The Whole Counsel

Advent Meditations III: Helping You Conquer Your Sin

Merry Christmas from Media Gratiae. In this special episode, Jordan and John conclude their series on meditating on the incarnation of Jesus. They explore what it means that Christ took on our flesh without sin, how the incarnation shapes our reconciliation with the Father, and much more.
Of particular focus is a practical application that has been especially meaningful to Jordan: how the incarnation of Jesus equips us to wage war against and mortify our own sin. Christ is the only human to fully experience the weight of temptation, yet He never yielded. He endured to the very end, glorifying the Father fully.
We pray that this episode, along with the linked Scriptural meditations and the series as a whole, nourishes your soul this Christmas season and strengthens you in the year to come
25 Meditations on the Incarnation:
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/pages/advent-meditations
Good Tiding of Great Joy by Charles Spurgeon
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/devotionalsdaily-readings/good-tidings-of-great-joy/
Jordan recommends this Christmas Devotional:
https://grace-ebooks.com/library/J. C. Philpot/JCP On The Sacred Humanity of The Blessed Redeemer.pdf
Christ Our Treasure:
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/christ-our-treasure-enjoying-the-preeminence-of-jesus-in-the-local-church-dvd-streaming
00:00 – Welcome & Overview
01:00 – Incarnation in Life
03:30 – Fighting Sin Through Christ
06:00 – Christ Our Example
10:00 – Beholding and Being Transformed
13:30 – God’s Humility
17:00 – Identifying with Sinners
20:30 – God Takes Our Name
24:00 – Stooping to Save
27:30 – Historical Hope
30:00 – Emmanuel: God With Us

Advent Meditations II: Isaac Ambrose’s Practical Observations

The incarnation is one of the most familiar doctrines in Christianity—and yet one of the most overlooked. This week, Dr. John Snyder is joined again by Jordan Thomas to slow down, look closely, and recover the awe that Scripture invites us to feel as we consider the eternal Son taking on human flesh.
Last week they walked through key biblical passages on the incarnation. This week they turn to the profound reflections of Isaac Ambrose in his classic work “Looking Unto Jesus.”
The book can be difficult to find today, but we’ve linked an ebook edition and a print-on-demand copy in the show notes. You can also monitor the Reformation Heritage Books website and sign up for updates when it comes back into print.
Ambrose is deeply helpful here because he lifts our eyes to the person of Christ Himself—and to all the benefits that flow from Him into the life of every believer. As we move through this Advent season and fix our hearts on the incarnate Christ, we pray that this episode—and the timeless insights of Isaac Ambrose—will strengthen your faith and warm your soul.
Show Notes:
25 Meditations on the Incarnation:
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/pages/advent-meditations
Isaac Ambrose Looking Unto Jesus
ebook: https://www.monergism.com/looking-unto-jesus-book-1-ebook
physical: https://www.amazon.com/Looking-Unto-Jesus-Everlasting-Gospel/dp/1166391787
Good Tiding of Great Joy by Charles Spurgeon
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/devotionalsdaily-readings/good-tidings-of-great-joy/
Jordan recommends this Christmas Devotional:
https://grace-ebooks.com/library/J. C. Philpot/JCP On The Sacred Humanity of The Blessed Redeemer.pdf
Christ Our Treasure:
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/christ-our-treasure-enjoying-the-preeminence-of-jesus-in-the-local-church-dvd-streaming

Advent Meditations I: The Mystery of the Incarnation

25 Meditations on the Incarnation:
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/pages/advent-meditations
 
This week, Dr. John Snyder is joined by Jordan Thomas, a familiar voice to longtime Media Gratiae listeners. Jordan contributes to the Behold Your God study series, is the author of Christ Our Treasure: Enjoying the Preeminence of Jesus in the Local Church, and has appeared on the podcast several times.
In this episode, Jordan and John explore the mystery of the incarnation of Christ. To guide your reflections this Christmas season, Jordan has chosen 25 Scripture passages for meditation. We pray both the podcast and passages serve as helpful resources for you.
The passages Jordan has selected are available as a free Media Gratiae Online course. The link is below.
 
Show Notes:
25 Meditations on the Incarnation:
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/pages/advent-meditations
Good Tiding of Great Joy by Charles Spurgeon
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/devotionalsdaily-readings/good-tidings-of-great-joy/
Jordan recommends this Christmas Devotional:
https://grace-ebooks.com/library/J. C. Philpot/JCP On The Sacred Humanity of The Blessed Redeemer.pdf
Christ Our Treasure:
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/christ-our-treasure-enjoying-the-preeminence-of-jesus-in-the-local-church-dvd-streaming

A Word in Season: A New Devotional from Jeremy Walker

In this week’s episode, Dr. John Snyder welcomes pastor and author Jeremy Walker to discuss his new devotional, A Word in Season: 50 Days of Hope for Hard Times. Many of you will know Jeremy from his two Media Gratiae podcasts—From the Heart of Spurgeon and A Word in Season.
In this conversation, Jeremy shares the story behind both projects, the pastoral concerns that first prompted the daily A Word in Season recordings during the uncertainties of 2020–2021, and how these brief meditations have continued to encourage believers across the world. He also reflects on the process of shaping those recordings into a written devotional and the unique value books offer for Christian growth.
If you are new to Jeremy’s preaching and writing, we commend him to you wholeheartedly. You can find links to all those below.
Show Notes:
– A Word in Season: 50 Days of Hope for Hard Times
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/a-word-in-season-50-days-of-hope-for-hard-times
– A Word in Season podcast
https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/a-word-in-season
– From the Heart of Spurgeon podcast
https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/from-the-heart-of-spurgeon
– Sermons by Jeremy Walker on SermonAudio
https://www.sermonaudio.com/broadcasters/mbc/
– Weekly Walkthrough / Daily Doctrine
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLydzd6kZnPWdDUP1Dj9CIV_hSp42WEeMb&si=oTsh0cRj5BK0G76j
Subscribe to the podcast - Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-whole-counsel/id1439465486 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0F7FovDzhh7Mi2Fe0xgQBC?si=tGk_NWu3QTqMatauGVAxJg&nd=1&dlsi=bc847f4a2de64f49
See other Media Gratiae materials, including resources for small group studies and family worship: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/all-products-1

Getting the Incarnation Right: Athanasius on the Deity of Christ

In recognition of the upcoming 1,700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, we are presenting a special episode from our Navigating the Classics series.
Dr. John Snyder is joined by attorney and elder Steve Crampton and pastor Jamie Crampton to discuss Athanasius’s classic work On the Incarnation. Together, they trace the historical context of the writing, the theological debate that prompted it, and its influence on the Nicene Creed and the broader Christian tradition.
They also walk through the content of the work itself, considering Athanasius’s central arguments concerning sin, the incarnation, redemption, and the defeat of death.
This episode is for listeners who want to understand why On the Incarnation has endured for centuries as one of the most important works in Christian literature.
We pray it is a blessing to you this Thanksgiving season.
To read the book and C. S. Lewis' introduction online: http://www.onthewing.org/user/Athanasius - On the Incarnation.pdf
To purchase the book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/673655.On_the_Incarnation
Subscribe to the podcast - Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-whole-counsel/id1439465486 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0F7FovDzhh7Mi2Fe0xgQBC?si=tGk_NWu3QTqMatauGVAxJg&nd=1&dlsi=bc847f4a2de64f49
See other Media Gratiae materials, including resources for small group studies and family worship: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/all-products-1

2025 Supporter Update

As this year comes to a close, we want to present to you a report on what the Lord has guided Media Gratiae to accomplish over the course of 2025. This week, Dr. John Snyder highlights new Bible studies, books, and expanded translations of our material. He also discusses the relaunch of our Media Gratiae Online and our growing podcast reach. We are grateful for your prayers and support.
With every podcast we want to point you to Christ and our annual update is no different. John closes this year’s update with a phrase that has become precious to him. In Matthew 15, a Syrophoenician woman comes to Jesus asking him to heal her daughter. She is discouraged by the apostles and seemingly discouraged by Jesus himself. But her response is, “Yes, Lord, but…” That is a sweet response available to every Christian right now.
📌 Highlights From This Episode
New 2025 releases:
Gospel Realities: Lessons from Galatians — Stephen Yuille - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/gospel-realities-lessons-from-galatians-workbook
A Word in Season: 50 Days of Hope for Hard Times — Jeremy Walker - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/a-word-in-season-50-days-of-hope-for-hard-times
Kingdom Life: Lessons from the Sermon on the Mount — Stephen Yuille (coming soon; includes streaming) - https://www.mediagratiae.org/kingdom-life
New digital platform: Media Gratiae Online (MGO) now fully in-house - https://www.mediagratiae.org/online
Expanded homeschool & Christian school resources for Behold Your God: Seeking Him Early - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/childrens-curriculum
New distributors: Banner of Truth, Amazon, Westminster Bookstore, and more
Translation work: Spanish complete; Portuguese, Dutch, German, Russian in progress
New potential translations: Italian and Albanian
Upcoming 2026 studies: Jeremy Walker, Joel Beeke, Hugh Morrison, and Dr. Snyder
 
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

2025 Book Recommendations

It’s one of our favorite episodes of the year—sharing new Christian books worth reading and giving. In this 2025 edition, Dr. John Snyder highlights an updated commentary, a missionary biography, a devotional from Jeremy Walker, and more. Perfect for Christmas gifts or planning your 2026 reading list. Find links to every book below!
 
Every year around this time, we take a look at recent Christian book releases and share our top recommendations for reading or giving. Whether you’re building your 2026 reading plan or searching for thoughtful Christmas gifts, this list is a great place to start.
You might even send this episode to someone who’s shopping for you!
But this conversation goes beyond book suggestions.
John reminds us that our reading life, like our eating life, needs balance. We can read lazily or we can read wisely—stewarding our time and shaping our minds. Read widely, but let Scripture remain central. Read books that stretch both your heart and your understanding—balancing the objective truths of God’s Word with the personal experiences of His people.
 
A Word in Season
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/a-word-in-season-50-days-of-hope-for-hard-times
Good Tidings of Great Joy
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/devotionalsdaily-readings/good-tidings-of-great-joy/
Cardiphonia
https://www.amazon.com/Cardiphonia-Utterance-Correspondence-Complete-Unabridged/dp/1789876036/ref=pd_lpo_d_sccl_1/143-1962832-2492564?pd_rd_w=yF1Zs&content-id=amzn1.sym.4c8c52db-06f8-4e42-8e56-912796f2ea6c&pf_rd_p=4c8c52db-06f8-4e42-8e56-912796f2ea6c&pf_rd_r=MVP80S95F6QV77PV7B2N&pd_rd_wg=dJlLA&pd_rd_r=d9ee057f-9582-4291-aefb-ff0a4c6acd69&pd_rd_i=1789876036&psc=1
John G. Patton autobiography
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/history-biography/john-g-paton/
Harmony of the Gospels
https://www.prpbooks.com/book/the-gospel-of-jesus
J. C. Ryle Expository Thoughts on the Gospel Box Set
https://us.10ofthose.com/product/9781783974801/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-modernised-boxset

Letters that Continue to Speak XI: Final Letter to Mrs. —

John Newton’s final letter to Mrs. — reminds believers that suffering is never wasted. Dr. John Snyder explores Newton’s insights on sanctification, God’s glory in affliction, and Christ’s inexhaustible compassion.
 
In this final episode on John Newton’s Letters to Mrs. —, Dr. John Snyder explores Newton’s tender counsel to a believer walking through prolonged difficulty. Newton reminds her — and us — that though human compassion is limited, the compassion of Christ is infinite: deeper than every sorrow and sufficient for every need.
Drawing from this sixth letter (1772), we hear Newton explain that the believer’s suffering is never meaningless. Every trial is woven by God for two great purposes: the sanctification of His children and the glory of His name. Even in affliction, the Christian’s contentment and quiet trust adorn the gospel.
This letter also offers a glimpse into Newton’s weekly rhythms — his Saturday evening walks through Olney, spent praying for the ministers and congregations who would gather the next day. It closes with one of his most beautiful meditations on the inexhaustible riches of Christ, who can fill and satisfy all His people without measure.
The remaining letters Newton wrote Mrs. — are about topics we have already discussed so this will be the final letter between that we will discuss. But if you want to read the text of all the letters he wrote her, you can find them below. We pray they are a blessing to you.
 
You can read this week's letter here:
https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/sixth-letter-to-mrs
Read all eight letters to Mrs.
First Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/first-leter-to-mrs
Second Letters to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/second-letter-to-mrs
Third Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/third-letter-to-mrs
Fourth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fourth-letter-to-mrs
Fifth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fifth-letter-to-mrs-
Sixth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/sixth-letter-to-mrs
Seventh Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/seventh-letter-to-mrs
Eighth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/eighth-letter-to-mrs
Watch all the episodes of this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDMzuC301aRv8v3tga_psAcK What all Whole Counsel episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDMtoTMNlcPdqOqkg0vuNlYG See Media Gratiae Original Project: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDPqcYtQL-uT7Dx4OcprVlik

Letters that Continue to Speak X: Humility Over Blessings

Dr. John Snyder continues the Letters that Continue to Speak series with John Newton’s Letter 5.
In this pastoral letter, Newton teaches how God uses trials to cultivate humility, Christlikeness, and dependence on Him alone. He warns that comforts can quietly divide our hearts, but through trials, Christ—the perfect Teacher—draws us back to Himself.
Newton closes with four exhortations: gratitude for Christ as Teacher, attentiveness to daily lessons, obedience on the path of duty, and drawing strength from prayer and Scripture.
This episode is a reminder that God’s kindness is never absent, even in our hardest seasons.
 
You can read this week's letter here:
https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fifth-letter-to-mrs
You can read next week’s letter here:
https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/sixth-letter-to-mrs
Read all eight letters to Mrs.
First Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/first-leter-to-mrs
Second Letters to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/second-letter-to-mrs
Third Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/third-letter-to-mrs
Fourth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fourth-letter-to-mrs
Fifth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fifth-letter-to-mrs-
Sixth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/sixth-letter-to-mrs
Seventh Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/seventh-letter-to-mrs
Eighth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/eighth-letter-to-mrs
Watch all the episodes of this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDMzuC301aRv8v3tga_psAcK What all Whole Counsel episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDMtoTMNlcPdqOqkg0vuNlYG See Media Gratiae Original Project: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDPqcYtQL-uT7Dx4OcprVlik

Letters that Continue to Speak IX: God’s Kindness in Our Trials

In this week’s episode of The Whole Counsel, Dr. John Snyder continues our series on Christian letters from the past, focusing on Letter 4 to Mrs. —, written by John Newton. These letters, though centuries old, still speak powerfully into our lives today.
This week’s letter reveals Newton’s pastoral heart as he guides a friend through illness and spiritual struggle. He addresses a question many believers wrestle with: Why does God allow difficulties in the life of a Christian? Newton doesn’t offer simple answers or platitudes. Instead, he points to the sovereign wisdom and tender care of our Shepherd, reminding us that even the most painful trials can serve our spiritual growth.
Newton encourages Mrs. — to see her hardships in light of God’s greater purposes. He reminds her that God’s love is both merciful and wise, allowing what is necessary to purify, teach, and strengthen His children. And when life feels bleak, he offers hope: God is always present, His ear always attentive, and His power sufficient to sustain us.
Whether you’re walking through illness, disappointment, or other trials, this episode offers practical insight and encouragement for leaning on God in every season.
 
You can read this week's letter here:
https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fourth-letter-to-mrs
You can read next week’s letter here:
https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fifth-letter-to-mrs
Read all eight letters to Mrs. —
First Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/first-leter-to-mrs
Second Letters to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/second-letter-to-mrs
Third Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/third-letter-to-mrs
Fourth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fourth-letter-to-mrs
Fifth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fifth-letter-to-mrs-
Sixth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/sixth-letter-to-mrs
Seventh Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/seventh-letter-to-mrs
Eighth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/eighth-letter-to-mrs
 
Watch all the episodes of this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDMzuC301aRv8v3tga_psAcK What all Whole Counsel episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDMtoTMNlcPdqOqkg0vuNlYG See Media Gratiae Original Project: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDPqcYtQL-uT7Dx4OcprVlik
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app