Do you ever wonder what it means to walk by the spirit? It’s a phrase found in several places in the New Testament. If you asked ten different Christians what it means to walk by the spirit, you’d likely get ten different answers. But today on the pod, Jon and Justin are going to take a swing at answering that question. We’re going to explore this concept and offer our perspectives. Our answers might surprise you.
Are we saved by works? The answer to this question might astonish you. In fact, we are saved by works! The real question is, whose works save us? Ours? Or someone else’s? In today’s episode, Jon, Justin, and our friend Pat Abendroth from The Pactum will be discussing the active obedience of Christ, a vital biblical doctrine that helps sinners see Jesus better. We pray you will find this conversation informative and encouraging.
Emphasizing grace, grace boys, antinomianism, the law, preaching, harsh – these are all words that seem to be circulating widely on the internet. We wanted to address this topic. First and foremost, what is antinomianism? Is preaching Christ from all of Scripture, Christ-centered preaching, generally considered antinomian? Moreover, why is it that Reformed theology, and Theocast, is wrongly considered antinomian? We’ll explain this by examining the uses of the law and church discipline.
The baptism debate. Typically, when we hear this, we cringe because it’s not really done well; there are a lot of strawmen. We don’t represent each other’s side well, and it becomes heated and emotional. We don’t want to do that today. We want to talk about the differences and where they stand biblically, and then why we would hold to a position known as the credo-baptist position: the 1689 Baptist view of baptism. Most of all, we pray that you’re informed and encouraged. We love our brothers who are paedo-baptists, and we hope that comes out in this podcast.
Have you ever wondered what the differences are between a confessional Baptist position on covenant theology and a confessional Presbyterian position? (We know you have–because you’ve asked us.) Jon and Justin talk about the differences today. It really all comes down to how one understands the covenant of grace to be revealed and then established. We hope this conversation brings some clarity for you!
In today’s episode, Jon and Justin have a conversation about the Reformation and the streams that flowed out of it pertaining to covenant theology. While there are disagreements amongst and between various traditions, Presbyterians, the Reformed, and confessional Baptists agree on a lot! This discussion covers some history, as well as the significant points of agreement. Let’s make Reformed catholicity a thing!
What are the major differences between covenant theology and dispensationalism? That’s a question we get a lot. Jon and Justin sit down to discuss the differences under three main headings: Christ in all of Scripture, law/gospel distinction, and the covenant of works (active obedience of Christ).
Paul declares to the church, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God.” He urges us not to feel ashamed because the gospel embodies a power that transcends our universe – God’s power. This concept often perplexes modern Christians. How can mere words encapsulate God’s power? This episode delves into this question, exploring how we can embrace the gospel’s benefits. Essentially, Paul emphasizes that while the world may ridicule it, Christians recognize the gospel as God’s power for their lives.
Here is the reality for Christians: the one we love the most is the one we’ve never seen. There are times we have a hard time comprehending what God is like. We have a hard time feeling his love for us. And so, God can feel distant from us. It is hard for us to feel safe approaching him. Jon and Justin talk about our relationships with Jesus, his love for us, how he is with his people, seeing him in the Word of God and more in today’s episode.
Many of you watched the Super Bowl and saw the “He Gets Us” ad. Many of you are aware of the controversy surrounding Alistair Begg in recent weeks. There is a lot of concern amongst Christians about wokeness and liberalism and condoning sin. In today’s episode, Jon and Justin have a conversation about our call to love others–even those outside the church. Does showing compassion to an unbeliever who is engaging in sin mean we are condoning that sin? What does it mean to be salt and light and the aroma of Christ? What about speaking the truth of the law? What about sharing the gospel?
Are you afraid of the second coming of Jesus? You might have been taught a fearful eschatology. The book of Revelation should not be a scary thing for the Christian. Instead, we should find ourselves encouraged and our hope strengthened by our study of it. Join Jon and Justin in a conversation with Rev. Chris Gordon from Abounding Grace Radio in this podcast from the January 2024 Theocast/AG Radio Conference, “Suffering & The Hope of Christ’s Return.”
Do you ever feel like you know a lot about Jesus–but you can’t remember the last time you felt that he loves you? Has doctrine ever felt cold to you? Have you ever been tempted to pit doctrine and experience against each other? If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, today’s podcast is for you. Jon and Justin have a conversation about Jesus and his love for us. The guys make an effort to pull us into God’s story of redemption and into the way Christ loves us.
For many people, reading the Bible can feel like a burden. It seems that the whole conversation around Bible reading is riddled with guilt and shame. It shouldn’t be that way. It is good that we would know and love the Word of God! It is important that we, as Christians, be regularly engaging with the Word. That said, there are a number of ways that we can do that. Jon and Justin consider how we are called to know, love, and obey the Word in today’s episode.
Every year around Christmastime, Christians love to argue about the song “Mary, Did You Know?” That’s another conversation for another day. (Mary did know some things, but she didn’t know everything.) A more significant question is, “Satan, did you know?” Did you know that Christ was bruising your head at the cross? How much did Satan know of the gospel? Jon and Justin talk about the victory of Christ over Satan in today’s episode.
When you assess your life and your sanctification, do you conclude that there’s no way you could be God’s child? If so, it is possible that the categories of the law and the gospel have not been clearly explained for you. In today’s episode, Jon and Justin have a conversation with Josh Sommer (host of The Baptist Broadcast) about the law/gospel distinction and sanctification.
Perfect love casts our fear. And certainly, the love of God for us is perfect. Yet, fear reigns often–in our hearts before God and even in our relationships with others in the church. Here’s the thing, fear is actually a hindrance to repentance. Are you having a hard time repenting? The answer is not fear and dread. The answer is to lean into the love of God for us. United to Christ, trusting his righteousness, we walk by the Spirit. And there is freedom unto repentance.
Happy New Year from us here at Theocast! We assume that you might’ve had some difficult conversations over the holidays about Jesus or about matters of theology and the Christian life. In light of that, how should we approach disagreement–amongst our family and friends, or even in our churches? (Hint: patience, gentleness, and love are generally useful.)
It matters how we live as Christians. In light of Jesus–because he has saved us and because he loves us–how do we live our lives? What is our purpose? What is our mission? Why do we pursue obedience and holiness? Does God have a plan for our lives? Jon and Justin talk about all of this in today’s episode. We hope it encourages and motivates you to live for the sake of the kingdom of Christ.
Many people raise sincere, well-intentioned concerns toward us here at Theocast–and toward other confessional Reformed believers–that perhaps we don’t talk enough about obedience. Or that there isn’t enough application of Scripture being done, as it pertains to our personal conduct and holiness. How would Jon and Justin respond to these concerns? The guys have that conversation in today’s episode.
Fairly regularly, we see posts or correspondence discouraging people from listening to Theocast because this podcast attracts those whose lives are shipwrecked. From our perspective, we are happy to receive such a compliment. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He came to save sinners. He came for the weak and frail. He came for those who were weighed down by guilt and shame. This is the gospel. And, here’s the thing: it is anything but the celebration and condoning of sin.
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