Two Ways News

Dear friends,After the genealogy of Genesis 5, we have finally left Adam and Eve. But then as we merge into chapter 6, we find Adam's baleful influence dominating the landscape. This week's episode of Two Ways News does not seek to answer the many questions people ask about the flood, but to pay attention to the central message of sin and judgement. Your temptation may now be to skip this episode, but that is because of sin and judgement! So as the old hymn has it, “yield not to temptation”.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,This week in Two Ways News, we continue the theme of family. Having dealt with the family of Cain in chapter 4, we turn to the new family of Adam. In this family, God's word enables us to see the Lord's plans for salvation, hinted at in Genesis 3:15 and worked out in Noah. We don't often have sermons on genealogies, but hopefully this episode will help us see their importance.Yours,PhillipPhillip Jensen: Welcome again to Two Ways News.Peter Jensen: Phillip, you never wore glasses growing up, but I can remember getting my first pair of glasses and realising that most people could see things that had, for me, only been a blurred vision.Phillip: Spectacles are a very important part of life. The reformers, Tyndale and Calvin, saw glasses as a way of understanding the Bible. Here's an excerpt from Calvin's InstitutesFor just as eyes, when dimmed with age or weakness or by some other defect, unless aided by spectacles, discern nothing distinctly; so, such is our feebleness, unless scripture guides us in seeking God.[1]Without the scriptures, we may know there is a God, but we are confused about who he is. But with the glasses of the scriptures, we can see that which before was only a matter of confusion.Peter: In last week's episode, when we were talking about chapter 4 of Genesis and the family of Cain, you said something like this: that in the midst of the gloom of a fallen world, the grace of God was still discernible. How does chapter 5 throw any light on that? It is odd because when you read it, it seems to consist of a list of names and strangely long lifespans.Phillip: The chapter is a genealogy, but why don't we read it? Friends, this is part of God's word. God has chosen to reveal himself in not just one genealogy, but in several. Genesis 4:25-5:32And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD.This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died.When Seth had lived 105 years, he fathered Enosh. Seth lived after he fathered Enosh 807 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died.When Enosh had lived 90 years, he fathered Kenan. Enosh lived after he fathered Kenan 815 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died.When Kenan had lived 70 years, he fathered Mahalalel. Kenan lived after he fathered Mahalalel 840 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Kenan were 910 years, and he died. When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he fathered Jared. Mahalalel lived after he fathered Jared 830 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Mahalalel were 895 years, and he died.When Jared had lived 162 years, he fathered Enoch. Jared lived after he fathered Enoch 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Jared were 962 years, and he died.When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he fathered Lamech. Methuselah lived after he fathered Lamech 782 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died.When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.” Lamech lived after he fathered Noah 595 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died.After Noah was 500 years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.Certain things stand out. Sons and daughters are mentioned each time. It's not just the sons mentioned, nor all the sons; only the first-born sons are named. There's also an incredible sense of life, that they live so long even before they have children, but then they go on living a long life. But there's still that chorus that keeps coming, ‘And he died…and he died…and he died.' Life is still within the family of Adam, yet the death sentence is still there. There are two particularly important characters mentioned: Enoch and Noah. There's a prophecy about Noah: “Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.” There's a hope for Noah that is different from all the others; there's something special about to happen. What about Enoch?Peter: What we see in Enoch is grace at work. God has been revealed as the great creator. Now, the other name we give him, ‘Saviour', comes into play. The word is not there, but you can see the saviour at play, perhaps with the advent of Seth, who takes the place of Abel. Abel is the man of faith who, even in his death, foreshadows Christ. It is by the family of Seth that men begin to call on the name of the Lord. Presumably, the name of the Lord there is the name ‘Yahweh', the name that people of faith call God as time goes on. Moses has his experience of hearing about the name of God at the burning bush. So, calling on the name of the Lord, perhaps even preaching the name of the Lord, occurs then. It's a signal to us that something significant is happening, that God's grace, his saving power, is at work. He's not going to leave the family of Adam and Eve to perish.Phillip: It's interesting that having had the introduction at the end of chapter 4 about the firstborn son and then the grandson Seth, we have at the beginning of chapter 5 a recap of the story, so to speak, about man being created in the image. The image that man is created in, that Adam has, then passes on to his child Seth. There's a sense in which the dominion to rule the world is passed on, particularly within this family rather than in the family of Cain. There's a godly family here that is then outlined for us.But those long ages testify to life that they have, in all its strength and vigour. Genesis is not telling us everything; it could refer to houses or dynasties. God in his power could have someone live this long, but it's recorded because it is extraordinarily long. People are not going to continue to live that long. When Moses is writing this, he knows that that's not how long people normally live. It may be like Sumerian kings who reigned over this period of time.Peter: They were said to reign for a thousand years, meaning their house, their dynasty, their family, reigned for a thousand years.Phillip: We're not really sure, but it doesn't matter how long they lived, because they died. In this way Enoch is so unique because he walked with God; he was not like the others. God chooses to take him.“Calling on the name of God” is an interesting phrase about God at work in grace. It sounds like it's referring to when people started praying. The phrase is used that way sometimes. The name of the Lord is important to pick up because it's printed in upper case; they were calling on the name ‘Yahweh'. That means that they had personal knowledge of him. When I call God ‘God', I'm talking about what he is, but when I call God ‘Yahweh', I'm talking about who he is; it's a personal relationship. But the phrase ‘calling on' can mean ‘proclaiming', so in Exodus 34, where God proclaims his name to MosesYahweh descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of Yahweh. Yahweh passed before him and proclaimed, “Yahweh, Yahweh, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness”God proclaimed the name of Yahweh, and so back in Genesis 4, the time of Enosh was the time when people began to proclaim the name ‘Yahweh'.Peter: This fits with what we read about Enoch. We read that he walked with God, exactly what Adam and Eve used to do before they sinned in the garden. It displays the intimacy of faith, which you understand if you're a Christian believer, where you walk with God.Then this extraordinary phrase, in a chapter that says, ‘And then he died', and we come to Enoch, “And he was not, for God took him.” The same happened later on with Elijah, which presumably means that God took him home to be with him. Hebrews 11:5By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God.In other words, Elijah was walking with God. He had pleased God and so was taken up. So there was something extraordinary about this man, Enoch. The wonderful Matthew Henry, an 18th century commentator on these things, saidEnoch was the brightest star of the patriarchal age, distinguished by true religion and eminent religion. He did not only walk after God, as all good men do, but he walked with God, as if he were in heaven already. To walk with God was the business of Enoch's life. It was the joy and support of his life. Whenever a good man dies, God takes him, fetches him hence, and receives him to himself. Those whose walk in the world is truly holy shall find their removal out of it truly happy.[2]I'll never forget John Newton, the writer of Amazing Grace whom you mentioned last time, saying as he neared the end of his life, “I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great saviour.” Our trust in God, shown by our faith and our behaviour of the way in which we live for him, is what saves us.Phillip: Within the genealogy, though, is the narrative of salvation being worked out.Peter: When I looked at our genealogies in the DNA test that I did recently, I was checking up on our ancestry to give me a sense of who we are and where we've come from. It was to satisfy my curiosity about things. But this genealogy is different.Phillip: This is telling us a story and showing us God's grace at work. In the world of Cain and his great-great-grandson Lamech, where things are going so badly, we go back to Adam, and then we find some who are proclaiming the name of Yahweh. In chapter 3, we were told that the seed of the woman would actually crush the serpent. We've been looking for the serpent crusher ever since chapter 3. It wasn't Cain. It couldn't be Abel. It's Seth's son, Enosh. That's when they start proclaiming the name of Yahweh. So we think, ‘Here it's coming,' and then it's just another person who's dead. There's a long wait. God is very patient in his salvation.Peter: But the genealogy is pointing forward; there's someone coming.Phillip: Enoch is someone who's come, and Enoch is saved, but he doesn't save anybody else. Then there's Noah, and he's coming as ‘the one that's going to reverse the curse'. Now we have the name of the serpent crusher, Noah, and the salvation of the world is going to come with this man. I hope we all know something of the events of Noah's life, which we'll look at next time in terms of the flood, but we also know that Noah didn't turn out to be the saviour of the world either. In 2 Peter chapter 2 we readIf he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly… then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.It's a great passage that refers to Noah, and the fact that it's not Noah who is the saviour, but that God is the saviour through Noah. It's unfortunate because the Greek is actually saying something differently here, which I think is important to understand our genealogy. It talks about Noah as “a herald of righteousness with seven others.” Who are the seven? Most people will tell you who the seven are: Noah's wife, their three sons, Ham, Shem and Japheth, and their three daughters-in-law who go nameless; that equals eight people. The trouble is, the Greek doesn't even say eight; it says ‘eighth'. God preserved Noah, the eighth herald of righteousness. I can understand why our translators make it simple with the solution, he and seven others, but it's not eight; it's eighth.What's more, he's a herald of righteousness, but when you read the events of Noah, he doesn't say anything to anybody; he never preaches. But the word ‘herald' means ‘to preach'. So here's a man who doesn't preach and is called ‘the eighth preacher of righteousness'. The answer is found in Genesis 5, because one of the characteristics of the New Testament quoting and alluding to the Old Testament is the accuracy and care with which they treat the Old Testament, and this is a good example. Back in Genesis 4, we're told, ‘This is the time from which they proclaim the name of Yahweh.' It started with Enosh. You then look at the numbers of people who were there: Enosh, then Kenan, Mahallalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech and number eight, Noah. He's the eighth proclaimer of the name of the Lord. So Peter is referring to that, not to the family numbers that were saved.Peter: We've put on our spectacles, namely the word of God, and we've looked out at the world. We've come across a passage which seems so remote, so different from the way we think, talking about people who are just beyond imagining. But we see the wickedness and corruption of the world, of human culture, to this day: filled with wonderful achievements, but corrupted by human sin always. We've now seen God at work, that in and through human history, invisible to all but those who put on the spectacles of the Bible, God is there, and he's showing his grace to them. But he's also preparing for the ultimate hero of this genealogy, Jesus. Thus, we should have no fear, but every day, even in the midst of the difficulties of living in a world such as the one we've inherited, we should be filled with faith and hope.[1] John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 1535[2] Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary, 1706Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Links & RecommendationsFor more on this topic, listen to Phillip's 1997 Campus Bible Study Talk on Genesis 5-11 entitled The Impossible Subject.Freely available, supported by generosity.If you enjoy Two Ways News, why not lend us a hand? Consider joining our Supporters Club—friends who make it possible for us to keep producing this article/podcast.To join the Supporters Club, follow the link below to the ‘subscribe' page. You'll see that there's:* a number of ‘paid options'. To join the Supporters Club take out one of the paid ‘subscription plans' and know we are deeply grateful for your support!* also the free option (on the far right hand side) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,Welcome again to Two Ways News. Working with my brother makes it a bit of a family concern. The last episode of the older brother killing the younger reminds us of the mixed blessing of family life. In this episode, we follow through the family of Cain. It's not a pleasant story, though in the midst of evil there are great achievements. Don't forget to tell others of Two Ways News.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,We return this week to Genesis and chapter 4. It's a passage that Peter and I should be able to empathetically deal with: Cain and Abel, brothers at war!Thank you to those who have sent messages of encouragement to us and questions to push our thinking. Please continue to encourage others to subscribe to Two Ways News.Yours,PhillipFreely available, supported by generosity.If you enjoy Two Ways News, why not lend us a hand? Consider joining our Supporters Club—friends who make it possible for us to keep producing this article/podcast. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,One of the great themes of the early chapters of Genesis is the judgement of God. In our discussions of the New Testament use of the themes of Genesis, we come today to talk of judgement in the New Testament. While it sounds, and is in fact, an unpleasant topic, we will see that it brings us into the heart of the wonderful topic of God's mercy and love. So I hope you enjoy our discussion on judgement in the New Testament.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,We come back today to the subject of men and women, though this time not from Genesis, but looking at how the New Testament looks at this topic.Yours,PhillipFreely available, supported by generosity.If you enjoy Two Ways News, why not lend us a hand? Consider joining our Supporters Club—friends who make it possible for us to keep producing this article/podcast. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,Once again, we are looking at the New Testament's treatment of Genesis 1-3; this time, on the subject of marriage. We had several episodes on this topic, but it is so central to the New Testament understanding that we thought it worth spending an episode thinking on it.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,We come back today to the subject of men and women, though this time not from Genesis, but looking at how the New Testament looks at this topic.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,One of the great statements of the Bible that is most often quoted or alluded to in public Christian debate is the ‘image of God'. But what does it refer to, and to whom does it refer? In this episode we continue to look at the New Testament understanding of the early chapters of Genesis. And here we find there are more references to the image of God than in the Old Testament. For there is a great surprise in store for those who read Genesis 1.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,As you have no doubt noticed, Peter and I have had a great time pondering the early chapters of Genesis. But the best commentary and authentic understanding of Genesis is found in the New Testament. So for the next few weeks, we are turning there to see what the New Testament makes of the early chapters of Genesis.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,As we come to the end of Genesis 3, we see the judgement of death brought upon the serpent, the woman, and the man. It is surprising in many ways, for it outlines the character of death while we, apparently, are alive. We have so limited death to that point of the end of life that we are not understanding our present life under the sentence of death.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,Thank you, friends, for subscribing and for your emails giving advice or asking questions.As we come to Genesis 3, we come to one of the most distinctive and controversial teachings of the Bible: namely, sin. It is surprising how deeply our society misunderstands and/or rejects the doctrine of sin. Surprising because we see sin all around us. I would like to say I hope you enjoy this episode, but the necessity of sin is not enjoyable, even though the Bible speaks of it's fleeting pleasures.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,Two Ways News is freely available and supported by generosity. We hope you freely enjoy this and every episode, and that you will recommend it to others. If in your generosity you wish to support this ministry, the details of how to do this are at the end of this transcript.This particular episode is opening our eyes to what Adam and Eve saw when their eyes were opened through eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,Two words commonly misunderstood today are ‘faith' and ‘Satan'. In this week's episode, Peter and I pursue our understanding of faith and Satan's contribution in undermining it.Once again, can we encourage you to mention the weekly podcast to friends, colleagues, and neighbours? I hope you will enjoy this episode.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,One of the doctrines of the Bible that is easy to demonstrate and widely rejected is the universality of sin. Sin is not an optional extra choice of some degenerate people. Sin is the inbuilt character of humanity. But what is sin? How did sin come into the world? What temptation did Satan use? How do moralists sin, and why are they amongst the most sinful of people? In this episode of Two Ways News, Peter and I discuss the temptation that came to Eve and its implications for our temptation to sin.Please remember to subscribe and encourage others to subscribe to this podcast, and if you want to respond, our email address is respond@twm.email.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,Strangely, some people find it easier to believe in Satan than to believe in God. But what they think of Satan can be so different to the Bible as to not be recognisable. Moving to Genesis 3 has given us an opportunity to pause and think about Satan: his character, his nature, and his ways of operation. I don't want you to enjoy a discussion on Satan, but I do hope you find it stimulating and informative.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,One of the great points of conflict between Christians and the world is the topic of marriage. Though it is part of God's creation of the world, seen in Genesis 1 and 2, the effect of sin makes it strangely foreign to today's society. There's nothing new in this, as Christians were called to be different or holy in this area of life in the New Testament itself. However, today's discussion is about how different Christians are to be in an area of life where even non-Christian commentators are beginning to see the failure of Western civilisation.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,As we continue to think about the creation of the man and the woman in the garden, we find marriage being introduced as the outcome of our sexual polarity. The woman is created to the joy of the man. Consequently, the man is to leave his parents to ‘cleave' to his wife. The old-fashioned verb to cleave has been changed in most modern translations. But the concept of sex inside the marriage cannot be changed. So Peter and I wander into a discussion about sexual intimacy in and out of marriage.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,In Australia, the birth rate has dropped to below 1.5 children per woman. This is the lowest birth rate we have ever had and is clearly below the 2.1 children per mother necessary to maintain the population. How important is it to have children? Does marriage necessitate children? Is marriage itself necessary? In the special creation of woman in Chapter 2 of Genesis, the subject of parenthood is immediately raised. Peter and I are canvassing some of the issues of parenthood in this episode of Two Ways News.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,As we come to the end of Genesis Chapter 2, we open up some of the biggest topics for debate, happiness and unhappiness in humanity today. Re-thinking marriage has been part of our social dialogue since the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s. Re-thinking the reality and role of men and women, their sexual differences and similarities has caused great turmoil in society. I'm sure you will find our discussion in this episode as more food for thought and ammunition for debate.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,Humans have always enjoyed living with the animals of God's creation. But what is our relationship with the animals, and how should we care for them? Today we move from the abuse of animals to the worship of animals as we think about the Bible's teaching on animals.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,Apart from sleeping, we spend more of our life working than anything else we do. But what is God's plan for our work? Indeed, what is work? And how does it differ from doing good works, or does it? After responding to a letter from one of our subscribers, Peter and I explore what Genesis means by our gardening. At the end of our transcript are details of a talk on the subject of work.Yours,Philliphttps://phillipjensen.com/resources/work-for-the-lord-2/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,In the middle of the garden, full of beautiful trees, there are 2 trees in particular. What is the importance of the tree of life? What is it telling us about God's plans for humanity? Why is it singled out for special mention?The other, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, seems to be even more important in establishing the drama of life in the Garden of Eden and subsequently the storyline of the rest of the Bible. But what does it mean to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?I hope our discussion prompts more discussion among you and your friends.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,Peter and I love gardens but hate gardening. However, all the good things about the garden are set out in Genesis 2. In today's podcast, we explore God's generous provision symbolised in the Garden of Eden. To what extent was the garden paradise that we need to regain? To what extent is the paradise promised to the thief on the cross something greater than the Garden of Eden?Don't forget to encourage your friends to subscribe.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,One of the high points, if not the high point, of Genesis 1 is the creation of man, both male and female, in the image of God. There we are told of our responsibility to govern the earth, to multiply and to fill it. When we turn to chapter 2 of Genesis we are again told of the creation of man. This time it is in much more detail, and yet it still gives the same prominence and importance of man in God's creation. Today's podcast is a discussion of the movement of Genesis 1 to Gen 2 where we look at man in the garden.If you want to respond you can email us at respond@twm.email. Please encourage friends to subscribe to Two Ways News.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,The creation account of Genesis finishes in a most unexpected place – rest. The idea of God resting on the seventh day is so familiar to us that we sometimes miss how extraordinary it is. That God should rest and bless the seventh day, inviting us to share it with him is one of the wonders of the Bible. In a society dominated by and priding itself in ‘busyness' and confused and conflicted over ‘work/life balance', God's teaching on the Sabbath day is a welcome relief for Christians. Yet it is not simply an individual issue, for the Sabbath is to be celebrated by all of creation.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear FriendsYou knew that we couldn't undertake a series on Genesis 1-11 without dealing with science – and so here it is. Mind you, it may be different to what you are expecting as we explore the background to the warfare between science and religion (aka Christianity). We do not want to hold the Bible to ransom from the captivity of science, but science from the captivity of history. Where has science come from and how has it been derailed or helped by an understanding of the sinfulness of humanity? Neither Peter or I claim any expertise in the practice of science, but both of us have serious questions about the history of science, the understanding of Genesis in the light of science and the understanding of science in the light of Genesis. I hope you find it informative.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,Motherhood and apple pie is no longer the foundation of Western civilisation. Apple pie is still pretty important, but motherhood has now been challenged. Peter and I had the privilege of the same mother, whom we loved and admire, and remember with great fondness. Yet the kind of family life in which we were raised has undergone considerable change during our lifetime. Mother's Day brings us to reconsider family life.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,For Australians, Anzac Day is the great national day. But what is it we're remembering? And should we celebrate Anzac Day? In particular, should Christians be remembering or celebrating a military battle of the First World War? Does Anzac Day glorify war? Is it an alternative religion for Australians? I hope you will enjoy our discussion as Peter and I try and grapple with the history and purpose of Anzac Day observances.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,In this episode of Two Ways News, we're looking at the resurrection both from a historical and a theological point of view. History and argumentation have great merit, and yet a defective presupposition that leaves us unsatisfied. Yet prophetic history not only satisfies our knowledge of historical events but also explains their meaning and purpose. Jesus said that without Moses and the prophets, people will not believe even if someone rises from the dead. This has been demonstrated over the centuries and in our age today. I hope you enjoy this episode. You can email us at respond@twm.email and one of our team will get back to you.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,I hope you enjoyed a great Easter break. Holidays are always marvellous opportunities to relax and catch up with friends, but the Easter holiday is even better because it gives us time to think about the greatest weekend in human history: when our Lord and Saviour died and rose again. The death of Jesus was so great that I would call Friday not just good, but the best Friday.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear Friends,One of the most profound and widely quoted verses of the Bible is the creation of Man in the image of God. So, this week Peter and I went exploring some of its implications. It is such a fruitful concept by which to understand humanity, not the least because in the New Testament we find Jesus is “the image of the invisible God”. But before we get there, we need to understand how we are as individuals, male and female, in the image of God as well as how humanity, as a whole, is in his image. There's so much fruitful discussion to be had on this passage, we hope our conversation will stimulate yours.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear Friends,Thanks again for your feedback and encouragement. It's great to hear that you are enjoying receiving the Two Ways News podcasts as much as we are in producing them.As we look at Genesis 1, we come to a great climax in the creation of humans in God's Image. More bottles of ink have been spilled over this phrase than possibly any phrase in the Bible. What is the image of God? In what way are we in the image of God? What are humans and who are we? The questions go on and on. Yet this teaching of Genesis 1 has stood the test of time in identifying God's universal identity and value of humans.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear Friends,‘Good' is such a strange word. We all know what we mean by it, but it is so difficult to define. So when God declares his creation to be ‘good, very good' what is he saying? Is the world itself good or simply pleasing? And if it is good, what is it good for?In this week's Two Ways News, Peter and I venture into the meaning of God calling the world good and the implications that has for living in this world and the next.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear Friends,On Peter's recovery, I thought it would be good to hear his views on the topic of words and power that Genesis 1 so importantly illustrates. So, we return to the topic of words and see how they create and operate in relationships. This brings us to how they are distorted and politicised by suspicious people. I'm sure you will appreciate coming back to the two voice podcast as Peter and I struggle through this important and highly contemporary issue of words.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,Sadly Peter was sick when we recorded this episode of Two Ways News, so it is a solo effort for today's topic. Thankfully, Peter has now recovered. From Genesis 1 we see the power of God's word, which is part of God's wisdom by which he created the world. Thus, the power of words is one of the joys and problems of life. The devil's power is in his lying words. Yet it is God's word that never returns to him empty but always achieves his purposes. Understandably but wrongly, this leads people in authority to censorship.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Hello again, thanks for the feedback and encouragement. Peter and I are enjoying chatting over the great themes of the Creator and creation in Genesis 1.  So far, we have been struck by the opening words ‘In the beginning God created', which take us to the idea of one God and one universe. But yet when we come to John chapter 1 we find that the word by which God created all became flesh in the person of Jesus. Furthermore, in Colossians 1, the world was created not only through God's son but also for him. So, in this week's TwoWaysNews we are exploring the place of Christ in creation. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did in making it. Phillip  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear Friends,Citizenship is a wonderful thing. To be part of something larger than yourself gives meaning purpose and identity. Peter and I grew up in the British Empire having been born before the granting of Australian citizenship. It was for the Empire that our parents and grandparents generation went to the world wars. Today that is almost unimaginable, for now people find their identity in being Australians.However, when we read Genesis 1 we are confronted with a ruler who is over and above every empire and nation because he is the Creator of all things. In this episode of Two Ways News we look at the meaning and implications of the opening words of Genesis 1.Yours,Phillip This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

In this second episode for the year, Peter and Phillip discuss literature and reading. Genesis 1-11 is a distinct form of literature; it requires a distinct form of reading. How are we to read this part of God's word? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,Welcome to Two Ways News for 2025. We have a great deal planned for this year which we hope you will find useful and encouraging for continuing to speak the truth in love to the world around you (see our About page for a reminder of why Two Ways News came into existence, in the beginning). Welcome also to Phillip‘s new co-host, his brother Peter. Welcome, finally, to the start of our series on Genesis. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,We recorded this final episode for the year on November 5—a momentous day in world affairs, the day when Australia stopped for a horse race, and when the USA settled a presidential race.We now know who won both races, but in this episode, Phillip and I discuss the nature of words and truth, especially in our politics and public discourse—because if the US election campaign exhibited anything, it was the seeming inability of both candidates to tell the unvarnished, straightforward truth. And it's not as if Australian politics is much different.Our political life is full of half truths, false promises, broken oaths and outright lies. The kingdom of God promises (and fulfils!) a very different way of speaking.We hope you enjoy the discussion. But there's one more thing to mention before we get into it.Sadly, this is the final episode in which I will be co-hosting Two Ways News with Phillip. The Yes that I gave to joining the faculty at Moore College unfortunately entails a number of No's—and being able to drive this weekly podcast with Phillip is one of them.I will miss it! It's been an enjoyable privilege to interact not just with Phillip but with you, our readers and listeners, over the past 100+ episodes (and more for many of you, who go back to the days of The Payneful Truth). But God has something new for me to do at Moore, including taking up the directorship of The Centre for Christian Living once again (so I will not be entirely done with podcasting).My faithful assistant Jess Sutandar is also finishing up at the end of this year, and I would like to publicly thank her for all her hard and skilful work in producing the podcast and transcript.The good news is that our replacements have already been found! Stay tuned for more on that when Two Ways News resumes in the new year.Your brotherTony This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,Can I humbly submit that it would be worth us talking about submission?And before you say, ‘Oh no, not another go-around about men and women and church roles', that's not what I mean, nor is it what this episode is about. ‘Submission' is a much bigger concept—and bigger problem—than that.In fact, thinking about ‘submission' and why we tend to recoil from it in most of its forms, takes our conversation in this episode to some massive subjects: to power, authority, politics, Marxism, capitalism, equality and singing. Yes, singing.I hope you find it useful.Your brotherTony This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,We love getting your emails and questions, and recently one of our regular listeners, Hannah, wrote in with a follow-up question to our episode on ‘spiritual discipline'. She asked:I've been wondering whether you might consider using a podcast episode to speak to the current trend towards formation as a major strand in Christian discipleship. I understand that it's particularly prevalent among students and in the United States. But I'm also aware that there are more and more people in the UK and Australia reading and identifying with some of the big names in this new movement, of whom John Mark Comer and his ‘practicing the way' is a prominent one. People seem especially enthusiastic about the idea of adopting a Rule of Life to guide discipleship. As it turns out, about a week before Hannah's email arrived I had spotted Comer's book in my local Christian bookshop, and picked it up. As to why I couldn't resist buying it, and what I made of it, and what it all means for Hannah's question, read on.Your brotherTony This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,Our long journey through the book of Romans is coming to an end. And after the theological glories of chapter 3 and chapter 5 and chapter 8—well, of all the chapters between 1 and 15 really—chapter 16 often feels like an anti-climax. We are tempted to read it as a hurried postscript with some personal greetings, and other bibs and bobs.But if we take a closer look, the final chapter of Romans is extremely important. It helps explain why the whole letter was in fact written, and rounds off Paul's whole argument in a manner that is both personal and deeply theological.We hope you enjoy this final Romans instalment!Your brotherTony This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,As we near the end of the extraordinary letter to the Romans, we find the apostle returning to the purpose for which he was writing to them—which he had broached in chapter 1 but now comes back to, after explaining in such majestic terms the gospel that is the foundation of his missionary enterprise.As Paul does so, he reiterates why the gospel he preaches is for all of humanity and brings hope to every culture, regardless of the differences and distinctive features that different human cultures have. There is hope for every different human culture, but (paradoxically) only by realising that there is in fact only one way to live in God's world.So in typically roundabout fashion—starting with hope, and then moving onto colonialism, anthroplogy and counselling—we dig into the hope-filled message of Romans 15.Hope you enjoy it.Your brotherTony This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,While Tony is away at Evangelize 2024 in Denver, Colorado, USA, Phillip is joined by his brother Peter Jensen as they take a deep dive into Romans 14.It seems that regardless of the century we live in, people always find something to fight about, unable to extract ourselves from the sinful temptations of pride and passing judgment on others. It is no different in this passage as food becomes the object of quarrel.But it raises the question, how are certain foods clean to some believers and unclean to others? Are conscience and faith the same thing? What does it truly look like to honour the Lord and act in love?We hope you find this episode encouraging.Blessings,Jessica (Two Ways News editor) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,We are a nation in deep debt, both corporately and personally. But despite how much we owe, the debt of ‘love' doesn't figure on our balance sheets.Romans 13 says that it should, and that ‘love' is in fact the fulfilment of the Old Testament law.How can this be? And what is ‘love' anyway?That's our topic on this week's episode of Two Ways News.Your brotherTony This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,I'm writing this introduction in an Airbnb in Denver, Colorado, with a ‘HARRIS-WALZ' sign in the front yard. I'm not sure (nor am I going to say) whether I'd be happier with a TRUMP-VANCE sign. I think no sign at all would probably suit me best, and I imagine that there are many Americans who feel the same.But it makes me think: is a studied non-involvement in politics, government and the affairs of state what the Bible calls us to? It's certainly how many secularists would like Christians to respond—that is, to keep their religion well out of the public square.In this week's episode, we talk about church and state and government and secularism, through the clear and revealing lens of Romans 13.Your brotherTony This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,As we turn to the next part of Romans 12 this week (verses 3-13), we confront two ideas that our society finds it hard to hold together: individualism and communalism.What's the basic truth about us? Is it that we are unique, sovereign individuals who should have the right to pursue life, liberty and happiness in our own particular way? Or are necessarily and primarily herd animals, who can only exist and flourish when the needs of the community as a whole are prioritised?And do we have to choose?Romans 12 teaches us to think rightly about ourselves—as individuals and as members of a new community. Read (or listen) on to find out how.Your brotherTony This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,Well after several weeks bouncing from subject to subject, and answering your questions, it's back to Romans!This week, we come to a turning point in Paul's monumental letter. At the beginning Romans 12, he turns from the deeply theological discussion of the nature of the gospel that has dominated the first eleven chapters to its practical outworking in Christian life and community.Romans 12:1-2 are very well-known verses—about ‘living sacrifices' and the ‘renewal of the mind'—but we hope you find something fresh and stimulating and encouraging in our discussion of them.Your brotherTony This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Dear friends,Debates about real nature of ‘church' have been around even longer than Phillip's and my combined age. It's a complicated and perennial topic, but we thought it was worth another outing in this week's edition because it's also very practical.It's practical not just because what you think a ‘church' is will shape what you do in church. What you think about ‘church' will also have big implications for all those other Christian activities or gatherings that aren't ‘church' (according to your definition).If that sounds intriguing, read (or listen) on.Your brotherTonyPSIf you have been finding Two Ways News beneficial and encouraging, we would love for you to consider joining our Supporters Club—the people who make it possible for us to keep producing this newsletter/podcast—if you haven't already.To subscribe for free or join the Supporters Club, follow the link below to the ‘subscribe' page. You'll see that there's:* the free option (on the far right hand side)* but also a number ‘paid options'. To join the Supporters Club you take out one of the paid ‘subscription plans', and as a thank you, we send out bonus episodes and other material to Supporters Club members from time to time. Sign up for free or join the Supporters Club.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe