The Hero of the Story

Does the book of James contradict justification by faith? That’s the question we’re discussing on The Hero of the Story. Listen in as we discuss: We dig into James 2 and its relationship to justification Why it’s important to interpret Scripture in light of the entirety of Scripture, not simply in isolation How this passage ... The post James vs Justification by Faith [Ep. 219] appeared first on The Gospel Project.

Does God have a choice in who is saved? That’s the question we’re addressing on this episode of The Hero of the Story. Listen in as we discuss: The central ideas around election as they appear in Scripture Why Christians with differing views on this doctrine do not need to divide over it Why this doctrine ... The post Salvation & God’s Ability to Make Choices [Ep. 218] appeared first on The Gospel Project.

What are the major themes of the gospel? That’s the question we’re discussing on The Hero of the Story. Listen in as we discuss: We explore the major themes of the gospel as presented in Romans How knowing these themes well can help us as we share the gospel with others How this passage points ... The post The Gospel, Romans, and Evangelism [Ep. 217] appeared first on The Gospel Project.

If we are saved by faith, do good works not matter? That’s the question we’re addressing on this episode of The Hero of the Story. Listen in as we discuss: The importance of “and” vs “by” in the relationship between justification and good works Where we see this truth in Scripture Why our works matter, even ... The post The Place of Works in the Christian Life [Ep. 216] appeared first on The Gospel Project.

What does it look like to resist the Holy Spirit? That’s the question we’re discussing on The Hero of the Story. Listen in as we discuss: Why the Bible devotes so much time to Stephen Why the early church experienced opposition Why Stephen’s defense was so powerful How this passage points us to the gospel ... The post Resisting the Spirit [Ep. 215] appeared first on The Gospel Project.

What happens the very instant we trust in Christ? That’s the question we’re addressing on this episode of The Hero of the Story. Listen in as we discuss: The meaning of justification by faith and where we see it in Scripture The uniqueness of this essential doctrine Why it changes everything to have God declare us ... The post The Gospel and Justification by Faith [Ep. 214] appeared first on The Gospel Project.

Who is responsible for our growth in godliness? That’s the question we’re discussing on The Hero of the Story. Listen in as we discuss: How we should (and shouldn’t) understand the actions of the early church in Acts 5 Why God would strike Ananias and Sapphira dead and if the punishment fit the crime Whether ... The post Giving, Honesty, and Appearances [Ep. 213] appeared first on The Gospel Project.

After giving, does God care what I do with my stuff? That’s the question we’re addressing on this episode of The Hero of the Story. Listen in as we discuss: How we see Scripture defining stewardship Why we need to be careful in how we approach specific passages related to giving Why a once-size-fits-all approach to ... The post Stewardship and the Gospel [Ep. 212] appeared first on The Gospel Project.

Who is responsible for our growth in godliness? That’s the question we’re discussing on The Hero of the Story. Listen in as we discuss: Why we’re talking about 2 Peter when we would normally be talking about Acts Why Peter (and other authors of Scripture) seem to say that both God and people are responsible ... The post Growing in Godliness [Ep. 211] appeared first on The Gospel Project.

Will we ever be the followers of Christ we want to be? That’s the question we’re addressing on this episode of The Hero of the Story. Listen in as we discuss: How to best understand the doctrine of sanctification Where we see this doctrine in Scripture Why understanding that we won’t achieve perfection before Christ returns ... The post Sanctification, Perfection and the Christian Life [Ep. 210] appeared first on The Gospel Project.

Why does Peter seem to treat trials as a good thing? That’s the question we’re discussing on The Hero of the Story. Listen in as we discuss: Why we’re talking about 1 Peter when we would normally be talking about Acts The importance of being focused on our citizenship in heaven above all others The ... The post Trials and True Citizenship [Ep. 209] appeared first on The Gospel Project.

What happens to our sin when we trust in Christ? That’s the question we’re addressing on this episode of The Hero of the Story. Listen in as we discuss: A few of the places we see the doctrine of imputation in Scripture Why this doctrine is good news for believers—and only believers Why this gift of ... The post What God Does with Our Sin [Ep. 208] appeared first on The Gospel Project.

If grace is good, does that mean the law is bad? That’s the question we’re discussing on The Hero of the Story. Listen in as we discuss: Why John began his gospel with an echo of Genesis Why the world and God’s people didn’t recognize Him Why John compares and contrasts Jesus and the Law ... The post Grace Upon Grace at Christmas [Ep. 207] appeared first on The Gospel Project.

Are all people children of God? That’s the question we’re addressing on this episode of The Hero of the Story. Listen in as we discuss: How the Bible describes those who can be called God’s children The reason it’s right and good to think of other believers as brothers and sisters How this doctrine shapes the ... The post Adoption, the Gospel, and Children of God [Ep. 206] appeared first on The Gospel Project.

Is there something significant about saying “in Jesus’ name”? That’s the question we’re discussing on The Hero of the Story. Listen in as we discuss: Why Peter and John went to the temple to pray at all following Pentecost The danger of treating Jesus’ name as a magical incantation How this passage points us to ... The post The Purpose of Praying in Jesus’ Name [Ep. 205] appeared first on The Gospel Project.

Does the Force in Star Wars provide us with a good picture of the Holy Spirit? That’s the question we’re addressing on this episode of The Hero of the Story. Listen in as we discuss: How the Bible reveals not only the deity but the personhood of the Holy Spirit Why we can’t confuse being a ... The post The Bible & the Personhood of the Holy Spirit [Ep. 204] appeared first on The Gospel Project.

What happened when the Holy Spirit showed up? That’s the question we’re discussing on The Hero of the Story. Listen in as we discuss: The importance of the day of Pentecost Different understandings of the disciples speaking different languages in Acts 2 Why it was important that the Holy Spirit came the way He did ... The post The Holy Spirit, Pentecost, and the Empowering of the Disciples [Ep. 203] appeared first on The Gospel Project.

Is the Holy Spirit God to the same degree as the Father and Son? That’s the question we’re addressing on this episode of The Hero of the Story. Listen in as we discuss: How the Bible reveals the deity of the Holy Spirit Why we cannot reduce from an equal status as the Father and Son ... The post The Bible & the Deity of the Holy Spirit [Ep. 202] appeared first on The Gospel Project.

Why did some of the disciples doubt before Jesus returned to the Father? That’s the question we’re discussing on The Hero of the Story. Listen in as we discuss: Why Jesus’ authority is essential to the great commission Possible reasons why the disciples may have doubted when Jesus was about to ascend to the Father ... The post Jesus, Doubt, and the Great Commission [Ep. 201] appeared first on The Gospel Project.

Do we need the Holy Spirit’s help? That’s the question we’re addressing on this episode of The Hero of the Story. Listen in as we discuss: The different ways Scripture tells us the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives Why we need to properly recognize the Holy Spirit as God in the way the ... The post The Holy Spirit and the Christian’s Life [Ep. 200] appeared first on The Gospel Project.