S1: Hello friends. It's time for the second hour of Open
S1: Line with Doctor Michael Radonich Moody Radio's Bible Study Across America,
S1: where we're taking your questions about the Bible, God and
S1: the spiritual life. I'm Doctor Steven Sanchez in the studio
S1: for Doctor Who's leading a tour of Greece and Turkey,
S1: and I think they're going to go to Rome, too.
S1: What a great opportunity for him. I'm a professor of
S1: Bible at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, and I
S1: teach on the faculty with Michael. If you have a
S1: Bible question, you can call us now at (877) 548-3675. That's (877) 548-3675.
S1: You can also send us your question at our website,
S1: Open Line radio.org. Look for the Ask Michael a question
S1: form and fill it out. And we'll get to the
S1: mailbag and answer some questions that have been sent in
S1: later in the program. Keep your Bibles open. Go get
S1: a second cup of coffee, because we're going right back
S1: to the phones with more of your questions. Let's start
S1: with Lynn in Chicago listening on our very own wmbi. Lynn,
S1: what's your question this morning?
S2: Oh good morning. I just love it when you're on. Um,
S2: my question is, doctor, I'm on. I'm a volunteer ordained chaplain,
S2: and my platform has been the singleness. I see so
S2: many Christians fornicating, and they're they're strong Christians. And I
S2: am in awe of this because First Corinthians, as you
S2: know what it says, will not make heaven. And I
S2: even see people that are on TV, you know, I
S2: won't mention names that that are professing to be such
S2: good Christians, but then they're going together for many years
S2: or living together. I just ask you, Will will fornicators,
S2: if they're Christian people, will they make heaven or not?
S1: Let's let's say this let's back up from that particular
S1: sin and we'll get back to it in just a second.
S1: But back up from that one and say, well, any
S1: sinners make it into heaven, right? Will anyone who sins
S1: make it into heaven? I think the answer is, I
S1: think the answer is we. We sin today. People speed
S1: down the highway and they break the law. They don't
S1: always tell the truth. They are not honest with their finances.
S1: They are unfaithful in a variety of their commitments. On
S1: one level, people sin even after we've come to Christ
S1: and we fight that as hard as we can. With
S1: the power of the Holy Spirit, we try and we
S1: keep trying, and that's what we have to do, right?
S1: The believers down through the centuries have talked about ourselves
S1: as saints and sinners at the same time. And yet
S1: we see verses like this. Hey, now these kind of
S1: people will not inherit the kingdom of God. Fornicators, nor idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, covetous,
S1: nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners. They're not going to
S1: inherit the kingdom of God. Notice, such were some of you.
S1: You guys. Paul writing to the Corinthians. You used to
S1: be like that. Don't be like that. I think what
S1: Paul is saying there is people who have come to
S1: Christ ought not be living like people who are not
S1: going to the kingdom. People who are called by the
S1: name of Christ, their lives should look differently. They should
S1: not be idolaters. They should not be adulterers. They should
S1: not be fornicators. So the people that you've mentioned that
S1: you know who are believers, you might look at them
S1: and say, hey, you're a Christian. Live like one. Christians
S1: don't do these things. I'm going to leave whether or
S1: not they get into heaven up to the Lord. But
S1: I would advise them very strongly, hey, you're behaving like
S1: somebody who is not going to the kingdom. Does that
S1: make sense?
S2: I can't talk to them because they're on television. Some
S2: of them. But, doctor, I understand what you're saying. Because
S2: I would love to. And I used to live like that,
S2: and that's why I know firsthand sexual sin is a
S2: is a very egregious sin. And I can tell you
S2: the consequences because I've done it.
S1: I agree with you 100%. What I'm what I'm suggesting
S1: is that perhaps it's not our job to decide if
S1: they're going to make it in or not. That's a
S1: question I'm going to leave for the Lord. But your
S1: provoked conscience is right on point. I mean, I have
S1: students who live this way too, right? And I say, hey,
S1: you are you are here at school to study the
S1: Word of God. What are you doing? Living like someone
S1: who's rejecting the Word of God? Don't do that. I
S1: think Paul's point here is don't live that way. You
S1: used to be like that. But you were washed, you
S1: were sanctified. You were justified in the name of the
S1: Lord Jesus by the Spirit of God. His point is,
S1: why are you living that way? Don't do that anymore.
S1: Does that help?
S2: Well, they say to me, they say, well, yes it does, doctor,
S2: thank you. But they do say, well, God forgives and
S2: we're in love. It's only him so. But I say,
S2: you know, God can't bless sin. And I tell them,
S2: just like Paul, I used to.
S3: Do it.
S2: And I can tell you I missed a lot of blessings,
S2: but thank you. You're welcome when you're on. You're wonderful.
S1: Thank you. You're welcome. Great to hear from you. Let's
S1: go to Alex in Wheaton, listening again on Wmbi. Alex,
S1: what's your question this morning?
S4: Hey, Steve, I'm a big fan of the show. Um,
S4: I got a question. Just like how to interpret books
S4: of the Bible in the Old Testament. Something like The
S4: Songs of Solomon. Does that? Do you have to read that?
S4: Does it point? Does the Song of Solomon point to Jesus,
S4: or is it, um, do you have to read it
S4: just in and of itself altogether? Do you know what
S4: I mean?
S1: I do, it's a it's a question that comes up often.
S1: How do we read the Old Testament? And I think
S1: the way we do that is to read the Old
S1: Testament in its original context, in its historical context. And
S1: we also have to read it through the lens of
S1: Jesus Christ. Why? Because we're Christians. I had a teacher
S1: at school, Eugene Merrill. I was making a point in
S1: one of my classes saying, no, we should just read
S1: the Bible in its original context. And he says to me, well,
S1: would your exegesis be any different than a Jewish person?
S1: And of course I said, absolutely. And he said, how?
S1: And he got me. I realized that what I was
S1: trying to argue for was interpreting only in its original context,
S1: and not also through the lens of Christ. We have to,
S1: as believers, do. What early Christians did. They read the
S1: Old Testament, they read Tanakh, and they looked backwards through
S1: the cross, through the resurrection, through the life of Christ.
S1: And they interpreted that Old Testament in light of their
S1: new Savior. So I think wherever you are in this world, America, Canada,
S1: anywhere else, you make sure that you read the Old
S1: Testament through the lens of Christ, a book like The
S1: Song of Solomon. That's an interesting book. It really seems
S1: to have very specific application to the relationship between a
S1: man and his new bride, soon to be bride, then bride. Um,
S1: but we would be hard pressed to not say. Marriage
S1: is also a an example of the relationship between Christ
S1: and his church. We read that in the New Testament.
S1: And so I would look at Song of Solomon and say,
S1: interpret it in its original context. It's a wonderful love poem.
S1: And then recognize that wherever marriage is recognized, wherever there's
S1: a healthy marriage on display, what you see there is
S1: a model of Christ and His church where he loves
S1: his church, and the bride looks to him the way
S1: a earthly bride looks to her new bridegroom. Does that help?
S4: That does. Thank you Steve.
S1: You're welcome. Great question. Thank you. Let's do another one.
S1: Let's talk to Sherry, who is driving. Be careful listening
S1: in Cleveland on Wtxf.
S5: Good morning.
S1: Hi.
S5: Good morning. Um, thank you for taking my call. Um,
S5: so my question is, uh, with the election coming up, um,
S5: I'm very unsettled about both candidates. And for the first
S5: time in my life, I feel like I don't want
S5: to vote. Um, I know that the Lord has this.
S5: You know, no matter who wins or what happens in
S5: the world, that the King of Kings and the Lord
S5: of Lords reigns over us, and that he's got us,
S5: that he he is the victor. Um, and I'm really
S5: struggling with deciding which one to vote for. Yeah, usually
S5: I vote for one party and I'm having a hard time.
S5: And I just wondered, um, a lot of people are
S5: telling me, like, it's your responsibility to vote. You have
S5: to vote. You know, um, if you don't vote, you're
S5: you're not, you know, doing what you should be doing. Um,
S5: but I'm asking you, is there anything biblical or, um,
S5: you know, that support that I should vote even. Even
S5: if I'm not sure about it. Because I'm not sure
S5: about either person.
S1: This is this is a question all but all believers
S1: are facing, right? We're all facing it right now. And I,
S1: of course, am not going to endorse any candidate on
S1: this show today. Uh, but your, your the sense you
S1: have that your heart and your confidence and your trust
S1: in the Lord should be in the Lord above all
S1: things I think is key. Hang on to that above
S1: all else. God is sovereign and he is in control
S1: of all things. It doesn't matter who sits in that seat.
S1: God is in control. We can have confidence and trust
S1: if our country goes one way. The Lord is in control.
S1: If it goes another way, the Lord is in control.
S1: If we don't get what we want, the Lord is
S1: in control. Don't ever let that go. Do you have
S1: to vote? Is it required? I don't think so. I
S1: don't think, I don't think the Bible says you have
S1: to do this. You can do this. I think many
S1: would argue that as people who are permitted to participate,
S1: it's a great privilege, but it's not required. It is
S1: not required from Scripture. Instead, what is required is that
S1: we keep our confidence in the Lord himself. He's the
S1: one that is sovereign over all things. So rest in
S1: him and take confidence. He knows what's going on. Does
S1: that help?
S5: Thank you for your expert. Yes, thank you for your
S5: expert advice. I really appreciate it. That gives me a
S5: lot of comfort knowing that, you know, I don't have
S5: to choose.
S1: That's right, that's right. And it's a hard choice. I
S1: recognize that, I recognize it's a hard choice. And so
S1: I'm sure believers all over this country right now are thinking, Lord,
S1: what do we do? Where do we go? How do
S1: how do we make a good choice here? So thank you. Yeah.
S1: Keep your confidence in the Lord. Don't forget that he's
S1: in charge. He's never going to let you go. Let's
S1: go to share. Oh, no. That was Sherry. Let's go
S1: to Marisha in Georgia listening on Wlp.
S6: Hi, I have a question. So I have a question
S6: regarding John 1513 where it says greater love has no
S6: one to lay down their life for one's life, for
S6: one's friends. So is that verse saying, that is Jesus
S6: saying that we should lay down our lives for our friends?
S6: Or is that like, um, a parable? Just saying that
S6: we should love other people.
S1: What a what an amazing statement, right? For Jesus to
S1: say this is an example of what love looks like. You.
S1: There's no better way than if you sacrifice yourself for
S1: someone else. That's the best example that we can possibly have.
S1: I don't think Jesus is saying that you have to
S1: sacrifice yourself for all your friends. I think he's giving
S1: an example of the best kind of love that people
S1: can experience. If you have friends that betray you, you
S1: know what that feels like. If you have friends that are,
S1: you know, kind of mid, they're there for you. Sometimes
S1: they're not there for you all the time. You know
S1: what that feels like to have a friend who's willing
S1: to lay down his life for you or for her
S1: to lay down her life for you. I have friends
S1: who have given kidneys, organs to other friends, and you
S1: just say, whoa, sacrificing a part of their body for
S1: someone else. That is a great example of love. And
S1: what I think we have here is not so much
S1: a command for us, but rather coming as it is
S1: in John 15, a statement of what true love looks
S1: like from Jesus Christ. He has laid down his life
S1: for us, literally. He's done that literally for us.
S6: But not saying that we should die for somebody.
S1: I do not think he's making a command about that. Rather,
S1: he's talking about. Right. The chapter begins. I am the
S1: true vine. The father is the gardener. Verse five I
S1: am the vine, you're the branches. The father has loved me,
S1: so I love you. Jesus is talking about himself, his ministry,
S1: the father's ministry. It's not a command for us. Now,
S1: you might find yourself in a circumstance where you have
S1: to lay down your life for a friend. I think
S1: of all our service members who go into conflict overseas
S1: and find themselves in situations where they're quite literally laying
S1: down their lives for us or for the people in
S1: their unit. And we have great respect for that because
S1: it's a demonstration of love. Can I suggest that when
S1: we see those sorts of things, they remind us of
S1: Christ who went into battle for us to lay down
S1: his life for us, who are his friends because we've
S1: believed the gospel. Does that help?
S6: Yeah, it does help. Good.
S1: Good, good. Thank you. It's a tough one. How do
S1: we lay down our lives? In some cases, we have
S1: friends that we love, and we don't want to necessarily
S1: give everything for them. And we recognize that we are imperfect,
S1: imperfect individuals. But Christ laid down the perfect sacrifice for us.
S1: And as a result, we love him with great, great love.
S1: This is it. Let's take a break here and we'll
S1: be back. I'm doctor Steven Sanchez in for Michael. You're
S1: listening to Open Line with doctor Michael Dolnick. Moody Radio's
S1: Bible study Across America. Do you have a question? The
S1: number to call is (877) 548-3675. Again (877) 548-3675. And when we
S1: come back Jack, we're going to take your question again. (877) 548-3675.
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S1: Welcome back to Open Line with Doctor Michael Radonich. I'm
S1: Doctor Steven Sanchez in for Michael. The number to call
S1: with your question is 87754836758775483675. Let's go straight to the
S1: phones Jack listening in Ohio on Wtxf. CRF. How can
S1: I help you this morning?
S8: Yes. I have a question about the parable in Luke
S8: of the rich man and the poor man, Lazarus. It
S8: said that the poor man laid outside the gate and
S8: was wishing for crumbs, and when he died, he was
S8: ushered up into Abraham's bosom, which is heaven. And then
S8: when the rich man died, he went to Hades. What
S8: I'm wondering is why? What did the what qualified the
S8: poor man to go to heaven? And what was the
S8: sin of the rich man that he was? Went to Hades?
S1: Yeah. So this is during Jesus ministry, right? Jesus gives
S1: this parable and he seems to be focusing on the
S1: fact that people need to listen to the revelation they
S1: have been given and behave in such a way that
S1: they are demonstrating their faith in the revelation that they
S1: have been given. And at this point, Jesus has not
S1: died yet. And so we're dealing with Jewish people living
S1: the ordinances and commands that God has given in the law.
S1: And in this case, the rich man was not doing that.
S1: All the commandments to care for fellow Israelites, to take
S1: care of the poor, provide for widows and orphans and strangers,
S1: people in their distress, things that we're going to see
S1: repeated for us in the New Testament. But at the time,
S1: there you have Jews who are not living those things
S1: and yet claiming to be children of God. And I
S1: think what Jesus is saying here is, no, that's not fair.
S1: That's not right. God said, you should live this way,
S1: not that way. If you're going to demonstrate true faith
S1: in the God of Israel, that means doing the things
S1: he has. And we see that at the end that
S1: rich man says, hey, listen, I beg you, father, send
S1: Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers
S1: so that he can warn them. I don't want them
S1: to come to this place. What does Abraham say in
S1: verse 29 of Luke 16? Abraham said, they have Moses
S1: and the prophets. Let them hear them. I think Abraham
S1: is saying, if you don't, your brothers don't want to
S1: come here. Obey what God has revealed in the law
S1: and the prophets, because that demonstrates faith. It's not that
S1: obeying the law is going to save you, but obeying
S1: the law is going to demonstrate you have faith in God.
S1: He said, no, Father Abraham, if someone goes to them
S1: from the dead, they will repent. And he says it again.
S1: If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets,
S1: neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from
S1: the dead. The rich man was not demonstrating faith in
S1: God by obeying him. And that's the, I think, the
S1: teaching point of that section. Now, of course, we know
S1: as we move into the New Testament, we also have
S1: to obey. not to be saved, right? We were always
S1: saved by grace through faith in the Old Testament. They
S1: were saved by grace through faith in the New Testament.
S1: We're saved by grace through faith. But the terms of
S1: that salvation, that faith, are different. And so we have
S1: to trust in Jesus Christ, his work for us on
S1: the cross. And that is the demonstration of faith. And
S1: then in light of that, we go live lives that
S1: honor him, which should include taking care of the poor
S1: and the needy that God brings into our lives, uh,
S1: those who are not from here, who God brings into
S1: our lives, those who are desperate. We have an obligation,
S1: I think, to help them as a demonstration of the
S1: faith that God has wrought in us. Does that help, Jack?
S8: Yes. That helps. Thank you.
S1: You're welcome. Let's go to Jermaine driving in Cleveland, Ohio,
S1: listening on Wtxf.
S9: Hello? Can you hear me?
S1: I can go ahead.
S10: Um, yes. I asked you about, um, you know, when
S10: the Bible, when Jesus died on the cross and he
S10: said it is finished. Um, um, he died for our
S10: past and present sins. Correct?
S1: When Jesus died, he died for all your sins.
S10: All my sins. So all my sins. So if I
S10: was to sin, like right now, he's already paid for that, right?
S1: So my question to you would be, why would you
S1: sin right now if you could avoid it?
S10: I mean, I mean, I still I'm a sinner. I
S10: sin every day.
S1: Welcome to the club, friend. Right. We are saints and
S1: sinners at the same time. So if if the if
S1: the spirit behind the question is. Lord, I am never perfect.
S1: I sin, are my sins forgiven? I would say to
S1: you the answer is absolutely yes. And the effect of
S1: that should be for me to work on it in
S1: the power of the spirit, allowing the spirit to change me,
S1: conform me into the image of Christ, resist sin as
S1: much as I can. Now, if the spirit of the
S1: question I don't think this is your spirit, but I
S1: can hear someone else asking the question, well, since my
S1: sins are all forgiven because Christ has already forgiven all
S1: my sins, that means I can do whatever I want.
S1: And I think Paul answers that issue in Romans chapter six.
S1: What shall we say then? Are we to continue in
S1: sin so that grace may abound? He says no way.
S1: Just because God gives grace and more grace, when there's
S1: more sin, more grace abounds does not mean we get
S1: to turn that freedom into a liberty, or a license
S1: to sin at will. Does that help?
S10: Yeah. Um, I have one more question before you let
S10: me go.
S1: Go ahead, go ahead.
S10: Do I have to get. Do I have to get
S10: baptized to go to heaven?
S1: Again, my question to you would be why wouldn't you
S1: get baptized?
S10: I'm saying. I'm saying because some people say that that's, um,
S10: you got to get baptized.
S1: I would say to you.
S10: That, um.
S1: I would say to you, the thief on the cross,
S1: the thief on the cross did not have the opportunity
S1: to be baptized. And Jesus said to him, today, you
S1: will be with me in Paradise. There are probably many
S1: throughout history who turn to Christ and were not able
S1: to get baptized. So I would say, no, it's not
S1: a requirement in that sense. But I would also say
S1: to any Christian who says, I'm a believer, I'm claiming
S1: the name of Christ. I would say to that person,
S1: why wouldn't you be baptized? What's holding you back from
S1: getting baptized? And if the answer is, well, I don't
S1: want to identify with Jesus that way, I would say, oh,
S1: let's talk about what it means for you to follow
S1: Christ if you don't want to identify with him publicly.
S1: I can see that there are some, probably some parts
S1: of the world where actual physical baptism is very traumatic.
S1: But even in those places, we see men and women
S1: come to faith. In other countries where becoming a believer
S1: is catastrophic for their relationships and their social standing. And
S1: you know what? Very often they take that step and
S1: they identify with Christ all the way. So I would
S1: say it is something that Christ commanded us to do,
S1: and we should do it. If you die before you're baptized,
S1: does that mean you don't go to heaven? I do
S1: not think the Bible teaches that. Okay. Thank you. That's
S1: a helpful question. Let's go to Maritza in Naples, Florida,
S1: listening on Warsaw. Maritza, how can I help you this morning?
S11: Hi. Good morning. Let's go to revelation chapter 20. Uh,
S11: verse seven is The um in the light after the tribulation,
S11: when the Armageddon is over, the Jews, all the nations,
S11: destroys all the nations. Who are they? Who is the
S11: devil going after? In verse seven.
S1: Uh, so remember that this is the thousand years are over. I,
S1: and most of my colleagues, or all of my colleagues
S1: at Moody, would argue that the millennial kingdom has happened.
S1: Let's remember that during that millennial kingdom, uh, people will
S1: be born, right? People will be born in that kingdom,
S1: and they will be people who have to make a
S1: choice to follow the Lord who is ruling and reigning
S1: or not. And so when Satan is released, he is
S1: going to, uh, work on those people and to deceive
S1: the nations who are still on the earth and turn
S1: them against Christ. And so there will be there will
S1: be people for him to deceive, and he will do
S1: his work on those people. And that's important to remember
S1: that in the Millennial Kingdom, there will be people born
S1: who will not necessarily submit to Christ, and they will
S1: leave themselves open to satanic attack. He will deceive them.
S1: And it's a reminder that wherever we are, we have
S1: to be careful. Be open to that satanic attack. Thank
S1: you for your question this morning. Don't go anywhere. Don't
S1: go anywhere because we're going to keep taking your calls.
S1: We're going to keep going. And in a little bit
S1: we have, uh, the mailbag coming up. Some of you
S1: have sent in questions ahead of time. If you have
S1: a question to ask, the number for you to call
S1: this morning is 87754836758775483675. Or you can go to Open
S1: Line Radio and fill out the Ask Michael a question
S1: Section and submit your question that way. We love getting
S1: questions either on the phone or in the mailbag, and
S1: we address those questions faithfully each week. So again that
S1: number 87754836758775483675. I'm Steven Sanchez. You're listening to Open Line
S1: with Doctor Michael Dolnick on Moody Radio.
S7: We're so glad that Febc partners with Open Line with
S7: Doctor Michael Ray Dolnick bringing the Febc mailbag every week.
S7: Learn how far East Broadcasting Company is taking Christ to
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S12: Dawg.
S7: That's Phoebe dawg.
S1: Welcome back to Open Line. I'm doctor Steven Sanchez with
S1: doctor in the studio for Doctor Michael Dolnick, and I'm like,
S1: Where's Michael? He's having a good time in Turkey and Greece.
S1: This is the mailbag segment where we answer the questions
S1: you've sent in. And joining us with those questions again
S1: is Trish McMillan, our producer. Hello, Trish. I think it's
S1: a heavy bag. Here we go.
S13: It is a heavy bag. One thing I do want
S13: to mention quickly is coming up on November 9th is
S13: a summit on opposing anti-Semitism. This is near and dear
S13: to to Michael's heart as a Jewish follower of Jesus.
S13: And he, um, he's one of the main speakers at this,
S13: but it'll address. What does it mean to be anti-Semitic?
S13: Those attacks are on the rise. anti-Semitism is where does
S13: anti-Semitism come from? What are its origins? And then how
S13: can we, as followers of Jesus, oppose anti-Semitism and support
S13: the Jewish people? It is Saturday, November 9th. It's a
S13: one day conference basically put on by Moody Bible Institute
S13: and Chosen People Ministries. It will be on the campus
S13: of Moody. You can find out more information at our website,
S13: which is Open Line radio.org. There's a big banner across
S13: the top that you can click on and find out
S13: all of that information. Lots of great speakers coming in. Again,
S13: open line radio.org. You can also go there and click
S13: to go to our Facebook page where you will see
S13: lots of pictures of Michael. Um, on this Journeys of
S13: Paul trip that he is leading with other people, with
S13: doctor Mark Jobe and Doctor Joe Stoll and um, uh,
S13: as they go around kind of the Mediterranean around Greece.
S13: So they were in Athens yesterday. They're in Corinth today,
S13: and they've been posting pictures on our Facebook page, which
S13: is kind of fun. They're beautiful, amazing, beautiful pictures. And
S13: so if you want to see where he's at, he
S13: will be back in two weeks. Next week we have
S13: Mike Favara sitting in to guest host Open Line and
S13: Steven Sanchez here today. You know.
S1: Sometimes people ask, should I go to Israel? Should I
S1: go to Turkey? Should I go to Greece? How important
S1: is it to see those things? And I take trips
S1: and I like to tell people, listen, it's about understanding
S1: your Bible more accurately, because these things were written to
S1: a context. And sometimes seeing that context helps. It's not
S1: so much about going to walk where Paul walked, because
S1: you might get a little extra something because you stepped
S1: on the same stones that Paul walked on. Yeah, right.
S1: I like to tell my students, we go to walk
S1: where Jesus walked to learn to walk, how Jesus walked.
S1: And that's more important. If we understand our Bibles better,
S1: that should help us. Yes, yes. Great. What do we
S1: got today?
S13: Well, follow me, I have I have a follow up
S13: question for you. Yeah. Um, about the voting question. Sure. No,
S13: it's not a surprise. We had lots of listeners. Yeah.
S13: A little bit. Um, lots of listeners had follow ups. Um,
S13: because what some of them heard you saying was we
S13: should not vote as Christians. Oh, no. So I want
S13: you to be able to count on that. Um. Several saying.
S13: Isn't it the duty we have this privilege and this
S13: right as Americans that we can vote? Shouldn't we exercise that?
S1: I would say I love this. Thank you for calling
S1: in or writing in, because giving someone a chance to
S1: explain themselves is super helpful. Just as Christians relating to
S1: one another, making sure we hear what was actually said
S1: and we deal with this in class, it's wonderful. It
S1: feels like I'm in class. Oh please, I did not
S1: say don't vote. We we have the opportunity, the right,
S1: the privilege to vote. If the Lord lays it on
S1: your heart that you need to exercise that opportunity to vote,
S1: by all means do so. And for some, that's going
S1: to feel like an easy choice. For others, that might
S1: not feel like an easy choice. I don't want to
S1: judge the conscience of another believer who says, wow, this
S1: is a hard choice for me. But I'm not saying
S1: you shouldn't vote. That is an opportunity we have.
S13: Which is what our caller had called in to say.
S13: She That said, I don't know how to vote. Is
S13: it a sin if I don't vote? Correct. That was
S13: her question, and my.
S1: Caution would be to anyone who would listen to her
S1: and say, what is? Hey, people are individuals. We stand
S1: before God as individuals and our consciences are very individual,
S1: led by the Holy Spirit. But we all have different
S1: convictions and we have to learn to live together as believers.
S1: Some will choose to vote great and others will choose
S1: not to vote. And we have to be willing to
S1: give people the freedom to say that as well. We
S1: are one in Christ, and our identity ought to be
S1: as believers together, and that supersedes any other identity. So
S1: if you feel strongly about voting, vote. Personally, I vote,
S1: but when I meet a believer who says, oh, I'm struggling,
S1: I want to show the love of Christ to them too,
S1: and give them the freedom to have the conscience that says, okay,
S1: I'm going to sit this one out or and then
S1: let's remember that in many cases, lower level municipal elections
S1: and all kinds of things car laws, library taxes. Vote
S1: on those. You're a participant in the community where members
S1: of our community and we have that option to vote.
S1: Hope that helps. Yeah.
S13: Yeah. And someone even mentioned like, Christians in politics, like,
S13: that's a good thing, that we can be part of
S13: that municipality and those communities and different areas.
S1: God calls and trains people. I have a very good
S1: friend who has an I shouldn't say he's a very
S1: good friend. He's a very old friend, but he sits
S1: in some of the highest levels of government. And I'm
S1: so thankful that he is in that place. National government.
S1: I'm thankful he's there. We need believers in those places. Amen.
S1: But if someone says, I have a conscience, I don't
S1: want to be there. I'm not going to judge their
S1: faith or their motives or their or their their belief
S1: in Christ. I'm going to give them the freedom to
S1: make that choice for themselves.
S13: Okay. Thank you for that clarification. Um, our first our
S13: next question out of the mailbag is from Connie in Florida.
S13: She listens to keys. I believe spiritual warfare is real,
S13: and I have been trying to put on the full
S13: armor of God, as Paul describes in Ephesians six. Um,
S13: I usually go over these pieces of armor in my
S13: mind and kind of mentally put them on to stand firm.
S13: How often should we put on this armor?
S1: So if if what Connie means here is I literally
S1: have a performative practice where I maybe model myself putting
S1: on armor. I don't think that's what the Bible is
S1: recommending here. Um, that we need to stand in front
S1: of a mirror and see ourselves putting on the armor
S1: of God. I think Paul's argument here in Ephesians six
S1: is to be prepared. Be prepared for the onslaughts that
S1: the spiritual world bring against us, that Satan brings against us.
S1: And someone will ask, well, how do I get prepared? Well,
S1: I need to be thinking about God's Word. I need
S1: to be praying. I need to be taking up the
S1: sword of the spirit. I need to be doing these things.
S1: These are the acts. These are the behaviors that will
S1: keep me prepared. Pray. Read the Bible. You don't have
S1: to stand and perform prayer, meaning like acting like you're
S1: praying or pretending you're putting on the sword. No, spend
S1: time reading the word and that's getting ready. And that's
S1: putting on the armor of God.
S13: So in doing some of our normal daily spiritual disciplines,
S13: even that is kind of the act of doing and
S13: and putting on this armor of God.
S1: Absolutely. You know, you meet someone and they say, I
S1: have Bible verses all over my house. And as I
S1: walk from room to room, I read those verses and
S1: they remind me, you know what you're doing? You're putting
S1: on the armor of God. I have a dedicated time
S1: of prayer, whether it's before meals or before bed, or
S1: just a time of prayer, or I wear things on
S1: me that remind me to pray for this person. And
S1: when I see them, I pray you know what you're doing.
S1: You're putting on the armor of God. You're doing the
S1: things that make for people who are prepared. Put on
S1: the breastplate of righteousness, having your feet, uh, Prepared with
S1: the readiness of given by the gospel of peace. You've,
S1: you've you're working these things into your life. You are
S1: prepared to face what the devil will send against you.
S13: Okay, that seems much more attainable. Like sometimes when I
S13: when I read through the Armor of God, it's like
S13: it does become this almost ceremonial. Like I have to
S13: do this. Um, but if it's as simple as praying
S13: because it says pray, you know, like that, that's very
S13: it's not a simple fight that we're in. No, but
S13: the actions that we're taking to get ready, the repeated ness,
S13: the repetitiveness of it can get us ready for that.
S13: And then we are prepared when we face those temptations
S13: or face, um, persecution from a boss or something like that. Yeah.
S1: I spent many summers at a boys camp in upstate
S1: New York, Deerfoot Lodge, and we always had a quiet time.
S1: Time every day. Somebody would blow a whistle. Quiet time.
S1: And the whole camp would stop and you'd say, what's
S1: going on there? Well, these are young men getting ready
S1: to face the you know what the devil is going
S1: to bring. That day, we were encouraged to spend time
S1: in the word. We were encouraged to spend time to pray.
S1: You know, we don't have to do those things once
S1: a day. Many believers do that throughout the day in
S1: various ways. And I think as we do that, we
S1: are reloading. As the kids would say today, we're powering
S1: up our armor, right? Right, right. And we're getting ready
S1: for the things that the Lord is going to bring us.
S1: And that's critical. Yeah. It's not a one time thing.
S13: Yeah, yeah. Okay. Thank you for that question, Connie. We'll
S13: do one more. Sure. Go for it. Maggie in Illinois
S13: listens to WNBA and is looking at Isaiah 53 five.
S13: Is this which says, but he was pierced because of
S13: our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities. Punishment for our
S13: peace was on him and we are healed by his wounds.
S13: Is this referring to physical healing?
S1: I do not think so. I think that this is
S1: in the broader context. Of course, if you read that
S1: whole chapter in Isaiah, what's at issue is the sinfulness
S1: of God's people and the fact that this suffering servant
S1: is going to come and atone for those sins. The
S1: focus on that passage is all of the sinfulness of
S1: of God's people. One of the earliest verses I memorized
S1: as a kid. I only know this because my mom
S1: was a faithful believer, and she made us memorize early.
S1: All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned
S1: each one to his own way, and the Lord has
S1: laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53
S1: six and you see the theme there is our sinfulness.
S1: Our sinfulness has consequences. Sometimes the consequences of sinfulness are
S1: our poor health or their physical infirmities. And we see
S1: that in the Old Testament. God brings judgment on his
S1: people when they sin, and those judgments are often physical.
S1: And so I think the writer here is using those things,
S1: your infirmities, your wounds, as illustrations of their sinfulness. And
S1: so when he when they stand in for sin, the
S1: point is the suffering servant is dying to take away
S1: the consequences of your sin, which in this case is
S1: iniquity and physical ailment, things like that.
S13: So the the healing is a spiritual healing.
S1: Spiritual healing. Okay. That's right. And the spiritual healing when
S1: the spirit is healed, when people are doing what's right,
S1: the consequences of their wicked behavior goes away. I don't
S1: think what we're saying here is Jesus died to cure
S1: my pick. Your infirmity. Okay. Um. Remember that when job
S1: fell ill, it was not because he had sinned. His
S1: friends tried to pin that on him, and job thought
S1: maybe that was the case. But that wasn't the case.
S1: God was doing something else. Job's sinfulness was not the
S1: cause of that illness. I think the point here is
S1: sin is in view. Spiritual healing is in view, and
S1: that has consequences in life. Okay. Yeah.
S13: All right. Thank you so much. If you want to
S13: give in your mailbag questions for next time for next week.
S13: You can do that at our website openline. radio.org. There
S13: is a form you can fill out that says Ask
S13: Michael a question. Fill that out. Those will go right
S13: to my inbox. I will add those to the mailbag
S13: for next week.
S1: That's Tricia McMillan, our producer, and we'll see you next week.
S1: Don't go anywhere because we have more of your calls
S1: coming up. I'm doctor Steven Sanchez. You're listening to Open
S1: Line with Doctor Michael Dolnick on Moody Radio. Hang in
S1: there a few more questions.
S7: Sometimes we want to read the Bible but don't know
S7: how to get the most out of it. My friend,
S7: Moody Professor Doctor Jim Coakley, has written 14 Fresh Ways
S7: to Enjoy the Bible, a book that helps us understand
S7: the full riches of Scripture by giving 14 practical principles
S7: to bring them to life. Request your copy today with
S7: a gift of any amount to open line. Call (888) 644-7122
S7: or visit openline. Radio. Org.
S1: Welcome back to Open Line. I'm Doctor Stephen Sanchez in
S1: for Doctor Michael Radonich who's leading a trip in Greece
S1: and Turkey. Let's go straight to the phones and take
S1: your questions. Brian in Florida listening on w r m.
S1: How can we help you this morning?
S14: Hi. Good morning sir. Good morning. Yes, I have I
S14: have a comment earlier, uh, someone called and spoke about
S14: Christ's return and the readiness, uh, for myself, I, you know,
S14: of course, I'm preparing for Christ's return. But when I
S14: look at this, statistically, chances are I'll probably die before
S14: he returns. And I'm saying that we are required to
S14: have the same readiness because we'll be in his presence.
S1: I think that is a great attitude to have whether
S1: Christ comes back tomorrow and raptures us and then sets
S1: up his kingdom, or we die and go meet him first,
S1: the expectation is the same, right? We talk about the
S1: imminent return of Christ. He could come back at any time,
S1: and we often forget that living in our world today,
S1: we're a heartbeat away from meeting Jesus, right? We're a
S1: heartbeat away. One moment you're watching the game, and the
S1: next minute you're with Jesus. And so there is a
S1: very serious expectation that we should be ready in all contexts,
S1: to meet our maker.
S14: Yes.
S1: Yes. Yes.
S14: And I brought that comment up because, you know, I'm
S14: involved in life groups and often I need men's life group.
S14: And often I hear people talk about the readiness of
S14: Christ's return, but it seems like, you know. Oh, yeah, well,
S14: that's something I just have to be ready for that. But,
S14: you know, I could walk out and something happened to
S14: me tonight. So I always like to make sure when
S14: I hear those kinds of questions that I just, you know,
S14: kind of make it a little more imminent.
S1: And, and this is something that everyone needs to be
S1: aware of, not just not just folks like you and me,
S1: who may be at the end of our journey a
S1: little more than others. But if you're listening to this
S1: program today and you're young and you have in your
S1: mind a thought, you know what? It doesn't matter. I
S1: can do what I want. I've got years. Well, I think, Brian,
S1: we would agree. We would look at that young person
S1: and say, actually, you don't know that you're going to
S1: have years, right? You don't know it might be tomorrow
S1: and it might be 50 years from now. Christians are
S1: exhorted to be ready in all circumstances, and that's going
S1: to affect the way we live. Right. How does that
S1: play itself out? If you're going to be ready, it
S1: means it means spending time with the Lord and knowing him.
S1: It means time in prayer. It means reaching out with
S1: the gospel to those around us. It means being quick
S1: to be able to defend ourselves. A previous caller was
S1: asking about the armor of God. It means being quick
S1: to defend ourselves against the attacks of Satan so that
S1: we remain faithful. These are behaviors that look like someone
S1: who is ready. What does it look like to not
S1: be ready? Well, you wonder sometimes, wow, this person doesn't
S1: know the scriptures. They don't serve. They're not involved in
S1: Christian community. They seem to be making poor choices in
S1: their life. You say, hey, if when Christ comes back,
S1: it doesn't look like you're going to be ready for him.
S1: Let's think about what that means in living lives that
S1: honor him. Does that help, Brian?
S14: Yes, sir. Good. Thank you very much.
S1: You're welcome. Thank you for your question this morning. Let's
S1: go to Harry in Tampa, Florida, listening on keys. How
S1: are you doing? Good morning. How can I help you, sir?
S15: Yes, sir. Um, I don't speak in tongues, but I
S15: watch TV a lot. And I watch everybody from your
S15: channel and sometimes some of the ministers on television stressed
S15: speaking in tongues as a, uh, almost a necessity. Or
S15: if you don't, you don't quite measure up or something.
S15: I don't know how to how to read that. I
S15: don't know what to think about that.
S1: You know, when we look at the scriptures, we see
S1: that early believers spoke in tongues when they received the
S1: Holy Spirit, right? We see that first and foremost in
S1: the book of acts. We see that early on, believers
S1: are practicing this practice, and it seems very spontaneous. They're
S1: gathered together, they're thinking about the Lord. They're preaching the gospel.
S1: Christ told them, wait. Wait until the spirit comes. And
S1: they waited, and the spirit came on them, and they
S1: spoke in other tongues. Number one, the Lord initiated this.
S1: I think that's really important. The Lord initiated this. This
S1: is initiated from from God. And number two, they speak
S1: in languages that other people understand. And so I look
S1: at this practice in the New Testament and I say
S1: it has a function. It has a real intelligible function.
S1: What is that function? Get the gospel out to more
S1: people so that they can hear it. And we see
S1: that in the book of acts, chapter two, where they speak.
S1: And what do people say? They say, wow, like, I
S1: can hear this in my own language. At this sound,
S1: the multitude came together. They were bewildered. Acts chapter two,
S1: verse six. Each one was hearing them speak in his
S1: own language, and they were amazed. Astonished are not these
S1: Galileans who are speaking? How is it that we hear
S1: each of us in his own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites,
S1: residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia? Wow,
S1: this is amazing. That's because God is doing something special
S1: and God continues to do something special with tongues in
S1: the book of acts, it seems like this practice falls
S1: out of necessity as we head into the rest of
S1: the New Testament era and into the early centuries of Christianity.
S1: And so I would say to, you know, tongues is
S1: not required. It is not required for people to speak
S1: in tongues. You can be a faithful, God honoring Christians,
S1: Christian and never speak in tongues. It is not ever
S1: stated in the Scripture that that is required. It's true.
S1: We see the early Christians doing that. God initiated that.
S1: It is not them necessarily seeking it for a purpose
S1: that is not disclosed. Does that help Harry?
S15: It does. Sure. And that's a great answer. I really
S15: appreciate that. The very wise answer, and I believe that
S15: that I've had four heart surgeries and several times my
S15: heart has stopped. Uh, what's your position on divine healing?
S1: I think the Lord can heal. He can do whatever
S1: he wants, and he can heal as he does. and
S1: we pray for healing. We beg him to heal and
S1: we're love. We hope that he will heal us. And
S1: we ask. And as long as we ask, we do
S1: that in faith that he will help us. Well, that's
S1: it for today. I'm doctor Steven Sanchez. Thank you for
S1: listening and calling. Our production team makes open line possible.
S1: Trish McMillan produces the show. Amy Rios is our engineer.
S1: Kiara Arriaga answers our phones. You can find more information
S1: about Open Line at Open Line radio.org. Next week, pastor
S1: Mike will take your call. Michael will be back in
S1: two weeks. Until then, don't stop reading your Bible. Keep
S1: asking questions. Open line with doctor Mike Zelnick is a
S1: production of Moody Radio, a ministry of the Moody Bible Institute.