There are many doctrines in the Bible, and there are many concepts and ideas that remain difficult to understand. Yet what is never confusing or hard to comprehend is a good old-fashioned story about two brothers. And so, in this episode, Dr. Sadaphal will talk about the doctrine of election (or God choosing people to be saved), which will be made simple and clear through an Old Testament narrative about Jacob and Esau.

Abram went off course and fled away from the place God told him to go. He ended up failing the test in Egypt but was able to go back and pick up where he left off. Going back to square one means going back the only valid object of faith: God Himself. The good news for all God's children is that even when we fail we cannot fall because Christ is forever Risen.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus famously tells His disciples to "turn the other cheek." What did the Lord mean by that? Is this an invitation for all Christians to remain passive victims of abuse? Is this teaching permanent non-resistance against violence? Is this an absolute prohibition against defending yourself in light of the sinful aggression of others? Or, does the Lord perhaps have another intent in His teaching? In this episode, Dr. Sadaphal will exposit Matthew 5:39 in an attempt to help you think and act biblically. Devoting attention to a proper understanding of the Lord’s words is crucial because this text is commonly misunderstood.

The great hope that the doctrine of providence gives you is that right now and every moment from now on, the Lord isn’t far away and disinterested. Instead, He is actively weaving His fingers through the fabric of reality to bring all things together for good for those who love Him. So what is divine providence and how does it apply yo your everyday life? In this episode, Dr. Sadaphal provides 20 observation on providence based on the narrative of Abraham's servant, Isaac and Rebekah in Genesis 24.

In this episode, Dr. Sadaphal exposits the Scriptures and shares what he calls Abraham’s secret or the knowledge of God’s future plans that nudged him forward at Mount Moriah, where Isaac was to be sacrificed.

In this episode, Dr. Sadaphal invites you to consider Lot, Abraham’s nephew. Lot lived with his daughters in the ancient city of Sodom, a place well known for its godlessness and immorality. Lot was not immune to his environment; the pagan society in which he lived impacted him negatively. Hence, when we consider Lot, we are in essence embarking on a path of self-reflection where you begin to consider how the world in which you live impacts how you think and what you do.As you meditate on Lot’s example, ask yourself, “How does the story of Lot speak to me today? How does the nation, culture, city, town, or village in which I live persuade me to think and act like society at large? How am I like Lot?”

In this episode, Dr. Sadaphal will answer two listener questions. First, Philomena asks, “Why are human beings not satisfied?” Second, Thomas asks, “These days I am talking to an atheist about God. How can I convince him about the existence and meaning of God?”Anyone can write-in a question via our email address (info@wcsk.org). Listen to the podcast to get guidelines on how to improve your chances of getting a response.

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.