Stand to Reason Weekly Podcast

Greg talks about the problems with inclusivism, then he answers questions about why it would be wrong to ask a saint for prayer if they can hear us, whether drawing lots is an approved practice, self-identified Christians who don’t show fruit, and whether the meaning of “doubt” has changed.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Inclusivism gives people false hope. (00:00)
2. If people who have passed on can hear the living, then what would be wrong with the Catholic practice of asking a saint for prayer? (23:00)
3. Does Acts 1:26 indicate that the drawing of lots is an approved, godly practice, or was Paul the true replacement, selected by Jesus himself? (29:00)
4. How can we help people who say they trust in the Lord but never show any fruit? (36:00)
5. Is “doubt” a word like “faith” that has changed its meaning? (47:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Submit a question on the Open Mic Line
• No Other Name—Part 1 and Part 2 by Greg Koukl

Greg discusses our obligation to help the poor, then he talks to a caller about the fate of saved people who get dementia later in life and answers questions about our conscience vs. the Holy Spirit, the government as an analogy for the Trinity, and the inclusivism of the Catholic Church.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: We have an obligation to help the poor. (00:00)
2. What happens with saved people who get dementia and then forget everything? (21:00)
3. What is the difference between our conscience and the Holy Spirit, and how can we tell which is which? (31:00)
4. What are your thoughts on using our government as an analogy for the Trinity? (44:00)
5. How does the inclusivism of the Catholic Church differ from how people in the Old Testament were saved before Jesus’ cross and resurrection? (50:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• The Legend of the Social Justice Jesus by Greg Koukl
• Orange County Rescue Mission
• One Way or Any Way? Part 1 and Part 2 by Greg Koukl
• Submit a question on the Open Mic Line

Related Links:

• Losing Your Salvation in Ephesians 1:14–3 by Amy Hall
• The Trinity: A Solution, Not a Problem Part 1 and Part 2 by Greg Koukl

Greg reflects on how we know that Christians believe the right thing, then he answers questions about the phrase “That’s just your opinion” shutting down conversations and whether calling YWWH “God” and “Jesus” is a blasphemy.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: What are the reasons? (00:00)
2. A challenge to Greg’s view that forgiveness requires repentance (12:00)
3. The phrase “That’s your opinion” or “Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion” seems to be used sometimes as a conversation stopper, but should it be? (34:00)
4. Does YHWH consider it a blasphemy when you call him “God” and “Jesus”? (40:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• The Truth in True Crime: What Investigating Death Teaches Us About the Meaning of Life by J. Warner Wallace
• Biblical Forgiveness Isn’t What You’ve Been Told – Teasi Cannon on Alisa Childers’s podcast

Related Links:

• A Simple Explanation of the Cosmological Argument – Reasonable Faith video

Greg responds to a sign he saw that read, “Knowledge is not faith,” then he answers questions from a caller about how God can be sovereign over our decisions and just at the same time, how God can blame people he didn’t save, and where free will ends.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Faith is not opposed to knowledge. (00:00)
2. How is God sovereign over our decisions and just at the same time, how can he blame people he didn’t save, and where does free will end—i.e., if we can’t resist being chosen, what decisions can we resist? (33:00)

Related Links:

• Faith Does Not Save You by Amy Hall (quoting Greg Koukl on the “thick ice” idea)
• How to Be Sure You’re Saved by Greg Koukl
• Providence by John Piper (a comprehensive discussion of everything the Bible says about God’s purposeful sovereignty)
• Excusing Sinners and Blaming God by Guillaume Bignon
• How Can We Condemn Evil if God Is Sovereign? by Amy Hall

In a talk given to leaders attending STR’s Reality Conference, John Stonestreet explains how and why to cultivate a true Christian worldview in students that’s big enough to enable them to live with hope and embody a life of reconciliation as they respond to the challenges of our cultural moment.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: John Stonestreet on cultivating a “big enough” worldview in students (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• John Stonestreet – President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview
• Breakpoint audio commentaries, hosted by John Stonestreet
• The Fabric of Faithfulness by Steven Garber
• Truth Rising – Documentary and study
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – September 11–12 in Atlanta, GA; October 16–17 in Seattle, WA; November 13–14 in Minneapolis, MN; February 19–20, 2027 in Dallas, TX; March 12–13, 2027 in Philadelphia, PA; April 23–24, 2027 in Los Angeles, CA

Related Links:

• The livestream from the 2025–2026 season of Reality can be purchased and viewed on demand until August 31, 2026.

Greg talks about Jesus’ reference to “the least of these” in Matthew 25, then he answers questions about whether all things are good or evil, implications of saying one shouldn’t do anything one thinks is wrong, and how we can make moral judgments about suffering if it’s all working for good.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Who are the “least of these”? (00:00)
2. Are all things good or evil? (35:00)
3. If someone truly believes many good things are wrong, how would you counsel them to move forward in life? (42:00)
4. If we say God has a reason to allow gratuitous (i.e., meaningless) suffering, then aren’t we saying he’s unable or uninterested in bringing about his good ends without the use of suffering, and how do we make moral distinctions about suffering if it’s all doing good? (50:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• The Legend of the Social Justice Jesus by Greg Koukl
• Submit a question on the Open Mic Line
• #STRask: Is Doing the Right Thing a Sin If You Truly Believe It’s Wrong? – The #STRask episode about Romans 14 referenced by the caller

Related Links:

• #STRask: Is Romans 14 Saying That Christians Can Just Make up Their Own Rules?
• What You Need to Know about Evil and Suffering by Amy Hall

Greg answers questions from callers about who sits on the left side of God, why we would matter to God and he would require anything of us, whether it’s wrong to be grateful when other people are suffering, principles for living in a world with AI, and how a Calvinist knows he’s saved.

 

Topics:

1. Who sits on the left side of God? (04:00)
2. My atheist friend admits there must have been an Architect of the universe, but he can’t believe that we would matter to him or that he would require anything from us, and he asks why anyone should go to Hell just because they don’t want to submit to his will. (12:00)
3. Is it wrong to be vocal about the things we’re grateful for when other people are suffering? (32:00)
4. Can you offer some principles to equip believers to be prepared to live in a world with AI—to avoid pitfalls and be successful in their Christian walk? (38:00)
5. If people are all born totally depraved and unable to understand spiritual truths, then how does a Calvinist know he’s saved? (51:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Submit a question on the Open Mic Line
• Dogmatic Theology by William G.T. Shedd, edited by Alan Gomes

Related Links:

• Is God Really Blessing American Christians with Answers to Little Prayers While Others Suffer? by Amy Hall
• Five Points: Towards a Deeper Experience of God’s Grace by John Piper
• Sinners in the Hands of a Good God: Reconciling Divine Judgment and Mercy by David Clotfelter

Greg talks about the marks of a good young man, then he answers questions about why someone would trust dispensationalism when it wasn’t around until the 19th century, and whether Muslims and Jews worship the same God as Christians.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: What a good young man looks like (07:00)
2. Why should Christians trust dispensationalism when it didn’t exist until the 19th century? (23:00)
3. Do Muslims and Jews worship the same God as Christians? (44:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• CrossExamined Instructor Academy – July 30–August 1
• A Response to the Rising Antisemitism – Previous episode
• How Should Christians View and Treat the Jews? – Previous episode

Greg chats with Alan Shlemon, Stand to Reason’s new president-elect, discussing how he became a Christian, how he ended up at Stand to Reason, the controversial topics he often speaks on, and more.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Greg announces Stand to Reason’s new president-elect. (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• The Ambassador’s Guide to Islam by Alan Shlemon

Greg answers questions from callers about how one could reconcile the presence of death before the fall with Romans 5 and 8, whether the Bible will still play a role in the new earth, how we know when a psalm is a messianic prophecy, and whether there are strings attached to our free salvation.

 

Topics:

1. How could one reconcile the presence of death in the world before Adam and Eve with Romans 5 and 8? (06:00)
2. Will the Bible still play a role in the new earth? (32:00)
3. How do Bible scholars know that when certain psalms were written, they were prophecies of the Messiah? (37:00)
4. What would you say to someone who says it seems like there are a lot of strings attached to our "free" salvation (going to church, reading the Bible, etc.), making it sound more conditional than free? (47:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Submit a question on the Open Mic Line