One of the biggest questions people ask: if God forgives us anyway, why should we bother trying to good in the first place? In the fourth part of our series on Justification, Jesus gives us the answer.
The podcast episode is available here.
To support Understand the Bible, see the support page.
One thing which always used to puzzle me: if Jesus never sinned, why did he want to be baptised by John the Baptist? In this next part of the series on Matthew, we think about this passage.
You can see the rest of the videos on Matthew on this page.
The podcast is available on Anchor.
Some people have the view that being a Christian is only about keeping the rules and looking down on everyone else. But, as we see in this video, we need a far greater obedience to be considered righteous by God.
The main passage in the video is Galatians 2:11-21 – read online via Bible Gateway.
To support Understand the Bible, please see the How to Support page.
Discuss this video in the discussion forum.
The podcast episode is available here.
In the second part of our series on Justification, we look at the issue of freedom. Do we truly have freedom and free will? And what even is freedom and free will?
If you’d prefer to listen to the podcast, the episode is available on Anchor.
I have been uploading videos to YouTube for over two years now, however Understand the Bible as a separate entity has only been going since November last year. My plan over the coming months is to develop UTB into a discipleship resource, e.g. a sort of discipleship course which people can complete after having done a course such as Alpha or Christianity Explored.
However – in order to do that I could really do with some support. I’ve created a page which explains the situation and what you can do to help. You can find it over on my personal website.
Thanks so much everyone for supporting this ministry!
This week we are starting a new series on Justification. Justification is one of the most important issues in the Christian life, and yet many people do not spend much time thinking about it. At the time of the reformation, 500 years ago, it was described as the doctrine on which the reformation would stand or fall. Why is it so important? In this new series we are using a document produced nearly 500 years ago – the 39 Articles (part of the founding documents of the Church of England) – to explore this doctrine and why it remains so important for us today.
If you’d prefer to listen to the podcast, the episode is available on Anchor.
Have you ever been in a situation where you had to get ready for the boss coming to visit? What did it feel like? John the Baptist here is warning people what they need to do to get ready for the Lord’s coming.
Read the passage on BibleGateway.
See more videos on Matthew’s Gospel.
If you’d prefer to listen to the audio-only podcast, you can do so via Anchor.
Over the last week or so I have been busy re-recording episodes of the New City Catechism – I have got up to Q&A 5. (If you haven’t yet gone through the catechism, you can see the whole playlist on this page).
I have also added a discussion forum so that you can ask any questions you want about the videos and join in with people who are going through the same things. You are very welcome to come and join in the discussion.
Next week I will resume the ordinary videos, and over the next few weeks we will be looking at justification – an important topic which most Christians don’t spend very much time thinking about!
Firstly, let me wish you all a Happy New Year! I hope you had a good and restful Christmas. Personally it wasn’t quite the Christmas we were hoping for as my whole family got a sickness bug just before Christmas – at the same time, the Christmas story is good news however we feel. I was reminded the other day that I recorded some videos a few months back on the nativity story in Matthew’s gospel – you can see all of those on this playlist. The nativity story says a lot more than we usually go into at Christmas!
You may have noticed over the last few days I have been busy uploading new videos – I have been re-doing some of the old Catechism videos. These were videos that I recorded about two years ago when I first started recording them, and I think they are not quite up to the standard of new videos – so I have decided to re-do them. Do take a look, especially if you haven’t gone through the Catechism yet – it is worthwhile!
I have been busy updating the website over the last few weeks, if you haven’t had an explore do come and have a look round as well. Thanks so much everyone for your support – here’s to a 2020 where we all grow in maturity in faith!
He (Christ) is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.
Colossians 1:28
At Christmas time, when you see the baby in the manger, do you see a baby? Or do you see a sign from God? What we see reveals who we are really trusting in.
Read the passage online via BibleGateway.
Sermon preached at All Saints, Fordham, on 22nd Dec 2019.
Alternatively the podcast episode is available here.