Podcasts about Evangelical theology

     The Bible recognizes Satan's world-system and warns us not to love it. John writes and tells the Christian, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world” (1 John 2:15-16). We live in a fallen world, and John's command is intended to warn us of real danger. First, John opens with the negative particle Μὴ Me, which is followed by the Geek verb ἀγαπάω agapao, which is in the imperative mood—the mood of command. The word ἀγαπάω agapao denotes desire or commitment to something or someone. Allen comments on love: "In its essence love is two things: a desire for something and a commitment to something … Whatever it is you desire and whatever you're committed to, that's where your time and resources will go. If you love football, that's where your time and resources will go. If you love hunting or fishing, that's where your time and resources will go. If you love your spouse, you desire to spend time with her and you are committed to her. Love is more than an emotional feeling. Love requires a commitment of time and resources."[1]      John then gives the object we are not to desire or be committed to, namely, the world (τὸν κόσμον). The Greek word κόσμος kosmos is used in Scripture to refer to: 1) the physical planet (Matt 13:35; Acts 17:24), 2) people who live in the world (John 3:16), and 3) the hostile system created and controlled by Satan that he uses to lure people away from God (1 John 2:15-16). It is this third meaning that John has in mind. Hence, the word κόσμος kosmos refers to “that which is hostile to God…lost in sin, wholly at odds with anything divine, ruined and depraved.”[2] Concerning, the word κόσμος kosmos, Allen writes: "Sometimes the word “world” is used to refer to the organized evil system with its principles and its practices, all under the authority of Satan, which includes all teachings, ideas, culture, attitudes, activities, etc., that are opposed to God. A fixation on the material over the spiritual, promotion of self over others, pleasure over principle—these are just a few descriptors of the world system John is talking about. The word “world” here means everything that opposes Christ and his work on earth. Jesus called Satan “the ruler of this world” (John 14:30; 16:11), and Paul called him “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). In Luke 16:8 Jesus referred to all unsaved people as “the sons of this world.”[3]      Satan's world-system consists of those philosophies and values that perpetually influence humanity to think and behave contrary to God and His Word. This operating apart from God is first and foremost a way of thinking that is antithetical to God, a way of thinking motivated by a desire to be free from God and the authority of Scripture, a freedom most will accept, even though it is accompanied by all sorts of inconsistencies and absurdities. Chafer writes: "The kosmos is a vast order or system that Satan has promoted which conforms to his ideals, aims, and methods. It is civilization now functioning apart from God-a civilization in which none of its promoters really expect God to share; who assign to God no consideration in respect to their projects, nor do they ascribe any causality to Him. This system embraces its godless governments, conflicts, armaments, jealousies; its education, culture, religions of morality, and pride. It is that sphere in which man lives. It is what he sees, what he employs. To the uncounted multitude it is all they ever know so long as they live on this earth. It is properly styled “The Satanic System” which phrase is in many instances a justified interpretation of the so-meaningful word, kosmos."[4] Lightner adds: "The world is the Christian's enemy because it represents an anti-God system, a philosophy that is diametrically opposed to the will and plan of God. It is a system headed by the devil and therefore at odds with God (2 Cor 4:4). Likewise, the world hates the believer who lives for Christ (John 17:14). The Lord never kept this a secret from his own. He told them often of the coming conflict with the world (e.g., John 15:18-20; 16:1-3; 32-33; cf. 2 Tim 3:1-12). It is in this wicked world we must rear our families and earn our livelihoods. We are in it, yet are not to be a part of it."[5]      Many people who live in Satan's world-system exclude God and Scripture from their daily conversations. Some actively exclude God from their daily lives because they feel He offers nothing of value to them, or they are afraid to mention Him for fear of persecution. Most exclude God passively, in that they just don't think about Him or His Word. This exclusion is true in news, politics, academic communities, work and home life. God is nowhere in their thoughts, and therefore, nowhere in their discussions (Psa 10:4; 14:1). These are the agnostics and atheists. But there are others in Satan's world-system who are very religious, and these are the worst kind of people, because they claim to represent God, when in fact they don't. In the Bible, there were many religious people who spoke in the name of the Lord (Jer 14:14; 23:16-32; Matt 7:15; Acts 13:6; Rev 2:20), claiming to represent Him, even performing miracles (Deut 13:1-4; Matt 24:24; 2 Th 2:8-9; Rev 13:13). The Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes where this way, and they said of themselves, “we have one Father: God” (John 8:41b). But Jesus saw them for what they really were and said, “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father” (John 8:44a). The religious—like Satan—are blinded by their pride. Humility must come before they will accept God's gospel of grace, and it does no good to argue with them (2 Tim 2:24-26). These false representatives loved to talk about God, read their Bibles, pray, fast, give of their resources, and spent much of their time in fellowship with other religious persons. Theirs is a works-system of salvation, which feeds their pride; giving them a sense of control over their circumstances and others.[6] These false organizations and their teachers appear as godly and righteous, but Paul described them as “false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ” (2 Cor 11:13). Though very religious, these are in line with Satan, who operates on corrupt reasoning and is a deceiver. Paul goes on to say, “No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore, it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds” (2 Cor 11:14-15).      The contrast between the growing Christian and the worldly person is stark, as their thoughts and words take them in completely different directions. The growing believer thinks about God and His Word all the time, as “his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night” (Psa 1:2). The word law translates the Hebrew word תּוֹרָה torah, which means law, direction, or instruction. Navigating the highways of this world can be tricky, and the believer needs the direction or instruction God's Word provides. It is our divine roadmap for staying on God's path and getting to the destination He intends.      At the core of Satan's world-system is a directive for mankind to function apart from God, and when obeyed, people produce all forms of evil, both moral and immoral. We should understand that Satan's system is a buffet that offers something for everyone who rejects God, whether that person is moral or immoral, religious or irreligious, educated or simple, rich or poor. Satan is careful to make sure there's even something for the Christian in his world-system, which is why the Bible repeatedly warns the believer not to love the world or the things in the world. We are to be set apart (Col 2:8; Jam 1:27; 4:4; 1 John 2:15-16). Lightner notes, “The world is the Christian's enemy because it represents an anti-God system, a philosophy that is diametrically opposed to the will and plan of God. It is a system headed by the devil and therefore at odds with God (2 Cor 4:4).…It is in this wicked world we must rear our families and earn our livelihoods. We are in it, yet are not to be a part of it.”[7] It is important to understand that we cannot change Satan or his evil program; however, we must be on guard, for it can and will change us if we're not careful to learn and live God's Word.      At the moment of salvation, God the Father “rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col 1:13), and now “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil 3:20). This transference is permanent and cannot be undone. Once this happens, we are hated by those who remain in Satan's kingdom of darkness. For this reason, Jesus said to His disciples, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you” (John 15:18-19; cf. John 16:33; 1 John 3:13). Love and hate in this context should be understood as accept or reject, which can be mild or severe in expression. When praying to the Father, Jesus said, “they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:14b), and went on to say, “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15). It is not God's will that we be immediately removed from this world at the moment of salvation, but left here to serve as His representatives to the lost, that we “may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet 2:9). We are not to participate in worldly affairs that exclude God, but are to “walk as children of Light” (Eph 5:8), manifesting the fruit of the Light “in all goodness and righteousness and truth, trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord” (Eph 5:9-10), and we are told, “do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them” (Eph 5:11).      The growing Christian faces real struggles as Satan's world system seeks to press him into its mold, demanding conformity, and persecuting him when he does not bend to its values. The world-system not only has human support, but is backed by demonic forces that operate in collaboration with Satan. Scripture tells us “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12). The battlefront is more than what is seen with the human eye and is driven by unseen spiritual forces. As Christians living in the world, we are to be careful not to be taken “captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ” (Col 2:8). Realizing the battleground is the mind, we are to think biblically in everything, which is our only safeguard against the enemy (2 Cor 10:3-5).      As Christians we face situations every day in which we are pressured to compromise God's Word. We face difficulties at work, school, home, or other places, in which we are confronted by worldly-minded persons, both saved and unsaved, who demand and pressure us to abandon our biblical values. There is room for personal compromise where Scripture is silent on a matter; however, where Scripture speaks with absolute authority, there we must never compromise! Wiersbe correctly states, “The world, or world-system, puts pressure on each person to try to get him to conform (Rom 12:2). Jesus Christ was not ‘of this world' and neither are His people (John 8:23; 17:14). But the unsaved person, either consciously or unconsciously, is controlled by the values and attitudes of this world.”[8]      By promoting the gospel and biblical teaching, the church disrupts Satan's domain of darkness by calling out of it a people for God. By learning God's Word, Christians can identify worldly conversations and activities and either avoid them or seek to redirect them by interjecting biblical truth, which should never be done in hostility. When sharing God's Word with others it's proper to know that not everyone wants to hear God's truth, and even though we may not agree with them, their personal choices should be respected (Matt 10:14; Acts 13:50-51). We should never try to force the gospel or Bible teaching on anyone, but be willing to share when opportunity presents itself. At times this will bring peace, and other times cause disruption and may even offend. In this interaction, the growing Christian must be careful not to fall into the exclusion trap, in which the worldly person (whether saved or lost) controls the content of every conversation, demanding the Christian only talk about worldly issues, as Scripture threatens his pagan presuppositions. Having the biblical worldview, the Christian should insert himself into daily conversations with others, and in so doing, be a light in a dark place. He should always be respectful, conversational, and never have a fist-in-your-face attitude, as arrogance never helps advance biblical truth (2 Tim 2:24-26). The worldly-minded person may not want to hear what the Christian has to say, but he should never be under the false impression that he has the right to quiet the Christian and thereby exclude him from the conversation. Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] David L. Allen, 1–3 John: Fellowship in God's Family, ed. R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013), 96–97. [2] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, p. 562. [3] David L. Allen, 1–3 John: Fellowship in God's Family, 96. [4] Lewis S. Chafer, “Angelology Part 4” Bibliotheca Sacra 99 (1942): 282-283. [5] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology: A Historical, Biblical, and Contemporary Survey and Review (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1995), 206. [6] There are many church denominations today that call themselves “Christian”, but who come with a false gospel in which human works are added as a requirement for salvation (i.e., Catholics, Methodists, Church of Christ, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc.). [7] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology, p. 206. [8] Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, New Testament, Vol. 2, p. 18.

Did Evangelical theology—specifically  ⁨@MikeWinger⁩ 's armchair theology—make gay marriage inevitable? That's exactly what we're breaking down today. Mike Winger argues that marriage is just a "public covenant" that doesn't require priesthood authority—but if that's true, what's stopping the state from redefining it? Spoiler: Nothing.In this video, we expose the logical contradictions in Winger's take on marriage, using his own words against him.We'll cover:✅ The "public covenant" myth—why it's not biblical✅ If authority wasn't required to marry, then why did Jesus cite Moses' authority to introduce divorce?✅ How Protestantism erased priesthood authority, setting the stage for modern marriage debates✅ The Matthew 19 misinterpretation—and why the Sadducees were "thinking Biblically" (aka, winging it)✅ Mike Winger's own words on the afterlife and marriage—and the hilarious ironic contradictions of his argument If Evangelicals removed divine authority from marriage, they don't get to be mad when society takes them up on the offer to redefine it. Let's talk about it.

In this episode, Gray and James discuss medieval theology, the different assessments of it between the US and the UK, and how they have used it in their current research.Sources mentioned in this episode:Seb Falk, The Light Ages: A Medieval Journey of Discovery (London: Penguin Books, 2021).Herman Bavinck, Essays on Religion, Science, and Society, ed. John Bolt, trans. Harry Boonstra and Gerrit Sheeres (Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic, 2008).Johannes Bonaventura and Dominic Monti, “Works of Saint Bonaventure. 9: Breviloquium / Introd., Transl. and Notes by Dominic V. Monti” (Saint Bonaventure, NY: Franciscan Institute Publ, 2005).Richard Cross, Communicatio Idiomatum: Reformation Christological Debates, Changing Paradigms in Historical and Systematic Theology (Oxford New York (N.Y.): Oxford University Press, 2019).Scott M. Williams, The Trinity, Cambridge Elements. Elements in the Problems of God (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2024), https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009293105.N. Gray Sutanto, “Gevoel and Illumination: Bavinck, Augustine, and Bonaventure on Awareness of God,” Pro Ecclesia: A Journal of Catholic and Evangelical Theology 30, no. 3 (August 2021): 265–78, https://doi.org/10.1177/10638512211016240.Nathaniel Gray Sutanto, “Questioning Bonaventure's Augustinianism?: On the Noetic Effects of Sin,” New Blackfriars 102, no. 1099 (May 2021): 401–17, https://doi.org/10.1111/nbfr.12537.Michael D. Hurley, Angels and Monotheism, 1st ed. (Cambridge University Press, 2024), https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009374644.Reach us at graceincommonpodcast@gmail.com. If you want to make a donation, please visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://donorbox.org/graceincommon⁠⁠⁠⁠Our theme music is Molly Molly by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue) ⁠⁠⁠CC BY-NC 4.0⁠⁠⁠

Christian theologians and students are aware that evangelicals in the Majority World now outnumber those in North America and Europe, and many want to know more about emerging voices in the global church. At the same time, these voices are largely absent from Western evangelical theology. In Why Evangelical Theology Needs the Global Church (Baker Group, 2024), Stephen Pardue seeks to bridge this divide by arguing, biblically and theologically, that it is imperative for Western evangelical theology to engage with the global church, and he provides examples of how this can be done. Case studies throughout the book illustrate opportunities for fruitful engagement with non-Western theology in various areas of Christian doctrine. Dave Broucek is a retired cross-cultural missionary/coordinator of continuing education/international ministries director. He interviews authors who provide careful reflection on all aspects of the theology and practice of Christian mission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Christian theologians and students are aware that evangelicals in the Majority World now outnumber those in North America and Europe, and many want to know more about emerging voices in the global church. At the same time, these voices are largely absent from Western evangelical theology. In Why Evangelical Theology Needs the Global Church (Baker Group, 2024), Stephen Pardue seeks to bridge this divide by arguing, biblically and theologically, that it is imperative for Western evangelical theology to engage with the global church, and he provides examples of how this can be done. Case studies throughout the book illustrate opportunities for fruitful engagement with non-Western theology in various areas of Christian doctrine. Dave Broucek is a retired cross-cultural missionary/coordinator of continuing education/international ministries director. He interviews authors who provide careful reflection on all aspects of the theology and practice of Christian mission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

Christian theologians and students are aware that evangelicals in the Majority World now outnumber those in North America and Europe, and many want to know more about emerging voices in the global church. At the same time, these voices are largely absent from Western evangelical theology. In Why Evangelical Theology Needs the Global Church (Baker Group, 2024), Stephen Pardue seeks to bridge this divide by arguing, biblically and theologically, that it is imperative for Western evangelical theology to engage with the global church, and he provides examples of how this can be done. Case studies throughout the book illustrate opportunities for fruitful engagement with non-Western theology in various areas of Christian doctrine. Dave Broucek is a retired cross-cultural missionary/coordinator of continuing education/international ministries director. He interviews authors who provide careful reflection on all aspects of the theology and practice of Christian mission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christian theologians and students are aware that evangelicals in the Majority World now outnumber those in North America and Europe, and many want to know more about emerging voices in the global church. At the same time, these voices are largely absent from Western evangelical theology. In Why Evangelical Theology Needs the Global Church (Baker Group, 2024), Stephen Pardue seeks to bridge this divide by arguing, biblically and theologically, that it is imperative for Western evangelical theology to engage with the global church, and he provides examples of how this can be done. Case studies throughout the book illustrate opportunities for fruitful engagement with non-Western theology in various areas of Christian doctrine. Dave Broucek is a retired cross-cultural missionary/coordinator of continuing education/international ministries director. He interviews authors who provide careful reflection on all aspects of the theology and practice of Christian mission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies

Al Roxburgh and Jenny Sinclair talk with David Fitch about what it means to follow Jesus in the culture of our day.  Fitch sees power as the primary force shaping our culture, one that, as God's people, we have to confront. Dave draws attention to the ways power has infiltrated the church, issuing a call for church leaders everywhere to confront their own use of worldly power, and to turn instead to godly power. He argues that this power is of a God who is not coercive, but whose power is one of presence for which we have to make space.David Fitch, “Fitch” to his friends, is the founding pastor of Life on the Vine Christian Community, a missional church in Chicago. He describes himself as “a neo-Anabaptist holiness Pentecostal” and is on the pastoral staff of Renew Church in Westmount, Illinois. Fitch is Professor of Evangelical Theology at Northern Seminary, a member of the Jesus Collective and writes and speaks on cultural engagement, leadership and theology. His latest book is Reckoning with Power: Why the Church Fails When It's on the Wrong Side of Power.- Links -For Alan J Roxburgh:http://alanroxburgh.com/abouthttps://www.themissionalnetwork.com/author/alan-roxburgh/X.com/Twitter: https://x.com/alanjroxburgh?lang=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/alan.roxburgh.127/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecommonsnetworkJoining God in the Great Unraveling https://www.amazon.ca/Joining-God-Great-Unraveling-Learned/dp/1725288508/ref=sr_1_Leadership, God's Agency and Disruptions https://www.amazon.ca/Leadership-Gods-Agency-Disruptions-Confronting/dp/1725271745/refJoining God, Remaking Church, Changing the World: The New Shape of the Church in Our Time https://www.amazon.ca/Joining-Remaking-Church-Changing-World/dp/0819232114/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2NHGW8KB7L0SQ&keywords=Alan+J+Roxburgh&qid=1687098960&s=books&sprefix=alan+j+roxburgh%2Cstripbooks%2C130&sr=1-3For Jenny Sinclair:Website: https://togetherforthecommongood.co.uk/from-jenny-sinclairLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-sinclair-0589783b/X.com/Twitter: https://x.com/homeFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TogetherForTheCommonGoodUKInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/t4cg_insta/For David Fitch: Links neededReckoning with Power: Why the Church Fails When It's on the Wrong Side of PowerSubstack:X.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/fitchest?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitchestNorthern Seminary: dfitch@faculty.seminary.edu Get full access to Leaving Egypt at leavingegyptpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

Did Jesus go to Hell? Did Jesus go to Sheol? The doctrine of Christ's “descent” is confessed in the Apostles's and Athanasian Creeds and celebrated by Eastern and Roman Catholic churches, but evangelical churches rarely give it much attention. Even where the Apostles's Creed is recited many evangelicals leave out the clause, “he descended into hell/the dead.” So just what is the doctrine of Jesus descending to the dead? Did Jesus go to hell for 3 days?In this episode, we'll interview Matt Emerson and discuss his book "He Descended to the Dead": An Evangelical Theology of Holy Saturday, winner of a 2019 TGC book award. From biblical foundations to historical context and pastoral implications, we'll discuss it all with Matt.Book: https://a.co/d/4UfqbYjMatt Emerson (Ph.D., Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary ) serves as Co-Provost and Dean of Theology, Arts, & Humanities at Oklahoma Baptist University. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Center for Baptist Renewal. His areas of interest include biblical theology, canonical interpretation, theological method, and Baptist theology. 

Dr. David Fitch (Ph.D Northwestern University) is the Betty R. Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology at Northern Seminary and has pastored for 30 years, and has been involved in 8 church plants over the course of his ministry. He is married to Rae Ann and they have one son named Max. He is an ordained pastor in the Christian and Missionary Alliance. He's coached hockey for the YMCA USA Hockey program for seven years. David teaches, speaks, and writes within the fields of Neo-Anabaptist theology, missiology, culture studies, political theory, and ethics. He writes from time to time on his own page at Missio Alliance, on his own substack, for Christianity Today, Outreach Magazine, ChurchLeaders.com, EthicsDaily, and multiple other sites, magazines and journals. He leads discussion on his facebook page (fitchest) and on twitter at @fitchest. He is co-host of the Theology of Mission podcast. His most recent book is Reckoning with Power: Why the Church Fails When It's on the Wrong Side of Power, which forms the backdrop for our conversion. Donate today to join OneHope and local church leaders in our mission to bring God Word's to 25,000 children who have never known a hope that surpasses all understanding. onehope.net/TITR Support Theology in the Raw through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theologyintheraw

What do you need in your relationship with God? I am sure you can think of many things. One thing that has helped so many Christians and churches is developing a relationship with global Christians, and in doing so, you find your vision of God expands, your relationship with God deepens, and your zeal for ministry exponentially increases. Today's guest, Stephen Pardue, takes us on a journey into the global church and how global theology increases our view of God, helps us to join with what God is already doing, and fulfills His mission with our neighbors who are different from us. Stephen T. Pardue (PhD, Wheaton College) directs the ThM/PhD in theological studies and church history at the Asia Graduate School of Theology and teaches theology at the International Graduate School of Leadership in Manila, Philippines. He is the author of Why Evangelical Theology Needs the Global Church and the coeditor of 10 books, including Majority World Theology and Asian Christian Theology. He and his wife, Teri, have four children and belong to Union Church of Manila.Sign up for the class, "God's Greatness | Your Mission" here! Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help water-thirsty souls by partnering with Apollos Watered!A couple of the episodes referenced in today's episode: #150 | Scriptural Illiteracy & Secular Imagination, Pt. 1 | Kevin Vanhoozer#151 | Scriptural Illiteracy & Secular Imagination, Pt. 2 | Kevin Vanhoozer

     Our salvation is necessary because of the problem of sin. The word sin is found throughout Scripture, and both the Hebrew and Greek share the same basic meaning. The Hebrew word chata (חָטָא) means “to miss the target, or to lose the way,”[1] and the Greek word hamartanō (ἁμαρτάνω) is defined as “miss the mark, err, or do wrong.”[2] In Judges 20:16 the Hebrew word is used of skilled soldiers who do not miss their target, and in Proverbs 19:2 of a man who hurries and misses his way.[3] Sin is when we transgress God's law and depart from His intended path.[4] The apostle John states, “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). Sin is a failure to conform to the holy character of God, a deviation from His righteous will.      Divine laws are a reflection of the righteousness of God. The righteousness of God may be defined as the intrinsic, immutable, moral perfection of God, from which He commands all things, in heaven and earth, and declares as good that which conforms to His righteousness and as evil that which deviates. God's character is the basis upon which all just laws derive; either divine laws from God Himself or human laws which conform to His righteousness.[5] Merrill F. Unger states: "The underlying idea of sin is that of law and of a lawgiver. The lawgiver is God. Hence sin is everything in the disposition and purpose and conduct of God's moral creatures that is contrary to the expressed will of God (Rom 3:20; 4:15; 7:7; Jam 4:12, 17). The sinfulness of sin lies in the fact that it is against God, even when the wrong we do is to others or ourselves (Gen 39:9; Psa 51:4)."[6] Robert B. Thieme Jr. states: "Man's sin is disobedience to, or falling away from, God's perfect standard and expressed will. Regardless of the sinner's action or intent, all sin is ultimately directed against God (Gen 39:9; Psa 51:4). The temptation for sin comes from the sin nature, but only when volition consents is the sin committed. Knowingly or unknowingly, man transgresses divine standards because he wills to do so."[7] The First Sin      God is sovereign and permits sin, but is never the author of it. Sin is the expression of a creaturely will that is set against God. The first sin occurred in heaven, by Lucifer, an angel of the class of cherubim.  Scripture reveals that Lucifer “had the seal of perfection, and was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” (Ezek 28:12). Lucifer personally served in the presence of God (Ezek 28:13-14), until he sinned. God said of him, “You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you” (Ezek 28:15). Being the first creature to fall away from God, his sin was purely volitional and self-actuated, as there was no temptation or sin apart from the first sin he committed. And the first sin he committed was a mental attitude sin, as God says of him, “You were internally filled with violence, and you sinned” (Ezek 28:16). Satan's violence was connected with his pride, as the Lord states, “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor” (Ezek 28:17). Satan is brilliant in mind and appearance, but his pride is his weakness, as it corrupts his ability to reason. And Satan, having an inflated sense of himself, thought he could be God, and sought to usurp the Lord's place over the creation (Isa 14:12-14). Satan also convinced a third of the angels to follow him in his rebellion (Rev 12:4, 7). Satan operates from a base of power, which takes priority over all else. And he will employ reason to the degree that it accommodates his power; however, if his power is threatened, he will abandon reason and resort to lies, manipulation, and brute force if needed. The Fall of Humanity      Satan's kingdom of darkness was expanded to include the earth when he persuaded Adam and Eve to follow him rather than God (Gen 3:1-8). The first human sin occurred in the Garden of Eden. God had warned Adam and Eve, saying, “from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Gen 2:17). The warning was that if they disobeyed God, on that very day, they would die. When Satan came into the Garden of Eden, he engaged Eve through discussion, posing a question, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?'” (Gen 3:1), and after hearing Eve's reply (Gen 3:2-3), Satan responded, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:4-5). Of course, this was a bold lie, and Eve, rather than trust the Lord, trusted Satan, and “she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate” (Gen 3:6). Adam and Eve experienced spiritual death at the moment they disobeyed God (Gen 3:7). Though both sinned, Adam's act of disobedience was greater than Eve's because he was the spiritual head of the marriage, and whereas Eve  was deceived (1 Tim 2:14), Adam was not deceived. Because of Adam's disobedience, sin and death were introduced into the human race (Gen 3:1-7; Rom 5:12, 18-19; 1 Cor 15:22).      At the time of the fall (Gen 3:1-6), the first humans—God's theocratic administrators (Gen 1:26-28)—gave Satan the title deed to the earth (Luke 4:6). This explains why Jesus referred to Satan as “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). And other passages of Scripture call Satan “the god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4), and “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2), informing us “that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). Satan rules by deception, oppression, and enslavement. Scripture reveals he has “weakened the nations” (Isa 14:12), and currently “deceives the whole world” (Rev 12:9; cf. Rev 20:3). And because he is a finite creature, he relies on others—fallen angels and people—to help him advance his kosmos world-system (1 John 2:15-16), a philosophical and moral structure that is inherently and systemically corrupt, hostile to God, and completely opposed to anything divine.      As Christians living in Satan's world system, who still retain our sinful flesh (Rom 6:6; 13:14; Gal 5:17, 19; Eph 4:22; Col 3:9), we are constantly tempted to sin and act contrary to the character and will of God. The sin we commit may be mental, verbal, or physical. It may be private or public, impacting one or many, with short or lasting results. Below are biblical examples of sin: Adam and Eve disobeyed the command not to eat the fruit from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen 2:15-17; 3:1-7). Lot's daughters got him drunk and had sex with him (Gen 19:30-38). Aaron led the Israelites to worship an idol (Ex 32:1-6). Moses struck the rock when the Lord told him to speak to it (Num 20:8-12). Samson slept with prostitutes (Judg 16:1-4). David had an affair with Bathsheba and had her husband, Uriah, murdered (2 Sam 11:1-21). Solomon worshiped idols (1 Ki 11:1-10). James and John (nicknamed Boanerges, or “Sons of Thunder”; Mark 3:17) wanted to call fire down from heaven to kill the residents of a Samaritan city (Luke 9:51-55). The mother of James and John requested special treatment for her sons, that they might have a place of prominence seated on thrones to the right and left of Jesus (Matt 20:20-21). This upset the other disciples (Matt 20:24). The disciples argued amongst themselves as to who was greatest in the kingdom (Luke 9:46). Peter tried to prevent Jesus from going to the cross (Matt 16:21-23). Peter publicly denied the Lord three times (Matt 26:34-35; 69-75). The Christians at Corinth engaged in quarrels (1 Cor 1:11), jealousy and strife (1 Cor 3:1-3), fornication (1 Cor. 5:1-2), selfishness and drunkenness (1 Cor 11:21).  Peter engaged in hypocrisy and was publicly rebuked by Paul (Gal. 2:11-14). The Apostle John twice worshipped an angel and was rebuked for it (Rev 19:10; 22:8-9).      The above list is a just a sampling of sins in the Bible. Biblically, every person is a sinner in God's sight (1 Ki 8:46; Prov 20:9; Isa 53:6; Rom 3:9-10; 23; 5:12, 18-19). Jesus is the single exception. Jesus, because of His divine nature (John 1:1, 14; Col 2:9), and the virgin conception (Isa 7:14; Luke 1:30-35), is the only person ever born without sin and who committed no sin (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5). His perfect humanity and sinless life qualified Him to go to the cross and die in our place. Sin separates us from God and renders us helpless to merit God's approval. We are helpless to solve the sin problem and save ourselves (Rom 5:6-10; Eph 2:1-3). Good works have no saving merit before God (Isa 64:6; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). We cannot save ourselves any more than we can jump across the Grand Canyon or throw rocks and hit the moon. Sadly, many people buy into the lie that they can help save themselves by doing good works. The biblical teaching is that salvation is never based on good works or adherence to law, but by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (John 3:16; 14:6; Acts 4:12; 16:31). Scripture states, we are “not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified” (Gal 2:16; cf. Rom 3:20, 28), for “if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly” (Gal 2:21).      According to Norman Geisler, “Sin is the precondition for salvation; salvation isn't necessary unless there are sinners in need of being saved. As to the origin of salvation, there is universal agreement among orthodox theologians: God is the author of our salvation, for whereas human sin originated with human beings on earth, salvation originated with God in heaven.”[8] And according to Robert Lightner, “The Bible is explicit about the condition of all who have not been born again. They are lost (Luke 19:10), condemned (John 3:18), under God's wrath (John 3:36), dead in trespasses and sin (Eph 2:1), having no hope, and without God in the world (Eph 2:12), and unrighteous (Rom 1:19-32).”[9] It matters little what people think of themselves. God provides the only true estimation of people, and His Word declares that we are utterly lost in sin and helpless to save ourselves. According to Lewis Chafer: "The greatest problem for the infinite God was to provide the reconciliation of the cross: the greatest problem for man is simply to believe the record in its fulness. To reject the Savior is not only to refuse the gracious love of God, but is to elect, so far as one can do, to remain under the full guilt of every sin as though no Savior had been provided, or no sacrifice had been made. No more terrible sin can be conceived of than the sin of rejecting Christ."[10] Salvation from Sin and its Consequences      Eternal salvation is available to us because Jesus went to the cross and died in our place and bore the punishment that rightfully belongs to us. God is holy, and we are guilty sinners who stand condemned before Him, contaminated by sin and utterly helpless to change our fallen condition (Rom 5:6-8). But God is love (1 John 4:8), and He loves us so much that He sent His Son into the world to pay the sin debt we cannot pay. We're told that “God sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9). And because of Jesus' death on the cross, God “canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Col 2:14). Jesus paid our sin debt in full, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18a). There's nothing for us to add to Jesus' work on the cross. The sole condition of salvation is to believe in Christ as our Savior. The good news is that Jesus died for us, was buried, and rose again on the third day (1 Cor 15:3-4). Salvation is not Jesus plus anything we do. It's Jesus alone. He saves. Our contribution to the cross was sin and death, as Jesus took our sin upon Himself and died in our place. Salvation is never what we do for God; rather, it's what He's done for us through the cross of Christ. That's all. It's a gift that is received by faith alone in Christ alone, for “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). And God's gift is available to everyone, for “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The matter is simple: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 305. [2] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 49. [3] G. Herbert Livingston, “638 חָטָא,” ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 277. [4] Other Hebrew and Greek words related to sin include: evil (רָע ra – Gen 3:5), wicked (רָשָׁע rasha – Prov 15:9), rebel (מָרָה marah – Deut 1:26), transgress (פָּשַׁע pasha – Isa 1:2), iniquity (עָוֹן avon – Isa 53:6), error (שָׁגָה shagah – Lev 4:13), guilt (אָשַׁם asham – Lev 4:22), go astray (תָּעָה taah – Psa 58:3), sin (ἁμαρτία hamartia – 1 Cor 15:3), bad (κακός kakos – Rom 12:17), evil (πονηρός poneros – Matt 7:11), ungodly (ἀσεβής asebes – Rom 4:5), guilty (ἔνοχος enochos – 1 Cor 11:27), unrighteousness (ἀδικία adikia – Rom 1:18), lawless (ἄνομος anomos – 1 Tim 1:9), transgression (παράβασις parabasis – Gal 3:19), ignorance (ἀγνοέω agnoeo – Acts 17:23), go astray (πλανάω planao – 1 Pet 2:25), trespass (παράπτωμα paraptoma – Rom 5:15), and hypocrisy (ὑπόκρισις hupokrisis – 1 Tim 4:2). [5] If there is no God, then there is no absolute standard for right and wrong and we are left with arbitrary laws based on manufactured values. [6] Merrill F. Unger, “Sin,” The New Unger's Bible Dictionary, 1198. [7] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Personal Sin”,  Thieme's Bible Doctrine Dictionary, 196. [8] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Three: Sin, Salvation, 181. [9] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology, 188. [10] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Salvation, 52–53.

Reconciliation      Atonement for sins is the basis for reconciliation, because God has judged our sins in the Person of Christ who died on the cross in our place. The death of Christ has forever satisfied God's righteous demands for our sin and it is on this basis that He can accept sinners before His throne of grace. Paul wrote, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” (Rom 5:10-11). And, “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:18-19). In both of these passages on reconciliation, Paul employs the Greek verb katallassō (καταλλάσσω), and the noun katallage (καταλλαγή) which, according to Louw-Nida, means “to reconcile, to make things right with one another, reconciliation.”[1] But this reconciliation does not bring Him down to us, as though God is reconciled to the world. Rather, it means God has changed us, so that we are reconciled to Him, and this through the death of His Son, Jesus, Who bore our sin on the cross (Rom 5:8; 1 Cor 15:3-4) and gives us His righteousness as a gift at the moment we trust in Christ as our Savior (Rom 5:17; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9). According to G.W. Bromiley: "God is neither reconciled to the world, nor does He reconcile Himself to it. He reconciles the world to Himself (2 Cor 5:19). He loves us even while we are sinners, offering His Son so that we might be forgiven and saved from His wrath (Rom 5:8-10). But God Himself does not change. While He remains implacably opposed to sin, nevertheless, He does not abandon His love for sinners. Instead, He acts to bring about their reconciliation according to an eternal purpose."[2] Paul Enns adds: "God is the one who initiated this change or reconciliation; He moved to reconcile sinful man to Himself (2 Cor 5:18, 19). On the other hand, man is the object of reconciliation. It was man who had moved out of fellowship with God; therefore, man needed to be restored. This reconciliation has been provided for the whole world, but it is effective only when it is received by personal faith."[3]      Because Jesus' death satisfies God's righteousness demands for sin, sinners can approach God who welcomes them in love. God has cleared the way for sinners to come to Him for a new relationship, and this is based completely on the substitutionary work of Christ. God has done everything to reconcile us to Himself. The sin debt that we owed to God has been paid in full by the blood of Christ. Paul Enns states: "The emphasis of reconciliation is that of making peace with God. Man who was estranged from God is brought into communion with God. Sin had created a barrier between man and God and rendered man hostile toward God (Isa 59:1-2; Col 1:21, 22; Jam 4:4). Through Christ that enmity and the wrath of God was removed (Rom 5:10). Reconciliation may thus be defined as “God removing the barrier of sin, producing peace and enabling man to be saved.”[4]      There are two aspects of God's reconciliation. The first is objective and is referred to as provisional reconciliation in which God, through the work of Jesus on the cross, makes humanity savable by means of His judgment of sin in Christ. This means God has removed the barrier that alienated us from Him. The second is subjective and is referred to as experimental reconciliation in which lost sinners are brought into a relationship with God when they believe in Christ as their Savior. They are, at that moment, reconciled to God. According to Robert Lightner, “Because of sin in Adam the entire human race is out of balance, at odds with God. Christ reconciled the world to himself, but each individual must appropriate that work before it benefits him (2 Cor 5:18).”[5] Merrill F. Unger states: "By the death of Christ the world is changed in its relationship to God. Man is reconciled to God, but God is not said to be reconciled to man. By this change lost humanity is rendered savable. As a result of the changed position of the world through the death of Christ the divine attitude toward the human family can no longer be the same. God is enabled to deal with lost souls in the light of what Christ has accomplished…When an individual sees and trusts in the value of Christ's atoning death, he becomes reconciled to God, hostility is removed, friendship and fellowship eventuate."[6]      For those of us who have trusted Christ as our Savior, we have the privilege of sharing the gospel of grace with others, that they too might trust in Jesus as their Savior and be reconciled to God. Paul wrote that God “has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:19b-20). When we come by faith alone in Christ alone, we are fully reconciled to God.   Redemption      Redemption means a price has been paid by one person to liberate another. The Greek words lutroō (λυτρόω), lutron (λύτρον), antilutron (ἀντίλυτρον), and apolutrōsis (ἀπολύτρωσις) are used by NT writers to communicate the truth that Jesus purchased our freedom from the slave-market of sin by means of His sacrificial death on the cross. In the NT, this word group occurs 21 times and apolutrōsis (ἀπολύτρωσις) accounts for roughly half of those uses. Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom [lutron] for many” (Mark 10:45). Here, the Greek word lutron refers to “price of release, ransom.”[7]Prior to faith in Christ, we were held captive in Satan's slave-market of sin, but Christ released us by His shed blood. Paul states, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption [apolutrōsis], the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:13-14). And, “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom [antilutron] for all, the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Tim 2:5-6). Paul wrote, “In Him we have redemption [apolutrōsis] through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph 1:7). According to BDAG, the Greek word apolutrosis (ἀπολύτρωσις) originally referred to “buying back a slave or captive, i.e. making free by payment of a ransom.”[8] Hoehner notes, “The NT usage of ἀπολύτρωσις refers to one set free on the basis of a ransom paid to God by Christ's death.”[9] According to Paul Enns, “The word is used to describe the believer being purchased out of the slave market of sin and set free from sin's bondage. The purchase price for the believer's freedom and release from sin was the death of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 6:20; 7:23; Rev 5:9; 14:3, 4).”[10] The whole idea of redemption implies antecedent slavery. A slave could obtain freedom if redeemed by a free person. All humanity is enslaved to sin, Jesus being the sole exception, as He was sinless (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5). Since Jesus was free from sin, He was able to purchase our freedom and liberate us from our bondage to Satan and sin (Acts 26:18; Col 1:13-14). Merrill Unger states: "Redemption from this bondage is represented in the Scriptures as both universal and limited. It is universal in the sense that its advantages are freely offered to all. It is limited in the sense that it is effectual only with respect to those who meet the conditions of salvation announced in the gospel. For such it is effectual in that they receive forgiveness of sins and the power to lead a new and holy life. Satan is no longer their captor, and death has lost its sting and terror. They look forward to the redemption of the body (see Heb 2:9; Acts 3:19; Eph 1:7; Acts 26:18; 2 Tim 2:26; 1 Cor 15:55–57; Rom 8:15–23)."[11]      Biblically, we observe that God's forgiveness is not arbitrary, as though He simply releases someone from their sin-debt without any payment for the offenses that were committed. Nor was the payment for sin made by us, as though we had something of worth to give to God. Peter states, “you were not redeemed [lutroō] with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Pet 1:18-19). God's forgiveness was made possible by the blood of Christ, which refers to His sacrificial atoning death on the cross where He died in our place, where “Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). And the blood of Christ is the only coin of the heavenly realm that the Father accepts as payment for our sin debt. Lightner states, “The means of redemption from sin in Scripture is always through the shed blood of Christ, and is therefore related to his death (Gal 3:13; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14; Heb 9:12, 15; 1 Pet 1:18–19; Rev 5:9). His sinless life demonstrated his qualification to be the sin-bearer. One flaw in his character would have disqualified him.”[12] Harold Hoehner notes: "The OT writings very carefully indicated that the shedding of blood was involved in sacrifice. Sacrificial animals were not killed by strangulation. The shedding of blood is necessary (Lev 17:11; Eph 2:13; 1 Pet 1:19) for without it there is no forgiveness of sins (Heb 9:22), and Paul makes it clear that God has been propitiated in Christ's redemption, which was in connection with his blood (Rom 3:24–25), and that one is justified by means of Christ's blood (Rom 5:9). Therefore, the ransom price in connection with deliverance was the sacrificial death of Christ."[13]      Jesus paid our sin debt while He was on the cross dying in our place. But in some mysterious way, we who have believed in Christ as our Savior, are said to have been “crucified with Him” (Rom 6:6) and “died with Christ” (Rom 6:8; cf., 2 Tim 2:11). From the divine perspective (which encompasses all time and space), God the Father sees us dying with Christ while He was on the cross. Dr. Steven R. Cook   ___ [1] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 501. [2] G. W. Bromiley, “Reconcile; Reconciliation,” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, 55. [3] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology, 324. [4] Ibid., 324. [5] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology, 195. [6] Merrill F. Unger, “Reconciliation,” The New Unger's Bible Dictionary, 1067. [7] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 605. [8] Ibid., 117. [9] Harold W. Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary, 206. [10] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology, 323. [11] E. McChesney, “Redemption,” The New Unger's Bible Dictionary, 1069. [12] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology, 195. [13] Harold W. Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary, 207.

Penal Substitution      Penal substitution is the idea that Jesus bore the penalty for our sins on the cross. He was judged in our place and bore the wrath of God that rightfully belongs to us. The record of Scripture is that “He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed” (Isa 53:5), and “the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him” (Isa 53:6), for “by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities” (Isa 53:11), and “the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering” (Isa 53:10a). Jesus is presented in the NT as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). We're also told that God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf” (2 Cor 5:21), and that “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us” (Gal 3:13), and that “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross” (1 Pet 2:24). In this way, the sins of all humanity were imputed to Christ while He was on the cross, suffering as our substitute. And we must always remember that the sacrifice of Christ was purely voluntary, as He said, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (John 10:11), and “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative” (John 10:18). And Jesus has “been offered once to bear the sins of many” (Heb 9:28), and “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust” (1 Pet 3:18).      Louis Berkhof states, “The Bible certainly teaches that the sufferings and death of Christ were vicarious, and vicarious in the strict sense of the word that He took the place of sinners, and that their guilt was imputed, and their punishment transferred, to Him.”[1] And Charles Ryrie adds, “Only the substitutionary death of Christ can provide that which God's justice demands and thereby become the basis for the gift of eternal life to those who believe.”[2] And according to Lewis Chafer, “The doctrine of satisfaction embodies the conception of Christ's death, that it was a penal substitution which had the objective purpose of providing a just and righteous ground for God to remit the sins of those for whom Christ died.”[3] John Walvoord agrees, saying: "This point of view, variously described as vicarious or penal, holds that the atonement is objectively directed toward God and the satisfaction of His holy character and demands upon the sinner. It is vicarious in the sense that Christ is the Substitute who bears the punishment rightly due sinners, their guilt being imputed to Him in such a way that He representatively bore their punishment. This is in keeping with the general idea of sacrifices in the Old Testament and is explicitly taught in the New Testament (see John 1:29; 2 Cor 5:21; Gal 3:13; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 2:24)."[4] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. states: "The punishment incurred by Adam when he sinned—spiritual death—is passed down to the entire human race. Everyone is born under this penalty of sin, hopelessly in debt to God. The debt has been paid by the perfect humanity of Christ, whose substitutionary spiritual death on the cross “canceled out the certificate of debt” (Col 2:14). Man now stands free to accept Jesus Christ and receive the gift of an eternal relationship with God."[5]      What's unique about Jesus is that He is both our High Priest as well as the sacrifice for our sins. In the OT, priests would offer animals to die as the sacrifice, but Jesus offered “Himself as a guilt offering” (Isa 53:10) in order to take away sins. The writer to the Hebrews states, “Christ appeared as a high priest” (Heb 9:11), and this in order “to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Heb 9:26), and this was a once-for-all sacrifice, as He “offered one sacrifice for sins for all time” (Heb 10:12).      Sin is the breaking of God's law, for “Everyone who commits sin also breaks the law; sin is the breaking of law” (1 John 3:4 CSB). The penalty for breaking God's law is death, for “the wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23). Jesus took our sins upon Himself and “bore our sins in His body on the cross” (1 Pet 2:24), and He “died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). And He died for the sins of everyone, for “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). Though Christ died for everyone, the benefits of the cross are applied only to those who believe, and “everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins” (Acts 10:43; Eph 1:7). Additionally, we receive “the gift of righteousness” (Rom 5:17), and “eternal life” (John 10:28). At the moment of faith in Christ, we are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:24).   Propitiation      Jesus' death on the cross was a satisfactory sacrifice to God which completely paid the price for our sin. We owed a debt to God that we could never pay, and Jesus paid that debt in full when He died on the cross and bore the punishment that rightfully belonged to us. In Romans, Paul states that we “are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith (Rom 3:24-25a ESV). Here, Paul used the Greek word hilasterion (ἱλαστήριον)—translated propitiation—to show that Jesus' shed blood completely satisfied God's righteous demands toward our sin, with the result that there is nothing more for the sinner to pay to God. Jesus paid our sin-debt in full. The Apostle John tells us “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2; cf., 4:10). Jesus' death on the cross forever satisfied God's righteous demands toward the sins of everyone for all time! God has “canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Col 2:14). Regarding Christ's death, J. Dwight Pentecost states: "You can be adjusted to God's standard, because God made Christ to become sin for us. The One who knew no sin, the One in whose lips had never been found guile, took upon Himself our sin in order that He might bear our sins to the cross and offer Himself as an acceptable substitute to God for us—on our behalf, in our place. And when Jesus Christ identified Himself with sinners and went to the cross on their behalf and in their place, He was making possible the doctrine of reconciliation. He was making it possible for God to conform the world to Himself, to adjust the world to His standard so that sinners in the world might find salvation because “Jesus paid it all.” You can be adjusted to God, to God's standard, through Christ, by His death, by His cross, by His blood, and by His identification with sinners."[6] John Walvoord adds: "The work of Christ in salvation has still another major aspect of what is called in the Bible “propitiation,” “the sacrifice of atonement,” or satisfying God's righteous demands or judgment upon a sinner. Illustrations of this can be found in Romans 3:25 and 1 John 2:2; 4:10. The idea of propitiation is that God as a righteous God must demand punishment for those who sin against Him. Christ in His death on the cross provided propitiation, atonement, or satisfaction of that claim, so that God is fully satisfied now in saving a person who does not deserve to be saved."[7] Robert Lightner states: "The death of Christ satisfied the righteous demands of God the Father. Because of sin His holiness had been offended, and only a sinless sacrifice could meet His righteous demands. Jesus Christ the Righteous One provided in Himself the perfect sacrifice. Paul set forth Christ as the propitiation for the remission of sins (Rom 3:25). Because of the blood He shed Christ provided in Himself the appointed place where a holy God could meet sinful man. Christ is now our place of meeting—our mercy seat (cf. 1 John 2:2; 4:10). The need for propitiation stems from the sin of man and the holiness of God. It is man who needs to be reinstated or reconciled with God. God's holiness and righteous demands remain unchanged. Since there must be a basis upon which God may receive sinners, satisfaction must be made for sin: propitiation provided just such a basis through the death of Christ."[8] Paul Enns states: "Propitiation means that the death of Christ fully satisfied all the righteous demands of God toward the sinner. Because God is holy and righteous He cannot overlook sin; through the work of Jesus Christ God is fully satisfied that His righteous standard has been met. Through union with Christ the believer can now be accepted by God and be spared from the wrath of God."[9]      There are several concepts at work in the doctrine of propitiation. First, God is holy which means He is completely set apart from sin and cannot look on wickedness with favor. The Scripture states, “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor” (Hab 1:13), and “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Because all mankind is marked by sin, we are all in danger of the fires of hell, unless we turn to Christ as our Savior. Second, God made a way for His righteousness to be satisfied, and this through the cross of Christ. As Christians, we “are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith” (Rom 3:24-25a ESV). And John tells us “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 2:2a; cf., 4:10). God is forever satisfied with the death of Christ. Third, the wrath of God is removed because Jesus was judged in our place and bore the punishment that rightfully belongs to us. Paul wrote, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him” (Rom 5:8-9). Dr. Steven R. Cook     ___ [1] Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 376. [2] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology, 357. [3] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. 3, 143. [4] John F. Walvoord, Jesus Christ Our Lord, 157. [5] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Barrier”, Thieme's Bible Doctrine Dictionary, 22. [6] J. Dwight Pentecost, Things Which Become Sound Doctrine, 89. [7] John F. Walvoord, What We Believe (Galaxie Software, 2007), 76. [8] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology, 195. [9] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology, 325.

In which I talk about Ash Wednesday as a re-formation of creaturely identity. Bibliography: Anglican Church in North America. The Book of Common Prayer. Huntington Beach, CA: Anglican Liturgy Press, 2019. Augustine. Confessions. Translated by Sarah Ruden. New York: The Modern Library, 2017. Brueggemann, Walter. “Remember, You are Dust.” Journal for Preachers 14, no. 2 (Lent 1991): 3-10. Accessed April 1, 2023. Atla Religion Database. Chittister, Sister Joan. The Liturgical Year. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2009. Clark, John C. and Marcus Peter Johnson. A Call to Christian Formation: How Theology Makes Sense of Our World. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2021. Smith, James K. A. Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation. Vol. 1 of Cultural Liturgies. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2009. ———. Imagining the Kingdom: How Worship Works. Vol. 2 of Cultural Liturgies. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013. Wells, David F. God in the Wastelands: The Reality of Truth in a World of Fading Dreams. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1994. ———. No Place for Truth: Or Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1993. Beneath The Willow Tree is a podcast dedicated to the pursuit of Truth through wisdom and imagination. Join host Sophie Burkhardt as she, fuelled by wonder and a quest for the beautiful, explores philosophy, theology, the arts and all things worthy of thought beneath the willow tree. If you might ever be interested in talking about any such things, or a specific book or movie, etc. please reach out to me at sdburkhardt321@gmail.com

One significant way the Pentecostalization of Evangelicalism reveals itself even among those who would claim to be cessationists is in common evangelical expectations regarding how God speaks to us and how he reveals his will to us. It is very common in modern evangelicalism, for example, to hear Christians talk about how God “spoke” to them, revealing his will in mystical ways outside his Word. Listen as Scott Aniol assesses this trend.Scott Aniol's blog:https://g3min.org/blogs/scott-aniol/Article, audio, itinerary:https://www.scottaniol.com/Podcast:https://anchor.fm/scottaniolFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/scottmaniolTwitter:https://twitter.com/ScottAniolInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/scottmaniol/

In this podcast episode, David E. Fitch, a theologian and author, discusses his book "Reckoning with Power." The episode focuses on the transformation of power in ministry, advocating for a Jesus-centered approach to authority. Fitch critiques the misuse of Christian power in cultural and political contexts, emphasizing the need for a shift towards godly power.The conversation also covers critical topics like critical race theory, the evolution of pastoral leadership, and the impact of aligning Christianity with political figures. Fitch highlights the importance of preaching in shaping the Christian community and calls for a church that actively addresses societal issues. The episode concludes with a message of hope for disenchanted Christians, suggesting the formation of intimate, Christ-centered communities for spiritual renewal.Buy the book: https://a.co/d/dCdEoP9Bio:David E. Fitch (PhD, Northwestern University) is the B. R. Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology at Northern Seminary. He is also the founding pastor of Life on the Vine Christian Community, a missional church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He is the author of Faithful Presence, The Great Giveaway and The End of Evangelicalism? and is the coauthor of Prodigal Christianity. Fitch coaches a network of church plants in the Christian and Missionary Alliance and he writes, speaks, and lectures on issues the local church must face in mission including cultural engagement, leadership, and theology. He has also written numerous articles in periodicals such as Christianity Today, The Other Journal, Missiology, as well as various academic journals.Support the showTo learn more about the show, contact our hosts, or recommend future guests, click on the links below: Website: https://www.faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/ Faithful Host: Josh@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com Political Host: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com Twitter: @FaithfulPolitik Instagram: faithful_politics Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast LinkedIn: faithfulpolitics

Naturally, we view our faith through our own cultural lenses. There is so much to learn from the theological perspectives of other cultures. Our guest for this episode, author and professor Steve Pardue, shares from his experience growing up cross-culturally, teaching at the university level, and building friendships with people from many different countries. Check out the book by Steve Pardue: Why Evangelical Theology Needs the Global Church International Graduate School of Leadership Asia Graduate School of Theology “If you want to look at where the next generation of theological discourse is really emerging and where the church is vital and producing really interesting reflection on Scripture, look toward the majority world.” Majority World Theology by Gene Green, Stephen Pardue, and K. Yeo “How does culture matter for theology? And why is that not necessarily a threat, but actually a gift from God for God's people to use as a Church from every tribe and tongue and nation gets together, worships, proclaims the Gospel, and perceives the Gospel in really deep and rich ways, but very different ways?” “Majority world is a way of describing where most people in the world actually live – Asia, Africa, and Latin America.” “Christianity has actually always been a global faith.” “Even in redeemed humanity, our cultural distinction persists. That's part of how we worship God.” “To the degree we can, we want to encourage authentic partnership and fellowship across the nationals, and that is something that is uniquely Christian.” “God comes to earth and speaks with an accent.” Langham Literature “Be intentional about asking questions, and I think it'll unfold from there.” What's changing our lives: Keane: Visiting with a college friend Heather: Let's Read the Gospels podcast with friends Steve: Remembering the value of relationships in ministry Weekly Spotlight: Ukarumpa International School We'd love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/ 

Author Owen Strachan takes on the subject of masculinity in his book The War on Men: Why Society Hates Them and Why We Need Them. Owen's book explores God's design for men and why it's so important! Owen Strachan is associate professor of Christian theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and serves as a senior fellow of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. In addition to being a contributing writer for the Gospel Coalition, he has written for The Atlantic, The Washington Post, OnFaith, First Things, Christianity Today, The Federalist, and the Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology. Owen also regularly speaks to media outlets, including FOX News, The Hugh Hewitt Show, and The Eric Metaxas Show, and works as a research fellow of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. He is married and is the father of three children.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to episode ninety-five of New Creation Conversations. I'm joined this week by theologian and global church historian, Dr. Stephen Pardue. Steve is a graduate of Wheaton College where he also earned both an MA and a PhD in Theology. Having been raised in the Philippines, he has returned home and now teaches in Manila and directs the ThM/PhD programs in Theological Studies and Church History at the Asia Graduate School of Theology. He is the author of The Mind of Christ: Humility and the Intellect in Early Christian Theology and the coeditor of ten books, including Majority World Theology and Asian Christian Theology. Our conversation centers on his recent book Why Evangelical Theology Needs the Global Church (published by Baker Academic). As most Christian theologians and students are aware, the number of Christians in the Majority World now outnumber those in North America and Europe, and many want to know more about emerging voices in the global church. Nevertheless, despite its rapid growth, the voices of the church in the Majority World are largely absent from Western evangelical theology. In his book, Steve not only wants to introduce some of those rich global voices into the conversation, but he argues that it is imperative for the church in the West to engage with and be edified by those voices. There is a richness in the diversity of global voices and perspectives available in the Church that enhance our understanding of God and deepen our discipleship.  Especially in my new opportunity to see more of the global church in my own denomination, I wanted to learn from Steve's scholarship. I read every page of the book and found it to be a very helpful resource for not just navigating but also celebrating the major shifts taking place in global Christianity. It is a very good book and a really helpful conversation. 

     God the Father is seen as the initiator, planner, and orchestrator of the salvation of mankind, and this because He is loving, merciful, and kind, and “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4), and is “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9). Salvation is necessary because of the problem of sin in the human race. All mankind is utterly helpless to bring about a remedy by human effort (Rom 3:10, 23; 5:6-10; Gal 2:16, 21; 3:21-22). Everyone is said to be “darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart” (Eph 4:18), and “dead” in their “trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1; cf., Col 2:13). This refers to spiritual death, which means separation from God. We are trapped in sin and stand guilty before a holy and righteous God and are completely unable to save ourselves. Wiersbe observes: The unbeliever is not sick; he is dead! He does not need resuscitation; he needs resurrection. All lost sinners are dead, and the only difference between one sinner and another is the state of decay. The lost derelict on skid row may be more decayed outwardly than the unsaved society leader, but both are dead in sin—and one corpse cannot be more dead than another! This means that our world is one vast graveyard, filled with people who are dead while they live (1 Tim 5:6).[1] If God had not made a way for us to be saved, we would be forever lost. Lightner states: God is the only one who could solve the problem which man's sin presented to Him. After man's fall God the Father began in time the plan of salvation which He devised before time began. This divine plan centered in his divine Son: “He gave His only begotten Son” because He “so loved the world” (John 3:16). “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us” (1 John 3:16). “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only-begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9).[2]      But God intervened. He broke into time and space and displayed His mercy, love, and grace upon mankind. The apostle Paul wrote: But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Eph 2:4-9)      The Father's actions are based on His love for all mankind. He loves because of who He is and not because of the beauty or worth of the object. Scripture reveals that “God is Love” (1 John 4:8), which means love is part of His nature. God loves because it is His nature to love. The Father's eternal plan for salvation      God the Father's soteriological work is traced back to what He planned before time began. He was motivated to provide for our salvation before we existed. According to Lightner, “We are often led to believe that our salvation began when we made our decision to trust Christ as Savior. The fact is, God was at work on our behalf long before that time.”[3] Paul wrote that God the Father “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him” (Eph 1:4). That the Father elected us to salvation is straightforward in this passage, and the doctrine of election will be addressed later in this work. For now, this passage is noted because it speaks of the Father's salvation-work “before the foundation of the world.” According to Lightner: God the Father's work in salvation centers primarily in what he did before time began. With infinite love and compassion he acted on our behalf even before we were born. Paul told the Ephesian Christians that they had been chosen in Christ by the Father before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4). To the Roman Christians the same apostle wrote about the Father's foreknowledge, predestination, and call of them before time (Rom 8:29–30). Peter, writing to saints scattered throughout Asia Minor, described them as “elect” of God the Father (1 Pet 1:2). While evangelicals differ on how these and other such passages are to be understood, they all agree that God the Father initiated the plan of salvation in eternity past.[4]      God's election starts with His sovereign choice, but also includes the individual choices of those who trust in Christ as Savior. Both are true. Though there is tension at this point—and this because of limited information and limited human capacity to comprehend—both God's sovereignty and human volition must be acknowledged at the same time. Lightner states, “God the Father is sovereign. He must be to be God. Human responsibility is just as biblical as divine sovereignty. Jesus stressed both. Jesus said no one can come to him unless drawn by the Father but he also said none who come to him would be cast out (John 6:37).”[5]And Paul Enns states, “While there is human responsibility in salvation, there is first a divine side to salvation in which God sovereignly acts to secure the sinner's salvation.”[6]The Christian must be content to live with this tension and not try to force a solution one way or another.      The salvation of mankind, with all its details, was fully comprehended and planned by God the Father from eternity past. It's not as though God was surprised by the fall of Lucifer and mankind. He is eternal, and His plan is eternal. Lightner states, “We must never view salvation as an afterthought or as the only possible way out of a hopeless dilemma on the part of God. The plan of salvation is as eternal as God is. God was not shocked when Satan and then man fell. He is eternal, and his plan is from eternity past to eternity future.”[7] God the Father commissioned God the Son      God the Father commissioned God the Son to provide our salvation. God the Son agreed to the Father's mission, came into the world, added humanity to Himself, and executed the Father's plan perfectly. Though Jesus said and did many things during His time on earth, of which many books have been written, His primary mission was to save sinners. Jesus said, “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), and “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Jesus lived a sinless life and then sacrificed Himself on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of humanity. Through His death, burial, and resurrection, salvation is offered to all who believe in Him as Savior. Bruce Ware notes, “In eternity, the Father commissioned the Son who then willingly laid aside the glory He had with the Father to come and purchase our pardon and renewal.”[8] God the Father sent the Son to die      It was the Father's will for the Son to go to the cross to die for lost sinners, and the Son willingly went to His death and bore the Father's wrath in our place. This was explained in Isaiah, where the prophet wrote about the Suffering Servant, saying, “But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering” (Isa 53:10a). It is simultaneously true that the Father sent and the Son went. In the Gospel of John, we're told, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:16-17). Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent” (John 6:29), and “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38). The apostle John wrote, “God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10), and “the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14). Walvoord states: Jesus Christ's main purpose in coming to the world…was to provide salvation for those who put their trust in Him. Jesus expressed this in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” In His public ministry Jesus spoke of many truths, and His teachings were so comprehensive that a systematic theology could be written based on what He said and taught. However, this was a background to His dying on the cross for our sins. In this supreme act of dying, He fulfilled His main purpose in becoming incarnate, of being “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).[9]     [1] Ibid., 18. [2] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology: A Historical, Biblical, and Contemporary Survey and Review (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1995), 189–190. [3] Ibid., 192. [4] Ibid., 191. [5] Ibid., 191. [6] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1989), 328. [7] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology, 192. [8] Bruce A. Ware, “Tampering with the Trinity: Does the Son Submit to His Father?,” in Biblical Foundations for Manhood and Womanhood, ed. Wayne Grudem, Foundations for the Family Series (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2002), 248. [9] John F. Walvoord, What We Believe, 73.

In The Biblical Trinity, Brandon Smith proclaims the Trinity from the Bible. The doctrine arises not from a handful of prooftexts but from the fullness of what the Bible says about God. In this edition of Mere Fi, Alastair and Matt chat with Brandon about what this project means in the broad landscape of contemporary theology. They also take a closer look at how the book of Revelation contributes to a Biblical picture of the Trinity. Full show notes at www.merefidelity.com. Timestamps: That Big Time Academic Life [0:00] A Flowering of Evangelical Theology [2:03] Traditional Cart, Biblical Horse [7:43] Politicisation [12:57] Baptism [18:29] Applicability [24:49] Revelation [30:06] The Spirit [42:50]

Pastors Alex and Chris discuss some of the political realities at the time of Jesus and how He masterfully walks through it all. Also, we talk about the way New Testament writers interact and use the Old Testament.Books mentioned (with links):Evangelical Theology by Michael BirdCommentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament by Carson and BealeHandbook on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament by BealeKey thought from this episode: Jesus was a master within His culture, let's be the same.We look forward to hearing from you for future topics we might address!Email chris.stukenberg@parkhillsefc.org or check out parkhillschurch.com for more info.

HEAR daily Orthodox Christian teaching at THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD podcast: APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-ministry-of-the-word/id1670682035 — SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zrfqE9QKJ09E9jWr7BVAQ?si=WESYvP_9QqK2kDJRgcvCoQ — ALL OPTIONS: https://anchor.fm/ministry-of-the-word

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Josh and Kennedy talk about the nature of scripture and whether its ethical principles lean more conservative or progressive. Recommended Books: "Why am I a Christian" by John Stott "The Making of Biblical Womanhood" by Dr. Beth Allison Barr "Beyond the Curse" by Dr. Aída Besançon Spencer "Jacob & the Prodigal" by Kenneth E. Bailey "The Problem with Evangelical Theology" by Ben Witherington III Email: themoralminorityshow@gmail.com Twitter: @MinorityShow, @kennedycurley44, @my_luck3 Instagram: @moral.minority, @kennedy_a_curley, @just_my_luck3

This episode is a conversation with Dr. Daniel Treier of Wheaton College. We discuss sports heroes (3:29), defining evangelical theology (6:16), the Nicene Creed and theological method (9:10); the Ten Commandments as moral formation (12:00), the Lord's Prayer as spiritual formation (14:16), the Trinitarian shape of theology (19:00), and more. Buy Dan's books. Check out Brandon's new book: The Trinity in the Book of Revelation: Seeing Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in John's Apocalypse (IVP Academic, 2022). You can also preorder his next one, The Biblical Trinity. Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible and Cedarville University's Graduate School. Episode sponsor: Speak for the Unborn. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, a co-founder of the Center for Baptist Renewal, and writes things. You can follow him on Twitter at @brandon_d_smith. *** This podcast is designed to discuss all sorts of topics from various points of view. Therefore, guests' views do not always reflect the views of the host, his church, or his institution.

On today's special broadcast we take a look at Joe and Chad's top 10 books of the year that will encourage and strengthen you spiritually Is God Still Doing Miracles? with Dr. Craig Keener https://youtu.be/BY2RTyt_yXU Should We Unhitch from the Old Testament with Dr. John Oswalt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcBK0i7n4eE&t=2982s Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: The Christian Testimony of Nabeel Qureshi https://youtu.be/k0D8Uz4oQck (BOOKS) The Bible among the Myths: Unique Revelation or Just Ancient Literature? by John N. Oswalt https://tinyurl.com/2xhnc6pv The Gospel and the Greeks: Did the New Testament Borrow from Pagan Thought? (Student Library) https://tinyurl.com/9em77md6 God's Rivals: Why Has God Allowed Different Religions? Insights from the Bible and the Early Church https://tinyurl.com/y7hb439p Disillusioned: Why I Left the Eastern Orthodox Priesthood and Church https://tinyurl.com/373x62zz Against the Darkness: The Doctrine of Angels, Satan, and Demons (Foundations of Evangelical Theology) https://tinyurl.com/2p84eev2 Romans (Randall House Bible Commentary) https://tinyurl.com/32mdeev7 The Epistle to the Hebrews (New International Commentary on the New Testament https://tinyurl.com/mtsxnyk5 Believer's Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ (New American Commentary Studies in Bible and Theology) https://tinyurl.com/y5k74rvt Galatians: A Commentary (Craig S. Keener) https://tinyurl.com/56ryv26v In Light of Eternity: The Life of Leonard Ravenhill https://tinyurl.com/2kva7kmy Calvinism: A Biblical and Theological Critique https://tinyurl.com/295z97d8 Partner with us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/goodfight Learn more about Good Fight Ministries: https://allmylinks.com/goodfight TRANSPARENCY NOTICE: Our videos are not sponsored. Links to books on Amazon are for your convenience and are affiliate links, which means if you buy something by clicking on a link the ministry receives a small commission.

A sassy but civil heated live discussion recently in Nashville. I'm Doing Great Podcast is here: https://www.youtube.com/@ImDoingGreatThePodcast

In Episode 18 of Season 3, Drew and Mick discuss some of the shortcomings of the attacks on evangelicalism, exploring the accusations of the conflating of political power with the religious movement against the backdrop of a more historical approach to understanding evangelicalism. Connect with us at ideologypc@gmail.com // feel free to share, subscribe, rate, and/or comment Episode notes: The Great Awakening: The Roots of Evangelical Christianity in Colonial America by Thomas Kidd The Problem with Evangelical Theology by Ben Witherington

Matt holds a PhD in Biblical Theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC and is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Institute of Biblical Research, and the Society of Biblical Literature. He is Dickinson Associate Professor of Religion at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Co-Executive Director for the Center for Baptist Renewal, and co-editor for the Journal of Baptist Studies, and serves as a committee member for the Scripture and Hermeneutics Seminar. He is author of ‘He Descended to the Dead': An Evangelical Theology of Holy Saturday, winner of a 2019 TGC book award. In this episode we discuss Jesus' descent into hell. We talk about the nature of Sheol, what “preaching” in hell means, the implications it has on the sabbath and the millennium, Christ's burial, and ghosts! YouTube: https://youtu.be/FRqEoNYxu08 Audio Podcast: Email host: theweirdchristianpodcast@gmail.com

David E. Fitch (PhD, Northwestern University) is the B. R. Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology at Northern Seminary. He is also the founding pastor of Life on the Vine Christian Community, a missional church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He is the author of Faithful Presence, The Great Giveaway and The End of Evangelicalism? and is the coauthor of Prodigal Christianity. Fitch coaches a network of church plants in the Christian and Missionary Alliance and he writes, speaks, and lectures on issues the local church must face in mission including cultural engagement, leadership, and theology. He has also written numerous articles in periodicals such as Christianity Today, The Other Journal, Missiology, as well as various academic journals. Episode Talking Points: What is faithful presence? How do you be faithfully present in your community? Differences between rural and urban Christians How Christians think differently Resources: Missio Alliance David Fitch on Twitter Faithful Presence --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-monday-christian/support

Interested in further study of the Bible? Join us at Logos Bible Software. Sign up to attend Westminster Seminary California's Seminary for a Day here! Get a copy of the Family Worship Bible Study, The Works of William Perkins, & the RHB Store! Please help support the show on our Patreon Page! SEASON 5 EPISODE 9 Join Nick & Peter of the Guilt Grace Gratitude Podcast as they continue Season 5, Reformed Apologetics, with an investigation into Jesus' divinity. Dr. Michael Bird (PhD, University of Queensland) grew up in Brisbane before joining the Army and serving as a paratrooper, intelligence operator, and then chaplains assistant. It was during his time in the military that he came to faith from a non-Christian background, and soon after felt a call to ministry. He graduated with a BMin from Malyon College (2001) and Honours and PhD from the University of Queensland (2002, 2005). Michael taught New Testament at the Highland Theological College in Scotland (2005-9) before joining Brisbane School of Theology as lecturer in Theology (2010-12). He joined the faculty at Ridley as lecturer in Theology in 2013. Michael describes himself as a “biblical theologian” who endeavours to bring together biblical studies and systematic theology. He believes that the purpose of the church is to “gospelize,” that is to preach, promote, and practise the Gospel-story of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the author of 30 books, including the volumes The Gospel of Lord: How the Early Church Wrote the Story of Jesus, Evangelical Theology, and with N.T. Wright, The New Testament in its World. Pick up books from Dr. Bird here. Book(s) used for this conversation: How God Became Jesus Have Feedback or Questions? Email us at: guiltgracepod@gmail.com Find us on Instagram: @guiltgracepod Follow us on Twitter: @guiltgracepod Find us on YouTube: Guilt Grace Gratitude Podcast Please rate and subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you use! Looking for a Reformed Church? North American Presbyterian & Reformed Churches --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/gggpodcast/support

Dr. Emily McGowin is one of my favorite professors from my graduate program at Wheaton. She is brilliant and has a gift for discussing theological truths in a way that intersects with real, everyday life. She portrays truth about God with clarity while holding tension for how that is reflected this side of eternity. I distinctly remember the conversations from class continuing on over dinner and into the evenings with my cohort while we metabolized the rich theological concepts from class that day – which is exactly what this episode felt like. Dr. Emily McGowin is an Assistant Professor of Theology at Wheaton College, she serves as priest in the Anglican Church of North America, as well as a writer and speaker alongside being a wife and mother of three (ages 13, 12, and 9). @EmilyMcGowin on Twitter www.emilymcgowin.com The Book of Common Prayer God and Wonder: Theology, Imagination, and the Arts by Jeffrey W Barbeau and Emily Hunter McGowin Quivering Families: The Quiverfull Movement and Evangelical Theology of the Family by Emily Hunter McGowin Propel Women Cohort at Wheaton - Masters in Evangelism and Leadership PARTNERSHIPS Resera - At Resera, we believe jewelry should be meaningful. All of our pieces are designed with this in mind, to serve as daily reminders of important values, stories, or people in your life. Visit resera.com/nikkdutton for 15% off your entire order using promo code NIKKDUTTON ______________________________________ I'd love to hear from you! Email me at hello@nikkidutton.com Nikki Dutton on Instagram: @nikkidutton nikkidutton.com As always, incredible sound editing by Luke Wilson at Veritas Podcasting

In this episode David Fitch talks about the importance of the table - gathering, eating, ministering, and sharing together. We also talk about the presence and power of Jesus and being people of presence in any place we are at.David Fitch is B. R. Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology at Northern Seminary Chicago, IL. He is also the founding pastor of Life on the Vine Christian Community, a missional church in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago. He coaches a network of church plants in the C&MA linked to Life on the Vine. He writes on the issues the local church must face in Mission including cultural engagement, leadership and theology and has lectured and presented on these topics at many seminaries, graduate schools, denominational gatherings and conferences.David Fitch's latest books are Faithful Presence and The Church of Us vs. ThemDavid's Podcast:Theology on MissionDavid's Recommendation:See No Stranger by Valerie KaurConnect with Joshua: jjohnson@allnations.usGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook or Instagram at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/shiftingculturepodcast/Support the show

Nathan and Steve go through the survey "The State of Theology" which was published recently and find that, not only are they both wildly heretical, but that the Ligonier group writes REALLY bad questions. Steve and Nathan are both exhausted because they're privileged Nathan is overly concerned with the Trump Mar-a-Lago case Pep Band is fun Church is weird “Do I Stay Christian” by Brian McLaren The State of Theology Survey (https://thestateoftheology.com) Ligonier Ministries (http://www.ligonier.org) R.C. Sproul (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._C._Sproul) Reformed Theology (https://www.ligonier.org/learn/series/what-is-reformed-theology) Martin Luther (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther) Calvinism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvinism) Doctrine of “Original Sin” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Original_sin) Survey Data Explorer (https://thestateoftheology.com/data-explorer)

Check out the full Stephen Nichols collection here: https://mycanonplus.com/tabs/none/collections/954 

Check out the full Stephen Nichols collection here: https://mycanonplus.com/tabs/none/collections/954

Dr. Michael F. Bird is an Australian biblical scholar and Anglican priest who writes about the history of early Christianity, theology, and contemporary issues. He is Academic Dean and a lecturer at Ridley College in Melbourne. Check out his YouTube channel, Early Christian History with Michael Bird. He is the author of 30 books, including The Gospel of the Lord: How the Early Church Wrote the Story of Jesus (Eerdmans, 2014), Evangelical Theology,(2nd edition published by Zondervan in 2020), The New Testament in its World (with N.T. Wright) (Zondervan, 2019), and his latest, Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew about the Bible (Zondervan, 2021). These books are available from independent Christian booksellers Byron and Beth Borger at Hearts & Minds Bookstore. You can order online through their secure server or call 717-246-333. Mention that you heard about these books on the Reintegrate Podcast and get 20% off!  >> Thanks for listening! Your hosts for the Re-integrate Podcast are Dr. Bob Robinson and David Loughney. Go to re-integrate.org for the latest articles on reintegrating your callings with God's mission and online resources for further learning. You can also find out about a Bible study book that you can use in your small group or individual devotions: Reintegrate Your Vocation with God's Mission. On Reintegrate's podcast page, you'll find more episodes and ways to email us to comment on this podcast. Music provided by Brian Donahue.

A keynote address from Dr. David Shaw of Oak Hill College entitled "Is Retrieval Leading to Renewal? The Place of Tradition and the Progress of Theological Retrieval: Some Thoughts and Next Steps", delivered at the UK 2022 Convivium Irenicum, "In Service of Scripture: Rediscovering Reason and Tradition in Evangelical Theology." Dr. Shaw provides a comprehensive overview of the theological retrieval movement, its current state, and where it might go from here.

An address from Graham Shearer, Ph.D student at Union Theological College, Belfast, entitled "'Who Can Declare His Generation?' Divine Incomprehensibility and Human Reason in 4th Century Trinitarianism," delivered at the UK 2022 Convivium Irenicum, "In Service of Scripture: Rediscovering Reason and Tradition in Evangelical Theology." Graham unpacks to counter-intuitive nature of divine incomprehensibility as giving license to the use of theological reasoning. "Who Can Declare His Generation?" Divine Incomprehensibility and Human Reason in 4th Century Trinitarianism

An address from Dr. Robert Strivens entitled "Finding Theology in the Biblical Text: Hebrews 1:1-4 Through the Ages" delivered at the UK 2022 Convivium Irenicum, "In Service of Scripture: Rediscovering Reason and Tradition in Evangelical Theology." Dr. Strivens surveys commentaries on Hebrew from St. John Chrysostom to the 21st century, chronicling the decline of theological interpretation in evangelical exegesis since the 18th century.

An address from Revd. Dr. Peter Sanlon entitled "Towards Secure Foundations for the Formative Power of Reason and Tradition," delivered at the UK 2022 Convivium Irenicum, "In Service of Scripture: Rediscovering Reason and Tradition in Evangelical Theology." Revd. Dr. Sanlon issues a plea for Confessional Experiential Calvinism as a secure foundation for integrating reason and tradition into evangelical theology.

Dr. Michael Bird is an Australian biblical scholar and Anglican priest who writes about the history of early Christianity, theology, and contemporary issues. Mike is Academic Dean and Lecturer in Theology at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia. He is the author of over thirty books including Evangelical Theology, Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew About the Bible, Romans (SGBC), The Gospel of the Lord: How the Early Church Wrote the Story of Jesus, What Christians Ought To Believe, and with N.T. Wright, The New Testament in its World. He enjoys tennis, reading, and red wine. He is married to Naomi and they have four children. Episode Talking Points Michael's growing up years and coming to faith in Christ Michael's stint in the military A global perspective on gun control Why rightly understood secularism is good for religious freedom The dangers of conservative nationalism and progressive authoritarianism A Thessalonian strategy for apologetics Resources Mike's Website Mike's Books --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-monday-christian/support

Fr. Tom welcomes Dr. Bradley Nassif, author of The Evangelical Theology of the Orthodox Church, to discuss how we can nourish the proclamation of the Gospel in our parishes and how to share the Gospel according to the Tradition of the Church

Fr. Tom welcomes Dr. Bradley Nassif, author of The Evangelical Theology of the Orthodox Church, to discuss how we can nourish the proclamation of the Gospel in our parishes and how to share the Gospel according to the Tradition of the Church

Fr. Tom welcomes Dr. Bradley Nassif, author of The Evangelical Theology of the Orthodox Church, to discuss how we can nourish the proclamation of the Gospel in our parishes and how to share the Gospel according to the Tradition of the Church

Episode 108: Today's episode is a conversation with Henk van den Belt. Dr. van den Belt is professor of Systematic Theology at the Faculty of Religion and Theology and Director of the Herman Bavinck Center for Reformed and Evangelical Theology at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. Enjoy! Ask a question: rts.edu/washington/podcast About RTS Washington: rts.edu/washington

From its roots in the first half of the twentieth century, evangelicalism has become a powerful political force within American society. This new series—A Critique of Evangelical Christianity—explores what has gone wrong with evangelicalism as a movement, in order to point to new paths forward: both to vibrant spiritual life and the renewal of our body politic. In this first episode, we explore how hyper-individualism has infected evangelical theology, crowding out essential  parts of the biblical tradition.