Bible in Life

In this Episode, John answers two questions from a listener.  First, was Jesus really forsaken by God? Matthew puts it this way in his gospel: About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). - Matthew 27:46. Jesus' cry actually comes from Psalm 22 ... so how does the original context in the Psalms shape what Jesus means when He utters these words on the cross? Second, what do you think about the idea of "once saved always saved"? Can you lose your salvation? We explore eternal security, eternal insecurity, and what the Bible actually teaches. Two of the most helpful texts are:  "to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." - 1 Peter 1:4-5 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand" - Romans 5:1-2 ▶️HOW-TO GUIDE: The 7-Step Plan to Understanding and Applying the Bible https://www.johnwhittaker.net/understand-apply-bible ▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW Two ways you can support the show: Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker Donate through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.   Other resources and ways to connect with me:  ▶️YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker ▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email. 

What is the armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-17? How do you put it on so you can stand firm?  In the passage, the apostle Paul uses the imagery of a Roman soldier (it was very familiar to the original audience) to picture what Christians should wear to deal with the spiritual battle we face on a daily basis. The whole point of the passage is standing firm against the spiritual forces of wickedness, but the image of the armor of God is given as the way we do that.  Everyone of us who wants to be faithful to Jesus over the long haul need this. Scripture consistently describes this world as a battleground not a playground. So we need to be serious, level-headed, and prepared for enemy attacks ... and those enemies are not "flesh and blood" as Paul says in Ephesians 6. They are spiritual.  So what does it mean to put on the armor of God?  Ephesian 6:10-17 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.   ▶️FREE RESOURCES: Get the “Read the Bible Right” bundle at https://www.johnwhittaker.net/free-resources. ▶️BIBLE INTRO: Need help grasping the Bible? Here's a quick intro to the Bible at https://www.johnwhittaker.net/get-a-grip-on-the-bible ▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW Two ways you can support the show: Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker Donate through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.   Other resources and ways to connect with me:  ▶️YouTube - Check out more of my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker ▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email. 

The Bible Project is probably the best online Bible teaching resource. And Tim Mackie is a key part of it. If you've ever watched a Bible Project video, Tim is the voice. In this interview we talk about the backstory to Tim's life and the Bible Project. It basically works like this: how one church decided to reach out to the skate community and that led to one of the most influential Bible resources of our time! For more about the Bible Project go to: https://thebibleproject.com.  ▶️FREE RESOURCES: Get the “Read the Bible Right” bundle at https://www.johnwhittaker.net/free-resources. ▶️BIBLE INTRO: Need help grasping the Bible? Here's a quick intro to the Bible at https://www.johnwhittaker.net/get-a-grip-on-the-bible ▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW Two ways you can support the show: Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker Donate through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.   Other resources and ways to connect with me:  ▶️YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker ▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email. 

The apostle Paul writes, "You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you" (Romans 8:9). If you are a Christian, you have undergone such a radical change that you are a totally different kind of human being. You are not a flesh-person; you are a Spirit-person! That means God's very own Spirit - the Holy Spirit - lives in you and enables you to live a new and different kind of life. Not only that, the Holy Spirit guarantees eternal life in the future. If you have the Spirit, God will raise you from the dead just like He raised Jesus.  All this means that the Christian Life is life in the Spirit! Learn more what that means in the study of Romans 8:9-17. ▶️FREE RESOURCES: Get the “Read the Bible Right” bundle at https://www.johnwhittaker.net/free-resources. ▶️BIBLE COURSES: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/courses ▶️BOOK: Here's a link to the book on walking in the Spirit mentioned in this episode: https://amzn.to/2ZOdmXV (note: this is an affiliate link which means if you click and buy using this link I get a small commission) ▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW Two ways you can support the show: Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker Donate through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.   Other resources and ways to connect with me:  ▶️YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker ▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email. 

How can your days be marked by life and peace? The apostle Paul knows the secret, and in Romans 8:1-9 he shares that secret with you and me. Romans 8 is Paul’s grand, climactic solution to all the problems of sin, death, and condemnation that we see in the world all around us.  Paul says God solved all these problem now and forever in Jesus.  Paul has already told us that trying to keep God’s law apart from Christ won’t solve it. Paul himself tried that approach and knows firsthand that it doesn’t work.  No, he says, the secret to experience life and peace now has to do with what you allow to occupy your mind. We can focus on and fill our mind with the values, ambitions, goals, and life strategies of the world around us. Or we can set our mind on the things of God’s Spirit.  And then we carry out our life according to the values, ambitions, goals, and life strategies of the Spirit.  This podcast will explore this life-changing passage of Scripture and help you learn how to walk by the Spirit! ▶️FREE RESOURCES: Get the “Read the Bible Right” bundle at https://www.johnwhittaker.net/free-resources. ▶️BIBLE INTRO: Need help grasping the Bible? Here's a quick intro to the Bible at https://www.johnwhittaker.net/get-a-grip-on-the-bible ▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW Two ways you can support the show: Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker Donate through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.   Other resources and ways to connect with me:  ▶️YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker ▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email. 

Romans 7:13-25. "The things want to do I don't do and the things I don't want to do, I do." Can you identify with the struggle with sin the apostle Paul describes? I think many of us do.  And because we identify with it, we easily miss the point of what he says! That's not the best communication strategy, right. Like, you're talking to someone and they say something that makes you think of something in your life and before you know it, you're talking about yourself and never really heard what they were saying! So, let me be totally clear: Romans 7:13-25 is not about the conflict of two natures in the christian life. What is it about? That's what this episode is all about. Check it out.  ▶️FREE RESOURCES: Get the “Read the Bible Right” bundle at https://www.johnwhittaker.net/free-resources. ▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW Two ways you can support the show: Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker Donate through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.   Other resources and ways to connect with me:  ▶️YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker ▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email. 

Have you ever heard someone say something like "the Old Testament is just a bunch of rules and rituals"? Or that "the Old Testament is full of legalism, but the New Testament is full of grace." It's not uncommon for Christians to speak negatively about the Old Testament, especially about the Law, as legalistic rules (even if most wouldn't go as far as Andy Stanley and say we need to unhitch ourselves from the Old Testament - for more of my thoughts on Andy's comments see here on a patron only podcast).  If we're going to have a healthy and accurate theology of the Law, we need to listen closely to the apostle Paul.  In Romans 7, the apostle Paul explores what's wrong with the Old Testament Law (aka. the Torah)... and it's not the Law itself. He does say the Law led to sinning and even led to death. But he also says the Law is holy, righteous, and good. How can both of those be the case? Well, Paul says, that's because the Law said what was right but was unable to enable fallen people to do right. The Law was actually a victim the insidiousness of sin! Which leads us to a deeper appreciation of how bad we are and how loved we are at one and that same time! Listen to this episode for all the details! ▶️FREE RESOURCES: Get the “Read the Bible Right” bundle at https://www.johnwhittaker.net/free-resources.   ▶️COURSE BUNDLE: Click the following link for the course bundle for homeschooler parents (and anyone else) I mentioned https://www.johnwhittaker.net/grow-your-faith ▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW Two ways you can support the show: Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker Donate through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.   Other resources and ways to connect with me:  ▶️YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker ▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email. 

In Romans 7, the apostle Paul begins to explain why the Old Testament Law (the Torah) is no longer in charge of God's people. In this episode, we explore Romans 7:1-6, which is the second part of Paul's answer to the question of why shouldn't we sin because we're not under the Law but under grace.  Paul believed that the Law got tangled up with sin and led to death (this isn't because the Law is bad ... Paul will explain that in the following paragraphs) because it was working with people who were in the flesh not in the Spirit. The contrast between flesh and Spirit is central to this section and to Paul's thinking on living the Christian life. He believes the Spirit is now the way God governs His people and the Spirit actually enables us to live the kind of life which God desires for us and which the Law wished to give but couldn't.  ▶️FREE RESOURCES: Get the “Read the Bible Right” bundle at https://www.johnwhittaker.net/free-resources. ▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW Two ways you can support the show: Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker Donate through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.   Other resources and ways to connect with me:  ▶️YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker ▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email. 

In Romans 6:15-23, Paul is helping us further understand why no longer living in sin is the only real option for us. God's grace doesn't only free us from the penalty of sin; it also frees us from the power of sin! That means we can actually obey God now. And that is super good news, because sin is poison and leads to death but righteousness leads to life ... real, lasting, eternal life! So once again, we need to examine how our life is arranged. Is it arranged so that sin has sway? Or is it arranged so that righteousness calls the shots? If the latter is the case, Paul says that will lead to "sanctification." Sanctification in this instance refers to the process of becoming holy. In other words, if we arrange our life to listen to God and remove things that give sin a voice in our life, then increasingly we will become holy like Jesus. So how is your life arranged unto God?  Are you learning and listening to His word? Do you use both planned prayer times and spontaneous prayer throughout the day? Do you have fellow believers who have the freedom to speak truth into your life? Practices such as those are means of presenting ourself to God, so that we can live our our new identity in Christ.    ▶️FREE RESOURCES: Get the “Read the Bible Right” bundle at https://www.johnwhittaker.net/free-resources. ▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW Two ways you can support the show: Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker Donate through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.   Other resources and ways to connect with me:  ▶️YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker ▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email. 

Since you are dead to sin, you need to live like it! Paul's treatment is very balanced in Romans 6. He assures us that we've died to sin - that's the truth about us. But even though that's true and we're dead to sin, sin is not dead. So we have to intentionally rearrange our life to live out the freedom we've been given. In Romans 6:12-14, Paul gives very concrete plan for how to do that.  ▶️FREE RESOURCES: Get the “Read the Bible Right” bundle at https://www.johnwhittaker.net/free-resources. ▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW Two ways you can support the show: Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at my Patreon page  Donate through World Family Mission … all gifts are tax deductible.   Other resources and ways to connect with me:  ▶️YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel  ▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.