No Other Doctrine

Did Jesus ever really claim to be God, and did His first followers believe it? Continuing the series, Pastor Scott Thom looks at the title "Lord," Kyrios in Greek. Jesus stumped the Pharisees with Psalm 110: how could David call his own descendant "Lord"? Only if the Messiah is fully man and fully God. Pious Jews refused to call Caesar Lord in the divine sense, yet they gladly gave that title to the crucified Jesus of Nazareth. Peter declared Him "both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). Stephen, dying, prayed "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Paul pleaded with the Lord over his thorn in the flesh, and Romans 10 turns the Old Testament's "call on the name of the LORD" into calling on Jesus. The Philippian jailer was told to believe in the Lord Jesus and "believed in God." Revelation names Him King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Along the way, Pastor Scott shows how a physical limitation can bring humility, as with Jacob's limp, and that the church fathers quoted the New Testament so early and so often that nearly all of it could be rebuilt from their writings alone.

Please note: the question line mentioned in this episode, 505-578-2040, has been retired, and the Everyday Evangelism seminar advertised in it has already taken place. To reach Pastor Scott and Cross Fellowship, use 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

When someone says Jesus never claimed to be God, could you show them otherwise from Scripture? Most believers were never trained to, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "Leadership From The Cross" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

A listener texts a question many people have asked: if God is real, why doesn't He show Himself more plainly, and wouldn't more people believe? Pastor Scott Thom answers the "hiddenness of God." Spectacular signs don't guarantee faith: Egypt saw ten plagues and Israel saw Jesus raise the dead, and many still refused. God has already left His signature in creation and His law written on our hearts (Romans 1 and 2), and He is the painter, not the painting. Demanding that God appear on our terms is making Him in our image. Just as you would never win someone's heart by bullying or fireworks, God will not intimidate us into a relationship; He came as a baby in a manger and woos us with His love. To the claim that we are like blind termites with no sense to detect God, Pastor Scott points to hearing the witness of others, seeing changed lives, the Spirit's conviction, our own conscience and fulfilled prophecy. Most often the problem is not evidence but the will. He closes with questions to ask a friend who uses this objection: what would it take, and would you accept Him if He showed up?

Please note: the phone numbers mentioned in this episode, 505-578-2040 and 505-207-4407, have been retired, and the Everyday Evangelism seminar advertised in it has already taken place. To reach Pastor Scott and Cross Fellowship, use 505-375-6560. For The Habit Revolution ebook, text HABITS to 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

When a friend says "I'd believe if God would just show Himself," do you know what to say next? Most believers were never trained to answer that kind of objection, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "Leadership From The Cross" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

How do you prove Jesus is God from what the other Bible writers said about Him? Pastor Scott Thom traces God's own names from the Old Testament into the New. God's covenant name is "I AM" (Exodus 3:14), and Jesus said "before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:58), which is why they picked up stones. Isaiah 40:3 announced a voice preparing the way for Yahweh, and John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus. Joel says whoever calls on Yahweh will be saved, and Peter says there is no other name but Jesus (Acts 4:12). God says there is no Savior besides Him (Isaiah 43:11), yet Jesus is called Savior again and again (Luke 2:11, Titus 1:4, Philippians 3:20). Hebrews 1 applies Psalm 45's "Your throne, O God" to the Son, Granville Sharp's rule shows Titus 2:13 and 2 Peter 1:1 call Jesus "our God and Savior," and Thomas cried "my Lord and my God." Isaiah 9:6 names the child "Mighty God," the same title Isaiah 10:21 gives Yahweh, which answers the Jehovah's Witness claim that Jesus is only a "mighty," not almighty, god.

Please note: the question line mentioned in this episode, 505-578-2040, has been retired. To reach Pastor Scott and Cross Fellowship, use 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

When someone claims the church invented Jesus' deity centuries later, could you show them it is all over the Bible? Most believers were never trained to, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "Leadership From The Cross" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

"Jesus was just a myth." A listener did not know how to answer that, and Pastor Scott Thom gives a fresh way to do it: test the Gospels against the five marks scholars use to identify a myth. Myths reflect the culture they come from, yet Jesus overturned the teaching of His day, telling people to love their enemies and to call God "Father." Myths float free of dates, yet Luke ties Jesus' birth to Caesar Augustus' empire wide census. Myths float free of real places, yet Matthew names Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king. Myths grow and get revised over generations, yet the Gospels appeared complete within a few decades, and Luke 1:1-4 shows him interviewing eyewitnesses to write an orderly account for a high official. Finally, myths never produce what Jesus produced: thousands in Jerusalem, weeks after His public execution, confessing Him at the risk of their synagogue, their livelihood and their lives. Along the way he explains why differing tomb accounts are what honest witnesses sound like.

Please note: the question line mentioned in this episode, 505-578-2040, has been retired. To reach Pastor Scott and Cross Fellowship, use 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Is fear of the hard questions what keeps you from sharing your faith? Most believers were never trained to answer objections like this one, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "Leadership From The Cross" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

A listener admitted they couldn't answer most of the hard questions people ask Christians, so Pastor Scott Thom begins a series to train you, starting with the biggest: did Jesus ever claim to be God? First, ask the skeptic what they mean by "absolute proof." We believe things on a preponderance of evidence, and an extraordinary event like winning the lottery needs only a ticket stub, not extraordinary proof. Then three lines of evidence. Jesus claimed it: "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30), and the crowd picked up stones because "You, being a man, make Yourself God"; "If you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins" (John 8:24); "No one comes to the Father except through Me." Jesus demonstrated it: He forgave the paralytic's sins and proved His authority by healing him with a word (Mark 2), and promised to raise the temple of His own body (John 2:19). And His resurrection convinced the hardest skeptics, from doubting Thomas, "my Lord and my God," to Paul the persecutor, who listed the witnesses in 1 Corinthians 15.

Please note: the phone numbers mentioned in this episode, 505-578-2040 and 505-207-4407, have been retired. To reach Pastor Scott and Cross Fellowship, use 505-375-6560. For The Habit Revolution ebook, text HABITS to 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Do you go quiet when someone asks the hard questions about your faith? Most believers were never trained to answer them, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "Leadership From The Cross" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

No Other Doctrine is back after a few years off, and the questions are already coming in. Teresa asks how often a church should take communion. Pastor Scott Thom shows that Scripture never sets a frequency: 1 Corinthians 11:20 was correcting a love feast where some went hungry and others got drunk, and Acts 2:42 and 20:7 describe practice, not a command. The Lord's Supper is the new covenant Passover, less like daily conversation in a marriage and more like renewing your vows. Passover's precedent is yearly and the new moon feasts were monthly, which is why Cross Fellowship takes it the first Sunday of each month. Weekly is not wrong, but it risks becoming routine, and no church should look down on another over it (Colossians 2:16). Caller Stephanie asks whether the new earth of Isaiah 65:17 is brand new or simply restored; Pastor Scott shows from 2 Peter 3 and Revelation 21 that it is a completely new creation, against the Jehovah's Witness view. Sam asks whether God uses the nations to bless Israel, and Romans 11 answers: God's blessing on the church is meant to provoke Israel to jealousy until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in.

Please note: the question line mentioned in this episode, 505-578-2040, has been retired. To reach Pastor Scott and Cross Fellowship, use 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

When a question like this one divides your church or your small group, could you settle it from Scripture rather than habit? Most believers were never trained to, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "Leadership From The Cross" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

How can God listen to millions of prayers at the same moment when we can barely follow one conversation? Pastor Scott Thom sets aside the usual answer that God is simply "outside of time." Once God created, He acts in sequence, and sequence is time. But God is not bound to time the way we are. We live on a single line, one second after another; God can stretch any second out as long as He wants. So every prayer gets His undivided attention. You are not taking a number at the DMV but walking straight into the throne room as if no one else were there. Then a question cults often use: if Jesus is God, why did He say He was ascending "to My God"? In the incarnation God took on flesh without the two natures blending, so as a sinless man Jesus rightly worshiped the Father, and Scripture getting this exactly right across 40 authors and 1,500 years marks its divine origin. Finally, a teenager asks whether theistic evolution is biblical. Pastor Scott shows why "guided chance" contradicts itself, why the finches show built-in variety rather than new information, and why even a single bacterium's 160,000 character genetic code could never assemble by accident.

Please note: the phone numbers mentioned in this episode, 505-578-2040 and 505-207-4407, have been retired. To reach Pastor Scott and Cross Fellowship, use 505-375-6560. For The Habit Revolution ebook, text HABITS to 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

When a cult member twists a verse about Jesus, or a classmate says evolution disproves God, could you answer? Most believers were never trained to, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "Leadership From The Cross" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

After 12 years and some 600 live call-in shows, No Other Doctrine is back. Pastor Scott Thom explains the name, from 1 Timothy 1:3, "that they teach no other doctrine," a verse God kept giving him before he moved to California for Bible college, where he was soon assigned to teach Bible doctrine and cults and comparative religions, something he has now done for over 37 years. Why fight for true doctrine instead of agreeing to disagree? Because truth is what corresponds to reality, and Jesus is the truth. The further a person or a society drifts from sound doctrine, the further it drifts from reality, until good is called evil and evil good (Romans 1). Then he answers the number one question of those 12 years: what is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? From Matthew 12 he sets the scene. The Pharisees had taught that only the Messiah could cast out a mute demon, and when Jesus did it, they credited it to Beelzebub. The unforgivable sin is rejecting the Spirit's testimony about Jesus, the only cure for sin. If you are worried that you have committed it, that worry is proof you have not.

Please note: the question line mentioned in this episode, 505-578-2040, has been retired. To reach Pastor Scott and Cross Fellowship, use 505-375-6560.

Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org.

Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College

Could you tell sound doctrine from a teaching that only sounds right? Most believers were never trained to, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more.

You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "Leadership From The Cross" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app.

Author Pastor Scott Thom

"No Other Doctrine," where Pastor Scott Thom and host Carissa Thom invite listeners to call in with questions about Christian doctrine and Scripture interpretation. The episode emphasizes the importance of having a firm doctrinal foundation for one's faith and addresses various theological questions from callers and email submissions. Topics include interpretations of biblical passages about angels, doctrinal disputes, and the early church's spread of the gospel.

Key Insights

• 🕊️ The importance of a firm doctrinal foundation for enduring faith.
• 💬 Addressing questions about biblical passages involving angels and spiritual beings.
• 🎙️ Encouraging participation from listeners to enhance understanding and growth.
• 🏛️ Insights into the early church's approach to spreading the gospel, prioritizing Jewish synagogues first.
• ❌ The need to address and avoid divisions within the church for the greater good.

Highlights

• 📞 Listeners can call in with questions on doctrine and faith during the broadcast.
• 📖 Pastor Scott Tom explores theological topics.
• 🖥️ Other ways to send questions include email and the show's Facebook page.
• 🌍 The broadcast is expanding its reach, now available in Pensacola, Florida, and Louisiana.

Be Strong in the Lord - Worship Song with Lyrics

CrossFellowship.org

Lyrics

[Verse]

Finally my brethren be strong in the Lord

Stand tall in His power let His love accord

In the power of His might we'll find the light

Through the storms of life He'll bring us to new heights

[Verse 2]

Raise your heart lift your voice to the sky

In His grace we'll rise fly high and dry

No shadows no fears no more endless night

With the Lord's strength everything feels right

[Chorus]

Be strong in the Lord find your peace within

His power healing past all our sin

Together we are one in His sacred light

In the strength of His might we will fight the fight

[Verse 3]

With His power we conquer every storm

Through the darkest valleys we are reborn

In every battle we stand side by side

With His love our guide we never need to hide

[Bridge]

When the world feels heavy cast your cares upon

In His strength we'll march on till the dawn

His power in us forever pure and bright

Be strong in the Lord feel His might

[Chorus]

Be strong in the Lord find your peace within

His power healing past all our sin

Together we are one in His sacred light

In the strength of His might we will fight the fight