Bible in Life

What is the armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-17? How do you put it on so you can stand firm?  In the passage, the apostle Paul uses the imagery of a Roman soldier (it was very familiar to the original audience) to picture what Christians should wear to deal with the spiritual battle we face on a daily basis. The whole point of the passage is standing firm against the spiritual forces of wickedness,...

The Bible Project is probably the best online Bible teaching resource. And Tim Mackie is a key part of it. If you've ever watched a Bible Project video, Tim is the voice. In this interview we talk about the backstory to Tim's life and the Bible Project. It basically works like this: how one church decided to reach out to the skate community and that led to one of the most influential Bible resourc...

The apostle Paul writes, "You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you" (Romans 8:9). If you are a Christian, you have undergone such a radical change that you are a totally different kind of human being. You are not a flesh-person; you are a Spirit-person! That means God's very own Spirit - the Holy Spirit - lives in you and enables you to live a new and d...

How can your days be marked by life and peace? The apostle Paul knows the secret, and in Romans 8:1-9 he shares that secret with you and me. Romans 8 is Paul’s grand, climactic solution to all the problems of sin, death, and condemnation that we see in the world all around us.  Paul says God solved all these problem now and forever in Jesus.  Paul has already told us that trying to keep God’s law...

Romans 7:13-25. "The things want to do I don't do and the things I don't want to do, I do." Can you identify with the struggle with sin the apostle Paul describes? I think many of us do.  And because we identify with it, we easily miss the point of what he says! That's not the best communication strategy, right. Like, you're talking to someone and they say something that makes you think of somethi...

Have you ever heard someone say something like "the Old Testament is just a bunch of rules and rituals"? Or that "the Old Testament is full of legalism, but the New Testament is full of grace." It's not uncommon for Christians to speak negatively about the Old Testament, especially about the Law, as legalistic rules (even if most wouldn't go as far as Andy Stanley and say we need to unhitch oursel...

In Romans 7, the apostle Paul begins to explain why the Old Testament Law (the Torah) is no longer in charge of God's people. In this episode, we explore Romans 7:1-6, which is the second part of Paul's answer to the question of why shouldn't we sin because we're not under the Law but under grace.  Paul believed that the Law got tangled up with sin and led to death (this isn't because the Law is b...

In Romans 6:15-23, Paul is helping us further understand why no longer living in sin is the only real option for us. God's grace doesn't only free us from the penalty of sin; it also frees us from the power of sin! That means we can actually obey God now. And that is super good news, because sin is poison and leads to death but righteousness leads to life ... real, lasting, eternal life! So once a...

Since you are dead to sin, you need to live like it! Paul's treatment is very balanced in Romans 6. He assures us that we've died to sin - that's the truth about us. But even though that's true and we're dead to sin, sin is not dead. So we have to intentionally rearrange our life to live out the freedom we've been given. In Romans 6:12-14, Paul gives very concrete plan for how to do that.  ▶️FREE...

Romans 6:1-11 is one of the most powerful passages for understanding who you are and for living your Christian life. It explains why you don't have to sin anymore and the first step to living out the new freedom you have in Christ.  ▶️FREE RESOURCES: Get the “Read the Bible Right” bundle at https://www.johnwhittaker.net/free-resources . ▶️INTRO TO THE BIBLE COURSE: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/ge...

On this episode, we're beginning a new series through Romans 6-8. This section of the Bible teaches truths that are incredibly powerful for dealing with temptation and living the Christian life but are so often overlooked. Subscribe so you don't miss an episode! And don't forget to share the Bible in Life with your friends.  ▶️FREE RESOURCES: Get the Bible reading and praying bundle at johnwhittak...

In the 1 year birthday episode, I reflect on the past year. I offer stats to explain why online resources are a necessary part of making disciples today and share my heart for this podcast and online Bible teaching ministry.  ▶️BIBLE INTRO COURSE: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/get-a-grip-on-the-bible ▶️SUPPORT THE SHOW: Become a patron for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking...

What about hell? What does the Bible teach about that? Is hell just? __ Resources and Ways to Connect with Me: ▶️GET STARTED READING THE BIBLE RIGHT: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/podcast   ▶️YOUTUBE: I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker ▶️SUPPORT THE SHOW: 1. Become a patron for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by...

There are things that happen in life that are just heavy. But ... the weight of the glory to come is much heavier. The heaviness of life doesn't even compare to the weight of glory. And thus, we can live not lose heart! In response to this episode, I'd encourage you to memorize 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.  ▶️Be sure to check out Surprised by Hope, by N. T. Wright at  https://amzn.to/2X5fCJ1  (note this...

Continuing to look at what our hope in Christ consists of, this episode explores the most important element of our hope, the thing without which our hope really wouldn't be good. John looks at Philippians 1, 2 Corinthians 5, several Psalms, revelation 21 all to show that our hope will be our hearts deepest longing satisfied once and for all! Bible in Life is a listener supported show. There are tw...

It's common to reduce judgment day to the time when God will decide who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. But judgment day is so much more than that. In the Bible, when God comes as judge is looked forward to with overwhelming anticipation - it's a day you can't wait for! Why is that? Take a listen.  Patreon -  https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker  - if you want to hear some of my thoughts on...

In this episode of the Bible in Life, I explore Revelation 22 and show it connects with Genesis 2, providing the perfect conclusion to the story of the Bible. As such, it offers a resolution to our story that better than we could have ever dreamed of! 1. Get my free guide "The #1 Key to being Changed by the Bible" at  https://www.johnwhittaker.net . 2. The Bible in Life is a listener supported sho...

Let's be honest - war is awful! Anyone who's ever been a part of it knows that. The effects on cultures and countries goes way beyond the war itself. God's got a plan to eliminate war, and that's part of our hope!   1. Here's the link to the church subscription page mentioned in this episode.  https://www.johnwhittaker.net/copy-of-church-subscriptions 2. Here's the link to the Bible Survey course...

One of the major themes in Christian hope is the return of Jesus. First Thessalonians 4:13-18 is one of the key texts talking about that. This study looks at the some of the background info that helps us understand that passage in its original context, and in doing so, raises questions about the popular rapture theology.  1. To buy the two books I mentioned in this episode (these are affiliate lin...

As a follower of Jesus, what's your ultimate destiny? That is, what's your ultimate hope? If you're like a lot of Christians I talk to, then there's a good chance it's actually something different than you think! Check out this Bible study of 2 Peter 3:10-13.  1. To buy the two books I mentioned in this episode (these are affiliate links, which means using these links helps me out a little bit): -...

Every time passages about hope (eschatology) show up in the New Testament letters, they are always connected in some way to Christian living ... to perseverance, to holiness, to grief, or some such thing. In other words, Christian hope fuels Christian living. The stronger our hope, the stronger our faithfulness!   1. Parenting book - www.preparethemtoflourish.com 2. Two ways you can support the sh...

We need hope. Our world needs hope. But ... Why hope? Is it just blind optimism? Isn't pessimism more in touch with reality?  This episode begins a new series on hope in the Bible.  Resources and ways to connect with John: 1. Parenting book: http://www.preparethemtoflourish.com 2. Online Bible Courses:  https://www.johnwhittaker.net/courses 3. Two ways you can support the show: -Become a patron fo...

The religious leaders of Jesus' day didn't think God would welcome and eat with immoral people. Jesus disagreed. And in the parable of the prodigal son, found in Luke 15, Jesus paints a beautiful portrayal of God that should encourage immoral and moral people alike to receive the Father's compassion and generosity.  Check out John's new parenting book Prepare Them to Flourish at preparethemtoflour...

You should get _____ because you deserve it! Fill in that blank with whatever - promotion, scholarship, etc. We're used to getting what you deserve. And every cultural - which means everyone of us - has a measuring stick to determine who should be first and who shouldn't be.  But God doesn't calculate worthiness. He deals with us differently.  That's the point of the parable of the laborers in the...

In this episode I explore the parable of the 10 Virgins in Matthew 25:1-13. It's a bit of a sobering parable, calling us to seriousness and focus and preparation in our relationship with Jesus. There's a party coming ... a whole new day coming, in fact. And we don't want to miss out by being half-hearted or cavalier in our walk with God.  Also, this is the result of a suggestion/question by a list...