Craving Answers, Craving God

St James Lutheran Church - Glen Carbon Illinois

Chuck Rathert and Aaron Mueller discuss issues and questions that are on the minds of people who are wrestling with the problems of existence and meaning, and explore how Christianity can answer these questions in a way that satisfies the longing of the human heart.

  1. -4 j

    Once Lost, Always Lost?

    Hebrews 6:1-6 seems to imply that if someone who was once genuinely converted loses that salvation they are not able to repent and return once again to the Christian faith, but how does that fit with stories of apostasy and restoration from Scripture and from the real lives of many Christians? Peter, for instance, confesses that Jesus is the true Messiah, denies him immediately before his death, and then returns to become a pillar of the earliest church. What then, does the Hebrew text mean? The answer has to do with the historical context: threatened with persecution, at least some Christians in the church, who received the epistle of Hebrews, have been tempted to return to the safety of the currently-legal Jewish synagogue. The preacher of Hebrews warns them that by returning to an expression of faith that denies the salvific reality of the death of Jesus, they cut themselves off–however devout their synagogue worship will be–from that salvation, and by doing so they implicitly confess that the one-off sacrifice of Jesus was not good enough and that God must provide a different sacrifice. If they want to experience the grace of God, they must confess instead that Jesus is the God-man crucified for the sins of the world. In other words, the text does not deny that those who apostasize are forever cut off from grace, but it does teach that those who apostasize can only return to God’s grace by believing in the crucified and risen Jesus. Hosts: Aaron Mueller and Chuck Rathert Subscribe to the show at https://cacg.saintjamesglencarbon.org. To comment on this episode, visit https://saintjamesglencarbon.org/cacg-ep0147.

    34 min

  2. 17 juin

    Can You Trust Your Bible Translation?

    A common urban myth about Christian origins sometimes gets passed around when people talk about the Bible is that no one can really know what the Bible says since the translations we have now are just translations of older translations. The Bible says that all of scripture is “breathed out” by God, but does this mean that our English translations can equally lay claim to this divine origin? Chuck and Aaron talk about how translations work and about the decisions scholars must make as they try to the best of their ability to communicate ideas written in one language into another language without changing those ideas. The different theories of how this is done - whether literally or as a dynamic equivalent - are all in pursuit of communicating as faithfully as possible the message God has in his word. In doing this, the translators do not translate from previous English translations but from the oldest and best Greek and Hebrew manuscripts we have available to us. Hosts: Aaron Mueller and Chuck Rathert Subscribe to the show at https://cacg.saintjamesglencarbon.org. To comment on this episode, visit https://saintjamesglencarbon.org/cacg-ep0146.

    35 min

  3. 3 juin

    Judgment Day

    The Bible teaches that at the end of this current age, when Jesus returns, God will finally and eternally judge all people. But what is the actual basis of that judgment? What does it have to do with our lives right now? And how can we know where we stand? For Protestants who believe that salvation is by grace through faith alone, it may come as a surprise that every time the final judgment is described in Scripture, it is done on the basis of works. In other words, on that last day, believers will be revealed by the way they lived in Jesus’ name, while those who do not know Christ will be revealed by the works they failed to do. So, how does this final judgment shape our reality today? By pulling the justification which we receive at the judgment seat of Christ into the present, faith allows us to know right now that we are not guilty before God. This divine declaration—that we have infinite value because we are united to Jesus—forms the Christian’s identity now, assuring us of who we really are. Join us as we look at how the final judgment allows us to hear the Lord say face-to-face what He has already promised in His Word: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Hosts: Aaron Mueller and Chuck Rathert Subscribe to the show at https://cacg.saintjamesglencarbon.org. To comment on this episode, visit https://saintjamesglencarbon.org/cacg-ep145.

    37 min

  4. 20 mai

    “Like a Child”

    In Mark 10:15, Jesus says that anyone “who does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” This text has been misunderstood in different ways through the years since Jesus has said it. One listener who had grown up with the King James Version (which translates this verse, “whoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.” The word “as” can mean “like”, but in this sentence it can also mean “when”; in other words, “whoever shall not receive the kingdom of God when a child…”. Within the context of the New Testament, this clearly different meaning makes no sense, because many adults come to faith in Jesus and enter God’s kingdom long after their childhood is over. But our listener remembers preachers and teachers in their church putting pressure on young children to make a declaration of faith for Christ before it was too late and they missed their childhood’s chance. This sort of emotional pressure is, of course, unbiblical. But so is the misunderstanding of this verse’s theology. Jesus is teaching his disciples that the only way to come to him is the way a child does - with simple faith that one can receive a gift without doing anything to earn it, and an equally simple faith that Jesus meets our almost selfish need for his love and affection. Hosts: Aaron Mueller and Chuck Rathert Subscribe to the show at https://cacg.saintjamesglencarbon.org. To comment on this episode, visit https://saintjamesglencarbon.org/cacg-ep144.

    37 min

  5. 6 mai

    Justification

    Justification is one of the most important words in the Bible because it’s one of the most important aspects of humanity. The quest to find a reason for one’s existence - in other words, “to justify” oneself - is irresistible. In a culture which separates the “secular” from the “sacred”, Christians sometimes reduce justification to be a religious or moral issue: we can not do enough good works to make God happy with us, so if we want to be saved we can’t rely on our good works but on Jesus alone. This truth is plainly taught by Scripture, but this view narrows down the scope of justification to the “religious” part of our lives. In this way it becomes easy to go to church, trust in Jesus to get us to heaven when we die, and thus feel justified, while simultaneously going to work on Monday morning and finding our reason for existence in our career success, earnings, number and quality of our relationships. If justification by faith in Jesus means anything, it must be broad enough to allow me to find my identity in Christ in every aspect of my life. I can never make enough money, or have enough relational success, or be respectable enough, to tell myself I am worthy of existing - only Jesus can love and accept me enough for me to be able to say “I have value because Jesus says my existence is justified since he died and rose from the dead for me.” This concept is what we call justification by faith in Jesus. Hosts: Aaron Mueller and Chuck Rathert Subscribe to the show at https://cacg.saintjamesglencarbon.org. To comment on this episode, visit https://saintjamesglencarbon.org/cacg-ep143.

    37 min

  6. 22 avr.

    Hate

    While the Bible acknowledges that anger can sometimes be righteous—specifically when its target is evil and injustice—hatred is generally forbidden. Jesus calls his people to do good to their enemies and love those who hate them. However, this creates a tension: sometimes God himself is described as hating those who are opposed to him. How can hatred be wrong if God himself hates? Three Ways to Understand Divine Hate The Perspective of Judgment: One way to answer this is to understand human limitation. We are unable to pass final judgment on each other because we don't know if someone's evil is a temporary state that will be repented of, or if it is "damnably permanent." God, however, knows those who are reprobate and will never stop opposing him. These he hates. The Capacity for Complexity: Another possibility is to acknowledge the difference in capacity. While we humans struggle to love and hate the same person at the same time, God, in his infinite nature, is able to hate sin while simultaneously loving his creatures. The Semantic Range: The third, and possibly most accurate, approach is to recognize the semantic range of biblical words for "hate." In both the Old and New Testaments, hatred can mean to emotionally despise, but it can also mean "to be chosen over." When we say "God hates sin," it falls into the category of emotional or moral distaste. However, when the Bible says, "Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated," it falls into the second category. In that context, there is no sense of emotional malice toward Esau; rather, it is a way of stating that God chose Jacob and his descendants over Esau to be his covenant people. Hosts: Aaron Mueller and Chuck Rathert Subscribe to the show at https://cacg.saintjamesglencarbon.org. To comment on this episode, visit https://saintjamesglencarbon.org/cacg-ep142.

    36 min

  7. 8 avr.

    Is Christian Faith “Subjective”?

    Unbelievers sometimes critique Christian faith for being subjective—based on unprovable personal opinions. In response, some Christians have tried to argue that their beliefs are actually objective and based on provable evidence. However, both the accusation and the defense stem from a modernist perspective that incorrectly prioritizes "scientific" viewpoints over all others. This distortion hides the reality that all viewpoints—not just religious ones—are inherently subjective. No one's ideas are based purely on provable evidence; instead, all concepts rest on unprovable foundational assumptions. For instance, both the belief that God exists and the belief that He does not are based not on "reason" alone, but on faith. In the realm of Christian apologetics, attempting to prove that God exists or that Christianity is objectively true has largely been unfruitful. A more effective approach involves pointing materialists to their own unperceived biases while introducing them to the narrative of sacred scripture. Hosts: Aaron Mueller and Chuck Rathert Subscribe to the show at https://cacg.saintjamesglencarbon.org. To comment on this episode, visit https://saintjamesglencarbon.org/cacg-ep141.

    36 min

  8. 25 mars

    When Church Leaders Fall

    The level of damage a Christian leader’s moral failure causes is almost incalculable. Because much of a pastor’s ministry is explaining God’s Word to his congregation, his words necessarily begin to carry something of a divine weight, and as a result the Christian pastor represents God. The level of trust a congregation must have in its pastor means that the damage caused when a pastor betrays his congregation is exponentially greater than when a business, political, or entertainment leader commits the same sin. With this in mind, churches and their pastors must care for each other in spiritually healthy ways. Churches must hold their pastors accountable to spiritual oversight, making sure they are confessing their sins regularly and have people in their lives who ask tough questions. And pastors must not use their authority to guard themselves from trusted Christians who would hold them to this accountability. But when Christian leaders fall, it’s important for all Christians to remember that only Jesus is without sin, only Jesus is a perfect leader, and only Jesus loves his people enough to never hurt them. Hosts: Aaron Mueller and Chuck Rathert Subscribe to the show at https://cacg.saintjamesglencarbon.org. To comment on this episode, visit https://saintjamesglencarbon.org/cacg-ep140.

    36 min
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À propos

Chuck Rathert and Aaron Mueller discuss issues and questions that are on the minds of people who are wrestling with the problems of existence and meaning, and explore how Christianity can answer these questions in a way that satisfies the longing of the human heart.

Informations

  • Création
    St James Lutheran Church - Glen Carbon Illinois
  • Années d’activité
    2020 - 2026
  • Épisodes
    147
  • Classification
    Tous publics
  • Copyright
    © ℗ 2026 LMO Productions
  • Site web de l’émission
    Craving Answers, Craving God

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