Wednesday in the Word

How should Christians respond when political leaders, officials, or other authority figures make life harder? In 1 Timothy 2:1–8, Paul calls believers to replace anger and resentment with prayer, especially prayer for the salvation of those they may distrust, oppose, or even feel oppressed by. In this week’s episode, we explore: Why Paul urges believers to pray for all people, including kings and...

Before he was an apostle, Paul had believers put to death . He was so notorious that when God sent a man named Ananias to help him, Ananias begged to be sent anywhere else. In 1 Timothy 1:12-20, Paul looks back at that history and draws a surprising conclusion: God didn't show him mercy in spite of how far gone he was. He showed him mercy because of it, so that no one, in any generation, coul...

Not every confident Bible teacher is leading you toward the truth. In Ephesus, some teachers sounded impressive, quoted the Law with authority, and drew a following. But Paul says they were doing real damage, because they didn't understand what they were talking about. This episode walks through 1 Timothy 1:5-11 to uncover the real test Paul gives Timothy for spotting sound Bible teaching, an...

Would you pick a quiet, unproven thirty-something to lead a church in crisis? Paul did. In 1 Timothy 1:1-4, he hands Timothy, a young pastor with no impressive pedigree and a hesitant personality, the task of confronting false teachers in one of the most spiritually chaotic cities in the ancient world. This episode explores why Paul trusted him anyway, and what that choice reveals about the kind o...

Timothy has been left in Ephesus with an intimidating assignment: confront false teachers, restore order, and guide a divided community without Paul beside him. Why did Paul trust this relatively young leader with such a difficult task and what does their story reveal about the real purpose of 1 Timothy? In this episode, we meet the two men behind the letter and uncover the central question that w...

For fifteen years, the Wednesday in the Word podcast has been exploring what the Bible means and how we know. Now, as we begin our 28th season, we’re turning to a letter that asks an urgent and surprisingly modern question: How should the truth of the gospel shape the way Christians live? Season 28 on 1 Timothy starts September 2. We’ll follow Paul’s argument verse by verse, paying close attention...

This episode closes the Start Strong series by asking a question many believers quietly carry: if we are no longer under the law, what keeps us from drifting back into sin? In Galatians 5:13–24, Paul’s message is both freeing and searching: true faith does not lead us to use freedom as an excuse for sin, but to become people who increasingly love what is good.  In this week’s episode, we explore:...

This episode explores why believers can have real confidence that their hope in God will not fail. In Romans 5:1–11, Krisan Marotta explains that salvation does not rest on the strength of our love for God, but instead on God's love for us. In this week’s episode, we explore:  What it means to have peace with God   Why biblical hope is not wishful thinking, but confident expectation   What Pa...

This episode explores how the Holy Spirit gives believers real assurance that they belong to God. Looking closely at Ephesians 1:13–23, Krisan Marotta explains that the Spirit is not only the fulfillment of God’s promises, but also God’s seal of ownership and his guarantee that he will bring his people safely into their promised inheritance.  In this week’s episode, we explore:  What Paul means wh...

You can look faithful on the outside and still be building your life around the wrong treasure. In this epsidoe, Krisan Marotta walks through Matthew 6:19–24 and shows how Jesus exposes the false security of worldly wealth, approval, and success. The real issue is not simply money, but whatever we cling to for meaning, safety, and hope instead of trusting the promises of God.  In this week’s episo...

Authority and submission often feel like problems to solve or power struggles to survive. In this episode, Krisan Marotta explores Colossians 3:18–4:1 and shows how Paul reframes those relationships through the gospel. Rather than asking how to protect ourselves or get our way, Paul calls us to live as people who belong to Christ, acting in every role with humility, responsibility, and trust in Go...

In this episode of Wednesday in the Word , Krisan Marotta returns to Genesis 2:15–25 to recover a biblical vision of marriage—not as a checklist of moral rules, but as God’s beautiful design for human intimacy and flourishing. By watching how God creates Adam and Eve, Krisan shows why marriage is God’s wise provision for a need we were made to have: the need to know and be known in a uniquely huma...

In this episode of Wednesday in the Word , Krisan Marotta walks through 1 Corinthians 6:9–14 to answer a question many believers quietly carry: If I still struggle with sin, does that mean I’m not truly saved? Paul’s warning is sobering, but it’s not meant to crush the repentant struggler. Instead, it exposes the danger of self-deception and clarifies the difference between stumbling into sin and...

Today's passage is one of the "See For Yourself" passages Chapter 8 of Start Strong: A New Believer’s Guide to Christianity .  Do you ever feel like a trial has you cornered, like you have to choose between trusting God or taking matters into your own hands? In this episode, we walk through James 1:1–8 and learn why James can say to “count it all joy” when life gets hard.  In this w...

Today's passage is one of the "See For Yourself" passages Chapter 7 of Start Strong: A New Believer’s Guide to Christianity .  In 1 Corinthians 12:1–3, Paul speaks to a church that’s confused about what makes someone “spiritual.” The Corinthians had started treating dramatic experiences—especially speaking in tongues—as proof that God was truly at work.  Paul redirects them to somet...

Today's passage is one of the "See For Yourself" passages Chapter 6 of Start Strong: A New Believer’s Guide to Christianity .  In Matthew 10:40–42, Jesus makes a startling connection: the way we welcome His people reveals the way we welcome Him and, ultimately, the God who sent Him. This episode clarifies what it means to “receive” Jesus in Scripture, showing that it’s not a passive...

Today's passage is one of the "See For Yourself" passages Chapter 5 of Start Strong: A New Believer’s Guide to Christianity .  Jesus closes the Sermon on the Mount with a warning that is both sobering and hopeful: it’s possible to talk like a disciple while walking the wrong road. In Matthew 7:12–29, we learn how a God-centered worldview reshapes what “love” looks like in practice—a...

Today's passage is one of the "See For Yourself" passages Chapter 4 of Start Strong: A New Believer’s Guide to Christianity .  What does saving faith actually look like and how did Jesus define it? In this episode, we turn to Matthew 5:1–12 and the Beatitudes to hear Jesus describe the people who are truly “blessed.” Rather than offering a path to personal happiness or self-improvem...

Today's passage is one of the "See For Yourself" passages Chapter 3 of Start Strong: A New Believer’s Guide to Christianity .  If all religions lead to God, why did Jesus have to die? This episode walks through John 3:14–21 to show why the cross is not one option among many, but God’s gracious and necessary provision for a guilty world. Through Jesus’ nighttime conversation with Nic...

Today's passage is one of the "See For Yourself" passages Chapter 2 of Start Strong: A New Believer’s Guide to Christianity .  Why do you still feel guilty even after you’ve apologized and tried to move on? In this episode, Krisan Marotta walks through Romans 1:18–32 to show that guilt is more than a feeling to shake off—it’s the real and serious result of rebelling against a holy G...

Today we’re kicking off a new season of the podcast which is a special companion series to my book, Start Strong: A New Believer’s Guide to Christianity . Each episode will walk you through one of the book’s “See for Yourself” passages, helping you read Scripture with confidence, even if you’re just starting out. Today's passage is from Chapter 1. Most people today assume we’re basically good...

Krisan Marotta, host of Wednesday in the Word podcast, joins Rob Schilling on AM 1070 WINA's The Schilling Show to discuss her book Start Strong: A New Believer's Guide to Christianity . Instead of talking about why she wrote the book, they dive straight into the theology, covering what new believers need to understand and why it matters.  Key takeaways: Repentance is more than saying so...

Season 27 of Wednesday in the Word begins February 4, 2026, and I couldn’t be more excited to share what’s ahead. This new season is a companion to my book Start Strong: A New Believer’s Guide to Christianity , and it's designed especially for those who are new to faith, returning to church after time away, or walking alongside someone who is. Each week, we’ll unpack one key passage from the...

Psalm 110 doesn’t mention a manger, shepherds, or angels. Yet it gives us one of the clearest pictures of who the baby in Bethlehem really is: the eternal King and Priest who will rule over all and bring His people back to God.  In this Christmas episode, we trace how Psalm 110 reveals the identity and mission of the Messiah and how the New Testament writers apply this ancient psalm directly to Je...

How can a believer live with real confidence that they belong to God, even while they still struggle with sin?  In this episode of Wednesday in the Word , Krisan Marotta walks through key New Testament passages to show how God marks His people inwardly (by a changed heart that endures through testing) and how that mark becomes the basis of true assurance of salvation.  In this week’s episode, we e...