What Christians Should Know

The question Dr. Sadaphal will answer in this episode is, "What does the apostle Paul mean when he writes that 'all Israel will be saved'?”Is he implying that all ethnic descendants of Abraham­­ (past, present, and future) will become born again? Is he indicating that at some point in the future, there will be a national conversion of Israel? Or, is the apostle referring to something entirely different with his statement about all Israel being saved?Get clarity and meaningful answers about what the New Testament means when it speaks of the, "Israel of God."

In this episode, Dr. Sadaphal will use the story of Abram in Genesis 12 to provide biblical support for the claim that faith never has all the answers. Truly, what is not meant by that statement is that faith is blind, uninformed, or unreasonable, or that faith has reason to doubt. Biblical faith is always certain about God, His Word, and His trustworthiness. After all, faith is real and legitimate because of its object, Christ, who is eternal and does not change. Faith is, however, seldom certain about all things. Never having all the answers does not mean that you are in some way deficient or intellectually impaired; rather, it means you are humble enough to know that you are not God, and thus, you will never have all the answers.The believer ought to find comfort that even Abram, the father of the faithful, did not have all the answers. He did not know where was being led but trusted the One who was leading.

With all the crises happening in our time, I believe it is becoming more and more apparent to many in the secular world that a godless worldview is progressively revealing itself as bankrupt. What I mean by that is, I think individuals all over the globe are seeing signs of the world self-destructing all around them, but the world offers no concrete solutions other than the march toward chaos. I think many across the globe are beginning to see that when their hope is built on something here and now, their foundation is shifting sand.So, what does any of this have to do with the Scriptures? Simple: There is no progress without God.Our Scripture focus will be Genesis 11:1-9.

God's patience flows outward from His mercy. Thus, because is merciful, He tempers His wrath with restraint so that many will come to repentance. The Lord is patient because He is powerful; it is only the weak who cannot control themselves and allow their rage to boil over.

What is a firearm? It is a type of weapon, like a pistol or a rifle, from which a bullet is fired by means of gunpowder. Is it biblical for a Christian to own or use firearms? In this episode, Dr. Sadaphal will answer this question.

If God isn’t in charge of your salvation, then who is?That is to say, if someone were to believe that God is not sovereign in salvation, then that means God is not God. By implication that means you are in charge of your salvation, since you are the one who is in ultimate control of your eternal destiny.In this episode, Dr. Sadaphal will provide a brief explanation of the doctrine of the sovereignty of God. Specifically, he will exposit the Scriptures to explain that God is sovereign in salvation. Finally, he will take the idea than man is sovereign in salvation and then take that argument all the way to its natural conclusion: that idea does not lead to freedom or hope but only utter ruin and despair.

When I say “alien,” what most people tend conjure up in their heads are images of Martians, little green men or odd-looking, super-intelligent beings from another planet. Yes, aliens are far more of a cultural phenomenon than a major biblical talking point, but in this podcast Dr. Sadaphal will provide answers to two questions: One, what does the Bible have to say about aliens? Two, are they real, secular hocus-pocus, or does the Bible suggest that so-called extraterrestrials are something far more sinister than non-humans from other planets?

This episode was prompted by a listener question. Stephen actually asked three interrelated questions. The first was, “In Luke 8:12, Jesus describes a type of person who hears the Word and then the devil snatches it away so that they do not believe and are not saved. The implication seems to be that if the devil did not snatch it away, the person would believe and be saved. How do we make sense of this category of person given total depravity?” Question number two was, “An extension of this question would be: why does the devil need to do any work to prevent a person from believing, if the human heart is already predisposed against the truth?” And question number three was, “If this category of person is part of the elect, why does God allow the devil to prevent their salvation?” In this episode, Dr. Sadaphal answers all three questions. He also explains who Jesus is, what a parable is and some general principles of proper Bible interpretation.

This present spiritual war isn't new in that the struggle began in the Garden of Eden by means of a weaponized lie. Satan’s plan, of course, was to persuade Adam and Eve to believe his lie so that they would stop trusting God. His plan worked, and his strategy has remained unchanged since the Garden: to provide a deceptive alternative to God’s truth so that people can believe in something else in place of God. Hence, there has been a conspiracy against God’s truth since the beginning of time. In this episode, Dr. Sadaphal will expose three specific, modern manifestations of this conspiracy so that the people of God will be forewarned and thus forearmed. These three specific manifestations are State soteriology (or the government will save you), climate change and the digitization of life. The Scripture focus will be II Corinthians 10:3-6.

We live in an age of increasing anxiety, uncertainty and doubt. This means people are more receptive to believing in conspiracy theories because—at least superficially—said explanation provides the comfort of some mental security in an uncertain world. And, if a person can explain why bad things are happening, it outwardly gives them some sense of control over the uncontrollable.  Consequently, the question Dr. Sadaphal will answer in this episode is: How does a student of God’s Word navigate a world seemingly overflowing with so-called conspiracies and conspiracy theories? That is, at times we are bombarded with so much information, it is becoming more difficult to arrive at a reasonable conclusion. One person’s truth is another’s conspiracy theory and one person’s firmly-held belief is regarded by another as based on faulty information. So, what is child of God to do? The answer is go straight to God’s Word.

Faith becomes unbelief whenever a disastrous theological error occurs: when the doctrine of justification (how a person is saved) is confused with the doctrine of sanctification (how an already saved person matures). We are not justified by faith alone and then become more like Christ by our works; that is Roman Catholicism, not biblical Christianity. Confusion of these two doctrines can lead sincere Christians down a road of despair and doubt; it also turns the pure gospel into an anti-gospel of works.Accordingly, in this episode, Dr. Sadaphal will discuss salvation, sanctification, the difference between the two and the dangers of getting them confused. He also exposits Romans 6 in order to discern God's way of becoming more like Christ.

The question of the eternal destiny of unborn children presents us with a profound theological challenge: Do all unborn children go to heaven? In this episode Dr. Sadaphal will guide you through the Scriptures to demonstrate one way of arriving at a reasoned conclusion to the question through biblical reflection. The true value of this exercise arises not from the passive reception of an answer but from witnessing one approach of "searching the Scriptures" through which you can develop sound biblical answers to all your tough questions. Our Scripture focus will II Samuel 12:16-23.

Christ, understanding the myriad challenges and concerns we might face—be it health, finances, or our general safety and security—offers guidance for combating anxiety in the Sermon on the Mount. What Jesus makes clear is that the root of the problem is not worry; rather, it is unbelief. Therefore, the legitimate cure for anxiety is a spiritual matter of faith.In this episode, Dr. Sadaphal performs an exposition of Matthew 6:25-34 and provides three practical applications on how you can apply the Scriptures in pursuit of a Holy-Spirit mediated, worry-free life.

In this special episode, Dr. Sadaphal shares three biblical observations on the current crisis in the Middle East.

In Luke 15, Jesus tells a famous parable. Said parable tends to be best known by the name, “The Prodigal Son.” Yet, what is evident is that the central character of the story is the not the son who returns, but rather the father who lovingly demonstrates unmerited favor to both of his sons. Accordingly, in the episode, Dr. Sadaphal will extract theological lessons and practical applications from the parable of the “Loving Father.” This wonderful story highlights divine love, forgiveness and joy over the lost who are found. 

In Exodus, Moses understood that in order to be a shepherd to the Hebrews and stand before a holy God, he would need a special outpouring of grace. Moses will then go on to ask the Lord, “Please, show me Your glory!” (Exodus 33:18). What happens next is telling. Moses says, “Show me your glory” and how does God respond? He says something. Hence, we see God with our ears.Consequently, in this episode, learn three specific ways that God reveals His glory through His Word.

Giving thanks or thanksgiving has power because it is a self-denying grace; it sets the mind and heart of the creature on the kindness of the Creator. Consequently, for the one whose lips are dripping with thanks, his heart will be filled with blessings. Accordingly, in this episode, Dr. Sadaphal seeks to stir your soul to thankfulness by bringing three observations from Scripture to your attention. These observations testify to the power of thanks.

In this episode, Dr. Sadaphal recalls the events leading up to the conversion of his father-in-law, who was born again in the last few weeks of his life. Dr. Sadaphal subsequently mines wisdom from the experience of the death of a loved in order to provide five penetrating life lessons. Truly, the living take death to heart for the end of all people increases our receptivity to God while muting all those other things that don't ultimately matter. Our Scripture focus will be Ecclesiastes 7:1-2.

One of the basic foundations of human behavior is the ability to discern between right and wrong, between good and evil. Without this fundamental distinction, society would degenerate into chaos. So, in this episode, we will answer a few questions: What is morality? What must be true for morality to be meaningful now? What is the origin of morality: is it transcendent, or the product of human culture? And finally, do right and wrong tell us anything about either the existence or non-existence of God?Website: http://truthfinder.org/Subscribe: https://blubrry.com/truthfinder/

John 3:16 is important because it communicates God’s disposition toward the world. Having a true biblical understanding of God’s heart towards sinners is not just a therapeutic exercise that soothes guilty feelings or imparts false hope. Rather, a true biblical understanding of God’s disposition toward sinners is the Christian’s only hope in the midst of their spiritual weariness and burdens.