The Berean Call Podcast

When confronted with uncomfortable questions from atheists and agnostics, cultists and pagans, or skeptics and mystics, do your once-firm convictions begin to crumble and compromise? Do you tend to take flight—or instead, are you able to stand firm and “earnestly contend for the faith”? (Jude 3)

FIND BIBLICAL RESPONSES TO SUCH QUESTIONS AS:

Is There a Difference Between Faith and Belief? • Is It Wrong to Want Evidence of God? • How Do We Deal with Doubts? • If We Can Prove God Exists, Why Faith? • Why Do Christians Accept Only One God? • Who Is the True God? • Can We Know God? • Are God and Nature the Same? • Is It Wrong to Ask God to Reveal Himself? • Is Jesus Half-God & Half-Man? • Is the Bible Reliable? • Is the Bible the Only Book of God? • Were Biblical Prophecies Written After the Events? • Shouldn’t We Examine All Religions? • Can the Bible Be Verified? • How Do We Know Our Copies of the Bible Are Accurate? • Can You Make the Bible Say Anything You Want? • Is the Bible Infallible? • When Was Jesus Born? • Do the Gospels Disagree?

Question: Is water baptism necessary to be saved?
Question: What is "mind-mapping"?
Question: How do we help people avoid sexual temptation?

This article is about having important biblical conversations with our children. I am the father of five children and the grandfather of five grandchildren. The conversations I desire to have with them include discerning whether or not my children and/or grandchildren fully understand the gospel of Jesus Christ, and discovering whether or not they are able to articulate what the Bible teaches that they must believe in order for them to be saved.

In addition to knowing what our children/grandchildren need to believe in order to be saved, these articles are designed to help them explain why they believe what they believe.
Certainly, knowing the “what” of their belief is first and foremost. Sadly, for some, even when their belief is biblically correct, what follows for many is spiritual disaster. They cannot give reasons (“a defense”—NKJV, 1 Peter 3:15) as to why they believe what they believe....

LUKE 7:4-7 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.

LUKE 9:46-48 Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.

LUKE 14:7-11 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship [praise of men] in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

LUKE 17:7-10 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

LUKE 18:9-14 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

ACTS 20:19 Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations [trials-nkj], which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews:

ROMANS 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

ROMANS 12:16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

When confronted with uncomfortable questions from atheists and agnostics, cultists and pagans, or skeptics and mystics, do your once-firm convictions begin to crumble and compromise? Do you tend to take flight—or instead, are you able to stand firm and “earnestly contend for the faith”? (Jude 3)

FIND BIBLICAL RESPONSES TO SUCH QUESTIONS AS:

Is There a Difference Between Faith and Belief? • Is It Wrong to Want Evidence of God? • How Do We Deal with Doubts? • If We Can Prove God Exists, Why Faith? • Why Do Christians Accept Only One God? • Who Is the True God? • Can We Know God? • Are God and Nature the Same? • Is It Wrong to Ask God to Reveal Himself? • Is Jesus Half-God & Half-Man? • Is the Bible Reliable? • Is the Bible the Only Book of God? • Were Biblical Prophecies Written After the Events? • Shouldn’t We Examine All Religions? • Can the Bible Be Verified? • How Do We Know Our Copies of the Bible Are Accurate? • Can You Make the Bible Say Anything You Want? • Is the Bible Infallible? • When Was Jesus Born? • Do the Gospels Disagree?

LUKE 7:4-7 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.

LUKE 9:46-48 Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.

LUKE 14:7-11 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship [praise of men] in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

LUKE 17:7-10 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

LUKE 18:9-14 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

ACTS 20:19 Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations [trials-nkj], which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews:

ROMANS 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

ROMANS 12:16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

When confronted with uncomfortable questions from atheists and agnostics, cultists and pagans, or skeptics and mystics, do your once-firm convictions begin to crumble and compromise? Do you tend to take flight—or instead, are you able to stand firm and “earnestly contend for the faith”? (Jude 3)

FIND BIBLICAL RESPONSES TO SUCH QUESTIONS AS:

Is There a Difference Between Faith and Belief? • Is It Wrong to Want Evidence of God? • How Do We Deal with Doubts? • If We Can Prove God Exists, Why Faith? • Why Do Christians Accept Only One God? • Who Is the True God? • Can We Know God? • Are God and Nature the Same? • Is It Wrong to Ask God to Reveal Himself? • Is Jesus Half-God & Half-Man? • Is the Bible Reliable? • Is the Bible the Only Book of God? • Were Biblical Prophecies Written After the Events? • Shouldn’t We Examine All Religions? • Can the Bible Be Verified? • How Do We Know Our Copies of the Bible Are Accurate? • Can You Make the Bible Say Anything You Want? • Is the Bible Infallible? • When Was Jesus Born? • Do the Gospels Disagree?

MATTHEW 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

MATTHEW 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

MATTHEW 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

MATTHEW 18:1-4 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

MATTHEW 23:11-12 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

MARK 9:33-35 And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.

LUKE 1:49-52 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath showed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

LUKE 3:16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

When confronted with uncomfortable questions from atheists and agnostics, cultists and pagans, or skeptics and mystics, do your once-firm convictions begin to crumble and compromise? Do you tend to take flight—or instead, are you able to stand firm and “earnestly contend for the faith”? (Jude 3)

FIND BIBLICAL RESPONSES TO SUCH QUESTIONS AS:

Is There a Difference Between Faith and Belief? • Is It Wrong to Want Evidence of God? • How Do We Deal with Doubts? • If We Can Prove God Exists, Why Faith? • Why Do Christians Accept Only One God? • Who Is the True God? • Can We Know God? • Are God and Nature the Same? • Is It Wrong to Ask God to Reveal Himself? • Is Jesus Half-God & Half-Man? • Is the Bible Reliable? • Is the Bible the Only Book of God? • Were Biblical Prophecies Written After the Events? • Shouldn’t We Examine All Religions? • Can the Bible Be Verified? • How Do We Know Our Copies of the Bible Are Accurate? • Can You Make the Bible Say Anything You Want? • Is the Bible Infallible? • When Was Jesus Born? • Do the Gospels Disagree?

1 JOHN 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

1 JOHN 4:5-6 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

1 JOHN 5:6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

1 JOHN 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

2 JOHN 1:1-2 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.

2 JOHN 1:3-4 Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.

3 JOHN 1:1-4 The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.