The PursueGOD Truth Podcast

Understanding the shift from receiving God's grace through faith to actively walking out a life that honors Him. While salvation is entirely a free gift, the very first step of obedience Jesus commands is a strange, ancient, wet ritual: baptism. This episode wrestles with the tension between grace and works, explores the rich 1st-century cultural backdrop of baptizo, and explains why getting wet in front of a crowd is the essential "early win" for every follower of Christ.
Key Takeaways
Baptism Does Not Save You: Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Physical water cannot wash away moral guilt—only the Holy Spirit brings spiritual rebirth (Titus 3:5). The thief on the cross is the ultimate proof that baptism is not required to enter heaven.
The Shift from Mikva'ot to Baptizo: Unlike Jewish ritual purification baths (mikva'ot) which were self-administered, repeatable maintenance routines, Christian baptism is passive (done to you) and a once-and-for-all declaration of permanent identity change—much like fabric fully saturated and recolored in dye (baptizo).
The "Early Win" of Obedience: Just as military recruits practice making their beds at 0500 to build the muscle of immediate obedience, baptism serves as a simple, low-stakes step of faith. It trains believers to say "yes" to Jesus before facing harder, high-stakes sacrifices.
The Wedding Ring of Faith: Baptism functions like a wedding band. Losing the ring doesn't make you single, but refusing to wear it reveals a heart issue. It is the outward, physical sign of an inward, relational covenant.

Scripture References
Matthew 28:19 — The command to make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Titus 3:5 — Salvation comes through God's mercy and spiritual regeneration, not righteous human deeds.
Acts 8:36 — The Ethiopian eunuch's urgent response to be baptized immediately upon believing.
Romans 6:3–4 — Being buried with Christ through baptism into death, and raised to walk in newness of life.

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The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you’re looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday.
Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.
Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.
Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.
Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.
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What is the difference between knowing about Jesus and actually being saved by Him? In this comprehensive episode of the PursueGOD Truth Podcast, Pastor Bryan tackles the single most defining question of human existence: What is saving faith? Many sincere people confuse historical awareness and intellectual agreement with true spiritual rebirth, remaining on the "sinking ship" of self-sovereignty despite knowing about the "lifeboat" of Christ. Moving through core biblical principles, this single-host deep dive dismantles religious myths, explores the primal motivation of God's love, unpacks the true heart of repentance, highlights the power of public confession, and celebrates the radical gift of pure grace—proving that no past is too dark and no faith is too fragile for God’s saving power.
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The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you’re looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday.
Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.
Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.
Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.
Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.
Donate Now
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Key Takeaways
Mental Assent is NOT Saving Faith: Agreeing that Jesus existed or died on a cross doesn't save you; you must move from intellectual agreement to active, personal trust.
God’s Love is the Primal Motivation: Salvation originates in God’s unprompted love , not in human performance or transactional religious rituals.
Repentance is a Mind Shift (Metanoia): Biblical repentance is not merely feeling guilty or regretful; it is a complete $180 degree turn away from self-sovereignty toward God.
Confession Means Agreement (Homologeō): Declaring "Jesus is Lord" means saying the same thing God says about Jesus and yielding absolute allegiance to Him over every worldly power.
Salvation is 100% Grace (Charis): Because humanity is spiritually dead in sin, salvation cannot be earned or partially paid for; it is an unmerited gift received through faith alone.
Object Over Intensity: The safety of your salvation rests on the solid rock of Jesus—the object of your faith—not the emotional strength or intellectual perfection of your belief.

Jesus is the most written about, fought over, and misunderstood person in history. But who was he, really? What does the Bible say? Peter’s sermon in Acts 10 – the first sermon preached specifically to non-Jews – shows us five teachings of the early church on who Jesus was and what he did to save us.
View series on PursueGOD.org: Pursuit (Series)
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The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you’re looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday.
Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.
Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.
Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.
Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.
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Lord of All
The first teaching about Jesus starts with his identity. Was he just a prophet or priest, or was he something more? Peter answers:
Acts 10:36 (NLT) There is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. Peter calls Jesus “Lord,” a reference to his divinity. Jesus is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity (John 1:1-4). Jesus himself taught this (John 8:58), and his followers believed it. Scripture affirms that Jesus is fully God, creator and sustainer of all things.
Colossians 1:15,19-20 (NLT) Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation…. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself.But why does this matter? Why is it important to believe that Jesus is fully God instead of just a good man? The answer is that Jesus could not offer us “peace with God” if he were merely human. Jesus is God, and his divinity qualifies him to be our savior.
But let’s not miss the last part of Acts 10:36. Jesus is Lord of “all,” not just Lord of the Israelites. God’s desire from the beginning was that all people would come to know him. That’s why Peter was preaching this sermon in the first place. God had sent him to the house of a Gentile, and this was the inauguration of a new kind of movement. Christianity would be a faith for both Jews and Gentiles, because Jesus is Lord of all.
Perfectly Good
The next teaching fills us in on Christ’s activity while he was here on the earth. What kind of a person was he? How did he live?
Acts 10:38 (NLT) Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.Jesus was a miracle worker unlike anything the world had ever seen. He cast out demons (Luke 4:40-41) and healed lepers (Luke 5:12-13). He miraculously fed thousands (Matthew 14:13-21), walked on water (Matthew 14:22-33), and even raised a dead guy to life (John 11:38-44).
On top of his miracles, Jesus “went around doing good.” This affirms what we learned about God earlier in this series. God is for you, not against you. He’s a good God, and Jesus proved it by his actions while he walked this earth.
But most important of all was what Jesus didn’t do: he never sinned. Jesus was perfect and sinless from start to finish. During his lifetime Jesus proved his power over sin and its consequences. Read his story for yourself and here’s what you’ll find: Jesus was fully God and fully man, living a sinless life and perfectly modeling the love of God.
Again, why is this important? Consider this: if Jesus had been a sinner like the rest of us, then he would have had to die for his own sins. But since he was sinless, he could go to the cross on our behalf. The sin-debt that he paid could be credited to our account, because Jesus didn’t owe on the debt.
Crucified and Risen
So far we’ve learned that Jesus is fully God and perfectly sinless. That sets us up for the core teaching of the early church on the person and work of Jesus: he died and rose again. The power of faith in Jesus hinges on these two simple, historical facts.
Acts 10:39-40 (NLT) They put him to death by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him to life on the third day. Jesus was about thirty three years old when the Jews put him on trial and the Romans nailed him to the cross (Luke 23:44-46, 24:1-6). From the outside looking in, this was an epic tragedy. But it was God’s plan all along, even though nobody saw it coming (Isaiah 53:8-10).
And here’s the most important part: Jesus didn’t stay dead. He rose from the grave after three days, proving once and for all his power over sin and death. This is central to the Christian faith, because a dead savior would be no savior at all:
1 Corinthians 15:14 (NLT) And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.But how do we know that the resurrection isn’t just a myth? The simplest proof was the response of his closest followers. Though they abandoned Jesus in fear before the crucifixion, they sold out their lives to his message just three days later. Almost all of Jesus’ first disciples died for their faith, because they firmly believed that Jesus was raised to life.
Judge of All
The fourth point of Peter’s sermon might come as a surprise to modern listeners. Up until now it has all been good news. But Peter adds a stern warning:
Acts 10:42 (NLT) Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. The Bible teaches that someday Jesus will judge you for every good and bad thing you’ve ever done. And here’s the bad news: left to yourself, there’s no hope of passing the test at the end of eternity. You were born into sin, remember? The thought of a judgment day should get every person’s attention (Hebrews 10:31). That’s why Peter included it in his sermon.
God is not only loving; he is also fair. And so we can’t blame God for not flippantly dismissing our sins (Romans 2:9,16). God did not cancel his wrath against us – he spent it on his Son. At the cross, the justice of God collides with the love of God in the person of Jesus.
Forgiver of Sins
Thank God that Peter doesn’t end his sermon at judgment! Here’s the final truth he teaches us about Jesus:
Acts 10:43 (NLT) Everyone who believes in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name. This is the new birth that Jesus offers to sinners. The good news of the Bible is that we can be forgiven – but not through a lifetime of good works. Peace with God comes only through faith in a person: Jesus Christ. This is offered to anyone who believes.
Jesus is Lord of all, perfectly good, crucified and risen, judge of all, and forgiver of sins. This is what Peter preached that day to the Gentile household of Cornelius, and it remains the basic message for seekers of God today.
So we have a choice to

In this lesson, we confront a topic that modern culture often avoids or redefines: the biblically honest, intellectually rigorous diagnosis of human nature. Up to this point, we've seen that God exists, He loves us, the Bible is reliable, and every person has intrinsic worth as an image-bearer. But if that’s true, why is the world so overwhelmingly broken? Why is our news feed a constant stream of cruelty, betrayal, and tragedy? And why do we so often do the very things we swear we won't do?
Every worldview attempts to diagnose this tension and prescribe a cure. Secular humanism points to a lack of education and resources. Eastern pantheism points to ignorance and individuality. Modern pop psychology blames toxic environments and bad parenting. What all these modern approaches have in common is the belief that the primary flaw lies outside of us, while the ultimate solution lies within us.
The Christian worldview offers a radical, counterintuitive diagnosis. It looks at the brokenness of our world and uses a word systematically erased from modern conversation: sin. Today, culture has repackaged sin as an arbitrary checklist of prudish rules or a marketing term for high-calorie desserts. But the Bible defines sin not as external rules, but as a fatal internal disease. If we get the diagnosis wrong, every solution we try will fail.
View series on PursueGOD.org: Pursuit (Series)
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The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you’re looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday.
Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.
Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.
Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.
Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.
Donate Now
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Every culture has a value system that is shaped by core beliefs, and western civilization is no exception. Whether you believe in biblical Christianity or not, you have been fundamentally shaped by its ideas. In this episode we’ll investigate one of those ideas and how it has impacted the freedoms we take for granted.
View series on PursueGOD.org: Pursuit (Series)
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The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you’re looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday.
Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.
Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.
Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.
Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.
Donate Now
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Every culture has a value system that is shaped by core beliefs, and western civilization is no exception. Whether you believe in biblical Christianity or not, you have been fundamentally shaped by its ideas. In this lesson we’ll investigate one of those ideas and how it has impacted the freedoms we take for granted.
Very Good
Of all God’s creation in Genesis 1, human beings seem to stand out the most. Read it for yourself: first God created day and night, land and sea. Later he created plants and trees, followed by fish and birds and animals. After all of this creative work, God declared that “it is good”. But he wasn’t done. On the final day of creation, after everything was in place and the whole world was prepared, God created human beings. That’s when he updated his assessment of his handiwork:
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1:31‬ Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.What is it about human beings that got a “very good” from the Creator when everything else was merely called “good”? The answer is found in the latin words Imago Dei, a concept first seen a few verses earlier:
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us….”In God’s image. Imago Dei. From the first chapter in the Bible, humanity is dignified, not debased. People are different from trees and toads and tadpoles because only human beings are made “in the image of God.” This means we are like God in certain ways, such as mentally (we have the capacity to think and create), relationally (we were designed to be in relationship with others) and spiritually (there’s a part of us that lives forever). Imago Dei is also a reference to humanity’s responsibility to “reign” and represent God to the rest of creation.
So human beings are the crowning achievement of God’s creation, the masterpiece of his creativity. This gives every human being inherent value and dignity, and it’s the key to understanding God’s attitude toward the world. More than anything else in all of creation, people matter to God.
Life, Liberty, Happiness
Imago Dei is the basis for blessing all of mankind in the most practical way: it opens the door to the freedoms we have come to expect. The greatest political experiment in history started in 1776 when 56 brave men signed their names to the Declaration of Independence. The inspiration for that moment can be traced to the biblical concept of Imago Dei. Consider those famous words:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”The Founding Fathers recognized that there was an authority higher than an English monarch, a human government, or even a group of revolutionaries. God himself was seen as the source of all human rights, and it’s because of Imago Dei that those courageous men made their claim to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Consider the right to life. Where does this come from in the Bible? God makes it clear in his instructions to Noah, and the message should sound familiar:
Genesis 9:6 If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in his own image.Human life is sacred, according to the Bible, because man is made in the image of God. This concept is built into every one of us, which is why we are moved to compassion and righteous anger when we hear stories of the holocaust or see the senseless murder of innocent victims in our day.
And what about the right to “liberty?” This concept is remarkably new to human history, as the vast majority of civilizations failed to offer individual personal freedoms. Even some modern regimes have overlooked this basic right on their way to brutalizing their own citizens. Yet God himself modeled an open-handed style of leadership toward Adam:
Genesis 2:16-17 But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden — except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”From the very beginning, God blessed Adam and Eve with every good thing, and then he gave them the liberty to make their own choices, for better or for worse. The self-evident right to individual liberty comes from the God of the Bible.
And then there’s the “pursuit of happiness” – a concept that is uniquely rooted in the Christian ethic. Many people today view God as a cosmic killjoy, a grumpy old man determined to make our lives miserable. Indeed, misery has been the reality for most of humanity, and many religions are built around explaining its existence. But Christianity is a faith filled with optimism, captured best in Paul’s commandment to the church at Philippi:
Philippians 4:4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!Long before the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, God invited all people to experience life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And remarkably his invitation extends to all of humanity, not just his followers – because he has made all of us in his image.
A Purpose in Life
Imago Dei also helps us to answer a timeless question: what is the meaning of life? God’s nature provides a clue. Because God is love (1 John 4:16) – and we are made in his image – our purpose is to love. Jesus himself made this clear one day to a group of spiritual leaders. They asked him to identify the most important of the Ten Commandments, and his answer caught them off guard:
Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”In answering their question, Jesus intentionally avoided naming any of the Ten Commandments. Instead, he cited the “Shema” – the framing idea behind all of the commandments. He was making a point: humans are built for relationships, not for rules. The religious leaders were focused on laws; Jesus was focused on love.
Consider the order Jesus prescribes in the verses above: love God, love others, love yourself. This was a radically new religious idea in Jesus’ day, and it flows from Imago Dei. Being created in the image of God means you have the capacity for a real relationship with the God who created you. This relationship transforms your whole way of relating to others, and so you are able to practically love your neighbor. And ultimately you are given permission to love yourself – because your value comes from who you are, not from what you’ve done.
Imago Dei, then, gives every human dignity. It provides the basis for all human rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And it inspires us with a purpose: to love God, others, and even ourselves.