The Berean Call Podcast

Today's program - this is a followup, part 2 with Martin and Deidre Bobgan. They are prolific writers; they've written more than 20 books, titles, they have papers available, a newsletter…you can download many of their books from their website, which is www.pamweb.org; or you can order the books, the hardcopies, from right here at The Berean Call. 

Join Dave and Tom as they engage in an in-depth, verse-by-verse examination of the Gospel of John. We hope you will be challenged and convicted as you listen to these insightful, exegetical discussions compiled from nearly four years of Search the Scriptures Daily radio programs. Open your Bible and get ready for an edifying pilgrimage into God's Word.

The message of this treasured epistle is just as clear and convicting today as it was to the early churches of Galatia: We are justified by grace through faith alone - not by works of the law.Join T. A. McMahon and radio guests (Greg Durel, Mike Gendron, and Jim McCarthy) as they discuss this powerful Pauline epistle and its relevance to your daily walk.

The message of this treasured epistle is just as clear and convicting today as it was to the early churches of Galatia: We are justified by grace through faith alone - not by works of the law.Join T. A. McMahon and radio guests (Greg Durel, Mike Gendron, and Jim McCarthy) as they discuss this powerful Pauline epistle and its relevance to your daily walk.

On today's program and next week, as well, we'll be discussing what the Scripture has to say about believers ministering to one another, which, sad to say, is foreign to the way most churches with rare exceptions go about counseling, even under the label of “biblical counseling.” My guests to discuss this important subject are Dr. Martin and Deidre Bobgan. They are prolific writers with more than 20 titles to their credit, nearly all addressing the scriptural problems with psychological counseling and Christian psychology, so-called. Many of their books can be downloaded from their website, which is www.pamweb.org, or you can order their books, their hardcopies, from The Berean Call.

Join Dave and Tom as they engage in an in-depth, verse-by-verse examination of the Gospel of John. We hope you will be challenged and convicted as you listen to these insightful, exegetical discussions compiled from nearly four years of Search the Scriptures Daily radio programs. Open your Bible and get ready for an edifying pilgrimage into God's Word.

The message of this treasured epistle is just as clear and convicting today as it was to the early churches of Galatia: We are justified by grace through faith alone - not by works of the law.Join T. A. McMahon and radio guests (Greg Durel, Mike Gendron, and Jim McCarthy) as they discuss this powerful Pauline epistle and its relevance to your daily walk.

Our guest is Keith Gibson, and the topic has been homosexuality. Keith is a pastor, and he's the author of a terrific book called Wandering Stars: Contending for the Faith with the New Apostles and Prophets. You can check our archives—we did a program on that with Keith. But now the issue is homosexuality, but the concern is for young people and their confusion; their lack of maybe understanding what the Bible says clearly; their having to deal with their peer group of nonbelievers as well as believers as to where they stand on this issue, which is being promoted as an alternate lifestyle; and as we mentioned last week, it comes down to their concern about being regarded as judgmental or intolerant.

The recent worldwide outpouring of grief upon the death of Pope John Paul II was unprecedented. Mourners ranged from his humblest adherents to the most powerful political and religious leaders of our day, including France's President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. California Governor Schwarzenegger called the Pope “a beacon of virtue, strength and goodness.” Former President Clinton called him “a man of God,” while former President Bush said that his “adherence to liberty and freedom…gave people a real anchor.”

Join Dave and Tom as they engage in an in-depth, verse-by-verse examination of the Gospel of John. We hope you will be challenged and convicted as you listen to these insightful, exegetical discussions compiled from nearly four years of Search the Scriptures Daily radio programs. Open your Bible and get ready for an edifying pilgrimage into God's Word.

The message of this treasured epistle is just as clear and convicting today as it was to the early churches of Galatia: We are justified by grace through faith alone - not by works of the law.Join T. A. McMahon and radio guests (Greg Durel, Mike Gendron, and Jim McCarthy) as they discuss this powerful Pauline epistle and its relevance to your daily walk.

Our guest for this week and next is Keith Gibson. Keith is a pastor, and he's the author of Wandering Stars: Contending for the Faith with the New Apostles and Prophets, and if there's a better book addressing the false teachings that are bound up in the Latter Rain, Manifest Sons of God, the so-called Kansas City Prophets, the International House of Prayer, Bethel Church of Redding, CA, and many other heresies, I'm not aware of it.

Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.—Titus 1:9This is part three in our series of articles on being a Berean. Tom McMahon wrote “Being a Berean,” an article that laid out who we are as a ministry. Tom and Dave started The Berean Call to help get God's message out through newsletters written by Dave Hunt (and later by Tom, too). In part two, Dave wrote a newsletter entitled, “More on Being a Berean” that continued the theme of what our ministry stands for with examples of error being taught in our Lord's name. This newsletter will continue on those themes and our desire to do God's will out of love for Him.We start with the very first commandment, which Jesus said is “…thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength” (Mark 12:30). “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19), which the Lord demonstrated because “…while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8), “…was buried, and…rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:4).God saved us from an eternal punishment that we fully deserve, but He didn't stop there. He has given us His Word, which He magnifies above His name (Psalm 138:2). In addition, Jesus promised that He would send from the Father (John 15:26) the Spirit of truth, who will guide us into all truth (John 16:13). With God's Word and His indwelling Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16), He “…hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3).1 Bob Jones III, BJU Tape God's Barriers Between Men, January 15, 1982.2 Bob Jones III, BJU Tape God's Barriers Between Men, January 15, 1982.3 At the turn of the century, BJU removed their ban on interracial relationships.4 Dave Hunt, “Am I A Fundamentalist?”, TBC Newsletter August 1998.5 Galatians 3:16, English Standard Version.6 The latest revision of the NIV has moved up the text and has the bracket section stating [The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.].7 John MacArthur, ed, The MacArthur Study Bible, 2nd Edition, English Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishing, 2021), 1366.

Join Dave and Tom as they engage in an in-depth, verse-by-verse examination of the Gospel of John. We hope you will be challenged and convicted as you listen to these insightful, exegetical discussions compiled from nearly four years of Search the Scriptures Daily radio programs. Open your Bible and get ready for an edifying pilgrimage into God's Word.

The message of this treasured epistle is just as clear and convicting today as it was to the early churches of Galatia: We are justified by grace through faith alone - not by works of the law.Join T. A. McMahon and radio guests (Greg Durel, Mike Gendron, and Jim McCarthy) as they discuss this powerful Pauline epistle and its relevance to your daily walk.

My guest for today's program and next week is Greg Sheryl. He's a longtime writer for the apologetics publication The Quarterly Journal that is produced by Personal Freedom Outreach.

Join Dave and Tom as they engage in an in-depth, verse-by-verse examination of the Gospel of John. We hope you will be challenged and convicted as you listen to these insightful, exegetical discussions compiled from nearly four years of Search the Scriptures Daily radio programs. Open your Bible and get ready for an edifying pilgrimage into God's Word.

The message of this treasured epistle is just as clear and convicting today as it was to the early churches of Galatia: We are justified by grace through faith alone - not by works of the law.Join T. A. McMahon and radio guests (Greg Durel, Mike Gendron, and Jim McCarthy) as they discuss this powerful Pauline epistle and its relevance to your daily walk.

My guest for today's program and next week is Greg Sheryl. He's a longtime writer for the apologetics publication The Quarterly Journal that is produced by Personal Freedom Outreach.

Join Dave and Tom as they engage in an in-depth, verse-by-verse examination of the Gospel of John. We hope you will be challenged and convicted as you listen to these insightful, exegetical discussions compiled from nearly four years of Search the Scriptures Daily radio programs. Open your Bible and get ready for an edifying pilgrimage into God's Word.

The message of this treasured epistle is just as clear and convicting today as it was to the early churches of Galatia: We are justified by grace through faith alone - not by works of the law.Join T. A. McMahon and radio guests (Greg Durel, Mike Gendron, and Jim McCarthy) as they discuss this powerful Pauline epistle and its relevance to your daily walk.

My guest for today's program and next week is Greg Sheryl. He's a longtime writer for the apologetics publication The Quarterly Journal that is produced by Personal Freedom Outreach.

The message of this treasured epistle is just as clear and convicting today as it was to the early churches of Galatia: We are justified by grace through faith alone - not by works of the law.Join T. A. McMahon and radio guests (Greg Durel, Mike Gendron, and Jim McCarthy) as they discuss this powerful Pauline epistle and its relevance to your daily walk.

Originally Published February 1994And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. —2 Timothy 3:15The number of false beliefs being promoted and enthusiastically received among evangelicals is staggering and growing rapidly. Take for example a new book, Lonely No More, by Karen Mains of The Chapel of the Air. In it she tells of acquiring a personal spirit guide and making contact, through visualization, with what Carl Jung called "the idiot child within," whom she identifies as "Jesus Christ"! The depth and variety of delusions which evangelicals will embrace seem unlimited, especially if cloaked in psychological jargon.

My guest for today's program and next week is Greg Sheryl. He's a longtime writer for the apologetics publication The Quarterly Journal that is produced by Personal Freedom Outreach.

Join Dave and Tom as they engage in an in-depth, verse-by-verse examination of the Gospel of John. We hope you will be challenged and convicted as you listen to these insightful, exegetical discussions compiled from nearly four years of Search the Scriptures Daily radio programs. Open your Bible and get ready for an edifying pilgrimage into God's Word.

Join Dave and Tom as they engage in an in-depth, verse-by-verse examination of the Gospel of John. We hope you will be challenged and convicted as you listen to these insightful, exegetical discussions compiled from nearly four years of Search the Scriptures Daily radio programs. Open your Bible and get ready for an edifying pilgrimage into God's Word.

Question: I see the term “journaling” in several of your articles. Just what is meant by that?Response: Some would refer to the daily exercise of keeping a diary as “journaling.” That's not what we're speaking of. Rather, too commonly today, “journaling” refers to the mystic practice of emptying one's mind and calling upon a “spirit guide,” who is the one “channeling” their thoughts through our mind and guiding the hand recording these same ideas.More than three decades ago, Dave Hunt wrote about The Way International former cult member Mark Virkler, who found his way into charismatic circles. He has since become a popular speaker.“Virkler teaches seminars designed to ‘open one up to two-way communication with Almighty God,' which…‘is going to change the nation….' (Sadly enough, not just Virkler's seminar but the growing use of visualization may indeed ‘change the nation.') The secret is in two divination techniques (divination is forbidden by the Bible in any form): ‘journaling' and ‘visualization.' What Virkler calls ‘the breakthrough' into two-way dialogue with God came through information gained at a seminar conducted by Dennis and Matthew Linn, Jesuit priests who teach the visualization of Mary and Joseph for inner healing. Virkler teaches visualization of a ‘Jesus' who can be conjured up at will in the imagination but then begins to move and speak on his own. Clearly contact has been made with some spirit entity independent of the visualizer's imagination, but it is not our Lord Jesus Christ, for He cannot be called from the right hand of the Father on high to appear before us as our private guru any time we please.”

The message of this treasured epistle is just as clear and convicting today as it was to the early churches of Galatia: We are justified by grace through faith alone - not by works of the law.Join T. A. McMahon and radio guests (Greg Durel, Mike Gendron, and Jim McCarthy) as they discuss this powerful Pauline epistle and its relevance to your daily walk.

Today we're picking up where we left off last week. My guest is Warren Smith. He's the author of The Light That Was Dark: From the New Age to Amazing Grace and Deceived on Purpose. And we had the great opportunity to talk about another of his books titled Another Jesus Calling, which is a very, very important book, and I recommend that you have the opportunity…because of the impact that Jesus Calling by Sarah Young is having on the church. So I encourage you to get a hold of that book.

Join Dave and Tom as they engage in an in-depth, verse-by-verse examination of the Gospel of John. We hope you will be challenged and convicted as you listen to these insightful, exegetical discussions compiled from nearly four years of Search the Scriptures Daily radio programs. Open your Bible and get ready for an edifying pilgrimage into God's Word.

Question: I go to a Presbyterian church and they do communion monthly. I used to attend a non-denomination that did that as well. Are we not to do communion if we attend a church that does it?? I'm still trying to unlearn a lot of false teachings I learned over the years. But God is so good, and I'm grateful He's gotten me out of those things.Response: Communion is a memorial as Paul carefully explains: “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come” (1 Cor 11:26). As Peter points out, we need to have our memories constantly jogged (2 Pet 1:13), in order to remember what the Lord has already done (Heb 10:12).Paul's remarks concerning communion clearly show the importance of this event. Although partaking of communion does not contribute to our salvation and should only be done by those already saved, it serves as a reminder of what the Lord Jesus has done for us.“And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me” (1 Cor 11:24-25).

The message of this treasured epistle is just as clear and convicting today as it was to the early churches of Galatia: We are justified by grace through faith alone - not by works of the law.Join T. A. McMahon and radio guests (Greg Durel, Mike Gendron, and Jim McCarthy) as they discuss this powerful Pauline epistle and its relevance to your daily walk.

Gary: Welcome to Search the Scriptures 24/7, a radio ministry of The Berean Call with T.A. McMahon. I'm Gary Carmichael. Thanks for tuning in. In today's program, Tom begins a two-part series with guest, author and conference speaker Warren Smith. Here's TBC executive director Tom McMahon.Tom: Thanks, Gary. Today and next week I'll be discussing an important topic with a friend of mine who is an author of numerous books, including The Light That Was Dark: From the New Age to Amazing Grace, and Deceived On Purpose, as well as another very valuable book that we discussed in detail when he was on with me last, and the book is Another Jesus Calling. But the topic for today and for next week, the Lord willing, is sorcery, and my guest is Warren Smith. Warren, thanks for joining me on Search the Scriptures 24/7.Warren: Good to be with you, Tom.

Join Dave and Tom as they engage in an in-depth, verse-by-verse examination of the Gospel of John. We hope you will be challenged and convicted as you listen to these insightful, exegetical discussions compiled from nearly four years of Search the Scriptures Daily radio programs. Open your Bible and get ready for an edifying pilgrimage into God's Word.

Question: I am a registered psychotherapist and I reject Freudian and Jungian beliefs. However, I did find that when you remove these demonic influences and stick with the "science" behind psychology and filter it through the Bible that it's a powerful tool. Proverbs in particular along with New Testament scriptures encourage us to guard our heart and mind, renew our mind with God's Word, and find peace of mind. The Bible is actually the BASIS of TRUE Psychotherapy if you study the subject biblically. What do you say?Response: It's instructive that just in the last week we have been contacted by Christian psychologists who insist that "psychotherapy" by name has been discarded by Christians who limit themselves to being called Biblical Counselors. Further, secular psychologists have also gone down this path. We appreciate your "rejection" of Freudian and Jungian beliefs. It is clear that your heart is for those you seek to help. With that in mind, the pertinent question to ask, however, is how thorough that process has been? We say that because some of these counselors are still using the teachings of those you correctly label as "demonic influences."Other psychologists have "come out" with the same concern for how they have been trained, and what they have learned in practices that span several decades.More recently, the Transgender movement has shown that "science" has very little to do with an utterly emotional, anti-science practice. So, we have to make sure we've gutted the structure of psychology/psychotherapy.There is, however, the often seen reference to the “Science” of psychology. There's a fascinating article entitled The Puzzle of Paul Meehl: An intellectual history of research criticism in psychology (i.e., checking them out from the perspective of real science [https://bit.ly/4ihy1qX]).Professor Andrew Gelman writes, "There's nothing wrong with Meehl. He's great. The Puzzle of Paul Meehl is that everything we're saying now, all this stuff about the problems with Psychological Science and PPNAS and Ted Talks and all that, Paul Meehl was saying 50 years ago. And it was no secret. So how is it that all this was happening, in plain sight, and now here we are?"Meehl concluded his 1967 article by saying, "Some of the more horrible examples of this process would require the combined analytic and reconstructive efforts of Carnap, Hempel, and Popper to unscramble the logical relationships of theories and hypotheses to evidence. Meanwhile our eager-beaver researcher, undismayed by logic-of-science considerations and relying blissfully on the ‘exactitude' of modem statistical hypothesis-testing, has produced a long publication list and been promoted to a full professorship. In terms of his contribution to the enduring body of psychological knowledge, he has done hardly anything."We will pray that as you devise your way, the Lord will direct your steps further.

The message of this treasured epistle is just as clear and convicting today as it was to the early churches of Galatia: We are justified by grace through faith alone - not by works of the law.Join T. A. McMahon and radio guests (Greg Durel, Mike Gendron, and Jim McCarthy) as they discuss this powerful Pauline epistle and its relevance to your daily walk.

Join Dave and Tom as they engage in an in-depth, verse-by-verse examination of the Gospel of John. We hope you will be challenged and convicted as you listen to these insightful, exegetical discussions compiled from nearly four years of Search the Scriptures Daily radio programs. Open your Bible and get ready for an edifying pilgrimage into God's Word.

Question: We have been asked to respond to the question of whether or not someone who is a believer and commits suicide will still go to heaven. The individual who committed suicide had some form of depression for years, which caused great suffering.Response: This is certainly a difficult question to ask and whether we take one position or the other, we still have to admit that we can't see what's going on in an individual's mind. We have prayed for an individual whose spouse had a stroke that changed their personality. They knew the Lord and throughout married life the individual was a good and kind spouse. But post-stroke the victim's personality changed. We can't say they "willfully" changed their personality. Did they arrange for the stroke to happen? Their spouse said they constantly struggled to control their temper. When we are saved, scripture tells us we are a new creation, old things have passed away (sins are forgiven), and all things have become new (2 Cor 5:17). But, we still inhabit a body subject to illness and pain.Scripture very clearly says "the old man" is still active in our life. Paul writes in Romans 7 about his struggle. That will continue until we die or are raptured. Then, and only then, "we all shall be changed" (1 Cor 15:51). That is, the old body we inhabit will undergo a resurrection and all the "evil" is done away with. In the meanwhile, the Scriptures speak of the security of the believer.I remember a conversation I had with a Christian doctor when he was briefing me about some oral surgery I was advised to have. I made a joke, saying, "Please don't record what I say under anesthesia." The doctor laughed and said he wouldn't listen and then spoke of some patients he described as “beautiful grandmothers who were saved and yet under anesthesia would sometimes say some of the most vile things.”And, let's also acknowledge mental issues. We're not talking about psychology. As Tom and Dave both noted and medical science has shown, there can be biological damage to the brain that affects someone's ability to communicate, whether the damage is from an accident, internal tumors, or other disease. The question then arises: is there a point where disease or other factors bring an individual to a point where they are not thinking with a right mind? James 4:17 tells us, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”We must also consider the biological issues that come with old age. We don't have the insight to understand what is physically happening to an elderly person's brain. But, if things progress to where an individual isn't fully in control of themselves, can we arbitrarily believe God will send them to hell for that? "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Gen 18:25).

March 2025 NewsletterOriginally published January 1, 1994And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.—Acts 17:10-11As we approach the end of our second year as a ministry, we think it worthwhile to review two basic questions people often ask regarding the work of The Berean Call: “What exactly is a Berean?” and “What does TBC do?”Although we've covered many aspects of those questions in various issues of our newsletter (and, in general, The Berean Call is an ongoing reflection of our work), we thought it might be helpful to our readers if we addressed “what we're about” in some depth.Luke writes in Acts 17:10-11 that the Apostle Paul, having left Thessalonica and recently arrived in the city of Berea, preached in the synagogue of the Berean Jews. Paul's encouraging experience with the Bereans caused Luke to commend them. He wrote that they were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica because they received the Word of God from Paul “with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily” to know whether or not what he had to say was true.The purpose of this ministry is to call believers in Jesus Christ to be like the Bereans. They not only had a heart to hear the things of God but, more importantly, were able to discern what was truly of Him because they regarded the Scriptures as the authority in ascertaining the truth of what they were hearing. The Bereans practiced what Isaiah preached: “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).TBC's chief concern is the spiritual welfare of the body of Christ, and in particular, the encouragement of biblical discernment. We believe the times reflect the necessity of our calling. Even a cursory review of what has taken place in the church during the last 25 years will reveal a fierce undermining of “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). You might even say that the Bereans of Paul's day “had it easy” compared to this generation. In those days the opposition to truth was in the secular world around them—it had not yet infiltrated the church under the guise of a more enlightened or advanced Christianity. While there were pressing pagan influences as well as some heretical teachings and practices here and there, they weren't subjected to anything like the flood of false beliefs, teachings, and practices surging in on the tidal wave of today's Christian media.

Chris, before we get into what the emerging church is and the spiritual damage that it's doing to the body of Christ, I'd like to get your perspective as a pastor, as a shepherd of the sheep, regarding how you deal with protecting your congregation from the flood of false teachings and other corruptions of the Scripture that seem to be coming from every form of Christian media. You know, Chris, most pastors - it's my guess, but I would say on the average, spend less than a couple hours a week teaching their congregation, especially…it happens especially among evangelicals that most of their members get spiritual input from Christian media, maybe more so than from their church. So given what's being promoted today on Christian radio and TV, that can lead to confusion at least, and deception at worst. So, Chris, how do you handle that sort of thing?

Join Dave and Tom as they engage in an in-depth, verse-by-verse examination of the Gospel of John. We hope you will be challenged and convicted as you listen to these insightful, exegetical discussions compiled from nearly four years of Search the Scriptures Daily radio programs. Open your Bible and get ready for an edifying pilgrimage into God's Word.

Join Dave and Tom as they engage in an in-depth, verse-by-verse examination of the Gospel of John. We hope you will be challenged and convicted as you listen to these insightful, exegetical discussions compiled from nearly four years of Search the Scriptures Daily radio programs. Open your Bible and get ready for an edifying pilgrimage into God's Word.

Question: Can you help me with this question: “If Jesus died for all and has legally purchased all through substitutionary atonement, then how can those people go to hell? That would be a ‘Double Jeopardy' of the sins of those people being paid for twice.” This is my husband's main question and I would really appreciate help with it based on Calvinism.Response: The Bible says that God wants all to be saved: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9). But the Bible also says that not all will be saved (Matt 7:21-23; Lk 13:22-27, etc). Nevertheless, the Bible also tells us that God is all powerful (Ps 147:5; Jer 32:17; Matt 19:26, etc).Calvinism has its own explanation. They strive to make things add up. “If God is all powerful,” the reasoning goes, “and God wants all people to be saved, then all people will be saved. Since not all people will be saved, Christ must have died only for some; God must not want all to be saved.”This is unbiblical according to the much-explained John 3:16 (what “world” means), and the blunt statement of 1 John 2:1-2: “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” But to some, it makes nice, theological sense. This is, however, putting one's reason above God's Word; believing what makes sense rather than believing all of what God has said. As Dave Hunt wrote in Calvin's Dilemma: God's Sovereignty vs. Man's Free Will (pp 9-10), “William L. Pettingill wrote, ‘God insists upon His sovereignty and also upon man's responsibility. Believe both and preach both, leaving the task of ‘harmonizing' with Him.' In a similar vein, A. T. Pierson, although a leading Presbyterian, declared that both ‘the sovereign will of God and the freedom of man' are taught in Scripture and that ‘if we cannot reconcile these two, it is because the subject is so infinitely lifted up above us. Man is free.... Thus the last great invitation in God's Book is an appeal to the will.'“Unfortunately, neither John Calvin nor many of his followers today have been willing to accept both sides of this biblical teaching. The result has been devastating in its consequences for the gospel: that man can only reject Christ; he cannot accept and believe in Him unless he is sovereignly regenerated by God. Calvinism refuses to accept what so many great evangelists have recognized is vital. Edgar Mullins expresses very well the essential balance that is missing:“‘Free will in man is as fundamental a truth as any other in the gospel and must never be canceled in our doctrinal statements. Man would not be man without it and God never robs us of our true moral manhood in saving us.... The decree of salvation must be looked at as a whole to understand it. Some have looked at God's choice alone and ignored the means and the necessary choice on man's part.'”

The message of this treasured epistle is just as clear and convicting today as it was to the early churches of Galatia: We are justified by grace through faith alone - not by works of the law.Join T. A. McMahon and radio guests (Greg Durel, Mike Gendron, and Jim McCarthy) as they discuss this powerful Pauline epistle and its relevance to your daily walk.View the full series: https://www.thebereancall.org/galatiansMore about the Bible: https://www.thebereancall.org/topic/bibleOur website: https://www.reachingcatholics.orgOur main website: www.thebereancall.orgStore: store.thebereancall.orgDownload our app: www.thebereancall.org/appSign up for our email updates: https://www.thebereancall.org/subscribe

Well, this is our…part 2 of our program in which we're addressing the Strange Fire Conference that was held at John MacArthur's church, Grace Community Church in Sun Valley in Southern California, and my partner in addressing this is Anton Bosch.As you'll recognize from Anton's accent, he's originally from South Africa, which…you know, when I ever have somebody on here from New Zealand or these countries, you guys are so much more articulate (laughing) that it's a thrill. You know, Paul Wilkinson from England as well. I go, “Oh brother, Tom. You'd better take some elocution lessons!”

Join Dave and Tom as they engage in an in-depth, verse-by-verse examination of the Gospel of John. We hope you will be challenged and convicted as you listen to these insightful, exegetical discussions compiled from nearly four years of Search the Scriptures Daily radio programs. Open your Bible and get ready for an edifying pilgrimage into God's Word.

Response: It is true that Isaiah 9:6 says that Jesus' name will be called “Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father,” etc. What it does not say is that Jesus is the Everlasting Father. As God, He obviously has the characteristics of God. Simply put, Jesus being part of the godhead has the attributes of God. This includes everlasting or “eternal life.”Micah 5:2 agrees with this: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”It has been asked why if Jesus' name is “Everlasting Father,” then why don't we call Jesus “Everlasting Father”? Or why not call him “Wonderful Counselor” or “Mighty God” or “Prince of Peace”? Isaiah 9:6 speaks of a “name,” and there are four characteristics associated with that name. Again, this reveals it is the characteristics of the coming Messiah that is in view here. The fact that the Messiah is God is shown in Hebrews 1:3 when it says, “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high….” Why shouldn't the Lord subsequently say, “…He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father” (Jn 14:9)? Jesus is the “express image” of God the Father as His prophesied name establishes.

The message of this treasured epistle is just as clear and convicting today as it was to the early churches of Galatia: We are justified by grace through faith alone - not by works of the law.Join T. A. McMahon and radio guests (Greg Durel, Mike Gendron, and Jim McCarthy) as they discuss this powerful Pauline epistle and its relevance to your daily walk.View the full series: https://www.thebereancall.org/galatiansMore about the Bible: https://www.thebereancall.org/topic/bibleOur website: https://www.reachingcatholics.orgOur main website: www.thebereancall.orgStore: store.thebereancall.orgDownload our app: www.thebereancall.org/appSign up for our email updates: https://www.thebereancall.org/subscribe

Join Dave and Tom as they engage in an in-depth, verse-by-verse examination of the Gospel of John. We hope you will be challenged and convicted as you listen to these insightful, exegetical discussions compiled from nearly four years of Search the Scriptures Daily radio programs. Open your Bible and get ready for an edifying pilgrimage into God's Word.

Question: During the past Sunday evening Bible study, the following was presented: Some [astrological] constellations corresponded with the tribes of Israel: Judah—Leo; Dan—Scorpio; Benjamin—Gemini. Further, the tribes in the wilderness were arranged around the Tabernacle according to the “mirror reflection” of where their corresponding constellation was located in the heavens. How does one research whether or not these things are true?Response: First of all, is this idea anywhere taught in Scripture? Certainly not! Secondly, it has been pointed out numerous times that the “Signs of the Zodiac correspond to the position of the sun relative to constellations as they appeared more than 2,200 years ago” (https://bit.ly/3CsoGxi). However, practitioners of Astrology, and in particular those who make their living on it, would say (without any evidence) that this makes no difference. Further, their argument is in direct conflict with verifiable science as much as it is with the Word of God.Indeed, the Lord says in Jeremiah 10:2, “Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.”