We're back! Today Ben and Greg give many excuses as to why they haven't released an episode in over six months. They also give a brief preview of some of the exciting things coming up on season 2 of the podcast. Join us for a new season of There and Back Again!

Christmas is "the most wonderful time of the year." We get to see family and friends, feast together, give and receive gifts, and primarily, we get to celebrate the dawning of our salvation in the person of Jesus. And yet, so oftentimes Christmas leaves us unfulfilled and causes us to feel the pain of loss more severely. We desperately desire for Christmas to be the best time of the year and yet it almost always leaves us with pain and disappointment, longing for more.   

This reality about Christmas illustrates the already/not yet nature of Christian living. In this episode, Greg and Ben discuss how Christmas gives us a unique window into the already/not yet theology of the New Testament, this time in which Christ's kingdom is inaugurated but has not come in its fullness. They also address how to live with a sober-minded, tempered joy in this time in between the two advents of Christ.

Resources

A New Testament Biblical Theology by G. K. Beale

New Testament Theology by Thomas Schreiner

God Dwells Among Us by G. K. Beale

Biblical Theology by Geerhardus Vos

Magnifying God in Christ by Thomas Schreiner

Music: "Cello From Portland" and "Hello From Portland" by Beautiful Eulogy

What exactly is the Bible? Who wrote it? Why did they write it? How do we know that we have all the books of the Bible we were supposed to have? These may be questions that you have thought about when reading or hearing others talk about the Bible. And these are great questions to ask! It is vital to the reading of the Bible to know what it is, what is is designed to do, and how it came to be.

In this episode, Greg and Ben discuss the nature of the Bible and how it came to be. In this discussion, the guys focus their attention specifically on what is called the self-authenticating model of Bible, namely that these books are in the Christian Scriptures because God speaks through them authoritatively to his church by his Spirit. We hope that this conversation will encourage you to listen to the voice of God in the Scriptures!

Resources

Canon Revisited by Michael Kruger

The Question of Canon by Michael Kruger

The Canon of Scripture by F.F. Bruce

The Defense of the Faith by Cornelius Van Til

Music: "Cello From Portland," "Raise the Bridge," and "Slain" by Beautiful Eulogy

For those of us who are Christians, there is no doubt that the cross is central to our life and faith. However, what actually happened on the cross and what was actually accomplished there is a hotly debated issue in theology. One particular way of explaining what happened on the cross is a theory of the atonement called Penal Substitution, where Jesus functioned as a representative for all those who would place faith in him, bearing the punishment for their sin in their place. This is the most popular American evangelical teaching on the atonement, but is it true?

In this episode, Ben and Greg seek to tackle this issue by asking the questions, "Does God love us because of Jesus' work on the Christ?" or "Does God's love for us motivate Jesus to go to the cross?" As they discuss these questions, they seek to untangle many of the caricatures surrounding this teaching while holding forth the beauty of what Jesus did accomplish for us on the cross. 

Resources

The Cross of Christ by John Stott

The Atonement by Leon Morris

The Pursuing God by Joshua Ryan Butler

"The Beauty of the Cross" by Derek Rishmawy

The Crucifixion by Fleming Rutledge

Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God by Brian Zahnd

Executing God by Sharon Baker

We live in an age today where education has been democratized. You can grab your phone or open up your laptop and have endless information available to you. This is also true of Bible teaching. Never in the history of the world has there been so much good Bible teaching that is readily available to so many people, and we praise God for that! Technology and easy access to information is why this podcast exists.

However, this has led people in our day and age to question the role of local church preaching. If you can get amazing Bible teaching from the comfort of your own home, why listen to a sermon from your local church pastor? Sure, community is essential but is preaching in a local church still relevant? That is the very question that today's podcast seeks to answer. Today, Ben and Greg talk about the contextual nature of preaching and why when viewed in this light it is still as relevant and necessary today as it has ever been.

Resources

Preaching the Whole Counsel of God by Julius Kim

Preaching by Timothy Keller

Center Church by Timothy Keller

Faithful Presence by David Fitch

Saturate by Jeff Vanderstelt

Music: "Cello From Portland" and "Raise the Bridge" by Beautiful Eulogy

God's glory is something that we hear referenced a lot in Christian circles but we aren't quite sure what it means. Most literally the word glory means "weighty" or "heavy." In this episode, Ben and Greg discuss what we mean when we ascribe the word glory to God, why it was so essential for the Reformers, and why it is so essential for us today. On the way, they walk through the story line of the Bible through the lens of God's glory and show that all things resound for the glory of God alone.

Resources

o   Dissertation on the End for Which God Created the World—Jonathan Edwards

o   The Pleasures of God—John Piper

o   Desiring God—John Piper

o   God’s Glory Alone—David VanDrunen

Music: "Cello From Portland," "Heavy," and "Slain" by Beautiful Eulogy

Worship is one of the most commonly used words in Christianity. However, rarely do we stop to think about what it means and how that should inform what we believe worship should look like both as a gathered church and a scattered church throughout the week. Over the course of the Spring, the guys will sporadically take the time to do just that. Today, Ben and Greg are joined by their fellow student at Westminster, Taylor Drummond, to discuss what the Bible from beginning to end teaches about worship and God's presence with his people. In the process, they discuss how God's presence with his people is what makes worship possible, which climaxes in Jesus Christ taking on flesh and "tabernacling" with his people.

Resources:

-The Temple and the Church's Mission by G.K. Beale

-We Become What We Worship by G.K. Beale

-God Dwells Among Us by G.K. Beale and Mitchell Kim

-The Temple and the Tabernacle by J. Daniel Hays

-From Eden to the New Jerusalem by T. Desmond Alexander

-For the Glory of God by Daniel I. Block

-Engaging With God by David Peterson

Music: "Cello From Portland" and "Hello From Portland" by Beautiful Eulogy

Few things are more essential to the Christian faith than the person and work of Jesus Christ himself. In this episode the guys explore the Reformation teaching of Solus Christus and why only Jesus himself can truly be our savior and mediator. Particularly, they address the Roman Catholic doctrine of the sacraments and how that skews our understanding of the finished work of Christ. Christ alone is the object of our faith and the giver of grace and salvation. 

“And yet, the radiance of the glory of God is found in the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. The word spoken by God, the faith given by God, the grace extended by God, and the glory possessed and promised by God cannot make sense apart from the divine Son who assumed our humanity for our salvation.”—Stephen Wellum

Resources

o   “Solus Christus: What the Reformers Taught and Why It Still Maters” by Stephen Wellum

o   Christ Alone by Stephen Wellum

o   God the Son Incarnate by Stephen Wellum

o   Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin (particularly Book IV)

o   The Babylonian Captivity of the Church by Martin Luther

Music: "Cello From Portland," "Exile Dial Tone," and "Worthy" by Beautiful Eulogy

Today the guys lay out 10 crucial questions to ask before joining a new church, or to ask as diagnostic questions for your current church. We hope through this episode that our listeners are able to gain clarity about what is essential in a local congregation and that our love collectively for the people of God would grow.

Here are the 10 questions:

1.    Am I leaving my current church for a good reason?

2.    Is the gospel central to everything that this church is and does?

3.    Does this church love its community and seek to be a blessing to it?

4.    Is the pastor involved in the life of the congregation?

5.    Is there a mutuality and plurality of leadership?

6.    Is this church a true community of believers who honestly confront sin and give grace?

7.    Do they preach expositionally?

8.    How does this church engage with current cultural events?

9.    How does this church view baptism and communion?

10. Does this church value congregational singing in corporate worship?

Both Ben and Greg's criteria for congregational singing can be found at https://thereandbackagainpod.com/gandbblog/

Music: "Cello From Portland", "Sovereign", and "Slain" by Beautiful Eulogy

Today, Ben and Greg talk about the third sola of the reformation, sola fide. In this episode they dive into the nature of faith and works, what the word justification means, and why it is such good news that we are saved by faith alone. As well, they get into some misconceptions and objections about the teaching and show it applies to our lives as followers of Jesus. Ultimately, it is only with our hands wide open, the posture of faith, that we can receive the grace of Jesus.

Resources:

Faith Alone by Thomas Schreiner

Future Grace by John Piper

Justified by Faith Alone by RC Sproul

Justification by NT Wright

Music: "Cello From Portland" and "Vital Lens" by Beautiful Eulogy