Wednesday in the Word

Paul opens 1 Corinthians not with scolding but with a greeting that quietly raises life-and-death questions. In this first episode on 1 Corinthians 1:1–9, Krisan explores how Paul’s introduction challenges easy assumptions about salvation, church life, and spiritual maturity—inviting us to see faith not as a finished transaction but as a lifelong response to the call of Christ.  In this week’s epi...

Paul’s time in Corinth was marked by both turmoil and unusual protection. In this episode on Acts 18, Krisan traces how God plants a church in one of the most decadent cities of the ancient world and prepares us to understand the letters of 1 and 2 Corinthians by first seeing the city, the culture, and the people Paul met there.  In this week’s episode, we explore: Why Corinth’s geography, wealth,...

Many sincere Christians know the promises of the gospel but still quietly wonder, “Am I really safe with God—especially when I still sin?”   In this episode on 1 John 5:13–21, we walk through John’s closing words and see how he means to give believers settled confidence: confidence that they truly have eternal life, that their sin cannot ultimately undo it, and that the message they’ve believed is...

What does it really mean to be a child of God and how can we know we have eternal life?  In this episode on 1 John 5:1–12, we trace John’s argument from love to faith: those who believe that Jesus is the Christ are born of God, they learn to love God’s children, and they discover that God’s commands are not a crushing burden but the shape of a new heart. At the center stands God’s own testimony ab...

“God is love” is one of the most familiar phrases in the Bible—but what does it actually mean, and how does it change the way we live?  In this episode on 1 John 4:7–19, we explore how God’s self-giving love in Christ not only rescues us from judgment but also reshapes our hearts, freeing us from fear and teaching us to love others with the same costly, other-focused love.  In this week’s episode,...

In a culture overflowing with spiritual voices, opinions, and platforms, 1 John 4:1–6 calls us to something surprisingly countercultural: do not believe everything you hear—even when it comes “in the name of Jesus.” Instead, John urges believers to test the spirits by what they say about Christ, how they handle the apostolic gospel, and the kind of life that flows from their teaching.  In this wee...

Love is central to the Christian life but what kind of love actually marks someone as a child of God?  In this episode on 1 John 3:13–24, we wrestle with John’s strong language about hate, murder, and eternal life, and see how he distinguishes ordinary human affection from the self-giving, Christ-shaped love that grows out of saving faith.  In this week’s episode, we explore: Why the world’s hatre...

Verses like “No one who abides in Him sins” can leave tender consciences in turmoil: If I still struggle, does that mean I’m not really a Christian?   In this episode on 1 John 2:29–3:12, we walk through this challenging passage and see how John is not demanding sinless perfection, but describing the family resemblance of God’s children: people who take sin seriously, love righteousness, and are l...

in a world that prizes open-mindedness and reinvents Christianity every generation, 1 John 2:18–28 calls us back to something older, simpler, and far more solid.  In this episode, we look at John’s warning about “many antichrists,” his insistence that some ideas really are lies, and his invitation to cling to the original apostolic message about who Jesus is and what He has done.  In this week’s e...

When talk of “true and false believers” starts to hit close to home, it is easy to quietly panic: What if I’m not really saved?   In this episode on 1 John 2:12–17, we watch John pause his warnings long enough to reassure his readers that he sees real faith in them—little children, young men, and fathers—and then urge them not to give their hearts to a world that is already passing away.  In this...

When Christians disagree, how do we know which issues are essential and which ones we can hold more loosely? In this episode on 1 John 2:1–11, we look at how John helps us sort through that question by pointing to two non-negotiables: who Jesus is and how we understand sin and righteousness. Along the way, we see how Jesus, our righteous Advocate and the propitiation for our sins, anchors both our...

1 John 1:5–10 brings us face to face with a hard but hopeful truth: God is pure light, and we are not. In this episode, we look at what it really means to “walk in the light,” why genuine Christians are honest about their sin, and how confession is grounded not in guilt or fear but in trust that God is faithful to forgive.  In this week’s episode, we explore: Why self-help strategies can’t change...

The opening verses of 1 John confront a question that feels very modern: in a world full of persuasive, polished, and competing voices, whose message about Jesus can you trust?  In this episode, we look at 1 John 1:1–4, where the apostle John grounds the Christian gospel in eyewitness testimony and a clear purpose: to proclaim the “word of life” so that believers might share true fellowship with G...

Peter closes 2 Peter with a sobering and hopeful vision: this world as we know it will end, Christ will return, and God will make a new creation where righteousness truly dwells. In this episode on 2 Peter 3:10–18, we explore how the promise of the “day of the Lord” is meant not to fuel speculation, but to shape how we live right now—awake, repentant, and eager for the kingdom to come.  In this we...

Peter’s simple line, “with the Lord one day is as a thousand years,” has fueled centuries of debate about God’s patience, judgment, and our salvation. In this episode on 2 Peter 3:8–9, we look at how Peter answers the mockers who say Jesus will never return, how this passage sits at the crossroads of Reformed and Arminian theology, and why God’s “delay” is actually an expression of merciful patien...

Peter turns our attention to the “point of it all”: why God spoke through the prophets and apostles, why Jesus came, and why His return matters for how we live right now. In this episode on 2 Peter 3:1–7, we look at how Peter reminds weary believers of the unified message of Scripture—and how that message answers the mockers who say nothing will ever really change.  In this week’s episode, we expl...

Peter ends 2 Peter 2 with some of his starkest language yet: false teachers are “waterless springs” who promise freedom but are themselves slaves of corruption, leading others back into the very sins the gospel calls us to leave behind. In this episode on 2 Peter 2:17–22, we look at how Peter exposes the tragedy of a distorted gospel that ignores repentance, and why returning to a life of unrepent...

Peter’s portrait of Balaam is not a curious Old Testament aside—it is a mirror held up to the false teachers disturbing his readers. In this episode on 2 Peter 2:13–16, we trace how Peter uses the story of Balaam and his talking donkey to expose teachers driven by greed, willing to endanger the people of God if it means gain for themselves, and to reassure believers that God sees and rebukes such...

Peter’s language about “glorious ones,” angels, and irrational animals in 2 Peter 2:10–12 can feel opaque, but the heart of the passage is very human: arrogant teachers treating God and His truth with casual contempt.  In this episode, we walk slowly through one of the trickiest sections of 2 Peter, tracing Peter’s argument, following the parallel in Jude, and seeing how an ancient question about...

Peter strings together the stories of Noah, the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, and righteous-but-imperfect Lot to make one stark point: God’s judgment is certain, and so is His rescue of those who trust Him. In this episode on 2 Peter 2:5–10, we look at how these historical examples expose the false security of rebellious teachers, steady anxious believers, and call us to see our own lives in light of...

We pause over a single dense verse—2 Peter 2:4 to tackle one of the strangest questions in the New Testament: what is going on with angels, judgment, and the book of 1 Enoch? In this episode, we explore how Peter uses a well-known piece of Jewish fiction to make a serious point about God’s consistent judgment on rebellion, without treating that story as Scripture.  In this week’s episode, we explo...

In a world shaped by emotion, stories, and confirmation bias, faithful Bible study requires humility, patience, and a willingness to be corrected by the text. This episode offers three practical tips for approaching Scripture with discernment, testing our interpretations carefully, and learning not only what we believe, but why we believe it.  In this week’s episode, we explore:  Why “post-truth”...

False teachers, borrowed ideas, and coming judgment all converge in 2 Peter 2:1–3. In this episode, we look at why Peter’s warning about destructive heresies still matters today, how it connects to the letter of Jude, and what it means to stay grounded in the apostolic gospel when “Christian” teaching drifts toward greed, sensuality, and self-promotion.  In this week’s episode, we explore: Why 2 P...

Peter knows his time is short, and he uses it to do one crucial thing: remind believers of what is already true. In this episode on 2 Peter 1:12–21, we look at why the Christian life is not about chasing new ideas, but about staying awake to the gospel we’ve already received—and why we can trust that gospel as the very word of God in a dark and confusing world.  In this week’s episode, we explore:...

Peter closes his list of virtues in 2 Peter 1:7–11 by focusing on two simple but searching words: brotherly affection and love. In this episode, we look at how love for fellow believers and love for all people both flow from the gospel, and how these growing qualities help us see our faith—and our future with Christ—more clearly.  In this week’s episode, we explore: What Peter means by “brotherly...