The Whole Counsel

Fighting and Killing Sin I: Temptation and Testing (Originally published 10.13.22)

You may have heard about the significant ice storm that has swept through northeast Mississippi. Like many in our area, the Media Gratiae team has been affected, and the disruption has made it difficult for us to release a new episode this week. Still, we didn’t want to leave you without encouragement.
So this week we’re returning to one of our most well-received series, originally published on October 13, 2022, featuring a conversation between Dr. John Snyder and Jeremy Walker on John Owen’s Mortification of Sin. Our prayer is that the Lord would use these conversations to strengthen your faith and stir your hearts toward holiness, even in a week marked by disruption.
We at The Whole Counsel love Puritans. We have benefited so much from their sermons, prayers, and books, it is our delight to discuss them and hopefully whet your appetite to read their words. In this new series of podcasts, Dr. John Snyder is going to walk through two books from the Puritan, John Owen, with our longtime friend Jeremy Walker.
In this first episode, Jeremy and John are discussing Owen’s, “On Temptation” and they discuss how to define, identify, and deal with temptation and testing. What are the differences and how should we approach them differently?
Check out Jeremy’s podcasts From the Heart of Spurgeon and A Word in Season here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
Temptation Resisted and repulsed by John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/temptation/
The Mortification of Sin by John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/the-mortification-of-sin/
Volume 6 of the Works of John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/the-works-of-john-owen-6/
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
Show Notes
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

Letters of John Calvin II: Reconciliation and Encouragement toward John Knox

In this week’s episode of The Whole Counsel podcast, Dr. John Snyder continues reading from the letters of John Calvin. As he noted in the previous episode, Calvin’s correspondence was addressed to an impressively diverse range of individuals—prisoners, pastors, fellow reformers, nobles, and monarchs. For those interested in church history and the Protestant Reformation, Calvin’s letters offer a rare window into the personal relationships, struggles, and pastoral concerns that shaped the movement from within.
This episode focuses on a letter written by Calvin to the Scottish reformer John Knox. Both men were being greatly used by God to advance and strengthen the Protestant Reformation, and yet, through no deliberate fault on either side, tension arose between them. Dr. Snyder carefully explains the circumstances that led to this strain, providing historical context while allowing Calvin’s own words to reveal the spirit in which the letter was written.
Rather than responding defensively or dismissively, Calvin models Christian humility and wisdom. He takes care to clarify a misunderstanding, to explain his actions, and to assure Knox of his continued affection and respect. At the same time, Calvin uses the opportunity to encourage Knox in his labors and to offer pastoral counsel regarding church reform, unity, and endurance under pressure—counsel that remains strikingly relevant for believers and church leaders today.
This letter reminds us that faithfulness in ministry does not remove the possibility of misunderstanding or wounded feelings, but it does shape how such moments are addressed. Calvin’s careful, brotherly response provides a helpful example of how truth, patience, and love can preserve unity even in difficult circumstances.
Show Notes
The Tracts and Letters of John Calvin - https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/tracts-and-letters-of-john-calvin-8/
The Church Bible Study - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/the-church
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
 

Letters of John Calvin I: Encouraging the Persecuted

This week we begin a new series of letters, this time reading directly from John Calvin. We often read about Calvin—about his theology, his controversies, or the defense of his legacy—but we wanted to slow down and listen to Calvin in his own words, particularly to see his pastoral heart.
For our first letter, we read a piece Calvin wrote to Protestant believers imprisoned and persecuted in Catholic France. Dated February 18, 1559, the letter comes just before the most severe waves of persecution. But Christians in France were experiencing fear, suffering, and imprisonment. Calvin writes to men whose faithfulness to the gospel had placed them in chains, some facing permanent exile and others far worse.
Dr. John Snyder provides not only the historical context of the letter, but the heart context as well. Calvin does not address these men as a distant reformer or detached theologian. He was well acquainted with suffering, physical weakness, and the cost of faithfulness. He grieves over the delay in writing and speaks to them as one who understands their fear and pain. That shared suffering gives weight to his words as he calls them to look beyond their present circumstances and fix their eyes on Christ.
Calvin urges them to anchor their souls in the promises of God, to resist misreading their weakness as unbelief, and to follow the pattern Christ himself set in suffering—with humility, patience, and hope. Even in prison, they are reminded that their calling is not merely to endure, but to honor God and bear witness to the gospel.
While most of us will not face magisterial persecution, the Christian life still includes seasons of hardship, opposition, and quiet faithfulness under pressure. In those moments, Calvin’s counsel remains deeply relevant. We pray this episode—and the series to follow—will be a help and encouragement to you as you seek to walk faithfully before God.
Show Notes
The Tracts and Letters of John Calvin - https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/tracts-and-letters-of-john-calvin-8/
The Church Bible Study - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/the-church
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

Winter of the Soul III: Why Faithful Servants Grow Weary

This week, Dr. John Snyder continues reflecting on spiritual weariness by returning to a lecture Charles Spurgeon delivered to ministerial students on what he called “the fainting fits” of a servant of God. Though Spurgeon addresses pastors directly, the wisdom he offers speaks to every Christian who has known seasons of exhaustion, discouragement, or the quiet temptation to lose heart.
Drawing from Scripture and Spurgeon’s own hard-earned experience, we explore times when faithful servants are most vulnerable to weariness. Spurgeon reminds us that discouragement often follows seasons of great usefulness, precedes seasons of greater blessing, or settles in during long stretches of unbroken labor. He speaks candidly about the weight of criticism, the pain of betrayal, the sorrow of seeing others fall, and the unique loneliness that can accompany spiritual responsibility.
Most searching of all, Spurgeon addresses seasons of darkness that seem to come without clear cause—times when resolution fails, human help feels insufficient, and the soul is tempted to turn inward in accusation rather than upward in faith. Yet his counsel is not despairing. Again and again, he points weary believers away from their own strength, moods, and feelings, and calls them to treasure even a single grain of faith more than a ton of spiritual excitement.
If you are walking through a season where faithfulness feels costly and joy feels distant, Spurgeon’s words remind us that God does not waste the weariness of his servants, and that even in the dark, the safest place is still under the shadow of his wings. If you are in a season of joy and happiness, may we hope these words encourage you to pray for those around you, particularly your pastors, who bear a weight that may be hidden from your view.
Show Notes
Encouragement for the Depressed by Charles Spurgeon (Forward by Randy Alcorn)
https://www.crossway.org/books/encouragement-for-the-depressed-tpb/
Scripture passages referenced: 2 Corinthians 3–4 1 Kings 19 2 Corinthians 12 Mark 6:31 1 Samuel 30
Additional Media Gratiae resources: Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/behold-your-god-series The Church study: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/the-church Through the Eyes of Spurgeon (documentary by Stephen McCaskill): https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/through-the-eyes-of-spurgeon-feature-edition-dvd-package
From the Heart of Spurgeon: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/from-the-heart-of-spurgeon

Winter of the Soul II: Why Faithfulness Doesn’t Prevent Depression

This week on The Whole Counsel, Dr. John Snyder continues a thoughtful discussion on seasonal depression—whether that season is influenced by winter’s effect on our mood and mental state, or by a particularly difficult chapter of life. In the previous episode, Dr. Snyder introduced this theme through a candid letter from John Newton. In this episode, he turns to pastoral wisdom from Charles Spurgeon, drawing from a series of lectures recently published in a new book from Crossway, “Encouragement for the Depressed.”
Though Spurgeon originally delivered these lectures to vocational ministers, the gospel-shaped truths he presents are deeply relevant for every Christian. Spurgeon addresses a common misunderstanding in the church: faithful service to God should shield believers from fear, doubt, or sadness. Scripture and experience show otherwise. God may allow seasons of depression and weariness not as a sign of failure, but as a means of deepening compassion, sympathy, and patience.
Spurgeon also speaks with unusual honesty about the isolating nature of faithful ministry. Pastors are often entrusted with heavy burdens that must be carried quietly and cannot be shared freely. While congregations may express love and appreciation, they cannot fully know the weight their pastors bear. This calling is a blessing, but it is also costly. For that reason, pray regularly for your pastors and to offer thoughtful encouragement whenever possible.
Show Notes
Encouragement for the Depressed by Charles Spurgeon (Forward by Randy Alcorn)
https://www.crossway.org/books/encouragement-for-the-depressed-tpb/
Check out Jeremy Walker’s podcast on Charles Spurgeon:
www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts

Winter of the Soul I: January Outside and Inside

We often remember John Newton for his wisdom, joy, and enduring hymns. But like every Christian, Newton knew seasons of profound sadness and spiritual coldness. We know this because he wrote candidly to his close friend John Berridge—the author of “The Means of Grace are in My Hands”—confessing that he was experiencing what he called a “January inside and outside.”
In this opening episode of our new series, Winter of the Soul, Dr. John Snyder reads from and reflects on this short but deeply revealing letter. Newton’s honesty gives hope to weary believers by showing that spiritual dullness and heaviness of heart are not signs that we have been forsaken by God, but common experiences even among the most faithful saints. In this episode, we consider how Newton diagnosed the condition of his soul, the distractions and pressures that contributed to it, and the prayer he asked his friend to offer on his behalf.
Yet Newton offers little by way of immediate remedy. His letter exposes the problem more than it resolves it. For help in warming cold hearts and enduring seasons of spiritual depression, we will turn next to a lecture by Charles Spurgeon, where he addresses the causes and comforts for the believer’s inward winter. That discussion begins next week.
Show Notes
The Gospel Pedlar: The Story of John Berridge and the Eighteenth-century Revival
https://www.amazon.com/Pedlar-Berridge-Eighteenth-Century-Revival-Biography/dp/0852342365#detailBullets_feature_div

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