Doctrine Episodes

We hop off the red-letter journey today. A brother approached me to look at this passage from 1John 5:16. If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. This turns out to one of those cases where you just have to walk it slowly and it all makes sense. The bottom line is two people can be do...

I think we have covered The Prodigal pretty well both in context and doctrine. There is one last thing that shines a light worthy of our attention. The KJV of the last line: It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. AGAIN? If I read that literally, at some point in his past, the brother was alive, then died and then alive again. The only way I can interpret that given the doctrine that we've uncovered about ...

We have spent a lot of time on the prodigal and some of the interpretive ideas might not sit well with some people. Some of the feedback: "It sounds too Calvinistic", or your denying "Free Will". We touched on the idea that God grants repentance, it does not come from human will. God grants a new heart. I want to be very clear; I am not a theologian. I didn't go to seminary school. I'm really just one guy out here podcasting my way through scripture. You are listening to AI generated voices: "sa...

If someone asked me where to start in scripture, I would tell them to read and reread the parable of the lost son every day for a month. Read it, meditate on it, understand it in every aspect. If you sink your teeth into these few passages, not only will you understand the message of the Gospel, but you will come away exceedingly happy about who you are in Christ. Whenever you're sad, sorrowful or just feeling somehow disconnected. THIS is the passage. Write it down, print it and carry it with y...

It's probably the most well-known of all the parables. The Prodigal Son is often reduced to a story about the youngest son. If you do that, or understand it that way, you miss so much about what Jesus is teaching. We are going to slow way down. In fact, today, we only got through the first three verses. And as we zoom out a little bit, we see a much bigger picture emerge. We learn not just who the prodigal son is but who all the players are. We step into the context to consider who Jesus is spea...

So much has transpired in Luke 10. In this episode, the 70 disciples have returned exceedingly joyful. This section of Luke really covers complete gospel theology including: Sovereign sending — Christ initiates the mission. Sovereign harvest — only God prepares hearts. Kingdom authority — delegated power over the enemy. Satan’s fall — the kingdom invades the domain of darkness. Correction of joy — salvation, not success, is the foundation. Sovereign revelation — the Father reveals to whom He wil...

We posted a debate on "Once Saved Always Saved" (OSAS for short) a while back and I'm not sure it resolved the tension. Today, we put on our Berean hats and jumped back into the scriptures to determine the validity of this popular doctrine. We decided to be more direct in this podcast, flush out the appropriate and debated scriptures, put on our Berean hats and dissect the issue with scriptural clarity. We also had to determine where this doctrine comes from. Knowing the history, and the "why" ...

I think typically when this debate comes up in conversation it is initiated by someone who is worried about stumbling. So, let's get that off the table even before we begin the debate. We all sin! I think that your response to sin is the deciding factor. Do you sin in defiance? Do you have regrets? Do you want to fix what you did wrong? The fact that a person is worried enough to ask the question is a good sign! That person's response should be to confess to Christ and ask for forgiveness, which...