Gospel Outreach Conversations

What does it mean to be “born again”? In part 20 of our 34-part theology series, we learn about regeneration, the secret act of God in which he imparts new spiritual life to us. It is also called being “born again” because of the way Jesus describes it in John 3:3–8. Regeneration is the third in a series of actions by which God applies redemption to those who become part of His kingdom, right after election and the gospel call. These actions are the beginning of the process by which we are saved and mature as Christians. This Doctrine of Regeneration is the subject of lesson 20 of my 34 lessons in systematic theology. Anyone who reads the Bible on a regular basis has begun to develop a “theology” of who God is and what he has revealed of Himself to man down through history. But is it organized to the point where you can confidently say “this is what the Bible teaches” on a particular topic, or do you just base your beliefs on random verses that could well be misunderstood because they are taken out of context? My confidence in going out to share the Gospel with strangers comes largely from my study of “Systematic Theology”, which I’ll define as learning what the whole Bible teaches us about a given topic. I’m confident that I’m not misrepresenting God as revealed in his Word, and I’m confident when people make unbiblical claims about God that challenge my own beliefs. I’m increasingly amazed by the consistency of the Bible, written by so many human authors but without contradiction, that I can only conclude it was written by divine inspiration. I’ve gained so much personally from my systematic study of theology that I’m teaching a 34-week class on it at church, based on Dr. Wayne Grudem’s books “Systematic Theology” and “Bible Theology”. I’m excited to dig deeper personally as I prepare the outlines and lessons, and I want to take as many people along with me on this journey as possible. So I am recording the class and posting the videos to my YouTube channel, and making downloadable PDF chapter outlines and audio recordings available on a Google Drive folder as well. Care to join me? Links to my YouTube channel and shared resources are as follows: Lesson 20: https://youtu.be/6Mv58gmPLRQ Video: YouTube.com/c/JeffReiman Shared Resources folder: https://tinyurl.com/yxy2kb56

What are the undeserved blessings that God gives to all people, both believers and unbelievers? The Doctrine of Common Grace is the subject of lesson 17 of my 34 lessons in systematic theology. Anyone who reads the Bible on a regular basis has begun to develop a “theology” of who God is and what he has revealed of Himself to man down through history. But is it organized to the point where you can confidently say “this is what the Bible teaches” on a particular topic, or do you just base your beliefs on random verses that could well be misunderstood because they are taken out of context? My confidence in going out to share the Gospel with strangers comes largely from my study of “Systematic Theology”, which I’ll define as learning what the whole Bible teaches us about a given topic. I’m confident that I’m not misrepresenting God as revealed in his Word, and I’m confident when people make unbiblical claims about God that challenge my own beliefs. I’m increasingly amazed by the consistency of the Bible, written by so many human authors but without contradiction, that I can only conclude it was written by divine inspiration. I’ve gained so much personally from my systematic study of theology that I’m teaching a 34-week class on it at church, based on Dr. Wayne Grudem’s books “Systematic Theology” and “Bible Theology”. I’m excited to dig deeper personally as I prepare the outlines and lessons, and I want to take as many people along with me on this journey as possible. So I am recording the class and posting the videos to my YouTube channel, and making downloadable PDF chapter outlines and audio recordings available on a Google Drive folder as well. Care to join me? Links to my YouTube channel and shared resources are as follows: Video: YouTube.com/c/JeffReiman Shared Resources folder: https://tinyurl.com/yxy2kb56

What was Christ’s resurrection body like? What is its significance for us? What happened to Christ when he ascended into heaven? The Doctrine of Jesus' resurrection and ascension is the subject of lesson 16 of my 34 lessons in systematic theology. Anyone who reads the Bible on a regular basis has begun to develop a “theology” of who God is and what he has revealed of Himself to man down through history. But is it organized to the point where you can confidently say “this is what the Bible teaches” on a particular topic, or do you just base your beliefs on random verses that could well be misunderstood because they are taken out of context? My confidence in going out to share the Gospel with strangers comes largely from my study of “Systematic Theology”, which I’ll define as learning what the whole Bible teaches us about a given topic. I’m confident that I’m not misrepresenting God as revealed in his Word, and I’m confident when people make unbiblical claims about God that challenge my own beliefs. I’m increasingly amazed by the consistency of the Bible, written by so many human authors but without contradiction, that I can only conclude it was written by divine inspiration. I’ve gained so much personally from my systematic study of theology that I’m teaching a 34-week class on it at church, based on Dr. Wayne Grudem’s books “Systematic Theology” and “Bible Theology”. I’m excited to dig deeper personally as I prepare the outlines and lessons, and I want to take as many people along with me on this journey as possible. So I am recording the class and posting the videos to my YouTube channel, and making downloadable PDF chapter outlines and audio recordings available on a Google Drive folder as well. Care to join me? Links to my YouTube channel and shared resources are as follows: Video: YouTube.com/c/JeffReiman Shared Resources folder: https://tinyurl.com/yxy2kb56

Was it necessary for Jesus to die? What really happened at the cross? Did Christ descend into hell? The Doctrine of the Atonement is the subject of lesson 15 of my 34 lessons in systematic theology. Anyone who reads the Bible on a regular basis has begun to develop a “theology” of who God is and what he has revealed of Himself to man down through history. But is it organized to the point where you can confidently say “this is what the Bible teaches” on a particular topic, or do you just base your beliefs on random verses that could well be misunderstood because they are taken out of context? My confidence in going out to share the Gospel with strangers comes largely from my study of “Systematic Theology”, which I’ll define as learning what the whole Bible teaches us about a given topic. I’m confident that I’m not misrepresenting God as revealed in his Word, and I’m confident when people make unbiblical claims about God that challenge my own beliefs. I’m increasingly amazed by the consistency of the Bible, written by so many human authors but without contradiction, that I can only conclude it was written by divine inspiration. I’ve gained so much personally from my systematic study of theology that I’m teaching a 36-week class on it at church, based on Dr. Wayne Grudem’s books “Systematic Theology” and “Bible Theology”. I’m excited to dig deeper personally as I prepare the outlines and lessons, and I want to take as many people along with me on this journey as possible. So I am recording the class and posting the videos to my YouTube channel, and making downloadable PDF chapter outlines and audio recordings available on a Google Drive folder as well. Care to join me? Links to my YouTube channel and shared resources are as follows: Video: YouTube.com/c/JeffReiman Shared Resources folder: https://tinyurl.com/yxy2kb56

Who is Jesus Christ? Who did he claim to be? How is Jesus fully God and fully man, yet one person? A biblical understanding of the Person of Christ is foundational to the Christian faith. It separates Christian belief from other beliefs that also claim to believe in Jesus, such as Islam, Mormonism, and Jehovah's Witnesses. It directly or indirectly affects every other major doctrine of our Christian faith, so we want to be sure to establish a solid foundation in our theology. Anyone who reads the Bible on a regular basis has begun to develop a “theology” of who God is and what he has revealed of Himself to man down through history. But is it organized to the point where you can confidently say “this is what the Bible teaches” on a particular topic, or do you just base your beliefs on random verses that could well be misunderstood because they are taken out of context? My confidence in going out to share the Gospel with strangers comes largely from my study of “Systematic Theology”, which I’ll define as learning what the whole Bible teaches us about a given topic. I’m confident that I’m not misrepresenting God as revealed in his Word, and I’m confident when people make unbiblical claims about God that challenge my own beliefs. I’m increasingly amazed by the consistency of the Bible, written by so many human authors but without contradiction, that I can only conclude it was written by divine inspiration. I’ve gained so much personally from my systematic study of theology that I’m teaching a 36-week class on it at church, based on Dr. Wayne Grudem’s books “Systematic Theology” and “Bible Theology”. I’m excited to dig deeper personally as I prepare the outlines and lessons, and I want to take as many people along with me on this journey as possible. So I am recording the class and posting the videos to my YouTube channel, and making downloadable PDF chapter outlines and audio recordings available on a Google Drive folder as well. Care to join me? Links to my YouTube channel and shared resources are as follows: Video: YouTube.com/c/JeffReiman Shared Resources folder: https://tinyurl.com/yxy2kb56

Why did God create two sexes? Can men and women be equal and yet have different roles? The doctrine of Man as Male and Female is the subject of lesson 12 of my 34 lessons in systematic theology. Anyone who reads the Bible on a regular basis has begun to develop a “theology” of who God is and what he has revealed of Himself to man down through history. But is it organized to the point where you can confidently say “this is what the Bible teaches” on a particular topic, or do you just base your beliefs on random verses that could well be misunderstood because they are taken out of context? My confidence in going out to share the Gospel with strangers comes largely from my study of “Systematic Theology”, which I’ll define as learning what the whole Bible teaches us about a given topic. I’m confident that I’m not misrepresenting God as revealed in his Word, and I’m confident when people make unbiblical claims about God that challenge my own beliefs. I’m increasingly amazed by the consistency of the Bible, written by so many human authors but without contradiction, that I can only conclude it was written by divine inspiration. I’ve gained so much personally from my systematic study of theology that I’m teaching a 36-week class on it at church, based on Dr. Wayne Grudem’s books “Systematic Theology” and “Bible Theology”. I’m excited to dig deeper personally as I prepare the outlines and lessons, and I want to take as many people along with me on this journey as possible. So I am recording the class and posting the videos to my YouTube channel, and making downloadable PDF chapter outlines and audio recordings available on a Google Drive folder as well. Care to join me? Links to my YouTube channel and shared resources are as follows: Video: YouTube.com/c/JeffReiman​ Shared Resources folder: https://tinyurl.com/yxy2kb56​

Why did God create us? How did God make us like himself? What does Scripture mean by “soul” and “spirit”? The doctrine of the Creation of Man is the subject of lesson 11 of my 34 lessons in systematic theology. Anyone who reads the Bible on a regular basis has begun to develop a “theology” of who God is and what he has revealed of Himself to man down through history. But is it organized to the point where you can confidently say “this is what the Bible teaches” on a particular topic, or do you just base your beliefs on random verses that could well be misunderstood because they are taken out of context? My confidence in going out to share the Gospel with strangers comes largely from my study of “Systematic Theology”, which I’ll define as learning what the whole Bible teaches us about a given topic. I’m confident that I’m not misrepresenting God as revealed in his Word, and I’m confident when people make unbiblical claims about God that challenge my own beliefs. I’m increasingly amazed by the consistency of the Bible, written by so many human authors but without contradiction, that I can only conclude it was written by divine inspiration. I’ve gained so much personally from my systematic study of theology that I’m teaching a 36-week class on it at church, based on Dr. Wayne Grudem’s books “Systematic Theology” and “Bible Theology”. I’m excited to dig deeper personally as I prepare the outlines and lessons, and I want to take as many people along with me on this journey as possible. So I am recording the class and posting the videos to my YouTube channel, and making downloadable PDF chapter outlines and audio recordings available on a Google Drive folder as well. Care to join me? Links to my YouTube channel and shared resources are as follows: Video: YouTube.com/c/JeffReiman​ Shared Resources folder: https://tinyurl.com/yxy2kb56​

The doctrine of Angels, Satan, and Demons is the subject of lesson 10 of my 36 lessons in systematic theology. Anyone who reads the Bible on a regular basis has begun to develop a “theology” of who God is and what he has revealed of Himself to man down through history. But is it organized to the point where you can confidently say “this is what the Bible teaches” on a particular topic, or do you just base your beliefs on random verses that could well be misunderstood because they are taken out of context? My confidence in going out to share the Gospel with strangers comes largely from my study of “Systematic Theology”, which I’ll define as learning what the whole Bible teaches us about a given topic. I’m confident that I’m not misrepresenting God as revealed in his Word, and I’m confident when people make unbiblical claims about God that challenge my own beliefs. I’m increasingly amazed by the consistency of the Bible, written by so many human authors but without contradiction, that I can only conclude it was written by divine inspiration. I’ve gained so much personally from my systematic study of theology that I’m teaching a 36-week class on it at church, based on Dr. Wayne Grudem’s books “Systematic Theology” and “Bible Theology”. I’m excited to dig deeper personally as I prepare the outlines and lessons, and I want to take as many people along with me on this journey as possible. So I am recording the class and posting the videos to my YouTube channel, and making downloadable PDF chapter outlines and audio recordings available on a Google Drive folder as well. Care to join me? Links to my YouTube channel and shared resources are as follows: Video: YouTube.com/c/JeffReiman​ Shared Resources folder: https://tinyurl.com/yxy2kb56

Why does God want us to pray? How can we pray effectively? What are miracles? Can they happen today? A consideration of the subject of both prayer and miracles is closely connected with God’s providence, which was considered in the previous lesson. There we argued that God exercises an extensive, ongoing, sovereign control over all aspects of his creation. This chapter will assume an understanding of that discussion of providence and will build on it in approaching the question of prayer and miracles. Once we understand that God is omnipotent and sovereign over all creation, it seems reasonable to conclude that he also preserves and governs everything in the universe as well. Though the term providence is not found in Scripture, it is used to summarize God’s ongoing relationship to his creation. We can define God’s providence as follows: God is continually involved with all created things in such a way that he (1) keeps them existing and maintaining the properties with which he created them; (2) cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do; and (3) directs them to fulfill his purposes. This is a doctrine on which there has been substantial disagreement among Christians since the early history of the church, particularly with respect to God’s relationship to the willing choices of moral creatures. There are two main positions presented - the “Reformed” or “Calvinist” position, and what is commonly called the “Arminian” position. The doctrine of Providence is the subject of lesson 08 of my 36 lessons in systematic theology. Anyone who reads the Bible on a regular basis has begun to develop a “theology” of who God is and what he has revealed of Himself to man down through history. But is it organized to the point where you can confidently say “this is what the Bible teaches” on a particular topic, or do you just base your beliefs on random verses that could well be misunderstood because they are taken out of context? My confidence in going out to share the Gospel with strangers comes largely from my study of “Systematic Theology”, which I’ll define as learning what the whole Bible teaches us about a given topic. I’m confident that I’m not misrepresenting God as revealed in his Word, and I’m confident when people make unbiblical claims about God that challenge my own beliefs. I’m increasingly amazed by the consistency of the Bible, written by so many human authors but without contradiction, that I can only conclude it was written by divine inspiration. I’ve gained so much personally from my systematic study of theology that I’m teaching a 36-week class on it at church, based on Dr. Wayne Grudem’s books “Systematic Theology” and “Bible Theology”. I’m excited to dig deeper personally as I prepare the outlines and lessons, and I want to take as many people along with me on this journey as possible. So I am recording the class and posting the videos to my YouTube channel, and making downloadable PDF chapter outlines and audio recordings available on a Google Drive folder as well. Care to join me? Links to my YouTube channel and shared resources are as follows: Video: YouTube.com/c/JeffReiman Shared Resources folder: https://tinyurl.com/yxy2kb56

What is the extent of God’s control over creation? If God controls all things, then do we really have free will? How can we be held responsible for our actions and do they have real meaning? Once we understand that God is omnipotent and sovereign over all creation, it seems reasonable to conclude that he also preserves and governs everything in the universe as well. Though the term providence is not found in Scripture, it is used to summarize God’s ongoing relationship to his creation. We can define God’s providence as follows: God is continually involved with all created things in such a way that he (1) keeps them existing and maintaining the properties with which he created them; (2) cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do; and (3) directs them to fulfill his purposes. This is a doctrine on which there has been substantial disagreement among Christians since the early history of the church, particularly with respect to God’s relationship to the willing choices of moral creatures. There are two main positions presented - the “Reformed” or “Calvinist” position, and what is commonly called the “Arminian” position. The doctrine of Providence is the subject of lesson 08 of my 36 lessons in systematic theology. Anyone who reads the Bible on a regular basis has begun to develop a “theology” of who God is and what he has revealed of Himself to man down through history. But is it organized to the point where you can confidently say “this is what the Bible teaches” on a particular topic, or do you just base your beliefs on random verses that could well be misunderstood because they are taken out of context? My confidence in going out to share the Gospel with strangers comes largely from my study of “Systematic Theology”, which I’ll define as learning what the whole Bible teaches us about a given topic. I’m confident that I’m not misrepresenting God as revealed in his Word, and I’m confident when people make unbiblical claims about God that challenge my own beliefs. I’m increasingly amazed by the consistency of the Bible, written by so many human authors but without contradiction, that I can only conclude it was written by divine inspiration. I’ve gained so much personally from my systematic study of theology that I’m teaching a 36-week class on it at church, based on Dr. Wayne Grudem’s books “Systematic Theology” and “Bible Theology”. I’m excited to dig deeper personally as I prepare the outlines and lessons, and I want to take as many people along with me on this journey as possible. So I am recording the class and posting the videos to my YouTube channel, and making downloadable PDF chapter outlines and audio recordings available on a Google Drive folder as well. Care to join me? Links to my YouTube channel and shared resources are as follows: Video: YouTube.com/c/JeffReiman Shared Resources folder: https://tinyurl.com/yxy2kb56

How did God create the world? Did he create every different kind of plant and animal directly, or did he use some kind of evolutionary process, guiding the development of living things from the simplest to the most complex? And how quickly did God bring about creation? Was it all completed within six twenty-four-hour days, or did he use thousands or perhaps millions of years? How old is the earth, and how old is the human race? These questions face us when we deal with the doctrine of creation. Unlike most of the earlier material in this series, this lesson treats several questions on which evangelical Christians have differing viewpoints, sometimes very strongly held ones. This chapter is organized to move from those aspects of creation that are most clearly taught in Scripture, and on which almost all evangelicals would agree (creation out of nothing, special creation of Adam and Eve, and the goodness of the universe), to other aspects of creation about which evangelicals have had disagreements (whether God used a process of evolution to bring about much of creation, and how old the earth and the human race are). This is Lesson 7, based on chapter 7 of Dr. Wayne Grudem’s “Bible Doctrine” – an abridged version of his longer work – “Systematic Theology”. Anyone who reads the Bible on a regular basis has begun to develop a “theology” of who God is and what he has revealed of Himself to man down through history. But is it organized to the point where you can confidently say “this is what the Bible teaches” on a particular topic, or do you just base your beliefs on random verses that could well be misunderstood because they are taken out of context? My confidence in going out to share the Gospel with others comes largely from my study of “Systematic Theology”, which I’ll define as learning what the whole Bible teaches us about a given topic. I’m confident that I’m not misrepresenting God as revealed in his Word, and I’m confident when people make unbiblical claims about God that challenge my own beliefs. I’m increasingly amazed by the consistency of the Bible, written by so many human authors but without contradiction, that I can only conclude it was written by divine inspiration. I’ve gained so much personally from my systematic study of theology that I’m teaching a 34-week class on it at church, based on Dr. Wayne Grudem’s books “Systematic Theology” and “Bible Theology”. I’m excited to dig deeper personally as I prepare the outlines and lessons, and I want to take as many people along with me on this journey as possible. So I am recording the class and posting the videos to my YouTube channel, and making downloadable PDF chapter outlines and audio recordings available on a Google Drive folder as well. Care to join me? Links to my YouTube channel and shared resources are as follows: Video: YouTube.com/c/JeffReiman​ Shared Resources folder: https://tinyurl.com/yxy2kb56

How can God be three persons, yet one God? The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most important doctrines of the Christian faith. To study the Bible’s teachings on the Trinity gives us great insight into the question that is at the center of all of our seeking after God: What is God like in himself? Here we learn that in himself, in his very being, God exists in the persons of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, yet he is one God. This is Lesson 6, based on chapter 6 of Dr. Wayne Grudem’s “Bible Doctrine” – an abridged version of his longer work – “Systematic Theology”. Anyone who reads the Bible on a regular basis has begun to develop a “theology” of who God is and what he has revealed of Himself to man down through history. But is it organized to the point where you can confidently say “this is what the Bible teaches” on a particular topic, or do you just base your beliefs on random verses that could well be misunderstood because they are taken out of context? My confidence in going out to share the Gospel with others comes largely from my study of “Systematic Theology”, which I’ll define as learning what the whole Bible teaches us about a given topic. I’m confident that I’m not misrepresenting God as revealed in his Word, and I’m confident when people make unbiblical claims about God that challenge my own beliefs. I’m increasingly amazed by the consistency of the Bible, written by so many human authors but without contradiction, that I can only conclude it was written by divine inspiration. I’ve gained so much personally from my systematic study of theology that I’m teaching a 34-week class on it at church, based on Dr. Wayne Grudem’s books “Systematic Theology” and “Bible Theology”. I’m excited to dig deeper personally as I prepare the outlines and lessons, and I want to take as many people along with me on this journey as possible. So I am recording the class and posting the videos to my YouTube channel, and making downloadable PDF chapter outlines and audio recordings available on a Google Drive folder as well. Care to join me? Links to my YouTube channel and shared resources are as follows: Video: YouTube.com/c/JeffReiman Shared Resources folder: https://tinyurl.com/yxy2kb56

How is God like us? In this lesson we consider the attributes of God that are “communicable,” or more shared with us than those mentioned in the previous lesson. The list of attributes here put in the category “communicable” is a common one, but understanding the definition of each attribute is more important than being able to categorize the attributes in exactly the way presented in this book. This is Lesson 5, based on chapter 5 of Dr. Wayne Grudem’s “Bible Doctrine” – an abridged version of his longer work – “Systematic Theology”. Anyone who reads the Bible on a regular basis has begun to develop a “theology” of who God is and what he has revealed of Himself to man down through history. But is it organized to the point where you can confidently say “this is what the Bible teaches” on a particular topic, or do you just base your beliefs on random verses that could well be misunderstood because they are taken out of context? My confidence in going out to share the Gospel with others comes largely from my study of “Systematic Theology”, which I’ll define as learning what the whole Bible teaches us about a given topic. I’m confident that I’m not misrepresenting God as revealed in his Word, and I’m confident when people make unbiblical claims about God that challenge my own beliefs. I’m increasingly amazed by the consistency of the Bible, written by so many human authors but without contradiction, that I can only conclude it was written by divine inspiration. I’ve gained so much personally from my systematic study of theology that I’m teaching a 34-week class on it at church, based on Dr. Wayne Grudem’s books “Systematic Theology” and “Bible Theology”. I’m excited to dig deeper personally as I prepare the outlines and lessons, and I want to take as many people along with me on this journey as possible. So I am recording the class and posting the videos to my YouTube channel, and making downloadable PDF chapter outlines and audio recordings available on a Google Drive folder as well. Care to join me? Links to my YouTube channel and shared resources are as follows: Video: YouTube.com/c/JeffReiman Shared Resources folder: https://tinyurl.com/yxy2kb56

Can only Bible scholars understand the Bible rightly? For what purposes is the Bible necessary? Is the Bible enough for knowing what God wants us to think or do? Since we affirmed in the introduction that systematic theology attempts to summarize the teaching of the whole Bible on various subjects, we are now explaining why we would focus exclusively on the Bible as God’s word. We turn from a discussion of the authority of Scripture in Lesson 02, to discuss here in Lesson 03 (1) the clarity of Scripture, (2) the necessity of Scripture, and (3) the sufficiency of Scripture. With regard to the first characteristic, most Christians would agree that the Bible is our authority in some sense. But in exactly what sense does the Bible claim to be our authority? And how do we become persuaded that the claims of Scripture to be God’s Word are true? These are the questions addressed in this chapter. This is Lesson 3, based on chapter 3 of Dr. Wayne Grudem’s “Bible Doctrine” – an abridged version of his longer work – “Systematic Theology”. There are recordings of Grudem teaching from his longer book available online, and as we would expect with someone of his expertise, his teaching is very extensive, even more so as he answers questions from his class. On the other hand, my purpose here is to offer a very concise version of his abridged book, focusing on the major topics he covers and especially highlighting the passages from the Bible that relate to each topic. Anyone who reads the Bible on a regular basis has begun to develop a “theology” of who God is and what he has revealed of Himself to man down through history. But is it organized to the point where you can confidently say “this is what the Bible teaches” on a particular topic, or do you just base your beliefs on random verses that could well be misunderstood because they are taken out of context? My confidence in going out to share the Gospel with strangers comes largely from my study of “Systematic Theology”, which I’ll define as learning what the whole Bible teaches us about a given topic. I’m confident that I’m not misrepresenting God as revealed in his Word, and I’m confident when people make unbiblical claims about God that challenge my own beliefs. I’m increasingly amazed by the consistency of the Bible, written by so many human authors but without contradiction, that I can only conclude it was written by divine inspiration. I’ve gained so much personally from my systematic study of theology that I’m teaching a 34-week class on it at church, based on Dr. Wayne Grudem’s books “Systematic Theology” and “Bible Theology”. I’m excited to dig deeper personally as I prepare the outlines and lessons, and I want to take as many people along with me on this journey as possible. So I am recording the class and posting the videos to my YouTube channel, and making downloadable PDF chapter outlines and audio recordings available on a Google Drive folder as well. Care to join me? Links to my YouTube channel and shared resources are as follows: Video: YouTube.com/c/JeffReiman Shared Resources folder: https://tinyurl.com/yxy2kb56

What is the Gospel message? How does it become effective in the lives of those who hear it? How important is it in light of the biblical teaching of election and predestination from our previous lesson? In Romans 8:30, Paul indicates a definite there is a definite order in God’s saving purpose: “Those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified” According to this passage, all who are “predestined to believe” also receive God’s call, and all who are thus called are also justified. Has that been your experience? How does that fit in with the apparent rejection of the Gospel call by so many who hear it? The Doctrine of the Gospel Call is the subject of lesson 19 of my 34 lessons in systematic theology. Anyone who reads the Bible on a regular basis has begun to develop a “theology” of who God is and what he has revealed of Himself to man down through history. But is it organized to the point where you can confidently say “this is what the Bible teaches” on a particular topic, or do you just base your beliefs on random verses that could well be misunderstood because they are taken out of context? My confidence in going out to share the Gospel with strangers comes largely from my study of “Systematic Theology”, which I’ll define as learning what the whole Bible teaches us about a given topic. I’m confident that I’m not misrepresenting God as revealed in his Word, and I’m confident when people make unbiblical claims about God that challenge my own beliefs. I’m increasingly amazed by the consistency of the Bible, written by so many human authors but without contradiction, that I can only conclude it was written by divine inspiration. I’ve gained so much personally from my systematic study of theology that I’m teaching a 34-week class on it at church, based on Dr. Wayne Grudem’s books “Systematic Theology” and “Bible Theology”. I’m excited to dig deeper personally as I prepare the outlines and lessons, and I want to take as many people along with me on this journey as possible. So I am recording the class and posting the videos to my YouTube channel, and making downloadable PDF chapter outlines and audio recordings available on a Google Drive folder as well. Care to join me? Links to my YouTube channel and shared resources are as follows: Video: YouTube.com/c/JeffReiman Shared Resources folder: https://tinyurl.com/yxy2kb56

What is sin? Where did it come from? Do we inherit a sinful nature from Adam? The Doctrine of Sin is the subject of lesson 13 of my 34 lessons in systematic theology. Anyone who reads the Bible on a regular basis has begun to develop a “theology” of who God is and what he has revealed of Himself to man down through history. But is it organized to the point where you can confidently say “this is what the Bible teaches” on a particular topic, or do you just base your beliefs on random verses that could well be misunderstood because they are taken out of context? My confidence in going out to share the Gospel with strangers comes largely from my study of “Systematic Theology”, which I’ll define as learning what the whole Bible teaches us about a given topic. I’m confident that I’m not misrepresenting God as revealed in his Word, and I’m confident when people make unbiblical claims about God that challenge my own beliefs. I’m increasingly amazed by the consistency of the Bible, written by so many human authors but without contradiction, that I can only conclude it was written by divine inspiration. I’ve gained so much personally from my systematic study of theology that I’m teaching a 36-week class on it at church, based on Dr. Wayne Grudem’s books “Systematic Theology” and “Bible Theology”. I’m excited to dig deeper personally as I prepare the outlines and lessons, and I want to take as many people along with me on this journey as possible. So I am recording the class and posting the videos to my YouTube channel, and making downloadable PDF chapter outlines and audio recordings available on a Google Drive folder as well. Care to join me? Links to my YouTube channel and shared resources are as follows: Video: YouTube.com/c/JeffReiman Shared Resources folder: https://tinyurl.com/yxy2kb56

How do we know that the Bible is God’s Word? Are there any errors in the Bible? Since we affirmed in lesson 1 that systematic theology attempts to summarize the teaching of the whole Bible on various subjects, we next turn to questions concerning the nature of the Bible from which we draw our data for the discipline of systematic theology. What does the whole Bible teach us about itself? The major teachings of the Bible about itself can be classified into four characteristics: (1) the authority of Scripture, (2) the clarity of Scripture, (3) the necessity of Scripture, and (4) the sufficiency of Scripture. With regard to the first characteristic, most Christians would agree that the Bible is our authority in some sense. But in exactly what sense does the Bible claim to be our authority? And how do we become persuaded that the claims of Scripture to be God’s Word are true? These are the questions addressed in this chapter. This is Lesson 2, based on chapter 2 of Dr. Wayne Grudem’s “Bible Doctrine” – an abridged version of his longer work – “Systematic Theology”. There are recordings of Grudem teaching from his longer book available online, and as we would expect with someone of his expertise, his teaching is very extensive, even more so as he answers questions from his class. On the other hand, my purpose here is to offer a very concise version of his abridged book, focusing on the major topics he covers and especially highlighting the passages from the Bible that relate to each topic. Anyone who reads the Bible on a regular basis has begun to develop a “theology” of who God is and what he has revealed of Himself to man down through history. But is it organized to the point where you can confidently say “this is what the Bible teaches” on a particular topic, or do you just base your beliefs on random verses that could well be misunderstood because they are taken out of context? My confidence in going out to share the Gospel with strangers comes largely from my study of “Systematic Theology”, which I’ll define as learning what the whole Bible teaches us about a given topic. I’m confident that I’m not misrepresenting God as revealed in his Word, and I’m confident when people make unbiblical claims about God that challenge my own beliefs. I’m increasingly amazed by the consistency of the Bible, written by so many human authors but without contradiction, that I can only conclude it was written by divine inspiration. I’ve gained so much personally from my systematic study of theology that I’m teaching a 34-week class on it at church, based on Dr. Wayne Grudem’s books “Systematic Theology” and “Bible Theology”. I’m excited to dig deeper personally as I prepare the outlines and lessons, and I want to take as many people along with me on this journey as possible. So I am recording the class and posting the videos to my YouTube channel, and making downloadable PDF chapter outlines and audio recordings available on a Google Drive folder as well. Care to join me? Links to my YouTube channel and shared resources are as follows: Video: YouTube.com/c/JeffReiman Shared Resources folder: https://tinyurl.com/yxy2kb56

How many times have you heard someone say “The Bible says…” ? The Bible is a pretty big collection of books. Are you sure what they said was accurate within the context of the whole Bible, or did they just “cherry pick” a verse to make a point? How can you defend yourself against false teaching? "Systematic Theology" is simply an organized way to study what the Bible says in its entirety about given topics. I have put together a series of lessons based on the chapters of Dr. Wayne Grudem's book "Bible Doctrine", which is an annotated version of his more scholarly classic "Systematic Theology". My purpose has been to provide a concise audio/visual outline of each chapter, for those with limited time or diverse learners who may struggle with simply reading it on their own. Dr. Grudem does the same in a lecture series, but given his wealth of knowledge it is not exactly "concise"! Care to join me? The entire series is available as a playlist on my YouTube channel at YouTube. com/c/JeffReiman and my outline worksheets and audio files folder are available at https://tinyurl.com/yxy2kb56

How can we be more disciplined in our faith without being legalistic? Most of us are probably aware of others who profess to be Christians that seem to be much more strict than ourselves when it comes to how we live out our faith. We might be tempted to see them much as Christ described the Pharisees, the ultra-strict religious leaders who looked down on Jesus as an untrained upstart. In regard to these Pharisees, Jesus said... "So obey everything they teach you, but don't do as they do. After all, they say one thing and do something else. They pile heavy burdens on people's shoulders and won't lift a finger to help. Everything they do is just to show off in front of others. They even make a big show of wearing Scripture verses on their foreheads and arms, and they wear big tassels for everyone to see. They love the best seats at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues. And when they are in the market, they like to have people greet them as their teachers..." These ultra-strict Pharisees used their man-made legalistic rules to set themselves apart from others, even though they didn't follow all the rules themselves. I've met many modern "Pharisees" who do the same thing, but Peter, a Benedictine monk, was by no means one of them. I met Peter and another monk from the same monastery out for a walk "out of habit" - that is, not wearing the usual flowing garments that set monks apart from the laity. Our conversation had to be short so that they wouldn't be late for "vespers" - one of eight different times set aside each day for prayer, meditation, chanting, or quiet reading. Peter is the "Prior" or head of a community of monks, all of whom have taken solemn vows according to ancient monastic traditions. I asked Peter about these vows, and he described them well as being compared to the kind of discipline a soldier undertakes for the purpose of his mission. These disciplines shouldn't be seen as a requirement for righteous living - much like the Pharisees' many rules - but more like a path one chooses to take in order to accomplish a goal. These vows are not legalism but voluntary steps one commits to follow for purposeful living - and oh how all more believers would benefit from having similar disciplines in our lives, as long as we see them as a privilege and not an obligation. I think this sort of voluntary self-discipline is what Paul was describing in 1 Cor. 9: "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize... I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." Peter came across to me as a gentle soul formed by years of self-discipline, and humble enough to know he still has much to learn on his faith journey. He is no legalistic Pharisee, but a disciplined soldier in Christ. We all would do well to commit ourselves to disciplines like regular prayer, Bible reading, meditation, fasting, and exercise like Friar Peter. But in my experience in understanding the impressions of outsiders toward such disciplined Christians, we also need to be sure they understand the good news of the Gospel is grace, not legalism.

How does your view of God affect how you relate to Him? I don't usually interrupt parents spending time with their children when I'm out initiating gospel conversations. But the young father on the park bench seemed to have some extra time while his toddler was sleeping, so I thought I'd make an exception. As it turned out, as soon as Isabel, his young daughter, woke up and realized she had an captive audience during our conversation, she really turned on the energy and the charm. John seemed like a great father during our conversation, in my opinion. He wasn't overly protective, but he wasn't negligent either. He let his daughter explore her world, test the boundaries, and reeled her in or chased after her when needed. With little Isabel's antics as part of our conversation, it was interesting to me that much of our conversation revolved around God as our Heavenly Father, the negligence of John's earthly father, and John's resolve not to follow in his father's footsteps with his own children. However, John's first statements about God showed that he viewed God as less of the "Heavenly Father" Jesus teaches us to relate to God as, and more of an impersonal force like karma. "Heavenly Father", or impersonal "karma" ? Is it really that important that we make the distinction? It is an important distinction. If we compared parenting styles, I think if "karma" had been sitting on that park bench, then little Isabelle would have been on a rigid leash tied to the bench, more like a puppy than a child. That leash would be inflexible, lifeless, and unforgiving. She wouldn't benefit from the loving discipline and life lessons that only a loving parent can give. But the Bible presents God as our heavenly Father for many reasons, and one is that we can begin to recognize and appreciate His presence and involvement in our daily lives. For example, we wouldn't expect to pray to an impersonal force like "karma", but prayer is to be part of the life of God's children. Despite his absolute sovereignty over all aspects of creation, we are invited and commanded into the personal dialog with our Creator that prayer is. Sending our "thoughts" or "good vibes" is a cheap substitute for the ongoing fellowship we can have with our Heavenly Father. And we should expect fatherly discipline from God. Hebrews 12 tells us to "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?" I think one reason we fail to recognize the Father's love is that His love must be tough, with an emphasis on preparing us for eternity rather than the fluffiness of our ideas of "love" in the here and now. It's not all about you or I. Our western culture may emphasize the imortance of the individual, but so much of the emphasis of the New Testament is about our relationships with the family of believers, both universally and local. Some of the most visible evidence of the Kingdom of God that outsiders have can and should be seen in the way the children of God relate to one another. I learned a lot about John in the way he related to his daughter, and from what I could tell, he is learning to overcome the poor legacy his father left him. But no matter what our childhood experience is of our earthly parents, God can be "a father to the fatherless"; "an ever-present help in time of trouble". And just in case we feel He is nowhere to be found, maybe we just need to turn around and discover He was right there all along like the prodigal son found when he returned home: "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate."

When it comes to moral laws, would you rather be held to the letter of the law, or the spirit of the law? Two young men named Brandon and Dakota, who recently moved to Chicago to further their modeling and acting careers, came from very different backgrounds, one deeply religious and one almost exclusively secular. But they nonetheless came to very similar conclusions about morality. They both favored a "spirit" approach to moral laws. Brandon had read entirely through the Bible for a class at the Bible college he had attended, and Dakota had only heard about the Bible through the opinions of others, but both seemed only aware of the positive aspects of Jesus message. Regardless of background, a common conclusion people reach about the Bible is that the Old Testament is harsh and strict to the letter of the law, while the New Testament is all about peace and love, such as when Jesus gave his "golden rule"‘ to "Love your neighbor as yourself.’ They forget Jesus' first commandment to love God with all our being, and that "If you love me you will keep my commandments". These commands to love may sound easy enough - who couldn't remember this quick summary as opposed to a more detailed "letter of the law" approach such as the Ten Commandments - but is loving God and loving others really that easy to do? Maybe we think it's easy to follow the spirit of the law and to love God and neighbor because we think we can set our own standards for just what that looks like. Many people seem to think that living by the spirit of the law means we get to decide the details - where, when, who, and how we will express our love. But Jesus didn't say the rest of God's moral law was null and void. Rather, he said "All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." In other words, they all fall within these two main categories. The Ten Commandments, for example, can be divided into the first four, which deal mainly with our relation with God, and the last six, which have more to do with our relations with other people, our neighbors. Or maybe it seems easier to follow the spirit of the law because we'd rather focus on our inner feelings rather than our outward behaviors. But wouldn't real love include both our inner feelings and motivations as well as how it is expressed in our outward behavior? I told Brandon and Dakota that I needed to throw a wrench into their concept of what it means to simply love others, because it's just not that simple. Sometimes loving others means telling them things they don't want to hear, or acting in ways that might make them think we are their worst enemy. Jesus often preached a harsh message that was hard for people to accept, so hard in fact that it contributed to his crucifixion. For example, in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught about murder, saying it's not just our actions, but our thoughts and words for which we are held accountable: ‘‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment..And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell." So the Old Testament says "Do not murder", but in the New Testament Jesus says it goes beyond our physical actions to our words and the attitude of our heart! So which is harder to follow? But Jesus also said "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light". Compared to the strict law and prophets, Christians generally don't doubt that it is easier to follow God in the New Testament rather than in the Old. But how could this be possible? Maybe instead of thinking we are "following the spirit" as New Testament Christians, we need to think of ourselves as following the "Spirit" - as in the Holy Spirit, the Helper, whom Jesus said would come after him. He said "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you." In contrast to the Old Testament and its emphasis on the letter of the law, the New Testament focuses on the Spirit of the law and an inward change that only God can accomplish in us. Contrary to popular opinion, we are not free to pick and choose the parameters of of our love for our neighbors. We need more than to read the Bible once or twice in our lives, we need to feed on it daily, meditating on his word prayerfully and depending on the Holy Spirit to guide us. I'm guessing I haven't changed any minds as most readers chose to follow the "spirit of the law" to begin with. But hopefully we can realize just how impossible this would be without the help of the Holy Spirit, and put our faith not just in Jesus to save us, but in His Spirit to help us.

Do you really want unconditional love? Early in our sidewalk conversation, a young man named Julian told me he left the Jehovah Witness congregation that he grew up in because he is gay. He didn't feel truly accepted there, and I know he would probably have felt the same in most Christian churches as well. I didn't dwell on his sexual attraction in our conversation, but later on talked quite a bit about what it means to be loved "unconditionally". Many people say they want to be accepted unconditionally at church, but do they really? Do we want to be loved because of who we are, or in spite of who we are? Conditional love means there are conditions attached - "I love you because you are friendly", or "I love you because you do x or y". In effect, conditional love must celebrate something about you. Unconditional love, on the other hand, means love without conditions attached. This means we are loved despite our shortcomings, and it also means the things we want to be noticed or appreciated about ourselves are not factored in. So, given those observations, do you want to be loved conditionally or unconditionally? Our Judeo-Christian heritage teaches us to love - or at least respect and give dignity to - others unconditionally simply because we are all made in God's image. We honor our Creator by honoring our fellow image-bearers. The Bible also tells us we are to love and care for our family members simply because they are, well, family. We are to love them, even if we may not especially like them, because it is part of our responsibility to God. In the same way, we are to love and honor our spiritual family - our church family - even if we don't particularly like them or feel much in common with them. A healthy church family has fellowship between people of many different ages, economic groups, and cultures despite our differences. This, too, honors the Heavenly Father we share in common. But we need to be honest and acknowledge that for us as Christians, unconditional love is an ideal, not the reality. We have many mixed motives, and we are often confused as to how to express that love, especially when we see people choosing less than God's best. Much of our conditional love is usually somehow based on self-interest, but our unconditional love for others is ultimately based on what honors God. As Christians, we should know that God has chosen to love us in spite of our sins, not because He finds us so adorably lovable and simply can't help Himself. When we love others in the same way, we can celebrate what honors God in others, not what just makes them happy or unique. God chooses to love us just as we are, but He also loves us too much to allow us to stay this way. His unconditional love can be a very tough love, concerned not so much about how we feel right now but what is best for our long-term benefit. This sort of unconditional love in turn may teach us to tolerate less than God's best in others, but please don't ask us to celebrate it. Many people say they want unconditional love, but I believe this is actually what offends people most about the Gospel. The conditional love the world offers can make us feel good about ourselves as long we associate with like-minded people who support our choices and as we support theirs. It's at the core of the group-think that deceives so many. But in the Kingdom of Heaven, God offers to adopt us into the family of believers, where we can experience a tough, but unconditional love despite the consequences for our sin that we truly deserve.

Do you truly want God to know your heart? I hear the phrase "God knows my heart" often during my gospel outreach conversations, such as with a young man named Eric. It usually comes after a person has agreed that they are sinful - or at least "not perfect" - and as a way of saying that they are still a good person with good intentions, even though they "make mistakes" once in a while. So do good intentions make us good people in God's eyes? Or is it true that, as the saying goes, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions"? Don't we want God to know our heart at least enough to know our good intentions? Aren't our intentions good for something in God's eyes? That "road to hell" quote is actually not found in the Bible. But Jesus did speak of a "wide road that leads to destruction" with many people on it. I have to believe that if all those people knew where the road was headed, they would do something to get on a different road. They apparently believe they are on the right road, and I'm guessing it has a lot to do with their intentions. Jesus also spoke about people who intend to follow him but don't (“No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God”); a man who came to Him with a good question about eternal life but decided the price was too high (when the Lord answered, “Sell all your possessions and give to the poor and then come follow me,” the man went away sad.); a person who hears about the kingdom and starts to respond with joy but no follow-through (But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.); and a man who makes a promise but fails to keep it (He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.) So follow-through on our initial good intentions with faithful obedience is obviously important to Jesus, but still, shouldn't our good intentions count for something? Three thoughts: 1.) What makes our intentions "good"? Are they good based on God's standards, or our own? Are they godly intentions that form as a result of the prayerful and consistent reading of God's word, or are they just a knee-jerk reaction to worldly influences? 2.) How do we go about following through with our good intentions? Are we trying to muster up the strength and persistence within ourselves, as if we are doing God a favor somehow? Or are we responding relationally, asking God for the strength we need as He works in and through us to accomplish the desires of our heart that He himself has given us? 3.) Though we may have some good intentions, we also have bad ones. If you really want God to "know your heart" you must be prepared for God to know all of them, the good, bad, and the ugly. And we can't hide from God the bad or mixed motives behind our intentions that may look good on the outside to the world. For example, Jesus saw through the religiosity of the Pharisees when He told them "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight." "God knows your hearts." It's not a choice we can make. He knows more about our intentions than we do. He knows that our godly intentions can be thwarted by our sin, and also knows that our sin often results in bad intentions. Just as our good works can't save us from the consequences of our sin, neither can our "good intentions". That's something only Jesus can do.

Can we believe in miracles without believing in science? Well that’s a weird question. Usually we ask whether one can believe in both miracles and science at the same time, right? It’s either one or the other we think, but the Bible actually requires us to believe in both. I started thinking about this after a parking lot outreach conversation with Haley and Nick, who like so many people don’t think science and religion can be compatible. But I would assert that not only are they compatible, they can’t exist without each other. How do I figure? Well, in the Bible, most every time there is a miracle described that defies a scientific explanation, people respond with surprise and wonder. Why? Because people have always observed that there is order in our universe. What makes a miracle so surprising is that the usual pattern or order of things is broken. If there were no order, there would be no miracles. If there were no order, there could also be no science, because science is simply an observation of what normally happens. We can have scientific laws and make predictions simply because there are patterns in nature. Nick stated that he believes “in the Big Bang and all that”. But there is one thing we know that results from explosions. Chaos. Disorder. The opposite of what we find in the natural world. There are firmly established laws of nature that reveal a Lawgiver, and there is order that reveals an Orderer. The world may create a false dichotomy that tries to make us believe that we must choose between science and miracles, between order and chaos. But the opening chapters of the Bible establish both. The world began with chaos, being “formless and empty”. But then God began a process of creation that brought order as He brought divisions and boundaries between darkness and light, water and clouds, land and sea, animals and plants, male and female. And God called man to help keep that order as Adam was to work and care for the garden. But Adam rebelled against that order as he rejected the distinction between the fruits that God allowed and that which was forbidden, bringing a certain amount of chaos back into God’s ordered universe. Both miracles and science depend on God’s ordered universe. And both are found in the opening chapters of the Bible.