Theology for the Rest of Us

Latest Episodes:

68: Theology is Not Just for Theologians with David Schrock Apr 15, 2016

Show notes

In this episode, Kenny interviews David Schrock (Ph.D., SBTS) about the importance of studying the character and nature of God; being diligent in seeking to understand all areas of theology.

David outlines that theology isn’t just a study or discipline, but a delight in getting to know God better. He also tells us about the importance of theology because good theology has real positive impact on our lives and bad theology has the potential to be a significant detriment to our lives.

Recommended Resources:

Blog: Theology is Not Just for Theologians

David Schrock’s Blog

The Gospel Coalition

9 Marks of Healthy Church

Desiring God Ministries

Timothy Keller Ministries

67: Was God Unjust When He Asked Abraham to Kill Isaac? Apr 14, 2016

Show notes

A somewhat frequently asked question is, “Was God unjust when He asked Abraham to kill his own son Isaac?” Sometimes this question is asked by Bible skeptics as an attack, while other times this is asked by inquiring believers.

In this episode, Kenny answers the question with several thoughts:

1- Every human deserves to die, so decreeing Isaac’s death would not be unjust.

2- We are not entitled to anything at all; Isaac was not entitled to life, therefore God can take away Isaac’s life if He sees fit to do so.

3- God has the right to do whatever He pleases with His own creation, at any times, for the expansion of His own glory and His own pleasure.

4- The point of the story is the foreshadowing of the cross; we are “Isaac” and Jesus is the “ram in the thicket” that is ultimately killed. This Bible narrative was orchestrated by God to illustrate the Gospel.

66: Are We Made Up of Body, Soul, and Spirit? Apr 14, 2016

Show notes

The discussion about the duality (or dichotomy) of mankind versus the triune nature (or trichotomy ) of mankind is a mini-debate among some Christian theologians. People have asked, “Are we made up of a body, a soul, and a spirit?” or “Are we just a body and soul?”

In this episode, Kenny defines the difference between the material substance of humans versus the immaterial substance of humans. Then Kenny uses several passages of Scripture, as well as our overall understanding of the “imago dei” that is indwelled within humanity, to point to the fact that we are indeed made up of three substances: Body, Soul, and Spirit.

Highlighted Passages:

– Mark 7:19

– Proverbs 4:23

– Luke 16:19-31

– 2 Corinthians 5:8

– Romans 12:1-2

– Hebrews 4:12

– 1 Thessalonians 5:23

65: Is it Wrong to Live Together Before We’re Married? Apr 14, 2016

Show notes

The question answered herein this episode comes from a regular listener, after he listened to episode 55: Why Does Sexual Purity Matter? His questions is about cohabitation before marriage. Many people in today’s culture have abandoned traditional values, and many couples jump into cohabitation situations before marriage.

In this episode, Kenny answers the questions, “Is it Wrong to Live Together Before We’re Married?” Kenny says yes, and he gives three primary reasons:

1) The reality of sexual temptation makes cohabitation a really bad idea.

2) If we live with our future spouse before marriage, we are not above reproach.

3) Living together violates the pattern God established in Genesis.

These reasons need to be seriously considered and evaluated before any person jumps into any cohabitation situation.

64: Why Does God Seem Angrier in the Old Testament? Apr 12, 2016

Show notes

Some times people claim that the God of the Old Testament seems so much angrier than the God we see in the New Testament, reflected in the man Jesus. But the God of the Old Testament is the same God that is incarnated in the New Testament. God never changes.

In this episode, Kenny explains how God has always been loving and kind and gracious and merciful, and that God has also always hated sin; God demands that sin be atoned for and that justice be served. God has always loved human beings, and yet God has always hated the sinful choices committed by human beings.

The God of both Testaments (Old and New) is the same God, filled with desire to glory Himself through demonstrating His kindness to us, while simultaneously being filled with the desire to glory Himself through the justice that we see when sin is thoroughly punished. That is why the cross took place. The cross is where both the kindness of God and the justice of God are fully on display.

Sometimes people believe that God was angrier in the Old Testament than He was in the New Testament, but that is simply a flawed perspective that must be challenged and corrected.

Highlighted Passages:

Malachi 3:6

Hebrews 1:8

James 1:17

Hebrews 13:8

Psalm 103

63: How Should Christians Properly Judge? Apr 12, 2016

Show notes

Many of us have heard someone say, “Don’t judge me!” or “Only God can judge me!” Should we, as Christians, follow those sorts of requests? Kenny answered this question in a previous episode entitled: Should Christians Judge? In that episode Kenny made the point that we need to judge rightly and fairly. After that episode, Kenny received an email from a listener challenging the idea, claiming that Christians should never judge other people at all.

In this episode, Kenny responds to the email and defends his original point. Kenny also seeks to bring clarity to several elements presented in the previous episode that may have needed to be clarified. Kenny explains that we all make judgments of people and we all make conclusions about people, this is not inherently evil or wrong in any way at all, but we ought to seek to be Christ-honoring in the way we come to those judgments.

There is a righteous form of judgment and there is an unrighteous form of judgment. When we make wrong judgments, we hurt people. When we judge rightly, we honor God. It is essential that we know the difference and we seek to honor Christ through righteous judgments.

62: Is it Ever Justified to be Angry at God? Apr 11, 2016

Show notes

There are many people in the world that claim to be angry at God. That begs the question: Are we ever justified in any such anger towards God? Are there any circumstances that would allow this to be an appropriate emotion towards God?

In this episode, Kenny starts off by talking about how pain and suffering are often the cause for any anger towards God, and Kenny explains the appropriate manner to handle such feelings towards God. Then Kenny explains the moments when it is appropriate to be angry towards a person, and demonstrates how God never falls into any such category, therefore it is always wrong to be angry with or at God.

Furthermore, it is extremely important to remember that it is God who has many reasons to be angry with us because it is we, humans, that have sinned against Him. It is God who has the right to be angry, but instead of remaining angry, and instead of holding a grudge, God demonstrates His love towards us by coming to planet Earth and making a way for us to receive grace and mercy (Romans 5:8-10).

61: If Martin Luther Was Antisemitic, Why Do You Praise Him? Apr 11, 2016

Show notes

Throughout the course of the podcast’s history thus far, Kenny has mentioned, quoted, and even praised Martin Luther several times. However, history tells us that Martin Luther was extremely combative. In addition, there is some evidence that he held to some antisemitic views.

If this is the case, why quote from his works? And more importantly, why praise him at all? In this episode, Kenny explains why Martin Luther is worthy of the praise he is often given, but Kenny also clearly outlines the areas where Luther was flawed; and Kenny makes no attempt to condone or justify Luther’s negative words about the Jewish people. Kenny clearly condemns any antisemitic sentiments Luther may have embraced.

Kenny points out that Luther was profoundly flawed, as all humans are flawed. However, Kenny also points out that Luther was still profoundly used by God. This is the evidence that God is gracious, choosing to see beyond our flaws, using us for His glory in profound ways, despite our own profound weaknesses and flaws.

60: How to Handle Doctrinal Differences Among Believers? with Jerome Danner Apr 11, 2016

Show notes

Theology is extremely important because theology impacts how we live our lives. Theology is simply learning more about God. If we refuse to study theology, we are then, in essence, refusing to learn more about God. Our lack of understanding in the arenas of theology will eventually have a negative impact on our lives.

It is also very important to note that, as we study theology, we develop doctrines, and there is always the potential to develop doctrines that are different than those developed by some of our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Knowing how to deal with those types of disagreements is vital to the unity and health of the church.

In this episode, Kenny interviews blogger Jerome Danner about the importance of guarding our theology and our doctrines. They also talk at length about how to properly manage and navigate doctrinal disagreements amongst our fellow believers. How we handle such differences can make or break our Christian relationships as well as potentially impact the unity and health of our local churches.

59: Why Didn’t God Just Create Us in Heaven? Apr 08, 2016

Show notes

It has been asked by inquiring minds, “Why did God create us as humans here on planet Earth? Why not just create us in heaven?” Sometimes this question is rooted in legitimate curiosity, while other times it is used by secular progressives seeking only to antagonize the Gospel.

In this episode, Kenny refers to the fact that everything God does is for His own glory. God intentionally created us, and the world in which we live, with specific purposes in mind, and those purposes all feed into one greater overarching purpose. That grander purpose is His own glory. Everything God does is to maximized His own glory and for the maximum amount of His own pleasure.

God saw fit that creating us on planet Earth and living this life would bring Him more glory than if He had just created us in heaven in the first place.

Highlighted Passage:

Revelation 4:11 (KJV): “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

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