The Berean Call Podcast

Gary: Welcome to Search the Scriptures 24/7, a radio ministry of The Berean Call with T.A. McMahon. I’m Gary Carmichael. Thanks for joining us. In today’s program, Tom concludes a two-part series with guests Martin and Deidre Bobgan. Here’s TBC executive director Tom McMahon.

Tom: Thanks, Gary. Today’s program - this is a followup, part 2 with Martin and Deidre Bobgan. They are prolific writers; they’ve written more than 20 books, titles, they have papers available, a newsletter…you can download many of their books from their website, which is www.pamweb.org; or you can order the books, the hardcopies, from right here at The Berean Call. 

Deidre, Martin, thanks again for being with me on Search the Scriptures 24/7. 

Deidre: Thank you. It’s a pleasure and an honor.

Martin: Always a joy to speak with you, Tom.

Tom: You know, last week, as you know - you were there, I was there, okay - if you missed last week’s programs, folks, we established that psychological counseling is not a scientific endeavor. Martin gave you references in his books and other places that you could go for the documentation of what we’ve been saying, and it’s a myth that continues that Christians who are suffering from mental, emotional, or behavioral difficulties, that they need professional help to solve their problems. 

REFORMATION DAY is observed annually on October 31. It was on that date in the year 1517 that a 33-year-old Augustinian friar named Martin Luther nailed his Disputation on the Power & Efficacy of Indulgences (also known as The Ninety-Five Theses) on the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Luther did this knowing it would be widely viewed the next day in the heart of the Holy Roman Empire1 on the Roman Catholic holy day of All Saints’ Day.

Luther’s letter had its desired effect: it was widely read and eventually led to his excommunication by Pope Leo X on January 3, 1521.

Endnotes 

1. What is now Germany was in the heart of the (Roman Catholic) Holy Roman Empire, of which Voltaire famously said, “…is neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire….”

2. The even more famous statement, “Here I stand. I can do no other,” is disputed, but may also have been among his expressed sentiments.

3. Martin Luther, Disputation on the Power & Efficacy of Indulgences Commonly Known as The Ninety-Five Theses (first published 1517; Merchant Books, 2015), Thesis 7.

4. Council of Trent, Session 22 (17 September 1562), “Canons on the Sacrifice of the Mass,” Canon 3, in General Council of Trent: Twenty-Second Session, Papal Encyclicals Online, https://www.papalencyclicals.net/councils/trent/twenty-second-session.htm.

5. Martin Luther, Ninety-Five Theses, Theses 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 25, 26, and 29.

6. Luther, Thesis 18.

7. Luther, Thesis 25.

8. Luther, Theses 38, 41, 42, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 64, 69, 70, 71, 73, 75, 77, 78, 81, and 91.

9. Luther, Thesis 71.

10. Luther, Thesis 73.

11. Probably not these exact words, as he was speaking German, and the English rhyme would not be relevant.

12. Luther, Ninety-Five Theses, Thesis 75.

13. Luther, Thesis 77.

14. See Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1997), nos. 881–82.

15. Luther’s Works, Vol. 34: Career of the Reformer IV (Concordia Publishing House, 1960), pp. 336–37.

16. Martin Luther, On The Jews and Their Lies (first published 1543; CPA Book Publisher, n.d.), p. 26. [This is the non-scholarly version, omitting long theological dissertations.]

17. Luther, On The Jews, p. 17.

18. Luther, On The Jews,p. 33.

19. Luther, On The Jews, pp. 39-42.

20. Luther, On The Jews, p. 49.

21. Luther, On The Jews, p. 56.

22. Luther, On The Jews, p. 57.

23. Luther, On The Jews, p. 57. 

We can truly say with Paul, “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day” (2 Timothy 1:12). All we who love Christ deeply talk with Him constantly; He is our Lord, dearest friend, and Savior. We have authenticated His Word over and over in its archaeological, historical, internal, external, and prophetic proofs, and in its witness to our conscience. Times without number we have experienced the fulfillment of its promises to us in our daily lives. Nothing could ever justifiably shake our trust in Him.

Yet even some Christians are plagued with doubts and in need of encouragement from other believers through God’s Word. There are non-Christians, too, who sincerely seek answers to legitimate questions. They ask us for solid reasons for our faith, and we must be “ready always to give an answer…” (1 Peter 3:15).

BEFORE MAN WAS CREATED, Satan had already rebelled and taken countless angels with him. How many angels and how long before, we don’t know. Tragically, the insurrection spread from heaven to earth. At Satan’s enticement, the first man and woman defied their Maker, bringing destruction and death upon this new race which God had created in His image.

This mutiny had not caught God by surprise but was proceeding exactly as He had foreknown. He was still on the throne of the universe. How could man rebel against God’s absolute authority? Clearly, God had sovereignly given man the ability to submit to Him willingly in love. The ability to say yes, however, was meaningless without the equal ability to say no. Thus, the door God opened to loving submission could be slammed shut in willful revolt—as Adam and Eve had done.

Some Christians suggest that God willed for Adam and Eve to break His commandment not to eat of the tree of knowledge. Yet sin of any kind is contrary to God’s will. He must therefore have allowed sin to enter this world in order to further His ultimate purpose for mankind, all of whom He loves with an infinite love—the only kind of love that God, who is love, bestows.

The first law of thermodynamics states that energy, the stuff of which the universe is made, can neither be created nor destroyed. Two conclusions follow:

1. The total energy in the universe remains constant, and

2. Energy must be self-existent and eternal—exactly what the Bible says about God.

Is science promoting energy as “God”?

The second law of thermodynamics states that while total energy remains constant, usable energy and order continually decrease as entropy increases. Common sense tells us that all fires eventually burn out. Neither our sun nor the other stars could have been burning forever. There must have been a time when neither stars nor the energy of which they consist existed. Clearly, the universe had a beginning, as the Bible declares: “In the beginning...” (Genesis 1:1).

Gary: Welcome to Search the Scriptures 24/7, a radio ministry of The Berean Call featuring T.A. McMahon. I’m Gary Carmichael. Thanks for tuning in. In today’s program, Tom launches a two-part series with guests, authors Martin and Deidre Bobgan. Here’s TBC executive director Tom McMahon.

Tom: Thanks, Gary. On today’s program and next week, as well, we’ll be discussing what the Scripture has to say about believers ministering to one another, which, sad to say, is foreign to the way most churches with rare exceptions go about counseling, even under the label of “biblical counseling.” My guests to discuss this important subject are Dr. Martin and Deidre Bobgan. They are prolific writers with more than 20 titles to their credit, nearly all addressing the scriptural problems with psychological counseling and Christian psychology, so-called. Many of their books can be downloaded from their website, which is www.pamweb.org, or you can order their books, their hardcopies, from The Berean Call.

Deidre, Martin, thanks for being with me again on Search the Scriptures 24/7.

Deidre: Well, thank you for inviting us. We always enjoy talking about these issues with you, Tom.

Martin: Yeah, thank you, Tom. It’s always a great pleasure to speak with you and interact.

Gary: Welcome to Search the Scriptures 24/7, a radio ministry of The Berean Call featuring T.A. McMahon. I’m Gary Carmichael. It’s great to have you with us! In today’s program, Tom wraps up a two-part series with guest Joe Keim as they address the question: Are the Amish Really Christians? Here’s TBC executive director, Tom McMahon.

Tom: Thanks, Gary. Well, this is part 2 of a conversation that I’m having with Joe Keim. The program is about Amish. Joe grew up Amish, as we learned last week, and he’s now a leader in MAP. And MAP is the Mission to the Amish People. Joe, welcome back to Search the Scriptures 24/7.

Joe: I appreciate it, Tom. It’s good to be back and to be able to share some of the things that we’ve shared so far.

Join Dave and Tom as they engage in an in-depth, verse-by-verse examination of the Gospel of John. We hope you will be challenged and convicted as you listen to these insightful, exegetical discussions compiled from nearly four years of Search the Scriptures Daily radio programs. Open your Bible and get ready for an edifying pilgrimage into God's Word.

Join Dave and Tom as they engage in an in-depth, verse-by-verse examination of the Gospel of John. We hope you will be challenged and convicted as you listen to these insightful, exegetical discussions compiled from nearly four years of Search the Scriptures Daily radio programs. Open your Bible and get ready for an edifying pilgrimage into God's Word.

Join Dave and Tom as they engage in an in-depth, verse-by-verse examination of the Gospel of John. We hope you will be challenged and convicted as you listen to these insightful, exegetical discussions compiled from nearly four years of Search the Scriptures Daily radio programs. Open your Bible and get ready for an edifying pilgrimage into God's Word.