When Jesus said of his church, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28); what level of assurance was he expecting us to live with? How safe is safe? This week the curious team examine the pro’s and con’s of the doctrine historically known as, ‘the final perseverance of the saints’ (or in more recent circles; ‘once saved always saved’). If we’re so completely safe, does that mean that it doesn’t matter how we live...
The need for and process of change, especially for the better, has become something of a universal fascination the world over. But when we speak about sanctification is that all we are really emphasising? Is sanctification nothing more than a theological word for ‘changing for the better’? Is faith a means of climbing the ladder of self-improvement rung by rung to be more like Jesus? This week Pete and the Curious Team reflect on the biblical understanding of sanctification. Although it ...
What does the Bible have to say about sonship? What does it mean to be part of the family of God? What are the differences between general, national and particular sonship? What does the New Testament say about our being adopted? What does it say about our status before God? How does it affect our future? And what does it say about our ongoing relationship with the try God?This week, Pete and the Curious Team will dig deep into the New Testament’s understanding of adoption. Taking a look at h...
What do we mean by justification? Why was it such a contentious issue in the reformation? Does justification put anything in us or does it simply declare something about us? Is justification a permanent thing or is it a gradual thing? Do we become something in justification or are we declared to be something? This week the curious team will take a long hard look at the biblical understanding of justification by faith. What does it mean to be justified? What does the Bible say about those...
When Jesus spoke of conversion as a ‘turning’ (Matt. 18:3), what was he implying? What does it mean to turn, change, convert? Is it turning over a new leaf, starting over, making new commitments or better decisions? How does conversion happen and why is it so fundamentally essential?This week the Curious team examine the place, nature and importance of conversion. How can we identify counterfeit conversion and is there such a thing as temporary conversion and how does that work? What is the d...
How do we consider faith? Is there a difference between general faith, believing faith, and in particular saving faith? How do we identify real faith from counterfeit? Does everybody have faith, and is it sufficient to transform their lives? This week the Curious team take a look at the understanding of faith. What is ‘saving’ faith? Is it something we inherently possess or is something gifted to us by God? Does faith save us? What do we mean when we speak about being saved ‘by faith’? T...
What do we mean by repentance? Is there a sorrow which doesn't save? Is there such a thing as sincere but counterfeit repentance? Why does our human nature find repentance so difficult? What does God need to do insider to bring us to a place of genuine, salfivic repentance?This week Pete and the Curious team will discuss the place and significance of repentance in our spiritual transformation. What components come into play if genuine repentance is to be operated. They will reflec...
How irresistible is God's calling? What does it involved and how does it impact our lives? Why is it effectual? What does it say about each of us as individuals. What do we mean by having a natural ability without a moral ability? Why is calling more than simply God's invitation? In what way does it portray the power of God?This week the Curious team look into God's effectual, powerful call that brings us out of unbelief, resistance and death to supernatural life! They reflect on what t...
How do we understand regeneration? How much in our life experiences real change? How complete is that change? Why do some things feel as if they never change? What does the Bible mean by new birth? Is it more than simply turning over a new leaf or developing a fresh commitment? What is the New Testament idea of regeneration?This week the Curious team ponder and discuss the profound and wonderful truth of personal regeneration. Looking into voices from both scripture and history, they try to d...
The Curious team preview their new upcoming series 'The Greatest Journey' - uncovering the elements of life's greatest journey, the journey of salvation.Send your questions or thoughts to: theologyforthecurious@gmail.comSupport us on Instagram @theologyforthecuriousFind us on TikTok: @theologyforthecurious
The return of Jesus is an understanding that has tested theological minds down through the centuries. Dividing thinkers in terms of premillennialists, dispensationalists, postmillennialists, and armillenialists. But what the Bible is never divisive or uncertain about, however, is the fact and surity of Jesus's return. In this week's episode, the Curious team examine the various historical perspectives of Jesus's return. And celebrate the solemn yet wonderful truth that he will one day br...
What do we mean by the two states of Jesus? How do we define both his humiliation and exaltation? What has the resurrection of Jesus got to say about the covenant promises of God? How is it relevant to our salvation? How does it impact the end times? and what does it say overall about the present and future government of God?The resurrection of Jesus remains one of the single most fundamental and foundational declarations of the gospel. Without it, everything else crumbles. Everything that we...
In this episode the Curious team continue their examination and reflection on the atonement; with particular reference to what is understood as Christus Victor and Penal Substitutionary Atonement. They will take on the misunderstandings of both, outlining the place of the devil and the dark spiritual powers within the atonement, as well as the many misinterpretations of the penal element within penal substitution. Is God a monster? Does he take some kind of sick pleasure in punishing his unwi...
From the atonement understanding of recapitulation propounded by Irenaeus the second century Bishop of Smyrna, to the theory of satisfaction expounded in the eleventh century by Anselm of Canterbury, the biblical understanding of atonement has not been without its fair share of exponents. In the ensuring years from Irenaeus, there has been theories of ransom, moral influence, governmental, healing and kaleidoscope; including major debates centred around christus victor and penal substitution....
What was the significance of death on a cross? Could Jesus have equally been stoned or beheaded? What does the New Testament mean when it speaks of Jesus “bearing our sins”? How are we to understand Jesus’s sense of dereliction on the cross as he cried; “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”—how could God have forsaken himself? Did a fracture occur in the divine essence? In what sense did God himself suffer in the person of Jesus, and did the Apostolic Creed have it right when it stated ...
What do we mean when we talk about the Kingly office of Jesus? How do we understand the authority and rule of Jesus? How is the resurrection connected to that? What does the governance of Jesus look like in our day-to-day living? How does his Kingly office relate to his prophetic and priestly office?This week Pete and the Curious team will take a look into what we mean when we talk about Jesus’s kingly office, and especially how we understand power in relation to Jesus. When Jesus announced i...
What is meant by classifying Jesus as priest? Does he understand our shortcomings and problems? Is he still in touch with all the difficulties we experience? How is the idea of priesthood relevant to my life now and my continued daily walk in faith? This week Pete and the Curious team investigate the priestly office of Jesus. How it relates to the priestly idea of the Old Testament, how its relevance speaks powerfully today, the comfort it brings to our battle with sin and failure, and h...
Is the teaching of Jesus only to be found in the gospels? What differentiated Jesus from the prophets? Why was his teaching so unique above that of any others? Why can we never simply take or leave Jesus’ teaching, what makes it so compelling? This week the Curious team will be reflecting on the teachings of Jesus. They will be broadening the net as they contemplate how we ought to understand not simply the gospels as containing all that Jesus said and taught, but every expression of rev...
Books have been written and lectures given in an attempt to describe just what exactly happened in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. Some say that a boy named Jesus came into existence, but is that exactly true? Some say it was God becoming human, but did he? Some say Mary gave birth to a remarkable amalgamation of divine and human, really? Where others insist it was a simple case of a normal child being born but, almost immediately, being endowed with some form of supernatural power, like a divine ...
What did Jesus mean when he said, “before Abraham was born, I am” (John 8:58)? How was Jesus different to angels, divine beings, anointed prophets? Why did the Arian’s cause so much trouble back in the fourth century? And what did Athanasius insist upon that turned him into the worlds most wanted man at the time? This week Pete and the Curious Team unpack history, to take a deeper look into Jesus and why the first believers insisted that his existence did not start in a stable in Bethleh...