S1: Do you have a question about the Bible? Do you
S1: ever wonder what we can know and understand about God?
S1: Or maybe you're struggling with an issue in your walk
S1: with the Lord and would just like some biblical guidance?
S1: If so, then you've come to the right place. Hello friends.
S1: Welcome to Open Line with Michael Riedel. Moody Radio's Bible
S1: study Across America. If you have a Bible question, the
S1: phone number to call today is 87754836758775483675. I'm Doctor Steven Sanchez,
S1: and I'm sitting in for Michael, who is away leading
S1: a trip to Greece and Turkey. I'm a professor of
S1: Bible at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, where I
S1: teach on the faculty with Michael. And we're coming to
S1: you live across the many stations of Moody Radio. And
S1: today we're sitting around the radio kitchen table answering your
S1: questions about the Bible, God, and the spiritual life. If
S1: you have a question, the phone number to call is (877) 548-3675.
S1: You can also send your questions through our open line website.
S1: Open Line radio.org. Just fill out the Ask Michael a
S1: question section and send us your Bible question. Open line radio.org.
S1: Again that phone number is (877) 548-3675. I hope you've got
S1: your cup of coffee poured and your Bible open, because
S1: we're getting ready to study the scriptures together. As we begin,
S1: let me take a minute and consider that it's September
S1: and here at the Moody Bible Institute, that means one
S1: thing students are back on campus. Let me tell you,
S1: it's a joyous thing to see classrooms full of young
S1: men and women eager to study the Bible and be
S1: trained to serve. That's what we do in our undergraduate
S1: and graduate programs. We train men and women to serve
S1: the Lord wherever they are. We want them to live
S1: on mission for Christ, no matter how they make a living.
S1: Of course, as our students study, they have questions, and
S1: it's my job as one of the professors, along with
S1: my colleagues to help answer those questions. You know, frequently
S1: I run into an attitude that suggests some of them
S1: have been trained to think that it's wrong to ask questions.
S1: That is, if you ask questions, it says something might
S1: be wrong with your spiritual life, or that asking questions,
S1: especially difficult questions about the Bible or God, indicates maybe
S1: you lack faith. I'd like to suggest to you this
S1: morning that this attitude is incorrect. In fact, the Bible
S1: demonstrates that godly men and women often ask questions. And
S1: in fact, God created a world where asking questions is inevitable.
S1: There's no way a Christian can grow or progress in
S1: their spiritual life with without some measure of curiosity. We
S1: have to acknowledge, of course, that we won't always get
S1: an answer for every question we ask, and it is
S1: possible to ask questions in a way that is neither
S1: helpful for you or for the people around you, and
S1: in some cases is not honoring to God. But the
S1: idea of asking questions is a biblical concept. Question themselves
S1: are not bad things. Let's take a minute to consider
S1: what the Bible has to say about questioning. We have
S1: to begin by recognizing we are created beings. We are
S1: creatures specially made in the image of God. But we
S1: are created and that means we will not have total
S1: and complete knowledge of everything in life. God has withheld
S1: much information from us and it has been that way
S1: since the beginning. Adam and Eve knew that God loved them.
S1: They saw the world he created, but they did not
S1: know everything. Therefore, it's safe to assume that if they
S1: wanted to know something, they would have had to ask.
S1: And we can see this pattern at work throughout the
S1: lives of all major Bible characters. Men and women do
S1: not have total knowledge, so they have to ask. Sometimes
S1: they ask and receive answers with no rebuke. Think about it.
S1: When God promised Abraham the land of Canaan, he asked,
S1: O Lord, how am I to know that I will
S1: possess it? God doesn't rebuke him, but gives him a covenant. Gideon, please, Lord,
S1: how can I save Israel? God answers him. Mary herself
S1: asks an important question after the angel Gabriel told her
S1: she would bear a child. How can this be? And
S1: she received an answer. So I think we can safely
S1: say that asking questions does not have to be sinful.
S1: It's a sign of being human. That said, if the
S1: attitude behind the question is not genuine, then a question
S1: can be a sign that something is amiss. Again, back
S1: to the Bible. In the garden, the serpent began his
S1: attack on Eve with a question Did God actually say
S1: that was not an honest question? It was an attempt to.
S2: Deceive.
S1: Or in the Psalms, the writer confesses his longing for
S1: God to deliver him, while his enemies taunt him with
S1: the question where is your God? These opponents were not
S1: honestly seeking an answer. They were mocking him. Finally, although
S1: his question sounded innocent enough, Zechariah was rebuked by the
S1: angel Gabriel when he did not believe the words that
S1: God said. God knew. His question did not stem from
S1: genuine faith, but a skeptical heart. At times, questions can
S1: become problematic when they come from a heart that is
S1: resisting the Holy Spirit, or reduces to be humble and
S1: acknowledge that God is not obligated to give us every
S1: answer we want. Let me conclude by saying, the Lord
S1: knows we do not have total knowledge and that we
S1: will have questions. This is why he provided teachers for
S1: the church. This is why he provided a printed Bible.
S1: This is why he provided professors and scholars and pastors.
S1: You can have somewhere to go and get your questions answered.
S1: The Bible is a big book and godly Christians have
S1: many questions. If you detect that you're questioning results in
S1: hostility to God, or if you detect that your question
S1: stems from an overly skeptical spirit, then you should ask yourself,
S1: why is this so? Why am I wondering so deeply
S1: about this? Is an answer even possible? Is my question
S1: actually a form of doubt? Do I have a skeptical
S1: spirit that demands more of God than he is willing
S1: to give? Asking questions is expected, and it's our hope
S1: that your questions draw you closer to Christ. With that said,
S1: we welcome your questions this morning. The number to call
S1: is (877) 548-3675. Let's go to Dan in Scottsdale, Arizona listening
S1: on Wmbi online. Dan, what's your question today?
S3: Yes. In revelations, uh, they talk about a new heaven
S3: and earth. I was wondering, could that be like a
S3: new cycle for the, Um, you know, like the Bible.
S1: Like a new cycle for God, starting everything over again,
S1: creating new things all over. Yes, that's an interesting observation.
S1: I think we the best way to look at that
S1: would be God created once already. And the story of Scripture,
S1: the narrative line of Scripture is not that he's necessarily
S1: replacing everything that he already created, but that he's redeeming it.
S1: He's making it new. Some things are going to be replaced,
S1: but I don't think I would argue that God is
S1: going to, for example, start creating a new race of
S1: people or entirely new kinds of creatures. Rather, the theme
S1: seems to be he's redeeming everything that he already made.
S1: Why did it need to be redeemed? Because soon after
S1: he created it, it was corrupted by sin. And we
S1: have lived our lives, lived our existence underneath the curse
S1: of sin. God's going to remove that, and everything's going
S1: to be new in that sense. But I would not
S1: argue that he's going to, for example, create a new
S1: race of people or new types of creatures. Rather, he
S1: would be redeeming the old ones. Does that help?
S3: Okay. Thank you.
S1: You're welcome. All right, let's go to Bonnie. Listening in
S1: West Chicago, Illinois on WNBA. Bonnie, what's your question today?
S4: Hi. My question has to do with one of the
S4: items in Scripture when Jesus said in John 812, I
S4: am the light of the world. He who follows after
S4: me will not walk in darkness. Later on in John nine,
S4: he seems to qualify that when he says in John
S4: nine five, while I am in the world, I am
S4: the light of the world. I was wondering if that
S4: is a qualifier or if so, when would he not
S4: be in the world? And what does the coming night
S4: have to do with that in the context of John nine?
S1: I think we have to interpret texts like this, and
S1: the fact that in light of the fact that Jesus
S1: was only here doing his ministry for a few years,
S1: and while he was in the world, there were unique
S1: things that were happening while he was around. While I'm
S1: in the world, I'm the light of the world. I'm here.
S1: Something special is happening, and it's unique to the incarnate
S1: presence of Christ right there in that place. Uh, when
S1: Jesus leaves, think about the consequences of that. I mean,
S1: the disciples are distraught. When when is he coming back?
S1: They stand there on the Mount of Olives. Is he
S1: coming back? And the angel has to tell him. Hey,
S1: he'll be back. Don't worry. But they were. They were
S1: under great distress because his physical presence was gone. I
S1: don't think Jesus is making a statement about whether he's
S1: with them all the time. He's going to say later
S1: in the Gospels, right, I'm with you always, even to
S1: the end of the age. So Jesus is with us,
S1: there's no question. And he is, in that sense, the
S1: light of the world. But there was something unique going
S1: on there at that time while he was walking this
S1: earth and living among people and healing and and calling
S1: them to himself. That was a special time that was unique,
S1: such that we would identify a difference. Go ahead.
S4: Because he also says in Matthew five that you are
S4: the light of the world. And that would have to
S4: be only as he is living within us.
S1: Well, that's right, his disciples, who then believe him and
S1: take that message to everyone else. They are functioning as
S1: representatives for Christ, and in that sense, he they are
S1: the light of the world. Some of these phrases, we
S1: have to interpret them specifically in their context, and they
S1: might mean something a little different in each place. Jesus comes.
S1: He brings a message. He passes it on to believing disciples.
S1: He leaves, they become his representatives, and they become light.
S1: Are they exactly the same light that Jesus is? Well, no,
S1: because they're not Jesus. But they do serve that function
S1: as his ambassadors, his witnesses to anyone who's listening. Does that.
S5: Help?
S4: Okay, so the knife that he's referring to would be
S4: his death. And the disciples just were not sure what
S4: to do other than obey and wait.
S1: That's right. They're going to obey and wait for him
S1: to come back. They're going to follow his example, and
S1: they're going to be witnesses of all that he's doing.
S1: And we're left to do that, too, right? We're still
S1: in that same phase. We are lights and examples for Christ.
S1: Thank you for your question. Thank you so much, Steve.
S1: You're welcome. All right. Let's go to Agatha in Cleveland,
S1: Ohio on Wtxf.
S6: Thank you. I, uh, recently, I, um, the apple was
S6: a forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. I want
S6: to know, is there still. I mean, I don't think
S6: it would be, but it just bothered me. So can
S6: we eat apples?
S1: So, uh, the apple is not identified in the Bible
S1: as the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. It's
S1: never stated that it's an apple. I'm sure the Apple
S1: industry is thankful for that because it's never stated. We
S1: don't know what that fruit was in the Garden of Eden.
S1: And so yeah, eat apples. Just make sure you wash them,
S1: because sometimes they have pesticides on the outside and they
S1: cover them in wax. And I like to take the
S1: little sticker off. But you can you can eat apples.
S1: That's fine. The the Bible does not identify that fruit
S1: at all. It just says it was a fruit.
S6: So we should thank Johnny Appleseed, huh?
S1: You should. And the. And the apple industry. And there's
S1: a there's a company in Israel. A fruit company in Israel.
S1: The name of the company translated into English is in
S1: the beginning, and their logo is an apple. And every
S1: time I look at that, I say, come on, guys,
S1: you're contributing to a misunderstanding. But yes, the fruit was
S1: never identified in Genesis. And so feel free.
S6: Feel free to eat before you ask that, because I
S6: love them and I, I don't know, just recently, like
S6: the last couple of days, I was like. And then
S6: I listened to you also. I heard you. Thank you
S6: for answering my call. You're welcome.
S1: You're welcome.
S7: Glad, glad, glad.
S1: That helps. Well, friends, it's time for a break. I'm
S1: Doctor Steven Sanchez, professor of Bible at the Moody Bible Institute,
S1: sitting in for Michael, who's leading a tour of Greece
S1: and Turkey. What a life. What a life. The phone
S1: number to call today is (877) 548-3675. That's (877) 548-3675. You're listening
S1: to Open Line on Moody Radio. Don't go away. We'll
S1: be right back.
S8: Do you want to read the Bible but don't know
S8: where to begin? Or maybe you just want to get
S8: more out of your reading of the scriptures. Well, have
S8: I got a book for you? It's called 14 Fresh
S8: Ways to Enjoy the Bible. This innovative guide presents 14
S8: practical principles to bring Scripture to life. Give a gift
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S1: Welcome back to Open Line with doctor Michael Melnick. I'm
S1: Doctor Steven Sanchez, professor of Bible at the Moody Bible
S1: Institute in the studio for Michael, who's leading a tour
S1: of Greece and Turkey. The number to call with your
S1: question this morning is 87754836758775483675. We have a few lines open,
S1: but let's get back to your calls. Sam and Sam
S1: in Missouri listening on w mbu. I think, Sam, you're
S1: in Mississippi.
S9: Hey. Yeah. That's right. Mendenhall, Mississippi. Great. So just to, um,
S9: in revelation 1615. Um, sorry. That's my three year old
S9: in the back.
S1: Hey. Questions from the little ones. That's great.
S9: Sorry. Um. In revelation 1615, uh, John is seems to
S9: be quoting Jesus, and he says, behold, I am coming
S9: like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake
S9: keeping his garments on. Um, from my understanding, I believe
S9: that the church will not go through the tribulation period. Um,
S9: but this verse seems to be used in revelation three. Uh,
S9: verse three. The analogy is like a thief. Uh, and
S9: is being used in application to the church. Also in
S9: first Thessalonians five, Paul uses it, uh, and he seems
S9: to be talking to the church in Thessalonica. And in second. Peter, um,
S9: the analogy, like a thief is used again. So I'm
S9: just confused. Will the church go through the tribulation or, um,
S9: because of the analogy, uh, like a thief or will
S9: they be raptured? Is the analogy kind of a both
S9: and or either or is what I'm asking.
S1: I think the analogy here is a way for Jesus
S1: to use an illustration to remind people to be ready
S1: for the coming of the Lord. I don't think, especially
S1: in the passage you've given us. Revelation 15 1615. I
S1: don't think he's speaking about the rapture there. That's not
S1: in view. The issue is stay ready. Are you going
S1: to be ready? How do we keep how does Jesus
S1: keep his disciples ready for the fact that he's going
S1: to be gone for a while? And what happens when,
S1: so to speak, the boss is away? You know, we
S1: get a little lazy. We stop being so prepared. We're
S1: not focused. And how do you illustrate that to people? Answer.
S1: What's one time that people are never prepared for when
S1: they wish they had been, and it's for a thief
S1: to come steal their things? I grew up in Brooklyn,
S1: New York City. It's a great place. There are times
S1: when it wasn't a great place, and I remember dad
S1: having to change the hood of the van to the
S1: grill so that someone wouldn't come and steal the battery.
S1: And if there were nights where he forgot, sometimes we'd
S1: come out in the morning and the battery was stolen
S1: and you'd say, oh, we should have been ready. I
S1: think Christ the Apostles are using this analogy of a
S1: thief to keep Christians on their toes. Be ready. We
S1: don't know when he's coming. That's the key. I agree
S1: with you. I think we're going to be raptured. I
S1: think we're not going to go through the tribulation. But
S1: it seems to me these thief analogies are really about
S1: are you ready for Christ to come back? And Christians
S1: will fuss about whether it's a rapture or he's just
S1: going to come and set up something or not set up,
S1: or we're just going to be in the end, they
S1: fight about those things. I understand that, and that's fair.
S1: But the real issue is, are they ready for when
S1: Christ comes back at all? And so I look at
S1: passages like this as reminders. Jesus could come at any time.
S1: He could come at any time. Are you ready? Hope
S1: that helps. Sam. Let's go to Greg listening in Grand Rapids,
S1: Michigan listening on Wnib. Greg, how can we help you
S1: this morning?
S10: Hey. Good morning Steven. Good morning. Um, a couple of
S10: real quick questions. Um, in regards to spiritual warfare, and
S10: I believe I'm going through a period with spiritual warfare.
S10: I lost my wife of 43 years in December of
S10: 2022 and just feel like I'm really being attacked. So
S10: I've been reading books in regards to spiritual warfare, and
S10: I find two different, uh, equations of the same topic.
S10: One is saying that we can, here on the earth,
S10: rebuke Satan in the name of Jesus Christ. I mean, just,
S10: you know, again, rebuking him with your word. I find
S10: others that I've read that say, well, you really can't.
S10: You shouldn't, because then you're opening up the door to
S10: Satan to actually more spiritual attacks. So how do you
S10: feel about that?
S1: I think that rebuking Satan is one of those things
S1: that should be resisted. We have an advocate. Let Jesus
S1: Christ do that. We come to Jesus and we ask
S1: him for help. We don't see a lot of rebuking
S1: by all the Christians all the time. In the New Testament.
S1: We see Christ doing that. We see the disciples and
S1: apostles doing that. We see even angels hesitating to do that.
S1: And so it's it's it's not an advisable practice. Does
S1: it open the door for more influence? I'm not sure
S1: I would say that that's what's happening. But I would
S1: say instead we have an advocate with the father. It's
S1: Jesus Christ. Come to Christ and ask him for your
S1: to defend you. Ask God to protect you. He's made
S1: promises that he will defend you. And we turn to him.
S1: We turn to Christ. We turn to the father for
S1: the help we need. When we feel that Satan is
S1: attacking and he does attack, I'm not denying that he attacks,
S1: but I think the most powerful advocate. We have the
S1: most powerful tool we have is not our own words.
S1: It's coming to Christ who has defeated Satan already. Now
S1: that does raise the question why am I feeling attacked
S1: at all? And the Lord, the Lord allows things to
S1: happen to us. He directs things to happen to us
S1: so that we might turn to him. And so I
S1: think that would be a better, a better process. Turn
S1: to the Lord. Who is your defender? Does that help
S1: as well?
S10: Absolutely. One of the authors I've been reading was Derek Prince,
S10: who actually advocates with using the power that Christ gives
S10: you to rebuke Satan. So it gives me something consistent.
S10: And again, I don't know if you know much about
S10: Derek Prince, but he's written quite a few books on
S10: that spiritual warfare.
S1: I don't see I don't see an actual deliverance of
S1: power from Jesus to us, in the sense that people
S1: want to use it. I feel at times that these conversations,
S1: these questions, sound like someone has maybe read a little
S1: too much Harry Potter and they want to use the
S1: power of Jesus like a wand. I have this power
S1: now that I can dispense at my will. Um, I
S1: just don't see that pattern in scripture so much. And
S1: because it's not really clear, I think we have an
S1: advocate and it's Jesus Christ, the defender. Let's come to him.
S1: Listen to that psalmist. Lord, where are you? Come to
S1: my aid. Defend me. Who can be a better defender
S1: than the Lord? True, right? True. So stick with him.
S10: Do you mind if I ask a real quick follow
S10: up question?
S1: Please go ahead.
S10: Yeah. This is in the same vein as spiritual warfare. Um,
S10: and I and I know that they're out there. My
S10: wife actually went to one, and they're Deliverance Ministries, where
S10: you actually go to either a church or a person's home.
S10: They lay hands on you and they try to deliver
S10: you from spiritual bondage. Uh, what do you think about
S10: these type of deliverance ministries?
S1: I think we have an advocate, Jesus Christ. I really do.
S1: I think Christians need to learn. We need to learn
S1: to turn to Christ. Turn to Christ, who is our deliverer.
S1: Turn in the power of the Holy Spirit. He can
S1: help us, and we need to learn to do that
S1: on our own. Jesus Christ can do that. And if
S1: you need a friend to be with you, to encourage
S1: you to turn to Christ, Amen. Bring that friend. But
S1: the idea that this one person has that power to
S1: do that for you, I just don't see that in Scripture. Yeah.
S1: Thanks for asking, Greg. Great questions. Yeah.
S10: Is it is it Steven or Stephan?
S1: Steven with a V, my mother would say. Yeah. Thank you.
S1: There you go. Great to talk with you, Greg. Thanks.
S10: You have a great day.
S1: Let's go to Jim in Albany, Georgia listening on w
S1: z q. Hi. Hi, Jim.
S7: I have I have a question about Luke chapter 13
S7: where Jesus is talking about people entering the kingdom. And
S7: in verse 25, there are people who have already rejected
S7: the king here in his ministry on earth, and they
S7: want to get into the kingdom. And his answer to
S7: them is, I don't know where you are from. Uh,
S7: I'm reading currently from the new American Standard, the King James,
S7: the new King James says, I don't know you where
S7: you're from. And he says the same thing again in
S7: verse 27. Uh, and New American Standard. I don't know
S7: where you are from. And I think that's kind of surprising.
S7: I understand that he might say, I don't know you.
S7: That's basically what he says in Matthew. Uh, on, uh,
S7: on the Olivet discourse. Uh, but then after rejecting those
S7: who have rejected him as king, he rejects them on
S7: the basis I don't know where you are from. But
S7: then in verse 29, he says, they will come from
S7: east and west. These are the people who do get
S7: into the kingdom. They will come from east and west
S7: and from north and south, and will be able to
S7: recline at the table in the Kingdom of God. And
S7: I just find it unusual, a little bit strange that
S7: here in Luke, the rejection is on the basis of
S7: where you're from.
S1: So, Jim, I think so. I'm a Yankee and you're
S1: from the South, right? So I'd love to say, well,
S1: it means that Jesus has favorites. And obviously that's not right.
S1: I think what Jesus is doing here is acknowledging this
S1: master doesn't know these people. And one way to say
S1: that you don't know these people is to use this
S1: figure of speech to say, I don't know where you're from,
S1: where are you from? It's another way of saying, I
S1: don't know you. And then at the end, when he
S1: refers to people coming from the east and the west
S1: and the north and the south, what he means there
S1: is people are going to come from everywhere. I don't
S1: know you. You're local. You just walked right in. But
S1: I don't know you. You're from around here. You don't
S1: know me. I don't know you. But in the end,
S1: people are going to come from everywhere to get into
S1: that kingdom. I think he's just using this where you're
S1: from as a figure of speech, a way of saying,
S1: I don't really know you, you don't belong here. And
S1: people from outside who are far away, they're going to
S1: get in, they're going to be recognized, they're going to
S1: be known, and they're going to recline at the kingdom.
S1: And some who are last will be first and first
S1: will be last. The ones who are close are out
S1: and the ones who are from far away. They're going
S1: to get in and remember the context in which he's speaking.
S1: Many of his people would have thought, hey, I'm definitely in.
S1: Thanks for your call. We're going to take a break.
S1: I'm Steven Sanchez in the studio for Doctor Michael Dolnick.
S1: When we come back, our producer, Trish McMillan, will bring
S1: the mailbag into the studio, and we'll answer some of
S1: the questions you've sent in. Don't go away. Stay right there.
S1: No te vayas.
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S1: Welcome back to Open Line. I'm Steven Sanchez sitting in
S1: for Doctor Michael Melnick who's leading a tour of Greece
S1: and Turkey. It's time for the mailbag segment where we
S1: talk through a few questions that you've mailed in. And
S1: joining me with those questions is our producer, Trish McMillan.
S1: Trish welcome back. Thank you. Tell us something about Michael
S1: and crew. What are they up to? I wish I
S1: was there.
S11: I know they are. They are on the journeys of Paul,
S11: trip through the Mediterranean. So kind of hitting Greece and
S11: Turkey like you just said. And they're on day two,
S11: I believe. And so if you want to see pictures
S11: of what they're doing, um, they're beautiful pictures. Um, they
S11: are posting pictures on the Open Line Radio Facebook page.
S11: And so you can get to that, either look for
S11: Open Line Radio or you can link to that from
S11: our website, which is Open Line radio.org. There's a link
S11: to our Facebook page, and you can look at the
S11: pictures that got posted from day one when they were
S11: in Athens. Um, today they've been in Corinth, and then
S11: they hop and keep moving on. And so Michael's gone
S11: for the next two weeks. Um, you're here this week,
S11: and Mike Weber's will be here next week answering Bible questions.
S11: And I'm so thankful that you're here. You're doing a
S11: great job.
S1: You're you'll be in good hands next week. It'll be.
S11: Great. Yeah. So we've got you covered. Um, while Michael's gone,
S11: and then he'll be back at the end of the month.
S1: I love these trips to the to these places where
S1: people like to call it the Holy Land. I'm not
S1: sure I'd call it the Holy Land or these places,
S1: but Israel, Israel, Israel for sure.
S11: For sure. Yeah.
S1: Um, but Greece, Turkey, Israel, I've been to these places
S1: many times, and I'm going to go to Greece in
S1: March with students on spring break.
S11: Have you been before?
S1: I have been a few times, yeah.
S11: So what is something in Greece that helped, I guess,
S11: bring some of Paul's writings to life? Yeah.
S1: You know, I think people forget, especially modern Americans, the
S1: world we live in today looks more like the first
S1: century world than ever before. And here's what I mean
S1: by that. Not in terms of technology or anything like that,
S1: but in terms of culture and social mores. Right? We
S1: live in a world where Christ and Christianity is not
S1: the only gig out there, so to speak. There are
S1: other options, and people have other options, and we see
S1: them living their lives in other ways, in other cultures,
S1: other religions. That was the way it was in the
S1: first century. You go to Corinth, you see the idols,
S1: you see the altars, you see all the other options
S1: that Christians had. And you realize, oh, yeah, being a
S1: Christian in the first century was hard. Sounds like today
S1: being in the first Christian in the first century might
S1: have been confusing. Sounds like today people were leaving other
S1: religions to come to Christ. Sounds like today. I really
S1: appreciated that very much.
S11: Yeah, lots of lots of other people saying, no, this
S11: is the truth. This is the truth. Follow this over here.
S1: The America of the 20s did not look as much
S1: like the first century as it does today, which means
S1: the Bible. The New Testament applies in even more ways
S1: than than ever before to our culture.
S11: You mean the 1920s?
S1: Did I say 19? What did.
S11: I say? You said the 20s. I meant.
S1: The 1920s.
S11: No, I had a I had a conversation with my
S11: husband the other day, and he was like, you know,
S11: it's not like it was back in the 20s. And
S11: I said, we're in the 20s. Do you mean do
S11: you mean that old joke? No, I just. It surprised
S11: me when he said that. I was like, wait a minute. No,
S11: we're we're in the 20s. We just don't. The 20s. Anyway,
S11: I was just clarifying.
S1: People long for an older time when things were simpler. Yeah.
S1: Guess what? Here we are in this complicated time, and
S1: God has given us his word to speak to this
S1: complicated time. Yeah. It's great.
S11: And God is still changing lives. That's right. Through his word,
S11: which we have. So our first question is from Carmen
S11: in Illinois. She listens to WNYC, and she says that
S11: the four Gospels, and I will add in the Bible,
S11: were written to a different culture. What applies to us now? Um,
S11: is it the Jesus and repent, you know, live for him,
S11: work on sinning. That's what I believe. Should I change
S11: how I believe?
S1: Following on from what we were just saying. Yeah, it's
S1: true that the Gospels were written to the first century. Um,
S1: you might even say maybe people have heard that different
S1: gospels were written to a Jewish audience. One was written
S1: to more of a Gentile audience to deal with Gnosticism
S1: and all the religions that are out there. Fair enough.
S1: Those things are true. But I think we can grab
S1: all four gospels and say the cultures that they were
S1: written to back then were closer to one another than
S1: they are today. And so it's appropriate to ask the question,
S1: how much of that applies? Right. And I think what
S1: she has listed there, uh, turn to Jesus. Repent. Live
S1: for him. Work on sinning. Those are the basic principles
S1: on not sinning. Those are the principles. How we live
S1: those out in life is going to look different in
S1: our culture today, in some cases than others. Right. I mean,
S1: some sins are the same, whether you're 18, 20, 1920
S1: or 1820 BC. Right. Don't steal your neighbor's wife. Don't
S1: steal his stuff. Don't take the Lord's name in vain.
S1: Like these are things that are transcultural, but other things
S1: might be different depending on the culture that we live
S1: in today. And they just don't apply. I mean, I
S1: don't go to a temple today. I don't bring an altar.
S1: I don't bring a sacrifice to an altar. And so
S1: any commands that are culturally bound that way are going
S1: to have to be adapted for living in the 21st century. Okay.
S11: How do we figure out which ones are culturally tied
S11: and which ones are kind of take precedence over how
S11: we live?
S1: We're going to do that humbly, because we are prone
S1: to pick something that we like and impose that on everybody,
S1: especially if.
S11: It's easy for us, especially.
S1: If it comes to us naturally.
S11: Right?
S1: Right. We're going to do that in community. I think
S1: believers should make these kind of decisions in community, meaning
S1: a church, a gathering of believers that know you and
S1: you know them and you talk to each other. It's
S1: not just you and the Holy Spirit in your closet,
S1: but rather we interpret in our communities. And then we're
S1: going to do it slowly and carefully because, look, we're
S1: not perfect interpreters. And so when I decide I'm not
S1: going to do this because it fulfills a principle that
S1: I think I see in Scripture, I'm going to say,
S1: all right, I need to have Christians ever done this before.
S1: And if the answer is, oh, yeah, this has been
S1: a long part of Christian tradition. Okay, that kind of
S1: makes sense. If I just made this up last night,
S1: I'm going to be very careful in deciding what I
S1: should choose to obey or choose to not obey. Okay.
S1: But most of the basic principles I think, are laid
S1: down for us.
S11: Okay. All right. Thank you. You're welcome. With that, Tony
S11: in Alabama has been following Christ for 46 years. Um,
S11: his church that he attends has is using Yeasted bread
S11: for the Lord's Supper, um, which he has not been
S11: able to take in good conscience. Because conscience, because of
S11: what the Scripture teaches, it teaches you to use unleavened bread,
S11: and that is historically what they've used. Um, and also
S11: some of the connotations to what Levin signifies in Scripture,
S11: meaning sin. Um, are there suggestions he doesn't want it
S11: to be an issue in the fellowship he's going to?
S11: So are there suggestions on how he might, uh, partake,
S11: not partake? Like, how should he handle this situation?
S1: I really respect this question because we all have our
S1: own convictions, and being sensitive to how we hold our
S1: convictions is is an important sign of maturity. I think
S1: in the Christian life, it doesn't surprise me that this
S1: man has been following Christ for 46 years. Like, okay,
S1: we can see that at work here. Some people hold
S1: their convictions close to their heart, others hold them out
S1: in front of them like a knife, and they poke
S1: everybody around them. So, uh, good. Thank you, Tony, for that,
S1: for that approach. Um, I would start by saying, I
S1: don't think the Bible teaches that we have to use
S1: unleavened bread. I don't think it teaches that. I think
S1: it I think we see that happening.
S12: Models that.
S1: There's no question that that's what they did. But I
S1: don't can't think of a scripture where Paul says, and
S1: you must use or Jesus says, and you must use.
S1: That's what they did. But is that a command for
S1: us to obey? I would say it's not a command
S1: for us to obey. Um, so that's number one. Number two,
S1: be careful about this conviction because it can be divisive
S1: as you've identified in your church, right? I mean, we
S1: do communion together. We're communing with the Lord. We're doing
S1: this together. We're communing with one another. And so there
S1: is a sense in which if people see you not taking,
S1: is there a good reason, and then it provides an
S1: opportunity to have a conversation about this and seeds of
S1: division get sown in. I think it starts with recognizing
S1: I don't think the Bible actually teaches this. So here's
S1: what I would do. I would say, okay, can you
S1: invite your leadership to add a few pieces of unleavened bread,
S1: some matzo crackers to the communion plate? I think that's
S1: a real simple solution. Nowadays people add gluten free bread
S1: and you can make your choice. And that makes sense
S1: to me. Um, keep your conviction to yourself. I would
S1: say that's really important. Like, don't feel like you need
S1: to impose this on everyone else. It's yours. If the
S1: Lord has given this to you. Keep it to yourself.
S1: Don't force. Number three, don't force it on other people.
S1: And then recognize that it will be hard to hide
S1: the fact that you're not taking this. It is. Maybe
S1: bring your own. I'm not sure I would want to
S1: recommend that, but I don't necessarily think it's sinful. The
S1: issue is don't let this become a source of division.
S1: And maybe the simple solution is invite your leadership to
S1: add a few pieces of matzo in the plate for you.
S1: And that would be an easy way to do it.
S13: Yeah. Okay.
S11: All right. Thanks for that question, Tony. I hope that
S11: that helps. Um, I think there are so many things
S11: of conviction that it can be easy to make them
S11: divisive in our churches. Um, and so, so I appreciate
S11: the response that we can apply to lots of other things. Yup. Um,
S11: Michael in Illinois listens to WNBA and wants to know
S11: how did Christ's name evolve to Jesus? I thought I
S11: had heard it was Yeshua, but I don't know how
S11: it got from that through the different languages.
S12: Sure.
S1: Um, this is an issue of translation and how languages
S1: pronounce things differently. Okay, so my grandfather's name is Jesus, okay.
S1: And when I say that in non-Spanish speaking contexts, almost
S1: everyone says to me, don't you mean Jesus? And I say, no,
S1: we're speaking English, I mean Jesus, but if we're speaking Spanish,
S1: then I mean Jesus. Language is pronounced the same words differently.
S1: And so in Hebrew or Aramaic, Yeshua is the pronunciation
S1: of Jesus's name Joshua. But as we move into Greek
S1: and into Latin and into all the other languages that
S1: we use, different languages simply pronounce that name differently. So
S1: the question becomes, should I call him Yeshua or should
S1: I call him Jesus? I think the answer is who
S1: are you speaking to? We're speaking in an English audience.
S1: We call him Jesus. Why? Because that's what we all
S1: call him. Speaking maybe to a messianic community or a congregation,
S1: you might use Yeshua. And it's different. And it's an
S1: issue of what language you're speaking in. We all know
S1: we're talking about the same person, okay.
S11: And Christ is a similar thing, right? Because that would
S11: be Messiah in.
S1: That's right. Moshiach in Hebrew. But then Christos in Greek,
S1: which then becomes Christ in English. Okay. And so we've
S1: got just different languages translating names and pronouncing them differently
S1: as we normally do across language. Okay.
S11: All right. Thank you for that clarification. You want to
S11: you want.
S12: To do.
S11: Do you want to do one more.
S12: You want to go to the break.
S1: No. Let's do number two. Do we have time for two.
S11: Sure. Robin in Illinois listens to WLM in Luke 16 nine.
S11: What does Jesus mean by unrighteous wealth?
S1: Yeah, this is a tricky it's a tricky passage because
S1: Jesus seems to be encouraging behavior that was unrighteous, right?
S1: This guy's a manager. He's about to get fired, and
S1: he wants to make friends so that they'll take care
S1: of him when he has no job. And how does
S1: he do it? He takes the master's bill and says, hey,
S1: you owe 50. Write down 30. He just gave him
S1: a discount, right? So the idea is when he leaves,
S1: everybody's going to take care of him, right? I think
S1: it's important to recognize Jesus is not encouraging dishonesty. He says,
S1: I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of
S1: their unrighteous money, so that when it fails, they may
S1: welcome you into your eternal dwellings. I think he's praising
S1: the man's creativity. He's praising the man's initiative and resourcefulness,
S1: interest and guaranteeing making sure that his future will be secure.
S1: And for Jesus listeners, the point would have been make
S1: sure your future is secure. How do you make future?
S1: How do you make sure your future is secure? Turn
S1: to Christ. Turn to Christ. Believe the gospel. That's what
S1: he's encouraging. They're not encouraging you to pad your time
S1: sheet or cheat on your taxes. He's not encouraging that.
S1: He's encouraging. This man did whatever it took to make
S1: sure his future was secure. What are we doing? And
S1: our answer is we're looking to Christ. And when we
S1: proclaim the gospel, we're telling others, hey, turn to Christ.
S1: That's how you make your future secure.
S11: And that is as simple as believing that Jesus was
S11: sent as a baby to live the perfect life that
S11: we couldn't because we're sinners. He died for our sins
S11: on the cross. Was buried, rose on the third day
S11: proving he was God. And you just have to trust
S11: in him.
S12: Believe the gospel.
S1: Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures is
S1: what we see in the book of acts. Yep. Believe
S1: the gospel. It's as simple as that.
S12: All right.
S11: Thank you for that.
S12: Good questions.
S11: Thank you. Thank you. If you have a question for
S11: the mailbag, you can go to our website, which is
S11: Open Line radio.org. And there's a little form you can
S11: fill out that says Ask Michael a question. Those go
S11: right to my inbox. And so I can add those
S11: to the mailbag for next week. Um, so again, open
S11: line radio.org and I will be back next hour with
S11: more mailbag questions.
S12: Excellent.
S1: You're listening to Open Line with Doctor Michael Dolnick, and
S1: we'll be back in just a minute with your questions.
S1: If you have a question to call, the number is 87754836758775483675.
S14: When autumn rolls around.
S8: People are always interested in the Jewish fall holy days.
S8: That's why Chosen People Ministries is offering a free booklet,
S8: Celebrate Israel's High Holidays. This booklet explores the fall Jewish
S8: high holidays of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. Don't
S8: miss out, just go to the Open Line website. Open
S8: line radio.org. Scroll down and click on the link that
S8: says A free gift from Chosen People Ministries that will
S8: take you to a page where you can sign up
S8: for your very own copy of Celebrate Israel's High Holidays.
S1: Welcome back to Open Line. I'm Doctor Steven Sanchez, professor
S1: of Bible at the Moody Bible Institute, in the studio
S1: for Doctor Michael Radonich, who is on the moody journeys
S1: of Paul Tripp. He'll be back in two weeks. Until then,
S1: let's go straight to your calls. Robert in Cleveland listening
S1: on w CRF. How can I help you today?
S15: Yes, Steven, thank you for answering my call. I have
S15: an identity issue than a Christian. Most of my life.
S15: But I have an identity, uh, with something in my life.
S15: Or should I say a number of things? Knowing how
S15: basically how one should live versus where one should not live.
S15: And my question is, is that my loving football, baseball
S15: and basketball and wanting to watch them, could that become
S15: a sign of me putting God, I mean, putting idols
S15: before God. That's where I'm at with that.
S1: So let me ask you a question. Do you ever
S1: leave church to go catch the football game?
S16: No.
S1: All right. Do you avoid spiritual things because the time
S1: has been taken up with watching a baseball game?
S15: I probably have, but I can't say it happened more recently. It's.
S1: It's an important question. And what I'm basically asking is,
S1: to what extent do the things you love crowd out
S1: the spiritual things that are more important? Does that make sense?
S1: See how that works? Yes. What I'm asking there is. Wow.
S1: You know, if you if you follow the news and
S1: you check the score. Aaron judge hit another home run
S1: last night. It was a grand slam. That's one thing. Uh,
S1: when I'm ditching out of church early, avoiding conversation, I'm.
S1: I'm not reading my Bible. I'm not praying. I'm not
S1: serving because these other things are taking up more time
S1: in my life than I think we should. We should
S1: consider that that might be an issue. And it doesn't
S1: just have to be sports. All right, let's not pick
S1: on the sports people. For others, it's investing. It's their money. Ready?
S1: I'm going to say this one. This one might get
S1: me in trouble. For others, it might be their children.
S1: I mean, they they dote on them to an extent
S1: that they too, can become an idol. C.S. Lewis wrote
S1: about this in The Great Divorce. A great example of
S1: maybe it's just a little too much love for some
S1: of these other things that are not as important as
S1: the Lord himself. And there's no rule ten minutes, five minutes,
S1: two hours. Should I ever go to a game? Should
S1: I never go to a game? But I like the
S1: way you began this question with it's an identity. It
S1: can become an identity issue. And when I identify with
S1: my hobbies, whatever they are, I love to go backpacking
S1: and hiking and all that sort of thing. When that
S1: becomes my identity more than Christ and people know it.
S1: I think we might say, yeah, that's something to be addressed.
S1: What do you think?
S15: I thank you very much for addressing that. I feel
S15: somewhat the same way. Thank you very much.
S1: You're welcome. Thank you. Robert, Let's go to Santiago in
S1: Tennessee listening on w FCM.
S17: Yes. Hi. Hi.
S1: What's your call today? What's your question?
S17: My question is, Steve, is that, um. I know that
S17: the heart is very important, but why the heart is
S17: so important to God? Because, I mean, there's a lot
S17: of passages in the Bible that talks about the heart,
S17: but why the heart is so important? I mean, we
S17: have a human heart, of course, the flesh, the heart
S17: that we have inside our body, but the heart for God.
S17: Why is so important? Because, um, and I believe it's
S17: Psalm 37 says, delight yourself also in the Lord, and
S17: he shall give you the desires of your heart. But
S17: every time that we desire something is something like from
S17: this world or something from the spiritual world. But that's
S17: why this main reason, uh, because sometimes we worship him
S17: with our lips. But he says that our heart is
S17: so far from him because even though we worship with
S17: our lips. But why did he say that our heart
S17: is so far from him?
S1: Because the heart is the source of our intellect, our will.
S1: In the Old Testament they would have used a different
S1: organ for that. But as we move into the as
S1: we as we think about where we get our ideas from,
S1: our motivations, the heart functions metaphorically as the source of
S1: those things. I'm thinking specifically of Proverbs 423 above all else,
S1: guard your heart, for from it flows everything the course
S1: of your life, the springs of your life. This is
S1: the core of who we are. And nowadays we would
S1: think about that not physically so much, but our mind,
S1: what we think, what we say, what we do. If
S1: we get corrupted at the heart, at the source level,
S1: that's going to affect everything, right? If we get corrupted
S1: in the heart, the rest of the physical body falls apart. Well,
S1: spiritually speaking, if the heart is left unguarded and becomes corrupted,
S1: then that's going to affect all the rest of our lives.
S1: It's an important issue. We're not always careful. Thank you
S1: for your question. Well, that's our first hour. I hope
S1: you found that helpful. Isn't it great to dig into
S1: the Bible this way? So don't go anywhere because there's
S1: another hour of open line coming up on most of
S1: these radio stations. I'll take more of your calls. Trish
S1: will be back with the mailbag, and we'll keep studying
S1: the Bible together. If you have a question, the number
S1: to call is (877) 548-3675. Again (877) 548-3675. You can also send
S1: your questions to our open line website. Open line radio.org.
S1: Just fill out the Ask Michael a question section and
S1: you can send us your Bible question that way. Open
S1: Line radio.org Open line with Doctor Michael Dolnick is a
S1: production of Moody Radio, a ministry of the Moody Bible Institute.
S1: We'll be right back. Don't go away.