal together • Focus on parting of the communion elements “in private” • Focus on being knit together as the Body of Christ, connected to Christ, our Head • Focus on proclaiming Jesus's death • Focus on individually meeting with God for a meal together • Focus on “discerning the body” when partaking What I'm curious about - which of the items that were rare do you see specifically called out in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34? Do you feel like the practice of Communion that you grew up with was incomplete in some way, after reading this passage? I have some thoughts that hit me a few days ago on this, reading through the passage, and will post on these later today. I want to see what surfaces for all of this. DESCRIPTION Passover Jesus instituted the Eucharist on Passover. Passover was instituted by God through Moses on the night the final of the 10 plagues hit Egypt, death of every firstborn son. Each Israelite household was to take a lamb on the 10th day of Nisan, care for it for 4 days and then on the 14th, slaughter and eat it. This is meal was to be performed every year, in remembrance of God's Exodus of the Israelite's from out of Egypt. Moses describes it like this: "Now the length of time the Israelite's lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, on the very day, all the regiments of the Lord went out of the land of Egypt. It was a night of vigil for the Lord to bring them out from the land of Egypt, and so on this night all Israel is to keep the vigil to the Lord for generations to come. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover. No foreigner may share in eating it. But everyone's servant who is bought for money, after you have circumcised him, may eat it. A foreigner and a hired worker must not eat it. It must be eaten in one house; you must not bring any of the meat outside the house, and you must not break a bone of it. The whole community of Israel must observe it. “When a foreigner lives with you and wants to observe the Passover to the Lord, all his males must be circumcised, and then he may approach and observe it, and he will be like one who is born in the land – but no uncircumcised person may eat of it. The same law will apply to the person who is native-born and to the foreigner who lives among you.” So all the Israelite's did exactly as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. And on this very day the Lord brought the Israelite's out of the land of Egypt by their regiments." Exodus 12:40-51 NET New Testament *Judas' Betrayal Matthew 26:26-30 NET While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat, this is my body.” And after taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, that is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, from now on I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.” After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 1 Corinthians 11:23-32 NET For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread, and after he had given thanks he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, every time you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For every time you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. For this reason, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself first, and in this way let him eat the bread and drink of the cup. For the one who eats and drinks without careful regard for the body eats and drinks judgment against himself. That is why many of you are weak and sick, and quite a few are dead. But if we examined ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned with the world. *Is John 6:53-58 about the Lord's Supper? 1 Corinthians 10:14-22 NET So then, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I am speaking to thoughtful people. Consider what I say. Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread that we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all share the one bread. Look at the people of Israel. Are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? Am I saying that idols or food sacrificed to them amount to anything? No, I mean that what the pagans sacrifice is to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot take part in the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Or are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we really stronger than he is? DIDACHE Chapter 9. The Thanksgiving (Eucharist) Now concerning the Thanksgiving (Eucharist), thus give thanks. First, concerning the cup: We thank you, our Father, for the holy vine of David Your servant, which You made known to us through Jesus Your Servant; to You be the glory for ever. And concerning the broken bread: We thank You, our Father, for the life and knowledge which You made known to us through Jesus Your Servant; to You be the glory for ever. Even as this broken bread was scattered over the hills, and was gathered together and became one, so let Your Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into Your kingdom; for Yours is the glory and the power through Jesus Christ for ever. But let no one eat or drink of your Thanksgiving (Eucharist), but they who have been baptized into the name of the Lord; for concerning this also the Lord has said, Give not that which is holy to the dogs. [Matthew 7:6] Chapter 10. Prayer After Communion But after you are filled, thus give thanks: We thank You, holy Father, for Your holy name which You caused to tabernacle in our hearts, and for the knowledge and faith and immortality, which You made known to us through Jesus Your Servant; to You be the glory for ever. You, Master almighty, created all things for Your name's sake; You gave food and drink to men for enjoyment, that they might give thanks to You; but to us You freely gave spiritual food and drink and life eternal through Your Servant. Before all things we thank You that You are mighty; to You be the glory for ever. Remember, Lord, Your Church, to deliver it from all evil and to make it perfect in Your love, and gather it from the four winds, sanctified for Your kingdom which You have prepared for it; for Yours is the power and the glory for ever. Let grace come, and let this world pass away. Hosanna to the God (Son) of David! If any one is holy, let him come; if any one is not so, let him repent. Maran atha. Amen. But permit the prophets to make Thanksgiving as much as they desire. Definitions An ordinance is a religious ritual whose intent is to demonstrate an adherent's faith. Examples include baptism and the Lord's Supper, as practiced in Evangelical churches adhering to the doctrine of the believers' Church, such as Anabaptist's, all Baptist churches, Churches of Christ groups, and Pentecostal churches. -Google Calvin Calvin's definition of Sacrament - "An external sign, by which the Lord's seals on our consciences his promises of good-will toward us, in order to sustain the weakness of our faith, and we in our turn testify our piety towards him, both before himself, and before angels as well as men. We may also define more briefly by calling it a testimony of the divine favor toward us, confirmed by an external sign, with a corresponding attestation of our faith towards Him." According to Calvin, Augustine defines sacrament as a visible sign of a sacred thing, or a visible form of an invisible grace. Connection between Greek μυστήριον and Latin sacramentum. "And it is well known, that what the Latins call sacramenta the Greeks call mustéria (mysteries)." "Hence it is that the term was applied to those signs which gave an august representation of things spiritual and sublime. This is also observed by Augustine, 'it were tedious to discourse of the variety of signs; those which relate to divine things are called sacraments' (August Ep. 5. ad Marcell)." (READ ALL FROM BOOK P. 492 IF TIME PERMITS) From the definition which we have given, we perceive that there never is a sacrament without an antecedent promise, the sacrament being added as a kind o appendix, with the view of confirming and sealing the promise, and giving a better attestation, or rather, in a manner, confirming it… PRACTICAL STEPS 1a. Participate and become 1b. Partake of the Body so that we become the Body (we are what we eat) 2. Focus on God at the meal 3. Focus on the Body in Communion 4. Get right with God before partaking (Confess sins, make peace with others, etc.) 5. Eat in a worthy matter
Description Join us on our 60th episode for a special Q & A on the nature of Hell, the resurrected wicked and the immortality of the human soul!!! Your hosts, Tyler Fowler and Joshua Davidson are wrapping up our study on Conditional Immortality and Eternal Conscious Punishment so we decided to bring our two friends, Robert Wiesner (Pastor at Kenmore Baptist Church and Chris Date (Host of the Rethinking Hell podcast) finally back on for one last showdown!!! Josh and I begin the episode with questions for both Robert and Chris like “What set you on your journey with this topic?” and “What is missing from the other side that would convince you of the truth of your opponents position?” After brief introductions of the two positions, Chris and Robert nuance differences and similarities of their views of the immortality of the human soul, resurrection of the dead and eternal life. After an exciting back and forth, the two get into an exegetical debate on the content of Luke 20:35-36 and the fate of the resurrected righteous! After hashing out the details of the text we begin to wind down, and end the show with Josh raising one last theological question: “Is the ‘Image of God' retained in the resurrected wicked?”. Guess you're going to have to listen to the episode for the answer from both Robert and Chris on this one! Overall, as Robert put it after the episode off air “A lot of MEAT on them bones!” to which I wholeheartedly agree! This will be the last installment (for a while anway ;) ) of our Conditional Immortality and Eternal Conscious Punishment series! Make sure to check out ALL our episodes on this topic with Chris, Robert and Ross Burns either in CSG's episode archive or our playlist on YouTube! God bless and enjoy! Biblical and Extra-Biblical Passages Referenced Genesis 3:22-23 Matthew 25 Luke 20:35-36 1 Corinthians 15 Revelation 14 Revelation 20 4th Ezra *CSG YouTube Videos: * https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj5tQ-U89BIjrmQIQ_35zbg/videos Rethinking Hell YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rethinkinghell Robert Wiesner YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ReformedThumper
Join us on this LIVE edition of CSG for PART 2 of our episode "Divine Permission w/ J.D. Martin"! We had a good conversation off air w/ Dr. Leighton Flowers after releasing the ep. so we invited him on for part 2! Honestly the two explain their positions on the subject of Divine Permission best themselves, so jump into this episode if this is a subject you are currently interested in!!! Great content from all 4 of the participants as we challenge each other in this Christ-like and fruitful conversation! Personally, I do believe that progress was made in ultimately uniting the two positions of Free Will and Determinsm but more work still needs to be done! Fresh perspectives on this one ladies and gents so give this one a listen and let me know what you think below!!!! Enjoy and may God bless this conversation!
We begin this episode with some personal testimony from Tyler on what's currently going on in his family life and how God is using all these things for good! Diving into a passage from Luke, 22:39-46, Josh then leads us in a symbolic exposition of the Scripture, showing Christians Jesus' example during His most mentally, physically, and spiritually exhausting time of His incarnation, save the crucifixion, the Garden of Gethsemane. This episode is exceptionally practical for Christians during times of mental, spiritual and even physical suffering, encouraging us all to keep pushing forward and even discipling people during times of tribulation and distress! We never know who's watching us during times of temptation and suffering. May we as Christians testify to the goodness of God by our actions so people may see the Image of God and Jesus Christ in us and glorify the God of Heaven! Biblical Passages References: Luke 22:39-46 Ephesians 1 Hebrews 1
On this episode of CSG, J.D. Martin (Exploring Theology) joins Joshua Davidson and myself as we seek to answer questions raised by Dr. Leighton Flowers (Soteriology 101) concerning what it means for God to “permit” events that happen in reality from the Reformed/Calvinist perspective. This leads to an in-depth discussion on the topic with answers to questions like “What do Calvinists mean when they use terms like ‘permit', ‘decree', & ‘cause'?” and “Do ALL Calvinists hold to what is philosophically known as ‘determinism'?” After a good 35 min back-and-forth between J.D. and Josh, establishing the fact that some Calvinists do indeed hold to the idea of “contra-causal freewill” (and not the picture that Determinism as a whole paints), we arrive at the question “is the ability to do otherwise a necessary ingredient for moral culpability?” and how does this interact with Calvinism and Reformed Theology. Hint...the answer has to do with us being “in Adam”. Guess you'll have to check out the episode to hear J.D.'s explanation!!! Ultimately I believe both Josh and J.D.'s interaction with each other brought A LOT of clarity in this discussion between Calvinists and Non-Calvinists alike. It was friendly, in-depth and like I said, extremely clarifying in answering the questions raised by Dr. Flowers and others on this topic in general! If this is a topic you are currently studying I highly recommend this episode! God bless! Biblical Passages Cited: John 3 Romans 5 Romans 6 Romans 9
Robert Wiesner is back for part 2 of our discussion on the nature of Hell! We examine Scripture as well as other Second Temple texts like Enoch, Jubilees, etc to answer the question of what happens to the resurrected wicked in Hell! Are they punished forever? Are they annihilated? Are there more questions to be asked? Join us as we dive into this debate concerning Christian eschatology to find out more! Part 1 feed.completesinners.com/54
In this episode we sit down with Stuart Brogden and Ian Renwick to discuss the differences between New Covenant Theology (NCT) and Mid-Acts Dispensationalism (MAD). We begin with a 10 min opening statement for NCT given by Stuart, followed by Ian's 10 min opening statement for MAD. The two then have an open, free flowing discussion concerning primarily God's redemptive plan and how that works over the course of history! This is a lively episode so be sure to listen carefully to both gentlemen and definitley take some more time to research each position thoroghly if you are still studying these two perspectives! A LOT is covered in this episode but still more must be said! We plan on narrowing down the discussion to specific points in our "pt 2" (sometime in the future, Lord Willing) but overall this is a good introduction to both systems of thought and at least one of the primary points of contention is brought out here!
On this episode of CSG, we invited Robert Wiesner to come on the show to discuss the traditional doctrine of eschatology and Hell known as Eternal Conscious Punishment! Starting with the Old Testament we reference texts such as Daniel 12 and Isaiah 26 as a starting point for ECP and work our way into the New Testament to really see this theology in it's fullness! We then discuss Josephus and the eschatological differences between Sadducee's & Pharisee's and the concept of “immortality” through universal resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. Revelation 14:9-11 is then focused on as Robert gives us a great explanation of John's imagery of God's wrath for individuals in this text. Then, to complete the picture, we jump right into Revelation 19:1-4 to see the system that is “Mystery Babylon” come to it's complete ruin. Much more is discussed in this episode including Revelation 21, challenges made to the Conditional Immortality view, typology, degrees of punishment, and an explanation of a Psuedepigrapha text from 4th Ezra! I want to personally thank Robert for joining us on this episode! I absolutely had a blast preparing for this and cannot wait until Chris Date joins Robert and I on 7/23 to hash out the arguments made in this episode and more I'm sure that will be raised! May God bless this discussion and may fruit and edification come forth from it! Biblical Texts Cited: Matthew 25:41-46 Revelation 14:6-12 Revelation 19:1-4 Revelation 21:1-4 John 8:51 Mark 9:42-43 Intertestamental Texts Cited: 4th Ezra 2:8-9, 14
In this episode of CSG we sit down with the return of the prodigal son himself, CSG's co-host Michael Chandler Keaton to discuss "Open Theism" with special guest Will Duffy! The overarching theme of this discussion is "Does God know the future?" Mike, Will and Tyler discuss relevent verses pertaining to this topic beginning with opening statements from Mike and Will and then we jump right into Q&A in an open discussion format for the remainder of the time!
In this episode of CSG, David Pallmann and Dane van Eys drop by to discuss postmodernism in general and postmodernism in the Church! What is the Christian response to this ideology? Find out right here!!! Al Mohler points out that PM actively seeks to deconstruct Truth. Truth is revealed in Scripture by God. Seems to be a direct attack on Christianity. Hypothetically PM is an attitude of skepticism: irony toward rejection of grand narratives, ideologies and universalism. It criticizes objective notions of reason, human nature, social progress, absolute truth and objective reality. Its predicated on the idea that the reason someone "categorizes" is to marginalize to obtain power. Power is pretty much all there is. One element of PM states that human nature is merely a social construct. Dr. Jordan Peterson criticizes this notion by explaining that the reason human nature is merely a social construct is so the postmodernist can construct it however they like! Postmodernism = Deconstructionism, Relative Feeling & leads to Socialism Metaphysical (hard) pm: no beliefs are true Epistemological (soft) pm: skepticism Subtle ways PM creeps in to the church: Bible studies: what does this verse “mean to you” Music Attack on Creation PM is both philosophical and cultural. What stems from PM: 1. Race and Gender politics 2. Advocacy journalism 3. Political correctness 4. Rejection of science and technology 5. Multi-culturalism (all cultures ways are equal) CRITIQUE: PM ultimately refutes itself with the denial of objective truth. If truth is not objective HOW can PM be objectively true? Regarding morality or truth, ultimately what is "accepted" or "rejected" is utterly arbitrary. This places the person (instead of Jesus) as "God", the determiner of all "truth". Practical Steps to Combat Postmodernism: PRAY!!! Know Scripture! Love Others! Make sure you are not part of the problem!
On this episode of CSG we are discussing the human soul! What is the Biblical understanding of what we call the “soul”, is the soul immortal and what are the implications of the soul's immortality (or mortality) on Judgment Day?? I've asked Chris Date, from Rethinking Hell, to join us again on CSG to help give some biblical answer's to these questions and more! Passages from both Old and New Testament books as well as extrabiblical literature are examined to develope a more complete understanding of what ancient Jews and the disciples of Jesus Christ understood to be the truth concerning the fate of the righetous and the wicked, after in "the world to come"! Some of the texts expounded in this epidsode include: Genesis 19 Isaiah 24, 25, 26, 27 Matthew 10:28, 25:46 Luke 12:4-5, 20:35-36 Romans 6:5-9 1 Timothy 6:16 2 Peter 2:4-6 Revelation 14:9-11, 18:1-24, 19:1-3 2 Esdras (4th Ezra) 2:8-14 Chris and I also explore what the Bible means by the terms "immortal", "life", & "death", as well as dig into concepts of Greek mythology like "Tartarus"! Eternal Concious Torment arguments are examined as well and addressed in this episode! For anyone interested in the soul or conditional immortality, this is a great introductory episode to begin your study on this topic! MUCH MORE needs to be said and is in this episode but, Lord willing, God will arrange things in such a way that we will be blessed to continue this discussion in a part 2 episode or with a positve case for the Eternal Concious Torment perspective! A big thanks to Chris for participating and if you all are interested in more of his videos you can find his YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/rethinkinghell A.W. Pink quote from "Eternal Punishment": “...Gehenna is the place in which both soul and body are destroyed. "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna" (Matt. 19:28 [sic]). This passage is most important, for more than any other it enables us to gather the real scope of this term. The fact that the "soul" as well as the body is destroyed there, is proof positive that our Lord was not referring to the valley of Hinnom. So, too, the fact that the "body" is destroyed there, makes it certain that "Gehenna"is not another name for "Hades." In pondering this solemn verse we should remember that "destroy" does not mean to annihilate. Some have raised a quibble over the fact that Christ did not here expressly say that God would "destroy both soul and body in hell," but merely said "Fear Him which is able to. " This admits of a simple and conclusive reply. Surely it is apparent on the surface that Christ is not here predicating of God a power which none can deny, but which, notwithstanding, He will never exert! He was not simply affirming the omnipotence of God, but uttering a solemn threat which will yet be executed. That such was His meaning is established beyond the shadow of doubt when we compare Matthew 10:28 with the parallel passage in Luke 12:5: "But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, fear him." This threat we know will be fulfilled.” Charles Hodge quote from his Systematic Theology Vol. 3 p. 759: "If the Bible says that the sufferings of the lost are to be everlasting, they are to endure forever, unless it can be shown either that the soul is not immortal or that the Scriptures elsewhere teach that those sufferings are to come to an end."
On CSG’s 50th episode we invited special guest’s Ty Brillhart and Austin Griffin on to talk about angels and aliens! With the current buzz in mainstream media and news reports on government “ufo” document’s to be released in less than a month (June 2021), I figured no better time than now to give this topic a whirl and discuss extraterrestrial’s from a Christian perspective! Do alien’s exist? Is there a possible connection between e.t. and angel’s like the “seraphim” and “cherubim” mentioned in texts like Genesis and Ezekiel? Do demon’s play a part in all of this? Where do I find comfort in times of uncertainty? How does human beings being made in “God’s Image” (Imago Dei) impact this topic? No matter what, we can find comfort in God because He holds everything together in the palm of His Hand. No matter what, nothing will EVER separate us from the love of God. At the end of the day, Christians MUST line every claim up to Scripture, stand firm in the TRUTH, and rest in God. Paul reminds us in the 1st chapter of Galatians: 8 But even if we (or an angel from heaven) should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be condemned to hell! 9 As we have said before, and now I say again, if any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be condemned to hell! God bless and enjoy CSG’s big 5-0!!! Biblical Texts Referenced: 1 Kings 22:19-23 Colossians 1:16 John 1 Ephesians 1 Job 38 Romans 8:1, 31-39 Matthew 6:34 1 Peter 1:1-9 Links Mentioned in Episode: "National Security” Washington Post Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/05/23/ufo-report-sightings-search/ Barrack Obama on UFOs: https://www.fox23.com/news/trending/barack-obama-ufo-videos-we-dont-know-exactly-what-they-are/WICHT4ILJVBPZAGED45EAZKUHQ/ “Thunderf00t” video “60 Minutes...Busted”: https://youtu.be/VCH7BWGpl5s
In this 2 hour episode of CSG Justen Simpton, Luke Huck and Robert Wiesner join the discussion about the last thing's to happen before Jesus comes back! Three views are presented: Premillennialism, Postmillennialism & Amillennialism!
On this episode of CSG Tyler & Noah are joined by special guest David Russell from the "Proselytize or Apostatize" Youtube channel to discuss apologetics and apologetic methodology! Below out show notes so you can follow along with the episode and see somethings that didn't make it into the show! DEFINITION: "Apologetics is concerned with the defense of the Christian faith against charges of falsehood, inconsistency, or credulity. Indeed, the very word apologetics is derived from the Greek apologia, which means “defense.” It was a term used in the courts of law in the ancient world. Socrates, for example, gave his famous “apology,” or defense, before the court of Athens. And the apostle Paul defended himself (apologeomai) before the Roman officials (Acts 24:10; 25:8). As it concerns the Christian faith, then, apologetics has to do with defending, or making a case for, the truth of the Christian faith." WHY DO WE NEED APOLOGETICS? Unanswered questions are the number one reason people leave the Church ARE APOLOGETICS NECESSARY IN EVANGELISM? WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT METHODS OF APPROACH USED IN APOLOGETICS? PREACH THE WHOLE GOSPEL not simply the parts which we personally prefer. I.e. Sin & Hell ~C.S. Lewis TRANSISTION TO CUMULATIVE CASE Definition: See 1st Paragraph in FVoA p. 148. See last paragraph p. 151-152 FVoA WHAT ARE THE "ONTOLOGICAL" & "COSMOLOGICAL" ARGUMENTS? Ontological Argument: There is something within the concept of God that guarantees His existence is necessary. Made famous by Anselm of Canterbury 1033-1109 Cosmological Argument: WHAT IS THE COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT? ARE THE ONTOLOGICAL AND COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS SOUND? (Unfortunately all philosophers since Kant have agreed that no version of the argument succeeds in making its case as a demonstrably sound argument.) **Probable Case WHAT MAKES A "PROBABLE CASE" ARGUMENT INFORMAL/UNIQUE? A different approach "giving up the search for absolute certainty". ~Paul Feinberg FVoA p. 150 The probable case approach focuses on showing the probability of an argument. ARE POSTMODERNISTS MORE OPEN TO HEARING PROBABLE CASE ARGUMENTS? WHAT IS THE DESIGN ARGUMENT? Teliological/Design Argument: The argument that the universe exhibits design or order and is best explained as the work of an intelligent designer. Is evolution the rebuttal to the design argument? CC's Issue With "Traditional Arguments" see p. 150 FVoA 3rd Paragraph **CC TESTS FOR TRUTH: See p. 153 FVoA Consistency - A system of belief must not lead to a contradiction. Correspondence/Empirical Fit - This test requires that any belief must correspond with reality. Comprehensiveness - This criterion requires that we prefer theories or systems of belief that explain more of the evidence over those that might account for less. Simplicity - This test instructs us not to multiply explanatory items unnecessarily. It has also been called Ockham’s razor. If an explanation is both simple and adequate, it is to be preferred. Livability - For a belief to be true, it must be livable. This is not the same as our second test for truth, correspondence. That test is more theoretical, while livability is practical. Fruitfulness - Here we ask what the consequences are of holding such a view of reality. Does it produce fruitful consequences? Take two systems of belief, one that holds that reality is totally disorganized and random, while the other holds that reality is characterized by regularities. On this criterion the latter theory will be preferred, as it will make things like science possible. Conservation - By this I mean that when we find some anomaly to our theory, we first choose solutions that require the least radical revision of our view of the world. Put another way, we seek to modify the paradigm that we are using to understand reality rather than immediately making a radical shift to a new one. It is based in the belief that any system of belief that has reached the position of a reigning paradigm must have a good deal of evidence supporting it. Therefore, it is not wise to abandon it as a first move. ARE THERE ANY WEAK POINTS IN CC? WHAT IS SOME ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO SOMEONE INTERESTED IN ENGAGING IN APOLOGETICS OR EVANGELISM FOR THE FIRST TIME? (1 Peter 3:15) It's ESSENTIAL one understands the fundamentals of the Christian faith BEFORE practicing Christian apologetics. "The heart of apologetics is not about mastering or memorizing a set of techniques designed to manipulate arguments to get the desired conclusion. It is about being MASTERED by the Christian faith so that its ideas, themes and values are deeply imprinted on our minds and in our hearts." ~Alister McGrath WHAT IS THE REMEDY FOR POSTMODERNISM? Biblical Apologetics: 1) Acts 2:14-36 - Peter's Pentecostal Address 2) Acts 7:1-60 - Stephen's Final Address 3) Acts 10:1-48 - Peter & Cornelius 4) Acts 17:16-34 - Paul at Athens in the Areopagus Notice the difference in approaches between Peter and Paul in Acts 2 & 17! Church Apologists in History: 1) Justin Martyr 100-165 2) Tatian 120-173 3) Irenaeus 135-200 4) Tertullian 160-230 5) Eusebius of Caesarea 260-340 6) John Chrysostom d. 407 7) Augustine 354-430 8) Thomas Aquinas 1225-1274 9) B.B. Warfield 1851-1921 10) G.K. Chesterton 1874-1936 11) C.S. Lewis 1898-1963 12) Walter Martin 1928-1989 BOOKS TO CHECK OUT: "Tactics" - Greg Koukl "Keeping Faith in an Age of Reason" - Jason Lisle "Five Views of Apologetics" - William Lane Craig (Classical), Gary Habermas (Evidential), John Frame (Presuppositional), Kelly Clark (Reformed Epistemology), Paul Feinberg (Cumulative Case) "Evidence That Demands A Verdict" - Josh & Sean McDowell "Presuppositional Apologetics Stated & Defended" - Greg Bahnsen "A History of Christian Apologetics" - Dr. John Warwick Montgomery "Mere Apologetics" - Alister McGrath Check out "Proselytize or Apostatize" here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOaSzolYnkqL2OhjiJSyg
3 Arminian's (Dane Van Eys, David Pallmann, Dan Chapa) take on 3 Calvinist's (Tyler Fowler, Ty Brillhart, David Louis) in this 2 HOUR EPISODE to debate the thesis "Does Faith Precede Regeneration?" Order of Events: 1ST HOUR 1) Dane Van Eys - 15 Min Positive Opening Statement 2) Tyler Fowler - 15 Min Negative Opening Statement 3) David Pallmann - 15 Min Positive Rebuttal 4) Ty Brillhart - 15 Min Negative Rebuttal ----------10 MIN BREAK---------- 2ND HOUR 1) 40 Min Cross Examination (4x 10 min segments) 2) Dan Chapa - 10 Min Positive Closing Statement 3) David Louis - 10 Min Negative Closing Statement Moderators: Joshua "Jimmy" Davidson & Cole Perkins
In this episode of CSG we are joined by Joshua "Jimmy" Davidson and Travis worth to discuss why submission, obedience and worship are all important aspects of the Christian life! Show Notes Posted Below: (Travis’ Topic) Obedience, Submission & Worship w/ Joshua Davidson & Travis Worth Is God in the “bad” thing’s that happen in my life? Travis leads off this discussion with the reason’s why he chose obedience, submission, and worship to discuss this time on CSG, especially when we all find ourselves loosing passion in times of trouble. How does obedience effect joy? When was the last time you remember explicitly obeying a request from an elder or leader in your local church? When we obey leaders, we obey Scripture When was the last time you felt the Holy Spirit work in your heart? Romans 12:11 (go when you don’t want to; see Philippians 2:13) What is the difference between obedience and submission? Difference between blind submission and willful submission. Jonah Commandments are tools for shaping us like Christ. Be Holy for I am Holy. Submission leads to worship. Deep worship leads to high reverence of God. Joy is transcendent in nature (Jesus said I leave my peace with you) despite feelings. Romans 10:9
We begin this episode of CSG with a “What’s New” segment with our special guests Joshua “Jimmy” Davidson and Joshua Sherman! After some brief introduction’s of the guy’s, we jump right into Joshua S’ topic of the night, “Deconstruction and Apostasy in the Church”. This episode was picked by Joshua as part of our CSG Round-table Appreciation Night and we all know people, who use to profess Jesus Christ in the past but, for sometimes even famous people, walk away from the faith and what can we, as the Church, do about it? The group the addresses the problem of lack of discipleship within the Church that is very deconstructing to every believer in Christ. Jesus taught us to go forth, AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS (Matthew 28:19). We therefore address the two key characteristic’s of Christ that all believer’s in Christ should be aiming for, humility and submissiveness. The conversation then takes a turn into the difference between “Christianity” and “Christendom” as we talk about the decline of Christianity in the West as well as the EXPLOSION of Christianity in the East and Middle East! It seems anyway, comparing Eastern and Western Christendom, that where in one culture, persecution is on the rise therefore we see a decline, the exact same thing is happening in other cultures and Christendom is exploding rapidly! Why is this? We then move into the practical when the question comes up “What if I have been hurt by a local Church”?Jesus is a real Person and a real Savior, therefore do not let anyone interfere in your relationship with our God and Savior Christ Jesus! This episode is definitely on my top 10 and am extremely grateful for Jimmy and Joshua and what they contributed to this episode! Much more content packed into this so please, if you or someone you know has experienced Deconstruction or even Apostasy in your journey, take a listen and if you would like to further this discussion one on one, shoot us an email at completesinner@gmail.com and we would love to help you in any problems that you may be experiencing right now. God bless and thank you all for listening! Key Points to Take Away: • It is the Believer’s job to be loving. • It is the Church’s job to disciple. • There are numerous reason’s once professing Christian’s fall away. • There is a difference between “professing Christian’s” and “regenerated Christian’s”. • Don’t let anyone interfere with your relationship with Jesus. • Be accountable. • Be transparent. • Live like Jesus.
On this “close to home” episode of CSG Travis Worth sets down with us to discuss how to practically overcome sexual sin. We begin this one with Matthew 5 and giving an exposition of Jesus’s words in the Sermon on the Mount when He speaks concerning adultery within one’s heart. After a brief exposition of the Sermon, Noah and Travis then get into the kinds of struggles with this particular sin that they have faced! The team then answer’s questions like “Is this simply biological warfare we must engage with, or is there a spiritual side to fighting this sin as well” and, “How do we live a God centered life when noticing temptation starting to rise and beginning to take control of us”? We then move on to Mark 7 to show how all types of sin, not just sexual, begin in the heart. To start fighting sin, we MUST begin with the heart, therefore we must begin with the Gospel. God gives us His Holy Spirit, not only to save and seal us for the Day of Redemption, but so that we can begin overcoming sin with the SAME POWER THAT RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD! This is so important in the Christian faith that we could not pass up speaking concerning this very thing! I must say at this point the same thing Travis brings up next. SEX IS A GOOD THING. We have perverted something good that God has given us in marriage, so what can we do about it now? We FIGHT! We wrap up the show with more practical steps that ANYONE can begin implementing tonight in your battle with sexual sin and not only that, but really any sin or temptation you are currently struggling with! This episode is PACKED with practical, biblical, content that will help YOU begin your journey in overcoming this devilish sin that goes against our very body itself! May God bless you all on your endeavors to become like the Messiah Jesus Himself!
On this episode of CSG in our "Overcoming Sin & Temptation" series, Tyler Fowler, Joshua Davidson and Noah Chelliah have a great Biblical and practical discussion concerning overcoming something that seem's to haunt us all....depression. We all have battled depression, some of us have overcome yet still struggle from time to time while other's, tragically, have lost their lives to depression. How can I overcome this demon? Do I need medicine? How can the Church help? These are just some of the question's we go over in this episode! P.S. If you or someone you know is struggling with depression...REACH OUT/TALK TO THEM, Your/their life may depend on it! National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
In this short episode of CSG my good friend Austin Loveless drops by to interview me on the topic of my personal experience's with God and Christianity! We begin with answering question's like "Did I convert to Christianity or was I raised into it" and "What is the hardest part about being a Christian". We then transition into discussing the podcast and the goals of CSG and then wrap up with me asking Austin a suprise question! For more Austin and interview style videos check out his YouTube channel here: https://youtube.com/channel/UCFDYk_AG8Sf8ZNm0LlT4EpA
The goal of CSG episode 041 is twofold: namely, one, that stereotypes of drug addicts or addiction in general would be rightly understood, and two, this conversation would give both addicts and non-addicts in the church better tools to work with to engage drug addiction in the Church...and out. Michael leads us in giving his testimony concerning his experience using opiate’s. (Side note: beginning like a lot of addicts, Michael began using, not to “get high” but for post surgery rehabilitation. In pain, Michael took pain pills for comfort. This is my (Tyler) story as well. This seems to be a common denominator amongst many of those who end up becoming addicted to opiates especially.) Noah then asks a great question about whether or not Mike had a walk with Jesus at all during this time in his life and if so, how did that effect Mike’s decision’s and possibly even outcome of his addiction? For the addict we answer questions like “How do I reach out if I’m struggling with drug addiction to my church or family” and “What if I have been hurt before by the church and don’t trust very well” and for those who haven’t been pierced by this particular arrow from Satan’s quiver, “What can I do if I know someone struggling with drug use or addiction in general” (there is a difference between “drug use” and “active addiction”)? This is important for the local church . “What is the appropriate heart to approach the addict with?” What ultimately drives a person to do what they do? Using the gospel to attack the root of drug addiction, sin, is how we fight this but do we put the gospel first, or is it central? Mike and I then get into what addicts actually experience when going through “withdrawals” and give and addict POV for those who have never experienced this “HELL” those addicted to anything like this have probably experienced in one form or another and what we do, just to feel “normal” A lot more is discussed in this episode in detail about drug addiction, even going on to answer the question “What happens when trust is broken between two people confided in each other to help?” but I would like to end with some practical steps those who are struggling with this particular sin and those who are feeling a desire to help someone in this situation can apply: Find someone you can TRUST. This is key. TALK to them. Be open and transparent, not feeling ashamed. We are forgiven! Also don’t give a cause for stumbling. Understand this is physical as well as mental and spiritual. LISTEN. To the one helping, listen to the addicts story and to the addict, listen to the advice you’re given. CENTER the conversation on The Gospel. The Gospel is the axe to strike the root of the tree that is sin for both sides. FORGIVE. As I stated earlier, we are forgiven therefore if you backslide forgive yourself and get back up! To the accountability partner, if your partner backslides 70 X 7 times...forgive. ENCOURAGE each other daily. DON’T PUSH the addict to quit. Let God work in his or her life to grant repentance and faith. PRAY
On this weeks episode of CSG, Tyler invites his pastor, Bruce Seivers, on for a discussion about simply, how to fight sin! Scripture is expounded and "how to" steps are given to begin overcoming sin and becoming more like Jesus tonight! Sanctification is not an instantaneous thing that just happens overnight, rather a process that continues, in my opinion anyway, into eternity! We have been given eternal life now, and we are commanded by our Lord and Savior to "be holy", but where we begin? Are there any steps we can take to actually defeat these sins that so easily conquer us and sinful habits we've been so accustomed to over the years? Can we, in this flesh, become perfect? Also what did Jesus and the apostles do when they were tempted to sin and how did they overcome? As Bruce and I tackle these questions and more on our 40th episode of CSG may we all remember that in trusting Jesus with salvation as a whole, we can also trust Him to sanctify us by the power of the same Holy Spirit who raised Him from the dead!
In the beginning of part 2 of "Is The Prodigal Woke" Michael and Tyler lead off the discussion with the question "Is Christian freedom slipping away from American culture?" The Bible says that those "who desire to live a godly live will be persecuted" and it seems like we are moving that direction in America now. Culture is changing and with it, people are more openly oppressing Christian's here in the States! Is this what we have to look forward to in the coming years? Joshua Sherman then takes the wheel and we examine true discipleship. We begin with what it means to bear "good fruit" in evangelism and whether one should focus on themselves primarily and their own progress or other's. In other words, do we remove the speck from our eye first or neglect ourselves to help other's remove their own log? Tyler then reads Psalm 51 and the guys wrap up this episode with humility. We see our need for a Savior in the "low" times and when we feel broken. Yet, this is the time we NEED to look toward Christ, this is the time we NEED God. You are not to "dirty" to go to the Lord! Like the prodigal...come back to our Father! Practical humility and discipleship are the focus of this discussion over all so please, join us in this final part of our two part episode "Is The Prodigal Woke?" God bless!
In part 1 of this two part episode of The Complete Sinner’s Guide Noah Chelliah, Michael Keaton, Ty Brillhart, Joshua Sherman, “Jimmy” Davidson and your host Tyler Fowler begin by discussing the practicality of “the prodigal son” in Luke 15:11-32. Like the father in the parable of the prodigal, does God also welcome His children home with open arms after we sin? What about discipline? Does God discipline us to punish or correct us when we take something good God has created and misuse it and how does the Garden of Eden fit into all of this? After, Ty lead’s our discussion into what it is to be “woke”. Today we are seeing more and more God fearing people moving into the woke movement and it is raising cause for concern. What does it mean to be “woke” and is there a problem with the movement? If so, what can we as born again believer’s in Jesus do about it? We wrap up by taking a question from caller Michael about evangelism/discipleship and give you practical steps to start implementing tonight to become more like Jesus Christ! Part 2 to be released soon, so stay tuned and God bless!!!
For part 2 of this discussion with "Rethinking Hell" host Chris Date and "Burns' Eye View" host Ross Burns, we switch gears and Ross presents a positive case for ECT! We primarily focus on Scripture found in the Book of Revelation, and both sides present their case! Great ending to an even better discussion all around! A big thanks to Chris and Ross for taking the time out to drop by and chat for a bit! Definitnley had to break this one down to a two parter with so much info packed into an hour! More on Ross Burns and Burns' Eye View here: Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/burnseyeview Twitter- https://twitter.com/BurnsEyeView_ https://parler.com/profile/Burnseyevi... MeWe- https://mewe.com/i/rossburns3 Email- BurnsEyeView1517@gmail.com More on Chris Date and Rethinking Hell here: - Pick up a copy of one of Chris' books here: https://amzn.to/2Qgos0A - RethinkingHell.com - RethinkingHellConference.com - https://bit.ly/3gjphk2 - chrisdate@rethinkinghell.com
Host of "Rethinking Hell, Chris Date AND host of "Burns' Eye View", Ross Burns join us on this week's episode of CSG! We dig in to the foundation's of conditional immortality in part 1 of this two part discussion! Michael and myself join in on the chat as we talk through the difference between "immortality" & "eternal/enduring life", church history, the traditional view of hell, and what "death" means from both perspectives! A big thanks to Chris and Ross for taking the time out to drop by and chat for a bit! Definitnley had to break this one down to a two parter with so much info packed into an hour! More on Ross Burns and Burns' Eye View here: Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/burnseyeview Twitter- https://twitter.com/BurnsEyeView_ https://parler.com/profile/Burnseyevi... MeWe- https://mewe.com/i/rossburns3 Email- BurnsEyeView1517@gmail.com More on Chris Date and Rethinking Hell here: - Pick up a copy of one of Chris' books here: https://amzn.to/2Qgos0A - RethinkingHell.com - RethinkingHellConference.com - https://bit.ly/3gjphk2 - chrisdate@rethinkinghell.com
Join your host's Tyler Fowler, Noah Chelliah and Michael Keaton, for episode 1 of the new series "Overcoming Sin & Temptation", as they sit down with special guest Brad Schmidt (host of "The Schmidt Show" at KNOX News in Grand Forks, ND)!!! The four discuss politics, Christianity and specifically HOPE in a world full of uncertainty! With topics like, eternal hope, church history, why Christianity is true, and the Christian experience!
Join your host's, Tyler Fowler and Noah J. Chelliah as they sit down with special guest Joshua Sherman to discuss "The Word of God"!!!
Join your host Tyler Fowler on this special re-launch edition of CSG w/ Special Guest, Conservative Christian Rapper BRYSON GRAY!!! Bryson and I discuss, what we see, as problems within mainline Christianity and the American/Christian culture at large as well as explain how all of us can stand up against Evil and FIGHT with God! With topics like Bryson's personal testimony, Lecrae, Voter Fraud, and Christianity in America today you do not want to miss this episode of The Complete Sinner's Guide! I absolutely had a blast doing this interview with Bryson! Thank you so much for coming on and looking forward to having you on in the future as well! God bless each and everyone of you listening and supporting Bryson and also myself at CSG! CONTACT INFO For more episodes check out our main website here: completesinners.com Facebook: facebook.com/CSG2G Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj5tQ-U89BIjrmQIQ_35zbg E-mail: completesinner@gmail.com Bryson's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/BSuriusOfficial
IN THE STUDIO FOR THE FIRST TIME TOGETHER, join your host's Tyler Fowler and Noah Chelliah as they are again joined by special guest Joshua Sherman! We give God the glory this week on CSG by sharing what He has done in each of our lives! Because of Him, we live, and for that we decided to give our personal testimonies this week live on the air at KEQQ 88.3 FM Grand Forks, ND as well as right here on the website with our BRAND NEW LIVESTREAM AND WEEKLY LIVE SHOW! That's right! CSG will, by God's grace, be live on the radio for you who live in Grand Forks, ND, starting Jan. 1 2021 EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT from 6:00pm-7:00pm on KEQQ 88.3FM!!! Also, to go right along with this great news, CSG will also, by Jan. 1st, have a player embedded on our website for everyone else who doesn't catch it on the radio!!! God is moving at CSG and big things are beginning to take shape! Subscribe to our Youtube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj5tQ-U89BIjrmQIQ_35zbg As well as our Facebook Page here: https://www.facebook.com/CSG2G to stay in the loop!!! God bless each and every one of you from all of us at The Complete Sinner's Guide!
Join your host's Tyler and Noah as they sit down to discuss Catholicism with Ty Brillhart! Are there differences between Roman Catholicism and Biblical Christianity? What is "The Eucharist"? What did Jesus mean by "Eat My Flesh and drink My Blood"? Ty answers these questions and more in part 1 of this BRAND NEW SERIES on Roman Catholicism! Make sure to like, share and stay tuned for more!!!
Join your host's Tyler Fowler and Noah Chelliah as we sit down with FOUR GUEST'S to discuss current political events happening in America from a Christian worldview!!! Definitely CSG's BIGGEST EPISODE TO DATE! On the guest list we have some old and new friends on the show! Michael Keaton Joshua Davidson Ty Brillhart Joshua Sherman We have A LOT to discuss on this one guys and gals! Join us as we dive into the corruption that we are seeing play out before our very eyes! Don't miss this one!!!