The Whole Counsel

There are questions that take only seconds to ask but years to answer. That was the case when someone on X (formerly Twitter) asked Jeremy Walker, “How long would it take to read the published sermons of Charles Spurgeon if you read at a rate of one sermon per day?” After doing the math, Jeremy concluded it would take around 10 and 1/2 years. And the decision was quickly made to begin the reading scheme. Shortly after making his intention to read a sermon a day public, Media Gratiae talked with Jeremy about turning the journey into a podcast, and From the Heart of Spurgeon was born. We are having Jeremy on The Whole Counsel to highlight his podcast and commemorate that this week those following the Spurgeon Reach Plan will read sermon 1,000. That is quite a feat. To celebrate with his audience, Jeremy is releasing a lively reading of Sermon 1000, and publishing a collection of eight sermons from the Prince of Preachers. Jeremy and Dr. John Snyder discuss why Spurgeon is so helpful to modern Christians and ministers today, where to get started with Spurgeon, and more in this week's episode. To check out From the Heart of Spurgeon, click here: www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can see the book From the Heart of Spurgeon: Volume 1 here: https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Spurgeon-Preachers-selected-introduced/dp/B0BYGQNPZQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3N4XODRLPHO7X&keywords=from+the+heart+of+spurgeon&qid=1695674418&sprefix=from+the+heart+of+spurgeon%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-1 Watch the feature-length documentary Through the Eyes of Spurgeon for free here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a6R96XhPaA You can order a copy of Through the Eyes of Spurgeon here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/through-the-eyes-of-spurgeon-feature-edition-dvd-package Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

This week’s giveaway is a sampling of Welwyn Commentaries. You can see the volumes and sign up for the giveaway here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway Get 15% off all single Welwyn volumes by using the code WelwynMG15 at https://us.10ofthose.com/series/welwyn-commentary-series/ *Discount unavailable on bundles Any piece of literature has rules around reading and interpreting it. We intuitively know that reading Lord of the Rings is different from reading a biography of John G. Patton. In the same vein, reading a scientific journal requires a different approach than reading Beowulf. But we tend to drop that understanding when it comes to reading different books in the library of Scripture. The Bible is filled with different types of literature. There are historical narratives, poetry, letters, and apocalyptic literature, sometimes several genres are included in one book! So we must be aware of the rules involved in properly reading, interpreting, and applying the different types of writing. Acey Floyd, an elder of Christ Church New Albany and office manager of Media Gratiae, joins John Snyder this week to discuss chapter four of Knowing Scripture: Practical Rules for Biblical Interpretation. In this chapter, John and Acey discuss important rules to a general and specific reading of Scripture to make sure we get the most out of it. Get your copy of Knowing Scripture: https://www.amazon.com/Knowing-Scripture-R-C-Sproul/dp/0830844686/ref=sr_1_1?crid=TPV8B2FP8KHN&keywords=knowing+scripture+by+r.c.+sproul&qid=1694013462&sprefix=knowing+Scripture%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-1 All items in the giveaway: Expository Thoughts on the Gospels by J. C. Ryle https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-16/ Matthew Henry in One Volume https://www.amazon.com/Matthew-Henrys-Commentary-One-Henry/dp/0310260108/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3MUSNG4WTVG3C&keywords=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume&qid=1693281109&sprefix=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-1 New Testament Commentaries 2 Volume Set by Geoffrey B. Wilson https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/commentaries/new-testament-commentaries-set/ Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible https://www.heritagebooks.org/kjvstudybible/hardcover Schuyler Bible https://evangelicalbible.com/schuyler-bibles/ Welwyn Commentary Set https://us.10ofthose.com/series/welwyn-commentary-series/ Get 15% off* commentaries using the code: WelwynMG15 *Discount unavailable on bundles Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

This week’s giveaway is the Matthew Henry Commentary in one volume. Sign up here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway Ron Franks joins Dr. John Snyder to discuss chapter 3 of Knowing Scripture this week. In the chapter, R. C. Sproul focuses on the practice of hermeneutics, a big word refering to the practice of interpreting the Bible. In the conversation, Ron and John discuss the analogy of faith, the problems of methaphor, source criticism and more. Get your copy of Knowing Scripture: https://www.amazon.com/Knowing-Scripture-R-C-Sproul/dp/0830844686/ref=sr_1_1?crid=TPV8B2FP8KHN&keywords=knowing+scripture+by+r.c.+sproul&qid=1694013462&sprefix=knowing+Scripture%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-1 All items in the giveaway: Expository Thoughts on the Gospels by J. C. Ryle https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-16/ Matthew Henry in One Volume https://www.amazon.com/Matthew-Henrys-Commentary-One-Henry/dp/0310260108/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3MUSNG4WTVG3C&keywords=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume&qid=1693281109&sprefix=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-1 New Testament Commentaries 2 Volume Set by Geoffrey B. Wilson https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/commentaries/new-testament-commentaries-set/ Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible https://www.heritagebooks.org/kjvstudybible/hardcover Schuyler Bible https://evangelicalbible.com/schuyler-bibles/ Welwyn Commentary Set https://us.10ofthose.com/series/welwyn-commentary-series/ Get 15% off* commentaries using the code: WelwynMG15 *Discount unavailable on bundles Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

Sign up for the giveaway: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway Christians have the privilege and responsibility of reading Scripture for communion with God. But that responsibility is not just for the act of reading. We must also study, understand, and apply it. But who are we, the average Christian, to say we have a proper understanding of Scripture when we are reading it privately? That was one of the largest criticisms from the Catholic church toward the Protestant Reformation. Their argument was that if every individual had the ability to read and interpret Scripture by themselves, there would be no end to the heresies that would develop. R. C. Sproul offers us some wonderful help in this regard by explaining some of the rules we must adhere to when individually reading and interpreting Scripture. In chapter two of Knowing Scripture, John Snyder sits down with Christ Church New Albany member Will Boyette to discuss what Sproul teaches us about the difference between objectivity and subjectivity and the importance of listening to the right teachers. Get your copy of Knowing Scripture here: https://www.amazon.com/Knowing-Scripture-R-C-Sproul/dp/0830844686/ref=sr_1_1?crid=TPV8B2FP8KHN&keywords=knowing+scripture+by+r.c.+sproul&qid=1694013462&sprefix=knowing+Scripture%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-1 For this week’s giveaway, we want to thank Reformation Heritage book for donating the Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible: https://www.heritagebooks.org/kjvstudybible/hardcover All items in the giveaway: Expository Thoughts on the Gospels by J. C. Ryle https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-16/ Matthew Henry in One Volume https://www.amazon.com/Matthew-Henrys-Commentary-One-Henry/dp/0310260108/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3MUSNG4WTVG3C&keywords=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume&qid=1693281109&sprefix=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-1 New Testament Commentaries 2 Volume Set by Geoffrey B. Wilson https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/commentaries/new-testament-commentaries-set/ Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible https://www.heritagebooks.org/kjvstudybible/hardcover Schuyler Bible https://evangelicalbible.com/schuyler-bibles/ Welwyn Commentary Set https://us.10ofthose.com/series/welwyn-commentary-series/ Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

Sign up for the giveaway: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway Most Christians with any long-term experience in walking with Christ can sympathize with the sentiment that reading the Bible can be difficult. There are times where we open Scripture and the pages become alive and we meet with God. Other times it can feel—as sad as it is to say—boring. How do we overcome the challenges to the life-long discipline of studying the Bible? The best way to overcome any obstacle in understanding Scripture is to realize why it was written. The Bible is perfectly worded, constructed, and delivered to reveal the character of God to us. If we believe the Bible is the means that God has given us to get to know Him, it will become our most treasured possession and an object of pure delight. To that end, we are beginning a new series of episode this week walking through R. C. Sproul’s book, Knowing Scripture. Unlike series we have done before, we won’t walk through this book with Dr. John Snyder and one guest. Instead, we are pulling different members of Christ Church New Albany because they each bring an interesting perspective and life experience to the chapters they will be discussing. For this first chapter, we have Lindsey Williams, who has been a member of Christ Church New Albany for 10 years. We have another special aspect to this series. Each episode we will be giving away one resource that we have found helpful in studying Scripture. These will include Bibles, commentaries, and other writings. This week, we are giving away Matthew Henry's One-Volume Commentary on the Bible. To sign up for the giveaway, click here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway All items in the giveaway: Expository Thoughts on the Gospels by J. C. Ryle https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-16/ Matthew Henry in One Volume https://www.amazon.com/Matthew-Henrys-Commentary-One-Henry/dp/0310260108/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3MUSNG4WTVG3C&keywords=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume&qid=1693281109&sprefix=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-1 New Testament Commentaries 2 Volume Set by Geoffrey B. Wilson https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/commentaries/new-testament-commentaries-set/ Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible https://www.heritagebooks.org/kjvstudybible/hardcover Schuyler Bible https://evangelicalbible.com/schuyler-bibles/ Welwyn Commentary Set https://us.10ofthose.com/series/welwyn-commentary-series/ Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

We have been commemorating the 10th anniversary of our initial study, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. But many are unaware of its followup study, Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty. We wanted to take two special episodes to highlight the interviews we conducted during the production of that study. In this week’s special episode, we ask Andrew Davies, Sinclair Ferguson, and Jordan Thomas questions about God’s immutability. Next week we will begin a new series of episodes with an emphasis on studying Scripture and the discipline of hermeneutics. You can purchase Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/behold-your-god-series Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of our first study, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically, we have spent several weeks this year releasing the complete interviews from that study. We hope those have been helpful to you. But many people are unaware of the follow-up study, Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty. Rather than releasing the full interviews, as we did with the first study, we want to take a few special episodes and present to you all the answers to a given question and topic. In this week’s episode, we are asking Andrew Davies, Jeremy Walker, and Dr. Joel Beeke about God’s holiness. You can purchase Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/behold-your-god-series Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

If you have been following the podcast, you know we have been releasing complete interviews from our first study, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. For the next two weeks, we want to release some of the content from the followup study Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty. While we get those ready for you, we wanted to present to you session one of Weight of Majesty. It’s focus is on the incomprehensibility of God. You can purchase Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/behold-your-god-series Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

Of all the men who contributed to Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically, Mr. Richard Owen Roberts was the one who had the most influence. This was not because he was directly involved with the writing, or production of the study. It was because of his influence on Dr. John Snyder early in his life and ministry. Mr. Roberts has been a close friend and mentor of John Snyder for decades and that is why John desired to have Mr. Roberts contribute to the study. We pray you will also be blessed by this third installment of his interview. There is one more segment of his interview left. We will release it before the end of the year. See the full study here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/behold-your-god-series Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

It has been 10 years since we released our first study, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. During the production of the study, each man was chosen by Dr. John Snyder to contribute to interview sections that conclude each video session. Of all the men chosen, Conrad Mbewe was the only one Dr. Snyder had not met previously. But we are glad Conrad was included in the study. His unique perspective and insight has proven invaluable over the years. We pray seeing his full answers to the questions we posed to him will be beneficial to you. See the full study here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/behold-your-god-series Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app