Talks with Dad Rod

Ted asks about the idea of the Bible being inerrant, or without error. Rod talks about recent history of differing positions on the subject, across denominations, and what Jesus' opinion was of the Old Testament and how He spoke as though historical events recorded in the Old Testament actually happened, and how Jesus' position on the Old Testament is what Christians should believe and follow.

Ted asks about how people can have knowledge of anything at all. Rod talks about why he abandoned his med schooling, and went to study under Dr. Montgomery, and how Dr. Montgomery began with building the case for Christianity from the four Gospels, and whether they are good historical sources and trustworthy, or not.

Ted and Rod have an unusually candid father-and-son conversation about fathers and personal struggle with sin and faith, and what it means to receive grace from our earthly fathers.

Ted asks about what Jesus' 'narrow is the way/gate' statement in Matthew 7 means for us Christians in our daily lives. Rod talks about what it doesn't mean, what 'narrow' refers to, and the freedom Christians have when it comes to bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ's Gospel to the whole world.

Ted asks about the necessity of the law for the Christian believer. Rod talks about Agricola and how Martin Luther was counseling him about the law and the Gospel, and what we sinners should expect from our pastors, and why a proper balance is important for sinners, even believing ones.

Ted asks about what Jesus said about removing body parts if they're causing him to sin. Rod talks about what Jesus reveals to us about our true fallen nature and how much we need a savior to rescue us, how dark our inherited sin is, and that we can trust that the miracle of Jesus' resurrection is true.

Ted asks about if the Christian needs continued forgiveness if he or she has already been forgiven. Rod talks about God the gracious Giver and we no more than sinful recipients, and Dad's own need for forgiveness and basing his understanding of that need in God's word.

Ted asks about whether our youngest children are capable of having saving faith, referencing Matthew 21:15-16. Rod talks about how he used to have his students study all the Scripture verses on baptism, what God says about children and faith, and Jesus' response to the idea of kids being prevented from coming to Him.

Ted asks how Jesus' atonement and sacrifice on the cross works. Rod talks about several important books on the subject, about adoption, reconciliation, propitiation, imputed righteousness, how Melanchthon and Luther tangled on the subject, and what it means for sinners to be reckoned AS IF righteous in this life.

Ted asks about what Paul meant regarding the relationship between sin and the law. Rod talks about how the law affects the sinner, the realities of our sinful condition when we think about improvement, where salvation must come from, and considers the quality of people with whom Jesus spent His time.

Ted asks about 2 Corinthians 3:6 and how literally we should interpret Scripture. Rod talks about what sinners bring to their faith and salvation, the importance of having a law/Gospel distinction, and why reading Scripture correctly and well and accurately is important.

Ted asks about whether or not Jesus is actually risen from the dead. Rod talks about how the claims of Christianity could theoretically be overthrown, and returns to the powerful historical evidence behind the truth of Christ's resurrection actually taking place in human history.

Ted asks about what the Bible tells us about Jesus Christ and atonement. Rod talks about what's going on on the cross, what Jesus went though, why it needed to happen, and what makes Christianity Christianity.

Ted asks about assurance in light of Matthew 24:13, when we don't feel like we're enduring. Rod talks about the struggle being typical for sinners who are sensitive to their inner disobedience and their disinclination to Christ, but then speaks of good news for such people, including confirmation of what believers faithfully do in their vocations every day.

Ted asks about whether Christians should give things up for Lent. Rod offers up some different conversations like, "How does the cross work? Why is the cross so important in Christianity?", and the words that are associated with it: Reconciliation, Adoption, and the idea of Substitution.

Ted asks about the 'unpardonable sin' we read about in Luke 12:10. Rod talks about how little textual clarification we get about that verse, where Scripture talks about apostasy, the importance of the 'means of grace' in regard to 'God's answer to our fretting', and why it is important that it is the Object of our faith that saves, which is Christ, and what assurance and consolation we can get fro...

Ted asks about what the Romans 5:8 verse means. Rod talks about the effect that the law has on sinners and what it makes sinners do, and that, though sinners may be tempted to think the law enables them to follow it, it actually has an opposite effect, and where sinners are to go for assurance of salvation and consolation, even in light of our ongoing sin.

Ted asks about what the term 'gospel reductionism' means. Rod talks about Dr. John Montgomery coining the term, the importance of a high view of Scripture, from the first century to the eighteenth, and about the tangles that were had in the LCMS relatively recently over the view of Scripture and inerrancy and its inspiration from God, and why a high view of Scripture is critical.

Ted asks about what cheap law means, particularly in the face of the idea of cheap grace. Rod talks about sinners' inclination to lower the demands of the law so that we can meet those demands, and just what our real inherited 'sin condition' is and why we truly need rescue, and are, in reality, incapable of even coming close to meeting the law's demands. SHOW NOTES: Support the show - https://www...

Ted asks if Christians need forgiveness after conversion. Rod talks about what St. Paul describes about his Christian faith in Romans 7 and his struggles with his sin while remaining faithful, and God's forgiving nature, and what it means for Christians to be regularly and constantly forgiven for their sins throughout their whole lives, even while they believe in Christ. SHOW NOTES: Support the sh...

Ted asks about whether we can forgive one another in the name of Jesus Christ and if that is God's real forgiveness. Rod talks about where believers are given that ability, from Scripture, and whether only called pastors and priests can forgive sins in Christ's stead, or if any believer can. SHOW NOTES: Support the show - https://www.1517.org/donate

Ted asks about what discipleship looks like in Lutheranism. Rod talks about law and the Gospel, the message we can sometimes receive from church about discipleship, and investigates it through the Lutheran doctrine of vocation and Christian liberty. SHOW NOTES: William Hordern, "Living by Grace" - https://www.amazon.com/Living-Grace-William-Hordern/dp/1592440630/ Support the show - https://www.151...

Ted asks about what God empowers believers with in the New Testament versus the Old Testament. Rod talks about what preachers and teachers should look for (and find) in both the Old and New Testaments and what their focus should on be for sinners. SHOW NOTES: Support the show - https://www.1517.org/donate

Ted asks about the Lutheran position on discipleship under the Great Commission in Lutheranism. Rod talks about what the Bible is about, how churches can fail in their message, and discusses what effect teaching with a focus on law has on believers, versus teaching with a focus on Christ and His Gospel. SHOW NOTES: Support the show - https://www.1517.org/donate

Ted asks about what it means if he avoids doing something he feels the Holy Spirit has told him to do. Rod talks about the reformers' position on direct revelation, outside of Scripture, and why Sola Scriptura is important. And yet Dad also confirms the Great Commission and looks at it through the lens of the Lutheran Doctrine of Vocation. SHOW NOTES: Gene Veith, "God at Work" - https://www.amazon...