Part 1 of "Moses, Christ or the Law of Love?"

Welcome to “Called to Glory,” the cutting-edge weekly podcast dedicated to helping you know Christ, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. 

In this series, we’re going to answer one of the most important and hotly debated questions in all of Christianity. And, for that matter, Messianic Judaism in all of its various forms. 

What law are we under as blood-bought disciples of Christ? 

At first blush, that may seem like a no-brainer as I think most believers would readily agree it’s the Law of God! Which of course is absolutely correct. After all, one of the great promises of the New Covenant is that God will place His law in our minds and write it on our hearts. And if that’s as far as you care to take it, everyone can generally get along just fine. 

However, the minute you start asking exactly what that means and looks like in real life – not to mention when we all stand before Christ as Judge - it’s a very different story altogether! If you’ve been a believer for any length of time, you know exactly what I’m talking about. There are almost as many opinions about this as there are versions of the Bible! It’s literally a theological and spiritual minefield. The good news, however, is it doesn’t have to be this way.

The truth is God has committed all judgment to the Son and the Bible declares that He will judge everyone – Christian, Jew or otherwise – not only according to what we do, but also according to our motives, thoughts and even our words. Paul - the apostle of grace – left no doubt about this when he wrote that God “will render to each one according to his deeds: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness — indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” 

Yes, God most certainly is love but the Bible also declares that the foundation of His throne is righteousness and justice. He is just as concerned with holiness, justice and righteous behavior as He is with mercy, grace and forgiveness. 

So in light of the apostle John’s warning that, “He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him,” I think we would all do well to get this right. Fortunately, God has not hidden the ball from us and neither has He shrouded this in such mystery that no one can possibly understand it. Just as no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, there is only one correct answer to this question and praise the LORD, He has not left us to our own devices to figure it out.

Join me as we take a quick look at some of the main schools of thought about this in Christianity and Messianic Judaism before answering this most important question: 

What commandments was Christ referring to when He said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments”? 

Soundtrack music:

"Awakening" by LNDÖ
"Revolution" by Shimmer
"The Heir" by Emmanuel Jacob

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to “Called to Glory,” the cutting-edge weekly podcast dedicated to helping you know Christ, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. 

In this episode, we’re going to answer one of the most important and hotly debated questions in all of Christianity. And, for that matter, Messianic Judaism in all of its various forms. 

What law are we under as blood-bought disciples of Christ? 

At first blush, that may seem like a no-brainer as I think most believers would readily agree it’s the Law of God! Which of course is absolutely correct. After all, one of the great promises of the New Covenant is that God will place His law in our minds and write it on our hearts. And if that’s as far as you care to take it, everyone can generally get along just fine. 

However, the minute you start asking exactly what that means and looks like in real life – not to mention when we all stand before Christ as Judge - it’s a very different story altogether! If you’ve been a believer for any length of time, you know exactly what I’m talking about. There are almost as many opinions about this as there are versions of the Bible! It’s literally a theological and spiritual minefield. The good news, however, is it doesn’t have to be this way.

The truth is God has committed all judgment to the Son and the Bible declares that He will judge everyone – Christian, Jew or otherwise – not only according to what we do, but also according to our motives, thoughts and even our words. Paul - the apostle of grace – left no doubt about this when he wrote that God “will render to each one according to his deeds: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness — indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” 

Yes, God most certainly is love but the Bible also declares that the foundation of His throne is righteousness and justice. He is just as concerned with holiness, justice and righteous behavior as He is with mercy, grace and forgiveness. 

So in light of the apostle John’s warning that, “He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him,” I think we would all do well to get this right. Fortunately, God has not hidden the ball from us and neither has He shrouded this in such mystery that no one can possibly understand it. Just as no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, there is only one correct answer to this question and praise the LORD, He has not left us to our own devices to figure it out.

Join me as we take a quick look at some of the main schools of thought about this in Christianity and Messianic Judaism before answering this most important question: 

What commandments was Christ referring to when He said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments”? 

Soundtrack music:

"Awakening" by LNDÖ
"Believer" by IamDaylight
"Glory Days" by Andreas Kübler
"Into The Transcendence" by Tilman Sillescu 
"Revolution" by Shimmer
"The Heir" by Emmanuel Jacob
"Worthy of Greatness" by Cody Martin

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to “Called to Glory,” the cutting-edge weekly podcast dedicated to helping you know Christ, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. 

In this episode, we’re going to answer one of the most important and hotly debated questions in all of Christianity. And, for that matter, Messianic Judaism in all of its various forms. 

What law are we under as blood-bought disciples of Christ? 

At first blush, that may seem like a no-brainer as I think most believers would readily agree it’s the Law of God! Which of course is absolutely correct. After all, one of the great promises of the New Covenant is that God will place His law in our minds and write it on our hearts. And if that’s as far as you care to take it, everyone can generally get along just fine. 

However, the minute you start asking exactly what that means and looks like in real life – not to mention when we all stand before Christ as Judge - it’s a very different story altogether! If you’ve been a believer for any length of time, you know exactly what I’m talking about. There are almost as many opinions about this as there are versions of the Bible! It’s literally a theological and spiritual minefield. The good news, however, is it doesn’t have to be this way.

The truth is God has committed all judgment to the Son and the Bible declares that He will judge everyone – Christian, Jew or otherwise – not only according to what we do, but also according to our motives, thoughts and even our words. Paul - the apostle of grace – left no doubt about this when he wrote that God “will render to each one according to his deeds: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness — indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” 

Yes, God most certainly is love but the Bible also declares that the foundation of His throne is righteousness and justice. He is just as concerned with holiness, justice and righteous behavior as He is with mercy, grace and forgiveness. 

So in light of the apostle John’s warning that, “He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him,” I think we would all do well to get this right. Fortunately, God has not hidden the ball from us and neither has He shrouded this in such mystery that no one can possibly understand it. Just as no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, there is only one correct answer to this question and praise the LORD, He has not left us to our own devices to figure it out.

Join me as we take a quick look at some of the main schools of thought about this in Christianity and Messianic Judaism before answering this most important question: 

What commandments was Christ referring to when He said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments”? 

Soundtrack music:

"Awakening" by LNDÖ
"Revolution" by Shimmer

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to “Called to Glory,” the cutting-edge weekly podcast dedicated to helping you know Christ, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.

In this series, we’re going to look at what the apostle Paul described in his epistle to the Ephesians as the sword of the Spirit. If you’ve been a believer for any length of time you’ll know exactly what I mean. 

Almost everyone seems to assume that because Paul said the sword of the Spirit is the word of God he was referring to the Bible. And since the Bible is almost universally taught and understood to be the word of God, according to this reasoning it's also believed to be the sword of the Spirit. In other words, the sum total of what Paul meant in Ephesians 6:17 by taking up or wielding the sword of the Spirit is to read or quote Scripture, or perhaps stand on some biblical promise. 

And virtually no one questions it. 

But is that really what Paul meant when he wrote about the sword of the Spirit? Your first reaction may very well be of course it is! And given how this is generally taught and understood in Christian and Messianic circles, that would be perfectly understandable. As we’ll see, however, there are some major problems with this view. 

Not the least of which is that it's a gross oversimplification of what he said and meant

Fortunately, God has not left us without clear guidance on this. And that’s exactly what we’re going to be looking at in this 3-part series. 

Using the original biblical text, I will show beyond any reasonable doubt that Paul was in fact NOT referring to the Bible – at least not directly - when he exhorted the saints to “take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” 

And by the time we’re done, I believe you’ll be quite blown away. Not just at the shallowness of the modern understanding of the sword of the Spirit but also at the richness, power and importance of what Paul actually said and meant!

Soundtrack music:

"Awakening" by LNDÖ
"Mind Heart" by Tristan Barton

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to “Called to Glory,” the cutting-edge weekly podcast dedicated to helping you know Christ, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.

In this series, we’re going to look at what the apostle Paul described in his epistle to the Ephesians as the sword of the Spirit. If you’ve been a believer for any length of time you’ll know exactly what I mean. 

Almost everyone seems to assume that because Paul said the sword of the Spirit is the word of God he was referring to the Bible. And since the Bible is almost universally taught and understood to be the word of God, according to this reasoning it's also believed to be the sword of the Spirit. In other words, the sum total of what Paul meant in Ephesians 6:17 by taking up or wielding the sword of the Spirit is to read or quote Scripture, or perhaps stand on some biblical promise. 

And virtually no one questions it. 

But is that really what Paul meant when he wrote about the sword of the Spirit? Your first reaction may very well be of course it is! And given how this is generally taught and understood in Christian and Messianic circles, that would be perfectly understandable. As we’ll see, however, there are some major problems with this view. 

Not the least of which is that it's a gross oversimplification of what he said and meant

Fortunately, God has not left us without clear guidance on this. And that’s exactly what we’re going to be looking at in this 3-part series. 

Using the original biblical text, I will show beyond any reasonable doubt that Paul was in fact NOT referring to the Bible – at least not directly - when he exhorted the saints to “take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” 

And by the time we’re done, I believe you’ll be quite blown away. Not just at the shallowness of the modern understanding of the sword of the Spirit but also at the richness, power and importance of what Paul actually said and meant!

Soundtrack music:

"Awakening" by LNDÖ
"Mind Heart" by Tristan Barton

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Send us Fan Mail

Is the sword of the Spirit really the Bible? Yes and no. 

Almost everyone seems to assume that because Paul said the sword of the Spirit is the word of God he was referring to the Bible. 

Using the context, language and meaning of the original biblical texts, however, I will show beyond any reasonable doubt that Paul was in fact NOT referring to the Bible – at least not directly - when he exhorted the saints to “take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Rather, he meant the living, active and powerful rhema - or spoken - word of God.

Welcome to “Called to Glory,” the cutting-edge Christian podcast dedicated to helping you know Christ, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. In this series, we’re looking at what the apostle Paul described in his epistle to the Ephesians as the sword of the Spirit.

And in doing so, we'll be looking at the true word of faith Paul referred to in Romans 10:8, prophecy, spiritual warfare and the various ways in which the true sword of the Spirit is - and is not - intended to be used. 

By the time we’re done, I believe you’ll be quite blown away. Not just at the shallowness of the modern understanding of the sword of the Spirit but also at the richness, power and importance of what Paul actually said and meant! 

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiqihDATVLQ
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKZWsst3wjc

Soundtrack music: 

"Advent" by Ben Winwood 
"Awakening" by LNDÖ 
"Awake My Soul" by Salt of the Sound 
"Call of Kingship" by Cody Martin 
"Fractured Time" by Cody Martin 
"Hatikvah" by Ian Post 
"Lamentation" by Ian Post 
"Mind Heart" by Tristan Barton
"The Heir" by Emmanuel Jacob

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 

Excerpted with permission from "The Sword of the Spirit" © 2006 by Ray Stedman Ministries. All rights reserved. Visit RayStedman.org for the complete library of Ray Stedman material. Please direct any questions to [email protected].

Send us Fan Mail

Is the sword of the Spirit really the Bible? Yes and no. 

Almost everyone seems to assume that because Paul said the sword of the Spirit is the word of God he was referring to the Bible. Using the context, language and meaning of the original biblical texts, however, I will show beyond any reasonable doubt that Paul was in fact NOT referring to the Bible – at least not directly - when he exhorted the saints to “take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” 

Welcome to “Called to Glory,” the cutting-edge Christian podcast dedicated to helping you know Christ, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. In this series, we’re looking at what the apostle Paul described in his epistle to the Ephesians as the sword of the Spirit.

And in doing so, we'll be looking at the true word of faith Paul referred to in Romans 10:8, prophecy, spiritual warfare and the various ways in which the true sword of the Spirit is - and is not - intended to be used. 

By the time we’re done, I believe you’ll be quite blown away. Not just at the shallowness of the modern understanding of the sword of the Spirit but also at the richness, power and importance of what Paul actually said and meant! 

Soundtrack music:

"Awakening" by LNDÖ
"Mind Heart" by Tristan Barton
"The Heir" by Emmanuel Jacob

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used with permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB (New American Standard Bible) Copyright 1971 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org

Scripture quotations marked NLV are taken from the New Life Version, Copyright © 1969 and 2003. Used by permission of Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683. All rights reserved.

Send us Fan Mail

Is the sword of the Spirit really the Bible? Yes and no. 

Almost everyone seems to assume that because Paul said the sword of the Spirit is the word of God he was referring to the Bible. Using the context, language and meaning of the original biblical texts, however, I will show beyond any reasonable doubt that Paul was in fact NOT referring to the Bible – at least not directly - when he exhorted the saints to “take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” 

Welcome to “Called to Glory,” the cutting-edge Christian podcast dedicated to helping you know Christ, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. In this series, we’re looking at what the apostle Paul described in his epistle to the Ephesians as the sword of the Spirit.

And in doing so, we'll be looking at the true word of faith Paul referred to in Romans 10:8, prophecy, spiritual warfare and the various ways in which the true sword of the Spirit is - and is not - intended to be used. 

By the time we’re done, I believe you’ll be quite blown away. Not just at the shallowness of the modern understanding of the sword of the Spirit but also at the richness, power and importance of what Paul actually said and meant! 

Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKZWsst3wjc
Part 3: https://youtu.be/mKhS8oZ5E5Y 

Soundtrack music:

"Advent" by Ben Winwood
"Awakening" by LNDÖ
"Mind Heart" by Tristan Barton

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used with permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (CJB) ae taken from the Complete Jewish Bible by David H. Stern. Copyright © 1998. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Messianic Jewish Publishers, 6120 Day Long Lane, Clarksville, MD 21029. www.messianicjewish.net.

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to “Called to Glory,” the cutting-edge weekly podcast dedicated to helping you know Christ, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.

In this series, we’re going to look at what the apostle Paul described in his epistle to the Ephesians as the sword of the Spirit. If you’ve been a believer for any length of time you’ll know exactly what I mean. 

Almost everyone seems to assume that because Paul said the sword of the Spirit is the word of God he was referring to the Bible. And since the Bible is almost universally taught and understood to be the word of God, according to this reasoning it's also believed to be the sword of the Spirit. In other words, the sum total of what Paul meant in Ephesians 6:17 by taking up or wielding the sword of the Spirit is to read or quote Scripture, or perhaps stand on some biblical promise. 

And virtually no one questions it. 

But is that really what Paul meant when he wrote about the sword of the Spirit? Your first reaction may very well be of course it is! And given how this is generally taught and understood in Christian and Messianic circles, that would be perfectly understandable. As we’ll see, however, there are some major problems with this view. 

Not the least of which is that it's a gross oversimplification of what he said and meant

Fortunately, God has not left us without clear guidance on this. And that’s exactly what we’re going to be looking at in this 3-part series. 

Using the original biblical text, I will show beyond any reasonable doubt that Paul was in fact NOT referring to the Bible – at least not directly - when he exhorted the saints to “take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” 

And by the time we’re done, I believe you’ll be quite blown away. Not just at the shallowness of the modern understanding of the sword of the Spirit but also at the richness, power and importance of what Paul actually said and meant!

Soundtrack music:

"Awakening" by LNDÖ
"Mind Heart" by Tristan Barton

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to “Called to Glory,” the cutting-edge weekly podcast dedicated to helping you know Christ, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.

One of the questions believers often ask is how do I know if I’m truly saved or born again? While many teachers – especially in the eternal security or OSAS camp – casually dismiss or discourage such introspection, this is actually a great question! Not only is it wise, it’s very biblical.

You see, the Bible speaks not only of humbling ourselves before God but asking Him to search and yes, judge us. Not just our hearts but our thoughts, words, deeds and even our motives.  

The New Testament goes even further and exhorts us to examine ourselves. Not just our heart, thoughts, words, deeds and motives but whether we’re even IN the faith! 

This is consistent with the many warnings in both the Old and New Testament against taking God’s name in vain, presuming on his grace and mercy, continuing in willful sin and yes, falling away. All written to those who profess to be God’s people.

Now at the same time, it’s also true that we shouldn’t obsess over this or let ourselves get so beat down by our shortcomings that we’re paralyzed by fear and doubt. That’s not the answer. And of course, it’s never a good idea to try to correct one error with another. 

Fortunately, God hasn’t left us to our own devices or wisdom about this. On the contrary He’s given us clear, practical and specific guidance. What’s more, if we turn to Him in spirit and truth, He promises to give us the power to not only be set free from the bondage of sin but walk in victory and true righteousness leading to eternal life. 

WE, however, have a big part to play in this. And that’s what our upcoming series “Walking in the Light” is all about! 

Using the Scriptures alone as our benchmark, we’re going to take an honest, candid and no-holds barred look at what God Himself says repentance, salvation, sanctification, love, faith, the new birth and being filled with the Holy Spirit actually look like. 

All that’s needed is an honest heart, a humble spirit and a willing mind. 

Our goal? 

To encourage and inspire you to measure every thought, word, deed and motive against the standard God has established, take every thought captive and bring it to the obedience of Christ and as the apostle Paul said, to examine yourself to see whether you actually are in the faith. 

THIS is the ultimate reality check.

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