Understanding Christianity

Pastor Sean was invited by Drew Mery and Dale Stenberg to discuss SBC Traditionalism on their podcast "According to Christ." They discuss the key tenets of Traditionalism, SBC politics, and potential pitfalls of embracing Traditional theology. You can find their podcast at www.accordingtochrist.com You can find more about "Understanding Christianity" at www.seancole.net

The disciples spend the night trying to catch fish and come up empty. They needed the miraculous provision of Jesus to remind them that without Him they can do nothing. Jesus graciously meets your absolute inadequacy with his absolute sufficiency. www.seancole.net

Thomas goes from a stubborn unbeliever who demands proof from Jesus to a submissive believer who declares faith in Jesus. We receive the blessing of Life in Christ when we submit to Him as Lord and God. www.seancole.net

Pastor Sean continues his series on pastors and theologians who have greatly influenced his life and ministry. The venerable Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, pastor of Westminster Chapel in London, has impacted Sean in many areas: preaching, understanding the cross, spiritual depression, revival and spiritual awakening, and prayer. Listen as he gives a brief biography as well as quotes from Lloyd-Jones' sermons and books. You can access Lloyd-Jones' sermons at: https://www.mljtrust.org/ www.seancole.net

From the story of Gideon, we learn four major truths: 1) If anything positive or successful will happen in Israel, then it will be by His grace alone and not their merit or worthiness. 2) With God on their side, no enemy is invincible, but victory is inevitable. 3) Sometimes God’s people lack trust in His clear written Word and past faithfulness. As a result, they test God and try to manipulate Him in order to avoid obedience. 4) Those is leadership often face the real temptation to elevate personal ambition above God’s agenda. www.seancole.net

In the account of Deborah and Barak, we see many themes. What is gospel repentance? How do we handle God judging His enemies? How do we read difficult Old Testament narrative passages? And many other topics. Listen as Pastor Sean goes in depth into Judges Chapters 4 and 5. www.seancole.net

Jesus has sent us on an impossible mission of declaring God's gospel and discipling for God's Great Commission. There are two main reasons this mission is "impossible": (1) If we are to be sent like Jesus was sent into the world, our mission will be costly and require sacrifice. (2)Only the power of the Holy Spirit can do the work of bringing a lost person to faith in Christ. We must realize that we have no power of persuasion or cleverness or gimmicks or ability to cause the new birth in a sinner. We can’t open blind eyes. We can’t change hearts. We can’t overcome deadness to sin. Only God in His sovereign grace can do this work. www.seancole.net

From Mary Magdalene, we see that those who have been forgiven much, love much, and then from that overflow, share much. The risen Christ commissions Mary to be an "apostle" to the apostles.

The English Puritan John Owen (1616 - 1683) has had a tremendous spiritual impact on Sean Cole. In this podcast, he gives a brief biography of Owen and then interacts with many of his books. He spends the last half of the podcast giving 6 principles for fighting temptation from Owen's book "Temptation." This is the first of future podcasts where Dr. Cole will share theologians or preachers who have impacted him both personally and pastorally. Here is a list of the John Owen books discussed: Death of Death in the Death of Christ; Mortification of Sin; Temptation; Communion with God: Fellowship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; Assurance: Overcoming the Difficulty of Knowing Forgiveness; The Holy Spirit; The Glory of Christ: His Office and Grace; The Priesthood of Christ: Its Necessity and Nature; www.seancole.net

In Judges Chapter Three, we see the first two leaders God raised up to deliver Israel—Othniel and Ehud . Here is the cycle/downward spiral in Judges 1) The people do evil in the sight of the Lord 2) God’s anger kindles against them and they are overtaken or oppressed by a pagan nation for a considerable amount of time 3) The people cry out in desperation to be delivered 4) God raises up a judge or a military leader to deliver the people 5) The people experience victory and considerable years of peace 6) The people get comfortable without a leader and fall back into gross idolatry and do evil in the sight of the Lord and the cycle begins all over again. We also ask two theological questions: What was the role of the Holy Spirit in Old Testament believers? And, how does God’s absolute sovereignty reconcile with human responsibility otherwise known as compatibilism. In the end, Othniel and Ehud were only temporary deliverers who were insufficient to deal with Israel’s bondage to sin. Jesus is the Ul

As you start 2018, I encourage you to look AT Jesus, so you can begin to look MORE like Jesus. In 2 Corinthians 3 and 4, Paul alludes to Moses' shining face and veil on Mt. Sinai in Exodus 34. As you look at Jesus and gaze upon His beauty, just like Moses on the mountain, you began to reflect that glory like a mirror. You mirror Christ. The more you look AT Him, the more you look LIKE Him. The Spirit causes us to undergo a transformation where we begin to look more and more like Jesus. WE are being transformed into the same image as Christ. www.seancole.net

Israel preferred their slavery to pagan idolatry instead of trusting in the LORD. Instead of truly repenting, they continued in a downward spiral of sin and rebellion. Yet in God’s grace, He provided judges or military leaders to deliver His people. Even in the midst of gross idolatry, God still remains steadfast to His covenant people and will never leave nor forsake them. He will discipline them as a jealous Husband who has every right to passionately protect His bride from being defiled by the nations around Israel. As believers in Jesus, we have been saved by grace alone and delivered from bondage to sin. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can experience a lifestyle of repentance. When we do fall back into rebellion and sin patterns, we must remember that Jesus is our Savior and we find assurance by faith in Him and the gospel. The grace of God in Christ is never an excuse to continue to live a life of rebellion and sin, but should move us to repentance and find assurance in His steadfast love

Through the cross, King Jesus has accomplished absolutely everything necessary for your salvation!

Drew Mery joins Pastor Sean to discuss Leighton Flowers' view of moral inability. Dr. Flowers recently interacted with a post from Drew on the Soteriology 101 podcast called "Moral Inability?" Sean invited Drew on the podcast to respond to Flowers as the two address issues related to John 20:31, John 6, judicial hardening, and 1 Corinthians 2:14. This is a friendly discussion that seeks to understand Leighton's view, while at the same time evaluating it in light of the Scriptures. You can find Drew's blog at: https://reformedbaptistdaily.wordpress.com/ You can find Drew's podcast at: https://reformasium.com/ www.seancole.net

In 1 Timothy 2:1-6 and 2 Peter 3:9 it appears that God desires or wills for all people without exception to repent and be saved. There are two different ways to interpret these texts. The Arminian synergists see it as God's universal desire for all people without exception to be saved. The Reformed view sees it as God's eternal decree for all people without distinction to be saved--namely, all types/classes of people from all tribes, tongues, nations, and people groups. Contextually and exegetically what do these two verses teach about God's will for ALL to be saved? www.seancole.net

In this message from John 19:1-16, Dr. Sean Cole demonstrates how Jesus is the perfect Savior and powerful Lord who demands from you a response. www.seancole.net

In light of God’s patience in the Day of the Lord, we should see this as an opportunity to tell people to repent and trust in Jesus while we as believers live godly and holy lives in anticipation of Christ’s return. We must not be led astray by false teachers, but instead we should always be growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. www.seancole.net

The Jewish leaders committed the sin of religious hypocrisy which value self-preservation, while Pilate committed the sin of moral relativism which values self-expression. Both sins fail to bow to Jesus as the King of truth.

Dr. Sean Cole and his Youth Pastor Andrew Hayes discuss the theology of Molinism. Andrew was formally a Molinist, but over time came to embrace Reformed theology. What is Molinism? It represents an honorable attempt to protect both the absolute sovereignty of God with libertarian free will. In other words, it takes the main tenets of Calvinism and Arminianism and attempts a happy medium. A Jesuit Catholic theologian Luis De Molina (1535-1600)had a problem with Augustine, Aquinas, and Luther’s view on God’s omniscient and foreknowledge, and argued that God’s hypothetical knowledge of free decisions is LOGICALLY PRIOR to God’s creative decree. Here is how Molinists explain their position: God is omniscient and never learns things but has exhaustive foreknowledge. THREE Types of Knowledge: 1. God’s Natural Knowledge: God knows everything that COULD happen—possibilities. 2. God’s Middle Knowledge: God knows everything that WOULD happen—God knows which possibilities are feasible From God’s natural and mi

Pastor Sean teaches from 2 Peter Chapter Two which explains the dangers of false teachers who introduce heresies into the church. What are the characteristics of false teachers and how can believers grow in discerning truth from error? www.seancole.net