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Providence refers to God’s invisible hand and provision leading, guiding, and directing people and events to manage all things according to His will. Jacob had to escape where he grew up because he sinned against God, his father, mother, and brother in order to obtain a blessing by deceit. Jacob is thus forced to flee his home to escape the consequences of his sin. On his way to exile, God makes a promise to Jacob at Bethel (Genesis 28:13-15) that Jacob will return home. Decades later, in Genesis 31:3, God commands Jacob to return. In between promise and command, God was providentially directing Jacob the whole time. What happens "in between" is what Dr. Sadaphal will talk about in this episode. New episodes of WCSK the first Wednesday of the month.

In Genesis 28 Jacob flees the results of his sin, and receives an unexpected, undeserved gift of grace: a vision of a stairway (ladder) to heaven. The symbolism, meaning and theological significance of the ladder will be the main focus of this post.

In this episode, Dr. Sadaphal explains how God's Word transformed his thinking. Specifically, he will explain how his study on the nature and immutability of God persuaded him that there is a sound, biblical case for infant baptism. After making a positive case, he will then address four common objections to infant baptism. In this episode, he invites you to open your Bible and study the Word together with him. Link: Baptism Debate: A Paedobaptist Position with R.C. Sproul

Is your family perfect? Of course not. Is there someone in your family that rubs you the wrong way? Probably. Everyone can relate to the standout characters in their household, so when reading about a dysfunctional Old Testament family (where everyone is behaving badly) many can relate. In this podcast Dr. Sadaphal will analyze four members of one family (Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Esau) and explain that when it comes to the transmission of the covenant promise, everyone is to blame. The only One who is blameless and innocent is the Lord. The great hope for all believers is that your sin cannot derail God's gracious purpose for your life.

There are many doctrines in the Bible, and there are many concepts and ideas that remain difficult to understand. Yet what is never confusing or hard to comprehend is a good old-fashioned story about two brothers. And so, in this episode, Dr. Sadaphal will talk about the doctrine of election (or God choosing people to be saved), which will be made simple and clear through an Old Testament narrative about Jacob and Esau.

Abram went off course and fled away from the place God told him to go. He ended up failing the test in Egypt but was able to go back and pick up where he left off. Going back to square one means going back the only valid object of faith: God Himself. The good news for all God's children is that even when we fail we cannot fall because Christ is forever Risen.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus famously tells His disciples to "turn the other cheek." What did the Lord mean by that? Is this an invitation for all Christians to remain passive victims of abuse? Is this teaching permanent non-resistance against violence? Is this an absolute prohibition against defending yourself in light of the sinful aggression of others? Or, does the Lord perhaps have another intent in His teaching? In this episode, Dr. Sadaphal will exposit Matthew 5:39 in an attempt to help you think and act biblically. Devoting attention to a proper understanding of the Lord’s words is crucial because this text is commonly misunderstood.

The great hope that the doctrine of providence gives you is that right now and every moment from now on, the Lord isn’t far away and disinterested. Instead, He is actively weaving His fingers through the fabric of reality to bring all things together for good for those who love Him. So what is divine providence and how does it apply yo your everyday life? In this episode, Dr. Sadaphal provides 20 observation on providence based on the narrative of Abraham's servant, Isaac and Rebekah in Genesis 24.

In this episode, Dr. Sadaphal exposits the Scriptures and shares what he calls Abraham’s secret or the knowledge of God’s future plans that nudged him forward at Mount Moriah, where Isaac was to be sacrificed.

In this episode, Dr. Sadaphal invites you to consider Lot, Abraham’s nephew. Lot lived with his daughters in the ancient city of Sodom, a place well known for its godlessness and immorality. Lot was not immune to his environment; the pagan society in which he lived impacted him negatively. Hence, when we consider Lot, we are in essence embarking on a path of self-reflection where you begin to consider how the world in which you live impacts how you think and what you do. As you meditate on Lot’s example, ask yourself, “How does the story of Lot speak to me today? How does the nation, culture, city, town, or village in which I live persuade me to think and act like society at large? How am I like Lot?”

In this episode, Dr. Sadaphal will answer two listener questions. First, Philomena asks, “Why are human beings not satisfied?” Second, Thomas asks, “These days I am talking to an atheist about God. How can I convince him about the existence and meaning of God?” Anyone can write-in a question via our email address ([email protected]). Listen to the podcast to get guidelines on how to improve your chances of getting a response.

The question Dr. Sadaphal will answer in this episode is, "What does the apostle Paul mean when he writes that 'all Israel will be saved'?” Is he implying that all ethnic descendants of Abraham­­ (past, present, and future) will become born again? Is he indicating that at some point in the future, there will be a national conversion of Israel? Or, is the apostle referring to something entirely different with his statement about all Israel being saved? Get clarity and meaningful answers about what the New Testament means when it speaks of the, "Israel of God."

In this episode, Dr. Sadaphal will use the story of Abram in Genesis 12 to provide biblical support for the claim that faith never has all the answers. Truly, what is not meant by that statement is that faith is blind, uninformed, or unreasonable, or that faith has reason to doubt. Biblical faith is always certain about God, His Word, and His trustworthiness. After all, faith is real and legitimate because of its object, Christ, who is eternal and does not change. Faith is, however, seldom certain about all things. Never having all the answers does not mean that you are in some way deficient or intellectually impaired; rather, it means you are humble enough to know that you are not God, and thus, you will never have all the answers. The believer ought to find comfort that even Abram, the father of the faithful, did not have all the answers. He did not know where was being led but trusted the One who was leading.

With all the crises happening in our time, I believe it is becoming more and more apparent to many in the secular world that a godless worldview is progressively revealing itself as bankrupt. What I mean by that is, I think individuals all over the globe are seeing signs of the world self-destructing all around them, but the world offers no concrete solutions other than the march toward chaos. I think many across the globe are beginning to see that when their hope is built on something here and now, their foundation is shifting sand. So, what does any of this have to do with the Scriptures? Simple: There is no progress without God. Our Scripture focus will be Genesis 11:1-9.

God's patience flows outward from His mercy. Thus, because is merciful, He tempers His wrath with restraint so that many will come to repentance. The Lord is patient because He is powerful; it is only the weak who cannot control themselves and allow their rage to boil over.