Why does justification by faith alone matter? Because if we discard or downplay it, we are of necessity also discarding and downplaying grace. If our works are necessary to complete our salvation, then God’s grace isn’t sufficient to save. If our gospel is to be God-glorifying, it must be God-centered. And if it is to be God-centered, it must be gr…

Jesus does not require anything of us poor wretched sinners except that we come to Him in faith. His love is offered freely to all who are willing to receive it. This grace compels us to obey. As Isaac Watts expressed, “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.” This kind of love demands that we give everything—my soul, my life,…

What is the relationship between faith and works? The apostle Paul taught that we are saved by grace through faith apart from works. If we are justified by faith alone, why does James say that Abraham was “justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?” Did James disagree with Paul's gospel? Support the show For more theological con…

Scripture speaks consistently of salvation coming to those who believe, those who have faith. That much is clear, but the bigger question is, “What is faith?” This episode answers that very question. Support the show For more theological content, visit theologicaltouchpoints.com. To learn more about Sword & Trumpet Ministries, visit the Sword & Tru…

The work of Christ by which He accomplished our justification is the linchpin of the gospel. Until our sin problem is dealt with—that sinful nature which we exercise in rebellion against God—the rest of the blessing of the gospel remain aloof. It is Christ’s atoning work on our behalf which provides not only justification but all of redemption. Sup…

To appreciate justification we must first realize who we are and where we are headed apart from Christ. Without God’s grace, we are: justly condemned to eternal judgment, under divine wrath, alienated from God, in bondage to sin and Satan, and captive to our hearts which prefer the darkness of sin to the light of Christ. Support the show For more t…

J.C. Wenger said it is a “queer notion that because the Anabaptists were vigorous in their demands for a life of earnest Christian discipleship, they were therefore unclear on grace and justification.” In the same context he references Menno Simons, who set forth a clear doctrine of justification by faith, one compatible with Reformed doctrine. Men…

Did the Anabaptists believe in justification by faith alone or were the Reformers alone in that view? While we often associate justification with Reformed doctrine, many early Anabaptists accepted justification as an essential gospel doctrine too. Support the show For more theological content, visit theologicaltouchpoints.com. To learn more about S…

In our efforts to emphasize the importance of obedience, we sometimes hesitate to teach that justification is experienced apart from our works. We fear that, if people realize that they contribute nothing to their standing before God, they will consider themselves free to sin. If we are saved simply by believing, does that not free us to live howev…

The nature of Christ’s atonement is becoming a common discussion. It’s an important one, since the atonement is a foundational tenet of Christian doctrine. The atonement is no secondary or tertiary issue. Christ's atoning work is essential to the gospel. His work on the cross is what makes it possible for sinful men to be reconciled to a holy God. …

The authority of Scripture is unquestionably one of the fundamental issues of our time. Other presenting issues (such as the atonement, hell, sin, etc.) reveal the underlying issue. We don’t think of ourselves as operating under the authority of the Bible. Sure, we reference the Bible when it supports our view. We use it to validate our opinions, b…

This is part two of a presentation I did on Critical Race Theory (CRT) in Lancaster, PA. The presentation included an overview of CRT and a critique of CRT from a biblical perspective. And we had some quality Q&A with the attendees along the way. This is the second and final episode with material from that presentation. Support the show For more th…

October of last year I had the opportunity to give a presentation on Critical Race Theory (CRT) to a retirement community in Lancaster, PA. The presentation included an overview of CRT and a critique from a biblical perspective. We also had some quality Q&A with the attendees. Support the show For more theological content, visit theologicaltouchpoi…

Persevering faith is not oriented inward, where we dig in, work harder, and do better. Rather, it is oriented outward. Our faith—our confidence—is in Christ. We are to hold fast our confession that Christ has accomplished salvation for us and that we will be saved if we put our faith in Him. Support the show For more theological content, visit theo…

Scripture reveals who we really are. It cuts through our facades, exposing our true selves. When it works on us, we are laid bare before God. Though we may be able to maintain a veneer of righteousness in our own efforts, Scripture peels it back and uncovers our sinful hearts. And in the final judgment, it will reveal our sin before the thrice-holy…

In Christ we can rest from the toil of self-righteousness—our striving to be good enough, our attempts to atone for our own sins. True rest, gospel rest, is experienced when we come to Christ, believing in Him, trusting in Him, and receiving the good things God offers us in Him. Support the show For more theological content, visit theologicaltouchp…

Christians ought to be confident people. Not in ourselves and not in our works, that's self-righteousness and self-centeredness. Our confidence is never in ourselves; we are those who "put no confidence in the flesh." Our confidence is in Christ. We know, because God has said it is true, that Christ has accomplished salvation for us. Our confidence…

In his call to faithfulness the author of Hebrews is careful to point us to Christ. We are to “give heed to the things we have learned,” not neglecting the salvation God offers us. But the all-important question is: where is that salvation found? In the law? In Moses? In some other historical figure? In some other moral code? No, but salvation is f…

What we believe about the gospel is important. Actually, important is an understatement. The gospel is the very core of the Christian faith. What we believe about the gospel is one of the single defining realities of Christianity. In fact, what we believe about the gospel makes the difference between heaven or hell. This feature episode is an in-de…

God does not save because He has to; He saves because He wants to. And it is His joy. He does not save begrudgingly; God loves to save sinners. Hebrews says Christ went willingly to the cross. In fact, He rejoiced despite the shame. He wanted to save sinners, and He freely gave His life to redeem us. Support the show For more theological content, v…

So then, does it matter what be believe about the inspiration of Scripture? I hope you see with me that it absolutely does. Our faithfulness in the gospel rests on whether or not we continue to live in faithful submission to Scripture. Whether Christianity will continue to the next generation—or even survive this one—rests on our commitment, with a…

The Bible is not another book we leave to collect dust on the shelf. It is categorically distinct, a level above every other book written since it is the only one written by God. When we read the Bible, we hear directly from the Lord of the universe. We see His great work through history and His magnificent grace given in the gospel. The Bible is G…

Does inspiration apply to every part of Scripture? Just the “spiritual” parts? Just the New Testament? Just the gospels? The biblical view says that all of Scripture is inspired. Support the show For more theological content, visit theologicaltouchpoints.com. To learn more about Sword & Trumpet Ministries, visit the Sword & Trumpet Website. Find us…

We believe that when Scripture speaks, God speaks. Scripture is not a lesser revelation than if God were to show up tonight and speak directly to you or me. Scripture comes from the mouth of God. Support the show For more theological content, visit theologicaltouchpoints.com. To learn more about Sword & Trumpet Ministries, visit the Sword & Trumpet…

As Anabaptists, we typically think of the conservative/liberal paradigm in terms of outward appearance; we need a paradigm adjustment. Liberals look just like the rest of us. Support the show For more theological content, visit theologicaltouchpoints.com. To learn more about Sword & Trumpet Ministries, visit the Sword & Trumpet Website. Find us on …

We must be stalwart in our defense of the biblical view of hell. Not necessarily because we like it, nor because it is the most attractive, but simply because it’s what God has said in His word. Support the show For more theological content, visit theologicaltouchpoints.com. To learn more about Sword & Trumpet Ministries, visit the Sword & Trumpet …

We need to deal with some of the key words used in Scripture to describe hell. If we believe that God inspired the very words of Scripture, we must be concerned with the specific meanings of those words. Three Greek words most stubbornly resist Conditional Immortality, and thus must be redefined by Conditional Immortality proponents to make room fo…

Psalm 37:10 reads, “Yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more.” Conditional Immortality scholars interpret this as conclusively teaching that the wicked will be annihilated in the judgment. But is that what it means? Support the show For more theological content, visit…

Many things can be fit into Scripture that do not arise from it. Truly biblical Christianity is not built upon that which is compatible with Scripture, but instead on that which Scripture asserts—that which is most plainly taught within the very pages of Scripture. The first fundamental flaw of Conditional Immortality is that it injects into Script…

Conditional Immortality agrees with the majority of what I’ve laid out so far. Those who hold to conditional immortality maintain that all these things are true: hell is real, it is the destiny of sinners, and it is terrible. The point of departure is not the reality of hell. Rather, it is the eternality of hell, or more specifically, the eternalit…

Hell is not as common in our conversation as it was 500 years ago, 300 years ago, or even 60 years ago. Because we don’t talk about it, many of us don’t understand it as we should. We haven’t been as faithful as we ought to have been guarding the theological door, and it’s starting to show. Support the show For more theological content, visit theol…

True or False: Experiencing God is more important than knowing about Him. What do you think? Support the show For more theological content, visit theologicaltouchpoints.com. To learn more about Sword & Trumpet Ministries, visit the Sword & Trumpet Website. Find us on Facebook. Contact us at podcast@theologicaltouchpoints.com. Thanks for listening!…

Hebrews 2 shows us just how necessary it is that Christ be made like us in all things. He takes on humanity to save us. He takes on flesh to show His mercy. He becomes one of us so He can bring us back to God. Christ’s incarnation—God in the flesh—is crucial to the gospel. Without His incarnation, our faith is in vain. But through Him, we are resto…

The verse before us today teaches us much about God’s sovereign designs in salvation. God, the master architect, has orchestrated salvation for us. He who made the world sent His Son into the world to suffer for mankind and save man from His sin. He who deserves all glory has brought us to glory through Christ. Support the show For more theological…

The astronomer Carl Sagan said, “Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.” He spoke as a sceptic, knowing the magnitude of the universe but unwilling to believe in the Creator. Though he may be right that s…

When you think of Hebrews you should think of two words: Christ, and better. Hebrews is supreme in the New Testament in its treatment of Christ’s person and work. Specifically, how He has fulfilled all that the Old Testament law predicted. For this reason, He is better. And He brings the better covenant and better promises through His better mediat…

In this seventh and final episode we will look at the close of the canon. Should Christians today expect personal revelations from God? Should we expect divinely inspired writings to be composed or discovered? How we answer this question may be more important than you think. Confusion about the close of the biblical canon opens us up to ideas that …

One of the toughest questions relating to the canon of Scripture is that of the extent of the canon. How do we know that the books we think are Scripture are actually from God? Have we missed any? Answers vary. We are continuing the discussion of the canon of Scripture by taking a look at some of the disputed writings. Support the show For more the…

We’re going to pick up in this episode where we left off last time, continuing into the New Testament canon. Support the show For more theological content, visit theologicaltouchpoints.com. To learn more about Sword & Trumpet Ministries, visit the Sword & Trumpet Website. Find us on Facebook. Contact us at podcast@theologicaltouchpoints.com. Thanks…

We are continuing our series on the canon of Scripture. Before us today is a discussion of how the Old Testament canon came to be. Why do we consider the 39 books of the Old Testament to be Scripture? Support the show For more theological content, visit theologicaltouchpoints.com. To learn more about Sword & Trumpet Ministries, visit the Sword & Tr…

The question of canon is, “How do we know which writings speak for God.” This question assumes that God has spoken, and that He has done so through a written word. How are Christians nearly 2000 years removed from the writing of the New Testament to know that we have everything God intended us to have and nothing more? Today we will look at the pri…

The doctrine of the canon of Scripture addresses the question of how we can know what is included in the inspired, inerrant, authoritative Scriptures. All Scripture is God-breathed, but how do we know which writings are from God and which have been contrived by man? Certain principles can be used to gauge whether or not a historical writing deserve…

God’s written word is fundamental to Christianity. What we believe and how we live are defined by the Bible. We have no starting point for knowing God, for knowing the gospel, or for being equipped for Christian living without what God has made known to us in the sixty-six books of the Bible. But there’s the question. How did these particular writi…

Critical Race Theory purports to provide a helpful framework for recognizing racism, exposing injustice, and providing effective solutions to promote equality and justice. In previous episodes we’ve discussed some of the reasons why CRT fails to accomplish its purpose. Does CRT really exceed God’s way of reconciling all people through the gospel? S…

The history of the United States is marred with racism. Like it or not, racism was protected and promoted by the social and legal structures of its past. Have those issues been eradicated? How should Christians understand this history, and what should we do about it? Is social justice the answer? Political activism? Gospel love? What does God expec…

How should biblically informed believers think about the contemporary call for social justice? How should we think about Critical Race Theory, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the increasing use of CRT terminology within the church? What is—and is not—biblical justice? Sword and Trumpet held a conference this spring to discuss these issues. In …

Critical Race Theory. Social justice. Black Lives Matter. Wokeness. These ideas are floating around in our culture and increasingly in our churches. How should biblically informed believers think about these things? Sword and Trumpet held a conference this spring to discuss these issues. In each of these episodes we will review selected snippets fr…

Hebrews is unmatched in the New Testament in its manifestation of the glories of Christ. It tells us of His deity and His humanity, of His work as our High Priest and His offering of Himself as our effectual atonement, of His supremeness above all creation and all created things. From the outset, the author intends to set our minds on Christ. Suppo…

On this episode we will be discussing the word of God. Specifically, our need for God to speak to us, and the value of God speaking through a written word. We’ll follow that up by looking at the attributes of Scripture and its effects on those who read it. Support the show For more theological content, visit theologicaltouchpoints.com. To learn mor…

What motivates us to minister in the church, or share the gospel, or help those who suffer, or care for people’s needs? Why do we try to do what God asks us to do? Why do we obey Scripture? Why do good works? Support the show For more theological content, visit theologicaltouchpoints.com. To learn more about Sword & Trumpet Ministries, visit the Sw…