Have you ever felt like you need a theology degree just to understand the Gospel? In this episode, I talk about why the good news of Christ is far simpler than many of us have made it, and how the Doctrines of Grace are not an upgrade to the Gospel but a fuller expression of it. We walk through what it really means to come to Christ with empty hands and cling to His finished work. If you have ever felt like your faith is too simple or your understanding too small, this one is for you.

In this episode of the Pristine Grace Podcast, Brandan Kraft reflects on the Apostle Paul's final days in a Roman dungeon and the painful loneliness revealed in 2 Timothy 4:9–18. Forsaken by many he once trusted, abandoned by Demas, opposed by Alexander, and left standing alone at his trial, Paul nevertheless testifies that the Lord stood with him and strengthened him. Brandan connects Paul's experience to the realities of modern ministry and Christian life, where disappointment, betrayal, and isolation often accompany faithful service. Drawing from Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, he explores God's design for friendship and fellowship, reminding listeners that believers were never meant to walk alone.

0:00 Introduction - Have You Ever Felt Alone?
2:17 Show and Tell - Henry Mahan's Books
7:41 Paul's Loneliness in Prison (2 Timothy 4:9-18)
15:00 The Disappointment of Betrayal
18:00 My Friends and Gospel Companions
21:15 What Scripture Says About Friendship
23:00 Jesus - The Ultimate Friend (John 15)
26:15 The Cost of Christ's Friendship
29:00 Redemption Through His Blood
31:05 What Happens Without Friends (Ecclesiastes 4)
33:10 Dealing With Betrayal and Hurt
38:00 What Makes a Good Friend
40:00 For Those Who Feel Isolated
42:00 For Those Who Have Friends
43:00 Closing - You Have the Greatest Friend

Thanks for watching or listening! - b.

Have you ever been wounded by church leadership, not for denying the faith, but for following your conscience and studying Scripture for yourself? In this deeply personal episode of the Pristine Grace Podcast, Brandan Kraft shares a painful story from nearly twenty-five years ago when a disagreement over giving, Christian liberty, and Scripture turned into pressure, control, and eventual rejection from those meant to shepherd him. This is not a theological lecture. It is a testimony about spiritual authority gone wrong, the cost of standing firm, and how God used a devastating season to bring freedom in Christ.

Drawing from Galatians, Acts, Hebrews, and the words of Christ Himself, Brandan explores the difference between biblical leadership and spiritual domination, between healthy submission and surrendering your conscience to men. If you have ever felt manipulated, silenced, or made to doubt yourself for asking honest questions, this episode is for you. The Gospel proclaims that Christ has set His people free, and that freedom is worth guarding. Settle in, grab your coffee, and listen to a story about spiritual wounding that turned into deliverance, and about learning to follow the Shepherd's voice above all others.

0:00 Introduction - Have You Been Rejected by a Church?
1:07 Show & Tell - My Favorite KJV Bible
6:23 My Personal Story Begins
12:20 The Confrontation About Tithing
17:00 Standing on Scripture vs. Church Authority
24:55 Growing in Grace & Knowledge
27:30 Pleasing God Rather Than Men
31:50 The Gospel of Freedom in Christ
35:40 To Those Who've Been Hurt by Church Leaders
38:00 A Word to Church Leaders
40:00 My Sheep Hear My Voice
43:56 Closing Thoughts

Where can you go on a Sunday morning and simply hear about the mercy of God? Not a breakdown of theological systems, not a lesson on the mechanics of grace, and not another sermon focused on what you need to do, but a clear proclamation of what Christ has already done. In this episode, I wrestle with a question raised by Henry Mahan that exposes a real problem in much of modern preaching: we have become very good at explaining doctrine, but often forget to feed weary souls with the mercy and love of Christ.

This is not an argument against sound doctrine. Truth matters. Theology matters. But doctrine is meant to serve something greater. It is meant to lead us to the Savior. If you are tired, burdened, or spiritually hungry, this conversation is about lifting up Christ, proclaiming His finished work, and reminding you that rest, assurance, and mercy are found in Him, not in your performance. Grace and peace.

0:00 Introduction - Where Can I Hear Mercy?
1:56 The Problem: Mechanics Over Mercy
4:47 Jesus on Missing What Matters (Matthew 23)
6:48 What Do You Really Need to Hear?
9:48 God's Love While We Were Sinners (Romans 5:8)
11:48 God's Love Manifested (1 John 4:9-10)
13:28 The Righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21)
18:06 Christ Lifted Up (John 12:32)
24:36 Come to the Waters (Isaiah 55:1-3)
27:10 Closing Thoughts

Thank you for watching or listening!

Two people can hold the same doctrine and produce very different fruit. In this episode, I talk about what happens when sound doctrine stops feeding people and starts being used to show off. Drawing from Scripture, we look at the difference between doctrine as bread and doctrine as a trophy, and why truth must always be handled with humility, gentleness, and love. If you value sound doctrine but are concerned about how it is sometimes wielded, this one is for you.

0:00 Introduction
1:01 Book Recommendations
3:40 The Problem: Doctrine as Trophy vs. Bread
7:05 Five Signs Doctrine Has Become a Trophy
13:56 Biblical Model for Handling Truth
16:00 Receiving the Weak in Faith
17:32 What Godly Wisdom Looks Like
19:28 Clarity vs. Cruelty
21:05 Self-Examination Questions
24:17 The Gospel Foundation
26:40 Grace and Truth Together
28:30 To Those Hurt by Harsh Theology
29:36 To Those Who Recognize This in Themselves
30:49 The Goal: Feeding Souls, Not Winning Arguments
32:29 Closing Thoughts

Are you carrying yesterday's failures or leaning on yesterday's victories? In this episode of the Pristine Grace Podcast, we walk through Philippians 3:13–14 and explore what it really means to forget those things which are behind and press forward in Christ.

This isn't about self improvement or trying harder. It's about resting in what Christ has already finished, letting go of guilt and pride alike, and fixing our eyes forward on the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

If you're weighed down by shame, stuck replaying the past, or exhausted from measuring your spiritual performance, this message is for you. Grace really does give God's people a clean slate every day.

Have you ever looked back at what you believed years ago and cringed? Maybe you've wondered if being wrong in the past means you could be wrong now. Or maybe you've felt judged by other Christians because you don't have everything figured out yet.

This message is about that struggle.

Scripture shows us that God does not teach His children all at once. He teaches patiently, gradually, and mercifully. Even the apostles did not fully understand the gospel from the beginning. They misunderstood Christ's kingdom, struggled with Gentile inclusion, clung to Jewish practices, and had to be corrected years into their ministry. Yet God was patient with them every step of the way.

Walking through key passages from John, Acts, Galatians, Philippians, and the Gospels, this message shows that salvation does not rest on perfect theology or flawless understanding. It rests on Christ and His finished work alone. Understanding grows over time, but our standing before God is secure from the start because it is grounded in Christ's righteousness, not our clarity.

If you've ever feared that your doubts, questions, or past misunderstandings put your salvation at risk, this message is meant to bring comfort. God saves first, then teaches. He is patient with His children, and He will guide them into truth in His time.

We love our theological systems. Our five points. Our creeds. Our confessions. Our boxes. We organize God's truth into neat categories, build walls around our positions, and judge anyone who doesn't fit our formula. But what if our biggest hindrance to spiritual growth isn't false doctrine but the box we've built around true doctrine?

In this episode, we tackle the dangerous tendency to shrink God down to manageable size. We explore how easily we replace Scripture with systems, mistake our understanding for the whole truth, and turn theological precision into a weapon against other believers. Through honest examination and biblical examples, we see how the Pharisees had their boxes, how we have ours, and why God refuses to stay in any of them.

More importantly, this message reminds us that truth is bigger than our formulas, God is greater than our systems, and the Gospel can't be reduced to an acronym. We're called to study Scripture, all of it, with humility, recognizing we're still learning, still growing, and still being taught. And we need to extend that same grace to others.

If you've ever felt judged for not fitting someone's theological box, or if you've caught yourself building walls instead of bridges, this episode calls us all back to the vastness of God, the richness of Scripture, and the freedom found in Christ alone.

Contact Brandan: https://www.pristinegrace.org/contact_form.php

Why do Christians who talk the most about grace sometimes act the least gracious? In this episode, we confront one of the most uncomfortable realities inside the church: religious pride. Not the obvious kind, but the kind that disguises itself as sound doctrine, spiritual maturity, and being "right."

Through Scripture and honest self-examination, we explore how judgmental attitudes, spiritual arrogance, and Pharisaical behavior can quietly undermine the very gospel we claim to believe. We look at how Jesus treated sinners, how He confronted religious hypocrisy, and why truth without love becomes a stumbling block.

This message reminds us that the only difference between believers and unbelievers is grace. Not intelligence. Not morality. Not better decisions. Just mercy. If you've been hurt by religious people, turned off by church culture, or struggled with your own tendency toward judgment, this episode calls us all back to humility, compassion, and Christ Himself.

Contact Brandan: https://www.pristinegrace.org/contact_form.php
Our Podcast is available in 4K on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLln4DBOAn3NNRkAQnPMIKjTtiPv5QxsXQ

0:00 Introduction - The Problem of Religious Pride
1:03 Our Sinful Religious Behavior
3:50 The Pharisees and Heavy Burdens
11:18 Jesus' Harsh Words to Religious Leaders
18:25 Jesus' Compassion for Sinners
22:00 Love as the Essential Component
25:10 Confession: When I Was Harsh
27:11 Jesus' Invitation to Rest
29:28 The Woman Caught in Adultery
31:39 No Condemnation in Christ
32:43 Loving as Christ Loved Us
37:30 Walking in Wisdom with Grace
40:48 Final Encouragement and Repentance

When everything in your life is falling apart and God feels absent, where is He? In this episode, we explore the hardest question believers face during suffering and find comfort in Scripture's promises. Through the examples of Job, David, and Jeremiah, we discover that God does His deepest work in our darkest seasons. More importantly, we see how Christ's substitutionary death and imputed righteousness mean our suffering is never punishment - because He already bore it all. If you're walking through darkness right now, this message reminds you that God hasn't abandoned you, His mercies are new every morning, and you're secure in Christ's finished work.

Contact Brandan: https://www.pristinegrace.org/contact_form.php

0:00 Introduction
4:21 Job's Story: Trusting Through Loss
6:40 David's Psalms: Crying Out in Darkness
9:35 Jeremiah's Lament: Finding Hope in Despair
14:39 Christ's Substitution: Not Punishment
18:24 God's Purpose in Suffering
22:16 Paul's Thorn: Grace in Weakness
25:35 Fighting Lies: Your Security in Christ
29:03 The Cross: Ultimate Proof of God's Love
31:41 Be Still and Know
32:31 Closing Encouragement