The Confident Faith Podcast

In this episode of the Confident Faith Podcast we're looking at the question, 'Why are the genealogies of Jesus in the gospel of Matthew and the gospel of Luke different?Understanding these differences is vital for appreciating the theological and historical significance of Jesus' lineage as portrayed by the Gospel writers. This article explores the reasons behind the discrepancies in these genealogies, examining their theological intentions, historical contexts, and the implications for understanding the identity of Jesus.

In this episode of the Confident Faith Podcast we're looking at the question, 'Where did Jesus go between His death and resurrection?' This question is one that has intrigued theologians, scholars, and Christians for centuries. This period, often referred to as the "descent into hell" or the "harrowing of hell," raises significant theological implications and is grounded in various passages from Scripture. To understand this event, we need to explore both the Old and New Testaments, analyse key biblical texts, and consider the historical creeds of the Christian faith.

In this episode of the Confident Faith podcast we're looking at the question, 'if Jesus was divine, why was he called the 'son of man'? The title "Son of Man" is one of the most frequently used self-designations by Jesus in the New Testament, appearing over 80 times in the Gospels. Despite Jesus' divinity, as affirmed by Christian theology and scripture, He consistently referred to Himself as the "Son of Man." This title, though seemingly paradoxical when ascribed to a divine figure, holds profound theological significance and serves as a key to understanding the dual nature of Christ—both fully divine and fully human.

In this episode of the Confident Faith Podcast we're looking at the question, 'What is the Trinity?' The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most central and perplexing teachings in Christian theology. It is a doctrine that asserts that God is one in essence but exists in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit This concept, while not explicitly named in the Bible, is derived from various passages that, when taken together, reveal this profound mystery of God’s nature. Understanding the Trinity is crucial for comprehending the Christian faith, as it touches on the very identity of God and His work in creation, salvation, and sanctification.

In this episode of the Confident Faith Podcast, we're looking at the question, 'If God is so good, why are Christians so bad?' The question of why Christians can sometimes behave badly, even while professing belief in a good and loving God, is a challenging and thought-provoking one. It strikes at the heart of the Christian faith and the nature of human behaviour. How can those who claim to follow a God of love, mercy, and righteousness sometimes act in ways that are unloving, unmerciful, and unrighteous? In this episode we'll explore this question by examining the nature of God, the nature of humanity, and the transformative process that Christians undergo according to the Bible.

Many skeptics and critics of Christianity allege that God is anti-women; that he is guilty of sexism, which means that God is prejudicial and discriminatory towards women based on their sex. They contend that this supposed loving, righteous, and just God of the Bible is actually nothing more than a man-favouring chauvinist and a woman-hating misogynist. As Christians - who believe God created and loves men and women equally - how best do we respond to these difficult objections?

In this episode of the Confident Faith podcast, we're looking at the question, 'What is God really like?' There will always be an element of mystery when it comes to understanding what God is really like. This is because God is infinite and we are not. We are finite, and we could never, with our limited understanding, fully comprehend the totality of God's nature. But this certainly does not mean we can't or don't know anything about God. We do in fact know a great deal about Him. This is because God is revelatory - He has revealed himself to us in many ways. For example, God has revealed his existence and nature to us through creation, conscience, scripture, and our saviour, Jesus Christ.

On this episode of the Confident Faith podcast we're looking at the problem of 'divine hiddenness' and the question 'why does God seem so hidden from us?' Many skeptics, and even Christians, struggle with this question. They ask, ‘if God exists, and if He is all-loving and all-powerful, and if He desires everyone to come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved, why does He seem hidden from us? Why is God’s existence not undeniably obvious to all? Atheists often point to this problem of divine hiddenness in support of their claim that there is no relevant evidence for God’s existence. In their minds therefore, any belief in God is unreasonable and illogical. Christians on the other hand, believe that God has revealed Himself in many ways sufficient for belief, but often still long to know why He has not revealed Himself more. So, does God exist? Is He absent? Is God hiding from us? Should He be doing more to make himself known to us so that a greater number of people will believe and be saved? To answer these questions there are a number of considerations which need to be taken into account.

In this episode of the Confident Faith podcast, we're looking at the question, 'why are there so many interpretations of the Bible?' Many skeptics contend that, given there are so many different and conflicting interpretations of the Bible, it is clear that no consensus has been reached, or perhaps can be reached, in regards to what the message of the Bible is. How then can Christians seriously expect unbelievers to hold that the Bible is true, that God exists, and to live according to the instruction of Scripture?

In this episode of the Confident Faith podcast we're looking at the question, 'is the New Testament true?' When examining the reliability of the New Testament there are two overarching questions that must be answered: (1) Have the original writings been accurately copied and passed down to us through history? In other words, is the New Testament we read today the same as the original documents written approx. 2,000 years ago? (2) Did the events recorded in the original writings actually occur? Were the apostles telling the truth, or were they lying, or perhaps innocently mistaken, about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus? This episode is dedicated to answering the second of these two overarching questions. An effective way to do this is to examine a cumulative case for the truth of the New Testament which consists of five lines of evidence - all starting with the letter ‘e’.

In this episode of the Confident Faith Podcast, we're looking at the question, 'what does it mean that the Bible is inspired?' There are many things in this world that are said to be ‘inspired’ or that people find inspiring. There are inspirational artworks, poems, songs, movies, documentaries, speeches, performances, etc. Is this what we mean when we say the Bible is inspired? Is the Bible just another book in this world that many find inspiring? While it’s true that the Bible is inspirational and has the power to inspire us, when we say the Bible is ‘inspired’ we mean something more.

In this episode of the Confident Faith Podcast we're looking at the question 'Isn't the Bible full of errors and contradictions?' Many skeptics of Christianity allege that there are thousands of errors and contradictions in the Bible. Critics point to these supposed mistakes as proof that the Bible is not the inerrant Word of God and that Christianity is demonstrably false. This assumption that the Bible disagrees with itself in many ways and places has become extremely popular across our society today. But is it true?

In this episode of the Confident Faith podcast we're looking at the question, 'how did we get the Bible?' The Bible is one large book comprised of 66 separate historical writings. The Bible is the most widely circulated book in history. It has been translated into more than 2400 languages, and the number of copies sold reaches into the billions. But where does this extraordinary book come from?

In this episode of the Confident Faith podcast we address the question, what about those who never hear about Jesus? Many skeptics of Christianity ask; what happens to the individuals who live their entire lives and never hear about Jesus or get presented with the gospel?. It appears that they don’t have a chance to be saved! What is their eternal fate? Would it not be deeply unjust for God to send those who have never heard about Jesus to hell for all eternity for not believing in Jesus? As Christians how should we respond to this troubling objection?

In this episode of the Confident Faith Podcast we're looking at the question, why did Jesus have to die?  Many critics of Christianity, when they hear about the brutal crucifixion of Jesus on the cross, question why His death was necessary? Why Did Jesus have to die the way He did? Why did Jesus have to come and die at all? If God is all-loving why couldn’t He simply forgive us? Why did He send His son to suffer a gruesome death on a cross? Critics often accuse God of divine child-abuse, or paint Him as a petty, easily-offended, tyrant who demanded a disproportionate punishment for human sin. As Christians how should we respond to these questions and accusations?

In this episode of the Confident Faith Podcast we're looking at the question, "How can Jesus be both God and man?" Today, a lot of confusion, and a number of misunderstandings abound regarding what’s known as ‘the incarnation of Jesus Christ’. The incarnation is a central doctrine of Christianity. It involves God becoming flesh, and how God assumed a human nature and became a man in the form of Jesus Christ. Skeptics often ask how Jesus can be both God and man? This is a very old question. One which has troubled many people throughout history. So, how are we to think about and understand Jesus Christ’s humanity and divinity, and the relationship between the two?

In this episode of the Confident Faith Podcast we're looking at the question, "Was Jesus a liar, lunatic, or the Lord?" It’s a historical fact that Jesus of Nazareth claimed to be God. The question now becomes how do we respond to this historical figure named Jesus and His claims of being God incarnate and the saviour of the world? His claims were either true or false, and so we arrive at the trilemma popularised by English writer, C.S. Lewis. In regards to the identity of Jesus, there are 3 possible options. He was either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord.

In this episode of the Confident Faith podcast we're looking at the question, 'was Jesus actually born of a virgin?' Many skeptics of Christianity deny the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. They view the entire account as a bunch of primitive, naive, fanciful, unscientific nonsense. Is this a fair and reasonable position? Is there any evidence in support of the claims of the Bible? Or are Christians truly mistaken about the supposed virgin birth of Jesus?

In this episode of the Confident Faith Podcast we're looking at the question, why does God allow evil and suffering? No one can deny that the world is full of horrific suffering and unspeakable evil. The pages of history are filled with records of war, genocide, murder, sickness, disease and natural disasters. Many skeptics contend that the reality of evil and suffering is evidence that the existence of God is impossible, or at least highly unlikely; because if God does exist and he is all-powerful and all-loving, why doesn’t he intervene and stop heinous acts of evil and times of suffering? 

In this episode of the Confident Faith Podcast we examine the question, how could a loving God send good people to Hell? Many skeptics contend that it seems unjust and immoral for a supposedly loving God to send good people to a fiery place of damnation to be tortured for all eternity, simply for not believing in Jesus. In this episode we look at what is meant be the word 'hell'; we address the contention that God 'sends' people to hell; and we examine the assumption that there are 'good' people. 

in this episode of the Confident Faith Podcast we're looking at the question, "If God made the universe, who made God?" Many skeptics contend that if God does exist, and everything has a cause, who then made God? Is this a fair and reasonable objection to belief in God? Are there any good responses? 

In this episode of the Confident Faith Podcast we look at the moral argument for the existence of God. Many skeptics contend that there is simply no evidence or good reasons for believing in God. However, the truth is throughout history many sound and compelling philosophical arguments for the existence of God have been made. One particular example is known as the moral argument. For centuries, philosophers and theologians have recognised the connection between the reality of objective moral values and the existence of God. 

In this episode of the Confident Faith Podcast we examine the first-cause argument for the existence of God. Many skeptics contend that there is simply no evidence or good reasons for believing in God. However, the truth is that throughout history a myriad of sound and compelling philosophical arguments for the existence of God have been made. One set in particular are known as cosmological arguments. They start with the existence of the universe and reasons to the existence of God as the best explanation of the universe.

In this episode of the Confident Faith Podcast we look at the question, why are there so many Bible translations? Many skeptics ask that given the myriad of Bible translations we have today, how can we be confident of what the original said or what the original meaning was? In this episode we take a closer look at the trustworthiness of the various English translations of the Bible.

In this episode of the Confident Faith Podcast we look at the question, were some books left out of the Bible? The Bible we read today is one large book, comprised of 66 separate historical writings that are held by Christians as God’s Word: penned by man but inspired by the Holy Spirit. However, many more ancient writings than just these 66 books were considered in the process of compiling the Bible. This raises a number of important questions; who determined the selection, and why did some books make the cut and others didn’t? What prompted the need for such a choice? What factors were considered? And should some of the excluded writings have been included?

In this episode of the Confident Faith Podcast we look at the question, how do you explain the contradictions in the resurrection story? Many skeptics contend that the resurrection story of Jesus, recorded in the four gospels, contains a myriad of contradictions. For example, were there 2 angels at the tomb of Jesus or just 1? Did both men crucified alongside Jesus mock him or did one defend and support Jesus? Critics point to differences and variations such as these as proof that the gospels are false and unreliable. So, how do we explain the alleged contradictions in the resurrection story?

The New Testament is comprised of 27 documents written by Jesus’s apostles and earliest followers approximately 2,000 years ago. Their original writings, called autographs, no longer exist. Today we read copies of copies translated from Greek to English and other modern languages. For approx. 1,500 years until the invention of the printing press all of these copies were made by hand. Now we know that humans aren’t machines and that no human is perfect, surely throughout the centuries the copyists made many mistakes. How then can we be confident that the New Testament we read today is the same as the original written 2,000 years ago?

In this episode of the Confident Faith Podcast we address the question, is the Old Testament historically reliable? The 39 books that make up the Old Testament were written approximately 3,400 to 2,400 years ago. Preserving ancient historical writings and the accuracy of the information they contain is extremely difficult, especially without mechanical aids like printing presses or computers. So, how can we be confident that the Old Testament we read today is a reliable and trustworthy copy of the original written over 2 millennia ago?

In this episode of the Confident Faith podcast we address the question, did Jesus actually rise from the dead? Answering the question of Jesus's resurrection is of vital importance for both the believer and skeptic alike. Jesus made outrageous claims about Himself. He claimed to be the son of God and the saviour of the World. He even predicted His own physical resurrection from the dead. If Jesus truly rose again after death His claims of being God incarnate, the saviour of the World, and the one and only way to heaven are surely validated. This has massive implications for each and every one of us. However, if Jesus did not rise from the dead, we can dismiss Him as just another interesting but tragic figure from history. The truth of Christianity really does stand or fall on the question of the resurrection of Jesus.

In this episode of the Confident Faith podcast we address the question, did Jesus actually fulfil prophecies? Christians point to the myriad of Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in Jesus as proof that He is the Christ (the Son of God and the saviour of the world). But how can we be sure? Many skeptics contend that Jesus accidentally or perhaps deliberately manoeuvred His life to fulfil these prophecies to make it appear like He was the Messiah. In this episode we address four common objections to the claim that Jesus fulfilled ancient prophecies. 

In this episode of the Confident Faith podcast we address the question, did Jesus actually perform miracles? The four gospels are littered with accounts of Jesus performing many miraculous works. However, many skeptics ask, are miracles even possible? Hasn't science disproved such nonsense? And even if miracles are possible, how can we be sure these supernatural occurrences actually happened?

In this episode of the Confident Faith podcast we address the question, did Jesus actually claim to be God? Many skeptics today contend that Jesus of Nazareth was simply a wise, moral teacher, who never actually claimed to be God. They speculate that Jesus was misunderstood by his disciples and other followers, who wrongly believed that their leader was claiming to be the saviour of the world and God in human form. Was Jesus simply a wise moral teacher? Is this an accurate understanding of who Jesus was and who he claimed to be? Were the disciples truly mistaken about the identity of Jesus? To answer these questions we need to look at the historical evidence for the claims of Jesus.

In this episode of the Confident Faith Podcast we address the question 'Did Jesus Actually Exist?' Many people today and throughout history have denied that Jesus of Nazareth was a historical figure who actually existed. Is this a fair and reasonable position? What does the historical record say?