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We continue to lay the scriptural groundwork to learn if miracles exist today. We noted again that the Hebrew writer tells us that in the Old Testament, God spoke to the patriarchs through the prophets, but now speaks to us through Jesus. We noted in the last lesson that we don't receive God's Word in any other way today than by hearing, reading and studying the bible. We looked at the passages that teach us that in the last lesson and we mention those passages in this episode. We talk about the Christians in Berea who we are told that they searched the scriptures to make sure what the apostles were telling them was true. We discuss what Paul said about the gospel and what it consists of. In that discussion we note that there were a lot of witnesses that were with Jesus after He was resurrected including the apostles. Jesus told the apostles a number of things that would occur in Jerusalem. We note what is said about Pentecost and what happened on that occasion that relates to the subject of miracles. We point out in this episode that Jesus said He didn't teach the apostles everything they needed to know and He would send the Holy Spirit to teach them all truth. We note that John says that Jesus performed more miracles than what are recorded in the Bible. Those that are recorded are designed to prove who Jesus is. We will continue in the next episodes to look at the miracles performed by others in the New Testament and discuss the reason they were performed. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout provided for your convenience.

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In this episode, Arnie, Fred and Glenn talk about whether miracles exist today. Remember that as members of the Church of Christ, we believe, teach and trust the Bible as being the revealed Word of God as the scriptures teach us. We discuss two of these scriptures to begin this episode. We note that Paul told the Hebrew Christians how God communicated to those in the Old Testament as well as how He communicates to us today. We talk about this. Next, we look at a passage that tells us that we must use what the Bible says when we are teaching or preaching to others. We note that many people today point to a lot of things that happen as being miracles. We begin by looking at the miracles in the Bible to help us decide if miracles, signs, or wonders occur today. As we look at Bible passages that relate to miracles that were performed by Jesus and His apostles, we learn that all of them are actions that are outside of the laws of nature. It is something done that is supernatural and not explained from natural law such as bringing a person back to life who was dead for 4 days. We find that in the New Testament that we are told that miracles, signs and wonders are done to confirm the speaker as one teaching or preaching the truth and to confirm the truth itself. We look at the Bible passages that teach us that is true. We note that we are given a warning to be very careful with God's Word, to give, "more earnest heed to the things we have heard." We read a number of scriptures that tell us about some of the miracles, signs and wonders that were done. In particular, we look at what Jesus said about the miracles, signs and wonders He performed and why He did them. The miracles confirmed the words recorded in the Bible as being complete in the first century and those words tell us not to add to the words that were confirmed nor take away from them.   Once those words were confirmed in the first century, the miracles ceased. Take about 30-minutes to listen to our discussion in this episode. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided for your convenience.

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We begin this episode by noting that Calvinism conflicts with God's character by teaching that God decided who would be saved and who would be lost before He created anything. This unconditional election contradicts God's justice, His love, His impartiality, His goodness, and His mercy. God created mankind as free moral agents who can choose to obey Him or not. We move on to the last portion of Calvinism, which is limited atonement, the L in the TULIP acronym. Limited atonement says that Christ died only for the elect, those God unconditionally elected to be saved. Of course, if God had already decided who would be saved, there would be no need for Christ to die. We note some passages that say that Jesus died for the world, for all, and for everyone which easily contradicts the false doctrine of limited atonement. We look at what Peter says about Jesus dying for the false teachers who would be among the people. We discuss where Paul said that Christ and God don't want any to perish, even the wicked. They want them to repent, turn from their sins and obey the gospel. We continue to look at Bible passages that say Christ died for all people, not a select few as Calvinism teaches. We look at the first gospel sermon Peter preached on Pentecost and note that of the thousands who were there, it was those who gladly received the word who were baptized. They were told to save themselves from the perverse generation of the day. There were three thousand who chose to do so by obeying what Peter told them they must do to save themselves. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript provided of this Buzzsprout episode for your convenience.

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We continue our discussion of the Calvinist Doctrine identified with the acronym TULIP. In this episode, we talk about unconditional election which is the U in TULIP. This is believed, taught and followed by many in denominational churches Unconditional election claims that before creation God chose certain individuals to be saved and certain individuals to be lost in hell. We will discuss the fact that the Bible consistently teaches that election is conditional based on one's faith and the result of that faith or obedience. We read John 3 verse 16 and include other verses in its context. We talk about the fact that in the context, the individual is doing something in order to come to the light. We look at a number of passages that say that an individual must obey what God and the Lord say in the New Testament. If God had already determined who would be saved and who would be lost, these passages would mean nothing to us. There are a number of passages that say we must obey the Lord's commandments in order to know Him. We look at those and again note that these passages prove unconditional election to be a false doctrine. God also commands all men everywhere to repent. This is another action the men must make the choice to obey and do. So, this leads us to discuss the fact that the Bible says that God desires all men to be saved. We look at what Paul told Timothy about God wanting all men to come to a knowledge of the truth which is the means of leading men to salvation when they obey it. We talk about how this relates to unconditional election. We ran out of time, so we'll have to finish this subject next week. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided for your convenience.

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We begin this episode completing our discussion of Total Depravity which is the T in the acronym TULIP which describes Calvinism. This false teaching is found in most denominations and begins when people are taught that we inherit sin from our parents which began with Adam and Eve. We talk about Paul telling the Christians in Ephesus that we are created for good works, the Hebrew writer says that sin is something that one does willfully and finally, Peter says we will all be judged for not obeying the gospel and living faithfully. We move on to the next portion of the TULIP doctrine which is represented by the letter I which stands for the false doctrine of irresistible grace. We discuss how this doctrine says that the Holy Spirit's inward call cannot be resisted. We look at what Stephen told those Jewish leaders as they were getting ready to stone him, how they resisted the Holy Spirit just as their fathers did. We look at what Jesus said concerning Jerusalem's unwillingness to accept His protection. We note that God's grace is offered to all, not just a select few.  We discuss a number of passages that show this. We then note that salvation is presented to us as an invitation, not an irresistible force. We see that in the last chapter in the Revelation the invitation to come appears three times and is to all people universally. We talk about the fact that making choices is discussed in a number of passages and is incompatible with the compulsion demanded by irresistible grace. We note passages that discuss people who obeyed the gospel and then decided to leave it, showing us, that people have the free will to choose to do so. We look at what Isaiah wrote concerning the Lord pleading with His people to obey Him and return to Him. The implication is that they could and did refuse. This is inconsistent with the false doctrine of irresistible grace. Our conclusion is that grace is certainly powerful, but not irresistible. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what is being said. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided for your convenience.     

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We note from our last session that a Christian can fall away from grace and be lost. We also noted that a fallen Christian can be restored to that state of grace by repenting and confession one's sins to God and He will forgive him. We noted that Paul told the Christians in Ephesus to take up the whole armor of God in order to withstand Satan's fiery darts and we pointed out that if there was no danger of falling away because of Satan's attacks, that passage would not be needed.  We move on in this episode to discuss the false doctrine of what is called Total Depravity which is taught and believed by many who call themselves Christians. Total Depravity teaches that humans are sinful from birth having inherited the sins of their parents. This sin originated with Adam and Eve who passed it to their children and ultimately to the entire human race. We discuss those passages in Genesis where Adam and Eve were deceived by Satan to disobey what God had commanded them. We talk about the consequences of sin and in particular what God said to Adam, Eve and Satan. David spoke of his sin in Psalm 51 and we discuss the correct understanding of what he said. Those who teach Total Depravity misapply this passage along with a number of others. We point out that in Genesis Chapter 8, the Lord says our hearts become evil in our youth, not our birth. We continue this session by discussing what causes sin and the fact that each individual must makes choices of right or wrong that result in sin. Infants and young children have no knowledge of right and wrong. They must be taught the difference by their parents. Our last point in this discussion is to look at what Jesus said concerning who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus used a little child to answer that question. We close this session out by talking about the fact that sin always is a choice just as doing right is always a choice. We read and comment on several passages that show this. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided for your convenience.

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We begin this episode by continuing our discussion of whether a Christian can fall from grace and be lost. We discuss Galatians 5 chapter 1 through 4 where Paul tells the Christians to stand fast. We talk about the implication that a Christian may not stand fast. We move on to notice that Peter warns Christians not to get entangled in the pollutions of the world. This is a clear indication that it is possibility of doing so. We take some time to look at a few of the passages that are used by those who erroneously claim that Christians cannot fall from grace. We move on to discuss the eternal life that a Christian possesses and what this entails. Of course, this includes a discussion of the judgment that all will be subject to by the Lord. We talk about the sins Christians commit and what the Bible says the Christian is to do about it. Jesus tells several parables that are important for us to know that illustrate God's love of His people. We look at these. We close out this episode by talking about sin, its effect upon the Christian, where it comes from and how a Christian can protect from it. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided for your convenience.

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Arnie, Fred and Glenn continue to discuss what Peter said about how important God's word is, noting that within it is contained all things that pertain to life and godliness. We look at Second Peter chapter two verses 2 through 11, noting how many times knowledge is mentioned, and the actions Peter says that if a Christian does, he will never fall. Paul told Timothy that the scriptures are profitable for doctrine and a number of other things that the man of God may be complete. Consequently, we talk about the need for new Christians to study their Bibles and grow in knowledge so they will not stumble and fall, which many denominations teach it is impossible for a Christian to do. We discuss what Paul said to the Christians in Corinth about being vigilant so that they wouldn't fall. We note that Paul used an illustration of one running in a race and the preparation needed and the requirement to follow the rules in order to win the crown. We discuss the race and the crown the Christian seeks and how this relates to Paul's illustration. We find that the Hebrew writer uses the Israelites in the wilderness as examples of those who failed to trust and obey God and the consequences of that. The Hebrew writer then shows that some Christians do the same thing not trusting and obeying God and depart from Him. We talk about how important it is for members of the local church to help one another, encourage one another to live faithfully and how this is lacking in some churches. The Hebrew writer has some very specific words about Christians who fall away and what this means. Later on, the Hebrew writer discusses willful sin and the fact that this leads to one falling away. We have a good discussion about this. Paul writes to the Galatian Christians about them considering returning to the law of Moses and the problem with them doing so. We discuss this and note that numerous denominations today continue some of the practices found in the law of Moses which has been done away. We begin looking at what Peter said about Christians becoming entangled again in the pollutions of the world that they had escaped. However, we ran out of time before finishing it. We will begin that discussion in the next episode. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided for your convenience.

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In this episode, we continue our discussion about faith and works that James relates to us in Chapter 2. In verse 16 James tells us that the demons believe and tremble. We talk about why this is important for us to know and how that relates to faith and works. James then tells us what makes faith dead. He tells us this important fact a number of times in chapter 2. We note the example he uses of Abraham and what he did in offering his son as a sacrifice that James uses to illustrate faith and works. James also uses Rahab's hiding of the spies and why this is also important for us to know about her faith. We note the conclusion that James draws in verse 24. We close out this study of faith and works by noting the problem that most denominations have with this issue. We move on to talk about whether a Christian can fall away or be lost. Is it true that once an individual is saved, becomes a Christian, he is always saved and cannot be lost? We note that this is a false doctrine that comes from the theology of John Calvin. We look at what sin is and how that relates to being lost. Then, we look at the Bible passages that show that a child of God can indeed live in sin and be lost. We spend some time with what we know as the Beatitudes of Jesus and how important they are to us. We close out this episode by reading 2 Peter 1:2-11 and run out of time to discuss it. We will begin our next episode with a discussion of those passages. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on what we have to say. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided for your convenience.

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Arnie, Fred and Glenn begin this episode by looking at what Paul said about his conversion and specifically what Ananias told him about his baptism. We look at a number of other passages that say something about baptism that tell us how important it is. We briefly look at hearing the gospel and believing it and what believing entails. We encourage our listeners to compare what the Bible says with what the church you are a member of teaches, with the purpose ultimately to follow what the Bible says because it is the word of God, our guide and pattern to follow. We move on to notice that the Lord adds the saved to His church. One does not join the Lord's church like so many denominations teach. We talk about the phrase "obey the gospel" and note that it is used in 2 Thessalonians 1:8 showing us it is a scriptural phrase and has meaning. We discuss its meaning and how that is related to salvation. We note how Paul relates salvation to running a race and how he makes that application. The Hebrew writer also mentions this, and we look at that. We talk about how obeying the gospel is more than just a mental belief in God and Jesus. Jesus had mentioned two paths at one point, and we take some time to discuss them. We close this episode out by beginning a discussion of faith and works and what the Bible says as opposed to what many denominations teach. We will begin our next episode with a continuation of this subject. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided for your convenience.