When you hear the word “humility,” what comes to mind? How do you feel when you recall how a pastor, perhaps in your past, spoke to you about the need to be humble? How did that affect you? In today’s episode, Jon and Justin have a conversation about humility—specifically, humbling ourselves before and under the mighty hand of God. The purpose of humility may not be what you’re expecting. It leads to much good, because God is mighty to save and deliver us. He is our faithful God who loves us and desires that we come to Him with all our anxieties and burdens. All of this is tied to being humble before Him. We hope this episode comforts and encourages you in Christ.
Jon and Justin were recently invited onto the Room for Nuance podcast with Sean DeMars to discuss various topics surrounding assurance of salvation, law-gospel distinction, and the relationship between faith and works. We hope you find this conversation informative and encouraging!
Oh no, Jon and Justin are talking about obedience again. Yes, we are—and it’s an important subject because, to be frank, we truly want everyone who listens to this podcast to obey sincerely. The question is, how is that accomplished? There is no good news for those who only emphasize obedience. We have to look to a power beyond ourselves, and that’s what we’re going to be discussing today.
We live in a time where we’re prone to throw mud, be condescending, self-righteous, and accusatory, and we often misrepresent those with whom we disagree. This behavior doesn’t seem to align with what Scripture teaches about being gentle, kind, patient, and avoiding arguments. So, today, Jon and Justin are going to talk about that. We’ll also discuss the hope we have, our citizenship in heaven, and our Savior, Jesus, and how all of this should inform our posture and interactions with others. We hope this conversation is helpful to you.
Do you ever wake up thinking, “I just don’t do enough for God”? You feel like you need to be doing more. You see so many people with radical ministries and faith, helping so many, and all you do is, well, just go to church. If this sounds familiar, this podcast is for you. The idea of radical discipleship—the belief that you need to do more or something extraordinary for God—creates a pressure that God never intended for anyone to bear. Yet, He gives you a promise of how you can contribute to His kingdom, and it’s called, well, ordinary.
Today’s episode is a special one. Jon and Justin were recently interviewed by the hosts of Remnant Radio, Josh and Michael, and had a great conversation about all things law and gospel. We discussed the history, confusing passages, and how it is often misused to rob us of assurance. More importantly, we explored how, when used correctly, it can provide deep assurance. We hope you find this conversation encouraging!
What is the difference between godliness and legalism? Sometimes, when people define godliness, they actually describe legalism or even pietism. Understanding this distinction is crucial, and the Bible addresses it often. Today, Jon and Justin will explain where true, heart-filled, God-glorifying godliness comes from and reveal the damage caused by the lies of Satan—legalism and pietism. We pray you are encouraged by this conversation.
The Christian life is often depicted by American culture as one of prosperity and health, but more frequently, our pilgrimage through this fallen world is characterized by sin, suffering, and ultimately death. Jon and Justin have discussed suffering, sickness, death, and our only hope to escape this harrowing reality in many episodes of Theocast. This compilation features the most informative and helpful portions of those episodes, with the aim of being extremely clear about where we stand, who and what we look to for comfort, and how we should view and endure suffering in this world.
Maybe you’re out there feeling weary, burdened, beat up, or left behind. Even in your experience as a Christian in the church, you feel like you’ve been run over, like you don’t fit. You know that Jesus is real, but you wonder if the problem is with you. If you’ve felt this way repeatedly, and if you’ve been made to feel this way over and over, this podcast is for you.
Today, Jon and Justin are going to have a tender and honest conversation about the things that matter most to us as pastors and why Theocast exists at all: to hold out Jesus Christ for us. He came to save people like you and me. Join us as we rejoice in Him today and talk about Him. We hope you are encouraged.
Have you ever found yourself resting in Christ, only to suddenly lose that peace? What can rob you of your rest in Christ? Today’s podcast addresses this very issue. We will explore the pitfalls that either trap us, preventing us from finding rest, or trip us up once we are at rest, causing anxiety, pain, and suffering. These pitfalls can undermine the very hope we have in the sufficiency of Christ. Join Justin and Jon as they walk through three different areas of life that cause us to lose our rest in Christ. We pray this is encouraging to you.
If you are directed inwardly to find the comfort and assurance that Christ has saved you from your sin, you will be of all men most miserable. Jon and Justin have spoken about pietism and its effects on the Christian life in many episodes of Theocast. This is a compilation of the most informative and helpful portions of those episodes, with the aim of being extremely clear on where we stand, what problems we see with pietism, and the subtle yet devastating fruits of the pietism ‘gospel’ within the local church.
Today, it seems like if you are not suffering from some kind of ailment or cancer, you know someone who is or have had a family member or friend who has died because of it. It is a painful experience to watch someone lose their life and wither away. At times, our faith is crushed, and our assurance is called into question. Where is Jesus in all of this suffering?
We have the privilege of hosting a special guest, Mike Abendroth, who has recently written a book about this experience from his own perspective. We know this will be encouraging for you. If you get an opportunity to purchase the book, we highly recommend it!
Some of you are probably really concerned about this title, thinking we’ve gone too far. Well, we’re here to defend not ourselves, but to show you from Scripture that all power remains in Christ and Him crucified. The law is only here to guide or convict us. We’re going to talk about the different uses of the law, but the law is powerless to save and powerless to sanctify. Let us prove it to you from Scripture.
People often criticize us here at Theocast, saying that we are not concerned about society, the culture in which we live, or even the country of which we are citizens. So today, Jon and Justin are going to address that. We’re going to discuss the gospel and what the Lord is doing in building His church. How do all of these things affect our perspectives on society, culture, and the countries in which we live? We hope that this is encouraging and clarifying for you.
One of the most famous Psalms that nearly everyone reads is Psalm 1. Jon and Justin want to highlight the distinction between the law and the gospel in Psalm 1, showing that it is not about how God blesses those who obey Him. Psalm 1 is not about you! You don’t appear until Psalm 2, and that is where the gospel is!
In listening to a lot of preaching today, it’s clear that it’s possible to talk about the gospel or even about the work of God without actually getting around to preaching the gospel itself—preaching Jesus Christ for sinners. This can happen with any number of passages, but today Jon and Justin are going to have a conversation about a well-known text: the interchange between Jesus and Nicodemus from John chapter three. There’s a lot of truly epic content in this passage, including the sovereign grace of God, the work of God, and regeneration in the new birth. Unfortunately, the gospel message within this passage—the Son of Man being lifted up for us—is often not talked about enough. We hope this discussion is encouraging and clarifying for you.
Many Christians struggle with reading and understanding the Old Testament. They know it’s supposed to be about Jesus, and they’ve read the New Testament, but they’re just disconnected from the Old. Today’s podcast is our attempt to give you reasons why you should read your Old Testament. By doing so, you will see the wonder and glory it defines for us, which leads us to Christ and His grace.
Jesus said that those whom the Son sets free are free indeed. But maybe you’re listening to this podcast and thinking, “I don’t really feel free.” There may be reasons for that. The gospel is marvelous and wonderful, and it has many facets. At times, certain aspects aren’t discussed as much. The forgiveness of sins, absolution from guilt, and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness are wonderful truths. Additionally, we have been set free from the kingdom of darkness and from the evil one. Today on the podcast, Jon and Justin have a conversation about that freedom and how it is an essential part of the gospel message.
Recently, Christian social media has been ablaze with the topic of mental illness and whether or not it is a real thing. In particular, diagnoses such as ADHD, PTSD, and OCD. We thought we would lend our voices to this discussion from a theological lens, analyzing the implications of the fall of Adam, a world of suffering, and compassion for our fellow man. For today’s discussion, Jon and Justin are joined by Scott Keith and Chad Bird of 1517! We hope and pray you find this conversation encouraging!
What do Baptists and Anglicans have in common? Jon and Justin recently had the opportunity to be on the Doth Protest podcast with our friends James and Drew, who are Anglican. We discussed the Reformation, our backgrounds, what we believe, and what we have in common. In particular, the emphasis of the podcast centered around Jesus, God’s grace, and the sufficiency of our Savior. We were encouraged by the conversation, and we trust that you will be too.
