Mailbag Friday: Guilt vs Grace, Conscience Clarity, Family Tension

Summary

Wretched Radio with Todd Friel

Mailbag Friday: Guilt vs Grace, Conscience Clarity, Family Tension
Date: March 27, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this engaging mailbag episode, Todd Friel and co-host Jimmy Hicks tackle a selection of listener questions touching on the Christian life: the morality of sports participation, the line between shame and grace in dealing with sin, the nuances of conscience, and tensions arising from family decisions. With their trademark humor, theological depth, and the occasional playful jab, the hosts sift through practical dilemmas, scriptural principles, and Puritan insights, aiming to encourage growth in grace and gospel thinking.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Can Christians Participate in Competitive or Aggressive Sports?

[01:49 – 05:19]

• Listener Question: Are sports like boxing, football, and paintball off-limits due to their aggressive nature, or is participation acceptable for Christians?

• Host Response:

  • Attitude Determines Sinfulness: It's not intrinsically sinful to play aggressive sports. The morality hinges on the participant’s heart and motives, not necessarily the activity itself.
  • Dualism Warning: Avoid separating “Christian” and “secular” activities arbitrarily—what matters is living as a “royal priest” in all spheres.
  • Memorable Quote:

    "It's not the activity, it is the priest who participates in them." (Jimmy Hicks, 05:08)

  • Occasion for Book Plug: Jimmy mentions his upcoming book (with Erwin Lutzer writing the foreword) about Christians unwittingly separating sacred and secular.

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2. Conscience, Couthness, & Christian Manners

[06:41 – 08:39]

• Listener Question: Is being “uncouth” (rude, crude, or rough) ever sinful? What if my conscience convicts me for minor social slips?

• Host Response:

  • Crudeness Is Out of Bounds: Ephesians prohibits crassness and vulgarity; Christians should display gentleness and distinction, though not in forced or artificial ways.
  • Humorous Wordplay: Joking about the word “couth” not having a positive form.
  • Memorable Quote:

    "We're just a different breed... you should never be crude or coarse or rough or gruff." (Jimmy Hicks, 07:44)

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3. Battling Internal Temptation (Cussing in the Mind)

[08:39 – 11:36]

• Listener Question: “Pearl” has been saved four years but still wrestles with "cussing in her mind." Is it sin just to think these words?

• Host Response:

  • Temptation vs. Consent:
    Not every tempting thought is a sin—sin enters when there is willful consent, enjoyment, or internal approval.
  • Analogy: Just as seeing a sinful image isn’t sin unless one dwells on it, so fleeting vulgar thoughts are not sin unless harbored.
  • Memorable Quote:

    "The temptation that hits your brain isn't you sinning until you grab the baton and run with it." (Jimmy Hicks, 09:57)

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4. Temptation and the Sermonic Influence

[15:06 – 20:39]

• Puritans on Temptation:
  • Thomas Manton’s insight:

    "The sin of the devil tempting must be distinguished from our sin in consenting... the devil may fling in temptations... but if we throw them out with indignation... it is our misery, but the devil’s sin." (Read by Jimmy Hicks, 17:25)

  • Encouragement: Even if we don’t remember every sermon or book verbatim, biblical truth seeps into our thinking over time and shapes our responses.

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5. Strong vs. Seared Conscience

[20:58 – 26:01, 29:31 – 34:17]

• Listener Question: What’s the difference between a strong and a seared conscience, and how do Christians maintain a healthy conscience?
• Host Response:
  • Strong Conscience: Means well-informed by Scripture and maintained through continued growth and communion with God.
  • Seared Conscience: A biblical description of spiritual deadness, likely referring only to unbelievers.
  • Three Keys to a Strong Conscience:
    1. Growing knowledge (study the Word, listen, learn).
    2. Close communion with God.
    3. Swift repentance—don’t “play with sin.”
  • On Forgetting Sermons: Even if you don’t recall details, they shape you:

    "We’re play dough, and we get molded... If you’re consuming a biblical worldview... you’re getting molded and shaped." (Jimmy Hicks, 29:44)

  • Puritan Wisdom (Thomas Brooks):

    "Communion with God furnishes the soul with the greatest and the choicest arguments to withstand Satan’s temptations..." (Todd Friel, 34:07)

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6. Embracing God’s Commands as Good

[34:17 – 36:46]

• On Law and Grace: God’s commands are for our good, not just checklists. The legalist misunderstands the purpose of God’s law—it revives, guides, and blesses.

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7. Favorite Book of the Bible?

[36:46 – 40:29, 43:33 – 45:26]

• Funny Segment: Todd and Jimmy riff about which biblical book they’d take to a desert island, with tongue-in-cheek references to Ken Ham, Andy Stanley, and church disputes.
• Choices:
  • Jimmy: Maybe Matthew or John, Romans for theology; wrestles with not being able to pick just one.
  • Hicks: First and Second Timothy—wanting guidance for building a healthy church, even alone!
  • Joke:

    “Well, that one’s my house, that one’s my church, and that one, that’s my old church.” (Jimmy Hicks, 44:30)

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8. Family-Run Churches: Problematic?

[45:26 – 47:22]

• Listener Question: Is it a concern if nearly everyone in a small church is related through marriage?
• Hosts’ Thoughts:
  • Not a problem in itself, but be vigilant against creating a cliquish or exclusive atmosphere. Make an effort to avoid visitors feeling like outsiders.
  • Memorable descriptor:

    "Us four, no more." (Fortis Announcer, 46:40)

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9. Letting Go of Shame and Guilt Over Sin

[47:22 – 52:09]

• Listener Question: How do I stop being angry at myself after sinning, knowing I’m relying too much on myself instead of God’s grace?
• Host Guidance:
  • The impulse to “do penance” and stay angry is rooted in works-righteousness, not gospel grace.
  • Gospel Reality:

    "If you're in Christ, God is never mad at you, ever. Can he be disappointed? Yes… But you cannot receive his fury because you are hidden in Christ..." (Jimmy Hicks, 48:27)

  • Immerse yourself in the “pure milk of the Word” and meditate on verses about forgiveness.

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10. Dealing with Family Disappointment (Brother Marries Unbeliever)

[52:09 – 53:42]

• Listener Question: Since my brother married a “pagan wife,” I’m angry, hurt, and estranged. What should I do?
• Host Response:
  • Three Considerations:
    1. Examine your hurt—is it prideful?
    2. Grief and concern can be appropriate, but must be temporary; heal through God’s Word.
    3. Your brother remains your brother; love and enjoy him as family. Loving isn’t endorsing bad choices.
  • Missional Lens: If he or his wife are unsaved, “looks like the Lord has just given you a ministry.”

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• "It's not the activity, it is the priest who participates in them."
  – Jimmy Hicks (05:08)

• "Communion with God furnishes the soul with the greatest and the choicest arguments to withstand Satan’s temptations."
  – Todd Friel, quoting Thomas Brooks (34:07)

• "If you're in Christ, God is never mad at you, ever... You are hidden in Christ."
  – Jimmy Hicks (48:27)

• Joke of the Day:
  “Well, that one’s my house, that one’s my church, and that one, that’s my old church.” (44:30)

• On Guilt:
  “We are bent not toward grace, we’re bent toward works, all of us. … You need to be remembering those things. Memorize Bible verses that talk about those things.” (Jimmy Hicks, 49:42)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Sports and the Christian Life: 01:49–05:19
• Couthness and Conscience: 06:41–08:39
• Internal Temptation & Sin: 08:39–11:36
• Puritan Insights on Temptation: 15:06–20:39
• Conscience Strength vs. Seared Conscience: 20:58–26:01, 29:31–34:17
• God’s Commands as Good: 34:17–36:46
• Favorite Book of the Bible: 36:46–40:29, 43:33–45:26
• Family-Run Churches: 45:26–47:22
• Dealing with Shame and Guilt: 47:22–52:09
• Family Tensions and Ministry: 52:09–53:42

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Episode Tone and Style

Friendly, humorous, theologically rich, and practical; Todd Friel and Jimmy Hicks combine light-hearted banter with pastoral depth, extensive use of Puritan writers, and a focus on gospel-centered living.

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Useful for:

• Christians wrestling with how faith impacts daily life, conscience, family, and personal struggle.
• Listeners who want biblical wisdom, not just surface-level advice; expect scriptural depth and gentle humor throughout.

Transcript

[Todd Friel]

Wretched radio begins in 3, 2, 1.

[Jimmy Hicks]

I want to mourn the old trees and tell them that we love them. I've looked at clear cuts and burnt

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forests and I felt outraged.

[Todd Friel]

We are the crowning glory of God's

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creation and all of nature was made for us.

[Todd Friel]

Nature is more productive because of us, not less. It's time for Wretched Radio with Todd Friel.

[Jimmy Hicks]

It's time.

[Todd Friel]

It's the Wretched Radio Mail call Delivery Bag Q and A infotainment nationwide extravaganza featuring your voicemails, correspondences, communiques, dispatches, memorandums and missives.

[Jimmy Hicks]

Any special message for all the kids watching at home. What we need right now is a clear message to the people of this country. You have 1200 messages.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

That is a bit above average.

[Todd Friel]

Now here's your host, Todd Freakishly Tall Friel

[Jimmy Hicks]

I. This is Wretched Radio. When you see. Do you ever not see wretched things on the Internet when you stumble across something wretched? Pretty much. When was the last time you saw a good news story, really? I think you have to go to websites that call themselves good news stories and you know how many subscribers they have not buried me, that family, pretty much. When you see something wretched, it doesn't have to be ugly. It just has to be something theological, good, bad or otherwise. It's a sermon, an article, a story, whatever. Would you kindly send it to [e-mail] and if you'd like to text, questions, comments, conundrums, snarks, whatever. The Texter machine number is 877-282-2337.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

All right, this is from Andrew Todd. Can Christians participate in sports like boxing, football and paintball? Or does this mean they're thinking evil thoughts because of the punching, the tackling and the shooting?

[Jimmy Hicks]

Could be. Don't have to be. Could just be an athletic competition. Boxing, I think, is kind of a separate category that warrants some caveats. But when, when we all get together on a field and say, here are the rules, fellas, you might get tackled. Yeah, it could. It could hurt a little bit, too. And you all agree to the terms? I, I, I. Now, if you're out on the field and it's like that dude gets up my nose and I'm going to crush him and he might not walk when I'm done. Okay, well, then you're sinning, but you don't have to be. I don't know. I can't say for this. Was it a fellow or fellow at.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

It was anonymous, I believe.

[Jimmy Hicks]

See, it's Hard to know these.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

No, it was Andrew. I'm sorry?

[Jimmy Hicks]

It was Andrew.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

Andrew.

[Jimmy Hicks]

Well, there could be some girls that identify as Andrew. We are living in the 21st century. I don't know if this applies to Andrew or not, but I find it fascinating that athletics and the arts tend to be a particular area of struggle for a great number of Christians because they see it as a realm that is so often sinful, they wonder, ooh, can a Christian participate in that, or am I not doing a Christian type of thing? And I think we need to remember that it's not the realm, it's the priest that participates in the realm. It's not the activity, it's the priest that is participating in that activity. In other words, you are a kingdom of priests. You are a royal priest. You bring that with you wherever you go. Athletic feel to the bakery, to the warehouse, to the law firm, to your family, to the park, whatever you do. Because when we start identifying realms, I think, and obviously we can apply some wisdom to things like Hollywood. But when considering realms, we need to remember, for the most part, obviously there are some realms that would just be flat out sinful, but most realms, they're just neutral. It's what we bring to them. And when we start classifying them as being, if you will, more Christian like than other activities, I think we've potentially got things backwards. If the activity itself is neutral, you either make it God glorifying or you make it sinful by the attitude that you bring to it. Furthermore, it can reveal a bit of a dualistic tendency in that we think that unless it's a specifically Christian thing, I'm not doing a Christian thing. That's wrong. If you are a royal priest playing football, then guess what, then it is God pleasing. And it is a Christian activity. Not because of the activity, but because you're participating in it as a Christian. So the dualistic tendencies that we all tend to have.

[Todd Friel]

Wow.

[Jimmy Hicks]

That's what my next book is about, which will be out December 1st. Guess, guess what. This was really sweet.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

What?

[Jimmy Hicks]

This was really sweet. Erwin Lutzer, he wrote the foreword to the book and he recorded the intro.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

Oh, yeah.

[Jimmy Hicks]

Because it has to. You know, these days everything's got to be an audio something. And he actually recorded it, that guy. I'm telling you, what a guy. He's 84, I think, and he's still just a maniac. He travels and he preaches and he's writing a book, I think, on Karl Marx right now. Just extraordinary individual. I wrote the book specifically because of this tendency that we all have to separate sacred and secular. And then we can even have classifications underneath each. Well, that secular activity, that was really secular. Like the arts. Ooh, musicians, they struggle with this all the time. Should a Christian be in a band? Sure, as long as you're not doing sinful things, there's no distinction. It's not the activity, it is the priest who participates in them. The book will be out September 1 8, 772-822-3333. All right.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

This is from Philip Todd. Is it wrong for someone to be uncouth? Like, if someone says hello to me and I don't see anything back, is that a sin? My hyper conscience condemns me for acts like this, but I don't want to disregard the guilt if it's from the Lord.

[Jimmy Hicks]

Wish I had more examples. Because you should be couth. No, actually, it can't be, because that's not a word. It's only uncouth. That's the weirdest word. You would think if you've got a negation in front of it, then you must be able to do the actual word itself. But you can't. You can't be couth. You can only be uncouth. At least, last time I checked, that was the rule about that word. And the rules just keep changing about words and grammar, don't they? Should you ever be uncouth? I think just rightly understanding what that word means, just taking that word on its face. No, you can't be uncouth. And I think Ephesians 4, 28, 29 going into Ephesians 5, 3, no curse, jesting, nothing that's crude and nothing that's double entendre, nothing that's sexual, nothing that's vulgar. And I think vulgar is at least a cousin to being uncouth. So, no, you don't want to be. Now, does that mean you need to hold your pinky up when you drink your tea? First of all, you probably shouldn't be drinking tea if you're a dude. Otherwise you shouldn't be crass and coarse. You don't have to be like, you've been trained to be a royal. No, you just be a human being. But you should never be crude or coarse or rough or gruff. I think falls underneath that entire category. We're just a different kind of people. We're just a different breed. I am so tempted at the moment to talk about one, Peter. But I'm not going to do that because I've been told I've been talking about one Peter a lot, which I find. 8, 7, 7, 2, 8, 2, 2, 3, 3, 7.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

All right. This is from Pearl. She texted in and wanted to know. Todd, I struggle with cussing. I've been saved for almost four years now. But the cussing is in my mind only. I know that Christ calls for Christians to be holy, for he is holy. And I know that cussing is wrong. But how do I stop the cussing? In my mind?

[Jimmy Hicks]

I'm struggling so hard to answer the question. Because I was just thinking, if this woman lived on a farm and her brothers got mad at her biblically, they couldn't cast her in with the swine. Yeah, that's right. That's what my mind was doing with the name Pearl. Are you sinning if it pops up in your mind? Mind. Are you committing a vulgarity going back to Ephesians 4, 28, 5, 3? If that kind of pops into your mind, it's a fine line. Not necessarily. Not necessarily. If it's something that you're warring against, it's something that you've tried to purify from your life. Not necessarily. It could. If you're just pretending on the outside not to do it because, you know you can't say those things on the outside, but you really like saying them on the inside, well, then you'd still be sinning. But if it's just. If it's maybe some training, a little bit of discipline, I don't think so. The temptation that hits your brain isn't you sinning until you grab the baton and run with it. Now, that gets a little tricky, doesn't it, to define exactly how and when that works and where you cross the line. So you want to be careful how hard and fast you are with those rules. But I do believe that that is a general principle. Just because the Devil tempts you in some way, well, that's him sinning. But you're not sinning. Just because it hits you doesn't mean you're sinning. Okay, so you're driving down the road. You see an image that's sinful, or it's something on the Internet, or it's a movie that you're watching, and all of a sudden, whoa. And you see something. Are you sinning? Well, the answer is, it depends on what you're doing with the image. If you consume it and start to just write a little script and play it out in your mind and revel in it, enjoy it, whatever it is, well, then you're sinning. But just because it gets into your eyeballs. It doesn't mean that you're sinning. Just because you see something now you go looking for it. That's a different deal. But I think that's the line of temptation. The temptation that comes to you most likely is a sin on somebody's part, but it doesn't have to be a sin on your part. And I think that applies too, to the potty words that are still inhabiting your brain. This is wretched radio.

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[Jimmy Hicks]

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[Todd Friel]

Know your church fathers. Gregory of Nazianzus was the bishop of Constantinople in the fourth century. He wrote important works on the Trinity and the person of Christ. Gregory described the relationship between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and taught that Jesus is fully God and fully man. His arguments are still in use today. This is Wretched Radio with Todd Friel.

[Jimmy Hicks]

My knucklehead status has been confirmed. Friel. It's been confirmed in our minds for years. This is Wretched Radio. Jimmy, we were just talking about temptations coming in. You know, how far do they get in? When does it become a sin? Not a sin.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

Right.

[Jimmy Hicks]

I'm gonna hold up what was literally on top of my desk. So for the two minutes that I was talking about temptation, this was right before my eyes. Can you. Can you see this book? What is it called?

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

Temptation. That's funny.

[Jimmy Hicks]

Well, it would be funny if I weren't so dumb to not remember that it was actually sitting there. Let me. This might be helpful. Let me. There were. There was a couple of. I'm. I maybe even highlighted a quote about, you know, how far temptation goes when it's a sin, when it's not a sin. This was from Free Grace broadcaster. I think every quarter they send out a book with a theme written by puritans. So this particular chapter was about how the devil tempts Thomas Manton. He died in 1677. The sin of the devil. Tempting. Oh, this is it. Nowhere. Look at that. This might be an encouraging word for all of us. If I asked you what the sermon was about last week, would you remember? Maybe. I mean, but you'd probably have to go. Okay, hold on. Let me. Let me just think for a second. We're in first, Peter. I know. No, that's Real's church. We were. You'd have to, like, really kind of dredge. What was that thing about? Or Sunday school, whatever it is. And maybe you've come to the conclusion nothing's sticking. Nothing's sticking. Okay. I read this probably a week or two ago, and so my response That I just gave, I think came from what I read a week or two ago and I didn't remember. I don't wanna let us all off the hook that we're lazy listeners with preaching. But here's the reality. You've probably heard hundreds, maybe thousands of sermons in your life. And you probably remember almost none of them. But that doesn't mean it's not getting into you. Just because you can't cite a sermon. It doesn't mean that that sermon hasn't affected your life. It hasn't informed your thinking in some way. Or it hasn't curbed your morality in another way. That's how it works. So on the one hand, we always want to be diligent listeners trying to remember this stuff, actively listening. But on the other hand, we don't want to feel terrible because we can't seem to remember everything. Because I think I was just an example that that's kind of how it works. Just gets in and it informs and it rewires and then it comes out. So here it is, from Manton. The sin of the devil tempting must be distinguished from our sin in consenting man. I gotta tell you, if I hadn't just read that out loud. That's worth plagiarizing and memeing right there. The sin of the devil tempting must be distinguished from our sin in consenting. That's good. If the devil tempts and we consent not, it is his sin. The envious man may throw weeds over the garden wall. But if we do not suffer them to root there, it is not the gardener's fault, but the fault of the envious man. Likewise, the devil may fling in temptations fiery darts, atheistic or blasphemous thoughts or potty words, or yet if we throw them out with indignation and give no harbor and entertainment to them there it is our misery. But the devil's sin, that's perfect. It's our misery. It doesn't mean it's fun. It doesn't mean that the warfare stops. It doesn't mean that the struggle ends. But it's the devil's sin. Being tempted. It ain't a bucket of laughs. Was reading up. I wonder if I've got. No, I don't. I was reading a Valley of Vision prayer. And I think it was called. Back to my point about remembering. Specifically, it was. It was a confessional prayer of repentance. And it described the sin, probably the besetting sin that can so often knock on your door, tempt you and taunt you and just make your life torturous. The puritan writer said, it is my hell. This is my hell. That's what the battle with sin and temptation is. It's like just. But that doesn't mean it's your sin if you don't take it and run with it. It's the devil's sin, if you will. Therefore, if our hearts abhor them at the very first rising, though they be man's cross, they will be put on Satan's account. Man, this guy, he could have been an ex superstar. He would have been a meme monster with stuff like that. That's super fun. Okay, what do I got here? I will do this another day. It was helps against temptation. It was the eighth help. If you would not be taken away with Satan's snares and devices, then do this. We'll share that another day. But today, let's go to the mailbag, shall we? Idearetched.org all right.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

An email from Ryder.

[Jimmy Hicks]

You're not going to affirm any of that man stuff. I thought that was awesome.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

It was good.

[Jimmy Hicks]

You're faking it.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

No, no.

[Jimmy Hicks]

You weren't even paying attention.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

I was paying attention.

[Jimmy Hicks]

What was I talking about?

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

Temptation.

[Jimmy Hicks]

Okay.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

It's the name of the book.

[Jimmy Hicks]

I'm glad you remembered.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

Writer emailed in. Todd, what is the difference between having a. Between a Christian having a strong conscience and a seared conscience?

[Jimmy Hicks]

Oh, yeah, well, strong do you mean well informed? That's super crucial. Because a conscience that's set on high, that isn't well informed is going to be a scrupulous conscience. And that's going to get you into trouble because you're just going to be tortured over everything. Things that aren't a sin, you're going to think are a sin. And round and round you're going to go. So your conscience, it needs to be informed. So if by strong you mean well informed, huge thumbs up. A seared conscience, you do not want that. Now, can a Christian ultimately have a seared conscience? I don't think so. I think the seared conscience, that specific level of a weak conscience, I think belongs to the unregenerate. I think I'm going to stick with that for the moment until persuaded otherwise. But you can dial down the strength of your conscience and all kind. Many things can do that to you. But I don't think it can become seared because once your conscience becomes seared, it's like, well, you're done. You're just. You don't care about sin. And unless a Supernatural work of God overrules that. You just. You don't care. Que sera, sera. You're gonna sin however you want to. How does a Christian keep their conscience strong? Well, I think there's. Let's just. I think, focus on two ways. Number one, knowledge. Knowledge. You need to maintain knowledge. You need to keep learning. You need to keep growing. You need to keep consuming. You need to keep doing the means of growth. That keeps it informed. But I think there's another aspect of it, and that is your relationship with the Lord, your walk with him. The further you get away from him, your conscience is going to be less strong because you're going to be lacking motivation. The communion with God that I believe gives us strength to overcome temptation. So I think working on your relationship with the Lord. All right, here's a third category. Don't play with sin. The more you play with it, it will just. It is. It's a crude. Sin is just kudzu. It just gets on you a little bit. Just a little bit, just a little bit. And then it just takes over and it says, just a little more, just a little more, just a little more. And in six months, you're looking back going, how did I get here? Well, the answer is, you let sin take root slowly. That is why the second you see it, kill it. Just kill it. Okay, fine. So last week, this is what we preached about at Alpharetta Bible Church, and that is seeing sin as just garbage. It's just so bad for you and that you need to remove it. The Greek word in the text in 1 Peter 2 is the vision of a soldier taking off his armor or somebody taking off a soiled garment. That's the thing. Get it off of me. That's how we should be seeing sin. We should be seeing sin as something that contorts and deforms us and it robs us of being Christlike and the joys that come with it. So when you see sin, even just in its smallest form, don't think, well, it's just a little. As soon as you say that, man, you just stepped on the path of slip sliding away. Be diligent, be on the alert. See sin as garbage. Remove it constantly. And how do you do that? Well, one Peter tells us, by consuming the pure milk of the Word so that you can grow in your salvation knowing the kindness of the Lord. Look, there's other attributes of God, obviously, that we want to and must study, but Peter in this particular text is saying, hey, if you want to be battling sin, if you want to be taken out the trash. You've got to study and think about the kindness of God, the goodness of God, the love of God, the mercy of God, the grace of God. And as you do that with him, and as you commune with him in that, as you go about the business of battling sin, consuming the pure milk of the word, your conscience will be increased increasingly strong, and you will be inclined to sin a lot less. This is Wretched Radio,

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

And it's now time for your daily Fortis news break, a production of Fortis Institute. The Trump administration is moving to ease pain at the pump because the Iran conflict is pushing gas prices to their highest level since 2020. The EPA is temporarily waiving restrictions on E15 ethanol blended fuel that will start May 1, and their aim is to boost supply as the national average nears $4 a gallon. Diesel has jumped 40%. It's at $5.37 a gallon on average. The White House insists the spike is temporary. Meanwhile, a new poll finds 49% of Democrats don't think the US should even be the dominant power in the Western Hemisphere. Then who should? That's the question no one in that group seems to be asking right now or willing to answer. Because if it's not the US it's going to be someone. Someone will always rise to the top. And history suggests none of us will like who volunteers. Pittsburgh Public schools will be closing for three days so the city can host the NFL draft. That's right. Let's call it Close schools down because of the NFL draft. Pittsburgh, which is struggling with a staggering 34% of chronic absenteeism and students are a full grade level behind in math. But sure, let's shut the schools down. That's the path of least resistance, right? Shut the doors. In California, USC canceled a gubernatorial debate because all six qualifying candidates had scheduling conflicts. No, that wasn't it. Usc, the SEC canceled this gubernatorial debate because all six qualifying candidates happen to be white. True story. Candidates of color who didn't meet the polling threshold, they complained and the university folded. Let's cancel democracy over demographics. Speaking of selective principles, Democrats have been spending years calling voter ID laws Jim Crow 2.0 right here in the US but actively they've been promoting voter ID requirements in elections around the world. The National Democratic Institute, with prominent Democrats on its board, pushes ID verifications as essential to election integrity overseas, not here in the U.S. no, because secure elections, those things only matter where Democrats don't need the votes. And the Church of England has officially installed its first female archbishop of Canterbury Sarah is her name. She used her opening sermon to apologize for the way churches have hurt people while avoiding any mention of sin or the reason Christ went to the cross in the first place. Yeah, when the Gospel turns into something that's all incarnation and no atonement whatsoever. You haven't modernized Christianity like you think you have. No, you've just hollowed it out. And that wraps up today's Fortis news break. I'm Jimmy Hicks. If you want more, you can download Fortis plus or sign up to become a Fortis insider for exclusive daily content. Both of those things can be [e-mail], also to open you can subscribe to this here Fortis newscast on your favorite podcast app, so you can get it sent directly to you every single day. And until tomorrow, go serve your king.

[Todd Friel]

Important Dates in Christian history 1273 Thomas Aquinas completes work on Summer Theologica, the theological masterpiece of the Middle Ages. Aquinas synthesized faith and reason, incorporating Aristotelian philosophy into his work, and provided a theological framework for Catholic doctrine. This is Wretched Radio with Todd Friel.

[Jimmy Hicks]

Oops, Did I do it Again? This is Wretched Radio. I think that's as close as we're ever gonna come to quoting Britney Spears right there. Oops, Did I do it Again? If you recall, somebody sent in, it was a text or an email to ideaetched.org or 8 asking about the conscience. How do you have a strong conscience versus a seared conscience? What's the difference? And I cited a number of ways that you can keep your conscience strong. Earlier, I had also mentioned that I, without intending to, was basically quoting something, sharing something regarding temptation that I had read in a book titled Temptation a week or two ago that I I didn't like. As I was talking and sharing it, I wasn't thinking about this book. I didn't even see it, let alone think about it. But it was just coming out. Well, guess what? That last question that was asked about the conscience, I think it was happening again. And the reason I'm sharing this is, is I think I hope is a word of encouragement for you if you feel like, wow, I really don't remember much. Don't be so sure. You get formed, you get shaped. We're play doh. And we get molded. What are the hands that fashion us worldviews? And so if you're consuming a biblical worldview through preaching, teaching, reading, etc. You're getting molded and shaped. And I'm telling you it's Just getting into you. So don't be discouraged. Oh, I can't. I can't remember anything. It comes out maybe without sight. You're not Al Mohler. You can't memorize every book that you've read and say I read it in this book and it was on this page. You can't do that. But it's getting in there. So now let's see, Jimmy, if you recall, I said, one of the ways that you keep a conscience strong, which I think is a good word, strong conscience, is to make sure your communion with God is strong. This book, temptation. Here's what it said. Your communion with God, your strength to stand and withstand Satan's fiery darts is from your communion with God. That's what I. That's what I. Where did that come from? What? I said, where did that come from? I think it came from here. Now, I maybe had that thought. Thought without reading this book, but it wasn't anywhere near top of mind. Furthermore, where would that thought have come from if not this book? Probably a different book, probably a different sermon, probably a different lecture, because that's how our brains work. So let's share what this Puritan author who wrote this. By the way, this was from Thomas Brooks. Thomas Brooks, who died in 1680. You know, that was something that I just heard Michael Knowles say, that England rejoiced when the Puritans left. Well, if you want to put it that way, sir, they came to America. You can just thank those Protestants anytime you like. To my Roman Catholic friend, Furthermore, who is it that didn't like the Puritans? If you don't like the Puritans, I don't think it's because that you have a full understanding of what they were like. Were they probably more strict and severe than we are? Yeah. Who says we're right and they were wrong? We are a very lax culture, and we would be unwise, I think, as Christians to think that we don't share similarities to the world in that regard. How would we have fit in? We got teleported back to the 17th century with a bunch of Puritans. What would they have thought of us? What would we have thought of them? So his judgmental attitude toward the Puritans. The question is, were they biblical? Furthermore, what aspects of them are you studying? I'm telling you, the more you read the Puritans, the more you read about men that loved the Lord Jesus Christ passionately and wanted that for people. They wanted good for people. They didn't want bad for people. I think Too. It could speculating to a degree. But nevertheless, Michael Knowles revealed that he doesn't understand what laws are the commandments of God. Read Psalm 119. Read Psalm 19. The laws of the Lord, they're perfect. The laws of the Lord, they're like, honey, they're sweet. They guide my path. They give me knowledge, they cause me to praise. God's commandments are good. In fact, Jimmy, I don't know if I. First Peter. We're in First Peter. Yeah.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

Oh, really?

[Jimmy Hicks]

Yeah. So because Peter, last week in our sermon in 1 Peter 2:1:3, he gave six or seven commands. Just do six. Take out the trash. Don't be filled with malice, deceit, slander, envy, etc. And those laws can feel like heavy. Mrs. Marsh. It can be like, oh, okay, that's just a lot of law preaching. What we need to remember, what are the laws? The laws are good if used lawfully. God's commands are good for us. So when somebody says, oh, there's somebody who really wants to enforce the laws, well, okay, they could be legalistic, but not necessarily because the laws are good. And the individual, who is that critic, I think, exposes that they don't understand that God's laws are good. And we do well to change our thinking about the laws of God, that we don't see them as like, okay, there's another checklist. Okay, there's another box. Okay, there's something else I can't do. It's for our good. The laws of the Lord are good. Reviving the soul. I wonder if Michael Knowles understands that. Back to Thomas Manton. Such a soul will fight it out to the A soul high in communion with God may be tempted but will not easily be conquered. Such a soul will fight it out to the death. Communion with God furnishes the soul with the greatest and the choicest arguments to withstand Satan's temptations. Because you have to just stab your Lord in the heart when you succumb to Satan's temptations. Communion is the result of union. Communion is a reciprocal exchange between Christ and a gracious soul. It's Jacob's ladder where you have Christ coming sweetly down into the soul, being influenced by God himself. Communion with Christ is very inflaming, raising and strengthening. And on it goes. In other words, communion with the Lord will help you battle sin. It'll keep your conscience strong. And perhaps my inability to remember the source of my thoughts is an encouragement to all of us. You keep consuming the word. It is getting in there, whether you know it or not ideametched.org all right,

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

this is from Marie Todd. What is your favorite book of the Bible? And don't say first Peter.

[Jimmy Hicks]

Hey, you can add. You can't do that. You can't throw in your own thoughts. That's like reverse plagiarism or something. You know, I think we've all been asked that question before or maybe, you know, some sort of group thing. Hey everybody, think about what your favorite book is. I, I don't know. I, I don't. Okay, put it this way. If I could only take one book of the Bible to a desert island with. Let's. Okay, it depends. Who am I going to the to, to the island with? I guess it would be a deserted island, maybe a desert island. If I'm going with Ken Ham, I'd pick Genesis because if not, it would just be so insufferable. But if I were maybe going with anybody else, I'm telling you, I really think, you know, answers in Genesis, they're always doing new stuff. They're always, you know, creating new things to support the veracity of the Old Testament. I think it's time, like questions in Exodus, something like that. So Ken, if you're listening, I don't know. Confusion in Leviticus, just something to help. Yeah, well, there can be some confusion in Leviticus. What book would I pick if I were going to an island by myself? Well, okay, there's a number of them that I think about because I want to make sure that I've got a book that has the most holistic teaching possible. Because if I can't have access to the Old Testament. So like for instance, see, this is why, knowing who you're going to be stranded with this, you don't want to go on a three hour cruise with people that you don't. You got to. Because if you go with Ken and you get deserted and stranded and you don't pick Genesis, you're in trouble. You're on that boat with Andy Stanley and you have something from the Old Testament, you're in trouble. Completely different reason there. So I'm thinking, what would be the widest teaching? I'd want a gospel because I'd like to read about Jesus a lot because there is a difference in reading the biographies of Jesus and his words and reading theology about him. So I would be very tempted to say Matthew would be on my list because it's the longest. Boy John would be great too, wouldn't it? Matthew or John would be one of the gospels. I would like to take one of those If I had to pick an epistle, the longest treatment, theology wise, okay, you could argue 1 Corinthians just because it's longer as more. 10 more chapters. But I would say Romans is going to be a really thorough treatment of just everything that we need to know. Now, I will say this. There is something to be said for Ephesians and Colossians and Philippians and first and second Timothy. I don't know. I don't know. Why did you do this to me, Jimmy? What? But you got one book. What do you bring?

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

The Holy Bible?

[Jimmy Hicks]

Yeah. Well, you can't. No, you got one out of 66.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

Okay, so if I had to give an answer, can I take two?

[Jimmy Hicks]

Okay. You are very, very, very close to speaking in tongues. Very, very close.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

First and second Timothy.

[Jimmy Hicks]

That's two.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

I know.

[Jimmy Hicks]

I said, can I take two first and second Timothy? Fine. This. This is wretched radio.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

As a Christian, at some point you're going to be in a conversation about abortion. Maybe it's at work, maybe it's at Thanksgiving dinner, or maybe even with your own kids. And when that moment comes, you're either going to be ready for the conversation or you're not. Life is best get you ready. It's hosted by Scott Klusendorf, one of, if not the sharpest pro life apologists in the world. This 13 episode series walks through every every major argument you'll hear and shows you how to respond with clarity and compassion. You'll also hear from voices like Paul Washer and Dr. John MacArthur bringing the weight of scripture to an issue the world wants to keep shallow. You won't find angry debate tactics or gotcha moments. This is thoughtful teaching that engages the mind and the heart. Because the goal isn't to win an argument. It's to change minds and point people to Christ. Life is best. All 13 episodes streaming now on Fortis for free. Download the app on your smartphone, on your smart TV, or just simply go to fortisplus.org thanks for listening to wretched Radio today. Look, here's something that I've noticed, and maybe you have, too, but it's really easy for us to treat our faith sometimes like a category. Sunday is Sunday. Work is work. Parenting is parenting. And somewhere in there, you try to be a Christian. But it doesn't always feel. Feel like it's all connected. That's why Dr. Jon Kratz and his podcast Integrated is so incredibly important. Dr. Kratz is a pastor, he's an author, he's a biblical counselor, and he's a Fortis Institute Fellow and the host of Integrated, and he is helping people see how Scripture speaks to every part of their life. Not just the spiritual stuff, but the practical, everyday how do I actually live this stuff out stuff? And if what we're doing at Fortis Institute has been a source of encouragement for you, I want to ask you to consider joining us as an ongoing monthly gospel partner. Help us continue producing content just like Integrated that connects the dots. Go to fortisinstitute.org right now and find out how to join us. Wretched Amazing Grace Amazing Gospel Remember when the craziest cultural ideas stayed in dystopian novels? Yeah, those days are over. We're living in the brave new world now, and it showed up faster than anyone expected it to. Social media didn't just change how we communicate, it changed how everyone thinks. And if you're not ready as a Christian to defend what you believe about gender and sexuality and race and entertainment and a dozen other hot button issues, you're gonna get steamrolled. Worldview 2 picks up where the first one left off. Todd Friel and Dr. Nathan Buznitz tackled 22 more issues through a biblical critical race theory, modesty, persecution, environmentalism, secular entertainment, and more. The stuff you're actually seeing in the headlines and hearing at your dinner table. Because the Christian worldview is under assault and, I don't know, isn't going to cut it anymore. Ratchet Worldview 2 is available in streaming right now for free on Fortis. You can download the app on your smartphone, on your smart TV, or simply visit fortisplus.org.

[Todd Friel]

Books of the Bible Ezekiel was a prophet and priest in Israel. The language in the book of Ezekiel is often symbolic and figurative, but the message is clear. God rules over and judges men and nations. When you are tempted by sin, Ezekiel reminds us that God is holy and has called his people to holiness. He will go to great lengths to purge evil from among them. This is Wretched Radio with Todd Friel

[Jimmy Hicks]

first and second Timothy. This is Wretched Radio. Okay, you can only bring one book. Your math is bad. We've all known that. So you bring first and second Timothy as your one book. Why that pastoral epistle?

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

Well, because my time on the desert island, I want to read about what a healthy church is supposed to look like.

[Jimmy Hicks]

But it's just you.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

I know. But you don't know who else is coming. We got to build a church.

[Jimmy Hicks]

Uh huh.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

So I want to make sure that I do it.

[Jimmy Hicks]

Good thinking.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

That's right.

[Jimmy Hicks]

But you do allow me a Springboard into my favorite joke, which I think I've only told like 600 times. So a guy stranded on a. Is it deserted or desert island?

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

Deserted.

[Jimmy Hicks]

A desert island. That's where you eat, like a lot of cheesecake after every meal. I think there's a difference. One's got a lot of sand. Okay, so he's stranded on the island all by himself. He's been there for years. Finally, a boat comes by, the crew comes rowing onto shore, and the captain meets the guy who's been there by himself for 10 years. Am I ruining the joke with the setup? Am I. Am I trying too hard to make sure we get the joke? Okay? And there's three huts. And the captain says, there's one guy, three huts. Why do you have three huts? He goes, well, that one's my house, that one's my church, and that one, that's my old church. Thank you. Thank you very much. 8, 7, 7, 2, 8, 2, 2, 3, 3, 7.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

All right. This is a text from Anonymous. Tod wife and I go to a small church, about 30 people. It's a solid church. And over the last few years, there have been several weddings in the church, and that's a good thing. But now almost the entire church is family, including my wife and me. Is this a problem?

[Jimmy Hicks]

The entire church is family, basically, almost

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

related because everybody wound up marrying everybody.

[Jimmy Hicks]

No, it's not a problem necessarily if it becomes kind of cliquish and tribal and people that visit feel like, oh, I'm not going get involved in, because I'm not going to feel like I'm in, because I'm not, because I didn't marry somebody with the last name of the pastor. Yeah, that could be a genuine issue. But I think you just need to make sure that people never get that sense. They shouldn't get that sense even if they did discover, hey, everybody around here is married to somebody who's a part of this family tree somehow. They shouldn't feel any sort of discomfort short of that. I can't see any reason why that would be a problem, can you, Jimmy?

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

I mean, no, not, not, not inherently, but like you said, you've gotta, you gotta guard against it because it can,

[Jimmy Hicks]

it can feel like it's a click. Yes, a great big click.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

Us four, no more.

[Jimmy Hicks]

And if you're in that, if you're in the, if you're part of that, that, that setting of the 30 member church, how could you find somebody who would help, you know, if that's the vibe that you're giving off, because I don't think you'd be able to sense that for yourselves, because you're in it. But you want to make sure that visitors never feel like, oh, there's all of the in people, that group over there, and the rest of us, that's very bad for a church, very bad. So guard against it and then carry on. 8, 7, 7, 2, 8, 2, 2, 3, 3, 7.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

All right. This is from Ray Todd. How does a Christian let shame and guilt go? For example, I always try to obey and follow God, but when I fall into sin, I get very angry with myself because I failed. I know I'm looking at myself and my efforts, not at what Jesus has done for me. And that's the wrong way to look at it because I'm now being prideful, depending on my own effort. How do I let my pride and anger go?

[Jimmy Hicks]

Yeah, you've got to be careful with sin in that you think that because you've committed a sin, and usually it's the besetting sin, that you think that you've got to do something to make up for it before God will be pleased with you again. I get that that's wrong. Let me encourage you. This will bless your socks off. We've played it here, I think, a couple of times over the years. Milton, Vincent's Sermon on justification, Romans 5:1, 2 will help you with this so much, because I think there's something. We are bent not toward grace, we're bent toward works, all of us. And so we need to fight that propensity our entire lives. And so you commit a sin, and here's how it. This is how it manifests itself. You get mad at yourself because you think that you need to stay mad at yourself for so long before God's not mad at you anymore. You need to show solidarity because certainly God has to be mad at you. Well, here's a biblical reality. If you're in Christ, God is never mad at you, ever. Can he be disappointed? Yes, you can grieve the Holy Spirit, but you are in Christ. God is never mad at you again. It is formal. It is legal. You cannot be on the receiving end of God's wrath. He can discipline you as a loving Father, but you cannot receive his fury because you are hidden in Christ and you do not need. You can't match his anger because he's not mad at you. But it's a propensity to feel like, I've got to do that, otherwise that sin won't be forgiven. Or you respond when you sin by thinking that you need to do something. Okay, well then if I did this, then I've got to do that. Okay, you're working. You're trying to erase your own sin. Here's another way that I think people can respond to sin. They feel like they can't talk to God about it for X number of hours or days. And then during those X number of hours or days, they need to read their Bible so much or they need to go to church X number of times. Then they return to communion with God. What is that? That's a sense that my works can somehow appease God or buy my favor with God. Watch out for that propensity. Now that you've perhaps identified what that issue is now, what do you do about it? Which is the heart of the question? And the answer is you continue to do exactly what the Bible prescribes that you must do. Consume the pure milk of the Word in regard to your salvation, for your growth in your salvation as you study the kindness of the Lord. So keep using the means of growth. Keep communing with your God. Those are the things that you need to do. Because increasingly, as you bake yourself in God's word, the aberrant thoughts of shame and guilt, they're going to be replaced by grace and a knowledge that God has forgiven me of those things. I'm sorry, I'm thinking about the Puritan prayers again. And when you read them, it's staggering how. And I'll bet I could find one online. I'll try to Google one here. But if not almost any Puritan prayer, any confessional prayer, it'll be something like this. My sins take me to the very depths of hell, but your grace soars to the heavens. I perpetually live in a pigsty, and yet your kindness cleanses me constantly. Do you see what they do? It's this acknowledgment. Yeah, they're sinners, but yeah, God is gracious and merciful. You need to be remembering those things. Memorize Bible verses that talk about those things. Memorize scriptures that will affirm. So when you, when you find yourself going, oh, I'm feeling really shameful, I'm feeling really guilful, guilty. Hold on, wait a second. And then you cite your verse to yourself and you trust that not your feelings. 877-282-2337.

[Fortis Institute Announcer]

This is from Anonymous. Todd. Since my brother got married to his pagan wife, I have no desire to speak to him. I feel as if though he's spat in our faces. And more importantly, that he's spat in God's face. I'm angry and I'm hurt, but I don't want to be. What do I do about my relationship with my brother?

[Jimmy Hicks]

You got two issues. Well, you got three issues there. First of all, it's okay to be hurt. It's okay to be hurt. But ask yourself some questions. Interrogate yourself as to why you're feeling that pain. What is what? I don't know. Your heart. There can be a thousand things that motivate that kind of attitude. Why are you hurt? Because you want to make sure it's not a sinful hurt. Like, hey, now he's going, he besmirched our family. Okay, what's that? Could be pride. It could be that you have an idol of reputation. It could be that you have a fear of man problem. So you want to find out if there's any sort of sinful heart motivation behind that feeling bad. But short of that, it's okay to be. It's like, oh, no, he's going to make a. If he's a professing Christian. I don't know if he is or not. Let's just assume for the sake of the conversation, he is. You can still feel bad and say, oh, he's just, oh, he's in for such a hard time. Oh, and if he's not a Christian, of course it's okay to feel sad about that. So I don't want to say to you, you shouldn't feel bad. Get over it. Start treating him like this. No, it's okay. But that would be a season. I don't know how many months that season is. I don't know how many weeks, hours, or years, frankly. But it must be a season because you should heal from that. And you heal from consuming the pure milk of the word. Now, as far though, there's another issue here. How do you treat the guy now, how do you treat somebody who does something that you think is an act of betrayal? Well, he's still your brother. Still your brother. He was being a knucklehead, but he's your brother. And I know this is hard because anytime we feel like we just don't. We don't let it go, we feel then like we're affirming their bad decision. That is not the case. It's just not the case. If they know where you stand, your brother knows where you stand. So what do you do? You put it aside and you love your brother and you have a great relationship with your brother and you enjoy your brother and then I would finally say this. If he's not saved, and we know that the wife isn't saved, guess what? It looks like the Lord has just given you a ministry. This is wretched radio.