On this edition of the program Michael Horton talks with Tullian Tchividjian about his new book Surprised by Grace: God's Relentless Pursuit of Rebels. The book walks readers through the story of Jonah and provides a good example of how to read an Old Testament text with Christ at the center. Mike and Tullian also discuss the value of employing a redemptive historical method of biblical interpretation.

What is the heart of the gospel message? On this program the hosts make the claim that the essential core of the good news is the doctrine of justification by an imputed righteousness, namely, that we are declared righteous not because of anything we have done but rather on the basis of the righteous life and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. The hosts also discuss how this doctrine is being ignored or outright denied in our time (originally aired October 7, 2007).

The most important difference between the religions of the world and the Christian faith is the difference between law and gospel. At the core of every religion is the application of moral instruction and advice for personal transformation. This appeals to all human beings because we are all wired for law. But the essence of Christianity is not law but gospel. Christ fulfilled the law and paid the penalty for our lawlessness. The gospel therefore is not good advice that needs to be applied, but good news to be believed (originally aired February 10, 2008).

The hosts have been making the argument for the past few weeks that Christ and his grand rescue mission is the major subject of Scripture. The core of the Christian faith, they argue, is his saving work on our behalf, not our own personal transformation. But if this is really the case, how shall we interpret various biblical texts that seem to contradict this view? For example, Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Do verses like this undermine the doctrine of justification by an imputed righteousness? Tune in to find out (originally aired November 26, 2006).