The Whole Counsel

Media Gratiae
Media Gratiae
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John Snyder, host of the Behold Your God Study and an elder of Christ Church New Albany, walks us through the realities of the Christian life with an emphasis on experiential Christianity. We love books on our podcast, so we tend to find great help in old books written by church fathers, puritans, and others. John has a plethora of guests to come on the show and share different insights into the books we discuss.

  1. 1d ago

    Letters of Thomas Charles IV: How Does God Guide His People?

    In this episode of The Whole Counsel, Dr. John Snyder returns to the writings of Welsh pastor and theologian Thomas Charles, focusing on Charles’s essay on divine guidance. Instead of offering a formula for discovering God’s will in every decision, Charles presents a broader, more biblical vision: the Christian life is a life of following the living God. Using Israel’s wilderness journey as his primary illustration, Charles reminds believers that God does not often reveal the entire road ahead. Like Israel following the pillar of cloud and fire, Christians are called to trust God, follow his revealed Word, and take the next step in faith. Scripture provides the foundation for guidance. God may also work through providence, circumstances, wise counsel, prayer, and the opening or closing of doors. Dr. Snyder warns against treating subjective impressions, feelings, or arbitrary Bible verses as a substitute for obeying Scripture. The Christian's confidence does not rest on discovering a secret roadmap for life but on knowing that God is present, wise, sovereign, and actively leading his people. Faith means trusting God enough to obey what He has revealed, even when we cannot see the outcome. Charles describes the Christian life as choosing God's wisdom over our own and entrusting ourselves to his care. When God's timing seems slow or his direction unclear, believers can be tempted to rush ahead and make their own way, just as Israel tried to enter the Promised Land on its own timetable.  The episode encourages Christians to resist anxious confusion and self-directed independence, instead walking near God, grounded in his Word and confident that he will faithfully determine the timing, direction, and destination of their journey.   SHOW NOTES 📖 Thomas Charles’s Spiritual Counsels: Banner of Truth

  2. Oct 2

    Letters of Thomas Charles III: Where Does Assurance Rest?

    In this episode of The Whole Counsel, Dr. John Snyder continues the series on Thomas Charles’s pastoral letters, focusing on a letter he wrote to his newlywed wife, Sally. She was still struggling with doubts about her spiritual condition and assurance of salvation. Charles responds with tenderness but also with strengthening words. He urges her not to give her doubts “any quarter,” arguing that prolonged uncertainty can paralyze Christian growth, weaken faith, and hinder a believer’s walk with God. He also distinguishes between godly sorrow over sin and doubts about whether one belongs to Christ. A major theme of the episode is the relationship between objective assurance in Christ and the evidence of God’s work within us. Charles distinguishes the believer’s primary act of faith, looking away from self to Christ, from the “reflexive” work of faith, in which we examine the evidence of God’s grace in our own lives.  Sanctification can provide genuine evidence of spiritual life, but it must never become the foundation of our hope. Justification and Christ's finished work remain the foundation. Charles encourages Christians, tempted to despair over their weakness and slow growth, to recognize the work of grace within them while continually looking outside themselves to Christ.   SHOW NOTES 📖 Thomas Charles’s Spiritual Counsels: Banner of Truth 📝 “Thomas Charles,” by Jonathan Thomas (Evangelical Magazine, May/June 2020, page 12) 🎥 Welsh Awakenings: The Story of God’s Work in Wales, by Dan Pugh 📖 John Elias: Life, Letters, and Essays, published by Banner of Truth 📖 Kingdom Life: Studies in the Sermon on the Mount

  3. Sep 24

    Letters of Thomas Charles II: Doubting Love

    In this week’s episode of The Whole Counsel Podcast, Dr. John Snyder discusses a letter from Thomas Charles to his future wife, Sarah Jones, also known as Sally. The letter is found in Thomas Charles’s Spiritual Counsels, published by Banner of Truth. Thomas Charles was mentored by John Newton and was a leader in Wales during the Evangelical Revival. Although we do not have Sally’s letter, we can infer its content from Thomas' responses. It seems Sally is troubled, worried that she does not love God or does not love him well enough. Thomas addresses this and a second matter: “Do you believe that God loves you?” as he attempts to uplift Sally’s heavy heart. Thomas’s responses help us in the dynamic of the Christian life that the old writers called communion. Communion is the constant interchange between the needy believer and our heavenly Father- an ongoing transaction between our needy souls and his infinite heart. In Christ we have all we need to enjoy this sweet communion with God. This letter helps with doubts and other issues that can bog us down and trouble our souls. Dr. Snyder addresses topics such as the Christian conscience, pride, and grief that will help us walk closer to our Father.

  4. Sep 10

    Letters of Thomas Charles I: Introduction

    “Thomas Charles is God’s gift to North Wales.” —Daniel Rowland This week on The Whole Counsel, we return to our series on great letter-writers in Christianity over the past 500 years. In this episode, we are introduced to Thomas Charles, a Welshman whose ministry is worth noting. He was converted under the preaching of Daniel Rowland in the mid-18th century and later studied for the ministry at Jesus College, Oxford. During one of his summers at college, he lived with and was mentored by John Newton at Olney. Thomas eventually settled in Bala, North Wales, due to his love for a young woman, Sally Jones. After joining the Calvinistic Methodists (those impacted by the Evangelical Revival of the 18th century), Charles became one of the most significant leaders of the Welsh wing of that revival, guiding the next generation.  His letters, taken from the book Thomas Charles’s Spiritual Counsels, are full of practical, warm, experiential advice, reminding us of John Newton’s balanced approach. In these episodes, we will select a few of those letters and also take a look at some of his spiritual essays from the same book.    SHOW NOTES 📖 Kingdom Life: Studies in the Sermon on the Mount 📖 Thomas Charles’s Spiritual Counsels: Banner of Truth 📝 “Thomas Charles,” by Jonathan Thomas (Evangelical Magazine, May/June 2020, page 12) 🎥 Welsh Awakenings: The Story of God’s Work in Wales, by Dan Pugh 📖 John Elias: Life, Letters, and Essays, published by Banner of Truth

  5. Sep 3

    Biblical Help for Life's Problems V: How We Grow

    In episode five of Biblical Help for Life’s Problems, Dr. John Snyder is once again joined by pastor and counselor Louis Sacran. Drawing on Romans 13:14, Louis helps us understand sanctification biblically and practically. How do we grow and change as believers? How do we mature? We must understand the inner workings of our hearts (our desires) and our walk (our actions), and how they are connected. John and Louis tackle the topic of sexual sin. What is at the root of it, and how can I break the chains of enslavement to this sin? John and Louis point us back to the gospel and to our Lord Jesus. Being aware of what we have been given in Christ and of our unshakable standing with Him because of His righteousness is foundational to growing in Christlikeness.

  6. Aug 27

    Biblical Help for Life's Problems IV: Living According To Our Purpose

    This week on the Whole Counsel, Louis Sacran, an experienced pastor and biblical counselor, sits down with Dr. John Snyder to discuss how to apply what we have learned so far in this series to live in accordance with our purpose. As Christians, our purpose is clear. Our purpose is to please God, and we please Him by loving Him and loving people. Louis helps us to see that everything we do is either a loving or an unloving response. John and Louis discuss what biblical love is. They help us recognize the dangers of not addressing our specific responses and of categorizing ourselves and others in unhelpful ways.

  7. Aug 26

    Biblical Help for Life’s Problems III: God’s Faithfulness, Our Expectations

    In today’s episode of The Whole Counsel, Dr. John Snyder is once again joined by Louis Sacran, an experienced pastor and counselor. In session three of Biblical Help for Life’s Problems, Louis addresses our ideas about God’s faithfulness. God’s faithfulness is not the same as God fulfilling all our preferences for life. Louis takes us to various passages to clarify what it means for God to be faithful and shows that he is indeed trustworthy. Louis also addresses the choices we face in pressing circumstances. What is beyond our control? What is our ultimate desire? What dangers and deceptions can we avoid? We pray you will be helped by Louis’s wise counsel as we have been.   SHOW NOTES 📖 Kingdom Life: Studies in the Sermon on the Mount

  8. Aug 13

    Biblical Help for Life’s Problems II: The Truth About Trials

    In today’s episode of The Whole Counsel, Dr. John Snyder is joined by Louis Sacran, an experienced pastor and counselor from Ripley, Mississippi. Today, John and Louis discuss a biblical perspective on trials. Using 1 Corinthians 10:13 as a starting point, Louis explains that trials are real, and they hurt. They are also common to all humanity. He reminds us that God is faithful and that we have choices during trials. John and Louis also talk about the importance of taking all thoughts captive to Christ and of not forsaking Scripture in times of difficulty.   SHOW NOTES 📖 Kingdom Life: Studies in the Sermon on the Mount

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About

John Snyder, host of the Behold Your God Study and an elder of Christ Church New Albany, walks us through the realities of the Christian life with an emphasis on experiential Christianity. We love books on our podcast, so we tend to find great help in old books written by church fathers, puritans, and others. John has a plethora of guests to come on the show and share different insights into the books we discuss.

Information

  • Channel
    Media Gratiae
  • Creator
    Media Gratiae
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    475
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    The Whole Counsel

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