Podcast appearances and mentions of John M Frame

Listen in on Caleb and Lindsey's conversation concerning how Christians ought to relate to philosophy. They share practical resources to educate both yourself and arm your family against the secular philosophies of our day. It is important to ask yourself the question, "Why do I believe  or do this or that?" As Christians we ought to be purposeful. Philosophical questions get to the root of why we exist and what our duty is to our neighbor. These answers are found in God's Word alone, therefore Christians ought to be the most confident in sharing these foundational truths with the very confused world around us. This episode is a part of an ongoing series on Building a Thoroughly Christian Worldview. Everyone has a worldview whether they realize it or not, and more than likely their worldview is not consistent with itself. The Bible is our only standard for all of life and truth. We are called to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). We can only do this by knowing God's Word. Listen in to this multipart series as Caleb and Lindsey discuss what a worldview is, how to evaluate your worldview for inconsistencies, and also ways to apply God's Word and mission to every area of your life. As disciples we are meant to have a "Kingdom Mindset." Many Christians today have more of a defeatist mindset and live defensively instead of offensively. The Christian's worldview directly applies to how Christians engage the culture, and this is what we will be discussing in future episodes during this series. **THIS MONTH'S SPONSOR:** Christian Light Education Read Lindsey's Personal Review: ⁠https://reformedfaithandfamily.com/learning-to-read-cle-review/⁠ Visit Christian Light Education's Website: ⁠https://christianlight.org/shop-curriculum⁠ **FREE** Christian Worldview Family Field Guide >> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download Your Copy Now!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ >> All resources listed in this episode can be found on the Reformed Faith and Family Recommended Resources page ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Resources listed in this episode include: >>The Consequences of Ideas, R.C. Sproul >> A Christian View of Philosophy and Culture, Francis Schaeffer >> A History of Western Philosophy and Theology, John M. Frame >> We Are All Philosophers: A Christian Introduction to Seven Fundamental Questions, John M. Frame >> The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman >> Advancing the Kingdom: Declaring War on Humanistic Culture by Dr. Donald Schanzenbach >> Lindsey's recommendation for Christian Apologetics in the Homeschool Room is using Compass Classroom's Worldview and Philosophy products: https://compassclassroom.com/shop/product-category/philosophy-worldview/ Veritas Press or Logos (Canon) Press also have good options! Keep Up with Reformed Faith and Family in the Following Ways: Never miss an episode, article, or a new FREEBIE by joining our weekly newsletter here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://reformedfaithandfamily.com/subscribe/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Build your library with our recommended resources: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://reformedfaithandfamily.com/recommended-resources/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Read the latest articles: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://reformedfaithandfamily.com/blog/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Download your FREEBIES in our store: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://reformedfaithandfamily.com/store/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out the Swag Shop: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://reformedfaithandfamily.com/swag-shop/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ WE HAVE A FAVOR TO ASK! If you are excited about our mission at Reformed Faith and Family to guide men and women as they seek to learn more about Reformed theology and equip families as they disciple their children, then please leave our podcast a 5-star review and share it with a friend. We appreciate each one of our faithful listeners, but we also depend on you to help us get the word out. Thank you for your continued support!

Introduction (Full Notes Here)      The debate over James 2:14-26 revolves around how to reconcile faith and works in the context of salvation.[1] Catholics and Arminians traditionally see faith and works as both essential for eternal salvation. Reformed theologians see James as setting forth a litmus test for authentic faith, contending that true saving faith is evidenced by a life of obedience and good works. In other words, while salvation is by grace through faith, genuine faith results in a transformed life marked by obedience to Christ as Lord. According to John Frame, “James 2:24, which speaks of justification by works, tells us that a faith without works is not saving faith, not true faith. So, works are evidence of a true, saving faith.”[2] John MacArthur adds, “Good works are inevitable in the life of one who truly believes. These works have no part in bringing about salvation (Eph 2:9; Rom 3:20, 24; 4:5; Tit 3:5), but they show that salvation is indeed present (Eph 2:10; 5:9; 1 John 2:5).”[3] R. C. Sproul states, “every true believer bears some fruit. If he does not, he's not a believer.”[4] Even some of my favorite Bible teachers hold this view. For example, Arnold Fruchtenbaum says, “Is a faith that produces no work whatsoever really a saving faith? The obvious answer is, ‘No.' The issue here is saving faith.”[5] And Charles Ryrie states, “Can a nonworking, dead, spurious faith save a person? James is not saying that we are saved by works but that a faith that does not produce good works is a dead faith…Genuine faith cannot be ‘dead' to morality or barren to works.”[6] According to Warren Wiersbe, “Any declaration of faith that does not result in a changed life and good works is a false declaration. That kind of faith is dead faith…Dead faith is not saving faith. Dead faith is counterfeit faith and lulls the person into a false confidence of eternal life.”[7] William MacDonald states, “works are not the root of salvation but the fruit; they are not the cause but the effect. Calvin put it tersely: ‘We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone.'”[8]      Many proponents of this view assert that merely professing faith without a corresponding life of obedience can lead to self-deception and a false sense of security regarding one's salvation. One of the flaws of this view is that Christians spend much of their time looking at themselves and wondering if their works are genuine, or if they've done enough to prove their eternal salvation. Because sin continues in the lives of all Christians, and this to varying degrees, it leaves the believer in a state of uncertainty about their eternal destiny because they never know if their works represent a genuine saving faith.      In James 2:14-26; James is not distinguishing genuine from false faith; but rather, a useful faith that works to bless others, versus a useless faith that cannot save the Christian from divine discipline and loss of reward at the bema seat of Christ. For James, a dead faith is a useless faith that benefits no one, and his reference to salvation is from divine discipline, not the lake of fire. It's noteworthy that James 2:14-26 is sandwiched between two sections concerning divine judgement (Jam 2:12-13; 3:1). Biblically, disobedient Christians face God's judgment in this life as they are subject to divine discipline (Heb 12:6), which can eventuate in physical death (1 Cor 11:30; Jam 1:15, 21; 5:19-20; 1 John 5:16), as well as future judgment before the bema seat of Christ in heaven (Rom 14:10-12; 2 Cor 5:10). At the judgment seat of Christ, all Christians will stand before the Lord Jesus, not to determine if they have eternal life, for that is already secure for them (John 5:24; 10:28; 1 John 5:13), but to be evaluated on how they lived and rewards given for obedience to Him (1 Cor 3:10-15). This is important to understand, for when James poses the question, “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?” (Jam 2:14), he's talking about a useful faith that benefits others and saves the Christian from divine discipline in this life, which can eventuate in physical death, and loss of reward at the bema seat of Christ. The Usefulness of Faith      For James, faith must be put into use to be beneficial to others. In one sentence, James said, “faith, if it has no works, is dead” (Jam 2:17), and in another sentence, said, “faith without works is useless” (Jam 2:20). A dead faith is a useless faith. It is useless to God and others, being of no benefit to the needy. We use similar language when we talk about a “dead battery,” we're talking about a battery that is useless. And when we talk about Latin being a “dead language,” we mean it's no longer in use. Likewise, a dead faith is a useless faith. However, unlike a dead battery or a dead language, we have volition and the ability to put our faith into practice, making it useful to others. Which is why James previously wrote, “prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves” (Jam 1:22).      The teaching of Scripture is that sinners are saved totally apart from works. Paul wrote, “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Rom 3:28), and salvation comes “to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly” (Rom 4:5). 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), for “by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9). God “has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works” (2 Tim 1:9a), and “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness” (Tit 3:5a). Good works do not save us eternally. They never have and never will.      James is not contradicting Paul. They are addressing two different matters. Paul addresses justification before God, which is based entirely on the work of Christ at the cross and the imputed righteousness that comes to the one who trusts in Christ alone for salvation (Rom 5:17; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9). James addresses justification in the sight of others, what we might call vindication. God does not need to see our faith. He knows it's there. But others cannot see our faith, so good works help them to see what we claim to be true. Once saved, we are called to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7). God said, “My righteous one shall live by faith” (Heb 10:38), for “without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Heb 11:6). And we know that “whatever is not from faith is sin” (Rom 14:23). Furthermore, Christians are commanded to love others (John 13:34; Gal 5:13; 1 Th 4:9). This love is to be actionable and tangible (Jam 2:15-16; 1 John 3:17-18). Also, we are directed to do good works, which glorify God and edify others. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt 5:16; cf. Eph 2:10). God's Word directs us to “do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Gal 6:10), “to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share” (1 Tim 6:18), to be “zealous for good deeds” (Tit 2:14b), to “learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs” (Tit 3:14a), “to stimulate one another to love and good deeds” (Heb 10:24). Failure of Christians to put their faith into action means they are disobedient to the Lord and subject to divine discipline. Scripture reveals, “those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and chastises every son whom He receives” (Heb 12:6). Jesus said, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline” (Rev 3:19a). Paul wrote, “But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world” (1 Cor 11:32).[9] With these doctrines in mind, let's look at James 2:14-26. Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] James clearly wrote to saved persons, Jewish believers, whom he called “brethren” (Jam 1:2, 16, 19; 2:1, 5, 14; 3:1, 10, 12; 4:11; 5:7, 9-10, 12, 19), confirmed they were born from above (Jam 1:17-18), and said they had “faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ” (Jam 2:1). He said the Holy Spirit dwelled in them (Jam 4:5), which proved they were Christians, for “if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him” (Rom 8:9). The main purpose of James' letter was to exhort Christians to spiritual maturity (Jam 1:4), which manifests itself in practical righteousness. James in no way contradicts Paul. Paul wrote about justification in the sight of God (Rom 3:28; 4:1-5; Gal 2:16), whereas James wrote about being justified in the sight of others (Jam 2:18, 24). [2] John M. Frame, Salvation Belongs to the Lord: An Introduction to Systematic Theology (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2006), 205. [3] John F. Macarthur, Jr., “Faith According To The Apostle James” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Vol 33/1: March 1990, 18. [4] R. C. Sproul, Can I Be Sure I'm Saved?, vol. 7, The Crucial Questions Series (Lake Mary, FL: Reformation Trust Publishing, 2010), 15. [5] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Messianic Jewish Epistles: Hebrews, James, First Peter, Second Peter, Jude, 1st ed., (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2005), 253 [6] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, Expanded ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1995, 1970), 1970. [7] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 354. [8] William MacDonald, Believer's Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 2229. [9] He gave to us It is never the will of God that we sin (1 John 2:1), but all saints commit sin, and there is no such thing as a sinless saint. David wrote, “my sins have overtaken me…they are more numerous than the hairs of my head” (Psa 40:12), and “I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me” (Psa 51:3). Paul said of himself, “For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want…I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good” (Rom 7:19, 21). And the John wrote, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us…If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8, 10). James said, “we all stumble in many ways” (Jam 3:2a). Though forgiven all our sins (Acts 10:43; Eph 1:7), and saved (Eph 2:8), Christians continue to possess a sin nature (Rom 6:6; 7:14-25; 13:14; Col 3:9; Gal 5:16-17, 19-22; 1 John 1:8), and commit personal acts of sin (Eccl 7:20; 1 John 1:10; 2:1). Though the power of the sin nature is broken (Rom 6:11-14), the presence of the sin nature is never removed from us until God takes us from this world and gives us a new body like the body of Jesus (Phil 3:20-21; 1 John 3:2, 5). It is possible for saints to commit any sin an unbeliever can commit, to the same degree, and for the same duration of time. That's not what God wants from us. He wants righteousness. It's possible for Christians to live sinfully, though not without consequences. Living sinfully does not mean loss of eternal salvation, for that is not possible. Jesus said, the one who believes in Him “has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24), and “I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28). Paul wrote, “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1). But if Christians choose to operate by the sinful flesh (1 Cor 3:1-3), love the world (1 John 2:15-16), and live sinfully, like the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-24), they open the door to divine discipline and great suffering (Heb 12:5-11), which can eventuate in physical death (1 Cor 11:30; Jam 1:15, 21; 5:19-20; 1 John 5:16), and the loss of eternal rewards (1 Cor 3:10-15; 2 John 1:8).  

     Total depravity is the biblical doctrine that sin permeates all aspects of our being—mind, will, and sensibilities, and renders us helpless to save ourselves. It does not mean we are as bad as we can be, for there are many moral unbelievers in the world. Being contaminated by sin means whatever morality we produce can never measure up to the perfect righteousness God expects. Is there any person who can say, “I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin?” (Prov 20:9). The answer is an emphatic No! The human heart is corrupt, for “the heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick” (Jer 17:9). And “Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins” (Eccl 7:20), and “There is none righteous; not even one. There is none who understands; there is none who seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become useless. There is none who does good, there is not even one” (Rom 3:10-12; cf. Rom 8:8). Some might argue that we can perform good works and help to save ourselves. This is wrong. Scripture states, “your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God” (Isa 59:2), “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (Isa 64:6). Salvation does not come by human works; rather, we are “justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Rom 3:28), and salvation comes “to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly” (Rom 4:5), and 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), “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9), and God “has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” (2 Tim 1:9), and “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit” (Tit 3:5). By human standards, even the worst person can do some good. But human estimation is lower than God's estimation and it is God's standards that define what is truly good. According to Charles Ryrie, “Total depravity must always be measured against God's holiness. Relative goodness exists in people. They can do good works, which are appreciated by others. But nothing that anyone can do will gain salvational merit or favor in the sight of a holy God.”[1] Calvinist View of Total Depravity      For Calvinists, total depravity means total inability. They regard people as totally unable to respond to the things of God; like a physical corpse. Notable scholars such as B. B. Warfield, R. C. Sproul, John Piper, Wayne Grudem, John Frame, John MacArthur, and J. I. Packer hold this view. B. B. Warfield wrote, “nothing is more fundamental in the doctrine of the Reformers than the complete inability of man and his absolute need of divine grace.”[2] John Frame states, “We can never come to God out of our own resources. We are helpless to do anything to save ourselves. This condition is sometimes called total inability” (italics his).[3] J. I. Packer states, “Total depravity entails total inability, that is, the state of not having it in oneself to respond to God and his Word in a sincere and wholehearted way (John 6:44; Rom 8:7–8).”[4] That is, lost sinners cannot respond to God at all, as they are spiritually unable (dead) to respond apart from God's granting life and the ability to believe. This leads Calvinists to conclude two things. First, God sovereignly acts by Himself to regenerate the spiritually dead and make them spiritually alive. Second, God gives the newly regenerate a special kind of faith whereby they can and will trust in Christ as Savior. According to Wayne Grudem, regeneration is “the act of God awakening spiritual life within us, bringing us from spiritual death to spiritual life. On this definition, it is natural to understand that regeneration comes before saving faith. It is in fact this work of God that gives us the spiritual ability to respond to God in faith.”[5] According to John MacArthur, “Our response in salvation is faith, but even that is not of ourselves [but is] the gift of God. Faith is nothing that we do in our own power or by our own resources...Paul intends to emphasize that even faith is not from us apart from God's giving it.”[6] The result of these divine actions in God's elect means they will produce good works and will persevere in those works throughout their lives until they die. John MacArthur states, “The same power that created us in Christ Jesus empowers us to do the good works for which He has redeemed us. These are the verifiers of true salvation.”[7] Thus, good works from regeneration to the end of one's life are the proof of salvation. Failure to produce ongoing good works until the end of one's life is offered as proof he was never saved (Matt 7:21). The Biblical View of Total Depravity      The correct biblical view is that total depravity means total unworthiness, not total inability to respond in faith to God's offer of salvation. Despite the profound impact of sin on human nature, the Bible does not portray people as entirely incapacitated. Yes, all mankind is “dead” in their sins (Eph 2:1); but death does not mean total inability, but total separation from God, for even those who were dead still “walked according to the course of this world” (Eph 2:2). Mankind is totally depraved in the sense that sin corrupts every part of our being, intellect, will, and sensibility. However, it does not mean that fallen people are unable to respond in faith to the gospel of grace.      The first example of spiritual death in the Bible is found 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 (and death means separation, not cessation). Adam and Eve experienced spiritual death at the moment they disobeyed God. Yet, immediately after the fall, in their state of spiritual death, they could sense God's presence in the Garden, as they “heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden” (Gen 3:8). Furthermore, Adam heard God's voice when He “called to the man” (Gen 3:9), and Adam responded to Him, saying, “I heard the sound of You in the garden” (Gen 3:10a). Though they could not undo their newly fallen sinful state, it did not render them totally unable to perceive God or to respond to Him when He called out to them. And they did respond positively to the Lord when He promised to provide a descendant, a Seed of the woman, who would crush the head of the serpent (Gen 3:15). They also responded positively by accepting God's provision of clothing after He killed an animal, took its skin, and covered their nakedness (Gen 3:21).      Furthermore, God made mankind in His image, as Scripture states, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen 1:27). Even after the historic fall of Adam and Eve, all people are said to be “in the image of God” (Gen 9:6), and “in the likeness of God” (Jam 3:9). Despite the fall of humanity into sin, the image of God in humanity remains intact, implying that humans still retain some moral capacity, which includes the ability to accept God's offer of salvation by faith. Though people are deeply affected by sin, they still possess some capacity for moral choice and responsibility, thus arguing against the notion of total depravity meaning total inability.      Regeneration is entirely the work of God in saving lost sinners who cannot save themselves (Rom 5:6-10). The sinner brings nothing of worth to salvation, but receives all that God has to offer by grace. John Walvoord states, “Regeneration is wholly of God. No possible human effort however noble can supply eternal life.”[8] Paul Enns states, “Succinctly stated, to regenerate means ‘to impart life.' Regeneration is the act whereby God imparts life to the one who believes.”[9] Regeneration occurs in the one who believes in Christ as Savior. According to Charles Ryrie, “Salvation is always through faith, not because of faith (Eph 2:8). Faith is the channel through which we receive God's gift of eternal life; it is not the cause. This is so man can never boast, even of his faith. But faith is the necessary and only channel (John 5:24; 17:3).”[10] The Bible teaches there is only one kind of faith, and that only those who place their faith in Christ will be saved. Faith does not save. Christ saves. The Strict-Calvinist believes there are two kinds of faith, one that is common to all, and another that is special and imparted only to God's elect. Believe to Receive Eternal Life      There are numerous passages in the Bible that place faith as the necessary prerequisite to regeneration. It is written, “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” (John 3:16), and Jesus said, “This is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life” (John 6:40), and “he who believes has eternal life” (John 6:47). Paul wrote to Timothy about “those who would believe in Him for eternal life” (1 Tim 1:16). In these and other instances, “eternal life” is given after we believe in Jesus as our Savior. Furthermore, people are condemned, not because God has not made a way for them to be saved, but because of their unwillingness to come to Christ as Savior. The issue is individual choice, not inability. The apostle John said, “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). Jesus, speaking to unsaved persons, said, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life” (John 5:39-40). Jesus said the Holy Spirit convicts everyone of sin (John 16:8), particularly the sin of unbelief, “because they do not believe in Me” (John 16:9). There is only one sin that keeps a person out of heaven, and that is the sin of unbelief; of rejecting Jesus as the only Savior. Apparently unbelievers may resist the Holy Spirit, as Stephen said in his sermon, “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51a).      Scripture reveals that “God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent” (Acts 17:30). This means they must not trust in themselves or any system of good works to save, but must trust in Christ, and Christ alone to save. Faith does not save. Christ saves. Faith is the non-meritorious instrument by which we receive eternal life. The Strict-Calvinist believes Christ died only for the elect (Matt 1:21; John 10:15), and only the elect are savable. The Bible teaches that Christ died for everyone (John 3:16; Heb 2:9; 1 John 2:2); therefore, everyone is savable. Paul said, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men” (Tit 2:11), and that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4). Peter stated, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9). Anyone can be saved by believing the gospel message “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4). Jesus is Free from Sin      Concerning total depravity and the transmission of original sin, Jesus is the sole exception, for Mary's virgin conception (Isa 7:14; Luke 1:30-35) meant Jesus was not born with the taint of original sin. Being free from original sin, Jesus also had no sin nature. Furthermore, Jesus lived His entire life and committed no personal sin. Scripture reveals Jesus “knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21), was “without sin” (Heb 4:15), “committed no sin” (1 Pet 2:22), and in whom “there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). His sinless life qualified Him to die a substitutionary death in our place, “the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). Jesus died for everyone and paid the penalty for our sin (John 3:16; Heb 2:9; 1 John 2:2). Though His death is sufficient for all to be saved (unlimited atonement), the benefits of the cross are applied only to those who believe in Him, which includes forgiveness of sins (Acts 10:43; Eph 1:7), the gift of righteousness (Rom 5:17; Phil 3:9), and eternal life (John 10:28). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology, 253. [2] Benjamin B. Warfield, The Plan of Salvation: Five Lectures (Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1915), 44. [3] John M. Frame, Salvation Belongs to the Lord: An Introduction to Systematic Theology (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2006), 112. [4] J. I. Packer, Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1993), 84. [5] Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 2004), 702. [6] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Ephesians (Chicago, Ill. Moody Press, 1986), 98. [7] Ibid., 101. [8] John F. Walvoord, The Holy Spirit (Grand Rapids, Mich. Zondervan Publishing, 1977), 132. [9] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1989), 338. [10]

     Total depravity is the biblical doctrine that sin permeates all aspects of our being—mind, will, and sensibilities, and renders us helpless to save ourselves. It does not mean we are as bad as we can be, for there are many moral unbelievers in the world. Being contaminated by sin means whatever morality we produce can never measure up to the perfect righteousness God expects. Is there any person who can say, “I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin?” (Prov 20:9). The answer is an emphatic No! The human heart is corrupt, for “the heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick” (Jer 17:9). And “Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins” (Eccl 7:20), and “There is none righteous; not even one. There is none who understands; there is none who seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become useless. There is none who does good, there is not even one” (Rom 3:10-12; cf. Rom 8:8). Some might argue that we can perform good works and help to save ourselves. This is wrong. Scripture states, “your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God” (Isa 59:2), “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (Isa 64:6). Salvation does not come by human works; rather, we are “justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Rom 3:28), and salvation comes “to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly” (Rom 4:5), and 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), “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9), and God “has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” (2 Tim 1:9), and “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit” (Tit 3:5). By human standards, even the worst person can do some good. But human estimation is lower than God's estimation and it is God's standards that define what is truly good. According to Charles Ryrie, “Total depravity must always be measured against God's holiness. Relative goodness exists in people. They can do good works, which are appreciated by others. But nothing that anyone can do will gain salvational merit or favor in the sight of a holy God.”[1] Calvinist View of Total Depravity      For Calvinists, total depravity means total inability. They regard people as totally unable to respond to the things of God; like a physical corpse. Notable scholars such as B. B. Warfield, R. C. Sproul, John Piper, Wayne Grudem, John Frame, John MacArthur, and J. I. Packer hold this view. B. B. Warfield wrote, “nothing is more fundamental in the doctrine of the Reformers than the complete inability of man and his absolute need of divine grace.”[2] John Frame states, “We can never come to God out of our own resources. We are helpless to do anything to save ourselves. This condition is sometimes called total inability” (italics his).[3] J. I. Packer states, “Total depravity entails total inability, that is, the state of not having it in oneself to respond to God and his Word in a sincere and wholehearted way (John 6:44; Rom 8:7–8).”[4] That is, lost sinners cannot respond to God at all, as they are spiritually unable (dead) to respond apart from God's granting life and the ability to believe. This leads Calvinists to conclude two things. First, God sovereignly acts by Himself to regenerate the spiritually dead and make them spiritually alive. Second, God gives the newly regenerate a special kind of faith whereby they can and will trust in Christ as Savior. According to Wayne Grudem, regeneration is “the act of God awakening spiritual life within us, bringing us from spiritual death to spiritual life. On this definition, it is natural to understand that regeneration comes before saving faith. It is in fact this work of God that gives us the spiritual ability to respond to God in faith.”[5] According to John MacArthur, “Our response in salvation is faith, but even that is not of ourselves [but is] the gift of God. Faith is nothing that we do in our own power or by our own resources...Paul intends to emphasize that even faith is not from us apart from God's giving it.”[6] The result of these divine actions in God's elect means they will produce good works and will persevere in those works throughout their lives until they die. John MacArthur states, “The same power that created us in Christ Jesus empowers us to do the good works for which He has redeemed us. These are the verifiers of true salvation.”[7] Thus, good works from regeneration to the end of one's life are the proof of salvation. Failure to produce ongoing good works until the end of one's life is offered as proof he was never saved (Matt 7:21). The Biblical View of Total Depravity      The correct biblical view is that total depravity means total unworthiness, not total inability to respond in faith to God's offer of salvation. Despite the profound impact of sin on human nature, the Bible does not portray people as entirely incapacitated. Yes, all mankind is “dead” in their sins (Eph 2:1); but death does not mean total inability, but total separation from God, for even those who were dead still “walked according to the course of this world” (Eph 2:2). Mankind is totally depraved in the sense that sin corrupts every part of our being, intellect, will, and sensibility. However, it does not mean that fallen people are unable to respond in faith to the gospel of grace.      The first example of spiritual death in the Bible is found 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 (and death means separation, not cessation). Adam and Eve experienced spiritual death at the moment they disobeyed God. Yet, immediately after the fall, in their state of spiritual death, they could sense God's presence in the Garden, as they “heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden” (Gen 3:8). Furthermore, Adam heard God's voice when He “called to the man” (Gen 3:9), and Adam responded to Him, saying, “I heard the sound of You in the garden” (Gen 3:10a). Though they could not undo their newly fallen sinful state, it did not render them totally unable to perceive God or to respond to Him when He called out to them. And they did respond positively to the Lord when He promised to provide a descendant, a Seed of the woman, who would crush the head of the serpent (Gen 3:15). They also responded positively by accepting God's provision of clothing after He killed an animal, took its skin, and covered their nakedness (Gen 3:21).      Furthermore, God made mankind in His image, as Scripture states, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen 1:27). Even after the historic fall of Adam and Eve, all people are said to be “in the image of God” (Gen 9:6), and “in the likeness of God” (Jam 3:9). Despite the fall of humanity into sin, the image of God in humanity remains intact, implying that humans still retain some moral capacity, which includes the ability to accept God's offer of salvation by faith. Though people are deeply affected by sin, they still possess some capacity for moral choice and responsibility, thus arguing against the notion of total depravity meaning total inability.      Regeneration is entirely the work of God in saving lost sinners who cannot save themselves (Rom 5:6-10). The sinner brings nothing of worth to salvation, but receives all that God has to offer by grace. John Walvoord states, “Regeneration is wholly of God. No possible human effort however noble can supply eternal life.”[8] Paul Enns states, “Succinctly stated, to regenerate means ‘to impart life.' Regeneration is the act whereby God imparts life to the one who believes.”[9] Regeneration occurs in the one who believes in Christ as Savior. According to Charles Ryrie, “Salvation is always through faith, not because of faith (Eph 2:8). Faith is the channel through which we receive God's gift of eternal life; it is not the cause. This is so man can never boast, even of his faith. But faith is the necessary and only channel (John 5:24; 17:3).”[10] The Bible teaches there is only one kind of faith, and that only those who place their faith in Christ will be saved. Faith does not save. Christ saves. The Strict-Calvinist believes there are two kinds of faith, one that is common to all, and another that is special and imparted only to God's elect. Believe to Receive Eternal Life      There are numerous passages in the Bible that place faith as the necessary prerequisite to regeneration. It is written, “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” (John 3:16), and Jesus said, “This is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life” (John 6:40), and “he who believes has eternal life” (John 6:47). Paul wrote to Timothy about “those who would believe in Him for eternal life” (1 Tim 1:16). In these and other instances, “eternal life” is given after we believe in Jesus as our Savior. Furthermore, people are condemned, not because God has not made a way for them to be saved, but because of their unwillingness to come to Christ as Savior. The issue is individual choice, not inability. The apostle John said, “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). Jesus, speaking to unsaved persons, said, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life” (John 5:39-40). Jesus said the Holy Spirit convicts everyone of sin (John 16:8), particularly the sin of unbelief, “because they do not believe in Me” (John 16:9). There is only one sin that keeps a person out of heaven, and that is the sin of unbelief; of rejecting Jesus as the only Savior. Apparently unbelievers may resist the Holy Spirit, as Stephen said in his sermon, “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51a).      Scripture reveals that “God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent” (Acts 17:30). This means they must not trust in themselves or any system of good works to save, but must trust in Christ, and Christ alone to save. Faith does not save. Christ saves. Faith is the non-meritorious instrument by which we receive eternal life. The Strict-Calvinist believes Christ died only for the elect (Matt 1:21; John 10:15), and only the elect are savable. The Bible teaches that Christ died for everyone (John 3:16; Heb 2:9; 1 John 2:2); therefore, everyone is savable. Paul said, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men” (Tit 2:11), and that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4). Peter stated, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9). Anyone can be saved by believing the gospel message “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4). Jesus is Free from Sin      Concerning total depravity and the transmission of original sin, Jesus is the sole exception, for Mary's virgin conception (Isa 7:14; Luke 1:30-35) meant Jesus was not born with the taint of original sin. Being free from original sin, Jesus also had no sin nature. Furthermore, Jesus lived His entire life and committed no personal sin. Scripture reveals Jesus “knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21), was “without sin” (Heb 4:15), “committed no sin” (1 Pet 2:22), and in whom “there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). His sinless life qualified Him to die a substitutionary death in our place, “the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). Jesus died for everyone and paid the penalty for our sin (John 3:16; Heb 2:9; 1 John 2:2). Though His death is sufficient for all to be saved (unlimited atonement), the benefits of the cross are applied only to those who believe in Him, which includes forgiveness of sins (Acts 10:43; Eph 1:7), the gift of righteousness (Rom 5:17; Phil 3:9), and eternal life (John 10:28). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology, 253. [2] Benjamin B. Warfield, The Plan of Salvation: Five Lectures (Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1915), 44. [3] John M. Frame, Salvation Belongs to the Lord: An Introduction to Systematic Theology (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2006), 112. [4] J. I. Packer, Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1993), 84. [5] Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 2004), 702. [6] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Ephesians (Chicago, Ill. Moody Press, 1986), 98. [7] Ibid., 101. [8] John F. Walvoord, The Holy Spirit (Grand Rapids, Mich. Zondervan Publishing, 1977), 132. [9] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1989), 338. [10] Charles C. Ryrie, Basic Theology (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1999), 377.

This episode is a narration of Dewey Dovel's work titled "The Holy Spirit in Christian Education." Here are the sources for his paper: [1] Steven B. Cowan and James S. Spiegel, The Love of Wisdom: A Christian Introduction to Philosophy (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2009), 1-4. [2] Although the disciplines of philosophy, science, and theology are often seen in conflict with one another, Vern S. Poythress demonstrates how this should not be the case on pages 13-31 of Redeeming Science: A God-Centered Approach (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2006) and pages 13-19 of Redeeming Philosophy: A God-Centered Approach to the Big Questions (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014). [3] “Social Media Statistics Details,” Undiscovered Maine, October 8, 2021, https://umaine.edu/undiscoveredmaine/small-business/resources/marketing-for-small-business/social-media-tools/social-media-statistics-details/. [4] Even secular neurological and psychological studies have disclosed that human cognition is foundational to human experience. Consider the following resource as a sampling of this research: Celeste Kidd and Benjamin Y. Hayden, “The Psychology and Neuroscience of Curiosity,” Neuron 88, no. 3 (November 4, 2015): 449–60. [5] On the basis of recorded human history, Tyrel Eskelson argues for at least 5,000 years of formal education in “How and Why Formal Education Originated in the Emergence of Civilization,” Journal of Education and Learning 9, no. 2 (February 5, 2020): 29–47, https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v9n2p29. [6] A sample of book length treatments teasing out competing methodologies of formal education are Russell Lincoln Ackoff and Daniel A. Greenberg, Turning Learning Right Side Up: Putting Education Back On Track (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2016) and James M. Lang, Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons From the Science of Learning (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2021). [7] James N. Anderson, What's Your Worldview?: An Interactive Approach to Life's Big Questions (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014), 69-70. [8] As defined by John M. Frame in A History of Western Philosophy and Theology (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2015): “[Materialism is the belief that] all events can be explained in terms of matter and motion. On this view, there is no immaterial soul. If there is something we can call soul, it is either material (the Stoic view) or an aspect of the body” (10-11). [9] Greg L. Bahnsen, Always Ready: Directions for Defending the Faith, ed. Robert R. Booth (Nacogdoches, TX: Covenant Media Foundation, 2000), 51. [10] George R. Knight, Philosophy & Education: An Introduction in Christian Perspective (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2006). 224. [11] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are derived from the New American Standard Bible (1995). Furthermore, this paper is not arguing that it is impossible to attend or work for a secular academic institution and be faithful to one's Christian witness. Rather, this paper is observing that at the philosophical level, secular and Christian academic institutions are operating from fundamentally antithetical presuppositions. By definition, secular academic settings seek a neutral/non-religious stance from the outset of formulating curriculum, hiring staff, etc. On the other hand, Christian academic settings seek a positive religious stance from the outset of formulating curriculum, hiring staff, etc. Yet ironically—given the philosophical impossibility of neutrality—the former approach is not only unable to satisfy its own expressed intentions, but it also necessarily sets itself in opposition to biblical Christianity (e.g., Matt. 12:30; Luke 9:50). Therefore, by virtue of being incompatibile with biblical Christianity, secular educational philosophies should be understood as materializing from the god of this age (2 Cor. 4:4). At bottom, Believers who choose to be immersed into secular educational contexts need to be aware of the preceding antithesis from the outset of their involvement. [12] Although all of the triune God's ad extra works in creation are inseparable, many passages of Scripture will appropriate specific works to one person of the Godhead. For more on the “essence-appropriate”—“persons-appropriate” distinction, see Mark Jones, God Is: A Devotional Guide to the Attributes of God (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2017), 22-23. [13] The inescapability and universality of presuppositions is teased out on page 5 of Cornelius Van Til, Christian Apologetics, ed. William Edgar, 2nd ed. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2003): “Everyone ‘sees' through a lens. There can be no neutrality, because everything in our awareness flows out of some kind of presupposition.” [14] Theologians have historically designated God's revelation in nature as general revelation, and God's revelation in Scripture as special revelation. More expansive definitions of these terms can be found on page 936 of John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue, eds., Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017). [15] Cornelius Van Til, The Defense of the Faith, ed. K. Scott Oliphint (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2008), 176. [16] Lamenting the state of secular education in “What Shall We Feed Our Children?,” Presbyterian Guardian 3 (1936), Cornelius Van Til calls for the people of God to retrieve a distinctly Christian education: “Our child will certainly attend the grade school for several years and that for five days a week. In Sunday school our child has learned the nineteenth psalm. As he goes to school those beautiful words, ‘The heavens declare the glory of God' still reverberate through his mind. But when he enters the school room all this has suddenly changed. There the ‘starry universe above' somehow operates quite independently of God. And what is true of ‘the heavens above' is true of everything else. At home the child is taught that ‘whether we eat or drink or do anything else' we must do all to the glory of God because everything has been created by God and everything is sustained by God. In school the child is taught that everything comes of itself and sustains itself. This much is involved in the idea of ‘neutrality' itself. At best this means that God need not be brought into the picture when we are teaching anything to our children. But is it not a great sin for Christian parents to have their children taught for five days a week by competent teachers that nature and history have nothing to do with God? We have no moral right to expect anything but that our children will accept that in which they have been most thoroughly instructed and will ignore that about which they hear only intermittently” (23-24). [17] On this point, the axiom “all truth is God's truth” is especially applicable. For insights into the utilization of such an axiom, see Frank E. Gaebelein, The Pattern of God's Truth: Problems of Integration in Christian Education (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1968), 20. [18] In Reformed Dogmatics: Prolegomena, ed. John Bolt, trans. John Vriend, vol. 1, 4 vols. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003), Herman Bavinck argues that the “operation of God's Spirit and of his common grace is discernible not only in science and art, morality and law, but also in [false] religions” (317). Hence, the ability for humanity to know any true things in reality is an extension of God's common grace, with a special appropriation to the Holy Spirit's work in creation. [19] These twin truths were championed by the Dutch Reformed Neo-Calvinists of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A sampling of this observation is portrayed in Cory C. Brock and Nathaniel Gray Sutanto, Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Academic, 2022), 91-92. [20] Upon reflecting on Christian teachers' absolute dependence on the Holy Spirit throughout the educational process, J.T. English offers sage insights in Deep Discipleship: How the Church Can Make Whole Disciples of Jesus (Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group, 2020): “There is no path for deep [learning] other than living the Christian life by the power of the Holy Spirit; only he can make us whole again and conform us to the image of the Son. If not for the work of the Holy Spirit, all of our best ministry plans [and efforts] would be laid to nothing” (136). [21] As argued by Stephen Wellum in “From Alpha to Omega: A Biblical-Theological Approach to God the Son Incarnate,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 63, no. 1 (2020): 71–94, the Lord Jesus Christ is both at the center of Scripture and is the goal (telos) of Scripture. [22] By virtue of divine simplicity, and the ensuing doctrine of inseparable operations, the entirety of the Godhead co-equally receives glory through any self-revelation in creation or Scripture. As footnote 12 indicates, “persons-appropriate” language does not undermine the co-equality of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. [23]  Daniel J. Treier's chapter in Christian Dogmatics: Reformed Theology for the Church Catholic, ed. Michael Allen and Scott R. Swain (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2016), 216-42 is especially helpful in accentuating the lordship of Christ subsequent to His humiliation and exaltation (e.g., Phil. 2:5-11). [24] James D. Bratt, ed., Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1998), 488. [25] The following excerpt from Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley, Reformed Systematic Theology: Revelation and God, vol. 1, 3 vols. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019) incisively communicate the unique relationship that Jesus has to God's special revelatory purposes: “Possessing unique intimacy with the Father, the Son is uniquely qualified to make known. Christ is ‘the Word,' the living Revelation of God who has been from the beginning, so that no one has ever known God unless ‘the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father,' has ‘declared him'” (266). [26] See footnotes 12 and 22 for clarifying comments about “persons-appropriate” language in Scripture. [27]  In Institutes of the Christian Religion, trans. Henry Beveridge (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2015), John Calvin unpacks how the Old and New Testament authors were guided by the Holy Spirit to divulge the person and work of Jesus Christ: “If what Christ says is true—‘No one sees the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him' [Matt. 11:27]—surely they who would attain the knowledge of God should always be directed by that eternal Wisdom… Therefore, holy men of old knew God only by beholding him in his Son as in a mirror (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18). When I say this, I mean that God has never manifested himself to men in any other way than through the Son, that is, his sole wisdom, light, and truth. From this fountain Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and others drank all that they had of heavenly teaching” (763). [28] The Holy Spirit's role in bearing witness to the person and work of Christ is summarized on pages 13-14 of Roy B. Zuck, Spirit-Filled Teaching: The Power of the Holy Spirit in Your Ministry (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1998). [29] Perhaps the quintessential evidence of global confusion surrounding Christology, and other basic tenets of orthodox Christianity, is encapsulated in the bi-annual State of Theology Survey conducted by Ligonier Ministries and LifeWay Research. To access the results of every survey from its inception in 2014, see “Data Explorer,” The State of Theology, accessed August 30, 2023, https://thestateoftheology.com/. [30]  Chapter 17 (i.e., “The Holy Spirit and Scripture”) of Gregg R. Allison and Andreas J. Köstenberger, The Holy Spirit (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2020), 307-23 supply readers with many helpful insights pertaining to the connection between a believer's reverence for God's written word, and how such a reverence cultivates a posture of submission to Christ's lordship. [31] Although the notion of “thinking God's thoughts after Him” is usually attributed to Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), Jason Lisle provides several practical ways in which believers can “think God's thoughts after Him” on pages 54-61 of The Ultimate Proof of Creation: Resolving the Origins Debate (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2022). [32] The definition recorded for education is a paraphrase of the more expansive definition transcribed in Robert B. Costello, ed., Random House Webster's College Dictionary (New York, NY: Random House, 1992), 425. In the technical sense, this definition is a faithful synopsis of what any education experience will offer. [33] Based on the model of Acts 2:37, Lawrence O. Richards and Gary J. Bredfeldt propose that there are three integral dimensions to imparting divine truth to students (or people in general): (1) cognitive; (2) affective; (3) behavioral. The cognitive dimension pertains to exposing others to truth, the affective dimension alludes to the process whereby one explains how attitudes/values should be impacted by the truth, and the behavioral dimension refers to how a lifestyle should be impacted as a result of embracing the newly discovered truth. Each of these insights documented by Richards and Bredfeldt signify a uniform perspective on the relationship between what one knows intellectually and how one applies that particular data. To access the chapter long treatment of these subjects, see Creative Bible Teaching (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2020), 145-63. [34] Arthur W. Pink, The Holy Spirit (Seaside, OR: Rough Draft Printing, 2016), 107-8. [35] Despite many individuals and institutions who claim the name Christian, and embrace orthodox doctrinal/ideological convictions, an evaluation of their observable lifestyle reveals that they are not Christian in any meaningful (i.e., biblical) sense of the term. Francis Turretin highlights the nature of those who model proper head knowledge, but display no fruit of living it out: “[Unbelievers of this kind possess knowledge that] sticks to the uppermost surface of the soul (to wit, intellect); [but] it does not penetrate to the heart, nor does it have true trust in Christ.” Institutes of Elenctic Theology, ed. James T. Dennison, trans. George M. Giger, vol. 2, 3 vols. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 1994), 588. [36] This threefold line of argumentation employed throughout the paper has followed this biblically-based template: Knowledge: Christian Education Must be Shaped by Divine Revelation. Righteousness: Christian Education Must be Shaped by the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Holiness: Christian Education Must be Shaped by Holiness of Living. Incidentally, a synonymous line of reasoning is likewise expressed in Question and Answer 13 of the Baptist Catechism: “Question: How did God create man? Answer: God created man, male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures (Gen. 1:26-28; Col. 3:10; Eph. 4:24).” An online edition of the Baptist Catechism can be accessed here: “The Baptist Catechism,” Founders Ministries, September 12, 2022, https://founders.org/library/the-baptist-catechism/#:~:text=God%20created%20man%2C%20male%20and,4%3A24).

This episode is a narration of Dewey Dovel's work titled "The Holy Spirit in Christian Education." Here are the sources for his paper: [1] Steven B. Cowan and James S. Spiegel, The Love of Wisdom: A Christian Introduction to Philosophy (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2009), 1-4. [2] Although the disciplines of philosophy, science, and theology are often seen in conflict with one another, Vern S. Poythress demonstrates how this should not be the case on pages 13-31 of Redeeming Science: A God-Centered Approach (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2006) and pages 13-19 of Redeeming Philosophy: A God-Centered Approach to the Big Questions (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014). [3] “Social Media Statistics Details,” Undiscovered Maine, October 8, 2021, https://umaine.edu/undiscoveredmaine/small-business/resources/marketing-for-small-business/social-media-tools/social-media-statistics-details/. [4] Even secular neurological and psychological studies have disclosed that human cognition is foundational to human experience. Consider the following resource as a sampling of this research: Celeste Kidd and Benjamin Y. Hayden, “The Psychology and Neuroscience of Curiosity,” Neuron 88, no. 3 (November 4, 2015): 449–60. [5] On the basis of recorded human history, Tyrel Eskelson argues for at least 5,000 years of formal education in “How and Why Formal Education Originated in the Emergence of Civilization,” Journal of Education and Learning 9, no. 2 (February 5, 2020): 29–47, https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v9n2p29. [6] A sample of book length treatments teasing out competing methodologies of formal education are Russell Lincoln Ackoff and Daniel A. Greenberg, Turning Learning Right Side Up: Putting Education Back On Track (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2016) and James M. Lang, Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons From the Science of Learning (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2021). [7] James N. Anderson, What's Your Worldview?: An Interactive Approach to Life's Big Questions (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014), 69-70. [8] As defined by John M. Frame in A History of Western Philosophy and Theology (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2015): “[Materialism is the belief that] all events can be explained in terms of matter and motion. On this view, there is no immaterial soul. If there is something we can call soul, it is either material (the Stoic view) or an aspect of the body” (10-11). [9] Greg L. Bahnsen, Always Ready: Directions for Defending the Faith, ed. Robert R. Booth (Nacogdoches, TX: Covenant Media Foundation, 2000), 51. [10] George R. Knight, Philosophy & Education: An Introduction in Christian Perspective (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2006). 224. [11] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are derived from the New American Standard Bible (1995). Furthermore, this paper is not arguing that it is impossible to attend or work for a secular academic institution and be faithful to one's Christian witness. Rather, this paper is observing that at the philosophical level, secular and Christian academic institutions are operating from fundamentally antithetical presuppositions. By definition, secular academic settings seek a neutral/non-religious stance from the outset of formulating curriculum, hiring staff, etc. On the other hand, Christian academic settings seek a positive religious stance from the outset of formulating curriculum, hiring staff, etc. Yet ironically—given the philosophical impossibility of neutrality—the former approach is not only unable to satisfy its own expressed intentions, but it also necessarily sets itself in opposition to biblical Christianity (e.g., Matt. 12:30; Luke 9:50). Therefore, by virtue of being incompatibile with biblical Christianity, secular educational philosophies should be understood as materializing from the god of this age (2 Cor. 4:4). At bottom, Believers who choose to be immersed into secular educational contexts need to be aware of the preceding antithesis from the outset of their involvement. [12] Although all of the triune God's ad extra works in creation are inseparable, many passages of Scripture will appropriate specific works to one person of the Godhead. For more on the “essence-appropriate”—“persons-appropriate” distinction, see Mark Jones, God Is: A Devotional Guide to the Attributes of God (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2017), 22-23. [13] The inescapability and universality of presuppositions is teased out on page 5 of Cornelius Van Til, Christian Apologetics, ed. William Edgar, 2nd ed. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2003): “Everyone ‘sees' through a lens. There can be no neutrality, because everything in our awareness flows out of some kind of presupposition.” [14] Theologians have historically designated God's revelation in nature as general revelation, and God's revelation in Scripture as special revelation. More expansive definitions of these terms can be found on page 936 of John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue, eds., Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017). [15] Cornelius Van Til, The Defense of the Faith, ed. K. Scott Oliphint (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2008), 176. [16] Lamenting the state of secular education in “What Shall We Feed Our Children?,” Presbyterian Guardian 3 (1936), Cornelius Van Til calls for the people of God to retrieve a distinctly Christian education: “Our child will certainly attend the grade school for several years and that for five days a week. In Sunday school our child has learned the nineteenth psalm. As he goes to school those beautiful words, ‘The heavens declare the glory of God' still reverberate through his mind. But when he enters the school room all this has suddenly changed. There the ‘starry universe above' somehow operates quite independently of God. And what is true of ‘the heavens above' is true of everything else. At home the child is taught that ‘whether we eat or drink or do anything else' we must do all to the glory of God because everything has been created by God and everything is sustained by God. In school the child is taught that everything comes of itself and sustains itself. This much is involved in the idea of ‘neutrality' itself. At best this means that God need not be brought into the picture when we are teaching anything to our children. But is it not a great sin for Christian parents to have their children taught for five days a week by competent teachers that nature and history have nothing to do with God? We have no moral right to expect anything but that our children will accept that in which they have been most thoroughly instructed and will ignore that about which they hear only intermittently” (23-24). [17] On this point, the axiom “all truth is God's truth” is especially applicable. For insights into the utilization of such an axiom, see Frank E. Gaebelein, The Pattern of God's Truth: Problems of Integration in Christian Education (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1968), 20. [18] In Reformed Dogmatics: Prolegomena, ed. John Bolt, trans. John Vriend, vol. 1, 4 vols. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003), Herman Bavinck argues that the “operation of God's Spirit and of his common grace is discernible not only in science and art, morality and law, but also in [false] religions” (317). Hence, the ability for humanity to know any true things in reality is an extension of God's common grace, with a special appropriation to the Holy Spirit's work in creation. [19] These twin truths were championed by the Dutch Reformed Neo-Calvinists of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A sampling of this observation is portrayed in Cory C. Brock and Nathaniel Gray Sutanto, Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Academic, 2022), 91-92. [20] Upon reflecting on Christian teachers' absolute dependence on the Holy Spirit throughout the educational process, J.T. English offers sage insights in Deep Discipleship: How the Church Can Make Whole Disciples of Jesus (Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group, 2020): “There is no path for deep [learning] other than living the Christian life by the power of the Holy Spirit; only he can make us whole again and conform us to the image of the Son. If not for the work of the Holy Spirit, all of our best ministry plans [and efforts] would be laid to nothing” (136). [21] As argued by Stephen Wellum in “From Alpha to Omega: A Biblical-Theological Approach to God the Son Incarnate,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 63, no. 1 (2020): 71–94, the Lord Jesus Christ is both at the center of Scripture and is the goal (telos) of Scripture. [22] By virtue of divine simplicity, and the ensuing doctrine of inseparable operations, the entirety of the Godhead co-equally receives glory through any self-revelation in creation or Scripture. As footnote 12 indicates, “persons-appropriate” language does not undermine the co-equality of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. [23]  Daniel J. Treier's chapter in Christian Dogmatics: Reformed Theology for the Church Catholic, ed. Michael Allen and Scott R. Swain (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2016), 216-42 is especially helpful in accentuating the lordship of Christ subsequent to His humiliation and exaltation (e.g., Phil. 2:5-11). [24] James D. Bratt, ed., Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1998), 488. [25] The following excerpt from Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley, Reformed Systematic Theology: Revelation and God, vol. 1, 3 vols. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019) incisively communicate the unique relationship that Jesus has to God's special revelatory purposes: “Possessing unique intimacy with the Father, the Son is uniquely qualified to make known. Christ is ‘the Word,' the living Revelation of God who has been from the beginning, so that no one has ever known God unless ‘the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father,' has ‘declared him'” (266). [26] See footnotes 12 and 22 for clarifying comments about “persons-appropriate” language in Scripture. [27]  In Institutes of the Christian Religion, trans. Henry Beveridge (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2015), John Calvin unpacks how the Old and New Testament authors were guided by the Holy Spirit to divulge the person and work of Jesus Christ: “If what Christ says is true—‘No one sees the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him' [Matt. 11:27]—surely they who would attain the knowledge of God should always be directed by that eternal Wisdom… Therefore, holy men of old knew God only by beholding him in his Son as in a mirror (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18). When I say this, I mean that God has never manifested himself to men in any other way than through the Son, that is, his sole wisdom, light, and truth. From this fountain Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and others drank all that they had of heavenly teaching” (763). [28] The Holy Spirit's role in bearing witness to the person and work of Christ is summarized on pages 13-14 of Roy B. Zuck, Spirit-Filled Teaching: The Power of the Holy Spirit in Your Ministry (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1998). [29] Perhaps the quintessential evidence of global confusion surrounding Christology, and other basic tenets of orthodox Christianity, is encapsulated in the bi-annual State of Theology Survey conducted by Ligonier Ministries and LifeWay Research. To access the results of every survey from its inception in 2014, see “Data Explorer,” The State of Theology, accessed August 30, 2023, https://thestateoftheology.com/. [30]  Chapter 17 (i.e., “The Holy Spirit and Scripture”) of Gregg R. Allison and Andreas J. Köstenberger, The Holy Spirit (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2020), 307-23 supply readers with many helpful insights pertaining to the connection between a believer's reverence for God's written word, and how such a reverence cultivates a posture of submission to Christ's lordship. [31] Although the notion of “thinking God's thoughts after Him” is usually attributed to Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), Jason Lisle provides several practical ways in which believers can “think God's thoughts after Him” on pages 54-61 of The Ultimate Proof of Creation: Resolving the Origins Debate (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2022). [32] The definition recorded for education is a paraphrase of the more expansive definition transcribed in Robert B. Costello, ed., Random House Webster's College Dictionary (New York, NY: Random House, 1992), 425. In the technical sense, this definition is a faithful synopsis of what any education experience will offer. [33] Based on the model of Acts 2:37, Lawrence O. Richards and Gary J. Bredfeldt propose that there are three integral dimensions to imparting divine truth to students (or people in general): (1) cognitive; (2) affective; (3) behavioral. The cognitive dimension pertains to exposing others to truth, the affective dimension alludes to the process whereby one explains how attitudes/values should be impacted by the truth, and the behavioral dimension refers to how a lifestyle should be impacted as a result of embracing the newly discovered truth. Each of these insights documented by Richards and Bredfeldt signify a uniform perspective on the relationship between what one knows intellectually and how one applies that particular data. To access the chapter long treatment of these subjects, see Creative Bible Teaching (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2020), 145-63. [34] Arthur W. Pink, The Holy Spirit (Seaside, OR: Rough Draft Printing, 2016), 107-8. [35] Despite many individuals and institutions who claim the name Christian, and embrace orthodox doctrinal/ideological convictions, an evaluation of their observable lifestyle reveals that they are not Christian in any meaningful (i.e., biblical) sense of the term. Francis Turretin highlights the nature of those who model proper head knowledge, but display no fruit of living it out: “[Unbelievers of this kind possess knowledge that] sticks to the uppermost surface of the soul (to wit, intellect); [but] it does not penetrate to the heart, nor does it have true trust in Christ.” Institutes of Elenctic Theology, ed. James T. Dennison, trans. George M. Giger, vol. 2, 3 vols. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 1994), 588. [36] This threefold line of argumentation employed throughout the paper has followed this biblically-based template: Knowledge: Christian Education Must be Shaped by Divine Revelation. Righteousness: Christian Education Must be Shaped by the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Holiness: Christian Education Must be Shaped by Holiness of Living. Incidentally, a synonymous line of reasoning is likewise expressed in Question and Answer 13 of the Baptist Catechism: “Question: How did God create man? Answer: God created man, male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures (Gen. 1:26-28; Col. 3:10; Eph. 4:24).” An online edition of the Baptist Catechism can be accessed here: “The Baptist Catechism,” Founders Ministries, September 12, 2022, https://founders.org/library/the-baptist-catechism/#:~:text=God%20created%20man%2C%20male%20and,4%3A24).

Scripture exhorts us not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. How much does the world subtly influence our thinking about God? In our day and age we are accustomed to "Googling" or asking Alexa for facts and information about anything from the weather to world news. How does this impact our thinking about God? Is God just a set of propositions to be defended? And must we exhaustively demonstrate evidence for God through rigorous proofs and experiments? On part two of our discussion with Christian philosopher Dr. Esther Lightcap Meek, we unpack some of these problematic ideas about modernist thinking and Esther offers insightful correctives to modern ideas through integrating the thoughts of scientist and philosopher Michael Polanyi and theologian John M. Frame  in her own thesis as "covenant epistemology." Whether it is the art of science, riding a bike, or knowing your auto mechanic, knowledge is inherently personal and participatory. We are beings in bodies, living souls, divine image bearers, subjects of our Creator. Our knowledge of God comes through participating in the community and work in which He has placed us.Dr. Esther Lightcap Meek (BA Cedarville College, MA Western Kentucky University, Ph.D Temple University) is Professor of Philosophy emeritus at Geneva College, in Western Pennsylvania. She is a Fellow Scholar with the Fujimura Institute, an Associate Fellow with the Kirby Laing Center for Public Theology, and a member of the Polanyi Society. She offers courses for Theopolis Institute, The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, and Regent College. Esther now works from Steubenville, Ohio. Her books include: Longing to Know - The Philosophy of Knowledge for Ordinary People (Baker Publishing Group, 2003) Loving To Know - Covenant Epistemology (Cascade Books, 2011) A Little Manual For Knowing (Cascade Books, 2014) Contact with Reality (Cascade Books, 2017) Be sure to check out our other podcasts on the importance of philosophy in the Christian faith! Dr. Timothy McGrew discusses the problems with David Hume's skepticism (Part 1, Part 2) Dr. Jamie Dew discusses basic epistemology as it relates to our knowledge of God (Listen Here)  Dr. Paul Gould discusses why philosophy is important for Christianity (Part 1, Part 2)  Dr. Luke Barnes discusses a philosophy of science known as "scientism" (Part 1, Part 2) ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Dr. Meek's website: EstherLightcapMeek.com Watchman Fellowship's 4-page Profile on Atheism by Robert M. Bowman: watchman.org/Atheism Watchman Fellowship's 4-page Profile on Agnosticism by W. Russell Crawford: watchman.org/Agnostic Watchman Fellowship's 4-page Profile on Scientism by and Luke Barnes and Daniel Ray: watchman.org/scientism Watchman Fellowship's 4-page Profile on Street Epistemology by Daniel Ray: watchman.org/SE FREE: We are also offering a free subscription to our bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/FreeSUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman FellowshipFor more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

It is no small claim to say that we know God. But how do we know God? What does it mean to have faith in God? And must we scientifically demonstrate our knowledge about God to our skeptic friends and neighbors who demand we do so?On the next two episodes of Apologetics Profile, we will explore these epistemological questions with Christian philosopher Dr. Esther Lightcap Meek, whose personal skeptical quest (beginning at age 13) to know how she knew about God eventually led her to the theology of John M. Frame and the work of Christian philosopher and scientist Michael Polanyi. Esther's book, Longing to Know - The Philosophy of Knowledge for Ordinary People (Baker Publishing Group) uhop.me/LongingToKnow, uniquely combines the ideas of Frame and Polanyi into what she proposes as "covenant epistemology." This synthesis embodies real-world, practical examples of how we know what we know and relates them to our knowledge of and relationship with God. We hope these next two episodes will encourage and equip you to be prepared to give a charitable and intelligent defense of your faith in Christ to those who ask. Dr. Esther Lightcap Meek (BA Cedarville College, MA Western Kentucky University, Ph.D Temple University) is Professor of Philosophy emeritus at Geneva College, in Western Pennsylvania. She is a Fellow Scholar with the Fujimura Institute, an Associate Fellow with the Kirby Laing Center for Public Theology, and a member of the Polanyi Society. She offers courses for Theopolis Institute, The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, and Regent College. Esther now works from Steubenville, Ohio. Her additional books include: Loving To Know - Covenant Epistemology (Cascade Books, 2011)  A Little Manual For Knowing (Cascade Books, 2014)  Contact with Reality (Cascade Books, 2017) ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:  Watchman Fellowship's 4-page Profile on Atheism by Robert M. Bowman: watchman.org/Atheism Watchman Fellowship's 4-page Profile on Agnosticism by W. Russell Crawford: watchman.org/Agnostic Watchman Fellowship's 4-page Profile on Scientism by and Luke Barnes and Daniel Ray: watchman.org/scientism Watchman Fellowship's 4-page Profile on Street Epistemology by Daniel Ray: watchman.org/SE  FREE: We are also offering a free subscription to our bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/FreeSUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman FellowshipFor more information, visit www.watchman.org© Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

Mystie and Pam chat this week all about how their first weeks' back-to-school went after the holidays. Neither of them had a normal week, but that's ok. They go on to chat about making time to read, what is guiding their reading choices this year, and where to find the Scholé Sister's 5x5 Reading Challenge.Mystie's new podcast with Sarah Mackenzie: https://www.simplyconvivial.com/2022/sarah-mackenzie-on-perfectionism-finding-time/Live Not by Lies by Rod Dreher: https://amzn.to/33ogFI5Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner: https://amzn.to/3tjnfdFScholé Sisters 5x5 Challenge: https://www.scholesisters.com/5x5/Scholé Sisters Podcast: https://www.scholesisters.com/blog/Scholé Sisters Scholé Guide: https://www.scholesisters.com/schole-guide/A History of Western Philosophy and Theology by John M. Frame: https://amzn.to/3HXBxF7

In this episode, we talk with Dr. John Frame, professor emeritus of Systematic Theology and Philosophy at Reformed Theological Seminary on the academic captivity of the church, Thomism, and antinomianism. How has the church found herself captive to higher education? What is Thomism and how is it shaping theological discourse today? How should we understand the law and grace with respect to antinomianism? Can the moniker “gospel-centered” become too myopic?Salvation Belongs to the Lord - https://amzn.to/3DLx9aLSystematic Theology - https://amzn.to/3tabT9SChristianity Considered - https://amzn.to/3mZIMF7The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God - https://amzn.to/3jFSs5t

We're all about loving our neighbor here on My Ex and My Future Wife, but what does that mean exactly? What does the Bible say about it? How is it related to liberation theology and mutual aid? What random history lesson will Bridget teach us in this episode? Join us as we discuss all these questions--and more!--on this week's episode of My Ex and My Future Wife! Episode Transcript Available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iPvcAi1PqjAAZm6tIvY000p2ea-Ddj2G/view?usp=sharing ReferencesCare Work: Dreaming Disability Justice by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha“Mutual Aid vs Charity” on fiftygifts.com“Liberation Theology” an essay by John M. Frame on thegospelcoalition.orgA Theology of Liberation by Gustavo Gutierrez@elledowdministry on tiktok@nerdypreist on tiktok“Radical social change: Searching for a New Foundation” by Adjoa Florência Jones de Almedia inThe Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial ComplexWomen's America: Refocusing the Past edited by Linda Kerber et. al. Bridget's random history knowledgeTheo's Buddhist backgroundMaggie's tears of joy MUTUAL AID!

Links Two Ways to Live Episode IntroWhat does God do? In the last few episodes of Thinking Theology we've been thinking about what God is like: what is his nature and what is his character. But in this and the next few episodes we're moving on to think about what God has done and what he continues to do.In this episode we're thinking about what God has done in creating the world. What does the Bible tell us about creation and, importantly, how does that shape our life?That's what we're thinking about in this episode of Thinking Theology.Podcast IntroHi. My name is Karl Deenick. I'm a pastor, theologian, writer, and Bible college lecturer. Welcome to Thinking Theology, a podcast where we think about theology, the Bible and the Christian life, not just for the sake of it, but so we can love God more, with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.Creation in GenesisCreation is the first act of God in the Bible. We find it on the very first page of the Bible. We're told,In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Genesis 1:1–2 NIV)It seems that what those first verses describe is an initial act of God in creating the initial matter from which creation would be organised. So God brings matter into existence but it is formless.Before God created the world, then, there was nothing. God created the world “out of nothing”. Or as theologians sometimes say, ex nihilo, which is Latin for out of nothing. God didn't use pre-existing material but he created everything that is.We find that same idea in other parts of the Bible. So Hebrews 11:3 says,By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. (Hebrews 11:3 NIV)Of course, that might simply mean that the matter God used to create the world was merely invisible and he made it visible. However, other places are more explicit. So Revelation 4:11 says,“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (Revelation 4:11 NIV)If God created all things, then nothing exists that he didn't make.In fact, as the theologian John Frame points out, not only did God create out of nothing, he created into nothing. Not only did God create the matter out of which the universe was made, but he also created the space into which it went.[1]The rest of chapter 1 then describes God's organisation of that matter. And it follows a very structured pattern to show the logic and order that God imposes on his world. So pattern is more or less:[2]1.     Announcement: “And God said,”2.     Command: “Let there be X.”3.     Separation and Structure: God orders the items he has brought into existence.[3]4.     Report: “And there was X.” (or equiv.)5.     Evaluation: “God saw that X was good.”6.     Chronological marker: “And there was evening and there was morning—the nth day.”So there is a careful structure within each day, but there is also a careful structure between the days.There is a pattern in the order in which things are created, such that day 1 pairs with day 4, day 2 with day 5, and day 3 with day 6.So on day 1 light is created but on day 4 the light bearers—the sun, moon, and stars are created.On day 2 the sky and the waters are separated. While on day 5 the sea and sky creatures are created.And on day 3 the dry land and the plants are created, while on day 6 animals and humans are created.Within that pattern, too, the seventh day stand on its own as special. The seventh day is a day of rest for God. Genesis 2:1–2 says,Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. (Genesis 2:1–2 NIV)The seventh day is a kind of capstone on the days that have gone before.The climax of the creation event, however, is the creation of human beings. God says in 1:26,“Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” (Genesis 1:26 NIV)A number of things in Genesis 1 highlight the special significance of human beings. First, when God comes to create human beings the pace of the chapter slows down. For the creation of everything else, even big things like the sun and the moon, they're passed over pretty quickly, but when it comes to human beings Genesis 1 says a lot.Second, human beings are created as the result of a divine counsel. God says among himself, “Let us make man” (Gen 1:26). Nowhere else in the chapter is there such an obvious and significant deliberation by God.Third, human beings are the only thing in creation made in the image of God. Human beings are intended to reflect God and represent him. Strikingly, the same term used here to describe the image of God is the same one used later in the Bible to describe idols. Idols were intended to be images of gods. And, of course, God commanded not to make idols. But whereas idols are dead and lifeless objects that we make to represent what we think God should look like, God himself has created an image to represent and reflect him and that is human beings.Fourth, human beings are given the task of ruling over the rest of creation (Gen 1:28).And fifth, chapter 2 of Genesis contains a special parallel account that focusses in on the creation of Adam and Eve. If Genesis 1 is the wide-angle shot of the whole of creation. Genesis 2 is the zoom lens that narrows down to the creation of human beings.Lessons from CreationCreation is actually a really foundational doctrine in Christianity and underpins the whole of the Christian life.But what does God's creation of the world teach us about God and ourselves and the world in which we live?There's a few things that can be said.God Created on His OwnFirst, in Genesis 1, God creates entirely on his own. God doesn't get help from anyone else. He does it by himself. And he does it for his own reasons. It was entirely his decision to create the world and to create it as he did. The world is an expression of God's purposeful creativity.God Created by SpeakingSecond, God creates simply by speaking. God says, “Let there be…” and it happens. And as it has been pointed out, when God says, “Let there be…” he is not speaking to things that have in them the power to respond but his word itself carries the power. That is, when God says, “Let the water be gathered to one place,” the water doesn't hear those words and respond with its own power, but God's word makes it happen.As Psalm 33:6 says,By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. (Psalm 33:6 NIV)Creation is Distinct from GodThird, creation is distinct from God. In episode 1 of this series, we encountered pantheism, which is the view that the universe is part of God or even that the universe itself is God. But the Bible clearly sets God above the universe, and the universe is something that God has made. It's not part of him, it is his creation and is distinct from him.That's quite distinct from many of the ancient creation myths that were around at the same time as Genesis. In those myths creation is not the ordered, careful work of one God, but creation is often the outcome of gods fighting with each other. The dead body of one god might become the earth. Part of it becomes the sky. The blood of another slaughtered god might become human beings. The sun and moon yet other gods. By comparison, as one scholar has pointed out, Genesis “appears as a thunderbolt: Israel's god is the exclusive creator and sovereign of the entire cosmos.”[4]God Made the World GoodFourth, the world that God made was very good. The world was exactly as God intended it to be. God said, “I want it to be like this” and it was. And at the end of every day he looked back and he had accomplished all that he intended and he looked back at the end of six days and it was all the he had planned. Although, the world that we live in now is affected by human rebellion against God, the world that God originally purposed and made was perfect. It was free from sin, pain, misery and death.Creation is an Act of the TrinityFifth, creation is an act of the trinity. Although it is not explicit in Genesis 1, there are certainly strong hints. In verse 2, we find the Spirit hovering over the waters. We find God speaking and the powerful Word bringing things into being. So, too, in verse 26 we find God saying “Let us make man in our image.” There is a plurality in God. Nevertheless there is also a unity—in verse 26 humanity are created in “his” (singular), that is, God's image.In the New Testament, those ideas become much more explicit.For example, in John 1, John clearly portrays Jesus as active in creation along with the Father. He writes,In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1–3 NIV)Or in Colossians 1:16, Paul says,For in him [that is, Jesus] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:16 NIV)Creation Establishes God's AuthoritySixth, creation establishes God's authority over the world and over us. Because God made us and everything, he has the right to dictate how the world ought to operate and how our lives ought to be lived. We belong to him. This world is his. We are his. We are his creatures—his creations.God says in Isaiah 45:12,It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts. (Isaiah 45:12 NIV)The implication is that God has the right as our creator to do as he wishes. He says earlier in verse 9 of the same chapter,“Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?' Does your work say, ‘The potter has no hands'? (Isaiah 45:9 NIV)God is God because he made us. He owns us. He gets to decide how things work, not us.Romans 1 makes that clear too. Paul says there that although people know God from the world which he has made, we substitute created things and put them in the place of God. We worship and serve ourselves or each other, we break God's plan and pattern for creation.The place that is most clearly seen, Paul says, is in homosexuality. Not because that is a worse sin than any other rebellion against God, but because it is such an obvious rejection of God's pattern for the world. The very structure of the human body as male and female shows what God intended for sex.That foundation of God's authority in creation is really important for communicating the gospel to people who aren't Christians. That's what makes the gospel summary, Two Ways to Live, so helpful. It begins by saying: “God is the loving ruler of the world. He made the world. He made us to rule the world under him.”But then it says, “We all reject the ruler, God, by trying to run life our own way without him. But we fail to rule ourselves or society or the world.”The consequence is that: “God won't let us rebel forever. God's punishment for rebellion is death and judgement.”Creation Establishes our SignificanceSo, too, creation establishes our significance.As we've seen, the highpoint of creation is the creation of human beings in the image of God.Human beings are not just another part of creation. We're not just another creature. We're not just the same as a horse or a dog. We're not just random bits of matter that have collected together over billions of years. We're the climax of God's creative work. Not only that, we've been created to reflect God and to represent him.Creation establishes the incredible significance of us as human beings.Creation Establishes Our PurposeCreation also establishes our purpose.That's because the Bible tells us that the purpose of creation was to manifest God's glory. Isaiah 43:7 says,Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” (Isaiah 43:6–7 NIV)So, too, creation is often held up as a key motivation for us to praise and worship God. In Psalm 148 we're told,Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created, (Psalm 148:5 NIV)And in Revelation 4:11 we read,“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (Revelation 4:11 NIV)In fact, in Romans 1:21, the core idea of sin that is mentioned is that, although God made the world and his eternal power are clearly on display in the world, we neither glorify him nor give thanks to him. At the heart of sin is our refusal to give God the glory he deserves and the thank him for everything that comes from his hand.Creation Sets the Pattern for Various Aspect of LifeCreation also sets the pattern for various aspects of life.For example, God's creation work sets the pattern for work and rest.God says to the people in Exodus 20,Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.… For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. (Exodus 20:8–11 NIV)Although, the law comes later, the pattern of six days work and one day rest is found in the fabric of creation.So, too, creation also establishes the pattern of marriage as a permanent relationship. As Jesus explains when the Pharisees ask him whether it's right to divorce or not; Jesus says,“Haven't you read … that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,' and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” (Matthew 19:4–6 NIV)Creation also grounds and establishes the relationship between men and women. As Paul explains in 1 Timothy 2:12–15,I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. (1 Timothy 2:12–13 NIV)Although the Bible insists that men and women are equal in dignity, it also stresses that there is a structure in their relationship in marriage and also in the church. A structure that reflects God's order in creation.Creation also grounds humanity's care and governance of the world.When he created human beings God entrusted us with the responsibility, according to Genesis 1: to,Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. (Genesis 1:28 NIV)In theology, that's often known as the creation mandate. It's God's commission to human beings to rule over his world under him. We are to cultivate and care for the world and to rule over it. Not in a domineering sense, but in a loving and caring sense.In a way, God has created a canvas for us and our task is to develop it. Of course, sin has destroyed our rule over the creation. Nevertheless, that was God's initial purpose.Creation Teaches Us Our LimitationsFinally, a perhaps somewhat unexpected implication of creation is that it establishes the human limitations and the mystery of God.In the book of Job, Job suffers all kinds of misery and afflictions and he struggles to understand why. His friends give him lots of bad advice and Job contends with God and cries out to him to seek to understand.But God's answer in the end is that some things are simply beyond us. And to make that point God points to his creation of the world.God says in Job 38:4,“Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? “Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt'? (Job 38:4–11 NIV)The implication is, of course, that Job wasn't there but God was. God and his ways are beyond us and creation reminds us of that.Especially in the 21st century, we like to think that we can understand the world and everything about it. Why things are the way they are and why things happen the way they do. But even the best science is limited. Yes, God has given us brains to observe the world and discover lots and lots of things. But at the end of the day, we also have to accept that many things are beyond us and we simply have to trust God.OutroOf course, that brings us to the question of how the Bible's account of creation fits with science. We'll come to that in the next episode of Thinking Theology.For the moment, it's helpful simply to recognise how creation underpins so much of the Christian life and our perception of the world.Creation is the sole act of God. He made it for his own sake and for his own purpose. He made the world just by speaking. The world is separate from God but depends on God. God made the world good. And God's creation of the world establishes his authority as well as our significance, our purpose, the pattern of our lives and our need to trust God in the mystery of life.Well that's it for this episode of Thinking Theology.As I said, in the next episode, we'll be thinking about how the Bible's account of creation fits with the views of modern science.If you want to find more about the evangelistic resource, Two Ways to Live, you can find a link in the description.Please join me then.[1] John M. Frame, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief (Phillipsburg: P&R, 2013), 192–93.[2] See Bruce K. Waltke and Cathy J. Fredricks, Genesis: A Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 56–57.[3] The order of this and the next are sometimes interchanged.[4] Raymond Van Leeuwen, brʾ, NIDOTTE 1:729.

Dr. Leo Lawson, professor of Apologetics and Missional Consultant to churches and ministries, unpacks the relevancy of communicating Biblical truth to a postmodern culture for the campus minister and beyond.Website: https://www.campusevangelists.org/ (ACEA)Email: leolawson@gmail.comDr. Rice Broocks: http://www.ricebroocks.com/books/The God Test: http://www.thegodtest.org/"Apologetics: A Justification of Christian Belief" by John M. Frame https://amzn.com/1596389389/"True for You, But Not for Me" by Paul Copan https://amzn.com/0764206508/"The Blueprint" by Jaeson Ma https://amzn.com/0830744088/"Anglo-American Postmodernity" by Nancy Murphy https://amzn.com/0813328691

Clinton and Nathan talk about two articles being shared around social media. The first is an article by a former Focus on the Family speaker who considered having an abortion after her husband tragically died on a trip to the beach. Another is a woman who went into labor while taking her bar exam. Then they respond to some arguments from the Bible in defense of abortion they received on their iTunes rate and review page. The portion of the book I quoted from was Medical Ethics: Principles, Persons, and Problems by John M. Frame, pp. 95-102. See those pages for a much more in-depth examination of the passage from Exodus 21. Here's the link to "I was in the pro-life movement. But then, widowed with 6 kids, I prepared for an abortion." by Shannon Dingle https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2020/10/11/abortion-miscarriage-pro-life-choice-widow-column/5909096002/?fbclid=IwAR0jts3beyeNeqMuo2hN09jMJRku8rzMXPHPo07eK6_0GqISoBBvGqqmeZs Here's the link to "Woman goes into labor and gives birth in the middle of taking the bar exam" by Lauren M. Johnson https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/10/us/mom-has-baby-while-taking-bar-exam-trnd/index.html?fbclid=IwAR1N0d1zsgG3PYcvfkp2VGZn9IJ2y6ijTWGmJTZY17iqwvcOmEvgvqpXOHs

#JohnFrame #authorinterview #WeAreAllPhilosophers Buy the book here - https://www.amazon.com/Are-All-Philosophers-Introduction-Fundamental/dp/1683593103 Everyone is a philosopher, and how we live reveals what we most deeply believe. If you and God were asked the same question, would you both respond in the same way?Are Christians right to believe what we do? In We Are All Philosophers, John M. Frame takes seven major questions of philosophy and compares the Bible's answers with common philosophical ones: What is everything made of?Do I have free will?Can I know the world?Does God exist?How shall I live?What are my rights?How can I be saved? We Are All Philosophers carries all the marks of John Frame's books: he appeals to Scripture frequently and carefully. He writes elegantly and simply, a byproduct of having mastered the complicated philosophical topics he surveys. Please Subscribe to our Channel and Like this video. This is a massive help Check out our website for 100s more videos - www.ExpositTheWord.com

On today’s Equipping You in Grace show, Dave Jenkins and Dr. John Frame have a wide-ranging conversation about why Christians should read and study philosophy, free will, the problem of evil, making good arguments, and his book, We Are All Philosophers: A Christian Introduction to Seven Fundamental Questions (Lexham Press, 2019). What you’ll hear in this episode Why Christians should read and study philosophy. How philosophy relates to theology. What Christian philosophers Dr. Frame has found helpful, who they are, and why they’ve been so beneficial to him. How the question, “What is everything made of?” relates to a Christian worldview. What free will is and how important it is for the Christian to get a good idea and understanding of this concept. Free will, stewardship, and the Christian’s responsibility before God. How Anslem has influenced Dr. John Frame. Why Christians make arguments. Why human thinking should be through a biblical worldview. How Christians should think about the problem of evil and answer those who question or doubt whether God is good. Some of the most significant Christian philosophers in the history of the church. About the Guest Dr. John M. Frame is the retired J. D. Trimble Chair of Systematic Theology and Philosophy at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando and is the author of many books, including Salvation Belongs to the Lord, A History of Western Philosophy and Theology and the four-volume Theology of Lordship series. Subscribing, sharing, and your feedback You can subscribe to Equipping You in Grace via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast catcher. Ifyou like what you’ve heard, please consider leaving a rating and share it with your friends (it takes only takes a second and will go a long way to helping other people find the show). You can also connect with me on Twitter at @davejjenkins, on Facebook or via email to share your feedback. Thanks for listening to this episode of Equipping You in Grace!

On today’s Equipping You in Grace show, Dave Jenkins and Dr. John Frame have a wide-ranging conversation about why Christians should read and study philosophy, free will, the problem of evil, making good arguments, and his book, We Are All Philosophers: A Christian Introduction to Seven Fundamental Questions (Lexham Press, 2019). What you’ll hear in this episode Why Christians should read and study philosophy. How philosophy relates to theology. What Christian philosophers Dr. Frame has found helpful, who they are, and why they’ve been so beneficial to him. How the question, “What is everything made of?” relates to a Christian worldview. What free will is and how important it is for the Christian to get a good idea and understanding of this concept. Free will, stewardship, and the Christian’s responsibility before God. How Anslem has influenced Dr. John Frame. Why Christians make arguments. Why human thinking should be through a biblical worldview. How Christians should think about the problem of evil and answer those who question or doubt whether God is good. Some of the most significant Christian philosophers in the history of the church. About the Guest Dr. John M. Frame is the retired J. D. Trimble Chair of Systematic Theology and Philosophy at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando and is the author of many books, including Salvation Belongs to the Lord, A History of Western Philosophy and Theology and the four-volume Theology of Lordship series. Subscribing, sharing, and your feedback You can subscribe to Equipping You in Grace via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast catcher. Ifyou like what you’ve heard, please consider leaving a rating and share it with your friends (it takes only takes a second and will go a long way to helping other people find the show). You can also connect with me on Twitter at @davejjenkins, on Facebook or via email to share your feedback. Thanks for listening to this episode of Equipping You in Grace!

Sometimes it feels like we can’t finish a thought before a child needs us to grab more water, tie a shoe, or change a diaper. When mom’s brain power is consistently going to urgent things, adding scripture memory into the routine can seem too hard. Who really has time for flashcards? In this episode, Emily and Laura show how memorizing scripture gives us the wisdom we’re craving for the everyday. God’s word renews our minds and transform our lives, which helps us in the carpool line, the kitchen, and every moment of motherhood. God gave us his word as a gift; let’s enjoy it.    VIEW TRANSCRIPT     GIVE TO RISEN MOTHERHOOD MENTIONED ON THE SHOW: Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief, John M. Frame Ep. 104, What Does It Mean to Find Your Identity in Christ?: An Interview with Jackie Hill Perry Romans Road (Memory tool for the gospel) RELATED ARTICLES, RESOURCES, AND CONTENT: Related R|M resources: R|M Abide Method Ep. 63, Jen Wilkin: Growing in God’s Word as a Mom of Little Ones Ep. 87, What Does It Mean to “Preach the Gospel to Yourself?” “What Should I Teach My Children About the Bible?” Emily Jensen Around the web: An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture, Dr. Andrew Davis (Here’s a free PDF from Dr. Davis with similar content.) Habits of Grace, David Matthis Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Donald S. Whitney "He’s Memorized 42 Books of the Bible and You Can Too" Don Whitney “Scripture Memory Made Easy” Tabor Laughlin “The Importance of Scripture Memory” Radu Gheorghita “You Can Memorize Scripture this Year” Andy Naselli Help Me Teach the Bible: Nancy Guthrie and Andy Davis on Scripture Memory Simply Charlotte Mason Memory System [Video] Fighter Verses pack Songs for Saplings (can also be streamed online for free) Hidden in My Heart (can also be streamed online for free) R|M APPLY QUESTIONS: Scripture memory can be hard for moms, so let’s take a personal inventory on Bible memory and the challenges in our lives. Do you currently memorize scripture? Have you ever had a rhythm for scripture memory? What are 2-3 reasons why you don’t memorize scripture (ie. uninterested, too tired, overwhelmed—and seriously no need to get stuck in guilt here. This is just a starting point!)? We believe the Bible is in the infallible Word of God, and it holds the power to judge the intentions of our hearts and renew our minds. Why is it important for Christians to know what the Bible says? Look up Psalm 119. List some of the benefits of knowing God’s word. Do you think you can experience these gifts apart from knowing God’s word and how he desires for us to live? We mentioned a lot of helpful tips and resources to start Bible memory in your home. Choose one or two that sound like a good fit for your learning style and family rhythm. How can you incorporate them into your week? How can you include your kids in the fun? Remember, we don’t earn our right standing before God by reciting Bible verses. He doesn’t love, bless, or help us more because we’ve proven ourselves worthy. Instead, he gifts us his word so we can better know him and how to live in a way that leads to joy. Consider an area in your life where you struggle to remember God’s love for you. What verses can you memorize to help you trust in God’s faithfulness to you? FOR MORE: To subscribe: on iOS, go to our iTunes page and subscribe. On Android, click this podcast RSS feed link and select your podcast app. You may need to copy the link into your favorite podcast app (like Overcast or Stitcher). Leave an iTunes review. These are huge for us! The more reviews, the greater chance another mother will find us. Like Risen Motherhood on Facebook and follow on Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates and related information. Let us know your thoughts! We'd love to hear more about the conversations you're having. Shoot us an email, or find us on social media. Tell others. We truly hope this podcast fosters conversations and deeper discussions between mothers to seek the gospel in their daily activities - we'd be honored if you shared and encouraged others to listen in. *Affiliate links used where appropriate. Thanks for supporting this ministry!

On today’s Equipping You in Grace episode, Dave Jenkins and Dr. John Frame discuss the importance of the conscience in the Christian life and ministry, along with his book, Nature's Case For God: A Brief Biblical Argument (Lexham Press, 2018). What you’ll hear in this episode The difference between general and special revelation. Why those in the presuppositional school of apologetics should believe in natural theology. The importance of natural theology to the rest of Christian theology. The witness of the created world. A brief outline of the four types of consciences taught in Scripture. The importance of Christians having a good understanding of conscience. How a good understanding of conscience relates to the work of pastors and ministry leaders in helping equip the people of God. About the Guest Dr. John M. Frame is the retired J. D. Trimble Chair of Systematic Theology and Philosophy at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando and is the author of many books, including Salvation Belongs to the Lord, A History of Western Philosophy and Theology and the four-volume Theology of Lordship series. Subscribing, sharing, and your feedback You can subscribe to Equipping You in Grace via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast catcher. Ifyou like what you’ve heard, please consider leaving a rating and shareit with your friends (it takes only takes a second and will go a longway to helping other people find the show). You can also connect with me on Twitter at @davejjenkins, on Facebook or via email to share your feedback. Thanks for listening to this episode of Equipping You in Grace!

On the latest Equipping You in Grace episode, Dave Jenkins, and Dr. John Frame discuss using the Bible as the foundation of our apologetic method, how to engage skeptics and seekers with the Word of God, along with his book Christianity Considered: A Guide for Skeptics and Seekers (Lexham Press, 2018). What you’ll hear in this episode Why Dr. Frame wrote a book using the Van Tillian presuppositional apologetic method for those who are skeptical and seeking Christianity. How the theory of knowledge helps strengthen the case for Christianity. How the Bible as God’s truth helps skeptics and seekers overcome unbelief and create faith in the Lord Jesus. Asking good questions of ourselves and others grounded in the Word of God. The inconsistency of relativism and secular logic. The Bible as the foundation for our apologetic method. What Pastors and ministry leaders can learn from Dr. Frame’s method of engaging skeptics and seekers. About the Guest John M. Frame (AB, Princeton University; BD, Westminster Theological Seminary; MA and MPhil, Yale University; DD, Belhaven College) holds the J. D. Trimble Chair of Systematic Theology and Philosophy at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando and is the author of many books, including the four-volume Theology of Lordship series. Subscribing, sharing, and your feedback You can subscribe to Equipping You in Grace via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast catcher. If you like what you’ve heard, please consider leaving a rating and share it with your friends (it takes only takes a second and will go a long way to helping other people find the show). You can also connect with me on Twitter at @davejjenkins, on Facebook or via email to share your feedback. Thanks for listening to this episode of Equipping You in Grace!