Simply Put: Recent Episodes
Ligonier Ministries
Have you ever wished that someone would explain theology in a way that doesn’t require a degree or a dictionary? Maybe you’ve listened to a sermon and it seemed like the pastor was speaking another language. Or perhaps you’ve thought that the notes in your study Bible could use a commentary of their own. From imputation to justification, theophany to theodicy, keeping all these concepts straight can be a challenge for any believer. This is a short podcast about long words. Every week, Barry Cooper sheds light on a different biblical or theological term, using helpful illustrations to apply it to your life. Listen to this week’s episode to expand your understanding and deepen your faith, one word at a time.
The name Adonai refers to God’s absolute sovereignty over creation. Today, Barry Cooper explains the most exalted title used to describe God in the Old Testament. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/adonai/
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If we’re paying attention in our Bible reading, we’ll find that the New Testament isn’t the first place we meet Jesus. Today, Barry Cooper considers the Old Testament appearances of Christ and the Lord’s heart to be present with His people. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/theophany-and-christophany/
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To make sense of the many details in Scripture, we need to get to grips with the overarching story of the Bible, following God’s unfolding revelation chapter by chapter and book by book. Today, Barry Cooper introduces the important discipline of biblical theology. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/biblical-theology/
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To make sense of the many details in Scripture, we need to get to grips with the overarching story of the Bible, following God’s unfolding revelation chapter by chapter and book by book. In this episode, Barry Cooper introduces the important discipline of biblical theology.
Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/biblical-theology
Study Reformed theology with a free resource bundle from Ligonier Ministries: https://grow.ligonier.org/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: https://donate.ligonier.org/
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When God wanted to reveal Himself in the most unmistakable way imaginable, He spoke with language that our minds can understand. Today, Barry Cooper explains why our Creator often uses human traits and characteristics to describe Himself in His Word. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/anthropomorphism/
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In His unchanging divine nature, God does not and cannot suffer. Does that mean He’s unable to love us or to empathize with our pain? Today, Barry Cooper explains why the doctrine of divine impassibility is wonderful news for sufferers and sinners. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/impassibility/
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We live in a world that never stops changing. But there is One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Today, Barry Cooper spells out the security we have in knowing the unchanging God. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/immutability/
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How optimistic are you about the future? Today, Barry Cooper examines one of the main views Christians have held about the end of the world, the glory of God's kingdom, and the reign and return of Christ. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/postmillennialism/
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When we read in John 1:14 that “the Word became flesh,” we recognize that Jesus took on a human body. But did Christ take on a human soul too? Today, Barry Cooper discusses a fourth-century heresy that seems slightly off but actually makes a world of difference. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/apollinarianism/
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If you are a Christian, your best days are ahead of you and getting closer by the moment. Today, Barry Cooper considers how the promised return of Jesus calls us to steward our lives faithfully and look with hope to the moment we see Him face to face. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-second-coming/
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What makes people so obsessed about the end of the world? Today, Barry Cooper considers what Christians should know about the “last days” and how we ought to live in light of the promise of Christ’s soon return. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/eschatology/
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When we talk about the ascension, we aren’t merely referring to Jesus’ physical rising into the sky. Today, Barry Cooper explains that in this climactic moment, the victorious Christ rose to His throne as King of kings and Lord of lords. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-ascension/
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It can sometimes seem as if Christians don’t have permission to be unhappy. Today, Barry Cooper reminds us that Jesus Himself was a “man of sorrows”—and our expressions of sadness are heard by our good God. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/lamentation/
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God tells us in His Word to address him as “Abba,” the Aramaic word meaning “Father.” Today, Barry Cooper considers God’s unqualified goodness as our heavenly Father. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/abba/
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How should a local church be organized? Does everyone in any given church have the same role, or do particular people have particular responsibilities? Today, Barry Cooper explores what Scripture says about leadership in the local church. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/elders/
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The fact that we are “made in God’s image” sets us apart from every other creature on earth (Gen. 1:27). Today, Barry Cooper reminds us of the extraordinary privilege we have of being made in the image of the triune God. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/imago-dei/
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Though darkness and death entered the world through one man, so light and life has entered through another. Today, Barry Cooper considers the fall of man and the promise of the Savior. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-fall/
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What does it mean to be “filled with the Holy Spirit”? Today, Barry Cooper turns to Scripture to help us grasp the truth behind this often-misunderstood question. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/being-filled-with-the-spirit/
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Our responsibility as Bible readers is to draw out the truth from the page open before us, not to try and make Scripture say whatever we’d like. Today, Barry Cooper highlights the importance of studying God’s Word rightly. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/exegesis-and-eisegesis/
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Have you ever seen something so beautiful, so awe-inspiring, that it left you breathless? Today, Barry Cooper ponders the meaning and significance of the Hebrew word “selah.” Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/selah/
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How do we grow as Christians? Do we passively “let go and let God,” or is it all about us and our hard work toward holiness? Today, Barry Cooper shows how the truth revealed in Scripture avoids both of these pitfalls. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/quietism-and-activism/
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In eternity, did God choose to elect His people to salvation based on His decision to permit humanity’s fall into sin, or was it the other way around? Today, Barry Cooper takes up this heady question and the two big words that seek to answer it. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/supralapsarianism-and-infralapsarianism/
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The New Testament is unapologetic about the reality and danger of demonic spirits. Today, Barry Cooper exhorts us to think soberly about these spiritual forces. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/demons/
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The eternal Son of God took on flesh and died as a man, all so that death itself would die. Today, Barry Cooper speaks on an awesome reality, recorded in Scripture, that sets the Christian faith apart from all other religions. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/incarnation/
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Is the Bible all we need to live life well? Today, Barry Cooper explains that Scripture tells us everything we must believe in order to be saved and what we must do in order to please God. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-sufficiency-of-scripture/
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Jesus warned His disciples of an “abomination of desolation” who would defile the temple. Is this a figure we should still expect, or has he come already? Today, Barry Cooper turns to the context of Christ’s warning to give clarity to this figure’s identity. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/abomination-of-desolation/
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After completing His work of creating the world, God rested—but not because He got tired and needed a break. Today, Barry Cooper explains how the Sabbath reminds us to regularly rest in God and enjoy the ultimate rest that He has given His people in Christ. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/sabbath/
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When Jesus calls people to Himself, they come. Today, Barry Cooper shows how God puts His sovereign grace in display every time a lost soul is drawn to Christ. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/irresistible-grace-simply-put/
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On what basis does God choose His people for salvation? Today, Barry Cooper explains that our eternal destiny doesn’t ultimately depend on our free choice—and why that’s a good thing. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/unconditional-election-simply-put/
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In order for our sin to be dealt with, someone must face the penalty our sin deserves. Today, Barry Cooper points to the only One who is qualified to take our sin upon Himself and reconcile us to God. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/penal-substitutionary-atonement/
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Followers of Jesus seem to be at the mercy of earthly kings bent on destroying them. But each of these rulers will instantly fold at a single word from the mouth of Christ. Today, Barry Cooper invites us to take heart in knowing the King of kings and Lord of lords. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/king/
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If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have full access to the Creator and can approach Him without fear of being destroyed. Today, Barry Cooper expresses how Jesus, our Great High Priest, has atoned for our sin and intercedes on our behalf. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/priest/
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While the prophets often did present God’s revelation of the future, their calling had much more to do with how God’s people were living in the present. Today, Barry Cooper observes how the prophets reminded God’s people of their covenant obligations, culminating in the ultimate Prophet, Jesus Christ. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/prophet/
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When we open the Bible, we can be sure that what we're reading has been breathed out by God. Today, Barry Cooper delves into the marvelous doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-inspiration-of-scripture/
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All of the world’s idols demand that we make endless sacrifices for them. But only Jesus has accomplished the ultimate sacrifice we need. Today, Barry Cooper explains how the idols we encounter in the Old Testament are far more relevant than we realize. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/high-places/
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If you want the pure truth, you have to go back to the source. Today, Barry Cooper considers a rallying cry from the Reformation that calls us ever back again to God’s Word, the source of true wisdom. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/ad-fontes/
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The sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper help the church to see spiritual realities that would otherwise be hidden from us. Today, Barry Cooper addresses how these visible depictions of the gospel stir up our faith in Christ. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/sacrament/
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No one who is truly united to Christ can ever be snatched from the hand of God. Today, Barry Cooper examines an encouraging truth: when God gives someone the gift of saving faith, He will preserve that faith to the end. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/perseverance/
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This word of praise erupts out of the final chapters of the book of Psalms and of the book of Revelation. Today, Barry Cooper explores a word that calls us to marvel at the self-sustaining, eternally existing, utterly transcendent nature of God. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/hallelujah-2/
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Christians all over the world regularly use this word, but what does it actually mean? Today, Barry Cooper explores the significance of “amen” and how this ancient word is intimately connected to Jesus. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/amen/
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Why do some Bibles include 15 extra books that are not found in other Bibles? Today, Barry Cooper digs into the history behind these books and considers what role they should serve in the Christian life. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/apocrypha/
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How could the perfect atonement won for us by Christ ever be considered "limited?" Today, Barry Cooper unpacks the precious meaning of a much-misunderstood phrase. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/limited-atonement-simply-put/
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Jesus Christ is the summit of a long line of prophets, priests, and kings. But unlike all who came before Him, Christ bears all three of these roles and perfectly fulfills them. Today, Barry Cooper describes the glory of Jesus’ threefold office. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/offices-of-christ/
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How should we make choices on matters that are neither commanded nor forbidden by Scripture? Today, Barry Cooper considers how Christians should exercise the freedom that God has given us. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/adiaphora/
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To love others as we should, we first need to understand how deeply and irrevocably God loves His people. Today, Barry Cooper explains a Hebrew word that should profoundly affect our view of the Lord. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/hesed/
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What is the Christian view of the body? Do we need to be freed from the physical world in order to be truly spiritual? Today, Barry Cooper talks about an ancient philosophy that still leads many people to have wrong ideas about our physical bodies. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/gnosticism/
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When we look at the intricate order, balance, and patterns that are intrinsic to life and the universe, is it rational to conclude that these things are the product of blind and random forces? Today, Barry Cooper considers a classic argument for our Creator’s existence.
Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-teleological-argument/
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Is God like a cosmic cheerleader who is rooting for us on the sidelines but cannot get involved in the game? Today, Barry Cooper explores how the Lord is actively unfolding His good plan for His people, a plan that was set irrevocably before time began. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/providence/
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Historical creeds and confessions are like letters from Christians who have come before us, warning us against dangerous theological mistakes that have threatened the church in the past. Today, Barry Cooper considers one of the most important Christian creeds ever written. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-nicene-creed/
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What does it look like to love the Lord with all our mind? Today, Barry Cooper shows how sin affects our thinking and how our minds can become aligned with God’s truth.
Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-noetic-effects-of-sin/
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Pentecost means "fiftieth day," and the Bible describes two very significant “fiftieth day” events. Today, Barry Cooper describes the similarities and differences between those events so we may better know God’s gifts to His people of deliverance and life. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/pentecost/
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The Creator has revealed His existence by creating. But He has done much more than that. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers how God has made Himself known clearly and specifically by speaking to His creatures. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/special-revelation/
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Eternity isn't the place where God lives. God is where eternity lives. Today, Barry Cooper considers the timelessness of God and our yearning to be in His everlasting presence. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-eternity-of-god/
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Do you believe in a God who respects your personal space, one you can keep at arm’s length? Today, Barry Cooper explores the origins and impact of a philosophy that tries to place God at a safe distance. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/deism/
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Throughout redemptive history, the Lord has worked wonders that are impossible to explain apart from His divine power. Today, Barry Cooper describes what miracles are and what they are for. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/miracles/
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Christians have spent a lot of time mulling over the precise meaning of the thousand-year period spoken of in Revelation 20. Today, Barry Cooper explains the significance of the Millennium and the different views surrounding it. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-millennium/
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What could be more appalling than living in a world where nothing really matters, where even the most extreme cruelty is met with vacuous silence? Today, Barry Cooper explains why God's judgment is actually something for which we should be thankful. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-final-judgment/
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If someone comes to us claiming to speak for God, how could we ever know whether they're telling the truth? Today, Barry Cooper shows why God's written Word is absolutely necessary if we are to know the life-giving truth of His Son. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-necessity-of-scripture/
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What should the Christian life look like? Today, Barry Cooper identifies nine qualities that the Spirit of God grows and cultivates in every true believer. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-fruit-of-the-spirit/
Study Reformed theology with a free resource bundle from Ligonier Ministries: https://grow.ligonier.org/
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If you are a Christian, you don’t have to feverishly tick off items on your bucket list as if “you only live once.” You can give your life away for the sake of others, knowing you have a thousand lifetimes to enjoy in the life to come. Today, Barry Cooper revels in the glory of Christ’s resurrection and ours. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-resurrection/
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Whatever questions we may have about the reason behind our pain, Christians can’t possibly conclude that God is aloof from suffering, that He doesn’t care about evil, or that He hasn’t done anything about it. Today, Barry Cooper presents three truths that help us trust in the goodness of God when facing the darkness of this world. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/theodicy/
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Only once in the whole year could the high priest of Israel enter the Holy of Holies to approach the fearsome presence of a holy God: the Day of Atonement. Today, Barry Cooper explains what this day revealed about the depth of our guilt and how it pointed forward to a greater day when the sin of God’s people would be dealt with forever. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-day-of-atonement/
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The temple was an enduring representation of the fact that the Lord, as the God of His people, will never leave them. Today, Barry Cooper points us to a greater temple that is more enduring still. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/temple/
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Why does the Old Testament contain exacting instructions for building a meeting place with God? Should we follow these assembly instructions today so that God may dwell with us? Today, Barry Cooper explains the role of the tabernacle and the One who has fulfilled it. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/tabernacle/
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God does not ask His people to abandon logic and simply accept the teachings of His Word on faith. Today, Barry Cooper helps us distinguish between a paradox and a contradiction. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/contradiction-and-paradox/
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The Lord is slow to anger, but His patience with religious hypocrites does not last forever. Today, Barry Cooper considers what Israel’s exile into Babylon teaches us about the danger of becoming complacent with our sin. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-babylonian-captivity/
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Anger is the response of a perfectly loving God when sin is committed against Him and others. Today, Barry Cooper explains the merciful way that God has appeased His wrath against His people in order to spare them from His righteous judgment. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/propitiation/
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Because of what Jesus Christ has done, death and darkness are on borrowed time. Today, Barry Cooper delivers the best news that we can ever hear. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/gospel/
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The Lord reigns as King over all things. Yet, there is another sense in which the kingdom of God has not yet fully come. Today, Barry Cooper considers the meaning behind the metaphors pertaining to God’s kingdom. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-kingdom-of-god/
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Far from being Jesus' last name, "Christ" is a title that carries immense meaning. Today, Barry Cooper tells of the glory that Jesus bears as the ultimate Prophet, Priest, and King. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/messiah-christ/
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What does a Mesopotamian sheep herder from 4,000 years ago have to do with us? Today, Barry Cooper explains how God’s promise to Abraham reveals the good news of Jesus Christ. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-abrahamic-covenant/
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It has become a cliché to say, “We’re all God’s children.” But actually, that isn’t true. Today, Barry Cooper articulates the extraordinary privilege Christians have in being adopted into the family of God. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/adoption/
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Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-apostles-creed/
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A significant part of our lives is driven by the pursuit of two words: “Well done.” Today, Barry Cooper observes that the pursuit of glory is not a bad thing—as long as we’re seeking it in the right place. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/glory/
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When we sin, we strive to substitute our own authority for God’s. Today, Barry Cooper explains what makes our sin so devastating and points to another substitution as our only source of hope.
Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/sin/
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What steps take place in the salvation of a Christian? Today, Barry Cooper provides an encouraging reminder that God’s redemption of His people is an unstoppable process.
Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/ordo-salutis/
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There’s a good way of wanting to be like God—and a very bad way. Today, Barry Cooper identifies the ways we can, and ought to, imitate God. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-communicable-attributes-of-god/
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Jesus is the lens through we must look if we are to understand the Scriptures properly. Today, Barry Cooper emphasizes the importance of interpreting the Bible as it was meant to be interpreted.
Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/hermeneutics/
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In the ultimate sense, there is no such thing as a job, a task, or a duty that is truly mundane. Today, Barry Cooper looks at God’s purpose for our everyday work in the world. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-creation-mandate/
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If it is even possible that God exists, then it follows logically that God does exist. Today, Barry Cooper walks us through Anselm's famous argument for the existence of God. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-ontological-argument/
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What should the Christian life look like? Today, Barry Cooper identifies nine qualities that the Spirit of God grows and cultivates in every true believer. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-fruit-of-the-spirit/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: https://donate.ligonier.org/
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For more than 1,800 years, Christians understood “the rapture” to be the blissful moment of Jesus’ second coming. But within the last century and a half, a new interpretation emerged. Today, Barry Cooper helps us consider what the Bible says about the rapture of Christ’s church.
Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-rapture/
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The Apostles are included in "the foundation" of the Christian church (Eph. 2:20)--a foundation laid only once. Today, Barry Cooper describes the unique role these men played as the commissioned eyewitnesses of Jesus Christ. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/apostles/
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In and of itself, faith isn’t necessarily a virtue. It all depends on what we have faith in. Today, Barry Cooper explains that the reason it is proper to put our faith in Christ is because Christ is perfectly good and perfectly trustworthy. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/faith/
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The central “spine” of the Bible can be described in a single word: covenant. Today, Barry Cooper expounds on these recurring agreements, pledges, and vows that culminate in the promised arrival of Christ Himself. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/covenant/
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Peter denied Jesus by declaring, "I do not know the man." That's exactly what Christ calls us to do to our old lives when He commands us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. Today, Barry Cooper invites us to count the cost of being Jesus' disciples.
Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/disciple/
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Nothing is hidden from the mind of God—past, present, or future—so nothing can surprise or confuse Him. Today, Barry Cooper introduces us to God’s attribute of omniscience. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/omniscience/
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Some Christians seem to think that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given only to some believers. But the whole sweep of Scripture points in the opposite direction. Today, Barry Cooper discusses how God has empowered all of His people for ministry.
Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-gifts-of-the-spirit/
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Defibrillators are not self-operated. Neither can the spiritually dead make themselves alive to Christ. Today, Barry Cooper helps us consider our need for someone else to apply the paddles to cause our spiritual hearts to beat. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/regeneration/
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Anyone can come to Scripture and discover how they can be saved, even children and those lacking formal education. Today, Barry Cooper shows that the Bible is clear in its teaching about salvation and its basic principles for pleasing God. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-perspicuity-of-scripture/
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You don’t need handwriting in the sky in order to discover God’s will for your life. Today, Barry Cooper helps us to distinguish between the revealed and hidden will of God and what we can know about both. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-revealed-and-hidden-will-of-god/
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The Holy Spirit comes alongside us to bear our burdens, defend us, and give us strength and courage. Today, Barry Cooper examines a Greek word that richly illustrates our relationship with Christ and His Spirit. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/paraclete/
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We can get in danger of being so infatuated with the idea of our sin’s forgiveness that we start to leave obedience behind. Today, Barry Cooper points out that Christians don’t take God’s law less seriously, but more seriously. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/antinomianism/
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Not everyone who visibly appears in the church actually belongs to God’s redeemed people. Today, Barry Cooper helps us make the crucial distinction between the visible and invisible church. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-visible-and-invisible-church/
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The existence of creation points inevitably to the existence of a Creator. Today, Barry Cooper outlines the cosmological argument for the existence of God, the first cause.
Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-cosmological-argument/
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Salvation isn’t a 99% to 1% split between God’s participation and ours. It is entirely the work of the Lord and all the glory belongs to Him. Today, Barry Cooper explains what is at stake in the so-called "five points of Calvinism."
Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/five-points-of-calvinism/
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The Lord lavishes all people with His kindness, even those who ignore, belittle, or are hostile toward Him. Today, Barry Cooper explains that God’s universal patience toward a sinful creation reflects His glory in unique ways.
Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/common-grace/
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When we ascribe a title to ourselves, we better be sure that we live up to the name. Today, Barry Cooper identifies the significance of the most common designation Jesus applied to Himself.
Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/son-of-man/
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Why did the Lord choose us to be His people? Is it because of something we did, something He did, or maybe a little bit of both? Today, Barry Cooper shows that the Bible’s answer to this question is abundantly clear.
Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/predestination/
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There is nowhere we can go to hide from the presence of God. He is nearer even than our own hearts. Today, Barry Cooper depicts the omnipresence or “all-presence” of God.
Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/omnipresence/
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In these turbulent times, power is something of a dirty word. But God’s infinite power is supremely wonderful because it is wedded to His justice, truthfulness, and love. Today, Barry Cooper delves into the unlimited power of God.
Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/omnipotence/
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If we are to be reconciled to God, we need more than forgiveness for breaking His law. We also require the righteousness of One who has kept God’s law perfectly. Today, Barry Cooper explains the critical distinction between Christ’s active and passive obedience for our salvation.
Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/active-and-passive-obedience-of-christ/
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Matthew’s gospel both begins and ends with a marvelous declaration: God is with His people. Today, Barry Cooper meditates on the meaning behind one of the names given to Christ, “Immanuel.”
Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/immanuel/
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On the road of repentance, we turn back from the far country of sin into the loving embrace of our Father. In this episode, Barry Cooper traces the steps along this daily path of growth and healing.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/repentance/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
As the word means "messenger," an angel isn't so much a type of being as it is a job description. In this episode, Barry Cooper presents a biblical picture of these otherworldly creatures.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/angels/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Walking an aisle and praying a prayer cannot assure us of our salvation. In this episode, Barry Cooper asserts that true assurance accompanies a life truly changed by the gospel.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/assurance-of-salvation/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Jesus' own words seem calculated to dissuade endless speculation about His return. In this episode, Barry Cooper outlines how the Bible's revelation of the world's end is meant to stir us to action today.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/amillennialism/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
What happens to us when we die? In this episode, Barry Cooper inquires into the state of our souls after death and before the resurrection.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-intermediate-state/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Sin is not a disease lurking outside of us but a poison that defiles our hearts from within. In this episode, Barry Cooper helps us understand the depths of our depravity.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/total-depravity-simply-put/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Who, or what, is God's Word? In this episode, Barry Cooper explains why both Jesus and the Bible are called the "Word" of God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-word-of-god/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
What lies beneath our yearning for relationship and our longing for home? In this episode, Barry Cooper points us forward to the glorious climax of God's story of redemption.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-new-heavens-and-the-new-earth/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
When we claim the Bible is devoid of errors, we must clarify what an error actually is. In this episode, Barry Cooper deciphers the doctrine of biblical inerrancy.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/inerrancy-of-scripture/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
How is it possible that sixty-six distinct books seamlessly contribute to the same story? In this episode, Barry Cooper traces the authority of the Bible back to its divine author.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/authority-of-scripture/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Unlike what we may have been told, our existence is no accident. In this episode, Barry Cooper marvels at God's creation of all things from nothing.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/creation-ex-nihilo/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
How did Adam's disobedience bring sin and death to all mankind? In this episode, Barry Cooper explains how God relates to all people through chosen representatives.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/federalism/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not mere masks God wears but three eternally distinct persons. In this episode, Barry Cooper critiques one common but incorrect explanation of the Trinity.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/modalism/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
How would you encapsulate the Bible's teaching with both precision and beauty? In this episode, Barry Cooper introduces us to a classic expression of Reformed theology: the Westminster Standards.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/westminster-assembly/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
When Christians receive the Lord's Supper, Christ Himself is present--but how? In this episode, Barry Cooper explains the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist, and Zwinglian views of the Lord's Supper.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/four-views-of-the-lords-supper/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Athanasius fought against one particular heresy for most of his life. In this episode, Barry Cooper explains what the heresy was--and why it was so difficult to defeat.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/athanasian-creed/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Can you summarize your faith in a few brief words? In this episode, Barry Cooper discusses the five solas of the Protestant Reformation and explains their relevance today.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/five-solas/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
How did the early church recognize the books of the New Testament as Scripture? In this episode, Barry Cooper examines four signs of a book's divine authority.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/canon-of-scripture/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
The grandeur of the heavens draws our eyes upward to something--or Someone--beyond them. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers God's general revelation in nature.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/general-revelation/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
We are totally and utterly dependent on God for our existence. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers God's sustaining power.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/aseity-of-god/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
He's called the tempter, the accuser, the evil one, and the god of this age. In this episode, Barry Cooper looks at the biblical--and very real--figure of Satan.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/satan/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Even when we were unfaithful, Jesus Christ came to us and made us His bride. In this episode, Barry Cooper portrays the shocking yet dazzling marriage between Christ and the church.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/imputed-righteousness/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
We can never be good enough to meet the demands of God's law. In this episode, Barry Cooper testifies to the One who met those demands on our behalf.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/justification/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Our sanctification occurs in the past, present, and future. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers this "time-traveling" word.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/sanctification/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Sin isn't just what we do; it's who we are. In this episode, Barry Cooper defines the term "original sin" and explains how it became our natural state.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/original-sin/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Why do some people claim that hell will ultimately be unpopulated? In this episode, Barry Cooper contrasts this idea with the clear teaching of Jesus on who will inherit eternal life and who will not.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/universalism-and-hell/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Is it possible that the apocalypse has already happened without many of us realizing it? In this episode, Barry Cooper considers two related ways of interpreting the Bible's end-times prophecies.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/preterism/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
The name Adonai refers to God's absolute sovereignty over creation. In this episode, Barry Cooper examines the most exalted title used to describe God in the Old Testament.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/adonai/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
If we're paying attention in our Bible reading, we'll find that the New Testament isn't the first place we meet Jesus. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers the Old Testament appearances of Christ and the Lord's heart to be present with His people.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/theophany-and-christophany/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
To make sense of the many details in Scripture, we need to get to grips with the overarching story of the Bible, following God's unfolding revelation chapter by chapter and book by book. In this episode, Barry Cooper introduces the important discipline of biblical theology.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/biblical-theology/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
In order to reveal Himself in the most unmistakable way imaginable, God spoke with language that our minds can understand. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers why God often uses human traits and characteristics to describe Himself in His Word.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/anthropomorphism/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
In His unchanging divine nature, God does not and cannot suffer. Does that mean He's unable to love us or empathize with our pain? In this episode, Barry Cooper uncovers why the doctrine of divine impassibility is wonderful news for sufferers and sinners.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/impassibility/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
We live in a world that never stops changing. But there is One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. In this episode, Barry Cooper explores the security we have in knowing the unchanging God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/immutability/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
How optimistic are you about the future? In this episode, Barry Cooper examines one of the main views Christians have held about the end of the world, the glory of God's kingdom, and the reign and return of Christ.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/postmillennialism/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
"The Word became flesh" in John 1:14 means that Jesus took on a human body. But did Christ take on a human soul too? In this episode, Barry Cooper discusses a heresy that seems slightly off but actually makes a world of difference.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/apollinarianism/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
If you are a Christian, your best days are ahead of you and getting closer by the moment. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers how the promised return of Jesus calls us to steward our lives faithfully and look with hope to the moment we see Him face to face.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-second-coming/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
What makes people so obsessed about the end of the world? In this episode, Barry Cooper considers what Christians should know about the "last days" and how we ought to live in light of the promise of Christ's soon return.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/eschatology/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
When we talk about the ascension, we aren't merely referring to Jesus' physical rising into the sky. In this episode, Barry Cooper explains that in this climactic moment, the victorious Christ rose to His throne as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-ascension/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
It can sometimes seem as if Christians don't have permission to be unhappy. In this episode, Barry Cooper reminds us that Jesus Himself was a "man of sorrows"--and our expressions of sadness are heard by our good God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/lamentation/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
God tells us in His Word to address him as "Abba," the Aramaic word meaning "Father." Today, Barry Cooper considers God's unqualified goodness as our heavenly Father.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/abba/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
How should a local church be organized? Does everyone in any given church have the same role, or do particular people have particular responsibilities? In this episode, Barry Cooper explores what Scripture says about leadership in the local church.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/elders/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
The fact that we are made in God's image sets us apart from every other creature on earth (Gen. 1:27). In this episode, Barry Cooper reminds us of the extraordinary privilege we have of being made in the image of the triune God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/imago-dei/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Though darkness and death entered the world through one man, light and life have entered through another. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers the fall of man and the promise of the Savior.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-fall/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
What does it mean to be "filled with the Holy Spirit"? In this episode, Barry Cooper turns to the book of Ephesians to help grasp the truth behind this often misunderstood question.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/being-filled-with-the-spirit/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Our responsibility as Bible readers is to draw out the truth from the page open before us, not to try and make Scripture say whatever we'd like. In this episode, Barry Cooper explains the importance of studying God's Word rightly.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/exegesis-and-eisegesis/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Have you ever seen something so beautiful, so awe-inspiring, that it left you breathless? In this episode, Barry Cooper explains the meaning and significance of the Hebrew word "selah."
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/selah/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
How do we grow as Christians? Do we passively "let go and let God," or is it all about us and our hard work toward holiness? In this episode, Barry Cooper shows us how the truth revealed in Scripture avoids both of these pitfalls.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/quietism-and-activism/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
In eternity, did God choose to elect His people to salvation based on His decision to permit humanity's fall into sin, or was it the other way around? In this episode, Barry Cooper takes up this heady question and the two big words that seek to answer it.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/supralapsarianism-and-infralapsarianism/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Scripture is clear: demons have the power to oppress human beings. So who--or what--are they? In this episode, Barry Cooper looks at the demonic forces in the Bible and the One who is more powerful than them all.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/demons/
A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
The eternal Son of God took on flesh and died as a man, all so that death itself would die. In this episode, Barry Cooper speaks on an awesome reality, recorded in Scripture, that sets the Christian faith apart from all other religions.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/incarnation/
Is the Bible all we need to live life well? In this episode, Barry Cooper explains that Scripture tells us everything we must believe in order to be saved and what we must do in order to please God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-sufficiency-of-scripture/
Jesus warned His disciples of an "abomination of desolation" who would defile the temple. What does this startling name refer to? In this episode, Barry Cooper explains the context of Christ's warning for clarity on this figure's identity.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/abomination-of-desolation/
Each week, we have the privilege of taking time to remember God, consciously rest in Him, and join with His people in enjoying that rest together. In this episode, Barry Cooper uncovers the true meaning of the Sabbath.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/sabbath/
When Jesus calls people to Himself, they come. In this episode, Barry Cooper shows how God puts His sovereign grace on display every time a lost soul is drawn to Christ.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/irresistible-grace-simply-put/
On what basis does God choose His people for salvation? In this episode, Barry Cooper explains that our eternal destiny doesn't ultimately depend on our free choice--and why that's a good thing.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/unconditional-election-simply-put/
In order for our sin to be dealt with, someone must face the penalty our sin deserves. In this episode, Barry Cooper points to the only One who is qualified to take our sin upon Himself and reconcile us to God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/penal-substitutionary-atonement/
Jesus is not just any king. He is the ultimate King, the One we've always longed for. In this episode, Barry Cooper explains the significance of knowing that Christ has all power and authority.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/king/
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have full access to the Creator and can approach Him without fear of being destroyed. In this episode, Barry Cooper expresses how Jesus, our Great High Priest, has atoned for our sin and intercedes on our behalf.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/priest/
We tend to think of prophets as accurate predictors of the future, but there is much more to it than that. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers how the long line of God's prophets culminates in the coming of Christ.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/prophet/
When we open the Bible, we can be sure that what we're reading has been breathed out by God. In this episode, Barry Cooper delves into the marvelous doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-inspiration-of-scripture/
All of the world's idols demand that we make endless sacrifices for them. But only Jesus has accomplished the ultimate sacrifice we need. In this episode, Barry Cooper explains how the idols we encounter in the Old Testament are far more relevant than we realize.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/high-places/
If you want the pure truth, you have to go back to the source. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers a rallying cry from the Reformation that calls us ever back again to God's Word, the source of true wisdom.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/ad-fontes/
The sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper help the church to see spiritual realities that would otherwise be hidden from us. In this episode, Barry Cooper addresses how these visible depictions of the gospel stir up our faith in Christ.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/sacrament/
No one who is truly united to Christ can ever be snatched from the hand of God. In this episode, Barry Cooper examines an encouraging truth: when God gives someone the gift of saving faith, He will preserve that faith to the end.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/perseverance/
What are we declaring when we sing "Hallelujah"? In this episode, Barry Cooper looks at the roots and significance of this familiar expression of praise.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/hallelujah-2/
"Amen" is an affirmation of truth and an expression of agreement. And yet, in Christ, it means so much more. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers a word so familiar to us that it's easily overlooked.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/amen/
Why do the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches have more books in their Old Testaments than we do? In this episode, Barry Cooper looks at the history behind these books and considers what role they should serve in the Christian life.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/apocrypha/
How could the perfect atonement won for us by Christ ever be considered "limited?" In this episode, Barry Cooper unpacks the precious meaning of a much-misunderstood phrase.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/limited-atonement-simply-put/
Jesus Christ is the ultimate Prophet, the Great High Priest, and the King of kings. In this episode, Barry Cooper examines how these three key roles are revealed throughout Scripture and perfectly fulfilled by the Son of God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/offices-of-christ/
How should we make choices on matters that are neither commanded nor forbidden by Scripture? In this episode, Barry Cooper considers how Christians should exercise the freedom that God has given us.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/adiaphora/
To love others as we should, we first need to understand how deeply and irrevocably God loves His people. In this episode, Barry Cooper explains a Hebrew word that should profoundly affect our view of the Lord.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/hesed/
How should Christians think about their bodies? In this episode, Barry Cooper examines an ancient philosophy that continues to lead people into wrong ideas about the physical world.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/gnosticism/
Has our planet been finely crafted to sustain life, or does it merely appear that way? In this episode, Barry Cooper examines a classic, logical argument for God's existence.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-teleological-argument/
The Lord supplies the needs of His creation--life, breath, and every good thing. But there is a particularly profound way in which He provides for His children. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers how our Father lovingly works all things for our good.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/providence/
Creeds and confessions give us the theological "headlines"--concise and pointed summaries of essential biblical truths. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers one of the most significant Christian creeds ever written.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-nicene-creed/
Sin affects the minds of believers and unbelievers alike. In this episode, Barry Cooper explores the effects of sin on our thinking and considers our calling to love the Lord with all our mind.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-noetic-effects-of-sin/
Two thousand years ago, the Holy Spirit descended on each and every believer, gifting and empowering them for service in God's kingdom. In this episode, Barry Cooper describes when this blessing was first promised and how it is fulfilled in us today.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/pentecost/
The Creator has revealed His existence by creating. But He has done much more than that. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers how God has made Himself known clearly and specifically by speaking to His creatures.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/special-revelation/
Eternity isn't the place where God lives. God is where eternity lives. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers the timelessness of God and our yearning to be in His everlasting presence.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-eternity-of-god/
Do you believe in a God who respects your personal space, One you can keep at arm's length? In this episode, Barry Cooper explores the origins and impact of a philosophy that tries to place God at a safe distance.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/deism/
Christians have spent a lot of time mulling over the precise meaning of the thousand-year period spoken of in Revelation 20. In this episode, Barry Cooper explains the significance of the Millennium and the different views surrounding it.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-millennium/
Our lives truly matter today because a day is coming when all of us will have to give an account of our lives to God. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers how that day gives meaning to our lives and gives us a reason to thank the Lord.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-final-judgment/
God ensured that His words were preserved in writing because His words are a matter of life and death. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers our dependence on God's written Word to reveal and preserve the truth of His Son.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-necessity-of-scripture/
What should the Christian life look like? In this episode, Barry Cooper identifies nine qualities that the Spirit of God grows and cultivates in every true believer.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-fruit-of-the-spirit/
If you are a Christian, you can give your life away for the sake of others, knowing that you have a thousand lifetimes to enjoy in the life to come. In this episode, Barry Cooper revels in the glory of Christ's resurrection and ours.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-resurrection/
Whatever questions we ask amid our pain, Christians can't possibly conclude that God is aloof from suffering. In this episode, Barry Cooper presents three truths that help us trust in the goodness of God when facing the darkness of this world.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/theodicy/
Only once in the whole year could the high priest of Israel enter the Holy of Holies to approach the fearsome presence of a holy God. In this episode, Barry Cooper discusses the Day of Atonement.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-day-of-atonement/
The temple was an enduring representation of the fact that the Lord, as the God of His people, will never leave them. In this episode, Barry Cooper points us to a greater temple that is more enduring still.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/temple/
Why does the Old Testament contain exacting instructions for building a meeting place with God? Should we follow these assembly instructions today so that God may dwell with us? In this episode, Barry Cooper explains the role of the tabernacle and the One who has fulfilled it.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/tabernacle/
God does not ask His people to abandon logic and simply accept the teachings of His Word on faith. In this episode, Barry Cooper helps us distinguish between a paradox and a contradiction.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/contradiction-and-paradox/
The Lord is slow to anger, but His patience with religious hypocrites does not last forever. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers what Israel's exile into Babylon teaches us about the danger of becoming complacent with our sin.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-babylonian-captivity/
Anger is the response of a perfectly loving God when sin is committed against Him and others. In this episode, Barry Cooper explains the merciful way that God has appeased His wrath against His people in order to spare them from His righteous judgment.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/propitiation/
Because of what Jesus Christ has done, death and darkness are on borrowed time. In this episode, Barry Cooper delivers the best news that we can ever hear.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/gospel/
The Lord reigns as King over all things. Yet, there is another sense in which the kingdom of God has not yet fully come. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers the meaning behind the Bible's metaphors pertaining to God's kingdom.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-kingdom-of-god/
Far from being Jesus' last name, "Christ" is a title that carries immense meaning. In this episode, Barry Cooper tells of the glory that Jesus bears as the ultimate Prophet, Priest, and King.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/messiah-christ/
What does a Mesopotamian sheep herder from 4,000 years ago have to do with us? In this episode, Barry Cooper explains how God's promise to Abraham reveals the good news of Jesus Christ.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-abrahamic-covenant/
It has become a cliche' to say, "We're all God's children." But actually, that isn't true. In this episode, Barry Cooper articulates the extraordinary privilege Christians have in being adopted into the family of God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/adoption/
The Apostles' Creed isn't just a statement of Christ's past, present, and future life--it's a reminder of our present and future lives too. In this episode, Barry Cooper walks us through this document that has been confessed by Christians for centuries.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-apostles-creed/
A significant part of our lives is driven by the pursuit of two words: "Well done." In this episode, Barry Cooper observes that the pursuit of glory is not a bad thing--as long as we're seeking it in the right place.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/glory/
When we sin, we strive to substitute our own authority for God's. In this episode, Barry Cooper explains what makes our sin so devastating and points to another substitution as our only source of hope.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/sin/
What steps take place in the salvation of a Christian? In this episode, Barry Cooper provides an encouraging reminder that God's redemption of His people is an unstoppable process.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/ordo-salutis/
There's a good way of wanting to be like God--and a very bad way. In this episode, Barry Cooper identifies the ways we can, and ought to, imitate God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-communicable-attributes-of-god/
Jesus is the lens through which we must look if we are to understand the Scriptures properly. In this episode, Barry Cooper emphasizes the importance of interpreting the Bible as it was meant to be interpreted.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/hermeneutics/
In the ultimate sense, there is no such thing as a job, a task, or a duty that is truly mundane. In this episode, Barry Cooper looks at God's purpose for our everyday work in the world.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-creation-mandate/
If it is even possible that God exists, then it follows logically that God does exist. In this episode, Barry Cooper walks us through Anselm's famous argument for the existence of God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-ontological-argument/
For more than 1,800 years, Christians understood "the rapture" to be the blissful moment of Jesus' second coming. But within the last century and a half, a new interpretation emerged. In this episode, Barry Cooper helps us consider what the Bible says about the rapture of Christ's church.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-rapture/
The Apostles are included in "the foundation" of the Christian church (Eph. 2:20)--a foundation laid only once. In this episode, Barry Cooper describes the unique role these men played as the commissioned eyewitnesses of Jesus Christ.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/apostles/
In and of itself, faith isn't necessarily a virtue. It all depends on what we have faith in. In this episode, Barry Cooper explains that the reason it is proper to put our faith in Christ is because Christ is perfectly good and perfectly trustworthy.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/faith/
The central "spine" of the Bible can be described in a single word: covenant. In this episode, Barry Cooper expounds on these recurring agreements, pledges, and vows that culminate in the promised arrival of Christ Himself.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/covenant/
Peter denied Jesus by declaring, "I do not know the man." That's exactly what Christ calls us to do to our old lives when he commands us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. In this episode, Barry Cooper invites us to count the cost of being Jesus' disciples.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/disciple/
Nothing is hidden from the mind of God--past, present, or future--so nothing can surprise or confuse Him. In this episode, Barry Cooper introduces us to God's attribute of omniscience.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/omniscience/
Some Christians seem to think that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given only to some believers. But the whole sweep of Scripture points in the opposite direction. In this episode, Barry Cooper discusses how God has empowered all of His people for ministry.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-gifts-of-the-holy-spirit/
Defibrillators are not self-operated. Neither can the spiritually dead make themselves alive to Christ. In this episode, Barry Cooper helps us consider our need for someone else to apply the paddles to cause our spiritual hearts to beat.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/regeneration/
Anyone can come to Scripture and discover how they can be saved, even children and those lacking formal education. In this episode, Barry Cooper shows that the Bible is clear in its teaching about salvation and its basic principles for pleasing God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-perspicuity-of-scripture/
You don't need handwriting in the sky in order to discover God's will for your life. In this episode, Barry Cooper helps us to distinguish between the revealed and hidden will of God and what we can know about both.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-revealed-and-hidden-will-of-god/
The Holy Spirit comes alongside us to bear our burdens, defend us, and give us strength and courage. In this episode, Barry Cooper examines a Greek word that richly illustrates our relationship with Christ and His Spirit.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/paraclete/
We can get in danger of being so infatuated with the idea of our sin's forgiveness that we start to leave obedience behind. In this episode, Barry Cooper reminds us that Christians mustn't take God's law less seriously but more seriously.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/antinomianism/
Not everyone who visibly appears in the church actually belongs to God's redeemed people. In this episode, Barry Cooper helps us make the crucial distinction between the visible and invisible church.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-visible-and-invisible-church/
The existence of creation points inevitably to the existence of a Creator. In this episode, Barry Cooper outlines the cosmological argument for the existence of God, the first cause.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-cosmological-argument/
Salvation isn't a 99% to 1% split between God's participation and ours. It is entirely the work of the Lord, and all the glory belongs to Him. In this episode, Barry Cooper explains what is at stake in the so-called "five points of Calvinism."
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/five-points-of-calvinism/
The Lord lavishes all people with His kindness, even those who ignore, belittle, or are hostile toward Him. In this episode, Barry Cooper explains how God's glory is uniquely reflected in His provision and patience toward a sinful creation.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/common-grace/
Did Jesus ever actually claim that He was more than a man? In this episode, Barry Cooper examines Christ's favorite title for Himself, a name that presents Him as the exalted Lord whose kingdom will never end.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/son-of-man/
God's mercy and compassion in salvation are not based on anything we've done or anything He foresees that we'll do. In this episode, Barry Cooper explains that our election is driven by nothing outside the Lord's sovereign will.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/predestination/
There is nowhere we can go to hide from the presence of God. He is nearer even than our own hearts. In this episode, Barry Cooper depicts the omnipresence or "all-presence" of God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/omnipresence/
Nowadays, power is something of a dirty word. But God's infinite power is supremely wonderful because it is wedded to His justice, truthfulness, and love. In this episode, Barry Cooper delves into the unlimited power of God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/omnipotence/
The whole of Jesus' life, from conception to sacrificial death, was substitutionary in nature. In this episode, Barry Cooper analyzes the active and passive nature of Christ's saving obedience on our behalf.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/active-and-passive-obedience-of-christ/
Matthew's gospel begins and ends with a marvelous declaration: God is with His people. In this episode, Barry Cooper meditates on the meaning behind one of the names given to Christ, "Immanuel."
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/immanuel/
On the road of repentance, we turn back from the far country of sin into the loving embrace of our Father. In this episode, Barry Cooper traces the steps along this daily path of growth and healing.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/repentance/
Why do some people claim that hell will ultimately be unpopulated? Today, Barry Cooper contrasts this idea with the clear teaching of Jesus on who will inherit eternal life and who will not.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/universalism-and-hell/
As the word means "messenger," an angel isn't so much a type of being as it is a job description. In this episode, Barry Cooper presents a biblical picture of these otherworldly creatures.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/angels/
Is it possible that the apocalypse has already happened without many of us realizing it? Today, Barry Cooper considers two related ways of interpreting the Bible's end-times prophecies.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/preterism/
Walking an aisle and praying a prayer cannot assure us of our salvation. In this episode, Barry Cooper asserts that true assurance accompanies a life truly changed by the gospel.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/assurance-of-salvation/
The name Adonai refers to God's absolute sovereignty over creation. Today, Barry Cooper explains the most exalted title used to describe God in the Old Testament.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/adonai/
Jesus' own words seem calculated to dissuade endless speculation about His return. In this episode, Barry Cooper outlines how the Bible's revelation of the world's end is meant to stir us to action today.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/amillennialism/
If we're paying attention in our Bible reading, we'll find that the New Testament isn't the first place we meet Jesus. Today, Barry Cooper considers the Old Testament appearances of Christ and the Lord's heart to be present with His people.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/theophany-and-christophany/
What happens to us when we die? In this episode, Barry Cooper inquires into the state of our souls after death and before the resurrection.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-intermediate-state /
To make sense of the many details in Scripture, we need to get to grips with the overarching story of the Bible, following God's unfolding revelation chapter by chapter and book by book. Today, Barry Cooper introduces the important discipline of biblical theology.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/biblical-theology/
Sin is not a disease lurking outside of us but a poison that defiles our hearts from within. In this episode, Barry Cooper helps us understand the depths of our depravity.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/total-depravity/
When God wanted to reveal Himself in the most unmistakable way imaginable, He spoke with language that our minds can understand. Today, Barry Cooper explains why our Creator often uses human traits and characteristics to describe Himself in His Word.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/anthropomorphism/
Who, or what, is God's Word? In this episode, Barry Cooper explains why both Jesus and the Bible are called the "Word" of God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-word-of-god/
In His unchanging divine nature, God does not and cannot suffer. Does that mean He's unable to love us or to empathize with our pain? Today, Barry Cooper explains why the doctrine of divine impassibility is wonderful news for sufferers and sinners.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/impassibility/
What lies beneath our yearning for relationship and our longing for home? In this episode, Barry Cooper points us forward to the glorious climax of God's story of redemption.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-new-heavens-and-the-new-earth/
We live in a world that never stops changing. But there is One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Today, Barry Cooper spells out the security we have in knowing the unchanging God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/immutability/
When we claim the Bible is devoid of errors, we must clarify what an error actually is. In this episode, Barry Cooper deciphers the doctrine of biblical inerrancy.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/inerrancy-of-scripture/
How optimistic are you about the future? Today, Barry Cooper examines one of the main views Christians have held about the end of the world, the glory of God's kingdom, and the reign and return of Christ.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/postmillennialism/
How is it possible that sixty-six distinct books seamlessly contribute to the same story? In this episode, Barry Cooper traces the authority of the Bible back to its divine Author.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/authority-of-scripture/
When we read in John 1:14 that "the Word became flesh," we recognize that Jesus took on a human body. But did Christ take on a human soul too? Today, Barry Cooper discusses a fourth-century heresy that seems slightly off but actually makes a world of difference.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/apollinarianism/
Unlike what we may have been told, our existence is no accident. In this episode, Barry Cooper marvels at God's creation of all things from nothing.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/creation-ex-nihilo/
If you are a Christian, your best days are ahead of you and getting closer by the moment. Today, Barry Cooper considers how the promised return of Jesus calls us to steward our lives faithfully and look with hope to the moment we see Him face to face.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-second-coming/
How did Adam's disobedience bring sin and death to all mankind? In this episode, Barry Cooper explains how God relates to all people through chosen representatives.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/federalism/
What makes people so obsessed about the end of the world? Today, Barry Cooper considers what Christians should know about the "last days" and how we ought to live in light of the promise of Christ's soon return.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/eschatology/
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not mere masks God wears but three eternally distinct persons. In this episode, Barry Cooper critiques one common but incorrect explanation of the Trinity.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/modalism/
When we talk about the ascension, we aren't merely referring to Jesus' physical rising into the sky. Today, Barry Cooper explains that in this climactic moment, the victorious Christ rose to His throne as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-ascension/
How would you encapsulate the Bible's teaching with both precision and beauty? In this episode, Barry Cooper introduces us to a classic expression of Reformed theology: the Westminster Standards.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/westminster-assembly/
It can sometimes seem as if Christians don't have permission to be unhappy. Today, Barry Cooper reminds us that Jesus Himself was a "man of sorrows"--and our expressions of sadness are heard by our good God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/lamentation/
When Christians receive the Lord's Supper, Christ Himself is present--but how? In this episode, Barry Cooper explains the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist, and Zwinglian views of the Lord's Supper.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/four-views-of-the-lords-supper/
God tells us in His Word to address him as "Abba," the Aramaic word meaning "Father." Today, Barry Cooper considers God's unqualified goodness as our heavenly Father.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/abba/
Have you met one of the early church's most significant theologians? In this episode, Barry Cooper introduces us to Athanasius and the creed that bears his name.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/athanasian-creed/
How should a local church be organized? Does everyone in any given church have the same role, or do particular people have particular responsibilities? Today, Barry Cooper explores what Scripture says about leadership in the local church.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/elders/
Can you summarize your faith in a few brief words? In this episode, Barry Cooper discusses the five solas of the Protestant Reformation and explains their relevance today.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/five-solas/
The fact that we are "made in God's image" sets us apart from every other creature on earth (Gen. 1:27). Today, Barry Cooper reminds us of the extraordinary privilege we have of being made in the image of the triune God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/imago-dei/
How did the early church recognize the books of the New Testament as Scripture? In this episode, Barry Cooper examines four signs of a book's divine authority.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/canon-of-scripture/
Though darkness and death entered the world through one man, so light and life has entered through another. Today, Barry Cooper considers the fall of man and the promise of the Savior.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-fall/
The grandeur of the heavens draws our eyes upward to something--or Someone--beyond them. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers God's general revelation in nature.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/general-revelation/
What does it mean to be "filled with the Holy Spirit"? Today, Barry Cooper turns to Scripture to help us grasp the truth behind this often-misunderstood question.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/being-filled-with-the-spirit/
We are totally and utterly dependent on God for our existence. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers God's sustaining power.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/aseity-of-god/
Our responsibility as Bible readers is to draw out the truth from the page open before us, not to try and make Scripture say whatever we'd like. Today, Barry Cooper highlights the importance of studying God's Word rightly.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/exegesis-and-eisegesis/
He's called the tempter, the accuser, the evil one, and the god of this age. Today, Barry Cooper looks at the biblical--and very real--figure of Satan.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/satan/
Have you ever seen something so beautiful, so awe-inspiring, that it left you breathless? Today, Barry Cooper ponders the meaning and significance of the Hebrew word "selah."
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/selah/
Even when we were unfaithful, Jesus Christ came to us and made us His bride. In this episode, Barry Cooper portrays the shocking yet dazzling marriage between Christ and the church.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/imputed-righteousness/
How do we grow as Christians? Do we passively "let go and let God," or is it all about us and our hard work toward holiness? Today, Barry Cooper shows how the truth revealed in Scripture avoids both of these pitfalls.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/quietism-and-activism/
We can never be good enough to meet the demands of God's law. In this episode, Barry Cooper testifies to the One who met those demands on our behalf.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/justification/
In eternity, did God choose to elect His people to salvation based on His decision to permit humanity's fall into sin, or was it the other way around? Today, Barry Cooper takes up this heady question and the two big words that seek to answer it.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/supralapsarianism-and-infralapsarianism/
Our sanctification occurs in the past, present, and future. In this episode, Barry Cooper considers this "time-traveling" word.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/sanctification/
The New Testament is unapologetic about the reality and danger of demonic spirits. Today, Barry Cooper exhorts us to think soberly about these spiritual forces.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/demons/
Sin isn't just what we do; it's who we are. In this episode, Barry Cooper defines the term "original sin" and explains how it became our natural state.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/original-sin/
The eternal Son of God took on flesh and died as a man, all so that death itself would die. Today, Barry Cooper speaks on an awesome reality, recorded in Scripture, that sets the Christian faith apart from all other religions.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/incarnation/
Is the Bible all we need to live life well? Today, Barry Cooper explains that Scripture tells us everything we must believe in order to be saved and what we must do in order to please God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-sufficiency-of-scripture/
Jesus warned His disciples of an 'abomination of desolation' who would defile the temple. Is this a figure we should still expect, or has he come already? Today, Barry Cooper turns to the context of Christ's warning to give clarity to this figure's identity.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/abomination-of-desolation/
After completing His work of creating the world, God rested--but not because He got tired and needed a break. Today, Barry Cooper explains how the Sabbath reminds us to regularly rest in God and enjoy the ultimate rest that He has given His people in Christ.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/sabbath/
When Jesus calls people to Himself, they come. Today, Barry Cooper shows how God puts His sovereign grace in display every time a lost soul is drawn to Christ.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/irresistible-grace/
On what basis does God choose His people for salvation? Today, Barry Cooper explains that our eternal destiny doesn't ultimately depend on our free choice--and why that's a good thing.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/unconditional-election/
In order for our sin to be dealt with, someone must face the penalty our sin deserves. Today, Barry Cooper points to the only One who is qualified to take our sin upon Himself and reconcile us to God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/penal-substitutionary-atonement/
Followers of Jesus seem to be at the mercy of earthly kings bent on destroying them. But each of these rulers will instantly fold at a single word from the mouth of Christ. Today, Barry Cooper invites us to take heart in knowing the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/king/
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have full access to the Creator and can approach Him without fear of being destroyed. Today, Barry Cooper expresses how Jesus, our Great High Priest, has atoned for our sin and intercedes on our behalf.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/priest/
While the prophets often did present God's revelation of the future, their calling had much more to do with how God's people were living in the present. Today, Barry Cooper observes how the prophets reminded remind God's people of their covenant obligations, culminating in the ultimate Prophet, Jesus Christ.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/prophet/
When we open the Bible, we can be sure that what we're reading has been breathed out by God. Today, Barry Cooper delves into the marvelous doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-inspiration-of-scripture/
All of the world's idols demand that we make endless sacrifices for them. But only Jesus has accomplished the ultimate sacrifice we need. Today, Barry Cooper explains how the idols we encounter in the Old Testament are far more relevant than we realize.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/high-places/
If you want the pure truth, you have to go back to the source. Today, Barry Cooper considers a rallying cry from the Reformation that calls us ever back again to God's Word, the source of true wisdom.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/ad-fontes/
The sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper help the church to see spiritual realities that would otherwise be hidden from us. Today, Barry Cooper addresses how these visible depictions of the gospel stir up our faith in Christ.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/sacrament/
No one who is truly united to Christ can ever be snatched from the hand of God. Today, Barry Cooper examines an encouraging truth: when God gives someone the gift of saving faith, He will preserve that faith to the end.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/perseverance/
This word of praise erupts out of the final chapters of the book of Psalms and of the book of Revelation. Today, Barry Cooper explores a word that calls us to marvel at the self-sustaining, eternally existing, utterly transcendent nature of God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/hallelujah/
Christians all over the world regularly use this word, but what does it actually mean? Today, Barry Cooper explores the significance of "amen" and how this ancient word is intimately connected to Jesus.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/amen/
Why do some Bibles include 15 extra books that are not found in other Bibles? Today, Barry Cooper digs into the history behind these books and considers what role they should serve in the Christian life.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/apocrypha/
How could the perfect atonement won for us by Christ ever be considered "limited?" Today, Barry Cooper unpacks the precious meaning of a much-misunderstood phrase.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/limited-atonement/
Jesus Christ is the summit of a long line of prophets, priests, and kings. But unlike all who came before Him, Christ bears all three of these roles and perfectly fulfills them. Today, Barry Cooper describes the glory of Jesus' threefold office.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/offices-of-christ/
How should we make choices on matters that are neither commanded nor forbidden by Scripture? Today, Barry Cooper considers how Christians should exercise the freedom that God has given us.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/adiaphora/
To love others as we should, we first need to understand how deeply and irrevocably God loves His people. Today, Barry Cooper explains a Hebrew word that should profoundly affect our view of the Lord.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/hesed/
What is the Christian view of the body? Do we need to be freed from the physical world in order to be truly spiritual? Today, Barry Cooper talks about an ancient philosophy that still leads many people to have wrong ideas about our physical bodies.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/gnosticism/
When we look at the intricate order, balance, and patterns that are intrinsic to life and the universe, is it rational to conclude that these things are the product of blind and random forces? Today, Barry Cooper considers a classic argument for our Creator's existence.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-teleological-argument/
Is God like a cosmic cheerleader who is rooting for us on the sidelines but cannot get involved in the game? Today, Barry Cooper explores how the Lord is actively unfolding His good plan for His people, a plan that was set irrevocably before time began.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/providence/
Historical creeds and confessions are like letters from Christians who have come before us, warning us against dangerous theological mistakes that have threatened the church in the past. Today, Barry Cooper considers one of the most important Christian creeds ever written.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-nicene-creed/
What does it look like to love the Lord with all our mind? Today, Barry Cooper shows how sin affects our thinking and how our minds can become aligned with God's truth.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-noetic-effects-of-sin/
Pentecost means "fiftieth day," and the Bible describes two very significant "fiftieth day" events. Today, Barry Cooper describes the similarities and differences between those events so we may better know God's gifts to His people of deliverance and life.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/pentecost/
There is only so much you can tell about an artist from the things he's created. To really get to know him, you'd need to meet him. Today, Barry Cooper shows us how the Scriptures--and ultimately Christ Himself--end the guessing games about who God is.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/special-revelation/
Eternity isn't the place where God lives. God is where eternity lives. Today, Barry Cooper considers the timelessness of God and our yearning to be in His everlasting presence.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-eternity-of-god/
Do you believe in a God who respects your personal space, one you can keep at arm's length? Today, Barry Cooper explores the origins and impact of a philosophy that tries to place God at a safe distance.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/deism/
Throughout redemptive history, the Lord has worked wonders that are impossible to explain apart from His divine power. Today, Barry Cooper describes what miracles are and what they are for.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/miracles/
Christians have spent a lot of time mulling over the precise meaning of the thousand-year period spoken of in Revelation 20. Today, Barry Cooper explains the significance of the Millennium and the different views surrounding it.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-millennium/
What could be more appalling than living in a world where nothing really matters, where even the most extreme cruelty is met with vacuous silence? Today, Barry Cooper explains why God's judgment is actually something for which we should be thankful.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-final-judgment/
If someone comes to us claiming to speak for God, how could we ever know whether they're telling the truth? Today, Barry Cooper shows why God's written Word is absolutely necessary if we are to know the life-giving truth of His Son.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-necessity-of-scripture/
What should the Christian life look like? Today, Barry Cooper identifies nine qualities that the Spirit of God grows and cultivates in every true believer.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-fruit-of-the-spirit/
If you are a Christian, you don't have to feverishly tick off items on your bucket list as if "you only live once." You can give your life away for the sake of others, knowing you have a thousand lifetimes to enjoy in the life to come. Today, Barry Cooper revels in the glory of Christ's resurrection and ours.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-resurrection/
Whatever questions we may have about the reason behind our pain, Christians can't possibly conclude that God is aloof from suffering, that He doesn't care about evil, or that He hasn't done anything about it. Today, Barry Cooper presents three truths that help us trust in the goodness of God when facing the darkness of this world.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/theodicy/
Only once in the whole year could the high priest of Israel enter the Holy of Holies to approach the fearsome presence of a holy God: the Day of Atonement. Today, Barry Cooper explains what this day revealed about the depth of our guilt and how it pointed forward to a greater day when the sin of God's people would be dealt with forever.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-day-of-atonement/
The temple was an enduring representation of the fact that the Lord, as the God of His people, will never leave them. Today, Barry Cooper points us to a greater temple that is more enduring still.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/temple/
Why does the Old Testament contain exacting instructions for building a meeting place with God? Should we follow these assembly instructions today so that God may dwell with us? Today, Barry Cooper explains the role of the tabernacle and the One who has fulfilled it.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/tabernacle/
God does not ask His people to abandon logic and simply accept the teachings of His Word on faith. Today, Barry Cooper helps us distinguish between a paradox and a contradiction.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/contradiction-and-paradox/
The Lord is slow to anger, but His patience with religious hypocrites does not last forever. Today, Barry Cooper considers what Israel's exile into Babylon teaches us about the danger of becoming complacent with our sin.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-babylonian-captivity/
Anger is the response of a perfectly loving God when sin is committed against Him and others. Today, Barry Cooper explains the merciful way that God has appeased His wrath against His people in order to spare them from His righteous judgment.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/propitiation/
Because of what Jesus Christ has done, death and darkness are on borrowed time. Today, Barry Cooper delivers the best news that we can ever hear.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/gospel/
The Lord reigns as King over all things. Yet, there is another sense in which the kingdom of God has not yet fully come. Today, Barry Cooper considers the meaning behind the metaphors pertaining to God's kingdom.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-kingdom-of-god/
Far from being Jesus' last name, "Christ" is a title that carries immense meaning. Today, Barry Cooper tells of the glory that Jesus bears as the ultimate Prophet, Priest, and King.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/messiah-christ/
What does a Mesopotamian sheep herder from 4,000 years ago have to do with us? Today, Barry Cooper explains how God's promise to Abraham reveals the good news of Jesus Christ.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-abrahamic-covenant/
It has become a cliche' to say, "We're all God's children." But actually, that isn't true. Today, Barry Cooper articulates the extraordinary privilege Christians have in being adopted into the family of God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/adoption/
The Apostles' Creed isn't just a statement of Christ's past, present, and future life--it's a reminder of our present and future lives too. Today, Barry Cooper walks us through this document that has been confessed by Christians for centuries.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-apostles-creed/
A significant part of our lives is driven by the pursuit of two words: "Well done." Today, Barry Cooper observes that the pursuit of glory is not a bad thing--as long as we're seeking it in the right place.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/glory/
When we sin, we strive to substitute our own authority for God's. Today, Barry Cooper explains what makes our sin so devastating and points to another substitution as our only source of hope.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/sin/
What steps take place in the salvation of a Christian? Today, Barry Cooper provides an encouraging reminder that God's redemption of His people is an unstoppable process.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/ordo-salutis/
There's a good way of wanting to be like God--and a very bad way. Today, Barry Cooper identifies the ways we can, and ought to, imitate God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-communicable-attributes-of-god/
Jesus is the lens through we must look if we are to understand the Scriptures properly. Today, Barry Cooper emphasizes the importance of interpreting the Bible as it was meant to be interpreted.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/hermeneutics/
In the ultimate sense, there is no such thing as a job, a task, or a duty that is truly mundane. Today, Barry Cooper looks at God's purpose for our everyday work in the world.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-creation-mandate/
If it is even possible that God exists, then it follows logically that God does exist. Today, Barry Cooper walks us through Anselm's famous argument for the existence of God.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-ontological-argument/
For more than 1,800 years, Christians understood "the rapture" to be the blissful moment of Jesus' second coming. But within the last century and a half, a new interpretation emerged. Today, Barry Cooper helps us consider what the Bible says about the rapture of Christ's church.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-rapture/
The Apostles are included in "the foundation" of the Christian church (Eph. 2:20)--a foundation laid only once. Today, Barry Cooper describes the unique role these men played as the commissioned eyewitnesses of Jesus Christ.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/apostles/
In and of itself, faith isn't necessarily a virtue. It all depends on what we have faith in. Today, Barry Cooper explains that the reason it is proper to put our faith in Christ is because Christ is perfectly good and perfectly trustworthy.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/faith/
The central "spine" of the Bible can be described in a single word: covenant. Today, Barry Cooper expounds on these recurring agreements, pledges, and vows that culminate in the promised arrival of Christ Himself.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/covenant/
Peter denied Jesus by declaring, "I do not know the man." That's exactly what Christ calls us to do to our old lives when He commands us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. Today, Barry Cooper invites us to count the cost of being Jesus' disciples.
Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/disciple/
Nothing is hidden from the mind of God--past, present, or future--so nothing can surprise or confuse Him. Today, Barry Cooper introduces us to God's attribute of omniscience. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/omniscience/
Some Christians seem to think that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given only to some believers. But the whole sweep of Scripture points in the opposite direction. Today, Barry Cooper discusses how God has empowered all of His people for ministry. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-gifts-of-the-holy-spirit/
Defibrillators are not self-operated. Neither can the spiritually dead make themselves alive to Christ. Today, Barry Cooper helps us consider our need for someone else to apply the paddles to cause our spiritual hearts to beat. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/regeneration/
Anyone can come to Scripture and discover how they can be saved, even children and those lacking formal education. Today, Barry Cooper shows that the Bible is clear in its teaching about salvation and its basic principles for pleasing God. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-perspicuity-of-scripture/
You don’t need handwriting in the sky in order to discover God’s will for your life. Today, Barry Cooper helps us to distinguish between the revealed and hidden will of God and what we can know about both. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-revealed-and-hidden-will-of-god/
The Holy Spirit comes alongside us to bear our burdens, defend us, and give us strength and courage. Today, Barry Cooper examines a Greek word that richly illustrates our relationship with Christ and His Spirit. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/paraclete/
We can get in danger of being so infatuated with the idea of our sin’s forgiveness that we start to leave obedience behind. Today, Barry Cooper points out that Christians don’t take God’s law less seriously, but more seriously. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/antinomianism/
Not everyone who visibly appears in the church actually belongs to God’s redeemed people. Today, Barry Cooper helps us make the crucial distinction between the visible and invisible church. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-visible-and-invisible-church/
The existence of creation points inevitably to the existence of a Creator. Today, Barry Cooper outlines the cosmological argument for the existence of God, the first cause. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-cosmological-argument/
Salvation isn’t a 99% to 1% split between God’s participation and ours. It is entirely the work of the Lord and all the glory belongs to Him. Today, Barry Cooper explains what is at stake in the so-called "five points of Calvinism." Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/five-points-of-calvinism/
The Lord lavishes all people with His kindness, even those who ignore, belittle, or are hostile toward Him. Today, Barry Cooper explains that God’s universal patience toward a sinful creation reflects His glory in unique ways. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/common-grace/
When we ascribe a title to ourselves, we better be sure that we live up to the name. Today, Barry Cooper identifies the significance of the most common designation Jesus applied to Himself. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/son-of-man/
Why did the Lord choose us to be His people? Is it because of something we did, something He did, or maybe a little bit of both? Today, Barry Cooper shows that the Bible’s answer to this question is abundantly clear. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/predestination/
There is nowhere we can go to hide from the presence of God. He is nearer even than our own hearts. Today, Barry Cooper depicts the omnipresence or “all-presence” of God. Read the transcript:https://simplyputpodcast.com/omnipresence/
In these turbulent times, power is something of a dirty word. But God’s infinite power is supremely wonderful because it is wedded to His justice, truthfulness, and love. Today, Barry Cooper delves into the unlimited power of God. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/omnipotence/
If we are to be reconciled to God, we need more than forgiveness for breaking His law. We also require the righteousness of One who has kept God’s law perfectly. Today, Barry Cooper explains the critical distinction between Christ’s active and passive obedience for our salvation. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/active-and-passive-obedience-of-christ/
Matthew’s gospel both begins and ends with a marvelous declaration: God is with His people. Today, Barry Cooper meditates on the meaning behind one of the names given to Christ, “Immanuel.” Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/immanuel/
Repentance is the fruit, not the cause, of our salvation. Today, Barry Cooper describes the lifelong discipline of repentance to which every Christian is called. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/repentance/
As the word means “messenger,” an angel isn’t so much a type of being as it is a job description. Today, Barry Cooper presents a biblical picture of these otherworldly creatures. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/angels/
Walking an aisle and praying a prayer can never assure us of our salvation. Today, Barry Cooper asserts that true assurance accompanies a life truly changed by the gospel. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/assurance-of-salvation/
Jesus’ own words seem calculated to dissuade endless speculation about His return. Today, Barry Cooper outlines how the Bible’s revelation of the world’s end is meant to stir us to action today. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/amillennialism/
For Christians, death is a homecoming. Today, Barry Cooper portrays the Bible's depiction of what takes place between our death and resurrection. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-intermediate-state/
Sin is not a virus lurking outside of us, but a poison that defiles our hearts from within. Today, Barry Cooper helps us to delve into the depths of our sin. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/total-depravity/
Who, or what, is God's Word? Today, Barry Cooper explains why both Jesus and the Bible are called the "Word" of God. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-word-of-god/
What lies beneath our yearning for relationship and our longing for home? Today, Barry Cooper points us forward to the glorious climax of God's story of redemption. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/the-new-heavens-and-the-new-earth/
When we claim the Bible is devoid of errors, we must clarify what an error actually is. On this episode of Simply Put, Barry Cooper deciphers the doctrine of biblical inerrancy. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/inerrancy-of-scripture/
How is it possible that sixty-six distinct books seamlessly contribute to the same story? On this episode of Simply Put, Barry Cooper traces the authority of the Bible back to its divine author. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/authority-of-scripture/
Unlike what we may have been told, our existence is no accident. On this episode of Simply Put, Barry Cooper marvels at God's creation of all things from nothing. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/creation-ex-nihilo/
On this episode of Simply Put, Barry Cooper explains how Adam’s disobedience brought sin and death to all mankind. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/federalism/
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not mere masks God wears, but three eternally distinct persons. On this episode of Simply Put, Barry Cooper critiques one common but unbiblical explanation of the Trinity. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/modalism/
How would you encapsulate the Bible's teaching with both precision and beauty? On this episode of Simply Put, Barry Cooper introduces us to a classic expression of Reformed theology: the Westminster Standards. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/westminster-assembly/
When Christians receive the Lord's Supper, Christ Himself is present—but how? On this episode of Simply Put, Barry Cooper explains the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist, and Zwinglian views of the Lord’s Supper. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/four-views-of-the-lords-supper/
Have you met one of the early church's most significant theologians? On this episode of Simply Put, Barry Cooper introduces us to Athanasius and the creed that bears his name. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/athanasian-creed/
Can you summarize your faith in a few brief words? On this episode of Simply Put, Barry Cooper discusses the five solas of the Protestant Reformation and explains their relevance today. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/five-solas/
How did the early church recognize the books of the New Testament as Scripture? On this episode of Simply Put, Barry Cooper examines four signs of a book’s divine authority. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/canon-of-scripture/
Just as a painting reveals the qualities of its painter, God’s world speaks powerfully of Him. On this episode of Simply Put, Barry Cooper considers God’s general revelation in nature. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/general-revelation/
God depends on nothing and no one for His existence. On this episode of Simply Put, Barry Cooper considers the aseity of God. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/aseity-of-god/
He’s called the tempter, the accuser, the evil one, and the god of this age. On this episode of Simply Put, Barry Cooper looks at the biblical—and very real—figure of Satan. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/satan/
No royal wedding is more shocking than that of Christ and His church. On this episode of Simply Put, Barry Cooper explains why. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/imputed-righteousness/
We can never be good enough to meet the demands of God’s law. On this episode of Simply Put, Barry Cooper testifies to the One who met those demands on our behalf. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/justification/
On this episode of Simply Put, Barry Cooper considers what it means to be sanctified: to be set apart by God for a purpose. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/sanctification/
Sin isn't just what we do; it's who we are. On this first episode of Simply Put, Barry Cooper defines the term "original sin" and explains how it became our natural state. Read the transcript: https://simplyputpodcast.com/original-sin/
Simply Put is a podcast to help you build your Christian vocabulary. Listen each week to expand your understanding and deepen your faith, one word at a time. Learn more: https://simplyputpodcast.com