This is the 14th episode of the Scripture Matters Podcast, with hosts Cliff Thompson & Jonathan Sanford. Currently we are reviewing the book published by Focus Press, and written by Jack Wilkie, "You Are Saved - A Christian's Assurance." Please like, share and make sure you've subscribed to the Scripture Matters Podcast, produced and published alongside the Watters Road Church of Christ. Below is a synopsis of this week's episode:

A counterfeit can shine like treasure until someone who knows the real thing looks closely. We start with that kind of moment and use it to ask a hard spiritual question: what if the confidence we feel about our faith is not the same as biblical assurance? Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:23, “I never knew you,” are not meant to entertain us, they are meant to wake us up and drive us back to Scripture with humility.

We walk through several “pitfalls” that can produce counterfeit assurance, including checkbox religion that focuses on visible actions while the heart stays untouched. Using passages like 2 Corinthians 13:5 and Matthew 23, we talk about why self-examination is not the enemy of assurance when it is rooted in God’s word. The Bible is meant to be a mirror, not a microscope we use to inspect everyone else. We also tackle hard-heartedness and “itching ears,” where someone resists correction even when the truth is clear.

From there we move into worldliness and the slow drift that happens through tiny compromises and shifting priorities. Sanctification should make us more like Christ over time, but culture can quietly become the standard if we are not careful. Finally, we get very practical about love for the brethren, bitterness, and unresolved division, because how we treat other Christians reveals what is happening in the heart.

If you want a clearer, calmer, more biblical view of Christian assurance, press play and let Scripture do its honest work. Like, Share and Subscribe, to help more people find the show!

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This is the 13th episode of the Scripture Matters Podcast, with hosts Cliff Thompson & Jonathan Sanford. Currently we are reviewing the book published by Focus Press, and written by Jack Wilkie, "You Are Saved - A Christian's Assurance." Please like, share and make sure you've subscribed to the Scripture Matters Podcast, produced and published alongside the Watters Road Church of Christ. Below is a synopsis of this week's episode:

You can walk into faith with real confidence and still be haunted by one question: what if I’m wrong? That fear is not hypothetical. It shows up when you realize how many sincere people believe conflicting things about salvation, worship, and the will of God. We take that tension seriously and go straight to Scripture to find something sturdier than feelings: a God shaped view of Christian assurance.

We talk through Jesus’ warning in Matthew 7:21-23 and why sincerity alone cannot be the final test. Then we trace two powerful case studies from Acts 18 and Acts 19: Apollos receives a more accurate explanation, while the disciples in Ephesus need fuller teaching and baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus. Those stories help answer a question many Christians avoid saying out loud: where is the line between misunderstanding and being outside God’s will?

From there, we wrestle with the sobering account of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10, and we compare it with Aaron’s situation to see how obedience, motive, and the heart factor into accountability. We also push back on the idea that God is like Zeus, waiting to throw a lightning bolt the moment we slip up. Scripture says God desires all to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4) and is patient toward repentance (2 Peter 3:9), and that changes how we think about grace, spiritual growth, and responsibility.

If you want biblical salvation assurance without pretending you never struggle, press play. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs steadier ground, and leave a review that tells us what part of the “what if I’m wrong” question you’re working through right now.

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This is the 12th episode of the Scripture Matters Podcast, with hosts Cliff Thompson & Jonathan Sanford. Currently we are reviewing the book published by Focus Press, and written by Jack Wilkie, "You Are Saved - A Christian's Assurance." Please like, share and make sure you've subscribed to the Scripture Matters Podcast, produced and published alongside the Watters Road Church of Christ. Below is a synopsis of this week's episode:

The most unsettling detour in the Christian life isn’t the one where you openly rebel. It’s the one where everything feels familiar, you ignore the warning signs, and only later realize you’ve drifted far off course. That’s the tension we tackle as we keep reviewing Jack Wilkie’s You Are Saved: A Christian’s Assurance and open Scripture around one of the most debated questions in Christianity: can a Christian fall away?

We slow down and define what people actually mean when they say “once saved always saved” and how that differs from “perseverance of the saints.” Then we treat the strongest arguments fairly, including passages like John 10:28 and Ephesians 2:8–9, because real assurance has to be built on what the Bible actually says, not what we wish it said. From there, we lean into the warning passages many people try to soften, including Hebrews 12, Hebrews 6:4–6, and 2 Peter 2:20–21, and we ask the honest question: why would God warn believers about something that can’t happen?

The turning point is learning to separate falling short from falling away. With 1 John 1:7–8, we talk about assurance that isn’t tied to flawless performance but to a faithful walk and a steady direction toward Christ. We also get practical about how people drift, using Hebrews 2:1 and Hebrews 3:12–13, and why staying in the Word, staying in prayer, and staying connected to other Christians is part of God’s protection.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your struggles cancel your salvation, or whether the Bible’s warnings destroy confidence, this conversation is for you. Subscribe for more weekly Bible study, share this with a friend who needs clarity, and leave a review to help more people find Scripture Matters.

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This is the 11th episode of the Scripture Matters Podcast, with hosts Cliff Thompson & Jonathan Sanford. Currently we are reviewing the book published by Focus Press, and written by Jack Wilkie, "You Are Saved - A Christian's Assurance." Please like, share and make sure you've subscribed to the Scripture Matters Podcast, produced and published alongside the Watters Road Church of Christ. Below is a synopsis of this week's episode:

Imagine trying to live the Christian life like you’re racing between spiritual checkpoints. You make it to the next one and you feel fine, but if you fail in between, you panic, “reset,” and hope you’re safe again. That mindset is common, but it’s also exhausting and it quietly erodes Christian assurance.

Jonathan Sanford and Cliff Thompson continue their review of Jack Wilkie’s You Are Saved: A Christian’s Assurance by working through Chapter 9, “Getting Repentance Right.” We trace repentance through the message preached by John the Baptist and Jesus, then through the ongoing call in Acts and the letters to the churches. Repentance is not a side topic; it’s woven into the gospel itself, which means we can’t afford to define it in a way Scripture doesn’t.

From there, we tackle the big correction: repentance is not a reset button. It’s a change of mind that leads to a change of direction, a life reoriented toward God. Using 1 John 1:7-9, we talk about walking in the light, ongoing confession, and the steady reality of continuous cleansing through Jesus. We also address the fear that repentance equals perfection, showing instead that biblical repentance is about direction, rising again, and continuing forward in a real relationship with a faithful God.

If you’ve ever lived the “sin, panic, reset” cycle, we hope this brings you rest and clarity. Subscribe to Scripture Matters, share this with someone who needs steadier assurance, and leave a review so more people can find these Bible studies.

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What if the most exhausting part of your faith is not your weakness, but your assumption that you are supposed to be strong? That one belief can quietly turn Christianity into a solo project where you try harder, fail again, and then call it “lack of discipline.” We slow down and name the real problem: God never designed the Christian life to be lived alone.

We trace the flow of Romans from sin and grace to baptism and the ongoing struggle, then land in Romans 8 where the conversation shifts from advice to help. The turning point is the promise Jesus makes in John 14 and John 16: the Holy Spirit is not a vague force or a temporary boost, but the Helper who dwells in us, teaches us, reminds us of Christ’s words, and guides us into truth. That clarity matters because it keeps us anchored in Scripture instead of chasing extremes or waiting for something dramatic.

From there we get practical. Depending on the Holy Spirit does not make faith passive; it makes faithful living possible. We talk about how spiritual growth happens as we cooperate with God’s truth day by day, how Romans 8:13 reframes the fight against sin, and how assurance becomes steadier when we start looking for God’s work in us rather than perfect performance.

If you’ve felt overwhelmed, stuck, or tired of trying to hold it all together, press play and walk with us through these passages. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs encouragement, and leave a review that helps more people find Scripture Matters.

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The moment that should anchor your confidence can become the moment you quietly interrogate for years. If you’ve ever laid awake replaying your baptism and asking, “Did I understand enough, was I sincere enough, did it actually work,” you’re not alone and you’re not crazy for feeling the tension.

We walk through chapter seven of Jack Wilkie’s You Are Saved: A Christian’s Assurance with one goal: move from self-focused uncertainty to God-centered confidence. We start where the gospel starts: nothing cleanses sin but the blood of Jesus. Then we unpack a sticky illustration that reshapes how many people define faith, the football “completing the catch” idea. Faith is not just mental agreement; it follows through in a unified response that includes confession, repentance, and baptism, not as competing checkpoints but as one movement of trust.

From there we do what clears away a lot of fog: we simply read the passages. Acts 2:38 on forgiveness, Mark 16:16 on salvation, Romans 6 on death, burial, and resurrection, Colossians 2:12 on “faith in the working of God,” Acts 22:16 on washing away sins, and 1 Peter 3:21 on baptism and a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The big turning point is this: assurance collapses when we build it on our memory and emotions, but it strengthens when we trust what God said he would do and believe he did it.

If you know someone stuck in that cycle of confidence, doubt, fear, and starting over, share this conversation with them, then subscribe, leave a review, and tell us what questions you still have about baptism and Christian assurance.

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This is our 8th episode of “Scripture Matters,” which marks the half-way point in our study of Jack Wilkie’s latest book, “You Are Saved - A Christian's Assurance." We sit down with the author and evangelist to gain further insight into his thoughts regarding God's Word and the assurance of salvation that many Christians are lacking.

We hit the halfway mark of Jack Wilkie’s book and slow down to press deeper into why so many Christians doubt their salvation. We talk through sin, grace, faith, and the finished work of Jesus so we can learn to see ourselves the way God sees us:

• why “once saved barely saved” thinking wrecks peace
• how overcorrecting against cheap grace creates constant fear
• why misunderstanding sin makes it feel bigger
• the turning point of “But God” in Ephesians 2
• why refusing to say “I know I’m saved” can signal mistrust
• image bearing and relationship with God instead of performance
• the prodigal son and refusing the Father’s embrace
• what “It Is Finished” really means for assurance
• why forgiveness has no asterisk and no hidden fees
• old covenant sins covered vs new covenant sins taken away
• Hebrews 10 and the priest who stands vs Christ who sits
• a clear definition of biblical faith as trusting obedience
• encouragement for weak faith and “help my unbelief”
• walking in the light as confession not perfection
• assurance while fighting repeat sins without giving up

Don’t forget we have new episodes that comes out of Scriptural Matters that drops every Friday afternoon at 3 30 on YouTube, Facebook, and also all of the major podcast platforms.

To view, Jack Wilkie's debate with Jeremiah Nortier, regarding the essentiality of baptism, check out the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRCL5QGzZ3U

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A father watches his son suffer, runs out of options, and finally prays the words so many of us whisper when faith feels thin: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” That single sentence opens a doorway into Christian assurance, because it forces the real question: does salvation depend on how strong my faith feels today, or on how strong Jesus is?

We walk through chapter six of Jack Wilkie’s You Are Saved: A Christian’s Assurance and slow down on what the New Testament actually means by faith. Using Romans 3, Ephesians 2:8–9, and the contrast between law and grace, we talk about why turning faith into a performance standard quietly steals peace. Wilkie’s college tuition illustration makes it simple: faith isn’t a scholarship you earn and it isn’t a down payment you contribute. Faith is receiving the gift God has already paid for in Christ.

Then we tackle the passage that trips up a lot of thoughtful readers: James 2. James says “not by faith only,” Paul says “apart from works of the law” so are they contradicting each other? We compare their audiences, trace the example of Abraham, and explain why genuine faith produces obedience without turning obedience into meritorious works. We also define “works” carefully, including why baptism is described as God’s working in Colossians 2:12.

If you’ve ever wondered whether imperfect faith can still reach a perfect Savior, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share, and leave a review, and send us your questions for our upcoming interview with author Jack Wilkie.

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