Truth & Circumstances

Episode Highlights:

– Election is the act of God from eternity past (before creation) in which He chooses whom to save, not on account of any foreseen merit in them, but only because of His own gracious pleasure.

– Israel is the foremost paradigm for understanding God as an electing God. Gen 12; Deut 7:6

– Election is but a subset of God’s absolute sovereignty over all things. Psa 135:6-7; Prov 16:33, 21:1; Eph 1:11

– Election is explicitly taught in Romans 9, where Paul explains that it is God’s gracious chosen to have mercy on whom He wills and to harden whom He wills.

– The NT presents election as a comfort. Rom 8:28-30

Episode Highlights:
– The impulse to withhold from a spouse in response to their failure to love well comes from a worldly notion of love, “I am to love only as well as I’m loved.” Christlike love pours itself out regardless of the performance of the one loved.

– Your responsibility to your spouse is ultimately your responsibility to the Lord.

– The “one another” commands indicate that the Christian life is to be lived in transparency and sharing. If that is true of a normal Christian relationship, it should be an even higher priority in marriage.

– The Bible depicts marriage as a one-flesh relationship, the sharing of two people physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

– Jesus did not withhold Himself from His bride.

– Guard against bitterness by keeping your eyes on Jesus, who has always loved well those who spurn Him.

Episode Highlights
– We should resist supporting any ungodly lifestyle. Titus 2:11-12
– The Bible is clear about LGBT issues. Gen 1-2, 19; Lev 18:22; Judges 19; Rom 1:26-27; 1 Cor 6:9-11; 1 Tim 1:10
– In situations where an employer (or any other authority) asks us to do something ungodly, “we must obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29
– We should be as loving, kind, and hardworking as possible so as to mitigate any fallout, while recognizing that we’ve been called to suffer for the Name. Acts 5:40-41

Episode Highlights
– Total depravity asserts that every aspect of our human nature has been affected by sin (mind, will, emotions, desires, body). Rom 1:18-32; Eph 2:1-3, 4:17-19
– Because every part of our being is affected, we are not able to please God (total inability). Joshua 24:19
– Total depravity does not mean that we do not make real decisions; we always do what we want to do. Gen 6:5, Jer 17:9, Psa 14:2-3
– This doctrine should lead us to humility and to live like those who were dead but who have been brought to life.

Episode Highlights:

– There are inherent differences between God and man that make it appropriate for God to desire worship and inappropriate for man to desire worship. (Psa 50:12-15; Acts 24-25)

– God doesn’t need anything. When we conceive of Him as needy because He desires worship, we make the mistake of thinking about Him as if He is a man. (Psa 50:12)

– We are worshipers by nature; the worship of false gods brings misery; by calling us to worship Him, God calls us to joy. (Rom 1:18-32; Ps 16)

– God is the greatest being conceivable, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. When He calls us to Himself to recognize this, it is a kindness.

Episode Highlights:
– Reformed theology (as we are using the phrase) holds that God rules with absolute control over all creation, foreordaining all that happens, but doing so in a way that does not deny human will or make God the author of sin.

– It is an important doctrine because it is founded upon the doctrine of God and therefore has implications for all other doctrines. It also has implications for ministry methodology and the Christian life.

– Reformed theology is not the most important component of what we believe and we should NOT break fellowship with those who disagree.