Advertise on podcast: Back to the Bible Canada with Dr. John Neufeld

How can you tell whether your faith is real or only a facade? Studying Romans 2:17–29, Dr. John Neufeld honours the privileges God gave Israel, then shows how religion can hide hypocrisy. Outward symbols like circumcision, baptism, or a wedding ring mean nothing without the reality they signify. Genuine faith is a heart transformed by the Holy Spirit. The Heart of the Gospel: This 25-message series on Romans 1–4 presents us with Christianity 101. It is the basics of our faith, teaching us how we can know for certain that sins are forgiven and what it is to live by faith.

Will God judge fairly those who never heard His law? Working through Romans 2:12–16, Dr. John Neufeld shows that God is perfectly impartial: everyone who sins is condemned, whether judged by Scripture, by creation, or by the law written on the heart and conscience. Hearing God’s Word only raises our accountability, and the right place to start is admitting we have no hope on our own. The Heart of the Gospel: This 25-message series on Romans 1–4 presents us with Christianity 101. It is the basics of our faith, teaching us how we can know for certain that sins are forgiven and what it is to live by faith.

If salvation is by faith, why does Paul say God judges by works? From Romans 2:6–11, Dr. John Neufeld shows that we are judged by our works but saved from judgment by faith in Christ. He contrasts the marks of those who are self-seeking and reject the truth with those bound for heaven, who patiently seek God’s glory, honour, and immortality. The Heart of the Gospel: This 25-message series on Romans 1–4 presents us with Christianity 101. It is the basics of our faith, teaching us how we can know for certain that sins are forgiven and what it is to live by faith.

Are you a good person? Paul has something to say to you. Looking at Romans 2:1–5, Dr. John Neufeld shows that those who judge others are just as guilty and condemn themselves. Don't look down on God’s kindness, forbearance, and patience; the fact that God's wrath has not yet come on you is not His approval but an invitation to repentance before the day of wrath. The Heart of the Gospel: This 25-message series on Romans 1–4 presents us with Christianity 101. It is the basics of our faith, teaching us how we can know for certain that sins are forgiven and what it is to live by faith.

What happens when we ignore the elephant in the room: God Himself? Studying Romans 1:24–32, Dr. John Neufeld examines the three times “God gave them up”: to sexual impurity, to dishonourable passions contrary to the Creator’s design, and to a debased mind. As it was in Paul's day, this is a counter-cultural expression about God's original design and authority over our bodies. At the heart of these issues is idolatry and failing to worship God — a great evil for which we need a Saviour. The Heart of the Gospel: This 25-message series on Romans 1–4 presents us with Christianity 101. It is the basics of our faith, teaching us how we can know for certain that sins are forgiven and what it is to live by faith.

With all our progress, is the human situation getting worse? Working through Romans 1:21–25, Dr. John Neufeld shows how failing to give God glory and thanks leads to futile thinking and idolatry, with gods remade in our own image. He explains what it means that God “gave them up”: a judgment that exposes how evil our hearts really are. Yet in this bad news comes the hope of the Gospel. The Heart of the Gospel: This 25-message series on Romans 1–4 presents us with Christianity 101. It is the basics of our faith, teaching us how we can know for certain that sins are forgiven and what it is to live by faith.

What about people who have never heard of God? From Romans 1:19–23, Dr. John Neufeld sets out six truths creation makes plain to everyone: God exists, He is the Creator, we owe Him our existence and our gratitude, we have been ungrateful, and we need mercy. Natural theology cannot save us; it shows we are guilty suppressors of truth. Only a Saviour can fix this situation. The Heart of the Gospel: This 25-message series on Romans 1–4 presents us with Christianity 101. It is the basics of our faith, teaching us how we can know for certain that sins are forgiven and what it is to live by faith.

Can a God of love also be angry? From Romans 1:18–23, Dr. John Neufeld explains why real love can never be separated from righteousness and how God’s wrath is already being revealed in the world. Why do we need a Saviour? The good news of the Cross only makes sense after the bad news that comes from humanity's ungodliness, broken moral law, and suppression of the truth. The Heart of the Gospel: This 25-message series on Romans 1–4 presents us with Christianity 101. It is the basics of our faith, teaching us how we can know for certain that sins are forgiven and what it is to live by faith.

Why would anyone be tempted to be ashamed of good news? Looking at Romans 1:16–17, Dr. John Neufeld gives three reasons Paul was not ashamed of the gospel: because of its power, its content, and its promise. Here we begin to explore what the gospel actually is: that Jesus saves anyone who believes, crediting us with His righteousness. The Heart of the Gospel: This 25-message series on Romans 1–4 presents us with Christianity 101. It is the basics of our faith, teaching us how we can know for certain that sins are forgiven and what it is to live by faith.

Can you truly lead people you have never spent time with? Continuing through Romans 1:10–15, Dr. John Neufeld traces five more marks of Paul’s spiritual leadership: a longing to be present with God’s people, ministry that strengthens them, humility to learn from them, hope for a harvest of converts, and a vision that sees no barriers to the gospel. The Heart of the Gospel: This 25-message series on Romans 1–4 presents us with Christianity 101. It is the basics of our faith, teaching us how we can know for certain that sins are forgiven and what it is to live by faith.

What gives a leader real influence when no one is forced to follow? Studying Romans 1:8–10, Dr. John Neufeld finds in the Apostle Paul a Christ-like model of spiritual leadership that begins with thanking God for the grace evident in others and is sustained by constant, specific prayer. Before Paul condemns sins, we see his heart of deep love for Christ and those he is called to lead. The Heart of the Gospel: This 25-message series on Romans 1–4 presents us with Christianity 101. It is the basics of our faith, teaching us how we can know for certain that sins are forgiven and what it is to live by faith.

If the gospel isn’t a great church or a set of rules, what is it? Working through Romans 1:1–7, Dr. John Neufeld shows that Christianity is about a person: Jesus, promised by the prophets, fully human in real history, and declared the Son of God by His resurrection. Genuine faith invests your whole life in Him and produces the obedience of faith. The Heart of the Gospel: This 25-message series on Romans 1–4 presents us with Christianity 101. It is the basics of our faith, teaching us how we can know for certain that sins are forgiven and what it is to live by faith.

With so many voices defining Christianity, whom should you trust? From Romans 1:1, Dr. John Neufeld shows that Paul’s authority to define the gospel rests on three things: he was a servant wholly devoted to Jesus, an apostle called and taught directly by the risen Christ, and a man set apart to make the once-for-all message of the gospel plain. Jesus has given authority to the Apostles to teach His divine truth, and Paul is one of those Apostles. The Heart of the Gospel: This 25-message series on Romans 1–4 presents us with Christianity 101. It is the basics of our faith, teaching us how we can know for certain that sins are forgiven and what it is to live by faith.

Why do so many believers try to build their faith without a foundation? And what is the foundation? Dr. John Neufeld outlines the book of Romans explains why it was written to a church divided between Jewish and Gentile believers. Romans is what Paul preached everywhere, beginning with the foundational truth of the Gospel and ending with its practical result in our lives. Discover why Paul's letter to the Romans is Christianity 101. The Heart of the Gospel: This 25-message series on Romans 1–4 presents us with Christianity 101. It is the basics of our faith, teaching us how we can know for certain that sins are forgiven and what it is to live by faith.

How can the righteousness of God be good news to a sinner? Introducing Romans 1–4, Dr. John Neufeld tells how this book launched the Protestant Reformation when Martin Luther considered how the Cross was good news revealing the righteousness of God. The book of Romans will reveal the goodness of God displayed in the Cross, why Jesus died, and how we're reconciled to God. It will reveal the foundation for salvation and real assurance before God. The Heart of the Gospel: This 25-message series on Romans 1–4 presents us with Christianity 101. It is the basics of our faith, teaching us how we can know for certain that sins are forgiven and what it is to live by faith.