Why Calvinism Misunderstands Election in Romans 9

Why are we talking about NEW Articles of Faith in the Global Methodist Church? with Dr. David Watson

The Global Methodist Church is considering adopting a new doctrinal statement called the Articles of Faith. In this conversation, Dr. David Watson sits down with Dr. Matt O'Reilly to discuss WHY we're looking at this, how we got to this point, and where things go from here. We answer some of the questions that have come up in the last few weeks and reflect on the purpose of this confessional statement. Jason Vickers compares the EUB Confession with the Articles of Religion: https://archives.gcah.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/d695ad25-f74a-4934-a569-04b4163e6e6f/content [https://archives.gcah.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/d695ad25-f74a-4934-a569-04b4163e6e6f/content] Dr. David Watson is President of Asbury Theological Seminary and Chair of the Discipleship, Doctrine, and Just Ministry Commission. He is the author of Scripture and the Life of God (https://amzn.to/48XaRE4) and Faith and Fire (https://amzn.to/488gAH2) coauthored with Kevin Watson. GET UPDATES FROM THEOLOGY PROJECT https://www.theologyproject.online/subscribe [https://www.theologyproject.online/subscribe] MATT'S BRAND NEW BOOKS Free to Be Holy: A Biblical Theology of Sanctification https://amzn.to/4gOn4gN [https://amzn.to/4gOn4gN] (print) https://amzn.to/47pttuz [https://amzn.to/47pttuz] (Kindle) GET THE VIDEOS https://my.seedbed.com/product/free-to-be-holy/ [https://my.seedbed.com/product/free-to-be-holy/] Reconstructing Methodism: Crucial Issues Facing the Global Methodist Church https://amzn.to/3TnkYKS [https://amzn.to/3TnkYKS] MATT'S OTHER BOOKS Paul and the Resurrected Body: Social Identity and Ethical Practice https://amzn.to/2xOJmyj [https://amzn.to/2xOJmyj] The Letters to the Thessalonians (w/ videos) https://amzn.to/3B0m6su [https://amzn.to/3B0m6su] Bless the Nations https://amzn.to/3eEpiiF [https://amzn.to/3eEpiiF] SOCIAL https://www.instagram.com/mattoreillyauthor/ [https://www.instagram.com/mattoreillyauthor/] https://www.facebook.com/mattoreillyauthor [https://www.facebook.com/mattoreillyauthor] https://www.facebook.com/theologyprojectonline [https://www.facebook.com/theologyprojectonline] https://twitter.com/mporeilly [https://twitter.com/mporeilly] VISIT https://www.theologyproject.online [https://www.theologyproject.online] https://christchurchbham.com [https://christchurchbham.com] Music: "Steps" by Anno Domini Beats - Used with permission. This page contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

What does the Bible say about heaven, resurrection, and life after death?

In this clip, Dr. Matt O'Reilly explains the difference between "going to heaven when you die" and the biblical teaching of future bodily resurrection. If you've ever wondered what the Bible says about life after death, this episode is for you.    MATT'S BRAND NEW BOOKS Free to Be Holy: A Biblical Theology of Sanctification https://amzn.to/4gOn4gN [https://amzn.to/4gOn4gN](print) https://amzn.to/47pttuz [https://amzn.to/47pttuz] (Kindle)   Reconstructing Methodism: Crucial Issues Facing the Global Methodist Church https://amzn.to/3TnkYKS [https://amzn.to/3TnkYKS]   MATT'S OTHER BOOKS Paul and the Resurrected Body: Social Identity and Ethical Practice https://amzn.to/2xOJmyj [https://amzn.to/2xOJmyj] The Letters to the Thessalonians (w/ videos) https://amzn.to/3B0m6su [https://amzn.to/3B0m6su] Bless the Nations https://amzn.to/3eEpiiF [https://amzn.to/3eEpiiF] GET UPDATES FROM THEOLOGY PROJECT https://www.theologyproject.online/subscribe [https://www.theologyproject.online/subscribe]       This page contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Is Christianity True?

Is Christianity True? In a world filled with questions, doubts, and competing truth claims, many people wonder whether Christianity can still be trusted. In this sermon, Matt O’Reilly explores one of the most common and pressing questions people ask about faith: Is Christianity true? Along the way, he names the real objections people raise—about science, suffering, hypocrisy in the church, the reliability of the Bible, and the fear that faith requires blind belief. Rather than dismissing these questions or offering quick intellectual fixes, this message invites listeners to step back and consider a deeper question that the Gospel itself raises: Can Jesus be trusted? Drawing from the scene of Jesus’ trial—where Pilate famously asks, “What is truth?”—this sermon shows that Christianity does not ultimately present truth as a mere argument or proposition, but as a person. And that person reveals the truth not by coercion or force, but through self-giving love. You don’t have to have all the answers to experience love. You can trust someone who is willing to bleed for you. This message is especially for: * Those who are skeptical, curious, or questioning Christianity * Those who feel torn between faith and doubt * Those who have been hurt or disillusioned by the church * Christians who want a more humble, patient, and loving way to engage hard questions If you’ve ever wondered whether Jesus can be trusted, this sermon invites you to consider the truth revealed in love, and to explore your questions within a community shaped by grace. GET UPDATES FROM THEOLOGY PROJECT https://www.theologyproject.online/subscribe [https://www.theologyproject.online/subscribe] MATT'S BRAND NEW BOOK Free to Be Holy: A Biblical Theology of Sanctification https://amzn.to/4gOn4gN [https://amzn.to/4gOn4gN]     This page contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Why Calvinism Misunderstands Election in Romans 9

A lot of people assume Romans 9 obviously teaches the Calvinist doctrine of unconditional election. They think it means that God selected a set and unchangeable number of people to save and passed over the rest. If you're among the chosen, congratulations. If you're not, well... In this episode, Dr. Matt O'Reilly explains why Romans 9 does not, in fact, teach unconditional individual election. Rather, the apostle Paul sets forth in Romans 9 a vision of corporate election (the group as a whole is chosen) in which individuals may move into and out of the elect group. MATT'S BRAND NEW BOOKS Free to Be Holy: A Biblical Theology of Sanctification https://amzn.to/4gOn4gN [https://amzn.to/4gOn4gN](print) https://amzn.to/47pttuz [https://amzn.to/47pttuz] (Kindle)   Reconstructing Methodism: Crucial Issues Facing the Global Methodist Church https://amzn.to/3TnkYKS [https://amzn.to/3TnkYKS]   MATT'S OTHER BOOKS Paul and the Resurrected Body: Social Identity and Ethical Practice https://amzn.to/2xOJmyj [https://amzn.to/2xOJmyj] The Letters to the Thessalonians (w/ videos) https://amzn.to/3B0m6su [https://amzn.to/3B0m6su] Bless the Nations https://amzn.to/3eEpiiF [https://amzn.to/3eEpiiF] GET UPDATES FROM THEOLOGY PROJECT https://www.theologyproject.online/subscribe [https://www.theologyproject.online/subscribe]   Music used with permission - "Steps" by Anno Domini Beats   This page contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

How do you answer these two questions about Christmas?

Who is Jesus—and what did he come to do? Luke 2 doesn’t answer those questions with abstract theology or lofty claims. It answers them with a story. In this episode, we slow down and listen carefully to Luke’s Christmas narrative—not as sentimental background music for the season, but as a bold theological proclamation. In a world ordered by emperors, censuses, power, and prestige, Luke introduces Jesus in a radically different key: born in obscurity, laid in a manger, announced not to elites but to shepherds on the margins. So who is Jesus, really? And what kind of mission begins this way? Drawing on the Jesus' birth narrative in the Gospel of Luke, we explore how Luke presents Jesus as the true Lord whose identity stands in quiet but profound contrast to the rulers of his age. And we ask what Jesus came to do—not merely to offer private comfort or future escape, but to inaugurate God’s saving reign through humility, peace, and faithfulness. This episode invites you to hear Luke 2 with fresh ears and deeper attention—to see how the identity and mission of Jesus are woven together from the very beginning, and why that still matters for how we understand the gospel today.   Merry Christmas!   MATT'S BRAND NEW BOOK Free to Be Holy: A Biblical Theology of Sanctification https://amzn.to/4gOn4gN [https://amzn.to/4gOn4gN] (print) https://amzn.to/47pttuz [https://amzn.to/47pttuz] (Kindle) GET THE VIDEOS https://my.seedbed.com/product/free-to-be-holy/ [https://my.seedbed.com/product/free-to-be-holy/] GET UPDATES FROM THEOLOGY PROJECT https://www.theologyproject.online/subscribe [https://www.theologyproject.online/subscribe] This page contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. Music used with permission - "Steps" by Anno Domini Beats