Tag: Matthew

Woe

aka Eschatologuy

Repentance consists of contrition and faith. Contrition is sorrow for sin, the terrors of conscience that are attendant the realization of the nature of sin and God’s wrath toward it; faith, in this case, is the entirety of the Christian life — the ‘and then what’, which follows regeneration. But more than this, to be truly repentant is to turn from one’s sins and move toward God. In the Greek (μετανοια), repentance is a ‘change of one’s mind’, or, in the verbal form, ‘to change one’s mind’ — literally, ‘to think differently [about]’.

When we are regenerated, we think differently about the sins of our past (and about the sins we still desire to commit) — we recognize that they are sins and that they are contrary to the will of God. And not only do we think differently about these matters (i.e., have that μετανοια, that change of mind), but we also seek to undo the harms that we have done — there are works that follow true repentance.

In a very real sense, repentance is the core of the Christian life. We are saved, of course, by the work of Christ and the free gift of faith, but a living faith will always produce good works, and chief among those works are repentance and what flows from it. We read the Word of God, which convicts us of our sins, we feel sorrow for these sins (i.e., contrition) and we turn from them (i.e., repentance). This is the Christian life in this world.

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Show Notes

Parental Warnings

There is some discussion of sexual sins (not in explicit terms) shortly after the one-hour mark.

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Slander

Corey J. Mahler on Wed 14 Feb 2024

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Corey J. Mahler

Woe

aka Eschatologuy

Once taken, a man’s reputation is nearly impossible to restore to him. In the 8th Commandment (and many other places in Scripture), God enshrines and makes abundantly clear that He hates slander and the man who spreads it. And yet Scripture goes further: Not only must we not slander our neighbor, but we must rebuke the one who does so. Scripture calls the one who hears slander but does not rebuke the slanderer evil.

Next to his life, wife, and possessions, the most dear thing a neighbor has is his good name and reputation. As Christians, we know that we must aid our neighbor in maintaining all that is his, and this certainly includes his reputation. Slander destroys families, friendships, organizations, churches, and entire societies. A godly prince would wield the sword against the slanderer, but every individual Christian has a moral duty to rebuke the slanderer and not to repeat what he has heard.

In this episode, we will examine the contours of what “slander” encompasses, and what we, as Christians, must do in this life.

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Show Notes

Parental Warnings

None.

Transcript

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Apostasy

Corey J. Mahler on Wed 31 Jan 2024

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Hosts

Corey J. Mahler

Woe

aka Eschatologuy

By the time Josiah, King of Judah, noticed that pagan worship practices had crept into the land of Judah — and even into the Temple itself —, apostasy, wickedness, and idol worship were rampant. The Temple was filled with altars to and symbols of false gods, the area around the Temple and around Jerusalem was filled with centers of false worship, and the valley adjacent to Jerusalem even saw the sacrifice of children to demons. Undoubtedly, these false beliefs and false practices did not creep into Judah all at once — Satan brought them in bit by bit.

The apostasy of Judah was not the first time humanity lost the Word of God (although perhaps none have done this as literally as Judah forgetting the actual scroll somewhere in a pile of rubble in the Temple); by the time of Judah’s apostasy, Israel (the Northern Kingdom) was already apostate and in the process of being eradicated by the Assyrians. We see the same happening all over the world as the sons of Noah lost the Word of God over time — some certainly faster than others. And, of course, the entire world, save Noah and his immediate family, had lost or rejected God’s Word by the time of the Flood.

Today, the churches face a similar crisis as that which faced Josiah: We are beset on all sides by false worship, and false shepherds and wolves have even brought these false beliefs and false practices into the church. We have fallen so far that supposed pastors, priests, and teachers will recoil when presented with the words of God. This does not mean that there is no hope, but it is surely a call for repentance and prayer. Josiah would not see the destruction of Judah, which God promised as recompense for their wickedness, but his grandson would.

Let us not be like the wicked Northern Kingdom or the apostate Southern Kingdom.

Joel 2:12–14 (ESV):  
»“Yet even now,” declares the LORD,  
  “return to me with all your heart,  
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;  
  and rend your hearts and not your garments.”  
Return to the LORD your God,  
  for he is gracious and merciful,  
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;  
  and he relents over disaster.  
Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,  
  and leave a blessing behind him,  
a grain offering and a drink offering  
  for the LORD your God?«

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Show Notes

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None.

Transcript

The transcript for this episode can be found here

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According to Their Generations

Corey J. Mahler on Wed 26 Oct 2022

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Hosts

Corey J. Mahler

Woe

aka Eschatologuy