TGC Q&A

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Why Freedom Needs Boundaries Mar 18, 2020

Show notes

Karen Swallow Prior begins the conversation by reminding us that there really is no thing as autonomy. We are born into communities, times, and places, and everything that makes up who we are comes from others. In other words, our particularities come from somewhere outside of ourselves. As Christian we understand that it is indeed God who determines the things that make up the individual self.

Jen Pollock Michel points that it can be burdensome to believe in yourself. Humans tend to be unreliable and fail everyday. But Christianity helps us face the truth about ourselves: there’s good that I don’t do and evil that I do, to paraphrase the Apostle Paul, and if our only ethic is to believe in ourselves, we’re left in a truly hopeless position. We need other people!

Karen agrees adding that we not only need other people, but that meaning and purpose come from beyond the human realm.

Jen mentions the book Being Mortal, by Atul Gawande, which chronicles the stories of people who at the end of their lives discover that finding meaning outside of themselves leads to a more joyful and full life. This is true, Karen adds, not only at the end but in every stage of life. All throughout life we are changing and growing, but to believe in ourselves means to believe in something different in every stage of life.

It’s ironic, Jen notes, that we think believing in yourself is the way to freedom when it reality it only leads to slavery. Freedom always tends towards flourishing when we have our boundaries, because those boundaries are established for our good. We often think of obedience as negative boundaries, but they are actually meant to free us.

Finally, Karen concludes that our development never happens in a vacuum. We always cultivate our desires based on who or what we set our eyes on.

Credits

Thanks to WinShape Teams for sponsoring this episode. To learn more, visit winshapeteams.org

To submit a question for TGC Q&A podcast, direct message us on Facebook or Instagram or write us at ask@tgc.org

This episode was produced by Heather Calvillo.

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What’s the Difference Between Gospel Benefits and Prosperity Theology? Mar 11, 2020

Show notes

Glen Scrivener begins the conversation by saying the problem with prosperity theology is treating Jesus as though he is the delivery system for a bunch of blessings that are apart from him. Scrivener then references Sinclair Ferguson's book, The Whole Christ, which says that the problem with our gospel presentations is that we talk about every blessing through Jesus when we should preach every blessing in Jesus—offering Christ himself to people. Therefore, Scrivener suggests, you're not promised health and wealth and prosperity.

Scrivener says Christians really need to have a good doctrine of union with Christ and be far more Christ-centered in what we preach. We're not just offering health and wealth, and we're not just offering fire insurance. We're offering Jesus himself, Scrivener says.

Sam Chan agrees and says that union with Jesus is what we as Christians should be focused on when sharing the gospel. He says if we can preach it that way, there's this incredible prosperity in knowing Jesus. The climactic blessing is shalom—peace.

Chan references John R.W. Stott’s book, Cross of Christ. In the book, Stock says, "Union with Christ is the foundational blessing. Justification and forgiveness of sins, that's the center blessing. But the cream on top of the pudding is adoption, it's relationship, it's shalom."

Credits

Thanks to Cedarville University for sponsoring this episode. To learn more, visit cedarville.edu/TGC.

To submit a question for TGC Q&A podcast, direct message us on Facebook or Instagram or write us at ask@tgc.org

This episode was produced by Heather Calvillo and Steven Morales.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How Should Christians in Power Serve Others? Mar 04, 2020

Show notes

Russell Moore begins the conversation by pointing to Scripture when Jesus washes Simon Peter’s feet. Moore asks Mika Edmondson what he thinks we can learn from Jesus about power and authority as it relates to serving one another inside and outside the church.

Edmondson answers by saying that authority in the church is not exercised in the same way as authority outside of the church. He says that one of the conspicuous ways in which we are to function is not lording it over one another like the Gentiles do, but looking to Jesus’s example. Jesus shows us this by actually taking the place, not just of a servant, but the lowest servant in that social setting.

Edmondson says that leadership must be a kind of servant leadership, a leadership that puts others' interests before our own, a leadership that's willing to associate with the lowly and the downtrodden, and a leadership that's willing to sacrifice for the good of others.

Moore points out that Jesus leads, but not toward his own interests. Instead, he leads toward Peter's in this moment of washing his feet. Moore says that this act shows how we are to lead—by serving.

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How Do I Evangelize in Word and Deed? Feb 26, 2020

Show notes

Ligon Duncan begins the conversation by sharing his and David Platt’s shared belief in the primacy of the Word just as God speaks and brings his people into being. Duncan says that as we image God as witnesses, we should speak his word of grace, and the Holy Spirit will use that to bring people to newness of life.

Duncan goes on to say that we want to see the Word come to fruition in the lives of the people that we are speaking to, and that if we desire those people to come to faith in Christ, we should then want the Word coming to fruition in our own lives and through our testimonies.

Duncan thinks one reason that Christians are motivated to do deeds is not just for evangelistic reasons, but also because we are called to be a blessing to other people and to love our neighbor, at all times. Duncan says we as Christians don't need an evangelistic motivation to love our neighbor.

In the context of evangelism, Duncan says that when people see us living out the life that we are proclaiming with our lips, it makes the words that we are saying especially compelling and oftentimes, opens a door of someone’s heart to hear the Word of God.

Duncan thinks it's helpful for us to see ourselves as followers of Jesus—called to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind. Second, we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are intended to look to others' interests and ask, “How can I serve, how can I care?” Duncan says this is the character of Christ in us, and the greatest love we can show to someone else is to share the good news of how they can be reconciled with God.

Platt agrees and says the greatest way we can show love to another human being is to care about their eternal wellbeing, not just their temporal wellbeing. Platt says that caring about the eternal wellbeing does not mean that we don't care about the temporal wellbeing, because we care about people who are embodied, they are enfleshed, they are in a context, and because we love them, we should care about all those things.

Platt shares a story about a time he attended a conference with a missionary that was working in a closed Muslim country, and when the missionary told Platt what country he was in, knowing that many of the men who flew planes into buildings on 9/11 had actually come from that country, Platt wondered how he was ministering there. Platt asked him what ministering in word looked like and realized it was mostly displayed through deed.

Duncan says his hope for the listener of this conversation is to have zealous commitment to love neighbors as ourselves. To see physical needs and to ask, “What can we do to show the love of Christ?” Duncan says that question must be then coupled with and driven by a desire to proclaim the gospel.

Credits

Thanks to Cedarville University for sponsoring this episode. To learn more, visit cedarville.edu/TGC

To submit a question for TGC Q&A podcast, direct message us on Facebook or Instagram or write us at ask@tgc.org

This episode was produced by Heather Calvillo and Steven Morales.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why Train Women to Teach the Bible? Feb 19, 2020

Show notes

Taylor Turkington begins the conversation by highlighting that both men and women in the church can have the gift of teaching the Bible, and because of this, it is important to equip them—just like all the saints should be equipped for the work of the ministry as described in Ephesians 4:12-14.

Jen Wilkin says that she notices churches have a lot of pathways for men to teach but not as many of those for women, often leading to an imbalance due to access to tools and resources. Wilkin wants to see churches develop a category of training specifically to equip women to teach the Bible with excellence and precision, understanding the weight of what they are teaching.

Wilkin and Turkington both agree that teaching the Bible comes with a certain weightiness and, as Wilkin argues, the cost for teaching the Bible incorrectly is high. Because of this, Turkington says the church should help both men and women excel at both their interpretation and communication of God’s Word.

Wilkin says she believes women in the church want to get trained on teaching the Bible, they just don’t always know where to go. Wilkin suggests women need to see an example in the church of other women who are properly teaching the Scriptures. Ultimately, they need permission and tools to do so. Turkington agrees and adds that it is essential for women to see a model of what it looks like for a woman to teach the Bible.

For women who are wanting to grow in teaching the Bible, Wilkin recommends reading books that explore the metanarrative of the Bible, explaining what the bigger story of the Scriptures is. Wilkin also suggests delving into a systematic theology text and trusted commentary texts. Lastly, Wilkin recommends the yearly conference in Dallas, Texas, called Proclaim Truth that gives women leaders at all levels an opportunity to learn the mechanics of Bible teaching and studying the Scriptures in the local church.

Turkington ends by pointing women to The Gospel Coalition’s Women’s Training Network that seeks to train women to use the Scriptures for their own growth and for service in God’s kingdom. Turkington also recommends the Charles Simeon Trust organization that trains the next generation of Bible expositors.

Credits

Thanks to Cedarville University for sponsoring this episode. To learn more, visit cedarville.edu/TGC

To submit a question for TGC Q&A podcast, direct message us on Facebook or Instagram or write us at ask@tgc.org

This episode was produced by Heather Calvillo and Steven Morales.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Do I Have to Tithe? Feb 03, 2020

Show notes

Leeman begins the discussion by outlining four biblical observations about tithing and says that tithing was required of Old Testament Israel in a certain way. Tithing means “tenth.” Leeman says we are now not required to give a tenth of our income in the same way since we are no longer under the mosaic covenant law. So, tithing doesn’t necessarily refer to a particular percentage, but rather, an attitude of generosity. Second, Leeman says when giving, the Christian should do so not reluctantly or under compulsion, but cheerfully, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:7. Third, Leeman says Christians are called to give cheerfully, generously, and according to their means (1 Corinthians 6:2). The fourth Biblical observation Leeman makes is that Christians should prioritize one’s church when giving (1 Timothy 5, Galatians 6:6).

Onwuchekwa talks about how the Scriptures implicity outline how tithing and giving to one’s church is for the support of the pastor, the relief of the poor, for the advancement of gospel works. He says as we give, the church is the primary place that we give to. Onwuchekwa also highlights how Jesus, when it came to tithing, celebrated a widow who gave it all and then told a rich man to give it all. So, Christ is talking about the attitudes of our hearts when giving, that we know all of our means belong to him and when we have a vision of what he did for us, then we become a generous group of people.

Credits

Thanks to the The Gospel Project who sponsored this episode. To learn more about The Gospel Project, visit gospelproject.com

To submit a question for TGC Q&A podcast, direct message us on Facebook or Instagram or write us at ask@tgc.org

This episode was produced by Heather Calvillo and Steven Morales.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why Should Women Care About Biblical Theology? Jan 29, 2020

Show notes

Nancy Guthrie and Courtney Doctor share their thoughts on why it is important for women to care about Biblical theology as it relates to their reading and understanding of God’s Word as a whole.

Guthrie defines Biblical theology as a way of approaching and understanding the Bible as one cohesive story about what God is doing in the world through Christ. Guthrie suggests that Biblical theology differs from its companion, systematic theology, which gathers what the entire Bible says about a certain topic like sin or humanity. Guthrie says that as we look at the Bible’s themes, the themes we encounter actually develop throughout the Scriptures.

Doctor agrees and highlights that Biblical theology is a progressive revelation in narrative form—we know more about God at the end of the story than we did in the beginning.

Guthrie says her love of Biblical theology began when she started to hear preachers and teachers teach the grander narrative of the Bible, centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ. For Doctor, her love for Biblical theology started in her class called “Covenant Theology” at Covenant Seminary—a class that dedicated five professors to teach the Bible as one story. Doctor says that parts of the Bible started to make sense to her that were harder for her to understand before. She says it helped her love God more and love his Word more, too.

Guthrie is passionate about helping other women pull together what they know about the Bible through an understanding of Biblical theology.

In this episode, Doctor mentions Nancy Guthrie’s book called, Even Better Than Eden.

To hear more from Guthrie, you can listen to her podcast, “Help Me Teach the Bible.”

Giveaway!

In the beginning of this episode, our team announced a special giveaway. Here are the details:

We're giving away two tickets for you and a friend to attend this year's women's TGCW20 conference, Steadfast, a conference on the book of James. The women’s conference will be held in Indianapolis, June 11 to 13. Along with your conference tickets, you'll also win a free three-night hotel stay in downtown Indy.

Here's how you enter in four easy steps:

1. Check us out on Instagram and follow our account. Our handle is simply: "thegospelcoalition"

2. Like our giveaway post

3. Tag three friends in a comment on the post

4. Share our post in your Instagram story and make sure to tag us in your story and leave your profile public so we can see it.

If you want an extra entry into the giveaway, you're already completing the first step by listening to this episode. Next, make sure to rate this podcast and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Last, send us a screenshot of your review through a direct message on Instagram!

The winner will be announced next Wednesday, February 5.

Credits

Thanks to the The Gospel Project who sponsored this episode. To learn more about The Gospel Project, visit gospelproject.com

To submit a question for TGC's Q&A podcast, direct message us on Facebook or Instagram or write us at ask@tgc.org

Today's episode was produced by Heather Calvillo and Steven Morales.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why Doesn't God Always Heal? Jan 27, 2020

Show notes

Al Mohler and Bryan Chapell share their response to a common question they’ve heard throughout their decades in ministry about why God answers certain prayers for healing in this life, but not all. Bryan argues that God always answers prayers for healing, He simply may not answer in the timing that we may be asking.

Bryan references James 5:13-16 which talks about the prayer of faith healing the sick. Bryan highlights how James starts the chapter with a foundation of encouragement for the Christian to be patient in suffering. Bryan goes on to say that God will always heal, and though the healing may not come in this life, He will always heal the Christian perfectly when we are with Him in eternity.

Al suggests that it is always right to pray for healing. He then says that the entire Biblical worldview is that we will be ultimately healed in eternity. Al refers to the hymn, O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing, by Charles Wesley which says, “And leap, ye lame, for joy,” pointing to the truth that one day, every tear will be wiped away. Al closes by reminding us that God is not absent from sickness and suffering. He suggests that if we believe in God, we believe He has been sovereign over everything.

Bryan talks about how his own body has struggled with sickness and asks, “Who has sinned?” Al responds with what Jesus says in John 9:3 about the blind man who is healed that it was neither mother or father who sinned, but that the works of God may be shown. The point Jesus is making is that every moment of the blind man’s life has been meaningful because God had a perfect plan.

Bryan ends by saying that when God rescues, that brings God glory. And when there is faith through a time of no earthly rescue but confidence in the eternal rescue, that gives God glory, too.

Credits

Thanks to the The Gospel Project who sponsored this episode. To learn more about The Gospel Project, visit gospelproject.com

To submit a question for TGC's Q&A podcast direct message us on Facebook or Instagram or white us at ask@tgc.org

Today's episode was produced by Heather Calvillo and Steven Morales.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What Are the Most Common Objections Against Christianity? Jan 22, 2020

Show notes

Don Carson and Tim Keller share their experiences regarding evangelism and apologetics in a university context over the past 30 years. Don argues that in some ways, because of the post-Christian atmosphere that now exists in the US and Europe, evangelism is easier than it was in the past because of the ignorance of Judeo-Christian values that were still being rebelled against.

Keller suggests that the exclusive claims of Christ and how a good God can send anyone to hell is one of the main challenges that offend students today. Answering skeptics with a question like, "So you don't mind if Hilter or Idi Amin go to heaven?" Keller suggests that this brings the theoretical argument back to reality and helps set a baseline for a better and more serious conversation.

Christianity, Keller argues, makes a way for salvation for anybody who asks for the mercy of Christ, through genuine repentance—be it the abuser, the prostitute, the mafia man who kills people for a living. People who are humble enough to ask for a savior are in and the people who are too proud and self reliant are out. Once you can get to a more serious conversation, it becomes clear that everyone holds an exclusive view of who should go to heaven. It's often the case that Christianity is a more inclusive exclusivity than that of the skeptic.

Another objection that Carson finds prevalent in evalgelistic contexts today is the offensive of sin before a Holy God. Because the majority of people today view sin as a sociological or cultural definition, this is a particularly difficult challenge he often faces. Without a proper view of sin, the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross makes no sense.

Keller ends with an illustration of a mother who sacrifices greatly to put her son through school only to have the son ignore her, which he finds helpful to try and press into that issue with skepts to show how sin is a real offense against God.

In this episode, Carson recommends a helpful book by Randy Newman called, Questioning Evangelism.

For more resources on evangelism, visit https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/topics/evangelism

Credits

Thanks to the The Gospel Project who sponsored this episode. To learn more about The Gospel Project, visit gospelproject.com

To submit a question for TGC's Q&A podcast, direct message us on Facebook or Instagram or write us at ask@tgc.org

Today's episode was produced by Heather Calvillo and Steven Morales.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Introducing TGC Q&A Dec 31, 2019

Show notes

The Gospel Coalition presents TGC Q&A. Each week we’re joined by members of our council and friends who provide biblical perspective on your most pressing questions. Whatever your doubts or questions may be, this is a space where we hope to share biblical insight into life’s questions together.

We want to hear from you: what ministry or life challenges are you facing? What are those difficult texts you’re struggling with in the Scriptures? Whatever your doubts or questions may be, this new podcast is a space where we hope to share biblical insight into life’s questions together, and find some hope along the way.

Send us your questions at ask@tgc.org and we hope to answer them soon!

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