BeachCast.TV: Bible Exploration, Apologetics and Church History with Dr. Chase A. Thompson:

So many times in the Old Testament, we see the people of God turn away from His commands and His worship and then some sort of defeat, trouble or disaster strikes. How can we be on the Lord's side? How can the repeated cycle of sin, judgment, punishment, tears and rescue be broken? Today we discuss the rescue of the Lord and the dangers of spurning Him!

Romans 5 is one of the most underrated chapters of the Bible and it is absolutely stuffed with powerful gospel-goodness. What is the good news of Jesus? Paul repeats it several times and in several ways in Romans 5: While we were sinners, Christ died for us! Today we talk about the good news and how it has brought us to peace with God.

Everybody knows that the Ark of the Covenant is super-powerful and invincible, right? It actually melted Nazis in the Raiders of the Lost Ark! It caused the walls of Jericho to fall down! It killed Uzzah when he touched it! It even blessed the household of a Philistine when King David left it there and fled back to his palace. Since the Ark of the Covenant was so powerful, and seemingly undefeatable, how did the Israelites get destroyed by the Philistines in battle, and have the Ark taken? What could have happened??

Is salvation through Jesus by grace through faith the only way to get to Heaven? Theoretically, it is also possible to 'earn' one's way into Heaven by living a sinless and perfect life. (In the same way that it is also theoretically possible to hit 100,000 hole in ones in a row.) Romans 3, however tells us that ALL have sinned and fallen short of God's glory, and are therefore disqualified from Heaven. How does Jesus then justify His people so that they are able to qualify for eternal life?

Paul in Romans 2 says that certain behaviors among those who believe in God can actually be so severe that they lead to blasphemy among those who don't know God. We learn that hypocritical judgmentalism is near the top of that list. How do we avoid being hypocrites and ungodly judges?