RTTB's brief end of the year announcements of thanks and what's coming in 2026.

Support the show

Thank you for listening!! Please give us a five-star rating to help your podcast provider's algorithm spread RTTB among their listeners.

You can find free study and leader resources at the following link - Resource Page - Reasoning Through the Bible

Please prayerfully consider supporting RTTB to help us to continue providing content and free resources. You can do that at this link - Support RTTB - Reasoning Through the Bible

May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

The day after Christmas can feel hollow—muddy streets, drooping lights, long return lines, and a nagging sense that the moment slipped through our fingers. Glenn shares in a moving dramatic monologue authored by Doug Brendel about an elderly department store clerk who faces that familiar scene and quietly re-centers what matters. Between a counter stacked with refunds and a chorus of frayed tempers, he serves with patience and prayer, offering a living reminder that the heart of Christmas isn’t found in a receipt, a sale tag, or a perfect photo.

As the crowd presses in, small stories reveal a larger truth: a Bible traded for a toy, a holiday unraveled by mishaps, and a watch that won’t keep time. Then a woman drops a broken nativity on the counter. Piece by piece, the clerk restores the scene—until he finds the Christ child stuck to a price label, hidden under glue. That single image captures the tension of modern Christmas: the sacred buried under the urgent, the essential masked by the marketed. With gentleness, he returns Jesus to the manger, and something shifts. The woman softens. The store quiets, if only for a moment. And a city, through one ordinary act, sees what it has been missing.

We reflect on how easily meaning gets displaced by noise and how hope returns when we put Jesus back at the center—of our schedules, our spending, our serving, and our celebrations. This is a story for anyone who’s felt the post‑holiday slump, who’s wrestled with consumer culture, or who’s longing for faith that feels near and real. Walk with Glenn as he recites this tender tale and into a new year with hearts reset on what lasts: love, presence, and the joy that outlives the season.

If this resonated, share it with a friend, subscribe for our verse‑by‑verse studies, and leave a review to help others find the message. What will you put back in place today?

Support the show

Thank you for listening!! Please give us a five-star rating to help your podcast provider's algorithm spread RTTB among their listeners.

You can find free study and leader resources at the following link - Resource Page - Reasoning Through the Bible

Please prayerfully consider supporting RTTB to help us to continue providing content and free resources. You can do that at this link - Support RTTB - Reasoning Through the Bible

May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

Discover the origins of Christmas as we unwrap (pun intended) the holiday's rich history and address the long-debated question: Did Christmas begin as a pagan festival? Our festive foray cuts through the tinsel to provide clarity on how December 25th became the cornerstone of Christian celebration. We share how scriptural verses about bringing trees into a home are misinterpreted and set the record straight on Martin Luther's influence, which transformed this evergreen into a symbol of celebrating Jesus' birth. Join us for an episode that not only offers historical insights but also a heartwarming reminder to keep the Lord Jesus at the center of our Christmas festivities.

Support the show

Thank you for listening!! Please give us a five-star rating to help your podcast provider's algorithm spread RTTB among their listeners.

You can find free study and leader resources at the following link - Resource Page - Reasoning Through the Bible

Please prayerfully consider supporting RTTB to help us to continue providing content and free resources. You can do that at this link - Support RTTB - Reasoning Through the Bible

May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

What if God’s law moved from stone tablets to your heart? We walk through the end of Hebrews chapter 8 and venture into the beginning of chapter 9 to show why Jesus is the better priest who brings a better covenant with better promises—and why that changes everything about how we know God, obey, and worship. We unpack Jeremiah chapter 31’s promise of an inner work of the Spirit, explore how the covenant speaks to Israel while blessing the nations, and clarify a key tension: the Mosaic Law is obsolete, yet God’s moral will is fulfilled in us through the law of Christ.

From there, we step into the tabernacle. Picture the outer court, the holy place, and the Holy of Holies sealed by a veil. Only the high priest entered once a year with blood for the mercy seat. Every detail shouted distance. Then the cross tore the veil. Jesus, our great High Priest, presented His own blood, opened a living way into God’s presence, and continues interceding for us. The smoke of incense that once hovered before the curtain now imagery-richly belongs inside, because our Advocate is already there.

This conversation connects theology to hope and practice. If the Spirit writes God’s ways on our hearts, obedience grows from desire, not fear. If the law of Christ guides us, we live led by the Spirit rather than by ritual. If access is open, we come boldly to the throne of grace. Along the way, we address Israel and The Body of Christ [The Messiah], the promise of future belief, and how Gentiles share in covenant blessings without erasing the text’s plain meaning. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves Hebrews, and leave a review telling us: what part of the new covenant gives you the most confidence today?

Support the show

Thank you for listening!! Please give us a five-star rating to help your podcast provider's algorithm spread RTTB among their listeners.

You can find free study and leader resources at the following link - Resource Page - Reasoning Through the Bible

Please prayerfully consider supporting RTTB to help us to continue providing content and free resources. You can do that at this link - Support RTTB - Reasoning Through the Bible

May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

A single claim reframes everything: Jesus serves right now as our high priest in the true tabernacle—the one God set up, not man. From that vantage point, Hebrews chapter 8 unfolds a better ministry, a better covenant, and better promises, showing how the Old Testament doesn’t get replaced but revealed in full through Jesus Christ [Messiah]. We walk through the text line by line to explore why the earthly sanctuary was only a copy and shadow, how Psalm 110 and Jeremiah 31 anchor the argument, and what it means that The Law moves from stone tablets to living hearts.

We also tackle a question that splits commentaries and coffee tables: who is the new covenant for? By following Jeremiah’s wording—“the house of Israel and the house of Judah”—and Jesus’ words at the table of His last Passover supper—“the new covenant in my blood”—we make space for both biblical specificity and gospel breadth. Israel is named, The Church is grafted in, and all of it centers on union with Jesus. The first covenant wasn’t flawed; the people of Israel were. The new covenant doesn’t lower the bar; it changes the heart, producing real righteousness through The Spirit.

Along the way, we challenge a popular but thin habit of reading the Old Testament [Hebrew Scriptures] through a New Testament lens that erases its original meaning. Hebrews doesn’t rewrite the Hebrew Scriptures; it lets them speak and then shows their fullness in Jesus. That approach deepens assurance: our mediator is seated at the right hand of Majesty, His once-for-all sacrifice secures access, and His present ministry anchors our hope beyond the veil. If you’ve wondered how priesthood, sacrifice, Israel, and The Body of Christ fit together without forcing the text, this conversation offers a clear, Scripture-first path forward.

If this helped you see Hebrews with fresh eyes, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves Bible theology, and leave a review with your key takeaway so others can find it too.

Support the show

Thank you for listening!! Please give us a five-star rating to help your podcast provider's algorithm spread RTTB among their listeners.

You can find free study and leader resources at the following link - Resource Page - Reasoning Through the Bible

Please prayerfully consider supporting RTTB to help us to continue providing content and free resources. You can do that at this link - Support RTTB - Reasoning Through the Bible

May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

Ever feel like you’re stuck on a spiritual treadmill—striving, second-guessing, and never sure you’ve done enough? Hebrews chapter 7 offers a doorway out. We unpack why Jesus, as High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, changes the terms of assurance from fragile to forever by holding a priesthood that never ends. Mortal priests came and went; Jesus lives and intercedes without interruption, which means your access to God isn’t fluctuating with your feelings or your week. It’s anchored in His unending life.

We walk through Hebrews 7:23–28 to explore what “once for all” really means. Instead of daily sacrifices and human representatives who must atone for their own sins, Christ—holy, innocent, undefiled, and exalted—offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice and now stands in the true Holy of Holies on our behalf. That’s practical relief. If He saves completely, your security doesn’t hinge on spiritual hot streaks or rituals that try to patch what only His cross can cure. The old system was endless and exhausting. His finished work ends the churn and invites you to rest.

We also clarify what ongoing intercession looks like: not a replay of the cross, but a living Advocate applying a decisive victory. When accusations rise, the Father sees the Son. That’s why Hebrews urges us to draw near to trust the One who holds us fast. If you’ve wrestled with doubt, fear of losing salvation, or the pressure to be “worthy enough,” this chapter will steady your heart and widen your view of grace. Listen, reflect, and share with someone who needs to hear that Jesus saves completely and keeps completely. If this helped you breathe a little easier, subscribe, leave a review, and pass it on.

Support the show

Thank you for listening!! Please give us a five-star rating to help your podcast provider's algorithm spread RTTB among their listeners.

You can find free study and leader resources at the following link - Resource Page - Reasoning Through the Bible

Please prayerfully consider supporting RTTB to help us to continue providing content and free resources. You can do that at this link - Support RTTB - Reasoning Through the Bible

May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

What if the most famous tithe in the Bible wasn’t about a rule at all, but about recognizing a greater King and Priest? We open Hebrews chapter 7 and discover why Abraham’s gift to Melchizedek predates the Mosaic Law and why that matters for how we give, how we worship, and how we understand Jesus’ ministry today. Instead of arguing for a quota, the passage raises a bigger claim: a superior priesthood has arrived, grounded not in lineage but in the power of an indestructible life.

We walk through the key moves of the text: Melchizedek blesses Abraham, so the greater blesses the lesser; Levi “pays” tithes in Abraham, elevating Melchizedek’s order above the Levitical priesthood; and if the priesthood changes, the law must change too. That’s where everything turns. The Mosaic Law could diagnose sin but could not make anyone complete. Jesus, our priest forever according to Psalm 110, brings a better hope, a new covenant, and real nearness to God. The law of Christ—love God and love neighbor—raises the bar beyond rule-keeping and empowers obedience through the Spirit.

We also rethink generosity in light of this better priesthood. The New Testament calls us to give freely, joyfully, and abundantly, not under compulsion. If giving feels like an invoice, we miss the point. Generosity becomes participation in God’s work, a way to share in its fruit with open hands and a full heart. And because Jesus’ priesthood never ends, our hope is not seasonal or symbolic; it’s anchored in his ongoing intercession and his once-for-all sacrifice.

Join us as we trace how Hebrews 7 reframes tithing, priesthood, and law around Jesus—greater than angels, greater than Moses, and greater than the old priesthood. If this conversation helps you see giving and grace with fresh eyes, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review to help others find the show.

Support the show

Thank you for listening!! Please give us a five-star rating to help your podcast provider's algorithm spread RTTB among their listeners.

You can find free study and leader resources at the following link - Resource Page - Reasoning Through the Bible

Please prayerfully consider supporting RTTB to help us to continue providing content and free resources. You can do that at this link - Support RTTB - Reasoning Through the Bible

May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

Lies travel fast, but they don’t last. We end Hebrews chapter 6 and open chapter 7 finding a sturdier place to stand: God’s promise to Abraham, sealed by an oath, and a hope described as an anchor for the soul. From that foundation, we follow the thread behind the veil into the true tabernacle, where Jesus acts not as our forerunner and high priest who secures our access to the presence of God.

We unpack how an ancient sanctuary layout—outer court, holy place, Holy of Holies—mirrors a heavenly reality, and why that matters for everyday assurance. If Jesus Christ [Messiah] carries His own blood into the real Holy of Holies, then atonement is not a metaphor; it is the substance the Old Testament symbols pointed to. Along the way, we meet Melchizedek, the mysterious king of Salem, whose sudden appearance with bread and wine, blessing, and tithe becomes a powerful type of Christ: king of righteousness, king of peace, and priest of God Most High. The absence of his genealogy in Genesis isn’t a puzzle to solve as much as a signpost toward an eternal priesthood fulfilled in Jesus.

This conversation stays grounded with a vivid nautical image of a “forerunner” boat that carries the big ship’s anchor over the sandbar into safe holding. That’s how our hope holds when life’s tides pull us backward: not because we are strong, but because our anchor is set in God’s unchangeable character. If you’ve felt the drag of doubt or the sting of broken promises, this is a warm, thoughtful guide to a trust that doesn’t crack under pressure.

If this helped steady your faith, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs firm footing, and leave a quick review to help others find it.

Support the show

Thank you for listening!! Please give us a five-star rating to help your podcast provider's algorithm spread RTTB among their listeners.

You can find free study and leader resources at the following link - Resource Page - Reasoning Through the Bible

Please prayerfully consider supporting RTTB to help us to continue providing content and free resources. You can do that at this link - Support RTTB - Reasoning Through the Bible

May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve