One of the most poignant ideas found in the Bible is the theme of rejection of the Messiah. But the blow is worsened by the fact that, in a biblical worldview, rejection of the Messiah is inextricably linked with rejection of the Creator of the cosmos. Much like the son who sits in the lap of his father while slapping his face, or the man with the saw tirelessly sawing away at the very branch holding him firmly to the tree, mankind rejects his maker. We are going to look at these rejection motif...
Dec 04, 2020•37 min•Ep. 151
In the Book of John, we are introduced to the Word, who we find out is also the Creator. John continues his logic in denoting that, within the Word, is life. And, whatever that “life” is, it is also the light of men. While these are familiar verses of Scripture, what may be unfamiliar to you is the deep theological connection these concepts share with the Hebrew Bible. In this episode of the Bible Nerd Podcast, we’ll take a deep dive into these verses of Scripture to uncover the essence and impo...
Nov 18, 2020•56 min•Ep. 150
When we think of the name “Jesus” any number of images immediately come to mind. We think of Jesus as the One who died for us. We think of him as the Lord of all and Savior-King. We think of him as the baby, lying in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes. But what rarely crosses our minds is a startling truth about Jesus that the Bible is anything but silent about. In fact, it’s central to John’s theology and grounds his arguments in the entire first chapter of his book. The fact is—Jesus is th...
Nov 12, 2020•23 min•Ep. 149
John chapter 1 introduces us to the Person of Jesus…as the Second Person of the Trinity: The Word. In Greek, the word is logos , meaning “word” or “message.” When we endeavor to dive deeper into the text, we find some amazing things, including: How the trinity solves the most ancient and fundamental philosophical problem known to man. An explicit articulation of multiplicity in the godhead. The relation of, yet distinctions between, the Word and the Wisdom of God (a common Old Testament theme). ...
Nov 05, 2020•40 min•Ep. 148
A recent question from a reader of mine sparked the idea that it may be time to bring up the issue of apologetics methodology again… Here is something insightful that my friend Jonathan had to say: I see then the value of tearing down false authorities which compete with God’s Word—it is fairly simple to show that, taken in isolation, human logic & evidence-based methods are inadequate as means of judging the truth of God & His Word. If I’m not mistaken, the real challenge which confront...
Oct 06, 2020•23 min•Ep. 147
We often see t-shirts, signs, and other paraphernalia promoting biblically based concepts… That have been ripped entirely of their biblical context and used to promote unbiblical ideas. While this is unfortunate, it happens ALL the time. What can be done? Promoting real, biblical kindness. Listen to this week’s Bible Nerd Podcast for more: https://www.steveschramm.com/be-kind-no-like-actually/ Enduring Together, Steve The post Be Kind. No, like, Actually. appeared first on Steve Schramm Ministri...
Sep 29, 2020•15 min•Ep. 146
When we really love something, it’s not hard to defend it. For example: Your family. Wouldn’t you defend your family if they were being falsely accused or afflicted? Your freedom. When push comes to shove, many of us stand and fight for the freedom we enjoy here in America. Your friends. You wouldn’t let your friends go without a defense if they needed you to step up. What about the Bible though? Do you love—and know it—well enough to defend it? Here’s the link to listen: www.SteveSchramm.com/lo...
Sep 22, 2020•9 min•Ep. 145
Have you ever heard of cancel culture? It’s a shame that this thinking has often drifted into the church. In this episode of the Bible Nerd Podcast, I spend a couple minutes dealing with an example I’ve seen of creationist “cancel culture” and what we can do to be biblically faithful all while avoiding a bad attitude. Here’s the link: https://www.steveschramm.com/creationist-cancel-culture Enduring Together, Steve The post Creationist Cancel Culture appeared first on Steve Schramm Ministries ....
Sep 15, 2020•11 min•Ep. 144
Hello, friends! It has been a short while since our last time together, and I wanted to pop in for a few moments to give an update, some announcements, and share with you a message I gave recently at church. Here are some important highlights/links you may want to know about: The podcast IS coming back. I am still taking a hiatus, but the question is definitely NOT, “Are you coming back?” I certainly am. I recently released a physical version of my book, God, the Great Commission, and You . Here...
Aug 25, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 143
Hey guys! I sure hope this finds you doing well. If you’ve been listening along to the Bible Nerd Podcast for awhile and following along here on the blog, I want to say THANK YOU so much! I have an update for you—it’s less than 5 minutes, so be sure to take a listen below. Thanks! The post A SUPER Exciting Update About the Podcast appeared first on Steve Schramm Ministries ....
Jul 22, 2020•6 min•Ep. 142
As Christians, a primary concern of ours ought to be the evangelism of the lost. This has always been a particularly difficult idea for me, though, because I am certainly an introverted person and do have difficulty connecting with others in spontaneous encounters. I have written about this before here , and even wrote a book that deals with this in more depth. Suffice it to say, I believe that there is a place on the spectrum where all personality styles can shine; in other words, there’s no ex...
Jul 14, 2020•35 min•Ep. 141
We’re changing it up this week a little bit on the blog and podcast. Below you’ll find a detailed outline I used when I taught an overview of the Book of Daniel. The podcast will be a teaching discussion of this outline, so feel free to read the outline as if it were a blog post, but the most beneficial would undoubtedly be to hear the podcast discussion on this one. Many blessings! WRITER: The authorship and dating of Daniel are highly controversial, with folks (even Bible-believing Christians)...
Jul 07, 2020•55 min•Ep. 140
Although evolution and abiogenesis are two very important parts of the origins conversation, there is often some confusion about how these relate to one another. Are they ultimately the same thing? Is there a distinction? What, if any, is the distinction? Do they relate to one another in some way? These are important questions that we will attempt to answer as we go along. I would like to frame our discussion in terms of the two most common viewpoints with respect to this issue. Typically, the c...
Jun 30, 2020•28 min•Ep. 139
The below is an excerpt from my upcoming book, How to Fall in Love with The Bible: And Beat Bible Boredom Once and For All. It has been slightly edited and formatted for publishing on the blog. Enjoy! — When we think about “context” there are certain concepts that come to mind involving grammar, genre, literary devices, and other linguistic features. More astute individuals will go even beyond this to include extra-biblical historical referents, where the text is within the larger canon of Scrip...
Jun 23, 2020•47 min•Ep. 138
Genesis 3:6-8 provides a sobering look into the human condition: And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the ga...
Jun 16, 2020•50 min•Ep. 137
The reductio ad absurdum is perhaps one of the most useful and important philosophical arguments. The Latin name given to the argument seeks to accurately describe it—that is, it means to “reduce to absurdity.” The point is easy to grasp, I think. An argument that is self-refuting is one that can be reduced to absurdity. This argument is a favorite among presuppositional apologists because the PA’s point is that non-Christian worldviews all reduce to absurdity. Although it’s tempting, I will ref...
Jun 09, 2020•41 min•Ep. 136
I’ve recently been in a discussion with a friend of mine (and faithful reader of the blog!) about the divine council worldview . Among other things, we discussed concerns about the “gods” of Psalm 82. Here it is in its entirety: God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; He judgeth among the gods. How long will ye judge unjustly, And accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. Defend the poor and fatherless: Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: Rid them out of the...
Jun 02, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 135
What is ministry? The word “ministry” has a variety of contexts, and I think it’s something quite often misunderstood. There’s a danger in thinking you are not really in ministry unless you are serving full time in a pastoral position. I think this is quite mistaken thinking. It is true that certain people are called by God to do specific tasks that we often associate with “ministry”—however, as we’ll discuss below there’s much more to it than that. More Than Professional Right off the bat, it s...
May 26, 2020•32 min•Ep. 134
Note: This post makes mention of Ravi Zacharias. It is with a heavy heart that I must acknowledge a tragic independent report concerning evidence of sexual abuse and predatory behavior on the part of Ravi Zacharias. This man was a huge inspiration to me, as is evident from reading my blog, and the news was more than heart shattering. Some ministries leaders have come to the conclusion that removing articles about and references to Ravi is the right move; I have come to a different conclusion, an...
May 19, 2020•28 min•Ep. 133
Without a doubt, one of the most important questions one can ask is, “How can I know I’m saved?” In many ways, this is the most basic question a person can ask! And yet, the question is actually quite complex. There are words to define, concepts to explore, and beliefs to espouse before one can really have a satisfactory answer. As we explore a biblical answer to this question, it may be as good a time as any to reflect honestly on your answer. Saved? Most of us grow up with the notion that ther...
May 12, 2020•35 min•Ep. 132
We’re just off the heels of another Easter season, which should be a favorite time of year for all Christians. I know it is one of mine! We not only get to celebrate our Savior’s Passion for us, but we are presented with new opportunities to present it in the public arena. I spent the other day listening to debates, lectures, and Q&A sessions around the Resurrection of Jesus . One such presentation from none other than Dr. Lydia McGrew, one of the smartest and sweetest Christian ladies and p...
May 05, 2020•22 min•Ep. 131
There are multiple references to marriage in the Bible. In fact, many go so far as to say that God invented marriage. Of course, I agree. But so many make the mistaking of thinking marriage is more of a constitutional union. In other words, one is married insofar as they have a piece of paper that declares it to be so. This isn’t necessarily wrong, but it is not the full picture. Early on in my ministry, I wrote about the true definition of marriage: Marriage has nothing to do with love, feeling...
Apr 28, 2020•19 min•Ep. 130
When I first started the podcast (2017!!!) I began with a sharp focus on creationism. Around 50 episodes in, I rebranded to the Steve Schramm Show in order to speak to more broad topics, because I was getting low on time to devote to the ministry and was going to have to stop blogging. At this time, I am able to keep a consistent schedule blogging each week, and my podcast episodes are usually a more in-depth dive into that blog topic, using it as an outline/manuscript and expanding from there. ...
Apr 25, 2020•6 min•Ep. 129
God’s Word is, no doubt, the most influential book that has ever been written—and it was written in Hebrew and Greek—not English. Even the concept itself is striking. The God who created the universe wants to communicate with us, and used the written word to do it. It should not come as a shock that much time, money, and effort is given to the process of discovering the accurate reading and understanding of biblical texts. Of course, those resources are not limited to the discovery of God’s Word...
Apr 21, 2020•24 min•Ep. 128
Part of the problem when sharing your faith with biblical skeptics is that, more often than not, they have little training in biblical theology, which often results in their having a bad theology. Some of them have plenty of training, but little thoughtfulness. In other words, rather than approaching the Bible charitably, they usually assume the truth of whatever theological narrative fits their narrative. I’ve seen this in various groups of people: Those who used to profess to be Christians but...
Apr 14, 2020•41 min•Ep. 127
This week, I’m excited to release this special edition of the podcast, which features an interview between myself and a friend of mine, Aaron Simpkins, on the True Strength Life podcast. We had a fabulous discussion about the evidence for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It’s Easter season, and for many of us, this is a time in history unlike any we’ve ever seen. And in a time when many are seeking hope and desperate to find it, I am so thankful that Jesus is who he is and did what he...
Apr 11, 2020•1 hr 59 min•Ep. 126
“The name of the Lord” is a phrase used throughout Scripture by multiple different authors. I wonder if we truly grasp what it really means, though, to call upon his name? I get the sense that this is one of those ideas that has been cliché in Christian culture, such that its true meaning and/or significance is actually lost among those who are familiar with it. The author of a popular-level book based on her exciting contribution to the scholarly theological literature, Bearing God’s Name , rel...
Apr 07, 2020•18 min•Ep. 125
When it comes to reading the Bible, there is no shortage of optional plans, methods, and routines to choose from. But what if your version of reading the Bible is not contributing to your Christian growth, and stunting it instead? I have little doubt that, growing up, you received advice that sounded something like: Read your Bible cover to cover once per year. Every morning read another few verses. Et cetera. This always seemed challenging to me. And though I have done it a few times now, someh...
Mar 31, 2020•29 min•Ep. 124
While reading the response to a question on Quora a while back, another user’s question caught my eye. What makes having kids worth it? , the questioner asked. My first inclination was to think, what kind of question is that?! But as I thought deeper, it became clear that this question is quite revealing about the current state of our culture. In our world, kids are treated as though they are an inconvenience. They are an “add-on” that some parents find nice to have, and others would rather not....
Mar 24, 2020•18 min•Ep. 123
For Christmas, I received an awesome Zox wristband. (By the way, these things rock, and each purchase provides a YEAR of clean water to someone living in need.) One side of the wristband has a neat wood/orange pattern. The other side says, “Against the Grain.” As I looked down at that wristband one day, it occurred to me that, as Christians, this is exactly what we ought to do. Unfortunately, we live in a world of identity politics. The way you are treated by those wishing to promote this system...
Mar 17, 2020•7 min•Ep. 122
