Our current series has focused on our union with Christ, with the last few episodes emphasizing our adoption. In the last episode, Dr. John Snyder and Acey Floyd explored the biblical foundation for our adoption in Christ.
This week, they examine the privileges available to every Christian because of our adoption. For this, they refer to John Owen’s small work “Communion with God.” While the entire book is a treasure, they focus on chapter 17 in this episode. In these pages, Owen discusses what we have access to because of our relationship with Jesus and some of the objective realities that should appear in the life of a Christian.
Show Notes:
Communion with God by John Owen https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/communion-with-god/
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A few times a year we want to visit a classic work of Christendom. Rather than spending a long series walking through the work, we try to discuss it all in one long-form discussion. For this episode of Navigating the Classics, Dr. John Snyder is joined by Chris Green and Steve Crampton to take a look at Anselm’s Cur Deus Homo, which translates to “Why God Human.”
Anselm, who was a church leader eleventh century and sought to answer two criticisms of the Christian faith. The first was a claim that God is too holy to have become a human. The other claim was that if Jesus was the God-man, His death on the cross was no essential to our salvation.
The approach of the book was not unique for Anselm’s time, but he utilizes a device not often seen today. It is written in the form of a conversation between Anselm and a pupil. He sets up questions from his pupil that he wants to answer and then begins the conversation.
Throughout the work, Anselm shows that he is very gifted in both logic and communication. While Cur Deus Homo is a work of philosophy, it is a treasure trove for the Christian.
Perhaps you have never heard of this book, but if you have and you have put off listening to it, let us encourage you to take on the task and reap the rewards it contains.
Read what R.C. Sproul had to say about Cur Deus Homo: https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/cur-deus-homo
Physical Copy: https://www.amazon.com/Cur-Deus-Homo-Saint-Anselm/dp/1411646436
Digital Copy: https://www.monergism.com/search?keywords=cur+deus+homo&format=All

A few weeks ago, Teddy James visited Granbury, Texas, to meet with Dr. Stephen Yuille. Dr. Yuille is Professor of Church History and Spiritual Formation in the School of Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and pastor of Fairview Covenant Church.
The Media Gratiae team was introduced to Dr. Yuille through several of his books including The Blessed and Boundless God and The Inner Sanctum of Puritan Piety: John Flavel’s Doctrine of Mysical Union with Christ. Both of these books we wholeheartedly recommend to you.
Teddy’s visit wasn’t just to spend time in one of the most welcoming little towns he has ever seen. It was to film a new study for Media Gratiae, taught by Dr. Yuille, on the book of Galatians. You can expect to hear more about that study in the coming months. But this week we wanted to give you a chance to meet Dr. Yuille and hear a bit of his heart for Christ and His bride, the church.
We pray this episode will be a blessing to you, but also give you fuel to pray for us and Dr. Yuille as we continue serving in the ways and means God has given us to further His kingdom and train the church.
Show Notes:
Blessed and Boundless God – https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/the-blessed-and-boundless-god-swinnock.html
The Inner Sanctum of Puritan Piety: John Flavel’s Doctrine of Mystical Union with Christ – https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/the-inner-sanctum-of-puritan-piety-john-flavels-doctrine-of-mystical-union-with-christ-ebook-yuille.html
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This week, Dr. John Snyder is joined by Acey Floyd again to continue discussing the Christian’s union with Jesus Christ. If Jesus were only our kinsman redeemer, high priest, and propitiation, that would be more than anything we could dream of. But Scripture goes further and tells us He is also our elder brother. We are joint heirs with Him. This is a reality that, if we were told it by a preacher, we would say he was going too far. But we can read those very words in Hebrews 12.
So what does this relationship with Christ have to do with adoption, and what effect does adoption have on our Christian lives? Everything. Adoption is how we can be certain that our relationship with God isn’t based on our merits or on our progressive sanctification. Our relationship with Him is as certain as His relationship to Jesus. Even though Jesus is begotten and not adopted, the Father is still pleased to call us His children. That will never change because it is based on Himself and upon the work of Jesus Christ.
We have mentioned this book throughout this series, but if you have not gotten a copy of John Murray’s “Redemption Accomplished and Applied,” let us encourage you to find a copy and read it. Then read it again. Then read it again. It has been a tremendous blessing to us, and we believe it will be a help to you as well.
Show Notes:
Redemption Accomplished and Applied by John Murray
John 1:12-13
Galatian 4:6
Romans 8:15-17
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We are back in the studio this week with Dr. John Snyder and Acey Floyd. Continuing our discussion on the believer’s union with Christ, the duo this time focuses on the doctrine of sanctification. Salvation is a massive reality. It takes a person who was once spiritually dead and makes them alive. It takes a person who was once an enemy of God and brings him or her to adoption. We hate what we once loved and love what we once hated. And all of this is done by the work of our Triune God.
But sanctification is more complex because it involves unpredictable, inconsistent us. We fluctuate from warm to cold-hearted, from completely focused on Christ to distracted by the cares of the world. We sin and repent. To understand this complex reality, we need to look at sanctification in two categories: positional and practical.
On the positional side of things, we see that we have been purchased by Christ and therefore are made holy. That means we are separated to everything in Him and from everything not in Him.
In the practical category, we see a life being progressively transformed to reflect the new family we have been adopted into. This means every day we will see more and more areas taken captive for our Lord and brought to submission of His will.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones offers wonderful help in this part of the conversation through his commentary on Romans 6. We are now dead to sin and therefore cannot have sin reigning in our mortal bodies. We highly recommend that if you have not read through that commentary, make the investment and read through it now.
Show Notes:
Exposition of Chapter 6: The New Man by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/sermons-and-expositions/romans-6/
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A few weeks ago, Dr. John Snyder was in Nova Scotia, Canada, to teach a theological intensive for local pastors. The theme of the seminar was Union with Christ, a familiar topic if you’ve been following the podcast. During a short break in the teaching, John sat down with Dave Story and Hugh Morrison. These two men have been faithful pastors in their areas for years. They have also been instrumental in discipling and training many of the younger pastors at the retreat.
John, Dave, and Hugh take the opportunity to share with you the spiritual needs of Canada, what community evangelism and engagement can look like, and some practices for training young men with an interest in ministry.
Because we were recording with limited equipment, our audio is not up to our normal standard. We have cleaned it up to the best of our ability and apologize for the subpar quality.
 
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aul writes in Ephesians commanding us to address one another with “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart (Ephesians 5:19). The Christian faith is a singing faith. We worship, learn, and fellowship in song. We praise, worship, and mourn to timeless melodies.
But not all hymns are created equal. And not all hymns are equally timeless. Even some of today’s most beloved hymns are substantially different from their original versions. In this special episode, Dr. John Snyder has Jeremy Walker on the podcast to discuss a work he has been actively pursuing for over 10 years. He is seeking to recover and update classic hymns for today’s churches.
Make sure you follow Media Gratiae over the coming months as we will work in conjunction with Jeremy to make this project widely available.
Show Notes:
Spurgeon’s Our Own Hymnbook: https://hymnary.org/hymnal/SOHB2019
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The topic of justification, the objective reality of being united to Christ, is so vast that we couldn’t cover it in a single episode. To be honest, we could spend several weeks focusing solely on this topic and still only scratch the surface of what could be said.
Last week Dr. John Snyder and Acey Floyd talked about justification from our side: How can we be made right with God. This week we look at justification from God’s perspective: How can a holy and just God declare the guilty man right?
We start by looking at God’s character and then what He has said throughout Scripture. As theologians of the past have stated, God constitutes sinners to make them right with the law by uniting us to Jesus Christ. His innocence before the law, His perfect obedience to the law are imputed to every Christian. And every sin committed by the Christian is imputed, or placed upon, Jesus Christ on the cross.
Show Notes:
Romans 3:25-26
Romans 5:17
For further reading:
God’s Gospel of Grace – https://www.chapellibrary.org/book/ggog/gods-gospel-of-grace
Ligonier 12-session study on Union with Christ by Sinclair Ferguson – https://www.ligonier.org/learn/series/union-with-christ
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God reveals Himself to be perfectly just, perfectly holy, and perfectly wise. So how could this perfect Being unite His perfect Son to fallen humanity? How can man, who has rebelled against God’s sovereignty since our first parents, ever have a right standing before this Supreme Judge?
Therein lies the sweet doctrine of justification. That is the focus of this week’s conversation between Dr. John Snyder and Acey Floyd. They explore God’s plan to justify a fallen people so there can be communion between us and Him, what justification does not do, and what the final, eternal result of justification is.
Show Notes:
Key Scriptures: Job 25
Job 15
Psalm 89:14
Deuteronomy 32:3-4
Deuteronomy 25
Proverbs 17
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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So far in our series, we’ve discussed how we are united with Christ in life. His perfect and obedient life is credited to our sinful and rebellious lives. However, Scripture goes further, stating that we are also united with Him in His obedient, yet horrific death because Jesus is our sacrificial Lamb.
This week, Acey Floyd leads the discussion with Dr. John Snyder, exploring Old Testament descriptions of Jesus’s death and their New Testament fulfillment. All the scriptures Acey summarizes can be found below.
But what does it mean to be united or baptized into Jesus’s death? As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones articulates in his commentary on Romans 6, it means that we are dead to the power of sin. The death of Christ empowers every Christian to overcome sin. While we will never be perfectly sinless, we will ultimately conquer sin to the glorify of God.
Show Notes:
Redemption Accomplished and Applied by John Murray
Blog Post: https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/union-with-christ-ii-the-nature-of-our-union
Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Romans 6: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/sermons-and-expositions/romans-6/
Scriptures mentioned:
Deuteronomy 21:22-23
Psalm 22:6-8
Psalm 22:12-21
Isaiah 53:1-3
Isaiah 53:4-6
Isaiah 53:7-9
Isaiah 53:10-12
Mark 10:37-38
Galatians 3:13-14
Romans 6:3-4
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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