The Blessed Hope Podcast -- with Dr. Kim Riddlebarger
Interested in taking a deep dive into the biblical text? Join host Dr. Kim Riddlebarger for each episode of the Blessed Hope Podcast as we explore the Letters of the Apostle Paul. In each episode, we work our way through Paul’s letters, focusing upon Paul’s life and times, the gospel he preaches, the law/gospel distinction, the doctrine of justification sola fide, Paul’s two-age eschatology, and a whole lot more. So get out your Bible and join us! Oh, and expect a few bad jokes and surprise episodes along the way.
S3 E28 · Mon, April 07, 2025
"Christ's Victory Over Death and the Grave" Season Three/Episode Twenty-Eight (1 Corinthians 15:35-58)
Episode Synopsis: At the end of chapter 15 of First Corinthians, Paul describes what is truly the greatest triumph in the long history of the human race–Jesus Christ’s glorious victory over death and the grave. Our greatest enemy (death) was defeated that first Easter when Jesus was raised bodily from the dead as the firstfruits of a great harvest yet to come. And when Jesus returns on the last day, the trumpet will sound, the dead in Christ will be raised imperishable, and his victory will become ours. Just as Jesus was raised in a glorified body of flesh and bones, so too shall we. But what will such a body be like? How is it both the same, yet different from the bodies we presently have? Paul answers this and related questions in his defense of Jesus Christ’s bodily resurrection from the dead in the last part of 1 Corinthians 15. Paul speaks of a spiritual body suited for eternal life in the presence of the holy God. It will be the same kind of body Jesus possessed after his resurrection. Such a body is unlike our present existence, in that once transformed, this body will reflect the glories of the new creation, the age to come, and the final consummation. It will be a body free from sin, sickness, and death. We will be raised to experience the unspeakable glories of the new heaven and earth, a renewed creation, and live forever in the presence of the Lord. Although we see dimly now, on that day we shall see face to face. We will experience the wonder of eternal life and receive all the blessings of our promised inheritance. Paul ends this chapter in triumph, mocking death. When Jesus returns on the last day, we shall be instantly changed (in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye) and given that resurrection body which Paul describes as a transformation from the perishable (and therefore certain to die) to an imperishable body which is suited for eternal life. The sting of death gives way to the glorious victory earned and won for us by Jesus himself. As Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15:57 , “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S3 E27 · Mon, March 24, 2025
"Christ Has Been Raised" Season Three/Episode Twenty-Seven (1 Corinthians 15:20-34)
E pisode Synopsis: Imagine the shock you would feel upon hearing news that the body of Jesus had been found in a tomb somewhere near the city of Jerusalem and the remains were positively identified as those of the central figure of the New Testament. What would your reaction be? Would it even matter? Would you still call yourself a Christian? While no one is going to find the body of Jesus in a tomb near Jerusalem because Jesus was raised from the dead that first Easter, nevertheless, the question is an important one because it pushes us to face a more fundamental question. How do we know that Christianity is true? Why are you a Christian? And why does any of this really matter since faith is supposedly a subjective and merely personal thing often disconnected from a factual basis? Paul’s response to Corinthian skepticism and confusion regarding our Lord’s resurrection is to declare that Jesus has been raised, bodily, from the dead. We know this to be the case because the evidence for it is overwhelming. The tomb in which Jesus had been buried was empty despite the fact that a huge stone sealed the tomb’s entrance, and that the Romans placed a guard at the tomb. We also know that Jesus was raised from the dead because the risen Lord appeared visibly to all the apostles, to over five hundred people at one time, and then finally to Paul, who considered himself completely unworthy of such an honor. Paul not only appeals to the fact that he himself saw the resurrected Jesus while traveling on the road to Damascus, Paul also appeals to the fact that most of the five hundred people who saw Jesus were still alive–the implication being that the Corinthians knew who many of these people were, and that the events associated with the gospel were not only true, they were common knowledge. In verses 20-28 of 1 Corinthians 15, Paul describes Christ’s resurrection as the firstfruits of a great harvest yet to come. Death may have come through Adam, but Jesus (the second Adam) has been raised from the dead. And not only has Jesus been raised from the dead, so will all those who trust in him–all those “in Christ.” On the first Easter Sunday, Jesus defeated death and the grave, he destroyed our last and greatest enemy as death itself was vanquished, the new creation dawned, and we enter the final period of human history, awaiting our Lord’s return when all things are put in subjection under his feet. He is risen! He is risen indeed! For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S3 E26 · Mon, March 10, 2025
"The Gospel: Christ's Death, Burial, and Resurrection" Season Three/Episode Twenty-Six (1 Corinthians 15:1-19)
Episode Synopsis: If someone walked up to you and asked, “What is the gospel?, what would you say? If you cannot come up with the answer immediately, then please carefully consider what follows. The definition is given us in a concise form by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3–5. The gospel is called “good news” because it is the proclamation of a set of particular historical facts—Jesus suffered on a Roman cross, died as a payment for our sins, was buried, and then was raised from the dead by God after three days as proof that his death turned aside God’s wrath toward sinners. And all this, Paul says, is in accordance with the Scriptures (the Old Testament). The gospel is a nonnegotiable and fundamental article of the Christian faith. To deny it is to reject the Christian faith. When Easter rolls around, I often look at the flyers and social media from neighborhood churches to examine the sermon topics for Easter Sunday. I am amazed and saddened by how many local churches virtually ignore the biblical emphasis on the empty tomb and the bodily resurrection of Jesus, which is both a fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith and an objective fact of history. Instead, many churches focus on the so-called “Easter experience” of the apostles. If the meaning of Easter is the experience and change of heart felt by Jesus’s apostles—who at first did not believe, but then later did so—then Easter is yet another experience that we can share with the early followers of Jesus. For these folks, Easter is a time of new beginnings, a time to change our life’s course. Sadly, it is not the account of a crucified savior raised from the dead who came to save us from our sins. But to remove the resurrection from ordinary history and proclaim it as an example to follow, or to downplay or ignore the fact that Jesus was crucified, dead, buried, and was then raised bodily to life for the forgiveness of our sins, robs the resurrection of any redemptive-historical and biblical significance. The first Easter is not about an experience the apostles had in which we can share; rather, it is the apostles’s account of Jesus being raised bodily from the dead. The empty tomb tells us that Jesus’s death was the payment for our sins, the new creation has dawned, and God has conquered our greatest enemy, death, by overturning the curse. Easter is not an experience in which we share; the bodily resurrection of Jesus is both a fact of history and a biblical doctrine that we must believe. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S3 E25 · Mon, February 24, 2025
"They Will Think You Are Crazy" Season Three/Episode Twenty -Five (1 Corinthians 14:20-40)
Episode Synopsis: My first exposure to tongue-speaking did not go well. In an “afterglow” service which followed a mid-week Bible study at an Orange County megachurch, a large number of the faithful remained after the study to “experience” the gifts of the Spirit, including the “gift of tongues.” A young pastor took over from the Bible teacher and explained how to begin speaking in tongues. He read several passages from Acts 2 and from 1 Corinthians 12-14 and told us that these verses were proof that the gift is “biblical,” “for today,” and enabled you to by-pass the clutter of the mind to commune with God “in the Spirit.” He then told us, if you’d like to speak in tongues here’s what you do. You start by saying “kitty, kitty, kitty,” until the Spirit took over and gave you your prayer language. The room was suddenly filled with people speaking gibberish, swaying, acting as though under the influence, crying, and making contorted faces as they spoke. I wasn’t having it, and quietly slipped out. Years later, after my biblical knowledge increased, I realized that the “afterglow” I witnessed that night was very much like what Paul was instructing the Corinthians not to do in the last half of 1 Corinthians 14. There was no interpretation of any of these tongues, though several attendees did offer exhortations of their own utterances, but which very much sounded like Christianese made up on the fly. Everyone spoke at once, and the whole room was filled with tongue-speakers, not merely two or three in order. I was a Christian and still thought these people were crazy. I can only imagine what an unbeliever would think. Once TBN graced the airwaves (emanating from Orange County) tongue-speaking was now televised. This time, tongue-speaking was not done in a worship service but was part of the regular programming and often conflated with predictive prophesy– “the Lord will do this or that, and heal this one or that one.” The interpretation was almost always supplied by the tongue-speaker. The low point came during a televised “anointing service” held at Oral Roberts University in which three older Word-Faith evangelists (Oral Roberts, Kenneth Hagin Sr. and T. L. Osbourn) anointed three younger Word-Faith evangelists (Kenneth Hagin Jr, Kenneth Copeland, and Richard Roberts). Once anointed, the men acted as though in a drunken stupor, spoke in tongues (one of which sounded like the Cab Calloway’s riff from the Blues Brothers–scubity-do, scubity-do--scubity-do). Not a known language. A VHS recording of this made the rounds and to no one’s surprise, the universal assessment was “these people are crazy.” This is why a study of Paul’s instructions to the churches on 1 Corinthians 14:20-40 about the proper use of prophesy and tongue-speaking is about as practical a matter as one can find. Paul would have none of this. Neither should we. For show notes an
S3 E24 · Mon, February 10, 2025
"Speaking in Tongues" Season Three/Episode Twenty Four (1 Corinthians 14:1-19)
Episode Synopsis: Speaking in tongues was causing chaos in the Corinthian church. Tongue-speakers were speaking at the same time, and their tongues were not always interpreted as required by Paul. Some acted as though tongues was the greatest of the gifts of the Spirit and were lording it over others who did not possess the gift. Paul is also writing to correct the misguided (and pagan notion) that tongue-speaking was the manifestation of ecstatic religious experiences from which tongues spontaneously came forth. Much of what he has written in chapters 12-14 has been to correct false Corinthian notions about the “spiritual,” informing the Corinthians that gifts of the Holy Spirit are not for the benefit of the recipient, but for the strengthening of the church. These gifts enabled Christians to love one another, and equip officers and others in the church for the building up of the body of Christ. Chapter 14 is the conclusion to Paul’s extended instructions about these matters. But what exactly is “speaking in tongues?” Is it a language known or unknown to the speaker? Is it a heavenly or angelic language? Paul disabused the Corinthians of that notion in chapter 13. Is it some sort of ecstatic speech? Are tongues an untranslatable utterance (divine gibberish) which must be interpreted by someone with the Spirit enabled gift of interpretation? Given the inability of commentators across time to agree on just what exactly Paul is describing, we cannot be certain as to how the gift operated in the Corinthian church–especially since tongue speaking ceased in the churches by the mid-second century. There are plausible theories, but I am not confident anyone really knows. But then Paul does say, “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.” So the matter cannot be dismissed. What we can say for sure is that when someone has a private, subjective, religious experience and speaks forth an ecstatic utterance, that person cannot then appeal to the New Testament and claim that what they are doing is what Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 14. Nor can they claim that their experience is how we ought to practice tongue-speaking today. Instead, we work from biblical teaching about tongues to explain what tongue-speaking is and how we ought to utilize the gift in both public and private settings. Paul assumes the Corinthians know what tongues is–they’ve seen it. But since he does not explain in detail what this gift is, we should be cautious and charitable in our assessments. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S3 E23 · Mon, January 27, 2025
"The Greatest of These Is Love" Season Three/Episode Twenty-Three (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)
Episode Synopsis: What the Bible says about love, and the way most Americans think about love, are usually two vastly different things. Our contemporaries tend to think of love as a powerful emotion, most often associated with romance and intimacy. Images of hearts and cupids on Valentine’s Day are ingrained in us from an early age. Love is also tied to a utopian dream when people experience a powerful sense of brotherhood and unity when they join together for a worthwhile cause. Sadly, these images are far from the biblical meaning of love (agape)–an emotion which issues forth in action. Agape arises in our hearts not from romantic or sentimental feelings, but from reflecting upon the bloody cross of Good Friday through which God redeems unlovable sinners–people like us who are anything but worthy of the love which God showers upon us in Christ’s work of redemption. Paul will make the case that love (agape) is the glue which holds the divided Corinthian congregation together during their current time of distress. Despite all the tensions present in the Corinthian congregation, the church’s members are the temple of the living God, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and given gifts of the Spirit to equip them for service, and to enable them to properly and faithfully love one another. This type of love, Paul says, will continue on in Christ’s church until the perfect comes. Paul is not a cessationist–the gifts of the Spirit no longer manifest themselves in the church when the New Testament is completed, or after God’s people reach a certain level of spiritual maturity. Those gifts enumerated by Paul in chapters 12-13 remain active in the church until Jesus returns. Granted, there are no more apostles (and those gifts associated with that office, miracles and healing, have ordinarily ceased), but there are ministers, elders, and deacons, who are equipped through the various gifts of the Spirit to rule and serve in Christ’s church until the Lord of the church returns. Meanwhile, Christ’s church is to be a body of redeemed saints, who are to grow strong together and serve one another in love as equipped by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Tongues, prophecy, and knowledge will all pass away when the Lord returns (i.e., the coming of the perfect). Until then, faith, hope, and love will abide, but the greatest of these is love. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S3 E22 · Mon, January 13, 2025
"Baptism In the Spirit" Season Three/Episode Twenty-Two (1 Corinthians 12:12-31)
Episode Synopsis: Almost all peoples and cultures seem to have some sort of utopian dream–a world of universal peace, prosperity, and harmony. John Lennon’s Imagine anyone? The problem with all utopian visions is that ours is a fallen race. Because we are a fallen race we all too often find ourselves divided along racial, socioeconomic, political, and theological lines. Much like the citizens of first century Corinth, we too struggle to find true unity in a world rife with division of all sorts. Because of human sin, the only way unity can be obtained is through force or coercion (“agree or else”), deception (like that of a false religion), or through a “kumbaya” unity (a superficial sentimentalism). The bad news is there will be no earthly utopia this side of Christ’s second advent. The good news is that God does provide us with a true unity based upon our common faith in Jesus Christ realized in the church through the person and work of the Holy Spirit. And while this unity is imperfectly realized in this life, nevertheless, in Christ’s church, God takes a whole host of diverse and different people and baptizes them in the Holy Spirit into one body, the church of Jesus Christ. The root problem in the Corinthian church is that although many have come to confess that “Jesus is Lord,” they struggle to stop thinking and acting like the pagans they once were. Because factions have formed in the church, Paul must address the question of unity (that the body of Christ is one) while pointing out that the Holy Spirit gives a variety of gifts of the Spirit to the church’s members according to the will of God. God creates both unity and diversity by baptizing his people in the Holy Spirit when they confess that Jesus is Lord. He then signs and seals that baptism to believers and their children in Christian baptism. Where the sign is present (water), so too we believe the reality is present (union with Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit). Paul also must deal with the fact that many of the Corinthians thought possessing certain gifts of the Spirit was a sign of their own importance and status. Paul corrects this misguided notion by connecting the “higher gifts” to God’s call of certain men to the offices of minister, elder, and deacon. He must also remind them that all of the members of the church are given at least one gift, making the least of them (in the eyes of others) an essential member of the congregation with gifts which are important to the whole. Every member and every gift they’ve been given is vital to Christ’s church . There may be no utopia this side of the Lord’s return, but Jesus does establish a new society in his church–one in which there is both unity (their confession that Jesus is Lord) and diversity (each possesses gifts of the Spirit). For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed
S3 E21 · Mon, December 23, 2024
"The Gifts of the Spirit" SeasonThree/Episode Twenty-One (1 Corinthians 12:1-11)
Episode Synopsis: One of the most divisive theological controversies of my lifetime was the charismatic movement with its stress upon baptism in the Holy Spirit as evident in speaking in tongues. Whenever the charismatic renewal spread to a new church, it immediately divided the church into two camps–those who experienced what they claimed was a new work of the Holy Spirit which manifested itself in the speaking with tongues, and those who thought such a thing was demonic and who did everything in their power to stamp out the movement before it could spread. Thankfully, that controversy has long since died down. It amazes me that I am able to tackle this now with little if any sense of controversy. What was once considered to be a very controversial subject is no longer–although we ought not allow the dormancy to make us complacent. These kinds of movements come in waves. Throughout my years as a pastor, one of the most common questions from visitors and those checking out Christ Reformed Church was “do you think the gifts of the Spirit still operate today?” That sort of question is almost always asked by those who think the gifts do still operate and then head for the door if you say something like, “the gifts of the Spirit ceased at the end of the apostolic age, or at the close of the Canon of Scripture.” My answer often took inquirers by surprise: “Yes the gifts still operate today, but there are no more apostles.” That was to say that the more sensational (dare I say “spectacular”) gifts, like miracles and healing, were tied to the apostolic office. Once the Apostles gave way to ministers, elders, and deacons, these gifts were no longer normative in the church. But, yes, God still gives spiritual gifts to his people to build up the church and in service of others. A number of them are enumerated by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. As Paul takes up the next question put to him by the delegation from Corinth beginning in 1 Corinthians 12:1, he addresses the matter of spiritual things (the pneumata ) and spiritual gifts (the charismata ). The apostle will do several things in the opening section of this chapter (vv.1-11)–he will address the Corinthian’s faulty view of spiritual things (often more pagan than Christian), as well as inform them of the nature, character, and proper use of spiritual gifts in the church. These gifts are given to build up the body of Christ and enable believers to properly love one another. The gifts were not given to allow some in the church to demonstrate their superior piety, their self-importance, or their willingness to disrupt the worship service. The Corinthians must correct the abuses of these gifts and that starts with the affirmation that “Jesus is Lord.” For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: <a href='https://www.kimriddlebar
S3 E20 · Mon, December 09, 2024
"The Lord's Supper" Season Three/Episode Twenty (1 Corinthians 11:17-34)
Episode Synopsis: One of the saddest indicators of human sinfulness is found in the last half of 1 Corinthians 11. The sacrament of Christian unity (the Lord’s Supper) had instead become the occasion for further division in the Corinthian church. Paul laments that in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper the rich were exploiting the poor, the body of Christ was not properly being discerned, and the Supper was being celebrated in such an improper way that what was being done was not the Lord’s Supper and was actually doing more harm than good. In this section of Paul’s Corinthian letter we find a description of how Christians in the apostolic age were to celebrate the Supper in Christian worship. Paul explains the words of institution given by Jesus just twenty years previously– “this is my body,” “this is my blood.” The Lords Supper is the new covenant fulfillment of the Passover meal centering upon eating the bread and drinking the wine wherein the signs (the bread and wine) are taken as though they were the thing signified, (Christ’s body and blood). And through faith what has been promised by Jesus, is actually received by his people. Paul rebukes the Corinthians for the fiasco which the celebration of the Lord’s Supper had become, and he offers a number of common sense practical ways in which the Supper ought to be celebrated. Each member was to partake, they were to discern the body of Christ, and the service was to be conducted in an orderly manner when the church assembled on the Lord’s Day. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S3 E19 · Mon, November 25, 2024
"Head Coverings and Modesty in Worship" Season Three/Episode Nineteen (1 Corinthians 11:2-16)
Episode Synopsis: As a cosmopolitan city and home to many varieties of Greco-Roman paganism, Corinth was a cutting edge place for first century fashion and culture. From what we know regarding the city’s ethos at the time, there was growing tension between traditional gender roles and a desire for women to express themselves in non-traditional ways long associated with polite Greco-Roman society. One obvious way to show this quest for personal freedom was for a woman to wear her hair down (long and flowing) in public or during pagan sacrifices, and not put it up in a bun or wear the traditional head covering. We think nothing about such things today, but for a woman to wear her hair down in public in Corinth was scandalous in Paul’s day. This section of Paul’s Corinthian letter (the first half of chapter eleven) raises the question of style, fashion, and propriety in worship. Should the Christian women in Corinth seek to follow those pushing the envelope by exposing their hair in public? Paul’s answer is “no.” Christian women are to dress and wear their hair in ways which reflect the doctrine of creation. Adam was created first, so Christian men in Corinth were not to cover their heads in prayer or while prophesying, while women were to show submission to Christ and to their husbands by dressing modestly–in Greco-Roman culture that meant wearing your hair up or wearing a head covering when in public settings. Paul could never envision a cultural situation such as our own where women are societal equals to men. Although the particulars of first-century culture and clothing cannot be made to fit current trends–given advances of women’s status and modern fabrics and clothing, the general principle remains binding across time–Christians are to acknowledge the distinctions between men and women, and are to wear nothing in worship which might identify the wearer as a devotee of any sort of pagan religion. For Paul, this means modesty in dress and in spirit. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S3 E18 · Mon, November 11, 2024
"The Bread, The Wine, and the Glory of God" Season Three/Episode Eighteen (1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1)
Episode Synopsis: We’ve come to 1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1, as Paul wraps up his discussion of idolatry. In the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, Christian believers drink the cup of blessing and eat the broken bread–described by Paul as a participation in Christ’s body and blood. Since so many in Corinth were still hanging on to remnants of their pagan past, from what Paul says here it seems many were still attending both the Christian sacrament as well as pagan sacrifices. To those claiming to worship Jesus but still engaging in pagan practices, Paul extends a very stern warning. You cannot partake of Christ’s body and blood and still participate in pagan sacrifices. If you do so, you will provoke the Lord to jealousy just as Israel did in the wilderness. Paul is emphatic in his warning to the Corinthians–flee from idolatry or face the consequences. Paul reminds the Corinthians that since an idol is nothing, what benefit can people gain from eating at the pagan feast where sacrifices are offered to demons? The apostle’s concern is that for Christians, the Lord’s Supper is a sacrament of unity–one cup, one bread, one body. Christians all partake of the same elements together–bread and wine–as one body, which Paul describes as a participation in Christ’s body and blood. How can members of Christ’s body still offer sacrifices to imaginary idols while professing faith in Christ? They cannot. In 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1, Paul deals with the very practical matter of buying meat or eating in another’s home. How do you know whether what you are consuming has been used in a sacrifice to idols? Paul offers a very practical solution–don’t ask. If the source of the food is unknown then go ahead and eat without so much as a twinge of conscience. But if you are told that the food had in fact been used in a pagan sacrifice, then do not eat it as a matter of conscience. His conclusion is simple and profound, whatever you eat or drink, says Paul, do all to the glory of God. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
Mon, October 28, 2024
"Christ Was the Rock" Season Three/Episode Seventeen (1 Corinthians 10:1-13)
Episode Synopsis: If you have ever wondered what it would be like for Paul to teach you how to read and understand the Old Testament in light of the coming of Jesus Christ, in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 , the apostle does exactly that. The birth of Israel stems from deliverance from their bondage in Egypt, followed by the Passover, and then the Exodus through the Red Sea before heading into the Sinai wilderness on their way to the promised land of Canaan. For Paul, this is an important period in Israel’s history because it illustrates and foretells the future course of redemptive history–something with which all Christians (like those in Corinth) should be familiar. In this section of his Corinthian letter, Paul reinterprets all of these events in Israel’s history in light of the coming of Jesus and the dawn of a new exodus to the heavenly city. Paul tells us that the exodus and Israel’s time in the wilderness is both an example and a warning to those in Corinth who seek to indulge their sinful urges, who seek to hang on to as much of their pagan past as they can, and who grumble at the fact that God calls them to leave behind any and all attraction to Greco-Roman paganism. Paul realizes that the pagan temptation is great. But as the Corinthians are warned to separate themselves from the sort of pagan revelry in which Israel engaged, then so too are we. Unlike the ancient Israelites who remained Egyptians in their hearts, we must focus upon Christ and follow him as as he leads us through the wilderness of this present evil age to the glories of the age to come. Jesus has promised to rescue us from the temptations we face, and tells us that he will never give us more than we can endure. Jesus has given us his word and sacraments to sustain us, just as he provided Israel with water and the manna from heaven. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S3 E16 · Mon, October 14, 2024
"All Things to All People" Season Three/Episode Sixteen (1 Corinthians 9:1-27)
Episode Synopsis: If we were to find Paul’s notes for an upcoming lecture on “my philosophy of ministry,” we would probably find the words of 1 Corinthians 9:19–23, "For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings." In this chapter, Paul defends his apostolic office and explains his methods and purposes to the Corinthians. Recall that Paul had spent a fair bit of time in Corinth, but has been in Ephesus for several years. During his time away, many in Corinth had fallen back into pagan ways and began challenging Paul’s authority and integrity. One thing Paul must do as he addresses the various struggles facing the Corinthians is to remind them of his own calling to share the gospel with both Jew and Gentile. Paul is an apostle who has seen the risen Lord. Everything he has done has been to further the cause of Jesus Christ and the gospel. Paul has consistently put the needs of others first and foremost–something which Paul also expects of the Corinthians. Although entitled to financial support, Paul took nothing from them while in Corinth in order to set an example to the strong as to how they should treat the weak. Paul is concerned to run the race and win the prize so that by all means he may win more to Christ. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S3 E15 · Mon, September 30, 2024
"The Strong and the Weak" Season Three/Episode Fifteen (1 Corinthians 8:1-13)
Episode Synopsis: The church in Corinth was plagued by factions. One source of division was ethnicity–the church was made up of Jews, Greeks, Romans, and likely a number of other nationalities. Then there were the factions formed by church members who identified with Paul, Peter, or Apollos, as their favorite teachers. There were also deep cultural divisions between the wealthy and the poor who found it difficult to socialize with one another even within the body of Christ. But in this section of Paul’s Corinthian letter (chapter 8), we encounter yet another kind of division–that between the strong and the weak. The strong were those who understood that if God created all things, then the idols invented by pagans were nothing but lifeless statues, with assorted trinkets and amulets, and pointless ceremonies and useless sacrifices. There is no occult reality behind these images and the temples which housed them. Therefore, why should Christians not be free to eat the leftover meat and food which the pagans sacrificed to their imaginary gods. The weak, on the other hand, were those who had trouble understanding how any Christian could eat food that had come remotely near a pagan feast or temple–seeing such food as possessing an occult reality. Paul warns the strong (who are correct about the falsity of pagan religion) not to attempt to coerce the weak to violate their consciences, as that might destroy the faith of those (the weak) who have not yet advanced in their knowledge of the Christian faith sufficiently to leave such concerns behind. Until the weak Corinthian Christians gain sufficient knowledge to dismiss paganism as the mere superstition which it is, Paul challenges the strong to put the weak first and give up the freedom to eat all foods. In light of the harm the strong can bring upon those weak in faith, Paul tells the strong that just because they are free to eat all things, doesn’t mean that they should. This is not about food but about the circumstances in which it is eaten. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S3 E14 · Mon, September 16, 2024
"You Can't Unscramble Eggs" Season Three/Episode Fourteen (1 Corinthians 7:17-40)
Episode Synopsis: In 1 Corinthians 7:17-40, Paul teaches what I call the “you can’t unscramble eggs” doctrine. What should a new Christian do when they come to faith in Jesus Christ? Do they quit their current “secular” job to devote themselves full-time to Jesus Christ and to the work of ministry? Should they rush into marriage to avoid the lusts of the flesh? Or conversely, should they seek to end an engagement because the time of the end might be drawing near? What about those widowed, single, or divorced? Now that they are Christians, what are they to seek to do? Paul tells them all to “stay put.” What they’ve done, they’ve done. And as he cautions them, when a crisis is at hand, that is not the time to make big changes. Paul is addressing a congregation in the midst of serious difficulties of some sort–a regional famine or the consequences of the divisions the church was then facing. Paul assumes his readers know to what he is referring, so he offers little clarification. But what he does offer is wise advice for those bought by the blood of Jesus Christ. Slaves ought not seek immediate freedom–in Christ they are free people. Gentiles ought not seek to be circumcised–now in Christ, the old covenant sign has been replaced by baptism. And for the time being, the unmarried ought not seek to get married–at least until the crisis has come to an end. Paul tells the Corinthians to wait for the crisis in Corinth to be resolved before they make major life changing decisions. Christians would be wise to wait for things to sort themselves out, and then make an informed and not a rash decision about significant events in their lives. Paul’s instructions make plain that he’s not concerned with fixing all those things new converts may have done in the past, but rather with teaching them the traditions passed down so that they learn how to live the Christian life and become better able to move forward in their lives now set free from the guilt and power of sin. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S3 E13 · Mon, September 02, 2024
“Mixed Marriages, `Holy’ Spouses and Children” Season Three/Episode Thirteen (1 Corinthians 7:12-16)
Episode Synopsis: Paul’s Gentile mission was a huge success. A number of new churches were established throughout the eastern Mediterranean world–including fast growing churches in important cities such as Corinth, Thessalonica, and Ephesus. But with the spread of the gospel into a previously unevangelized world dominated by Greco-Roman culture and religion, came a whole set of pastoral problems–problems which were not specifically addressed in the Old Testament or in the teaching of Jesus. A number of such questions surface in Corinth–as we have seen. But one pressing matter facing the Corinthians is what should happen when one party to a marriage comes to faith in Jesus Christ, while the other spouse does not, creating a so-called “mixed-marriage.” Should the believer leave or divorce the unbeliever if they refuse to convert to Christianity? And what, exactly, is a Christian spouse’s status if their unbelieving spouse divorces them because of their new-found faith in Jesus Christ? Must they remain single and celibate until the deserting spouse dies? And an even bigger question arises. What about the children of mixed marriages? What is their standing in the church and what is their status before God? Are they members of the covenant of grace, and therefore eligible for all of the benefits thereof, while assuming all the responsibilities of covenant membership? Are they eligible to receive the sign and seal of that gracious covenant, which is baptism? Paul answers these questions by appealing to the “holy” status of a partner to a mixed marriage and applying that same status to the children of such a union. How can an unbeliever be said to be “holy.” How can Paul affirm that of children who are born in original sin? To make his case, Paul grounds this “holiness” in the Old Testament’s principle of covenant authority–the believing parent’s authority over those in the household and as seen in the five household baptisms found in the New Testament. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S3 E12 · Mon, August 19, 2024
"Sex and Marriage" Season Three/Episode Twelve (1 Corinthians 7:1-11)
Episode Synopsis: Sex and marriage were pressing issues in Corinth. Gentiles who came to faith in Jesus Christ during Paul’s Gentile mission were learning the biblical sexual ethic for the first time. Grounded in the creation order, the Ten Commandments, and the teaching of Jesus, it did not take long for the Corinthians to understand that sex was not merely a pleasurable bodily function, but biblical sexuality has a strong moral foundation. That meant that much of the common sexual attitudes and practices of the Greco-Roman world were in direct conflict with Paul’s teaching regarding sexual ethics. As these new Christians learned the teaching of Jesus, it was clear that Jesus limited sexual relations to marriage and taught that divorce was an illustration of fallen human nature. The Corinthians also learned that Christians understand sex as a part of something much larger–the way in which God created things, and that God assigned sexual activity to marriage which was intended to be a lifelong commitment centered around the family. It was difficult for the Corinthians to embrace Christian sexual ethics because they went against the grain of so much Corinthian culture and religion. It is also hard to both unlearn something you’ve embraced all your life (pagan sexuality) and then learn a new way to think about sex and marriage–a view which at first glance seems quite restrictive. In the first half of Paul’s Corinthian letter (chapters 1-6), the apostle is responding to distressing news from Corinth which came to his attention when members of Chloe’s family passed through Ephesus where Paul was then staying. Paul heard about all sorts of things going on back in Corinth, including news that his prior letter to the Corinthians was badly misunderstood and needed a reply. So too he learned of a number of things going on back in Corinth which required his immediate attention–the content we have covered so far in the first six chapters. About the time Paul was chatting with members of Chloe’s family, a delegation from Corinth arrived in Ephesus bringing a letter to Paul from the Corinthians, asking him a number of questions about sex, marriage, divorce, idolatry, how men and women are to relate to each other in worship, how the worship service was to be conducted (specifically the Lord’s Supper), about spiritual gifts and how they ought to be used and understood, before coming to the matter of the resurrection. The struggle facing the Corinthians was how to stop being pagans and how to live and think as Christians. Those matters troubling the Corinthians resurface through Christ’s church across time. Many of the questions asked of Paul by the Corinthians are issues with which Christ’s church struggles today, making Paul’s Corinthian letter vital to the health of Christ’s church then and now. So lets dig in. For show notes and other recommended ma
S3 E11 · Wed, May 22, 2024
"Flee From Sexual Immorality" Season Three/Episode Eleven (1 Corinthians 6:12-20)
Episode Synopsis: It has been said that prostitution is the world’s old profession. In reality, tending a garden and naming animals is. But if you lived in first century Corinth you lived in a city well-known for its prostitutes and rampant sexual immorality. This creates a difficult situation for Christians who live there and who have been taught by Paul that sexual relations are limited to marriage. Paul has learned that some in the Corinthian church justified using the services of prostitutes by contending that Christian liberty allows it–the same excuse some were giving for eating food sacrificed to idols. Yes, the temptations Christians faced were real and many engaged in such behavior before their conversion. But as Paul has taught them, Christians must break with their pagan past and resist the pressure to continue to give into all bodily desires and urges. Yes, Christians are free from law-keeping as a means of justification, but such freedom entails freedom to obey the commands of God, not freedom to indulge in seeking to satisfy every bodily urge. Paul reminds the Corinthians that they have been bought by a price (the shed blood of Jesus Christ) and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. A Christian is no longer a slave to sin and now is a bond servant of Jesus Christ. Their bodies belong to their creator-redeemer. Paul asks, “how can someone in union with Jesus Christ unite themselves in a sexual union with someone who represents pagan religion and spirituality?” Such a thing is unthinkable for Paul. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S3 E10 · Tue, May 14, 2024
"Washed, Sanctified, Justified" Season Three/Episode Ten (1 Corinthians 6:1-11)
Episode Synopsis: Corinth was a booming city with lots of new money and great stress upon the power and prestige that goes with it. One way to enhance your public image was to take advantage of those who had something you wanted or needed, or to shame a rival or get a leg up on someone you didn’t like, was to sue them in civil court. Corinth was a very litigious place with one citizen complaining that there were far too many lawyers in the city. The legal system in Corinth was rigged to favor those of means who could bribe a judge or hire a lawyer to obtain a favorable verdict over someone who had no means of defending themselves. Court proceedings took place in the city’s marketplace, so such lawsuits became a public spectacle. Upon learning that Christians were participating in this kind of civil litigation, Paul addresses the matter of how such practices harmed the church and its witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ no matter who won such a lawsuit. Paul reminds the Corinthians that the church is the spiritual temple of God, composed of those redeemed by Jesus Christ and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Paul rebukes them for using the courts to exploit each other, an affront to the body of Christ. He reminds them that since one day they will judge the world, what business do they have to engage in such practices before the watching pagans. Such personal disputes are to settled within the church. Paul reminds the Corinthians of what they once had been–sexually immoral, liars, drunkards, swindlers, and the like. But now, they are washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of Jesus Christ. Given what they were in light of what they now are, how can the Corinthians continue to drag each other into court to gain advantage over a fellow believer? This is a defeat for the Corinthians, no matter who wins or loses in court. Better to lose than to participate in such an unjust system. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S3 E9 · Thu, April 25, 2024
"A Man Has His Father's Wife" Season Three/Episode Nine (1 Corinthians 5:1-13)
Episode Synopsis: When passing through Ephesus, where Paul was living at the time, members of Chloe’s family informed Paul of a situation in the Corinthian church of such a serious nature that Paul is taken aback. A man in the Corinthian church (presumably known to the church but unnamed by Paul) is cohabiting with his father’s wife. Such conduct was scandalous to the point that even the sexually libertine Greco-Roman pagans were offended by it. While the man’s conduct was shameful, what troubles Paul more is that the leaders of the Corinthian church had done nothing about it. In chapter 5 of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, Paul exhorts them to excommunicate the man so as to turn him over to Satan so that he might be saved on the day of judgment. What Paul means by this is a matter of some controversy and we will address it in detail in this episode. Paul tells the Corinthians that he has already pronounced judgment about the matter, and even though he cannot come to them in person, he is with them in spirit. They must act and remove the man from the church. Paul’s exhortation to act must be seen in light of the removal of leaven in an act of “cleansing the temple,” along with the practice of the removal of all leaven from Jewish homes on the eve of the annual Passover celebration. Leaven symbolizes uncleanness, and the danger it poses is that even a small amount quickly spreads throughout the loaf rendering the whole unclean. Since the Corinthian church is the spiritual temple of Christ they cannot allow such scandalous immorality in their midst. Paul also learns that the Corinthians had badly misunderstood his prior letter to them. They took his exhortation not to be “mixed up” with sexually immoral people as though Paul meant that they should avoid contact with all non-Christians. Paul takes this opportunity to correct them. The Corinthians have it backwards. They are not to judge non-Christians. God will do that. But they are to judge those in their midst who claim to be followers of Christ but who still live like pagans. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S3 E8 · Fri, April 12, 2024
"Shall I Come With a Rod?" Season Three/Episode Eight (1 Corinthians 4:1-21)
Episode Synopsis: Paul expressed a fair bit of righteous anger in his letter to the Galatians–calling those taken in by false teachers foolish people who have been all-too easily bewitched by false teachers. In 1 Corinthians 4, the apostle again expresses his frustration, speaking sarcastically of those who think of themselves as rich (when they are poor), and as kings who act as though they rule the church (when they are not). But Paul will have none of it. It matters not to him what the immature in Corinth think of him. What matters is that God is judge of such things, not the Corinthians. Paul reminds them that ministers are God’s servants who proclaim the gospel of Christ crucified, not faction leaders who seek draw followers unto themselves. God has entrusted the mysteries of the gospel to his ministers and he will judge their motives. Neither Paul nor Apollos have sought to please them–both men sought to be faithful to the charge given them by Christ to preach the gospel. Addicted to pagan ways of thinking and doing, the Corinthians still think and act like citizens of this present evil age, not as citizens of the age to come. Since the Corinthians are puffed-up by their misguided pride, Paul reminds them of all that he has suffered for the sake of Christ so as to preach the gospel and conduct his missionary journeys. When reviled he blesses. When persecuted he presses on. When slandered he is gracious. Yet, he is still treated as scum and filth. These immature Corinthians are unwitting slaves to their own pride and have earned the sarcastic rebuke from Paul we find in 1 Corinthians 4. As their father in the faith, Paul is not writing to shame them, but to urge them to imitate him. So far, he has been prevented from returning to Corinth, so he sent Timothy in his absence. Lord willing the apostle will make his way back to Corinth, but until be does, he reminds them that through this letter and in the power of the Holy Spirit he is present with them. The question with which Paul leaves the Corinthians is, “when I come, shall I bring the rod, or shall I come in a spirit of love and gentleness?” The choice is up to them. Mend their ways and embrace humility, or face the discipline of the apostle. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S3 E7 · Fri, March 29, 2024
"You Are God's Temple" Season Three/Episode Seven (1 Corinthians 3:1-23)
Episode Synopsis: So what will it be? Milk or meat? Are the Corinthians spiritual toddlers? Or are they mature Christians? Since they are being drawn to the factions forming within the church (“I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos”) it is clear that no matter how mature they think they are, in reality they are immature. Their lack of progress in Christian maturity provokes a response from Paul who challenges the Corinthians to consider who they are in Christ and how that should impact the way they understand the church and their relation to it as God’s temple, indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The foundation of the church in Corinth is the gospel Paul has preached to them (he was the sower). Apollos came and helped build upon that foundation (the waterer). Since both were fulfilling the roles assigned to them by God, so why would the Corinthians see themselves as followers of Paul or Apollos when they should see these men as servants sent by God to build the church, not as leaders of factions. The Corinthians are the temple of God, built upon the foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. How will they build on that foundation? Will they utilize the wisdom of God (Gold, silver, and precious stones)? Or will they continue build using human wisdom (wood, hay, straw)? Since they have chosen the latter, Paul exposes the fact that the divisions and factions within the Corinthian church are the result of spiritual immaturity which is ultimately a holdover from the Greco-Roman paganism in which the Corinthians had been raised. The time has come to move past infancy to maturity. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
Fri, March 15, 2024
"Preaching as a Demonstration of the Spirit's Power" Season Three/Episode Six (1 Corinthians 2:1-16)
Episode Synopsis: Paul did not come to Corinth as a typical sage, sophist, or philosopher. He was an unimpressive rabbi and made no attempt to embrace Greco-Roman rhetorical techniques to keep an audience entertained and wanting more. Paul’s mission to the Gentiles was not about him, it was about the message he preached, Christ and him crucified. When Paul arrived in Corinth he was weak and fearful. He impressed no one with his charisma or eloquent speech. But he did know that the power and wisdom of God are revealed through the preaching of the cross. Despite the fact that Jews and Greeks thought that the message of the cross was foolishness, scandalous, and a stumbling block, it was through this message that God saves sinners. The proof that the Spirit of God was at work? There was a thriving church in Corinth, which despite the issues plaguing them was filled with new converts, both Jews and Greeks. Paul reminds the Corinthians that the Holy Spirit knows the mind of God, revealing that Jesus is the Lord of glory. But since God’s wisdom was hidden from the rulers of this age, they put Jesus to death. While Greeks and Romans mock and detest the weakness and humiliation of the suffering Savior, it is through Jesus’s apparent weakness, shame, and suffering that the wisdom and power of God are displayed. But apart from the work of the Holy Spirit opening their hearts to the truth, the rulers are doomed to pass away along with this present evil age. Paul tells the Corinthians that their focus should never be on him, or on Apollos or on Peter, but on the content of his message. That which was hidden throughout the Old Testament has been revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ through the demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit. Many of our contemporaries think this power is manifest in the signs and wonders that are supposedly present in Pentecostalism and charismatic worship. But for Paul, the demonstration of the Spirit’s power is preaching the gospel and seeing people come to faith in Jesus. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S3 E5 · Sat, March 02, 2024
"Christ and Him Crucified" Season Three/Episode Five (1 Corinthians 1:18-31)
Episode Synopsis: The cross of Jesus Christ is utter foolishness to those who are perishing in their sins. Yet, Paul tells the Corinthians that through message of the cross God reveals his wisdom and power. In the closing section of the first chapter of his first Corinthian letter, Paul explains how and why the preaching of Christ crucified confounds all those who seek mere human wisdom from sages, holy men, philosophers, prophets, and gurus across the ages, all of whom claim to be seeking after wisdom, but in reality are looking in all the wrong places. The cross might be a shameful thing and a scandal in the minds of those Greco-Romans who think themselves to be wise, but it is here where we see how God rescues the weak and lowly to shame the wise–those who do not think it necessary to be redeemed from the guilt and power of sin. Paul’s audience in Corinth (Jews who seek after signs and Greeks who seek after wisdom) cannot grasp how the wisdom of God is revealed in a crucified Savior. For Jews, the cross is a stumbling block. For Greeks it is only so much foolishness. Both see the cross as the ultimate sign of weakness, humiliation, and shame. A crucified savior is a contradiction. Why would anyone embrace a dead and humiliated savior? Yet, as Paul points out, the preaching of the cross turns the tables on those who think themselves to be wise. Through the proclamation of Jesus Christ and him crucified God saves his people from the guilt and power of sin, he calls the weak and lowly to faith in Jesus, he reveals true wisdom, and he shames the self-professed wise and powerful exposing them to be the fools. The gospel of Jesus Christ confounds all those who see no need of a savior. It did so in the Greco-Roman world, just as it does in our own. But to those who have been called to faith in Jesus through this message of shame and scandal, “Christ Jesus, became to us wisdom from God, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S3 E4 · Fri, February 16, 2024
"Be United" -- Season Three/Episode Four -- 1 Corinthinians 1:10-17
Episode Synopsis: Paul has gotten some rather bad news. Members of Chloe’s family (presumably people Paul had known from his time in Corinth) had come to Ephesus (where Paul was currently laboring). They informed him of serious troubles back in Corinth. People were quarreling to the point that factions had developed in the church, with various groups identifying as followers of Paul, while others claimed to be loyal to Apollos, or to Peter. Some even claimed to be merely followers of Jesus. No doubt when Paul had been in Corinth a year or more previously, he taught them that Christians became members of the body of Christ (the church) through faith in Jesus and baptism. Now he gets word that the Corinthians were divided with some claiming to be followers of those who taught them, or who had baptized them. Since Paul cannot hop on a plane or get in his car and travel to Corinth quickly, he must address the situation in writing–so he sends the letter we know as First Corinthians. In verse 10 of the first chapter of this letter, we find the thesis statement which sets the tone for all that follows. Paul appeals to these struggling Christians in Corinth to stop acting like the pagans they once were, and act like the Christians they now are. They have been called to be saints (as believers in Jesus Christ) so they must end their schismatic behavior and get on the same page–united in mind and judgment. No more of the party spirit– “I follow Paul . . .” “I follow Apollos . . .” “I follow Peter . . .” or even “I follow Christ . . .” Christ is not divided, and Paul was not crucified for them! Paul implores the Corinthians to remember that he came to preach the cross of Jesus Christ to them, not tickle their ears with clever words of pagan wisdom which rob the cross of its power to save. Their quarreling and divisions betray the gospel which brought them together calling them out of pagan darkness and into the light of Christ’s kingdom. The factions which were forming were also contrary to their baptism through which they together became members of Christ’s church and part of his body. The Corinthians must return to what Paul had taught them. The divisive behavior must cease and the Corinthians must unite around the gospel of a crucified Savior For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S3 E3 · Fri, February 02, 2024
"Called to Be Saints" Season Three/Episode Three -- 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Episode Synopsis: In the opening 9 verses of Paul’s first Corinthian letter, Paul sets the stage for what is to come. Although he was in Corinth for some eighteen months and knew many of those to whom he is writing quite well, his apostolic authority was being challenged by some in the congregation. Paul must address this matter by reminding the Corinthians of his apostolic office and calling. Although we might expect a stern rebuke given what Paul has heard about what was going on in Corinth, instead we find the apostle giving thanks for the grace given the Corinthians in the gospel. The apostle opens his letter by reminding the Corinthians of the fact that despite the divisions and troubles which plagued them (and which need to cease), those who truly believed the gospel he had preached to them were recipients of God’s grace in Jesus Christ. As such, the Corinthians were “saints,” called to be holy. But their “set apart status” requires the Corinthians live out the holiness they had received as God’s gracious gift. Paul focuses upon the ecclesia (church) in Corinth as all those who together have been called out from the nations for the purpose of assembling for the purpose of hearing God’s word preached (reminding them that grace is a gift given to them freely through the gospel), celebrating the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper (as signs and seals of God’s promises in the gospel), and where they are to exercise the spiritual gifts given to them for the sake of building up the body of Jesus Christ. Christ’s church is one and therefore not to be characterized by divisions and factions, but by love for all those whom God has reckoned as holy in Jesus Christ. The Corinthians are to love one another in the grace and peace extended to them through Jesus Christ and which is now declared to them (and upon them) through Paul’s opening blessing in this letter. Indeed, they have been called to be holy. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S3 E2 · Fri, January 19, 2024
"A Rich Feast of Pauline Theology" Season Three/Episode Two -- 1 Corinthians (Doctrinal Survey)
Episode Synopsis: Paul’s first Corinthian letter was written to deal with divisions in the Corinthian church. He’s received a letter from the Corinthians asking him about how to deal with the Greco-Roman pagans around them, as well as how to handle professing Christians who either did not understand, or implement the apostle’s instructions. In Ephesus, where Paul was residing, someone who had just come from Corinth passed on to Paul the news that the Corinthians had misunderstood his written response to their letter. Paul also received a delegation from the Corinthian church asking a whole series of questions, which Paul must address. The news from Corinth was disturbing. Paul’s response to this serious situation is the letter we now know as 1 Corinthians. When you begin to summarize the content of 1 Corinthians (in order to answer the “what is in the letter question”), you notice something rather remarkable for a situational letter like this one specifically written to address divisions beginning to appear within the Corinthian congregation. Paul’s response is not to scold them (although there is a bit of exhortation), but to teach them the correct doctrine, which is then to be applied to each of the difficult situations brought to his attention. This makes for a rich theological letter in terms of doctrinal content worked out with a great deal of practical application. Paul’s thesis statement is set out in 1 Corinthians 1:10: “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.” The two primary sources of contention which Paul must address are those typical of Greco-Roman paganism–sexual immorality and idolatry, along with the Corinthian tendency to boast about their personal accomplishments. Paul must remind these new Christians of what he had taught them when he had been with them previously. God’s grace revealed in Christ’s death and resurrection and the gift of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit brings about an entirely different set of ethics and morality to those in Christ’s church. Love for fellow members of the family of God is to characterize the Corinthian church, not petty divisions. The divisions in Corinth must cease since the church is the body of Christ, Paul’s apostolic authority to address such matters was given to him by Christ so it is to be accepted, and Christ’s church should reflect the new creation which Jesus has brought about through his cross and resurrection. If you take a look at any of the best known Reformed systematic theologies (say Berkhof, Bavinck, and Turretin), you will find that the number of biblical texts cited by these writers in support of major doctrines is about the same for 1 Corinthians as it is for Romans and Ephesians. The reason? Paul’s letter is packed with Tri
S3 E1 · Sat, January 06, 2024
"What Happens in Corinth Does Not Stay in Corinth" Season Three/Episode One -- 1 Corinthians (Introduction)
Episode Synopsis: I’m very excited to kick off season three of the Blessed Hope Podcast because we are taking up one of the most interesting and challenging letters in all the New Testament–Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. This is a letter which is practical in the best sense of the term and we will spend a great deal of time going through it in some detail. One of the first things we will notice in Paul’s First Corinthian letter is that he is not writing a systematic treatise (as he does in Romans and Ephesians). Instead, Paul is responding to a number of important matters which have come to his attention that were troubling the Corinthian church. But Paul is in Ephesus when he gets this information and cannot get to Corinth (some 425 miles away) any time soon. So Paul must address these issues by letter. We know Paul wrote at least three letters to the Corinthians (we are in possession of two of them – 1st and 2nd Corinthians) and we’ll tackle them consecutively in our usual verse by verse manner. There are an number of controversies in 1 Corinthians with which we’ve all wrestled, and which are addressed by Paul. Perhaps you’ve heard the expression, “Christians are to be in the world, but not of the world.” What does this mean, and why is it that so many Christians in Corinth remain “of the world, but not in the world?” Paul tackles this question. What about the gifts of the Spirit? Maybe you or someone you know finds speaking in tongues to be the high point of the Christian life. Perhaps you think it tied to the apostolic age and something not to be practiced today–what does Paul say about speaking in tongues and how it is to be practiced? What went on in a worship service in the apostolic church? Paul gives us our only description of such worship in 1 Corinthians 11-14. What are we to do with those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, but who then do things which are utterly at odds with their profession of faith? What is church discipline and why do Reformed churches practice it? Why does Paul spend so much time and energy in his discussion of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15? What does he say about the resurrection of our bodies and how we will dwelling in God’s presence for all eternity? And this is just scratching the surface. So, there will be much more to come as we work our way through Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S100 E8 · Thu, October 26, 2023
Eschatology by Ethos (8-40): Why Optimism and Pessimism Do Not Work as Eschatological Categories
Episode Synopsis: The first time I heard the term “optimistic amillennarian” was in seminary, when a student asked one of the professors whether they were postmillennial or amillennial. The professor said he admired much about postmillennialism, but thought amillennialism was the biblical view. But after saying that, he blurted out, “well, maybe, I’m optimistic Amillennial.” That started quite a discussion among the students, with the postmillennial students pressing the amillennial students to give up their “pessimistic eschatology” and do as the professor had done, declare themselves to be eschatological optimists, presumably the first step on the way to becoming postmillennial. I was one of those present who still hadn’t figured out how my newly-found Reformed convictions were going to influence my views on eschatology. The only thing I was sure about was that I could not remain a dispensationalist. I did indeed give up my premillennialism and dispensationalism for amillennialism and have spent much time writing, teaching, and discussing why I made the move. Over time I thought that I had managed to distance myself from my dispensational past, and I worked hard to replace my dispensational hermeneutic with a covenantal approach to Scripture. Yet there was one tie which still bound me to dispensationalism–the postmillennal charge that both schools of thought (amillennial and dispensational premillennialism) were intrinsically “pessimistic,” while only postmillennarians have an eschatology of “essential optimism.” This always struck me as odd, since as an amillennarian I believe that the kingdom of God is victorious over unbelief and all the forces of the devil, that the gospel will spread to the ends of the earth because God is sovereign over all things. But I remain pessimistic about the city of man which will destroyed in the end when Jesus returns to raise the dead, judge the world, and make all things new. Both amillennialism and postmillennialism contend that the scene in Revelation 20:1-10–the only place where a period of a thousand years (or a millennial age) is mentioned in Scripture–occurs before Christ returns, not after, as in premillennialism. This means that structurally speaking, amillennialism and postmillennial are very similar. The two views have coexisted from time of the apostolic age, usually identified as non-chiliastic (non-millenarian). It wasn’t until early in the 20th century that the two views (amillennialism and postmillennialism) were distinguished from one another as distinct eschatological positions. Both have existed together from the time of the Reformation–the differences centering around the timing, duration, and character of the millennial age. As we will see, in the 1970's things changed. So where did the optimism-pessimism categories come from? Do they accurately describe the three main eschatological schools of thought? Might th
S100 E7 · Thu, October 05, 2023
The Antichrist (7-39)
Episode Synopsis: The mere mention of the Antichrist conjures up all kinds of spooky movie images, demonic plot lines, and eerie special effects–all designed to play upon our fears of a satanically inspired, menacing figure doing their master’s bidding. The list is long, but a few examples should help–The Omen (with the brat antichrist child, Damien), and the sequels, then came Rosemary’s Baby, 11-11-11, the Devil’s Advocate, and a host of others fit in this genre. Throughout the history of the West, there has been no shortage of political leaders, emperors, conquerors, and religious figures who have been identified as antichrist candidates, yet all of whom have come and gone without claiming the title. Of late, this mysterious figure is thought to lurk in the shadows of the deep state, or is a mastermind in the tech world (especially since the rise of AI), or as a villainous super-hero sort of figure who will lead humanity into a post-apocalyptic world with a new reality and radically transformed human existence. Here is where we bid adieu to this speculation and take a much different course. We will go back to the teaching of Scripture and the church’s reflection upon what is a truly fascinating topic. If Christians in the apostolic age were not sure who or what this meant, the Reformers were absolutely sure–they identified antichrist with the papacy. Many Protestants have agreed, while Rome’s response was to return the favor–it was Protestants who were doing the devil’s work by dividing Christendom. Currently, evangelicals have taken up the quest to figure out just who or what the Antichrist will be, as they wait for the Antichrist to appear as the leader of a revived Roman empire, make a peace-treaty with Israel, and then betray the nation and usher in the final battle–Armageddon. The best way to deal with all of this wild (on the one hand) and understandable speculation (on the other) is to return to the teaching of Scripture. Ironically, the Bible is the source of much of the speculation just mentioned–many of the speculators and fiction writers know just enough about the Bible to make them dangerous, while others got much of the biblical data right–but it was simply not God’s time for this figure to appear. So, lets go back to the biblical text, see what it actually says about the Antichrist, and then summarize the biblical teaching. But don’t get your hopes up. Such a study won’t tell us who the antichrist will be, or when he (or she) will appear, but hopefully, it will clear up much or all of the speculation surrounding this figure and get us back to grounding all our future expectations in the Scriptures. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S100 E6 · Thu, September 21, 2023
The Future of Israel (6-38) -- A Look at Romans 9-11
Episode Synopsis: Whenever you discuss biblical eschatology and the end times, you must address the future of Israel and the Jewish people. The subject is greatly complicated by the fact that along with the longstanding biblical debates over Israel’s future, there is also the complicated history of Zionism. The unprecedented events surrounding the establishment of a Jewish state first conceived in the Balfour Declaration in 1917 (as a consequence of the Great War), came to fruition with UN Resolution 181. The resolution was approved on November 29, 1947, and established the “formal partition” of Palestine into Jordan (the Palestinian state), and the nation of Israel (a Jewish state). Debates over biblical expectations for the future of Israel, along with the geopolitical conflict between Israel and her Middle Eastern neighbors have raged ever since. The return of the Jews to Palestine had a profound effect upon American evangelicals and fundamentalists, pushing eschatological speculation surrounding Israel to the fore. Whenever you mention the end times, people want to know about your views about Israel, which inevitably leads to the intermixing of biblical expectation with political matters and American foreign policy. Israel’s security and survival are constantly in the news, because the nation exists in a largely Muslim region which is very unhappy with the presence of a Jewish state in Palestine, an area which had been an important part of an Islamic caliphate from the 7th century until 1948. Indeed, the return of the Jews to the nation of Israel is a remarkable thing, and has given great credibility to dispensationalism and the long-standing belief that the return of the Jews to their ancient homeland was the fulfillment of biblical prophecy, and thereby set into motion God’s prophetic end times blueprint that will unfold until the Lord’s return. Rather than focus upon the fascinating historical developments surrounding Israel from the First World War until now, I am going to tackle the one place in the New Testament where Paul speaks about the future course of redemptive history, specifically what God has decreed for his people–including Jew and Gentile. No, God is not finished with his ancient people, the Jews. And yes, dispensationalists get much of this wrong. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S100 E5 · Thu, September 07, 2023
The Future (5-37) -- The Signs of the End
Episode Synopsis: From the moment of our Lord’s ascension into heaven (as recounted in Acts 1:8) Christians have expected the Lord’s bodily and imminent return. Both Jesus and the apostles had a fair bit to say about his return as well as those signs which would precede the end. So, from the dawn of the church, until now, some two thousand years removed from our Lord’s life and ministry, Christians have eagerly expected the Lord’s return. What are these signs of the end, and how are we to understand them? What remains to be fulfilled before Jesus returns? There are also a number of common expectations people have about the Lord’s return, but which really are not signs of the end at all–the rapture, the seven-year tribulation, a millennial age, and so on. We’ll also discuss these expectations which are not biblical signs of the end. It is hard to address the signs of the end today because since the days of the birth of the nation of Israel in 1948, the biblical prophecy pundit industry has been doing its best to connect current events to biblical prophecy–especially events surrounding Israel. This has colored Christian expectation in many harmful ways–verses are lifted from their context and applied to virtually any event involving the Jewish state without due regard for what Scripture actually teaches about the end. A few of these predictions have come to pass, and those which have are more of “a broken clock is right twice a day” variety. So lets step back from the prognosticators and the Bible prophecy industry and take a fresh look at the biblical teaching regarding the signs of the end. I think this is an important and valuable exercise. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S100 E4 · Thu, August 24, 2023
The Future (4-36) -- Jesus Christ, the Sum and Substance of Biblical Prophecy
Episode Synopsis: I am not a fan of jigsaw puzzles–I don’t have the patience to put them together, and I am too easily distracted by the shapes of the various pieces. So, I lose sight of the big picture, and then I get frustrated and attempt to jam pieces into the puzzle where they don’t fit. Many people have the same trouble with the Bible. Why do we need to see the big picture? Why can’t we just get to the signs of the end (the individual pieces)? What should we expect to happen before the Lord’s return? What about the Antichrist? What about Israel? What about the seven-year tribulation period? What about the millennium? Why not just get to the good stuff? To read the Bible like this is to spend all of your time looking at the puzzle pieces without knowing what the picture on the box-top of the puzzle looks like. The Bible’s expectation for the future (the box top) tells us how the puzzle pieces fit together. If we skip big picture stuff, we can easily fall into the errors which so many of our contemporaries make–predictions about the end with no way to connect the signs of the end to the biblical context in which the signs make sense. When we spend the time to look at the box top of redemptive history–we don’t see an Antichrist, Israel, or a millennial age, anywhere near the center of the picture. What do we see? Or better, who ? We see Jesus Christ–the mediator of the new and better covenant–who is the central image on the box top. Since Jesus has ascended to the Father’s right hand, the big picture tells us that Jesus will return to raise the dead, judge the world, and make all things new. His return is our expectation, “the blessed hope.” We cannot successfully discuss, nor truly understand, the signs of the end apart from being clear in our minds about the big picture. We cannot understand the Antichrist, if we do not understand the Christ. We cannot understand the role of Israel, if we attempt to discuss Israel apart from the true Israel (Jesus). We might expect an earthly millennial age if we do not see our Lord’s return as the final consummation–not some half-way step (a millennium) on the way to final consummation. When we glimpse the picture of Jesus on the biblical box top–it is immediately apparent that he is the sum and substance of all biblical prophecy. Jesus is the center of the picture which ensures the realization of all of God’s covenant blessings for his people as well as the meting out of all the covenant curses upon those who reject his grace and mercy because they prefer to remain in their sins. All of the signs of the end point to things which occur on the last day, when the trumpet sounds, the heavens roll up like a scroll, and Jesus returns just as he promised. The signs of the end point to this glorious day when time becomes eternity. For show notes and other recommended materials
S100 E3 · Thu, August 10, 2023
The Future (3-35) -- The Returning King and His Kingdom
Episode Synopsis: The kingdom of God is a major topic throughout the Scriptures. The kingdom of God refers to the rule or reign of God over all of creation and all of its creatures. The Old Testament speaks of YHWH as Israel’s king, whose kingdom is everlasting. The prophets speak of this kingdom using royal images associated with heavenly glory and absolute sovereignty–the creator of all things does indeed rule over all that he has made. Everything is subject to him. Although YHWH rules the nations, because of Israel’s repeated and stubborn rebellion against him, YHWH has directed those nations to conquer Israel and possess the promised land. This is why the focus of the later prophets is upon the future, when YHWH’s kingdom is gloriously and finally realized. Israel’s king will come to visit his people with salvation, but will also mete out judgment upon all who reject his rule. So, when the messianic age dawns with the supernatural conception and birth of Jesus, we should not be surprised that it is in his person and work that YHWH’s promised kingdom will be realized. Since Jesus is YHWH’s promised king, YHWH’s kingdom has arrived in and with him–such a kingdom cannot exist apart from its king, Jesus, the second person of the blessed Trinity who is God now clothed in human flesh. The arrival of this kingdom can be seen in the preaching of John the Baptist, the last of the Old Testament prophets who speaks of a coming one in whom YHWH’s kingdom will dawn. Throughout his messianic mission Jesus proclaims that in him YHWH’s kingdom draws near–it is a major theme of his preaching. This kingdom conquers all, but not in the way we might think, nor in the way Israel expected. They wanted Jesus to restore David’s kingdom and lead them to victory over the Romans. When Jesus taught otherwise, he was rejected by his people, crucified, and then rose again from the dead. He ascended to the Father’s right hand and promised to return. Jesus’ kingdom is a spiritual kingdom absolutely victorious over the guilt and power of sin. He has defeated Satan in anticipation of a time when that kingdom will be fully and finally consummated on the last day, when all the inhabitants of the earth bow the knee and confess that Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That day, when Jesus returns and his kingdom comes in its fullness lies at the heart of the New Testament’s eschatology. It is that kingdom about which Jesus taught us to pray, “thy kingdom come.” Jesus, Paul, and the rest of the New Testament writers direct us to that time in the future when our king will return and his kingdom will be consummated. On that day all tears will be wiped from our eyes, we will receive our promised inheritance, and not a hint or trace of human sin will remain. This beloved, is our hope for the future and this is the context in which we must discuss the signs
S100 E2 · Thu, July 20, 2023
The Future (2-34) -- This Age and the Age to Come: The Implausibity of Premillennialism
Episode Synopsis: I begin this episode with a personal testimony. I was born and raised a dispensationalist. Our family owned a Christian bookstore. The first Christian book I picked out and read on my own was Hal Lindsey’s The Late Great Planet Earth . Years later, I was challenged by one of our delivery men about the books we were selling–all the dispensationalist best sellers. He said he was “Reformed.” I thought he meant that he had gone to “reform school” or was on work release from prison. The questions he put to me bounced off like BB’s against a Battleship. Dispensationalism was biblical. How could anyone doubt that? But those BB’s actually penetrated my embarrassingly thin armor. Eventually, I became a very reluctant Calvinist and then I started re-thinking my eschatology. After university and a year at the Simon Greenleaf School of Law (which was founded by John Warwick Montgomery, the faculty included Walter Martin, and Rod Rosenbladt, and is now the Trinity Law School in Santa Ana), I was steadily moving away from my doctrinal roots (Arminian and dispensational). I found that the Reformation views on law and gospel, the five solas, and the end times, were absolutely compelling because they were thoroughly biblical. To my surprise Drs. Montgomery and Rosenbladt suggested a career change–seminary, specifically the new seminary in Escondido (90 miles to the South), Westminster Seminary California. In the Acts and Paul class taught by Dennis Johnson, I first encountered what I came to know as the two-age model–terms I was familiar with from reading the New Testament but never thought much about–“this age” and “the age to come.” After reading Herman Ridderbos and Geerhardus Vos on Paul, I realized how serious a challenge the two-model was to my premillennial eschatology (I had pretty much given up on most of my dispensationalism by then, although I still thought like one). Driving home after Dr. Johnson’s class, I had an “ah-ha moment.” “I can’t be premillennial any more.” The two-age model makes premillennialism (in all its forms) a biblical impossibility. I dug in my heels and fought the inevitable. But here I am far down the road, presenting and defending the two-age model. If you’ve not heard this before, you are in for a real surprise. This is a game changer in terms of your view of the end times. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S100 E1 · Sat, July 08, 2023
The Future (1-33) -- How the Past Shapes the Future
Episode Synopsis: We are beginning a new series on the Blessed Hope Podcast, “The Future.” In this series we will wrestle with the question “what does the future hold for God’s people?” What historical events and biblical prophecies remain to be fulfilled before Jesus returns on the last day? How are we to interpret the various signs of the end we find throughout the New Testament? In this series we will talk about the necessity of understanding the biblical past (specifically the person and work of Jesus Christ) since this gives us the biblical context to understand the promises God makes to us about the future. What do we expect and what are we to be looking for? To what (or to whom) do the signs of the end point? In order to answer these questions we will need to talk about the proper biblical framework in which the signs of the end unfold. Our future expectation is not the Rapture or a millennial age, but the return of Jesus Christ to raise the dead, judge the world, and make all things new. Biblically speaking, all of the promises of the future center in and upon our Lord’s return. This is the critical event to which all of the signs of the end point us. So, what is included among the signs of the end? We’ll talk about this in some detail in the episodes to come. Wars and rumors of war? What about technology? What about plagues? We’ve just lived through one. What about Israel? What role will Israel play in the future? What about an Antichrist? How does he figure into the end times? Can we make any specific predictions about what is to come? We discuss all of the things and more in coming episodes in our new Blessed Hope Podcast series “The Future.” For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S2 E16 · Wed, June 21, 2023
Season Two Postscript -- "Where Do We Go from Here?"
Season Two Postscript – Where Do We Go from Here? We’ve completed season two of the Blessed Hope Podcast, fifteen episodes in all, in which we covered Paul’s two Thessalonian letters. The season two series was entitled “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven, taken from 2 Thessalonians 1:7, a text which captures Paul emphasis in these two letters upon the key event in biblical eschatology–the second coming (advent) of the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, as they say that’s a wrap. The obvious question then is “where does the Blessed Hope Podcast go from here?” For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S2 E15 · Thu, June 08, 2023
Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode Fifteen “The Lord Is Faithful” -- (2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:18)
Episode Synopsis: As Paul comes to the end of his second Thessalonian letter, he still has much to say to the Christians in Thessalonica. But the most important thing the apostle does when concluding his second letter, is to remind the Thessalonians of his prayer of thanksgiving on their behalf. Paul hopes this will be of great encouragement. The apostle reminds them that God has graciously rescued these Gentile pagans from the guilt and power of sin, and points out to his readers that they will share in the glory of Jesus Christ through the gospel which has been preached to them. But Paul also asks for their prayers on his behalf–that the same word which he preached to them, might continue to spread and that many more would be brought to faith in Jesus Christ. Paul also exhorts them to stand firm in the things which he has taught them–that tradition (or teaching) proclaimed to them by the apostle. He prays for their comfort and assurance in Christ, that God’s word be honored, and that God would see fit to deliver them from evil men–those who drove Paul from their city and who seek to keep the gospel from spreading. Paul reminds them that the Lord is faithful in keeping his promises, but he also warns some in their midst not to be idle so as to be a burden on others. He mandates that those who will not work, should not be given a handout. Yet, he also cautions the Thessalonians that this “tough love” approach is to be done for the purpose of restoring such a person. Paul concludes his second letter by praying for God’s blessings upon the congregation, he attaches his signature to this letter to confirm its authenticity, and then closes by reminding these brothers and sisters that the Lord is always with them. So there is much here to discuss–election and its connection to the gospel, election as the basis for our sanctification and its connection to the Word of God, the role and authority of tradition, and finally what to do about the idle (the application of church discipline). For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S2 E14 · Thu, May 25, 2023
Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode Fourteen: “The Man of Sin” -- Part Two (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)
Episode Synopsis: Soon after Paul sent his first letter to the Thessalonian Christians, the apostle received word that someone in the congregation was teaching that the day of the Lord had already come. Composing his second Thessalonian letter to correct this error, Paul makes it abundantly clear that anyone spreading such a rumor is flat-out wrong. Paul declares that two things must occur before the day of the Lord can come. First there will be a great apostasy, and only then comes the revelation of a figure Paul identifies as “the man of sin”– an individual often associated with the Antichrist. But Paul also tells the Thessalonians that a mysterious “restrainer” is currently preventing the man of sin from being revealed. He informs the Thessalonians that at some point this restrainer (a “who” or a “what”) will cease to restrain the man of sin, who will then appear (in connection with the apostasy) only to be destroyed by Jesus Christ when the day of the Lord does come to pass. In part two of our study of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, we will discuss this mysterious restrainer in some detail, identify to whom or what Paul is referring, and then wrestle with the question of the timing when all of this will come to pass. Is Paul referring to the events of AD 70 and the destruction of the Jerusalem temple–which are still future to him, but long in the past for us? Or is he predicting an end-times Antichrist, who will appear at the end of the age immediately before Jesus returns? For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S2 E13 · Thu, May 11, 2023
Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode Thirteen: “The Man of Sin” -- Part One (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)
Episode Synopsis: There is little doubt that one of the most interesting, controversial, and a constant source of on-going speculation is the doctrine of the Antichrist. Indeed, there has been so much written about the Antichrist by Christians–both ancient and modern–and so many references made to the Antichrist in film and popular culture, it is vital that we go back to the biblical accounts of this mysterious and evil figure to separate biblical fact from speculative fiction. What does the Bible actually say about the Antichrist? Paul tackles the subject head on in his second Thessalonian letter. Soon after completion of his first Thessalonian letter, Paul received news that someone in the Thessalonian congregation was teaching that the day of the Lord had already come. If true, this meant that all of Christ’s promises to his people have already been realized. It also reminds us that Bible prophecy pundits and speculators have been around for a long time. Paul exhorts the Thessalonians not to listen to such wild speculation because the day of the Lord had not yet come. Two things need to happen first. One is a great apostasy, and only then comes the revelation of a figure whom Paul identifies as “the man of sin.” Either the apostasy creates the conditions necessary for the man of sin to be revealed, or the apostasy is closely connected to the man of sin’s appearance. But Paul is clear that the day of the Lord has not come because these two things have not yet occurred when he writes his second letter. Paul also tells the Thessalonians that something is preventing the appearance of the man of sin, a mysterious “restrainer” who, at some point, will cease to hold back the revelation of the man of sin (the Antichrist), who then will be destroyed by Jesus when the Lord returns. Join us then, in this, part one of our discussion of the “man of sin,” as we tackle 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S2 E12 · Thu, April 27, 2023
Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode Twelve: “When the Lord Jesus Is Revealed from Heaven” (2 Thessalonians:1-12)
Episode Synopsis: Paul has already written one letter to the Thessalonians to clear up the confusion in their midst about the Lord’s return on the last day. Paul has instructed the congregation that should anyone die before the Lord’s return, they will not miss out on any of the benefits secured for them by Jesus Christ (including eternal life) as some feared. Paul also told them that since the Lord will return as a thief in the night (suddenly and unexpectedly), there should be no speculation among them about the date or timing of Christ’s return. But not long after the first letter was sent, additional news came to Paul that someone in Thessalonica had been teaching that the day of the Lord had already come. So, Paul writes a second letter to the Thessalonians to inform them that the day of the Lord had not come since two as yet future event must occur before Jesus returns. First, there will come a time of great apostasy, and then will come the revelation of the man of sin–a figure often spoken of as the Antichrist. Furthermore, these things cannot happen until a present and mysterious restraining power is lifted so that the man of sin is revealed, only to be destroyed by the Lord Jesus at his return. Paul opens this second letter by reminding the Thessalonians that when Jesus returns he will bring about God’s righteous judgment–when all accounts are settled and everything will be made right. But Christians need not fear this day because the coming day of God’s wrath, vengeance, and vindication is their day of deliverance when God is glorified in his saints. Paul also writes to these Christians to encourage them to persevere against the opposition they were facing, and reveal the content of his prayers for them. There is much here, so get out your Bible and join us for a look at 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S2 E11 · Thu, March 30, 2023
Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode Eleven: "Brothers, I Urge You" (1 Thess. 5:12-28)
Episode Synopsis: Since the Lord will return suddenly and unexpectedly, what are the Thessalonians to do until Jesus’s return? Paul has already encouraged them earlier in his letter, telling them that they are doing well despite the persecution and on-going threats they were receiving from Jews and Greco-Roman pagans in Thessalonica. But Paul knows there is always the possibility that things might go south. Therefore, he uses his closing remarks to urge the Thessalonians to be at peace among themselves and respect those who labor among them. Paul also takes the opportunity to urge them to encourage any strugglers and malingerers in their midst, to do good, to pray without ceasing, and to avoid evil. He reminds them that the Lord will deliver them from their enemies and right all wrongs on the day of judgment. Paul urges the Thessalonians not to quench the Spirit, nor despise prophecy. He prays that God will sanctify them so that they might be blameless on the day of the Lord’s return. He then instructs the brothers to make sure his letter is read aloud in the churches, so any questions the congregation had about the Lord’s return might be answered. As we have come to see from Paul, there is much practical wisdom here, which is as much a benefit to Christians now as it was to Thessalonicans who first heard this letter read in their churches. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S2 E10 · Thu, March 16, 2023
Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode Ten: "Like a Thief in the Night" (1 Thess. 5:1-11)
Date-setting has been a problem for God’s people since the days of the apostles. Church history is full of the accounts of those who, for whatever reason, attempted to figure out when Jesus will return, set dates, and then miserably failed to predict the unpredictable. Two recent examples should suffice. Edgar C. Whisenant predicted the Lord’s return in 1988 in his booklet, “88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988.” When that failed, he went for 1989. When that failed he picked 1993. And when that failed, he went for 1994. He died in 2001, preventing any future date-setting. The first book created quite a stir, and sold lots of copies (4.5 million of them). Although the later volumes (each with a revised date of Christ’s return) drew less of an audience, Whisenant’s reach was still far larger than anything than any sound theologian has written on the end times before or after. And there was Harold Camping–a CRC elder–who, in 2005, predicted that Jesus would return on May 21, 2011. According to Camping, those who were saved would be taken to heaven while five months of fire, brimstone, and plagues will strike the earth, with millions dying under the divine onslaught. Following his own time-line Camping concluded that on October 21, 2011 (five months after the rapture), final destruction would come upon the world. When none of this materialized, Camping was completely discredited, his radio empire nearly collapsed, and in response, he called upon Christians to leave their churches because they had all become apostate! By that I take Camping to mean that Christians stopped listening to him and churches were calling him out for his date setting. So, they were at fault not Camping. When we turn to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 of Paul’s Thessalonian letter, and carefully consider what Paul teaches about the Lord’s parousia, (coming) it does not take long to realize that according to Paul, Christ’s return will be like “a thief in the night.” The Lord’s return will be sudden and unexpected, and will bring about sudden destruction (i.e., final judgment) upon those who do not expect it because they are blissfully indifferent to the awful fate which awaits all those apart from faith in Jesus Christ. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S2 E25 · Thu, March 02, 2023
Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode Nine: "The Rapture" (1 Thess 4:13-18)
Episode Synopsis: As a baby boomer, I grew up during the Cold War, when the threat of nuclear war was real and constant. In 1948, Israel became a nation and many Jews began returning to their ancient homeland. The “Six Day War” of 1967, fought between Israel and a confederation of Arab states, sure made it seem as though the dispensational expectation of the rapture of the Gentile church, followed by a seven-year tribulation period in which antichrist would make a peace treaty with Israel, only to turn upon the nation leading to the Battle of Armageddon, was at hand. Fear and uncertainty among God’s people during this time created a huge and eager audience as well as perfect timing for Hal Lindsey to release his blockbuster book, the Late Great Planet Earth which was the best-selling book in the United States during the 1970's, selling some 28 million copies by 1990. Lindsey put into popular terms how current events were unfolding as the fulfillment of God’s plan to redeem his people, save Israel, and usher in the millennial age. But what was to come next on this time line? The “rapture.” The rapture became the main hope of vast numbers of Bible-believing Christians. Jesus will return to rapture believers before any nuclear holocaust thereby sparing believers from such horrors, and the removal of the Gentile church will allow God to return to dealing with Israel, the apple of his eye. Everything centered upon the “rapture.” But when Paul discusses the meaning of Jesus Christ’s parousia (or his coming) in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, does the apostle actually teach anything like the end-times scenario as taught by dispensationalists and popularized by the likes of Hal Lindsey? In this ninth episode of season two of the Blessed Hope Podcast in which are working our way through Paul’s two Thessalonian letters, we will consider Paul’s discussion of the Lord’s return. While Paul is certain of the Lord’s return to raise the dead, judge the world and make all things new, he knows nothing of the “rapture” in the form embraced by so many. What does Paul teach about the Lord’s return? Stay tuned. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S2 E24 · Thu, February 16, 2023
Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode Eight: "The Coming of the Lord" (1 Thess 4:13-18)
Episode Synopsis: The greatest event in all of human history was the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The most hoped for event in humanity’s future is Jesus Christ’s return when he will raise the dead, judge the world, and bring about the new creation. Since the moment Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and the attending angels told his disciples that he would return in the same manner in which he departed, his people have longed for Jesus to return. Our greatest hope is to be that generation still living when the Lord returns so that we need never taste death. Along with the first Christians we cry out, “Maranatha! The Lord come!” Like many of us, the Thessalonians had questions about details of the Lord’s return–what it means and when it will happen. When they first heard Paul’s teaching and preaching they gladly accepted this wonderful truth that Jesus’s resurrection and ascension guaranteed our Lord’s bodily return at the end of the age. But some of them wondered, “what happens to those who die before our Lord comes back?” Do they miss out on the benefits of the resurrection? Others were asking “how soon will the Lord return?” They took Paul to be saying the Lord would return very soon. Do the signs of Jesus’ return of which Paul had spoken, give Christians the tantalizing clues from which we can figure out when the Lord will return? Paul addresses these questions in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11. We’ll talk about all of this in the next three episodes of the Blessed Hope Podcast as we consider Paul’s answers to the questions about Christ’s second advent put to him by the Thessalonians. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S2 E23 · Thu, February 02, 2023
Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode Seven: "This Is the Will of God: Paul on Sexual Purity" (1 Thess 4:1-2)
Episode Synopsis: In chapter four of his first Thessalonian letter, Paul addresses the issues surrounding what it means to turn from idols to serve the true and living God. Paul is concerned with how these new Christians in Thessalonica “walk in the Lord” – that is, how they ought to live the Christian life in contrast to the way they lived before when they served idols. In verses 3-8 of chapter four, Paul takes up the matter of Christian sexual ethics. Those to whom Paul is writing knew nothing of the sexual purity God expects from his people before Paul arrived and preached the gospel to them. All they have known is a pagan sexuality which is often libertine (anything goes since the pagans understood sexual relations apart from personal morality). Greco-Roman men commonly had wives who raised the children and kept the home, but saw nothing wrong with premarital or extra-marital sexual relationships. In this episode of The Blessed Hope, we will consider Paul’s exhortation to avoid sexual immorality, and to live quiet lives, minding our own business, and not being dependent upon others. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S2 E22 · Thu, January 19, 2023
Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode Six: "Satan's Opposition, The Lord's Parousia, and the Persecution of the Faithful" (1 Thess 2:17-3:13)
Episode Synopsis: Paul was forced out of Thessalonica after three short weeks among them. Paul truly desires to return (he’s writing to the Thessalonians from Corinth) but so far has been prevented from doing so. Paul attributes this unfortunate circumstance to the activity of Satan and so explains why he sent Timothy instead of coming in person. Paul boasts in the fact that despite all that has happened, the Thessalonians are standing firm. Paul reminds them that Christian hope is grounded in the certainly of Christ’s parousia (his second coming), a term which the apostle introduces for the first time in this letter. Paul then discusses the inevitability that those who follow Jesus will be persecuted and that Jesus himself will ensure that his people persevere to the end. All of these topics are important and thinking about them properly goes a long way to living a healthy Christian life. So, there is important content here for us as we work our way through the balance of chapter two and the whole of chapter three in Paul’s first Thessalonian letter. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S2 E5 · Thu, January 05, 2023
Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode Five: “Labor and Toil, Calling and Kingdom, Hindering the Gospel” (1 Thess 2:1-16)
Episode Synopsis: In chapter two of Paul’s first Thessalonian letter, Paul defends himself against accusations raised by those who had driven him from the city. Paul is not just another itinerant philosopher who wanders throughout the land seeking to tickle ears and gain a following. Paul’s conduct in Thessalonica was blameless and it should be clear to all that Paul not only labored among them but took nothing from them. The gospel Paul preached was revealed to him by Jesus Christ and through that gospel, God’s calls his people to faith in the Son of God and includes them into his kingdom and glory. But Paul then says a number of harsh things about those who sought to hinder him from preaching the gospel–the Jews. These are some of the most controversial words in all of Paul’s letters. In this jam-packed episode, we’ll discuss Paul’s example in Thessalonica, his doctrine of “calling” and its connection to the “kingdom of God,” and then we will address the charge that Paul was an anti-Semite, because of his harsh words about those who sought to prevent him from preaching the gospel. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S2 E4 · Thu, December 08, 2022
Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode Four: "Deliverance from the Wrath to Come" (1 Thess 1:9-10)
Episode Synopsis: There is one thing a congregation dislikes even more than stewardship Sunday–a sermon on the wrath of God. To proclaim that the wrath of God is coming upon the whole world (and it is) is be thought of as some sort of fundamentalist with the misguided faith of a snake-handler, or the mind-set of a Jihadi terrorist. Any one who believes such a thing is considered a kooky zealot who probably carries around a sandwich-board sign which reads, “Repent, for the end is near!” Since Paul ties Christ’s second advent to the coming day of wrath, he creates very difficult problems for all forms of premillennialism–those who insist that Jesus’s Christ return will usher in a thousand year reign of Jesus upon the earth with the final judgment not occurring until the millennium comes to an end. How does this fit with Paul’s declaration in 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 that deliverance from the coming wrath of God occurs when Jesus returns? (Hint, it doesn’t). What does what does this say to those engaged in the “pre” and “post” trib debate, and to the dispensationalist expectation of a future seven-year tribulation period? We’ll tackle these issues and more in this edition of the Blessed Hope Podcast For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S2 E3 · Wed, November 23, 2022
Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode Three: "The Church as the Renewed Israel" (1 Thess 1:1-8)
Synopsis of Episode Three: In the opening verses of his first Thessalonian letter, Paul sends warm greetings to those from whom he has recently departed. This departure was not of his own doing. After spending three Sabbaths in Thessalonica with this newly organized church, Paul was driven from the city by a “rentamob” organized by Jews in the city who saw the Christian missionaries, Paul, Silas, and Timothy, as a threat to the religion of Israel. But Paul does something unexpected in the opening verses, speaking of the new and largely Gentile church as the “assembly of the Lord”–which is another way of speaking of this congregation as a fulfillment of God’s promise to redeem Israel in the messianic restoration foretold by Israel’s prophets. Perhaps even more unexpected, Paul speaks of those who have turned from idol worship as “chosen by God,” another image drawn from the Old Testament. A Gentile church in Thessalonica is depicted by Paul as the “assembly of the Lord,” composed of those “chosen by God,” included in true Israel. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S2 E2 · Thu, November 10, 2022
Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode Two: "Paul's Theological Categories"
Synopsis of Episode Two: “Paul’s Theological Categories” Paul was converted about 33 AD when Jesus appeared to him on the Damascus Road, revealing to Paul the content of the gospel he was to preach. Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians was written around 50 AD, just short of twenty years after his conversion. By this time, Paul has a settled theology–his basic theological categories are in place. He applied these categories in Galatia in opposition to the Judaizers, and he now applies them in an entirely different set of circumstances in Thessalonica. Paul is not making his doctrine up on the fly. So, what was this “settled theology” and how does Paul apply these basic theological categories in his letters to the Thessalonians? For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S2 E1 · Thu, October 27, 2022
Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode One: "Introduction to the Thessalonian Letters"
Synopsis of Episode One: “An Introduction to Paul’s Thessalonian Letters” We are about to embark on a study of Paul’s Thessalonian letters. Our season two series is entitled “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven" (from 2 Thessalonians 1:7), a text which captures Paul emphasis in these two letters upon the key event in biblical eschatology — the second coming (advent) of the Lord Jesus Christ. Many of you know that in these two letters Paul discusses our Lord’s return in great detail–when and what happens when Jesus returns, the appearance of Antichrist, what happens on the Day of the Lord, and Paul’s warning about the coming wrath of God. But I wonder how many of you have ever gone through the entire text of both these letters in any detail. The context for Paul’s teaching on eschatological matters is a series of questions raised by a congregation of mostly Gentile Christians living mid-first century in the city of Thessalonica. In this first episode of season two we’ll take a look at the Macedonia Call, Paul’s second missionary journey, and learn a bit about the Thessalonians and their city–men and woman who embraced the word of God as preached to them by Paul, who turned from serving idols to worshiping and serving the living God. We’ll also learn a bit about the fierce opposition the apostle Paul faced while in Thessalonica, and how this opposition to his preaching lead to the gospel being proclaimed in other Greek cities including the heart of Greek history and culture, the city of Athens. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
Bonus · Thu, September 08, 2022
For Those of You Who Listened to Season One: A Free Gift, "For Freedom!"
In this special episode of Season One on the Book of Galatians, I am offering listeners a free gift! If you have made it through all fourteen episodes of the Blessed Hope series on the Book of Galatians, I am making available to you a free expositional commentary on the Book of Galatians, entitled, “For Freedom!” Instructions and conditions for downloading are given in the podcast. Then, I offer a brief preview of Season Two of the Blessed Hope, in which, Lord willing, we will work our way through Paul’s two Thessalonian letters. Here's the link: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/the-blessed-hope-po For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S1 E15 · Thu, September 08, 2022
Episode Fifteen (Postscript to Season One on the Book of Galatians)
We’ve completed our fourteen-part series on the Book of Galatians. But one question remains unanswered. What happened after Paul sent his letter to the churches in Galatia? In Acts 15, we get our answer. The Judaizing heresy became an issue of concern far beyond Galatia. In response, the Apostles and elders of the Jerusalem church convene a church assembly–known to us as the “Jerusalem Council.” The assembled churches and their leaders wanted to hear from Paul about the great success of the Gentile mission. But they must also address the controversy in the churches which arose precisely because so many Gentiles were coming to faith in Jesus Christ. The question was being asked in many churches where there were also Jewish converts to Christianity present. Must Gentile converts live as Jews? How does the law of Moses apply to the people of God in light of the gospel? Although Paul addressed these matters in his Galatian letter, the issues raised by the Judaizers were being debated throughout Judea and especially in Antioch, where Paul and Barnabas were currently ministering. It became necessary for the collective churches to meet in Jerusalem and respond to on-going the Judaizing controversy. In this episode I’ll also answer listener questions and offer a first-take critique of N. T. Wright’s new commentary on Galatians. https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/the-blessed-hope-podcast For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S1 E14 · Fri, September 02, 2022
The Book of Galatians -- Episode Fourteen: "Boasting in the Cross of Christ" (Galatians 6:11-18)
In the first century Greco-Roman world crucifixion was something that polite and well mannered people didn’t talk about. Considered a cruel instrument of torture and shame, nevertheless, the cross is the one thing about which the apostle Paul chooses to boast–not just any cross, but the cross of Jesus Christ, where the guilt and power of sin which enslaved us are removed and broken. And yet, because it was an instrument of shame, Paul’s opponents in Galatia (the Judaizers) refuse to preach the cross of Christ. Instead, they are champions of human merit earned through “works of the law.” They boast about the number of coverts they have made, yet they neither obey the commandments nor can they see that the crucified and risen Jesus has ushered in the New Creation and established the true Israel of God. We have indeed come to the end of Paul’s Galatian letter–the Magna Carta of Christian liberty. Paul will point us to the cross of Christ, a fitting way to conclude our time in this remarkable letter. https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/the-blessed-hope-podcast For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S1 E13 · Fri, August 19, 2022
The Book of Galatians -- Episode Thirteen: "Sowing and Reaping" (Galatians 6:1-10)
In the sixth and concluding chapter of Galatians, Paul addresses the fallout caused by the Judaizers spying on those throughout the region exercising their liberty in Christ. It should not come as a surprise that the Judaizers would find people engaging in sinful conduct, shame them, and use them as examples of why Paul’s gospel supposedly leads to license and sinful behavior. Paul instructs the leaders of the churches of Galatia to bear with those struggling with sin and work to restore them–not shame nor leave them to the Judaizing wolves. Paul describes the actions of the Judaizers as sowing to the flesh and warms them that if they sow to the flesh, well then, then they will reap from the flesh. God is not deceived. Christians are to bear one another’s burdens and do those things which benefit their neighbors, especially those in the household of faith. https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/the-blessed-hope-podcast For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S1 E12 · Fri, August 05, 2022
The Book of Galatians -- Episode Twelve: "The Works of the Flesh v. the Fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:19-26)
In the last half of Galatians 5, Paul contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit. In comparing the two lists, it sounds very much like the Apostle is describing two warring factions–which he is, the flesh against the Spirit. The works of the flesh are the visible outcome of what it means to have a sinful nature. Because we are “flesh” apart from God’s grace, this is what our lives will often look like. They are characterized by all kinds of bad behavior. Yet when we are delivered from the flesh by the death of Jesus and the indwelling Holy Spirit, the change from “in the flesh” to living “in the Spirit” manifests itself in the presence of the so-called “Fruit of the Spirit.” If we walk in the Spirit, the Spirit will produce his fruit. So what are these fruit, and what does it mean to walk in the Spirit? We’ll tackle these questions and a few more in this episode of the Blessed Hope Podcast. https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/the-blessed-hope-podcast For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S1 E11 · Mon, July 25, 2022
The Book of Galatians -- Episode Eleven: "Walk By the Spirit" (Galatians 5:13-18)
In Galatians chapter 5, the apostle Paul is discussing how the Galatian Christians ought understand the implications of their freedom in Christ–especially in the face of pressure to return to works of law as insisted by the Judaizers. To help ensure that the Galatians stand firm against the legalistic error spreading quickly throughout the churches of the region, Paul makes appeal to the doctrine of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone, as the basis for the Christian life, which Paul describes as “walking in the Spirit.” Here, we see the sharp contrast between the flesh (the impulses and desires of the fallen nature) and the Spirit (who now indwells the people God securing their union w/Christ). Walking in the Spirit–which is tied to the fruit of the Spirit in the balance of chapter–also entails an intense struggle against the flesh (what we were before coming to faith in Jesus Christ). Now free from the condemnation of the law, the Spirit gives us both the desire and ability to obey God’s commands (especially the love of neighbor). But the indwelling Spirit is opposed by the sinful habits of the flesh which is the desire to seek self interest–in Galatia, manifest in the biting and devouring of each other then going on– and this after the flesh no longer dominates and characterizes us. In Galatians 5:13-18, Paul discusses what it means to walk in the Spirit, even as we struggle against the flesh. "The Blessed Hope Podcast with Dr. Kim Riddlebarger" For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S1 E10 · Sat, July 09, 2022
The Book of Galatians -- Episode Ten: "It Is for Freedom Christ Has Set Us Free" (Galatians 5:1-12)
Paul exhorts the Galatians, “for freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” But this is an unlikely assertion for a well-known religious figure like the apostle Paul to make. Most people would expect Paul to shout something like, “try harder, do better, live a godly and good life. This is what God wants from you.” But people who think such things have never read Paul’s letter to the Galatians. They think the essence of religion in general and Christianity in particular is good behavior, not a gospel. But apart from our union with Christ through faith and a justifying righteousness imputed to us, works of law only condemn and make us even guiltier. This is why Paul grounds the Christian life in the freedom won for us by Jesus Christ. https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/the-blessed-hope-podcast For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S1 E9 · Sat, June 25, 2022
The Book of Galatians -- Episode Nine: "Two Women, Two Mountains, Two Covenants, Two Cities" (Galatians 4:21-31)
Paul understood Israel’s history and the biblical accounts of Moses and Abraham one way before his conversion, and in an entirely different way after. Once Jesus had come, fulfilled his messianic mission, and called Paul to faith, Paul’s understanding of the Old Testament completely changed. In Ephesians 4:21-31, Paul speaks of two women (Sarah and Hagar), two mountains (Zion and Sinai), two covenants (Abraham and Moses), and two cities (the Jerusalem above and the earthly city of Jerusalem). Now reading the familiar story of Genesis 16 (among others) through a Christ-centered lens, Paul reinterprets the two women, mountains, covenants, and cities from the vantage point of New Testament fulfillment. Paul will teach us how we should read and understand the Old Testament. https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/the-blessed-hope-podcast For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S1 E8 · Fri, June 10, 2022
The Book of Galatians -- Episode Eight: "Do You Really Want to Go Back to Slavery?" (Galatians 4:1-20)
Paul’s question to those listening to the agitators in Galatia is simple but profound. “What has happened to all of your joy?” Paul is referring to that joy the Galatians had experienced together with Paul when he first preached the gospel to them. These people were Paul’s spiritual children. He loved them, and he thought they loved him. They took him in when he had been felled by illness. The Galatians received the gospel with great joy. There was Christian liberty. But then the Judaizers came. The spoiled fruit of such legalism is not only a loss of Christian liberty, but also the loss of the assurance of salvation. The agitators turn the church into a court–a contentious place of charges, complaints and accusations. How can I eat with so and so? They still eat pork. They do this, and they don’t do that. They don’t care about Moses or his law. Paul describes the Judaizing legalism as a return to the elementary principles of the world, in effect, a return to the slavery of sin–putting back on the shackles of works of law after they were removed by the cross of Christ. Paul reminds the Galatians that God sent his Son and his Spirit, so that the Galatians can call God their father. Why would anyone wish to give up such wonderful freedom and liberty? Why replace freedom with works of law and go back to the basic principles of this world? This is our subject for this edition of the Blessed Hope podcast. https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/the-blessed-hope-podcast For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S1 E7 · Mon, May 30, 2022
The Book of Galatians -- Episode Seven: "Why the Law?" (Galatians 3:19-29)
Paul has made his case that all believing Jews and Gentiles are children of Abraham through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul has also made the point that the giving of the law at Mount Sinai does not annual the prior covenant God made with Abraham. But, at some point in his Galatian letter, Paul must address the question, “why then did God give the law?” The law, he says, was given for a particular period in redemptive history (from the time of Moses to until the coming of Jesus Christ) and plays a vital role (to expose sin). The law, Paul says, functions as a guardian until Christ comes. The law exposes and incites sin. But once faith has come, God’s people enter into a new era in redemptive history–the new covenant, in which the promises to Abraham have been fulfilled. It is only after the coming of Jesus Christ that we can understand the law’s true purpose. Since the Judaizers have denied the true meaning of circumcision, Paul must explain how baptism replaces circumcision as sign and seal of God’s gracious covenant. The Apostle will also point out the consequences of Judaizing divisions in the churches of Galatia along racial and social lines, since baptism is a sign of the unity of Christ’s church (all those who believe). So join us as Paul teaches us how to read and understand the Old Testament. https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/the-blessed-hope-podcast For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S1 E6 · Mon, May 16, 2022
The Book of Galatians -- Episode Six: "Christ Became a Curse for Us" (Galatians 3:10-18)
To correct the error of the Judaizers–which is to insist that Gentiles undergo circumcision and live like Jews in order to be justified–Paul makes a series of important distinctions in his letter to the Galatians. He contrasts faith and works, the Spirit and the flesh, the law and the gospel, as well as carefully distinguishing between the covenants God made with Abraham (in which Abraham was reckoned as righteous), and the covenant God made with Israel at Mount Sinai, (in which the law of God was given to his people). The covenant God made with Abraham is gracious, while the covenant God made with Israel at Sinai is closely tied to the blessing/curse principle. The Judaizers conflated these two covenants, thereby mistakenly seeing the sign and seal of God’s gracious covenant with Abraham (circumcision), through the lens of the blessing curse principle, thereby turning circumcision into a meritorious work. For Paul, the heart of the matter (and the basis for keeping the two covenants distinct) is the coming of Jesus, who, by becoming a curse for us when crucified upon the cross, takes away the curse we’ve earned and which we deserve. Throughout this section, Paul is teaching us how we ought to read and understand the Old Testament in light of the person and work of Jesus Christ, in whom all of God’s gracious covenant promises are fulfilled. That, of course, is a vital and important exercise. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S1 E5 · Sat, April 30, 2022
The Book of Galatians -- Episode Five: "Abraham Believed God" (Galatians 3:1-9)
Paul identifies all those who believe his gospel as “sons of Abraham”–which includes both Jews and Gentiles. But he does not include those who seek to be right before God on the basis of works of the law, which Paul has declared, do not justify. The Judaizers have been spying on the Galatians Christian liberty. Gentile Christians in these churches do not follow a kosher diet, they do not observe the feasts of Israel, and there is no requirement that Gentiles be circumcised in order to be justified, or declared “right with God.” Jews and Gentiles worship together, they eat together, and they embrace the same gospel, without, according to the Judaizers, proper observance of the law of Moses; the reason why they were so vocally challenging Paul’s authority and his gospel. In response, Paul turns to the account of Abraham, who, as we read in Genesis 15:6, believed God and was reckoned as “righteous.” Paul appeals to the story of Abraham to refute the Judaizing idea that those justified before God, are such, because of “works of the law.” Abraham is the “man of faith” and the spiritual father of all who believe Paul’s gospel, which Paul says, YHWH had preached to Abraham and which was foretold through the Scriptures. How can uncircumcised Gentiles be identified as “children of Abraham,” Paul is about to tell us. To see show notes, https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/the-blessed-hope-podcast For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S1 E4 · Mon, April 18, 2022
The Book of Galatians -- Episode Four: "Paul Confronts Peter in Antioch" (Galatians 2:11-2:21)
Peter enjoyed table fellowship with Gentiles until men from James pressured him to withdraw from table fellowship with them. Even Barnabas felt the pressure to distance himself from the unclean–those not circumcised. He too grew hesitant to eat with Gentiles. Paul knew that if the Judaizers got wind of this, they would claim that Peter’s actions proved that Paul’s gospel was a novelty. Paul, they could argue, was preaching something new and different from that which the Apostles (and the Jerusalem church) were teaching. Paul addressed the question of the origin of his gospel in 1:11-2:10. But when Peter came to Antioch–Paul’s current base of operations–Paul knew he needed to confront the chief apostle in front of all the church. In this episode (the first part) we will address Paul’s confrontation with Peter. Having learned of Peter’s hypocritical actions toward the Gentiles, Paul knows Peter’s actions undermine the gospel and will be used to deny the doctrine of justification, which Paul had been preaching. For Paul, the confrontation with Peter is not personal. It is about the gospel. In Galatians 2:16 he puts matters as clearly as words will allow--sinners are justified by faith in Christ, not by works of the law (i.e, personal obedience to God’s commandments as a requirement to be justified). We move to discuss why many of our contemporaries think that Paul’s doctrine of justification is not about how sinners ‘get saved,” but rather is about identifying who is in the church. The issue of table fellowship with Gentiles in Galatians 2:11-14, has become a huge point of contention, and is used by advocates of the New Perspective on Paul (NPP) to dismiss Luther and Calvin and those who follow them as badly distorting Paul’s message, making it into a message of how God “saves guilty sinners,” not one of Jewish boasting. Next, we will take up Paul’s contention in Galatians 2:16 that justification is by faith and not by works, and that those like Peter, who now excludes Gentiles from full fellowship in the church, are undermining the gospel Paul has been preaching. This episode is packed, so let us take up Galatians 2:11-21, the account of Paul’s confrontation with Peter, and Paul’s clarification of how sinners (Jew and Gentile) are justified before God – “we are justified by faith, and not by works of the law.” To see show notes, https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/the-blessed-hope-podcast For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S1 E3 · Mon, April 04, 2022
The Book of Galatians -- Episode Three: "Paul's Conversion, Visit to Jerusalem, and the Gentile Mission" (Galatians 1:11-2:10)
Paul was well-known to the Galatians. He came into Galatia preaching the gospel revealed to him by Jesus Christ. The Galatians knew Paul. He stayed with them for a time. He lived with them, he ate with them, prayed with them, and preached to them. When he fell ill, they nursed him back to health and once he had recovered, they sent him on his way. No doubt, they prayed for Paul and encouraged him when he left Galatia to continue his work elsewhere as Apostle to the Gentiles. But after Paul left the area, a group of false teachers, known to us as the Judaizers entered the area and began attacking Paul’s gospel – Paul, they said, was denying that obedience to the law was required of God’s people, and he was teaching that Gentile converts need not submit to circumcision or produce “works of law” to be numbered among the people of God. The Judaizers resented the freedom enjoyed by these new Gentile converts. The Judaizers even sought to spy on their liberty–to see if the Gentiles who were following Paul demonstrated sufficient zeal for obedience to the law. But the Judaizers also attacked Paul on a deeply personal level. They claimed he was an apostate from Israel, that he was a religious huckster trying to attract a group of followers unto himself, that he was not doing the Lord’s work, but was leading the Galatians astray. Paul must defend himself and his apostolic call to people who knew him well, and but now came to question his motives. He must prove that his gospel is the same as that preached by the other apostles, the Twelve, and that he and his companion Barnabas, had received the blessing of all of Jesus’ disciples as well as the Jerusalem church. As Paul does so in Galatians 1:10-2:11 (or text for this episode), we learn a great deal about Paul and his own personal biography, as well as learning more about the gospel Paul has been preaching. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S1 E2 · Mon, March 21, 2022
The Book of Galatians -- Episode Two: "No Other Gospel" (Galatians 1:1-10)
What would you do if an angel suddenly appeared to you and proclaimed a gospel much different from that gospel which Paul preached to the Galatians? What would you do if one of your closest friends or a family member encourages you to listen to a celebrity, a life coach, an influencer, or a religious teacher who proclaims a message different from that taught by Paul? What would you do if a well-known Bible teacher or preacher, perhaps someone in your church, or even your own pastor, teaches a gospel different from the one Paul presents in the Book of Galatians. Paul will tell us, as we turn to the opening verses of Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia To see the show notes, go to: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/the-blessed-hope-podcast For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S1 E1 · Mon, March 07, 2022
The Book of Galatians -- Episode One: “An Introduction to Galatians -- Who, When, What, and Why?"
The Apostle Paul preached the gospel revealed to him by Jesus Christ throughout the region we know as Galatia. But soon after Paul left Galatia, he began hearing disturbing reports about false teachers who came into the region, undermining his apostolic office, and challenging the gospel he had previously preached to the Galatians. In the first episode of our series – “Introduction to the Book of Galatians,” often known as “The Magna Carta of Christian liberty” – I ask and answer four basic questions to give us the background and context to go through Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia: Who? When? What? and Why? For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
S1 E0 · Wed, March 02, 2022
The Premier Episode of The Blessed Hope Podcast
This is the premier episode of The Blessed Hope Podcast! In this episode, I ask and answer the question, "why another podcast?" "Why The Blessed Hope?" First, I explain why I think it important to study the biblical text in detail, yet in a non-technical way Second, I set out the ground I hope to cover in the episodes of season one (and perhaps, beyond) Third, I'll give you some great resources and background material in the show notes to help you learn more about the ground we will be covering So, the give "The Blessed Hope" a listen, and tell me what you think! For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/
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