5th Gospel Podcast

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In Matthew 11 and Luke 7, Jesus praises John the Baptist as one of the greatest people ever born. Then he says the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than John. What did he mean?

In this episode, Matthew and Ritah cover:

• John in Herod's prison, and why he asked, "Are you the one who is to come?"
• What the prophets longed to see but never did (Matthew 13, Luke 10, John 8)
• Why Jesus is more than an ethical example: he is a living picture of God's character
• The Father and the Son: divine authority pictured as a crown (Daniel 7, John 5, John 17, Matthew 25)
• The King who came to serve (John 13:15, Matthew 20, Mark 10)
• How the Spirit changes our deepest attitudes toward people who wrong us
• Giving without needing to be repaid (Luke 14:12–14, Luke 6:35)

When we give ourselves for the good of others, we can trust that nothing surrendered in love is ever truly lost.

Keep questioning. Keep believing. And keep living out the Gospel.

The 5th Gospel Podcast is hosted by Matthew and Ritah Murphy, companion to Matthew's upcoming book, The 5th Gospel. Like, share, and subscribe, and we'll connect again next time.

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Episode 17: The Formation of Agapē

Is genuine belief demonstrated by what we profess, or by the way we live? And what role does struggle play in developing the self-giving love Jesus taught?

In Episode 17, Matthew and Ritah continue their exploration of salvation, belief, and the moral purpose of Scripture.

Beginning with Jesus’ parable of the two sons in Matthew 21, they examine the difference between religious confession and genuine obedience. They revisit John the Baptist’s call to repentance, Jesus’ reinterpretation of the Law, and the enduring principle of Agapē as the foundation of the Gospel.

The discussion then moves into the formation of self-giving love through freedom, sacrifice, and struggle. Drawing connections between Scripture, human psychology, and the natural world, they explore how the pressures of life can create opportunities for moral growth.

Yet struggle does not guarantee transformation. It is how we respond to struggle—whether we choose self-interest or the well-being of others—that helps shape our character.

Scriptures explored: Matthew 21:28–32; Luke 3; Luke 6:46; Matthew 5; Ephesians 4:32; John 12:24.

Keep questioning. Keep believing. Keep living out the Gospel.

The 5th Gospel Podcast is hosted by Matthew and Ritah Murphy, companion to Matthew's upcoming book, The 5th Gospel. Like, share, and subscribe, and we'll connect again next time.

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If people can live out God's way of love without ever knowing Jesus' name, what difference does faith in Christ actually make?

In this episode, Matthew and Ritah close out the Adaptive Mission series by tracing how Jesus began his mission within Israel, how John the Baptist prepared the way, and how a small messianic movement became the most influential in the ancient world, long before Rome made it an imperial institution.

We explore what makes Christianity distinctive: a Savior who is fully divine yet steps into human vulnerability, suffering alongside his creation rather than ruling from a distance. From there, we ask the practical question: what does recognizing Jesus as Lord mean for how we live? Drawing on Romans 2, 1 John 4, Matthew 25, and Luke 6:46, we look at why calling him "Lord" isn't the same as following him, and why the way we share the Gospel must reflect the Gospel itself.

Topics include:
 • John the Baptist and the Elijah prophecy in Malachi 3
 • Why Jesus' empathy comes from lived human experience (Hebrews 4)
 • Agape as the mark of genuine faith
 • What Christ's authority gives believers beyond an ethical standard
 • Why Jesus' sharpest rebukes targeted religious pride

Keep questioning. Keep believing. Keep living out the Gospel.

The 5th Gospel Podcast is hosted by Matthew and Ritah Murphy, companion to Matthew's upcoming book, The 5th Gospel. Like, share, and subscribe, and we'll connect again next time.

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Adaptive Mission, Part 2 — Beyond Religious and Cultural Boundaries

How do our experiences, cultures, and traditions shape the way we understand God? And how did Jesus communicate his message across the divisions of his time?

In Episode 15, Matthew and Ritah continue exploring the Adaptive Mission, examining the relationship between human psychology, religious interpretation, and the self-giving purpose of Agape.

Drawing from the Gospels, Paul’s missionary work, and the history of early Christianity, they consider the apparent tension between Jesus’ Israel-centered mission and the broader, inclusive message found throughout the New Testament.

The discussion also examines how Jesus approached people across social and economic divisions, challenging both the wealthy and the disadvantaged to recognize their shared moral responsibility toward others.

The central argument: genuine faith is not measured by religious conformity, cultural identity, or social standing, but by a life shaped by God’s way of thinking and living.

The 5th Gospel Podcast — Keep Questioning. Keep Believing. Keep Living out the Gospel.

The 5th Gospel Podcast is hosted by Matthew and Ritah Murphy, companion to Matthew's upcoming book, The 5th Gospel. Like, share, and subscribe, and we'll connect again next time.

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Episode 14: The Adaptive Mission

What role should religious traditions play in a life devoted to self-giving love? In this episode, Matthew and Ritah continue their study of the Sermon on the Mount, focusing on Matthew 6:22–23 and the surrounding teaching on "treasures on earth" and "two masters."

In this episode:

• The eye as conscience, and how Agape shapes what we see
• Why traditions and rituals matter — and their limits
• How the early church wrestled with first-century Jewish traditions as the Gospel reached the Gentile world
• The "adaptive mission": Agape taking root in every culture
• Ambiguities in Scripture and why they don't undermine its core
• The historical case for the apostles' testimony: early sources, independent streams, and embarrassing details
• Why Christ's perception of truth stands apart

The 5th Gospel Podcast is hosted by Matthew and Ritah Murphy, companion to Matthew's upcoming book, The 5th Gospel. Like, share, and subscribe, and we'll connect again next time.

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In Episode 11, we caught a glimpse of how Christ judges. Now we go further. If the measure we use to judge others becomes the measure used for us, what does that reveal about our own conscience, and about the self-righteousness Jesus so sharply condemned?

Matthew and Ritah walk through Jesus' confrontations with the religious elite, from tithing garden spices while neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness, to the "Corban" loophole that excused neglect of aging parents. Then they turn to a deeper question: what does it actually mean to know Christ? Drawing on Chapter 4 of The 5th Gospel, they explore how knowing, faith, and belief are inseparable from lived obedience, and how every commandment converges in agapē: the love of God expressed through genuine care for others.

Scripture referenced: Matthew 7; Matthew 21; Matthew 22; Matthew 23; Mark 7; John 9:39–41; John 15:16; Romans 2:14–16; Romans 5; Romans 13:8–10; Galatians 5:14; 1 John 2:3; 1 John 4:20–21

The 5th Gospel Podcast is hosted by Matthew and Ritah Murphy, companion to Matthew's upcoming book, The 5th Gospel. Like, share, and subscribe, and we'll connect again next time.

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In this episode, Matthew and Ritah examine what happens when a community built on self-giving love gains wealth, status, and power. Beginning with how Jesus and the earliest Christian writers recontextualized Israel's Scriptures, they trace love of neighbor from Leviticus 19 through the Good Samaritan, Paul's letters, and James's "royal law." They then follow the church's transformation from a network of persecuted house churches to the official faith of the Roman Empire, including the Arian controversy and the councils of Nicaea and Constantinople.

The episode names two pressures that can obscure Agapē: self-interest, which uses wealth, institutions, and even religion for personal security, and self-righteousness, which makes devotion a way to rise above others. The conclusion returns to the standard from the Interpretive Authority series: Agapē, the Spirit of Jesus, as the lens through which Scripture and tradition are rightly read.

The 5th Gospel Podcast is hosted by Matthew and Ritah Murphy, companion to Matthew's upcoming book, The 5th Gospel. Like, share, and subscribe, and we'll connect again next time.

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How will we be judged? Drawing on the Sermon on the Mount, the Parable of the Talents, and Matthew 7, Matthew and Ritah explore how conscience shapes our lives, why God judges with our circumstances in view, and what it really means to be born again. We also look at God's patience with ancient Israel and how the stage was set for the Gospel to spread.

The 5th Gospel Podcast is hosted by Matthew and Ritah Murphy, companion to Matthew's upcoming book, The 5th Gospel. Like, share, and subscribe, and we'll connect again next time.

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Is belief about what we confess or how we live? We start with why critical thinking protects faith from manipulation, then turn to Jesus' Parable of the Sower. The path, the rocky ground, the thorns, and the good soil reveal that genuine belief is measured by what takes root in us and grows over time.

The 5th Gospel Podcast is hosted by Matthew and Ritah Murphy, companion to Matthew's upcoming book, The 5th Gospel. Like, share, and subscribe, and we'll connect again next time.

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If the Father is God and the Son is God, is that two Gods? Matthew and Ritah dig into John's Gospel, including monogenēs, the prologue of John 1, and John 5, to explore how the Father and Son can be distinct yet perfectly united. The conclusion: to call Christ God is to say self-giving love is the highest power in the universe.

The 5th Gospel Podcast is hosted by Matthew and Ritah Murphy, companion to Matthew's upcoming book, The 5th Gospel. Like, share, and subscribe, and we'll connect again next time.