Welcome to Season 3 of Love & Context. This season,
we're exploring the life of Jesus step -by -step
and uncovering what His story teaches us about
loving God and others. Here on Love & Context,
we're all about having real conversations about
how to live out that love in practical, everyday
ways, and understanding the Bible in its full
context. We're so glad you're here. Let's dive
into Season 3 of Love & Context. Welcome back
to the Love and Context podcast with Ben. And
Spencer. Yeah, yours was less than enthusiastic.
Last week you got to listen to Spencer and our
friend Les Kronk have some chats about Jesus.
It was good. If you missed that one, you should
go back and check that out because that was a
lot of fun. Yeah. Les had more better things
to say than I did. Less more better things? Less
more better things. Less had more better things
to say. Okay, more better. That's exactly. Less
had more better things to say. So there's nothing
to humble me as far as. like understanding how
I actually speak than having to edit these episodes.
Right? Sometimes you get in there and you're
like, did I really just say more better? Uh -huh.
Yeah. Yes, I did. I did. Yes, I did. Yes, I did.
We've been going through the life of Jesus in
season three. Yes, we have. And we are coming
to a story which we've actually talked about
a number of times. We're going to actually spend
some time. We're going to sit in this story a
little bit. And it's a story of Nicodemus coming
to talk to Jesus at night. So we've talked about
the story a lot. set the stage here. I'm going
to read the story and then we're going to just
kind of talk through what's going on here. So
it's in chapter three, starting in verse one.
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus,
who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.
He came to Jesus at night and said, Rabbi, we
know that you are a teacher who has come from
God for no one could perform the signs you are
doing from God. If God were not with him, Jesus
replied, very truly, I tell you, no one can see
the kingdom of God unless they are born again.
I would just like to pause here. I said I was
going to read it, but I always love how he's
like, hey, we can tell that you're from God.
And then it just seems like Jesus doesn't answer
his question. Like if I was having this conversation
with you and I was like, hey, Spencer, where
is your car? And you're like, birds of a feather
flock together. And I was like, why are you quoting
the Mighty Ducks? Cause I can. Right. Um, now
of course we're going to get into this. Jesus
is actually answering him, but I just love like
when I'm reading this and I think maybe some
of our listeners, when you're reading this, like
the first time you're like, what? To clarify,
Jesus does this quite a bit, though, with parables,
too, where they'll be like, hey, what about this?
And he's like, here's a story. And then at first
the story is like, where is this going? I don't
understand how this is going to tie in. So this
is not uncommon to how Jesus teaches. You're
not wrong. All right. I know I'm not. How can
someone... Okay, he says, Very truly I tell you,
no one can see the kingdom of God unless they
are born again. How can someone be born when
they are old? Nicodemus asks. Surely they cannot
enter a second time into their mother's womb
to be born, nor would the mother want them to.
Yeah. Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what
we know and we testify to what we have seen.
but still you people do not accept our testimony.
I have spoken to you of earthly things and you
do not believe me. Do you not believe? How will
you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No
one has ever gone into heaven except the one
who came from heaven, the son of man, just as
Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness.
So the son of man must be lifted up that everyone
who believes may have eternal life in him. For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and
only son, and whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life. For God did not
send his son into the world to condemn the world,
but to save the world through him. Whoever believes
in him is not condemned, but whoever does not
believe stands condemned already because they
have not believed in the name of God's one and
only son. This is the verdict. Light has come
into the world, but people loved darkness instead
of light. They love darkness instead of light.
I can read. I promise. All right. A lot going
on there. So let's talk context first. Nicodemus
is a Pharisee, meaning that he believes strict
adherence to Torah is going to lead to the restoration
of Jerusalem, right, of Israel in general. Not
only that, he is a prominent Pharisee because
he sits on the ruling council, which we've talked
about in the past, but that's the Sanhedrin.
Yep. Most of the Sanhedrin is Sadducees because
they're going to be from the line of Zadok, but
there are Pharisees on there as well. Yes. Nicodemus
isn't just some Joe Schmoe. He's quite the Pharisee.
So Nicodemus would essentially be one of the
Pharisees that you read about in other stories
where they're challenging Jesus. Where they're
publicly saying, hey, you say you're the son
of God, so what about this? When you read about
those Pharisees, those typically aren't just
any... any schmuck of a Pharisee, right? Yes,
they use schmuck of a Pharisee. Yeah, I know.
Somebody's going to be like, can you say that
word on a podcast? And the answer is, let's find
out. We'll find out, right? Is it a bad word?
I don't know. I don't know. I've never thought
it was a bad word. I don't know. Otherwise, like
schmuckers, the people who have like the jelly
are going to be in like the jelly, right? Isn't
that what they have? Yeah. Yeah, I was trying
to remember what they use. Peanut butter or jelly.
Somebody's going to be like, I eat Smucker's
every day, and how dare you not know it? I don't
know. I don't know. You're looking at the guy
who goes to the Whole Foods section of the grocery
store. I'm pretty sure you grind peanuts on your
own and then combine them with oil to make peanut
butter yourself. You don't even have to combine
them with oil. There's oil in them, and you can
just grind them up. See, I'm just telling you.
He doesn't even know what brand names are. Yeah,
yeah. What were we talking about? Anyways, but
the Pharisees who would challenge Jesus typically
were higher -ranking Pharisees, like traditionally.
Those were the Pharisees that would go out and
be like, hey, we see that what you're doing doesn't
quite line up with what we know or our understanding
of what we know, so we're going to challenge
that. Um, I, a side note, I like to view those
conversations with Jesus where there, there are
times where it says the Pharisees were trying
to trap him. There are also times where the Pharisees,
I think were genuinely like, Hey. You say this,
but this is what we know. Is there something
we're missing? Yeah. Well, and even in the conversation
with Nicodemus, he comes at night when, you know,
maybe he doesn't want people to see that he's
coming to talk to Jesus. There's also this whole
thing of he's coming at night, but Jesus is constantly
talking about light and day and walking and,
you know, obedience. So there's like this motif
going on that John might be playing on too. Yeah.
But he comes and he says, hey, we recognize that
you're from God. Like, because the things you're
doing, people don't do unless they're from God.
Yes. And there is a question attached to that,
which is why Jesus' response to him, it seems
out of pocket, but it's not. Because the question
is... What's up, dude? Because we know that Messiah
is supposed to come, they're supposed to overthrow
Rome, or they're supposed to lead people back
to Torah, and everything you're doing is not
necessarily what we think you should be doing.
Right? Yeah. You're not doing it the way that
we think it should be done. So Jesus responds
with his really not random comment. Yeah. Very
truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom
of God unless they are born again. Okay. So you
think you see that I'm from God, but you can't
see it unless you're actually born again. So
if you're capable of seeing it, you should already
be, you know. Yeah. And part of me wonders at
this point in the conversation, it was Nicodemus
like, okay, this conversation just took a weird
turn. Yeah. I mean, if you've seen some of the
rabbinical debates, I don't think so because
this is, this is kind of how they, they have
these discussions and the way that they talk
because he's like, okay, well, what part of scripture
are you actually talking about? Yeah. And, uh,
so then he asked, you know, he kind of puts up,
puts up this like absurd, um, I'm gonna you know,
just this this extreme, right? Well, surely you're
not saying that we go and we're born out of our
mother a second time How can somebody be born
again, right? to which Jesus immediately connects
what he's talking about to the Exodus, right?
So this whole idea of passing by water and spirit
actually shows up in rabbinic conversation all
throughout the time of Jesus and prior to Jesus
about the Exodus is like this passing of, it's
a second birth. It's birth of a new nation, a
new creation, right? And he says, unless you
actually are born again, if you have a movement
of God and you're actually stepping out with
God into this kingdom of God, you can't actually
see what's going on, you know, which is, troubling
because there was a group of people that were
right in the middle of everything that was happening
during the exodus that had no idea what was going
on they were egypt and they found themselves
at the bottom of the water even though the entire
time god is actually calling to them to come
and follow. So he said, you know, you have to
go by water. And so like there's, there's tons
of connections back to yes, mikvah. So like there
is a, uh, the Jewish, we talked a few weeks ago
with, uh, I talked a few weeks ago with Les and
I was talking about Jesus being baptized by John.
And so there's this public declaration. We call
it baptism today, but it was mikvah in Jewish
tradition. And it was a declaration that something
of significance is happening. God called you
to something and it's a public declaration that
you're going to go and do that. Like it's a definitive,
like 90 degree point where you're actually making.
making a choice. Um, there's also connections
back to Ezekiel 36, uh, 25 talking about water
symbolizing there is this, uh, but not, it's
not just water. It's not just decision. It's
also talking about the spirit, the divine breath
of life that is breathed into you at creation.
Or, uh, once again, because he's kind of hinting
at Ezekiel language, this breath that is breathed
into dry bones. Yeah. Right. Um, to quote from,
I believe that's I have it in my notes. Ezekiel
37. Yeah. And Jesus says, you know, unless you're
actually born of this, like unless you've actually
walked through this, you have this defining moment
and the breath of God is breathing on you, you're
not going to see what's going on. You're trying
to find it in books. and the books testify about
it, and I talk to you about the books, and I
talk to you about what's going on, and then you're
like, yeah, but what's spiritually going on?
It's like, dude, if you can't understand this,
you're really going to struggle. You need the
breath of God. Yeah. So that Ezekiel passage
with the water in 36, 25 through 27, I'm just
going to read that really quick because it's...
If I can remember where. So in Ezekiel, he makes
this prophecy. He says, I will sprinkle clean
water on you and you will be clean. I will cleanse
you from all of your impurities and from all
your idols. I will give you a new heart and put
a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your
heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
And I will put my spirit in you and move you
to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my
laws. Now, Pharisee, right? connecting to this
idea of I'm going to allow you, you can't actually
follow these things. You can't actually have
the life because you have this heart of stone,
right? Is what Ezekiel's getting at here. You
actually need a new heart, a heart of flesh,
a heart born of the spirit, sprinkled with the
water, infused with the breath of life, right?
And they're having this conversation and I could
just see Nicodemus' brain because like these
guys know their Torah. Yeah. They know their
Bible. Yeah. So like the second Jesus says that,
does he think of Ezekiel? Does he think of Genesis
one, you know, and he's going through in breath
and spirit and, you know, I can just see his
mind going and flips back to Exodus where he,
where he refers to Ezekiel or talks to the heart
of stone, which then refers back to Pharaoh in
the Exodus. And, uh, yeah. So there's all these
connections that Nicodemus is going to be making
because, uh, Nicodemus knows, here's the deal.
Nicodemus knows. Torah and the prophets better
than we do. Yeah. Right. This is stuff he probably
has memorized. Yeah. And some of you are like,
like the whole old Testament. Yeah. Probably,
probably, probably a lot of Pharisees and Sadducees
did. Yeah. And so, especially him being prominent,
he probably had enough money that he could have
had it. Right. Yeah. And so as Jesus is starting
to say these things, answers are starting to
be revealed and Nicodemus is starting to have
a light bulb go off where he's like, okay, I
see what's happening here. So with that, Ezekiel,
let me read this again here. So Jesus says, Now
wind here being a clever play on the Ruach. Right.
Yeah. Right. And so he's like, the spirit is
going to move as the spirit is going to move.
You can't tell where it's going or where you
have to be born of it. You know, it's really
hard to tell what the Holy Spirit is saying if
you're not listening. Yeah. Right. Yeah. And
then you have Nicodemus being like, how, how
can this be? Yeah. Right. And we talked a little
bit about that. Right. And so this is a question
that from Nicodemus that has always made me wonder
what he's trying to get at. Because. nicodemus
would be making these connections in jesus and
jesus's response he'd be making the connections
to ezekiel he'd be making the connections to
exodus the connections to genesis all of these
strings would start to weave together yeah and
yet he's still saying how can this be and so
it makes me wonder um this is Side note, pure
speculation. A lot of what we're talking about
was speculation, so do your own research. Do
your own research. Pure speculation because there's
nowhere in the text that says what his motive
is behind this specific question. We have a little
bit about what his motive is in general, going
to Jesus in the night to learn, but we don't
know on this specific question. So he knows what
Jesus is talking about, but he's still saying,
how can this be in a sense of... what am i missing
yeah right is it what am i missing or is he trying
to get jesus to be like trip over himself a little
bit right we don't know well and i i wonder and
once again speculating here i wonder if there's
not something with the pharisaic mindset right
um in that it's about rule following and torah
and putting on the burden and all these different
things jesus is like no it's actually about learning
how to be born again. Right. And, and that through
that, that, that relationship, that movement,
that transition, you're actually enabled to go
and do all those things that you think you have
to do in order to get that. Yeah. You're doing
it backwards. You're doing the stuff to try to
get the person. And it's actually the person
that gives you the stuff. Yeah. Right. And he
seems confused about that, which obviously if
I'm Jesus, like this, this, but once again, speculation,
but then Jesus is like, dude, you're the teacher.
The rules aren't supposed like the rules are
supposed to reveal the heart of God for you to
know God and to experience God and live in a
relationship with God. The rules are not just
rules to follow so that you can like God will
love you. He loves you and he reveals who he
is to you. And it could also be Nicodemus slipping
back into the rabbinic debate mindset. Yeah.
Right. Because in rabbinic debate, you ask questions.
Right. So he gets stuck there. He goes. how can
this be? Yeah. Right. Like, I see all the questions.
Do I need to debate, go into the debate mindset
and be like, how can this be? And then you get
Jesus's response where he's like, we're like,
you're saying you're the teacher. You should
know this. You should know this. Yeah. Um, and
I mean, in there he talks about, he's like, he
says, man, I'm talking to you about like things
that are literally in Torah. Like this is the
heart of Torah, which by the way, if you haven't
seen season one, we talk about that a lot, right?
This is the heart of Torah is God is for his
people and he's revealing himself to his people
so that his people can be a different kind of
species in this world. Yeah. Now, and we've talked
about this too, because there's this duality
thing coming up because like they're having this
conversation about Israel right now, right? About
Israel and Israel's teacher and all these things
and following Torah and being God's chosen firstborn.
And Jesus is about to do some like, linguistic
Taekwondo. Right. Like, because he's, because,
uh, he's having this conversation. He's like,
God so loved the world that he gave his one and
only son. And who does Nicodemus think? Oh, Israel,
because Israel's God's firstborn. Yeah. Right.
Says that, uh, even in back in the Exodus, which
is where he's drawing a lot of his imagery, he
says to. Pharaoh, he says, you got to let my
firstborn go and worship me. So he hears God
so loved the world that he gave his one and only
son. And Nicodemus is like, yeah, Israel, I get
it. That he so ever believes in him would not
perish but have eternal life. Great, love it.
For God did not send his son into the world to
condemn the world. Oh, dang it. Right? Right?
You know, like, and it's actually your job has
always been to bring light, to illuminate. to
to bring uh illumination to apocalypse is is
the word that is used a lot in greek to reveal
who God is. Yeah. Yeah. And, and to back up a
little bit, Jesus like spells it out, right?
He's like, okay, you're asking the question.
Let me just spell it out for you. Uh, you look
at verse 14 where it says, just as Moses. Okay.
So going back to Moses, he's like, he's like,
okay, my previous answer, I hinted at everything.
You got all the connections, but you're still
asking me how it's going to be. He's like, so
Moses. This connection, all right, came from
heaven. Oh, sorry. Well, wrong line. Moses came
from heaven. You heard it here first. Yeah, I
jumped to the line above it. I was like, nope,
wrong line. Just as Moses lifted up the snake
in the wilderness, the Son of Man must be lifted
up. That everyone who believes will have eternal
life. So at this point, Nicodemus is like, okay,
I'm tracking now. Right. Eternal life is through
the Son of God. Right. In this case, Israel,
we have the connection of Moses. And then you
get down to verse 17 where it's like, for God
didn't send the Son in to condemn the world.
And then now Nicodemus is like, wait. Right.
There's probably going to be some connection
to Daniel also for them because that's going
to be a more recent book in their history and
talking about how God representing the Son of
Man. Right. So they talk about messianic. figure
and stuff. So he's like, there's a lot of layers
in here. So some of you are like, well, but then
also, yeah, you're right. Right. There's a lot
of things going on in this story. Yeah. Right.
And then, and then Jesus does something that
is really interesting in verses 19 through the
end where he actually relieves Nicodemus of the
responsibility of making sure people believe.
Right. Right. He says, um, actually I have, which
by the way is a fascinating concept to approach
a Pharisee with. Yes. Uh, when I was in junior
high, I had somebody asked me like what my favorite
verse in the Bible was. And at the time I said,
John three 19. And so they opened it up and they
read, I said, this is the verdict. Light has
come into the world, but people love darkness
instead of light because their deeds were evil.
And my youth pastor at the time was like, you
mean John three 16? I was like, no, I mean, John
three 19. And he's like, Okay. And he like, didn't
know what to do with that. Yeah. But like the
point being is that Jesus at this point with
Nicodemus is saying, Hey, it's not your responsibility
to make sure people believe. So your responsibility
to bring light. Right. Right. And so, and coming
to a Jewish idea of light, what does that mean?
Justice, mercy, compassion, grace, love, right?
Like these, these ideas, these are, these are
attributes of light. Like these are how people
live in. the light. This is what they do. They
actually bring about the justice of God. Side
note, those values haven't changed in the Christian
church, or at least they shouldn't have. Are
you saying, no, let me make sure you're saying
that God is actually the same yesterday, today,
and probably tomorrow. No, the Bible said that.
Oh, okay. Perfect. You're like, I just, I just
quoted it. I just agree with it. Well, and so
like you have this, um, and so he said, yeah,
I like your point here. This is the verdict,
right? Your job is to shine. People are either
going to come out there because they want God
and deal with their garbage, or they're going
to run away because they don't want to deal with
their garbage. Yeah. Make sure it's your light
that is driving them away. Yep. Not your condemnation.
Because they're already condemned. Yep. They
were already condemned because they don't believe
in what the Son has brought. Back up two verses.
Jesus said, I'm not here to condemn. Right. Right.
That's not what he's here for. They, they're
already condemned. Yeah. And so your job is to
go and be the light, man. I'm just sitting here
thinking of Nicodemus rich, uh, like legalistic
and, um, like, so, and, and rigid adherence to
rigid adherence. Now you probably know people
who are even Christians that are, are similar
to this. Right. And one of the things that is
incredible is that if Jesus speaks into their
heart, like you take rigid ritualist, uh, rigid,
um, legalistic people and God speaks into them
and then, and they take that life and then they
strictly shine light. Yeah. Incredible things
happen. Yeah. Right. Um, I was just, I was just
reading a book. Um, have you read the insanity
of God? Yeah. So I just reading the insanity
of God and I was great book. Just how being faithful.
in terrible circumstances, shining light transforms
entire communities and countries. Right. I think
it's John Wesley. Like one of the things that
he said is he's like, give me a hundred people
who despise sin and have a zeal for the Lord.
He's like, doesn't matter if they're clergy or
laymen. He's like, they will change the world.
Yeah. So the, the, the flip side of what Jesus
says here too, is that he's in a, in a very real
way, he and Nicodemus are talking about Israel
and John writes it this way. And then we quote
it this way, knowing the future is that Jesus
steps in as Israel steps into their role, goes
and like the serpent is placed on a cross that
when people look or they cast their identity
or they cast their trust, they cast their, um,
Onto the finished work of Christ on the cross,
they actually find redemption. They find that
purification. They find the lack of condemnation,
right? He takes all that condemnation, all that
venom, all that, I'm pulling all the metaphors
together, right? He takes all of those things
and he takes them on himself and we trust in
him and we're made whole. Yeah. And he's like,
and it's not because of the rules that you followed,
but now because of that, you're going to have
a new heart. baptized in the waters filled with
the spirit. And because of that, you're going
to walk in righteousness. Yeah. Which by the
way, is a really important part of that story.
Yeah. Yeah. That kind of kicks into where Paul
says later, he's like, so because we're free
from sin, should we just sin all the more? No,
no, no, don't do that. No. Right. Now, I want
to, do you have anything else out there before
I pivot to the next part? Okay. And I want to
just talk really quickly here because the next
section actually mirrors a lot of what's going
on here. And I want you just, with what we've
talked about, I want you to hear how John testifies
about Jesus. So after this, after this story,
beginning in verse 22, Jesus and his disciples
went out to the Judean countryside where he spent
some time with them and baptized. Now, John also
was baptizing at Anon. I think that's right,
near Salem, because there was plenty of water.
Well, that's actually a good reason. And people
were coming and being baptized. This was before
John was put in prison. And by the way, that's
an odd note to put in there. Anyways, an argument.
developed between some of John's disciples and
a certain Jew over the matter of the ceremonial
washings. They came to John and said, Rabbi,
that man who was with you on the other side of
the Jordan, the one you testified about, look,
he is baptizing and everyone is going to him.
To this, John replied, a person can receive only
what is given to them from heaven. You yourselves
can testify that I said, I am not the Messiah,
but am sent ahead of him. The bride belongs to
the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom
waits and listens for him and is full of joy
when he hears the bridegroom's voice. He testifies
to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts
his testimony. Whoever has accepted it has certified
that God is truthful. For the one whom God has
sent speaks the words of God for God, gives a
spirit without limit. A father loves the son
and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever
believes in the son has eternal life, but whoever
rejects the son will not see life for God's wrath
remains on them. And so John is, it's kind of
like this continuation of what's been going on
already. John says, I'm giving you a baptism,
but I can't give you, it's an earthly baptism,
right? What I'm giving you doesn't bring you
into being able to see the kingdom of God. Yeah.
Right. It sets you on the path. Right? But you
need to have a new heart. That heart of stone
has to be taken out. Yeah. And he is the Messiah.
He is the one talked about in Daniel. He is the
one talked about in Isaiah. He is going to redeem
us. Now, even John doesn't completely understand
what that means. Right? But he's like, we don't
want to get in his way. Yeah. If anything, we
want all of our people to go over there. And
we want to support him in whatever way possible.
Yeah. And, uh, and so because it's in it and
there's these two pieces should inform on each
other because they're, they're very similar themes
going on here is like Nicodemus is asking, why
aren't you doing what we think you should be
doing? And the John's disciples come and ask
them, why is he over there doing, stealing our
stuff? And they're very similar questions. And,
uh, both John and Jesus are very united on this
and they're like, no, you need, you need something
different. Yeah. Something different. It has
to happen. And, uh, it's coming. Well, and you
have the two imageries that are created side
by side. You have the son of God and Jesus, and
then us being the bridegroom to, to, uh, us,
the church being the bridegroom to Christ. Yeah.
And so you have those two imageries right side
by side where it's like, here's the son of God.
And now you, when you say yes to him, are in
union with him to bring Jesus to the world. And
which is a humbling thing. And, and side note,
the, the comment where it's like, it's before
John was arrested. Um, actually don't think that's
out of place at all because. It just made me
chuckle. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. There is debate on
whether the stories in the first half of the
book of John are actually written in chronological
order. Oh yeah. And so, so it could be, it could
be. He's specifying when this conversation happens.
Yeah. Yeah. That's actually a good point. It's
actually a good point. John would have known
that too. John, not the Baptist. There's a few
Johns. Yeah. There's a few Johns. It's a, it's
a pretty common name. Yeah. One of the things
we, we were obviously season three, we're here
in talking about Jesus and we're going to kind
of wrap up here. We're in season three, but I
do think it's really important. And the reason
we started with Torah is because a lot of the
things that are going on in the life of Jesus
aren't, really properly understood without knowing
the story yeah right which by the way mm -hmm
this is a book we are sorry that's the this is
a book Very observant there, my friend. Yeah,
I know. And if you're on YouTube, you can see
it. If you are listening to us, you're like,
what is Ben doing? This is a book that we are
going to be publishing pretty soon. And it is
based off of our conversations in the book of
Genesis. We're going to do this for our entire
Taurus series. It hits a little bit different
as a book. Some of the jokes land. Some of them,
most of the jokes land. All the Spencers don't,
but mine do. That's the other way around, dude.
But anyways, so we wrote this book. It's called
Beginnings, Blessings, and a Whole Lot of Mess.
It is going to be available in our link tree.
And any of the proceeds that actually come from
this book are actually going to go to fund the
local Young Life ministry. So if you purchase
this on Amazon or from Spencer himself or from
me directly, after the cost of the book is taken
out, the rest of the proceeds go to fund Young
Life. How about that? Sounds great. Yeah. You
like it? Yeah. Yeah. Um, anyways, that's a lot
of fun. I had a lot of fun doing this though.
Um, I did tell you a couple of weeks ago that
there is nothing quite like going into our old,
um, first conversations where we were getting
started and I see the transcript and it goes,
um, yeah, sure. Right. Absolutely. 100%. We're
going to have to, we'll have to release like
an unedited or, or director's cut version or
whatever, um, where it's, uh, where we leave
all that in and people are like, this is a mess.
So, all right. So what's the takeaway from the
story? Uh, you can't just do the law. You get
transformed by Christ, empowered by his spirit.
And because of that, you live a different life.
Yep. Amen. Amen. Amen. See you next time. And
that's a wrap for today's episode of Love and
Context. We hope this conversation encouraged
you and gave you fresh insights into how we can
better love God and others through the powerful
truths of the Bible. We'd love to hear from you.
Send your questions, thoughts, or suggestions
to loveandcontext at gmail .com. Your feedback
means the world to us and helps shape future
episodes. Stay connected with us on social media
for updates, behind the scenes content, and additional
resources. You can find us on Instagram, TikTok,
YouTube, and Facebook at LoveandContext. love
and context. Be sure to hit that follow button
and join our growing community. Thanks for being
part of the love and context family. Remember
love is at the heart of it all until next time.
Keep seeking wisdom, embracing love and living
out your faith in today's world.