S1: Do you have a question about the Bible, God, or
S1: the spiritual life? Well, you've come to the right place.
S1: Hello friends. Welcome to Open Line with Doctor Michael Reginald
S1: Moody Radio's Bible study Across America. My name is Michael Radonich.
S1: I'm the academic dean and professor of Jewish studies and
S1: Bible at Moody Bible Institute. And normally we take your calls,
S1: but today it's a special pre-recorded program, so please don't call.
S1: We're clearing the spindle, we're emptying the inbox. We're answering
S1: the questions you've sent us in past weeks. And if
S1: you'd like to send a question, you can still do that.
S1: Just go to our website, openline radio.org. Click on the
S1: link that says Ask Michael a question and you can
S1: put your question right there. And then it will be
S1: added to the mailbag for a future program. But right
S1: now I want to say special thanks to Chris Siegert
S1: for handling all things technical today, and for Open Line
S1: producer Tricia McMillan for joining me with the questions today
S1: and discussion. And here she is now with this very
S1: large mailbag. Tricia McMillan dragging it in. Welcome, Tricia.
S2: Thank you.
S1: Hey, so it's a Labor Day special program, right? Have
S1: your kids started school?
S2: Yes they have. They started a few weeks ago.
S1: Yeah, it starts in August in Illinois, right?
S2: A lot of them do. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. It's hard for me to get used to it,
S1: even though, you know, I raised my kids here in
S1: Illinois and they all started, you know, all the kids,
S1: both of them. All of them started in in August.
S1: But I'm from New York. It always started one week
S1: after Labor Day. So so.
S2: Nice. But no.
S1: Labor Day was the end of summer for me, right?
S1: But of course, in New York City, where I grew up, school,
S1: I don't know what it's like now, but school ended
S1: on June 30th, so it went kind of late.
S2: Okay. So you needed that extra couple of weeks.
S1: Yeah, yeah, but it's Labor Day getting ready to work, right? Yes.
S1: That's what we're going to do. Labor day weekend. Okay.
S1: Well how many? I know we've got a big bag
S1: of questions there and we're going to I let you
S1: choose the order, you know. However we're going to go.
S1: But I'll do my best to to clear the spindle
S1: today to see how many questions we can answer. All right.
S2: And we do the mailbag every week. So if they
S2: don't get in this one, they may make it to
S2: a future one. Exactly, exactly. Well, our first question is
S2: from Michael in Iowa who listens to WSM. Can you
S2: explain the New covenant, and does it make the Mosaic
S2: or Sinai covenant obsolete?
S1: Well, that's kind of an interesting question. I think that, uh,
S1: a lot of people treat the new covenants versus the
S1: Old Covenant. The Old Covenant is indeed the Sinai covenant.
S1: I think that's right. But they treat the New covenant
S1: as if it cuts out part of the Word of God,
S1: or somehow it wasn't anticipated. It seems to me that
S1: even in the book of Deuteronomy, when we come to
S1: the end of the book, there's a promise. It says
S1: in Deuteronomy 30 verse six, the Lord your God will
S1: circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, and
S1: you will love him with all your heart and all
S1: your soul, so that you will live. This is so
S1: crucial because there's an anticipation that that idea of a
S1: circumcised heart is the new covenant. So right at the
S1: end of the Pentateuch, at the end of the law,
S1: the promise from Moses is that there will be a
S1: new covenant. And then, of course, it's presented in Jeremiah 31.
S1: And there Jeremiah kind of distinguishes it from the Old Covenant.
S1: He says in Jeremiah 31, verse 31. He says, the
S1: days are coming. This is the Lord's declaration when I
S1: will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
S1: and with the house of Judah. This one will not
S1: be like the covenant I made with their ancestors, when
S1: I took them by the hand to bring them out
S1: of the land of Egypt. Now there we go. That's
S1: the reference to the Sinai covenant, where Moses went up
S1: the mountain and received the law. A covenant they broke,
S1: even though I had been a husband to them. The
S1: Lord's declaration. Instead, this is the covenant I will make
S1: with the house of Israel after those days. The Lord's declaration.
S1: And by the way, he keeps saying, this is declares
S1: the Lord or the Lord's Declaration, because this is a
S1: very significant thing he's saying. He keeps wanting to say,
S1: this is from the Lord. I will put my teaching
S1: within them and write it on their hearts. I will
S1: be their God and they will be my people. No
S1: longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying,
S1: know the Lord, for they will all know me from
S1: the least to the greatest of them. This is the
S1: Lord's declaration will. The new covenant was inaugurated by the
S1: Lord Jesus at his death. He says at the Last
S1: Supper to his disciples, this is the new covenant in
S1: my blood. When the death of the Messiah and then
S1: his resurrection, it's inaugurated, everyone that believes in him lives.
S1: They operating system we live by is the New covenant.
S1: And and that's why in second Corinthians three, all followers
S1: of Jesus, although it was made with the Jewish remnant
S1: of the disciples, every, uh, person who believes in Jesus is,
S1: even if they're not Jewish, is grafted in to this
S1: promise and experienced the New Covenant. And that's why Second
S1: Corinthians three says that we are ministers of the New Covenant.
S1: So yeah, we're part of the New covenant. It's the
S1: promise of a circumcised heart. It's the promise of God
S1: putting his teaching in our hearts. But that doesn't mean
S1: we don't obey the Word of God. And the Word
S1: of God includes the law of Moses. I would say
S1: that what Hebrews eight is saying about the new covenant
S1: replacing the old. I think that's true as our operating system.
S1: But the whole word of God teaches principles of truth.
S1: And so, for example, nine of the Ten Commandments are
S1: repeated in the New Testament or the New Covenant, and
S1: we still live by them, but we're doing it because
S1: of them being in the New Covenant. And so we
S1: are today New Covenant believers, uh, those of us who
S1: have trusted that Jesus died for us and rose again,
S1: we are operating system that we live by, that we're
S1: related to God by is the new covenant. Now here's
S1: something that's crucial about this. It's not just following your heart.
S1: Even though he put his law within our hearts, it's
S1: to guide us. He gives us spiritual power to obey
S1: his commands. But the Lord Jesus still said of the
S1: new covenant, if you love me, you'll obey me. He
S1: still expects us to follow the teachings and principles and
S1: commandments of the scriptures, as they are found in the
S1: New Covenant. That's the key.
S2: So, okay, I love, I think, one thing that was
S2: very helpful in what you just taught is that, you see,
S2: there is this connection between the Old Testament, the New Testament,
S2: where so often, you know, you may hear Christians say,
S2: I'm a New Testament believer, which like you're saying, we
S2: are believers following Jesus under the New covenant, but that
S2: that is tied to this history of the this promise. Yeah.
S2: This promise that started back then, where God talks about
S2: renewing the hearts and how important that is and bringing
S2: that up to today.
S1: So, you know, at the end of Deuteronomy, it's not
S1: just that, uh, that God says to Israel, uh, that
S1: they that they are going to get a new covenant.
S1: In Deuteronomy 31 it says, I know that after my
S1: death Moses says, you will become completely corrupt and turn
S1: from the path I have commanded you. So what's he saying?
S1: I know you're not going to keep this Torah. And
S1: so what the hope is, is that they will get
S1: the law circumcised on their hearts. Right? That they'll have
S1: the New covenant. And then Jeremiah says the same thing.
S1: I'm going to give them a new covenant, not like
S1: the law of Moses that they broke the one I
S1: gave them when they came out of Egypt. The problem
S1: is that we didn't have the internal power to obey it.
S1: With the new covenant, God gives us spiritual power. The
S1: Holy Spirit comes and dwells us and empowers us to
S1: be obedient. That's what's so crucial about the New covenant.
S2: Okay. Thank you. Thanks for that question, Michael. Related. Only
S2: in that looking at Old Testament and kind of the
S2: future promise, Maxwell and Florida wrote listens to Wcqs and
S2: was wondering if there's a connection between job 33, which
S2: is part of Elihu's first speech, um, and the gospel.
S2: So he was seeing some kind of overarching things about
S2: man experiencing death and needing salvation, having a mediator petitioning
S2: for man's salvation. Um, that mediator providing a ransom, man
S2: praying to God and being accepted by God who restores
S2: man's righteousness, and then man proclaiming that good news to others. Um,
S2: you in the previous question, were able to show us
S2: how the the various Old Testament passages can connect to
S2: the New Testament and and look forward. But I think
S2: sometimes we can get we try to look so hard
S2: for connections of, um, of Jesus, I guess, which is
S2: not what Maxwell's saying, but looking so hard to make
S2: it fit into something that can also have, um, like
S2: present day connections to Jesus that we can we can
S2: try too hard. So how do we.
S1: How do we do that? You're right. Well.
S2: Um, I mean, like, I read through job 33 and
S2: I was like, you know, okay, I could kind of
S2: see some loose kind of connections, overarching ideas where this
S2: might be happening. Um, but what do you say?
S1: I think that here's what I would start. I look
S1: at the context and it says that God's going to
S1: speak to us in verses 15 through 18. It says
S1: he speaks in jobs day. He speaks in a dream,
S1: a vision in the night. Uh, so one of the
S1: ways that God can communicate is through dreams and visions.
S1: And then God speaks. Also, according to verses 19 through 22,
S1: he can speak through suffering. A person may be disciplined
S1: on his bed with pain and constant distress, and so
S1: his flesh can waste away. God is speaking to him
S1: through that. Uh, and then he can also speak in
S1: the verse that he cites in verse 2223. He can
S1: speak through angels, through mediating angels. If there's an angel
S1: on his side, one mediator out of a thousand to
S1: tell a person what is right for him, be gracious
S1: to him, and say, and so forth, and he can
S1: speak through an a mediating angel. I don't think that
S1: was very common. But you look at the book of Daniel.
S1: Angels came and communicated with him. The the point that
S1: Elihu is making is that God speaks through various ways
S1: dreams and visions, suffering, mediating angels. But then if you
S1: read verses 25 through 33, he does this to bring
S1: people to repentance. And the reason he says this is
S1: he thinks, job, you did something really wrong or you
S1: wouldn't be suffering this way. God's using these things, the
S1: suffering in particular, to bring you to repentance. You better
S1: get your act together. Uh, and it's true that God
S1: can use these things to speak to any person. Uh,
S1: he uses suffering sometimes to communicate with us. But we
S1: ought not to be like Elihu and presume that God
S1: allows suffering only to correct and bring people to repentance.
S1: God does use suffering. I think one of the ways
S1: that he uses suffering is to refine us and make
S1: us closer to him, but the point that he's making
S1: is that God mediates his message to us through a
S1: variety of ways. Today, I would say since the coming
S1: of the Messiah, God is you know, it says in
S1: Hebrews one that God spoke to us in many different
S1: ways through many different means. That's what it says in
S1: Hebrews one one. I'm turning to the verse so I
S1: can quote it exactly. Long ago, God spoke to the
S1: fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways.
S1: Now verse two, in these last days he has spoken
S1: to us by his son. So the great mediator that
S1: communicates the truth of God through the new covenant is
S1: the Lord Jesus. And so I don't think that this
S1: passage in job 33 is a specific, uh, prediction of
S1: the Messiah, but I do think that it teaches a
S1: principle that leads us to the Messiah, who will be
S1: the A primary. He is the only way that God
S1: speaks to us through His Word. But through the Messiah's Word,
S1: the Word of Christ is called in the New Testament. Uh,
S1: he he speaks to us through his great mediator, the
S1: Lord Jesus. So that's that's what this is about. But, uh,
S1: you know, I think it's hard to see a direct
S1: messianic prediction here in job 33. And that's what we
S1: want to see. But, you know, we have to be careful.
S1: We want to read it for what it really actually says. And, uh,
S1: and I think you're right that we all want it
S1: to be a prediction. Right. Mhm. Yeah. Yeah. But that
S1: it's what Ellie. Ellie who. This is what you find
S1: about job's friends. And when you read the book of
S1: job this should help you. They usually take a bit
S1: of truth and then they apply it wrong. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Which,
S1: which we have to be careful of. They're applying it
S1: in the wrong way to the life of job. But, uh,
S1: they but they have truth there. But they have to
S1: apply it better. And I think sometimes when I talk
S1: to us, that's what we do as well. We have
S1: a bit of truth and we apply it in the
S1: wrong way. We're going to come back with more questions.
S1: Tricia McMillan and I, we're taking your we've we've taken
S1: your questions on the Bible, God and the spiritual life
S1: and on this special clear the the spindle day. We'll
S1: be right back. With. The book of acts is much
S1: more than history. It's also about defending the faith. It
S1: includes the biographies of the apostles and has profound teachings
S1: about God, especially the Holy Spirit. And with Doctor Charles Rogers,
S1: everyday Bible commentary on acts will gain a richer appreciation
S1: for how the same Holy Spirit can radically change our
S1: lives today. Request your copy with your gift of any amount.
S1: Call (888) 644-7122 or visit open Line radio.org. Ministry isn't a
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S1: by calling (888) 644-7122 or go to Open Line radio.org. Welcome
S1: back to Open Line. I'm so glad to be with
S1: you today. Really grateful for that. And I'm glad that
S1: Tricia McMillan is here. We're recording a special, uh, Labor
S1: Day weekend open line. So it's, uh, so as a result,
S1: there's no need to call. But do listen, these are
S1: the questions that you have sent in by going to
S1: Open Line radio.org and clicking on ask Michael a question.
S1: Trish is with me. A lot of people send those
S1: questions in don't they. Oh yes.
S2: And I'm glad they do otherwise. I mean I could
S2: come up with my own, but I'd rather other people
S2: I'd rather other people have a chance to have their
S2: questions asked.
S1: Yeah. You know what? There are a lot of people
S1: that come up with their own besides you. And I
S1: think it's so funny when I like, I go to
S1: the grocery store and someone recognizes me. They've looked at
S1: the website, they've seen my picture. Usually people just recognize
S1: my voice and they say, are you Michael Radonich? And
S1: I say, yes. And they say, oh, I have a
S1: Bible question. And I'm standing there, you know, checking the
S1: tomatoes at the same time. So, sure, I'll answer a
S1: Bible question. So I'm glad that people send them in.
S1: We could do them here so everyone can hear the.
S2: Yes, yes, yeah. We can all I'll learn. Yeah. So
S2: our first our next question is from Ashley. Why did
S2: God permit Satan to harm job? We talked a little
S2: bit about this. Um, despite job's reverence for God, I
S2: know Satan cannot harm people without God's permission. So why
S2: does God allow Satan to harm people, especially believers today?
S2: So kind of.
S1: A question is why does God allow suffering? Yeah, I mean,
S1: that's really what the question is. And truth to tell,
S1: I don't think we have a simplistic, easy answer to say, oh,
S1: this is why God allows suffering. You know, I there
S1: are a lot of different things that that happen. I,
S1: I have looked at this particularly, you know, when I
S1: think about my mom as a young woman, went to
S1: concentration camp. She lost her family. She was a slave
S1: to the Nazi regime. She suffered greatly. They did experimental
S1: surgery on her eyes. And you could say, well, maybe
S1: she didn't know the Lord. Well, she did know the Lord.
S1: She had just come to know the Lord right before
S1: concentration camp. Now, after she married in Germany. We didn't
S1: know growing up. She kept that she was a secret believer,
S1: but she had become a believer before going to concentration camp.
S1: I'm like, well, why in the world would God allow that?
S1: But if you asked my mom, she would say that
S1: God used it to refine her faith. God used it
S1: to make her more dependent on Jesus than ever. Uh,
S1: he used it to, to really give her a stronger
S1: faith that she had. You know, it's easy to believe
S1: when everything's going great, but our faith is really strong
S1: when things are horrible. And we still trust and believe
S1: God's word and believe in the Messiah. So I think
S1: that when you look at job, if we go back
S1: to this text, job had was a godly man, but
S1: he had an issue. He thought he deserved everything good
S1: because of his faithfulness. And what he learned was that
S1: God is sovereign and he doesn't have to answer to us.
S1: That's a really big lesson to learn. So in a sense,
S1: we could say that with job, God allowed that to happen,
S1: to refine job's faith, to strengthen it, to make it
S1: a better faith. Because what does he do at the end?
S1: He says, I repent in dust and ashes. He just.
S1: He recognizes that he can't demand of God to answer
S1: to him. We are answerable to God alone. So why
S1: does God allow suffering in the lives of believers today?
S1: Many different reasons. One of the reasons I would say
S1: another one is when you look at Hebrews 1136 through 40,
S1: where it talks about godly people who suffered greatly, God
S1: uses them to create heroes for us. I mean, who
S1: are the ones that we think are real heroes of
S1: the faith? The people who remain steadfast and faithful regardless
S1: of how much they suffer. I mean, would Johnny be
S1: a real hero of the faith the way she is? Uh,
S1: had she not suffered so much? But it's her great
S1: faith in the face of suffering that makes her one
S1: of our true heroes. So, Johnny.
S2: You're talking about Johnny Erickson.
S1: Johnny erickson. Tada! Yeah. And it's. The thing is, he
S1: refines our faith and gives us heroes to follow who
S1: have had their faith refined through suffering.
S2: Okay, so Orlando's question on the heels of this is
S2: he's trying to talk to his daughter and engage with
S2: her on this question. She's drifted from the faith. And
S2: this is her big sticking point that that God, um,
S2: that people are going through this suffering and he's allowing
S2: it and he knows what's going to happen. Um, why
S2: why How do you respond to especially a young person like.
S1: She wants to know why did God let Adam and
S1: Eve sin just to start with? Yeah, and I think
S1: that's actually a good question. Uh, because it helps us
S1: answer the question about why he allows things today. First
S1: of all, he allowed Adam and Eve to sin, gave
S1: them the option to obey him or disobey him because
S1: if he did not, and this is crucial, they would have.
S1: If it was just. You can only obey. Then they
S1: were nothing but computers. They were nothing but robots. They
S1: were nothing but machines programmed to do whatever God said.
S1: And if of think about this, if if Adam and
S1: Eve had been programmed to love and obey God, how
S1: genuine is that love? It has to be a choice.
S1: It has to be a choice to obey God and
S1: love him so that we are not robots. That's why
S1: God did that from the beginning, taking the risk that
S1: they might disobey him. Uh, and now God knew all
S1: along that they would. I'm not saying he didn't say
S1: it's not a risk.
S2: I guess if you know that, that's what's going to happen. But. Yeah.
S1: Yeah, but he said that's what's going to happen. And
S1: that's why it says in the Bible that Jesus was
S1: the lamb slain before the foundation of the world was laid. Why?
S1: Because God knew that they would disobey and he would
S1: do everything. He would make the greatest sacrifice ever to
S1: redeem humanity. So, uh, God is doing that. He. So
S1: that he could have a genuine relationship with people, not
S1: just a a computer that does what we tell it
S1: to do when we program it. Okay. And that's. But
S1: because Adam and Eve, uh, did this, um. Hmm. The
S1: result is the world has fallen and and people need
S1: to turn to the Lord Jesus for redemption. And I
S1: would say, if God is all knowing. And why does
S1: he allow sin and bad things to happen? Because it
S1: causes people to turn to him. Uh, it says in
S1: Psalm 120, I believe. Let me just pull this up here. Uh,
S1: Psalm 120, verse one. It says, in my distress I
S1: call to the Lord, and he answered me. So what
S1: is God doing? He allows bad things to happen because
S1: of the fallen world, so that people would look to
S1: him for deliverance. And I think that's a really crucial
S1: aspect of this God. One aspect of why God allows
S1: suffering is so that people would turn to him for
S1: that relationship. God uses suffering to speak to us. That's
S1: what we just talked about with job. Mhm. Uh, so he,
S1: he uses bad things in our lives to direct our
S1: attention to him. Uh, now some people get bitter, other
S1: people turn to him in suffering, and that's what he
S1: wants us to do. And then he delivers us. And
S1: the last thing I would say is the best of
S1: all possible worlds is not a world in which there
S1: was no evil, because there's so many things that difficulties
S1: in evil teach us. You know, there are there are
S1: virtues like bravery that we wouldn't know were there no suffering. Uh, faithfulness. Sacrifice.
S1: The man who jumps on a grenade to save his platoon?
S1: If there were not, would that happen? If there were
S1: no the there if there wasn't the evil of war.
S1: So there are virtues that God creates. And then ultimately,
S1: I would say the best of all possible worlds is
S1: not a world in which there was no evil, but
S1: a world in which evil has been overcome. And so
S1: and that's what the Lord Jesus is going to do
S1: when he returns, establish a world that is perfect. So
S1: we'll continue this mailbag program in just a moment. I'm
S1: Michael Radonich. Tricia McMillan is here with me. Stay with us.
S1: We're coming right back on this very special mailbag only
S1: day of open life. We're so glad that Febc partners
S1: with Open Line with Doctor Michael Radonich, bringing the Febc
S1: mailbag every week. Learn how far East Broadcasting Company is
S1: taking Christ to the world@febc.org on their weekly podcast. Until
S1: all have heard with Ed Cannon, you'll hear stories of
S1: lives changed by Messiah all across the globe. Again, you
S1: can hear the podcast when you visit Febc. Org. That's Febc. Org.
S1: Welcome back to Open Line. It's a very special Labor
S1: Day weekend program. We're clearing the spindle emptying the inbox.
S1: Don't call in. We love your calls. But save them
S1: for next week. And the reason is we are answering
S1: the many mailbag questions as a pre-recorded program. Joining me
S1: is Tricia McMillan. Hey, Tricia. Hi. I'm so glad that
S1: you're here. This is usually our mailbag segment, but this
S1: whole program today for two hours is our mailbag segments.
S1: So but I'm really glad that you're here. And we're
S1: going to go back to the questions. What do you
S1: got for me?
S2: All right Lori in Alabama listens on the Moody app.
S2: And she wants to know if you can explain. First
S2: Corinthians 1013 says, no temptation has overtaken you except what
S2: is common to humanity. God is faithful and he will
S2: not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able.
S2: But with the temptation, he will also provide a way
S2: of escape so that you are able to bear it.
S2: She says Paul says God will not tempt beyond what
S2: I can handle what I need. God then, doesn't God
S2: give us more so that we have to lean on him?
S1: No. He only what this is saying is we absolutely
S1: need God, who is the one that gives us the
S1: way of escape. It's the Lord who provides the way
S1: of escape. Uh, and and that's the thing that we
S1: remember is that in every circumstance when we're tempted, God
S1: is also providentially involved so that he is working because
S1: we desperately need him. What we need to do is
S1: see what is God doing to give me a way
S1: of escape. This is so important because people always want
S1: to blame someone else for their sin, right? Think about Adam. Uh,
S1: it was the woman whom you gave me. Right? And
S1: the woman said it was the serpent. And we're always
S1: looking for someone else to blame. I think of the
S1: old Flip Wilson comedian, the comedian Flip Wilson, who said
S1: that when he had I think it was Geraldine. It
S1: was one of his characters. And she would say, the
S1: devil made me do it. Right. We we want to
S1: blame someone else all the time. And what this is
S1: saying is there's no one else to blame, because in
S1: every temptation, God provides a way of escape. It's not
S1: saying that the temptations won't be hard. They won't be challenging.
S1: It's just that there's never a place where we say,
S1: I had to sin. I couldn't help myself. God put
S1: me in a circumstance where I must sin. This is
S1: saying no. Any temptation we have. God has also provided
S1: a pathway to obedience if we'll take a look for it.
S1: So it's not saying we don't need the Lord. It's
S1: just saying, in fact, what we do need the Lord
S1: to do in our lives by his power is to
S1: help us to find that pathway of escape. Uh, and
S1: so that's that's all that that is saying. It's not
S1: saying that. Oh, we don't need the Lord because there's
S1: a way of escape. No, we need the Lord. Who's
S1: the one that provides the way of escape.
S2: And I think when we use this verse, or at
S2: least when I've heard it, we only quote the first part.
S2: No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man.
S2: You know, except what's common to humanity. And we don't
S2: get as far as or we just we just quote
S2: the middle. He won't allow you to be tempted beyond
S2: what you're able. As if we. As if we are
S2: relying on our own strength to do that. And and
S2: rarely do I ever hear anyone include he will provide
S2: a way out. So it's only that those first two
S2: parts that I hear quoted.
S1: I love the story. A friend of mine told me
S1: she was a college student. She was a former student
S1: and she's good friends with Eva. She was a student
S1: and she was a committed follower of Jesus. And she
S1: was in Manhattan, and she was making out with a
S1: guy in a car in Manhattan, of all places. And
S1: she was getting really tempted to maybe go beyond what
S1: she should do. And she prayed at that moment she said, God,
S1: give me a way of escape, or I'm going to
S1: behave in ways that are really wrong. And in the
S1: middle of Manhattan, a car right there parked a raccoon
S1: jumped into the back seat of the car. It's a
S1: true story. A raccoon jumped in there and it disrupted
S1: the whole thing. And she said, there's my way of escape.
S1: And she says, I'm getting out of here, so. Wow.
S1: And so you just never know how it is. Know
S1: that God will provide a way of escape. So.
S2: But we have no excuse to sin.
S1: Yeah, exactly. And I just thought that was the funniest story.
S1: I was teaching this verse in spiritual life once, and
S1: this person was in the class and told that story
S1: to the class, and I just thought, that is hysterical.
S1: But God provided a way of escape, didn't he?
S2: He did. So he did. And again, I'm I'm always
S2: surprised how God answers prayers and how we cannot see
S2: any way that this could happen, whatever that is. I mean,
S2: I mean, you name whatever the prayer request is and
S2: the way that God shows up or God answers prayers
S2: in ways that that's that's not what I would. You know,
S2: I was expecting you to say. A cop pulled up
S2: behind them with the lights flashing or something like that.
S2: A raccoon was not on my radar for that.
S1: In Manhattan, right?
S2: Oh yeah. But I love that. God still. He was there.
S2: He provided that way out for her after she prayed that.
S1: Yeah. Isn't that great?
S2: Yeah. And what.
S1: Encouragement.
S2: That story, too, for those who are struggling with sin
S2: and saying, I just can't I can't quit, I can't,
S2: I don't see a way out that God is faithful
S2: and will also provide a way of escape.
S1: Yeah, we have to be looking for it and asking
S1: him to show it to us. Yeah. So yeah. That's it. Yeah.
S2: All right. Well, thanks for that question, Lori. Um, switching
S2: gears a little bit, Ed from Florida listens Online and
S2: said that I've heard different people testify on television programs. Christian,
S2: mostly that Christ has appeared to them in a dream
S2: and was the catalyst of how he how they came
S2: to faith in Christ. Um, what is your take on this?
S2: Like today in the Western world, we don't see that
S2: as much. But I've heard, especially in the Middle East,
S2: a lot of times, these stories of how Jesus appears
S2: in a dream and that kind of gets them asking
S2: questions and different things.
S1: It's usually in very resistant cultures like Islam or even Judaism, uh, Hinduism,
S1: where they have really made their decisions about who Jesus
S1: is in some of those cultures. Uh, that the Lord uses, uh,
S1: dreams and, and visions to get people's attention. So but
S1: I want to be really clear, the gospel generally, when
S1: you hear those stories, it was just to get their attention,
S1: to open them up. But they need to hear the
S1: gospel either from the Word of God or the people
S1: of God, in order to put their faith in the Lord.
S1: But that's just the opening. I've never heard of anyone
S1: coming to the Lord through the dream, only becoming open.
S1: And then when they hear the gospel, they respond. I
S1: had a student who gave his testimony back in the
S1: day at Moody. We had a course called Personal Evangelism.
S1: I think you.
S2: I did. I took that class.
S1: And we one of the things that I did when
S1: I taught that course was have people write up their
S1: testimony how to how to tell their faith story. And
S1: there was a wonderful student from Jordan who was one
S1: day praying to God as he overlooked the Gulf of Aqaba,
S1: and he was looking at into the state of Israel
S1: from Jordan. And he saw the state of Israel. And
S1: he what he was praying to Allah, he said, was saying,
S1: May the. May there be peace between Israel and the
S1: Arab states. That's what he was praying. And just as
S1: he prayed that, he said, I saw a vision. And
S1: he says, I was certain it was the Prince of Peace. Jesus.
S1: And He didn't know what to make of it, and
S1: that was sort of the end of it, he thought.
S1: A few months later, he came to the United States
S1: of America on a soccer scholarship with setting up his
S1: dorm room and went into a hardware store to pick
S1: something up and saw a young woman reading a Bible
S1: in Korean. And he said, what book is that? And
S1: she told him what it was. And he said, well,
S1: I can't read Korean or English very well. And she said,
S1: I'll get you an Arabic one, come back tomorrow. And
S1: he came back the next day, looked at the the Bible,
S1: read it in Arabic, and within a week came to
S1: know the Lord. Wow. Uh, and then after he spent
S1: that year in school, he transferred to Moody Bible Institute. Yay!
S1: Today he's an evangelist. Wow. With Muslims in on the
S1: west coast of the United States. Uh, what what I
S1: think is amazing is what opened him up. Was that dream,
S1: that that vision. So I think that that's crucial. Hey,
S1: let's take a break here. All right. Why don't we
S1: do that? Uh, because we want to have some time
S1: to take some more questions in our next segment. Uh,
S1: that was Tricia McMillan with that great, great question and
S1: sent in really, really helpful for us to know that
S1: God is working among people who are resistant. And we're
S1: going to come right back with more of your questions
S1: that you've sent in in just a moment. This is
S1: open line with Michael Jelinek and Tricia McMillan. With all
S1: the suffering and persecution Jewish people have faced throughout history,
S1: we need to be reminded that the Lord has always
S1: been faithful to his chosen people. And that's what the
S1: new 2024 2025 Messianic Jewish Art calendar from Chosen People
S1: Ministries is here to do. It tells the story of
S1: Jewish people in the Land of Israel, from the promise
S1: given to Abraham through exiles and returns and then statehood. Yes,
S1: even on October 7th, God's hand has been evident. He's
S1: always been faithful to his covenant promises to the Jewish people.
S1: If you'd like a free copy of this marvelous art calendar,
S1: just go to Openline radio.org. That's our website, Openline radio.org.
S1: Scroll down to the link that says A free gift
S1: from Chosen People Ministries. Click on that, fill out the
S1: form and you'll be sure to get your free Messianic
S1: Jewish art calendar from Chosen People Ministries. Welcome back to
S1: Open Line. This is a special call free day. We
S1: just have the questions you sent in. The best way
S1: to do that, by the way, if you want to
S1: send a question in is just just go to our
S1: website openline Org and you'll see a link that says
S1: Ask Michael a question and you can put your question
S1: there about the Bible, God, or the spiritual life. I'll
S1: do my best to answer it. Trish will make sure
S1: it gets into the mailbag and we will cover it
S1: hopefully sooner or later, but hopefully sooner. And we're covering
S1: as many questions as we can today. Right, Tricia. We are. Yeah.
S1: So we're going right through the mailbag. Yeah.
S2: All right. Next question is from Jeff in Illinois listens
S2: to WNBA. I believe that the only thing that saves
S2: us is accepting Christ as our savior. But why is
S2: baptism mentioned in connection with salvation in so many verses
S2: in the New Testament? Was baptizing something new, or was
S2: it a custom that already existed in the time starring Christ?
S1: Well, first of all, it was not new. You go
S1: back to the book of Leviticus, the book of Exodus.
S1: You'll see places where, uh, priests were had ritual washings,
S1: people had ritual washings. Uh, that was the idea was
S1: that there were ritual washing, ceremonial washings, and that's what
S1: immersion in water was. So when John the Baptist shows
S1: up baptizing, no one thinks, oh, what's going on? We
S1: don't know what this is. They know what it is.
S1: It comes from Judaism. And one aspect of immersion in
S1: water was when someone would convert to Judaism, when a
S1: Gentile would convert. And we've seen that, you know, there
S1: are converts to Judaism in the New Testament. What would
S1: happen by the time you come to the first century
S1: is not only was there a conversion ceremony, not only
S1: was were men circumcised, but both men and women who
S1: converted to Judaism would be immersed in water immediately upon conversion,
S1: and it was to have their new identity. They go
S1: down under the water, not, uh, not Jewish, and they
S1: come up out of the water. According to rabbinic theology.
S1: They came up Jewish, and that's really the background. Jewish proselyte. Proselyte,
S1: baptism is the background for, uh, New Testament baptism of believers. Believer, baptism,
S1: not talking about John the Baptist baptism, but the baptism
S1: that the Lord Jesus commanded about making disciples of the nations,
S1: baptizing them in the name of the father and the
S1: son and the Holy Spirit. That was so linked to
S1: the new faith that there was no such thing as
S1: an unbaptized believer. It was a person who was surely
S1: saved by grace through faith. That was it. But you
S1: could see, for example, the Ethiopian royal official, the treasurer,
S1: as soon as he believes in acts eight with with Philip,
S1: he says, what prevents me from being baptized? And he
S1: gets right in the water to identify with his new
S1: faith immediately. Uh, and, and that's that's what happens. It's
S1: an immediate decision. So we've delayed it. But there's something.
S1: We have a similar thing. Tricia. This is. This is
S1: something that people often miss. Have you ever encouraged. I've
S1: done this. I've encouraged people to pray to receive Christ.
S2: Yes. Right. Yes.
S1: Yeah, but the prayer isn't what saves them. What saves
S1: them is their faith.
S2: Right? Yes.
S1: They believe the. If they say yes, I'm ready to
S1: receive Christ. They have just believed in him. And the
S1: prayer follows. It expresses the faith that they already have. Right. Yeah.
S1: And it. But the. Because the prayer is so closely
S1: associated with faith. Like if you said to some. Would
S1: you like to believe in Jesus? Yes. Okay. Let's pray. Well,
S1: when they said yes, they've just believed. Right. But the
S1: prayer expresses it. That's sort of how baptism and faith
S1: worked in the New Testament. When a person believed, they
S1: believed in Jesus and the baptism was the expression of
S1: that belief. Sort of the way we use prayer as
S1: an expression of it. That's why there was no such
S1: thing as an unbaptized believer. They just immediately were baptized. Okay.
S2: So and I think going back to the ritual washings,
S2: I think I just assumed that was like hands, maybe feet. Like,
S2: I was never picturing a full body immersion for those
S2: ritual washings, you know, because they just they I mean,
S2: that's that's what we clean when we clean to eat
S2: or something. That is, that is our cleansing. And of course.
S1: That shows up in the New Testament, too, because the
S1: disciples were told were not washing their hands ritually. Do
S1: you remember that? And and of course, they got they
S1: were like, why don't they wash their hands? You know,
S1: when all that every time when they eat. Because that
S1: was part of Judaism. But, you know, I think it's interesting.
S1: It's it's my view of, uh, of the baptism of Jesus. Oh, boy.
S1: Now we're getting into the weeds here. Uh, in a
S1: lot of people think that. Why was the Lord Jesus
S1: baptized by John the Baptist? Right? Right.
S2: I mean, because he wasn't he wasn't.
S1: He wasn't repenting of sin. Right? Right. And then others say, well,
S1: he was just giving us an example of how to
S1: repent of sin. But I actually think it's related to
S1: the book of Exodus chapter 40, verses 12 through 15.
S1: Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the
S1: tent of meeting and wash them with water. Clothe Aaron
S1: with holy garments, and anoint him, and consecrate him so
S1: that he can serve me as priest. So he has
S1: a ritual bath, and then becomes high priest. What is this?
S1: This is the Lord Jesus entering into his office as
S1: high Priest. That's what the ritual bath was. So that's
S1: why he goes to John the Baptist. It's not that
S1: he's repenting of sin.
S2: And it's not to be an example.
S1: No, it's to enter into his office as high priest. Okay.
S2: Oh, okay.
S1: I thought I was the only one that thought that.
S1: I thought I was the only one that thought that. Huh.
S1: And then I was reading Lewis Sperry Chafer, the president
S1: of Dallas Seminary. He held the same view as I. Okay.
S1: I feel like.
S2: I'm in company.
S1: I'm in good company.
S2: Oh. That's fantastic. Okay. Yeah. So, becoming the high. Okay,
S2: so not as an example for us, then? No. Of
S2: what we should do.
S1: But to become our high priest.
S3: Mm.
S2: So what were the what what was John baptizing then
S2: for his baptisms?
S1: John's baptism for people with, uh. It is very common,
S1: even in Judaism to this day, that when people are penitential,
S1: when they're sorry for the thing that they've done wrong,
S1: they go to the mikvah, the ritual bath, and they
S1: take a ritual bath. Sometimes very Orthodox Jewish men will
S1: go to the mikvah before Sabbath for a penitential washing.
S1: Now they do it over and over again. But the, the, the,
S1: the baptizer John was saying, repent, the kingdom of God
S1: is at hand. So people were repenting not to get
S1: ready for Sabbath. They were getting ready for the kingdom coming,
S1: for the messianic kingdom being announced. And what they were
S1: doing is going into living water. That's what the requirement is.
S1: It has to be running water for a Jewish ritual bath.
S1: And so they were going to a river which had
S1: running water, living water, and they were exercising a penitential immersion,
S1: ritual immersion, uh, a ceremonial bath to show that they
S1: were prepared. They were they were penitent. They were confessing
S1: their sin and being prepared for the coming of the Messiah.
S1: That's where it comes from, from this, uh, from Judaism,
S1: and it's still practiced today in Judaism. A lot of
S1: people are are kind of surprised about that, but it's
S1: it's still exists. Uh, well, we've that's the first hour.
S1: I can't believe we've finished the first hour of Open Line,
S1: but we have a second hour of your questions that
S1: you've mailed in on this all mailbag, all the time
S1: special edition of Open Line, uh, during the break that's
S1: coming up right now. Check out our web page, open
S1: Line radio.org has all the links you're looking for how
S1: to become a kitchen table partner, how to get our
S1: current resource, how to get the chosen people, offer whatever
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S1: We're coming right back.