Building off of last week’s episode, when we find no joy or rest in our religion, we tend to seek it elsewhere. Christians are prone to clutter their lives will all kinds of things that might be good–but they end up keeping us from the things that will truly bring us joy. On top of this, we naturally think that we need to do things to find rest, when, in reality, we rest in order to do. Jon and Justin talk about all of this on today’s episode.

Is the Christian life one where believers move from spiritual experience to spiritual experience? Or from triumph to triumph? Or is the Christian life one where we learn to trust Christ in the midst of weakness and the battle against sin? What does it mean to be satisfied in Christ? Jon and Justin seek to answer these questions and consider how the quest to find true religion in anything subjective leaves us unsettled and exhausted.

In this episode, Jon and Justin consider James 2, and in particular, the apostles’ assertion that faith without works is dead. How should we understand this in the context of the entire letter of James? How has our quest for personal religious experience clouded our understanding of a passage like James 2? What are the good works we should be concerned with? And how is it that the commands of God are not burdensome? The guys discuss all this and more.

It sounds a little crazy to say that the gospel terrifies Christians. But it clearly does. Christians are prone to qualify the grace of God in Christ. Christians are prone to hedge on justification by faith alone. At times, Christians can even be unsettled by the preaching of Christ from all of Scripture. Why are these things so? Jon and Justin consider history, fear-based theology, pietism, law/gospel confusion, and Christ-centered preaching in today's episode.

It sounds a little crazy to say that the gospel terrifies Christians. But it clearly does. Christians are prone to qualify the grace of God in Christ. Christians are prone to hedge on justification by faith alone. At times, Christians can even be unsettled by the preaching of Christ from all of Scripture. Why are these things so? Jon and Justin consider history, fear-based theology, pietism, law/gospel confusion, and Christ-centered preaching in today's episode.

It sounds a little crazy to say that the gospel terrifies Christians. But it clearly does. Christians are prone to qualify the grace of God in Christ. Christians are prone to hedge on justification by faith alone. At times, Christians can even be unsettled by the preaching of Christ from all of Scripture. Why are these things so? Jon and Justin consider history, fear-based theology, pietism, law/gospel confusion, and Christ-centered preaching in today's episode.

Today's episode is a little different than normal. Jon and Justin talk personally and autobiographically about their pilgrimage into finding rest--from a confessional and covenantal perspective. If you have been listening to Theocast for some time, we hope this encourages you. If you are newer, this will be a good and personal introduction to a number of the things we regularly discuss.

We all tend to hope in things of this world that will ultimately disappoint us. Our anger and frustration and despair make this abundantly clear. Jon and Justin talk about some of these things we tend to hope in--and how the church, at points, has only encouraged us to do so. At the end of it all, peace, rest, and hope can only be found in Jesus Christ and the promises God has made to us in him.

In today’s episode, Jon and Justin have a conversation with friends from 1517 on the scandal of Christmas. We grow accustomed to talking about God becoming a man in order to suffer and die to save his people. But that is shocking news! Who would have ever planned salvation this way? We certainly would not have. But God did. The group discusses the humanity of Jesus, the purpose of the incarnation, the struggle of the disciples to understand the mission of Christ, as well as the point of Christmas.

In today's episode, Jon and Justin consider two kinds of people: the people who are arrogant in their sin and do not think they need mercy; and the people who doubt and struggle wondering if there is in fact mercy for them. The guys talk about the law and the gospel, church discipline, and the posture of God toward the weak.

We all battle besetting, habitual sin. The normal experience of the Christian in this fallen world is to battle against the corruption of our flesh. This war will go on until we die or Christ returns. We struggle to process this battle, though. We are often discouraged. And the church hasn't always helped. In this episode, Jon and Justin have a historical, theological, and biblical discussion on the battle against the flesh and the hope of Christ.

Many of us, if we are honest, often live lives characterized by fear and hopelessness. This is the plight common to fallen man, true. But how has the church failed to help the saints have hope and peace? Jon and Justin talk about how a recovery of sound doctrine and of a confessional, otherworldly perspective is essential for our hope, peace, and rest.