Redeeming God Podcast

In Romans 5:12, Paul writes that through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. Almost everybody thinks that Paul is referring to the event in Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. But is this what Paul has in mind? It doesn't seem so ... To leave a comment or view the manuscript, visit:...

What is the crown of life, and how is it earned? Is the crown of life the same thing as eternal life? This study answers these questions, and also looks at James 1:12 and Revelation 2:10, the two passages that discuss the crown of life. To leave a comment or view the transcript, go here: https://redeeminggod.com/what-is-the-crown-of-life/

There are several verses in the Bible which seem to teach that you need to make a public confession of Jesus in order to be saved. One of these is Romans 10:9-10. Many people interpret this to mean that if you do not let others know that you are a follower of Jesus, then you do not truly have eternal life and will therefore not spend eternity with God in heaven. To comment on this study, or read t...

Does 1 John 1:9 mean that if we do not confess our sins to God, He will not forgive us? No, the truth is that God has already forgiven you for all your sins, past, present, and future. So what does 1 John 1:9 mean? This podcast episode explains more. To leave a comment or read the transcript for this study, visit: https://redeeminggod.com/confess-1-john-1-9/

The titles Christ or Messiah refer to someone who has received a special anointing by God to perform a specific task or purpose. Such a definition is true of every anointed person, whether it is a king, a prophet, a priest, or Jesus Himself. This article defines the word Christ and considers John 20:31 and how a proper understanding of the title Christ helps us understand the offer and invitation...

Can you be blotted out of the book of life? Some think so. The reason that some people wonder if they can be blotted out of the book of life is because passages like Revelation 3:5 seem seem to indicate that this is a distinct possibility. However, when you understand what the Book of Life actually is, you will also come to understand what Revelation 3:5 actually means. To leave a comment or view...

According to 1 John 1:7-10, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from sin by exposing sin for what it is and then calling us to no longer live in the way of sacred violence. The blood of Jesus is not a spiritual antidote to sin which somehow removes the polluting presence of sin from our lives. Instead, the blood of Jesus exposes our sacred violence to us so that we can see in our own lives how we make...

You and I can forgive others without requiring them to shed their blood. So why do some Christians teach that God requires the shedding of blood in order to forgive us? One reason is because of Hebrews 9:22 which says that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. But Hebrews 9:22 does not teach what most people think it teaches. This study gives 10 reasons why Hebrews 9:22 d...

In Ephesians 1:7 and Ephesians 2;13 we learn that we have redemption through the blood of Jesus because He redeemed us from our sinful and violent way of living and revealed to us God's way of living. His bloody death released us from addiction to sin and scapegoating, and showed us how to live in the way of love and forgiveness. To leave a comment or view the transcript, visit: https://redeemingg...

Did Jesus die so that God could forgive your sins? In other words, did God need a blood sacrifice in order to love and forgive you? Did Jesus purchase the forgiveness of sins for us from God? Some people say Yes, and uses passages like Matthew 26:28 to defend this idea. In this study, I provide a different explanation of Matthew 26:28, showing you that the blood of Jesus was NOT shed to purchase f...

Lots of people wonder why the Bible is so bloody ... that is, why there is so much violence and bloodshed in the Bible. Jesus explains why in Matthew 23:29-35. His shocking summary of the Bible will cause you to read Scripture and understand humanity in a completely new way. To view the transcript or leave a comment, visit: https://redeeminggod.com/bible-so-bloody/

When you were baptized, what words were said? Do you remember? Some people look to Matthew 28:19-20 as the proper words for baptism, while others look to the practice of the Apostles in Acts. In this study, I dispel this entire baptism debate with one crazy suggestion. Listen to it and let me know what you think! To leave a comment or view the shownotes, visit: https://redeeminggod.com/matthew-28-...

In 1 Peter 3:21, it appears that Peter is saying that we must be baptized in order to be saved. He writes that baptism saves us. But if this is true, then how is eternal life by faith alone and not of works? To leave a comment or view the shownotes, visit: https://redeeminggod.com/baptism-1-peter-3-21/

First Corinthians 9:27 is sometimes quoted to show that not even Paul was certain that he would go to heaven when he died. Paul writes that he keeps close watch over his body so that he does not end up disqualified (adokimos). So what does this verse mean? To leave a comment or view the shownotes, visit: https://redeeminggod.com/1-corinthians-9-27-disqualified/

Several years ago, I was interviewed by Jason Wiedel for his podcast. For some reason, he never aired this interview. I don't know why. But I am airing it now. Enjoy! To leave a comment, visit https://redeeminggod.com/interview-jason-wiedel/

Modern adoption was not like ancient adoption. It was not about giving parents to a child who had none, but was about giving honor and inheritance to a child who had done something good for the family. It was about naming a child as an heir. This helps us understand passages like Romans 8:17. To leave a comment or view the shownotes, visit: https://redeeminggod.com/romans_9_4_adoption/

Some Christians use Galatians 1:8-9 as a proof text for the bad behavior of cursing other people. But Paul was not actually cursing others in Galatians 1:8-9. He was making a joke about circumcision. This podcast explains more. To view the shownotes or leave a comment, visit: https://redeeminggod.com/galatians-1-8-9/

Did you know that many of the New Testament letters are actually dialogues between the author and a teacher he is trying to refute? This form of writing is called Epistolary Diatribe. I introduce this idea in this article, and give you several examples. This podcast episode is somewhat in response to Greg Boyd and the question he asked me at the ReKnew conference. To leave a comment or view the sh...

Does Paul pronounce a curse on anyone who does not love Jesus? Does this sound like Paul? Should you and I be cursing people who do not love Jesus? Would Jesus Himself do this? I say NO to all these questions in this post. To leave a comment or view the shownotes, visit: https://redeeminggod.com/curse-for-not-loving-jesus-1-corinthians-16-22/

Some use 1 Corinthians 12:3 as a way to determine who is a true Christian, or who is possessed by a demon. But this is a poor understanding of 1 Corinthians 12:3 (and terrible theology!). What do you think 1 Corinthians 12:3 mean? Read my post to get my view. To leave a comment or view the shownotes, visit: https://redeeminggod.com/1-corinthians-12-3-true-christian/

In Romans 9:3, Paul writes that he wishes to be accursed from Christ for his brethren, the Jewish people. Is Paul saying that he wished he could go to hell if it would mean that his Jewish brethren would believe in Jesus and become Christians? I think not, but what do you think? To leave a comment or view the shownotes, visit: https://redeeminggod.com/paul-hell-romans-9-3/

To properly understand the Gospel, we need to understand the biblical terms related to the gospel. One of these key words is the word abide. This article provides a short definition and looks at a few key texts from 1 John that use the word abide. To leave a comment or view the shownotes, visit: https://redeeminggod.com/1-john-believers-will-not-sin/

What is the book of Jonah all about? Is it about God’s heart for all the people of the world? Is it about how God wants you to get involved in world missions? No, it is not about either one of these things, even though this is often the way you hear it taught in sermons and during Mission’s Conferences. In this final study of the book of Jonah, you will learn what the book of Jonah is all about. T...

Jonah 4:10-11 contain the final question of God to Jonah. But Jonah does not answer. The ending of the story is very abrupt. We will see why in the final study of Jonah next week. For now, we learn that God loves all people, even those we consider evil. To leave a comment or view the show notes, visit: https://redeeminggod.com/jonah_4_10-11/

Have you ever been disgusted with God? So disgusted with how God lets evil go unchecked, and how God doesn’t seem to protect you or your family or your plans, or how God seems to bless the wicked people while not helping the righteous? Have you ever been so disgusted with how God seems to behave that you didn’t want anything to do with Him? I have felt that way before. And so did Jonah. Jonah was...