One of the most common questions that people ask is, “How can I know that I have eternal life?” And scripture does teach about assurance of salvation, but the subject is more complex than many people want it to be. One of the things that the Bible teaches most clearly is that there are many people who should NOT think that they are saved. From the self-righteous Pharisee convinced of his own personal righteousness to the man who stands before God on the day of judgment exclaiming, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” to the man Paul writes about in Corinth who was sleeping with his father’s wife and who (along with his church) was sure that he was a son of God, there are many who are deceiving themselves and suppressing the truth in their own unrighteousness?

So how should we think about assurance of salvation? Is it guaranteed to all believers? Is it something that once we have it we will always have it? What do the scriptures say? Please join us as we look to God’s word for answers to these and other questions about this important topic.

Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2023/08/how-to-know-if-you-will-be-in-heaven-ep-131-audio/

Timecodes
00:00:00 Fear and Trembling
00:19:24 Struggling with Sin
00:23:35 Hebrews 4
00:33:39 Lying to Yourself
00:39:01 Pastoral Response
00:43:58 Testimony of the spirit
00:55:18 How to Check Your Assurance
01:11:39 How to Get Assurance

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

One of the most common questions that people ask is, “How can I know that I have eternal life?” And scripture does teach about assurance of salvation, but the subject is more complex than many people want it to be. One of the things that the Bible teaches most clearly is that there are many people who should NOT think that they are saved. From the self-righteous Pharisee convinced of his own personal righteousness to the man who stands before God on the day of judgment exclaiming, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” to the man Paul writes about in Corinth who was sleeping with his father’s wife and who (along with his church) was sure that he was a son of God, there are many who are deceiving themselves and suppressing the truth in their own unrighteousness?

So how should we think about assurance of salvation? Is it guaranteed to all believers? Is it something that once we have it we will always have it? What do the scriptures say? Please join us as we look to God’s word for answers to these and other questions about this important topic.

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

Plea Bargains have become such a fundamental part of the justice system that at the federal level, only 2% of cases go to trial. And while plea deals definitely lower the financial cost of the legal system, it is worth asking whether or not they actually bring forth justice. Scripture is clear: sin has a cost and that cost cannot always be paid with money.
In this episode we look at the subject of plea bargains from a biblical perspective, considering both the fundamental nature of justice as well as the specific way that they have generally been implemented within the various state and federal government’s justice systems. We also discuss specific ways that plea bargains undermine obtaining a just verdict and how they both promote and hide corruption within the government. God cares a great deal about justice, and his people should care about it as well. Please join us as we discuss this important topic.

Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2023/07/how-plea-bargains-have-corrupted-the-justice-system-ep-130-audio/

Thumbnail image by Jernej Furman under CC BY 2.0

Timecodes
00:00:00 Plea Bargins
00:04:07 God Cares About Justice
00:08:18 Adversarial System
00:10:48 Equal Crime, Equal Punishment
00:16:50 Too Many Laws
00:20:18 Is it a Good Compromise?
00:23:36 Mercy and the Law
00:27:16 Coercing to Lie
00:38:23 Equal Justice
00:43:55 Teaching the Love of Justice
00:50:37 State as God’s Minister
00:55:59 Bail Reform
00:58:44 Grand Juries
01:02:57 Public Defenders and Bribery
01:08:18 Solutions

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

Plea Bargains have become such a fundamental part of the justice system that at the federal level, only 2% of cases go to trial. And while plea deals definitely lower the financial cost of the legal system, it is worth asking whether or not they actually bring forth justice. Scripture is clear: sin has a cost and that cost cannot always be paid with money.
In this episode we look at the subject of plea bargains from a biblical perspective, considering both the fundamental nature of justice as well as the specific way that they have generally been implemented within the various state and federal government’s justice systems. We also discuss specific ways that plea bargains undermine obtaining a just verdict and how they both promote and hide corruption within the government. God cares a great deal about justice, and his people should care about it as well. Please join us as we discuss this important topic.

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

A society’s attitude toward gambling tells you a great deal about its attitude toward holiness and the treatment of the poor. This should not be a controversial statement within the church, but in the last 30 years, the American church has softened its stance toward gambling a great deal. This can be seen from the rampant rise in sports betting, lotteries, casinos, and many other forms of legalized gambling that have been approved in most states (only Utah and Hawaii do not allow gambling of any kind)

In this episode, we look at the subject of gambling from a Biblical perspective. While Scripture does not have a specific command against gambling, the church has historically viewed it as an immoral practice that violates many overlapping principles and commands. But holding gambling to be a sin requires a specific view of God’s word. It requires a high view of the authority and prescriptive nature of God’s word and that has been on the decline, at least in the American church for many years now. Our hope is that as we discuss this topic, we are all encouraged to think more seriously about God’s word and how our Lord and Savior leads his people to walk in paths of righteousness. Please join us as we discuss this important topic.

Phil Johnson of the now-retired Pyromaniacs blog wrote a helpful nine-part series on gambling back in 2009. It can be found here: http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2009/11/is-gambling-ok-dont-bet-on-it.html

Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2023/07/is-gambling-a-sin-ep-129-audio/

Thumbnail image by slgckgc under Creative Commons

Timecodes
00:00:00 Gambling Today
00:06:58 Is Gambling Wrong?
00:19:39 Gambling for Entertainment
00:24:57 Profitable Servants
00:27:47 Lots in Scripture
00:32:25 Does Providence Make it Right?
00:39:10 The Stock Market
00:47:00 Idleness
00:54:35 Government Oppressing the Poor
01:07:35 Expected Effects

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

A society’s attitude toward gambling tells you a great deal about its attitude toward holiness and the treatment of the poor. This should not be a controversial statement within the church, but in the last 30 years, the American church has softened its stance toward gambling a great deal. This can be seen from the rampant rise in sports betting, lotteries, casinos, and many other forms of legalized gambling that have been approved in most states (only Utah and Hawaii do not allow gambling of any kind)

In this episode, we look at the subject of gambling from a Biblical perspective. While Scripture does not have a specific command against gambling, the church has historically viewed it as an immoral practice that violates many overlapping principles and commands. But holding gambling to be a sin requires a specific view of God’s word. It requires a high view of the authority and prescriptive nature of God’s word and that has been on the decline, at least in the American church for many years now. Our hope is that as we discuss this topic, we are all encouraged to think more seriously about God’s word and how our Lord and Savior leads his people to walk in paths of righteousness. Please join us as we discuss this important topic.

Phil Johnson of the now-retired Pyromaniacs blog wrote a helpful nine-part series on gambling back in 2009. It can be found here: http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2009/11/is-gambling-ok-dont-bet-on-it.html

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

In the wake of last year’s landmark abortion ruling, many Christians have expressed a renewed hope in the Supreme Court’s potential to impact the nation. And while the cases before the court in 2023 were not as high profile as Dobbs v. Jackson, there were still matters of national significance that were ruled upon. In this episode, we examine six of those cases, discussing their moral and political components and their outcomes with the goal of answering some basic questions: “Was the decision a good decision and why?”, “How did we get to this particular point as a nation?”, and “Can this particular issue really be solved by a court decision?”

Student Loan Forgiveness Episode
https://theconqueringtruth.com/2022/10/the-truth-about-student-loan-forgiveness-ep-90/

Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2023/07/new-supreme-court-decisions-what-christians-should-know-ep-128-audio/

Thumbnail image by Marielam1 under CC 4.0 BY-SA

Timecodes
00:00:00 Affirmative Action – Students v Harvard
00:22:28 Compelled Speech – Creative v Elenis
00:37:19 Loan Forgiveness – Biden v Nebraska
00:55:32 Working on Sunday – Groth vs DeJoy
01:01:06 Redistricting – Moore v Harper
01:07:17 Takeaways

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

In the wake of last year’s landmark abortion ruling, many Christians have expressed a renewed hope in the Supreme Court’s potential to impact the nation. And while the cases before the court in 2023 were not as high profile as Dobbs v. Jackson, there were still matters of national significance that were ruled upon. In this episode, we examine six of those cases, discussing their moral and political components and their outcomes with the goal of answering some basic questions: “Was the decision a good decision and why?”, “How did we get to this particular point as a nation?”, and “Can this particular issue really be solved by a court decision?”

Student Loan Forgiveness Episode
https://theconqueringtruth.com/2022/10/the-truth-about-student-loan-forgiveness-ep-90/

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

Over the last few years, the phrase “toxic” has been used with greater and greater frequency in Christian circles to describe both people and relationships. It is frequently used in regard to family, often, specifically, to parents. This type of language is often used when speaking about mental health and is frequently connected to the question, “When is it ok to cut this person out of my life?” We want to talk about all of these things in this episode and ask a number of questions: Is “toxic” a good way to describe some relationships? Is cutting people off a valid way to deal with relationships that seem to only cause suffering? And, how should we think about the suffering that comes from dealing with sinful people?

Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2023/07/should-christians-cut-off-toxic-people-ep-127-audio/

Timecodes
00:00:00 Taking Responsibility for Sin
00:08:48 Fleeing Suffering
00:29:06 Selfishness
00:31:54 Keeping Your Eyes on Christ
00:46:59 Pray
00:56:00 Consequences of Sin
01:02:20 Parents and Children
01:05:48 Husbands and Wives
01:10:17 When to End a Relationship
01:22:57 Conclusion

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

Over the last few years, the phrase “toxic” has been used with greater and greater frequency in Christian circles to describe both people and relationships. It is frequently used in regard to family, often, specifically, to parents. This type of language is often used when speaking about mental health and is frequently connected to the question, “When is it ok to cut this person out of my life?” We want to talk about all of these things in this episode and ask a number of questions: Is “toxic” a good way to describe some relationships? Is cutting people off a valid way to deal with relationships that seem to only cause suffering? And, how should we think about the suffering that comes from dealing with sinful people?

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson