WEBVTT - Hour 1: Bible Questions from NRB 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:04.800 From the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Dallas, Texas. It's 0:00:04.800 --> 0:00:17.360 open line. Hello, friends. Welcome to Open Line. This is 0:00:17.360 --> 0:00:21.480 Moody Radio's Bible study across America. My name is Michael Wright. 0:00:21.840 --> 0:00:25.880 I'm professor of Bible and Jewish studies at Moody Bible Institute, 0:00:25.880 --> 0:00:29.600 also the academic dean there. And also with you every 0:00:29.600 --> 0:00:33.080 week right here on Open Line, answering your questions every 0:00:33.080 --> 0:00:36.960 week we talk about your questions about the Bible, God 0:00:36.960 --> 0:00:41.960 and the spiritual life. Normally, people will call with those questions. However, 0:00:41.960 --> 0:00:45.960 we've got a live audience here today. They are living people. 0:00:46.080 --> 0:00:49.440 They are going to ask the questions and that's what 0:00:49.440 --> 0:00:51.159 we're going to do. So no phone calls today. This 0:00:51.159 --> 0:00:54.279 is a pre-recorded program. Uh, the people here in the 0:00:54.280 --> 0:00:58.520 audience will be asking the questions. And if you would 0:00:58.520 --> 0:01:00.240 like to send a question in, in, but you can't 0:01:00.240 --> 0:01:02.360 today because you can't call. What you can do is 0:01:02.360 --> 0:01:06.039 go to our website, openline radio.org. There's a link there 0:01:06.040 --> 0:01:09.240 that says Ask Michael a question. Click on that and 0:01:09.240 --> 0:01:11.600 you'll be able to post your question and we'll get 0:01:11.600 --> 0:01:15.759 to it in weeks to come. Now Tricia McMillan is 0:01:15.760 --> 0:01:19.240 our producer. Today. Just as always, Christi is handling all 0:01:19.240 --> 0:01:22.920 things technical, and I have a special guest with me 0:01:22.920 --> 0:01:25.679 for the first few minutes of the program just to 0:01:25.680 --> 0:01:28.120 kind of let us know what we're doing here. Uh, 0:01:28.160 --> 0:01:31.119 my friend Ed Cannon is here. Ed and I used 0:01:31.120 --> 0:01:34.199 to work together at Moody. He has moved to become 0:01:34.200 --> 0:01:37.479 the president of Far Eastern Broadcasting Company, one of our 0:01:37.480 --> 0:01:40.640 partners on Open Line. I am so glad you're here, Ed. 0:01:40.680 --> 0:01:42.600 It's a real honor. It's always a joy to be 0:01:42.600 --> 0:01:45.600 with you, Michael, on my all time favorite program in 0:01:45.600 --> 0:01:47.760 the world, Open Line on Moody Radio. 0:01:47.800 --> 0:01:49.120 Oh, you say that to everyone? 0:01:49.160 --> 0:01:50.600 No, I don't. No, I don't. 0:01:50.640 --> 0:01:54.000 But now let's talk about Far Eastern Broadcasting Company. 0:01:54.040 --> 0:01:54.320 Yeah. 0:01:54.440 --> 0:01:58.850 Uh, I always talk about it because, uh, we partner 0:01:58.850 --> 0:02:02.010 with us to bring the Far East, the Febc mailbag. 0:02:02.050 --> 0:02:02.730 We call it. Right? 0:02:02.770 --> 0:02:05.610 Right. The middle of the program. We always take questions 0:02:05.610 --> 0:02:08.410 that people have mailed in, and I'm so grateful for 0:02:08.410 --> 0:02:11.049 your partnership with us. But one of the things I 0:02:11.050 --> 0:02:17.010 really appreciate is how Febc uses media to reach the world. 0:02:17.050 --> 0:02:18.010 Tell us a little bit about that. 0:02:18.050 --> 0:02:20.929 Well, for 80 years, Michael, that's been our our mainstay. 0:02:20.970 --> 0:02:24.329 It's our mission statement is we use media to proclaim 0:02:24.330 --> 0:02:27.890 the gospel, to inspire people to follow Christ. And the 0:02:27.930 --> 0:02:30.970 subtitle under that is we work in areas which are 0:02:30.970 --> 0:02:33.650 the hardest to reach, places where people have never heard 0:02:33.650 --> 0:02:36.210 the gospel. And when you meet people who say, I've 0:02:36.210 --> 0:02:39.090 never heard of the name Jesus and tell them the gospel, 0:02:39.090 --> 0:02:42.530 it's interesting how open they are to hear and listen 0:02:42.530 --> 0:02:47.010 and understand. So we have staff in 50 countries. We're 0:02:47.010 --> 0:02:52.610 broadcasting in 154 languages. Yeah, the gospel of Jesus Christ. 0:02:52.690 --> 0:02:55.370 Now, the thing that I love about Febc is it's 0:02:55.370 --> 0:02:59.970 not just media. There's there's actual people. Right. That that engaged. 0:03:00.010 --> 0:03:00.690 Tell us about that. 0:03:00.730 --> 0:03:02.850 Yeah. What we learned a long time ago is if 0:03:02.889 --> 0:03:05.650 you just broadcast the word and scatter the seed, it's 0:03:05.650 --> 0:03:08.930 it's effective because God's word will accomplish what he intended 0:03:08.930 --> 0:03:12.930 it to accomplish. It's Isaiah 55, but we think it's 0:03:12.930 --> 0:03:17.050 much more effective when people come along afterwards and fertilize 0:03:17.050 --> 0:03:20.649 and water the seed that's been planted, meet with people, 0:03:20.650 --> 0:03:24.330 answer their questions, become part of the community. It's our 0:03:24.330 --> 0:03:27.810 staff are frequently having listener gatherings. They meet with people. 0:03:27.810 --> 0:03:30.089 They give out tracts. They pray with them. We hand 0:03:30.090 --> 0:03:32.690 out radios. As a matter of fact, I'm leaving tonight 0:03:32.850 --> 0:03:35.330 to go to Cambodia for that very reason, and we're 0:03:35.330 --> 0:03:37.570 going to have a number of gatherings with our listeners there, 0:03:37.610 --> 0:03:40.930 give out some radios, and hopefully spread the gospel more effectively. 0:03:40.970 --> 0:03:42.970 I love the idea of giving out radios. 0:03:43.010 --> 0:03:43.410 Yeah. 0:03:43.930 --> 0:03:46.610 Are they transistors like from the 1960s, like I used 0:03:46.610 --> 0:03:48.850 to listen to when I was into ball games after 0:03:48.850 --> 0:03:49.290 my parents? 0:03:49.330 --> 0:03:52.130 They're about the same size. But it's interesting, the thing 0:03:52.130 --> 0:03:54.330 that most people don't know about the radios we give 0:03:54.370 --> 0:03:57.100 out is that they're fixed tuned. So we give out 0:03:57.100 --> 0:04:00.900 the radio for the purpose of listening to our gospel presentations, 0:04:00.900 --> 0:04:05.340 not listening to Elvis Presley Cambodia. So people love to 0:04:05.340 --> 0:04:09.660 get the radio, but then they're trapped into listening. 0:04:09.660 --> 0:04:11.060 That's the only station they have, right? 0:04:11.100 --> 0:04:13.340 Actually, it's very interesting because we have a partnership with 0:04:13.340 --> 0:04:16.060 the Cambodian government. They wanted us to give out radios 0:04:16.060 --> 0:04:18.779 so they could listen to the government station, which provides 0:04:18.779 --> 0:04:22.419 information about vaccines for kids and education and election and, 0:04:22.580 --> 0:04:25.300 and disasters coming. But so we said, yes, we'd be 0:04:25.339 --> 0:04:27.980 happy to do that. So we fixed tuned the radios 0:04:27.980 --> 0:04:31.060 to the government station and to our station. And what 0:04:31.060 --> 0:04:32.620 we hear from the people is we never listen to 0:04:32.620 --> 0:04:33.180 the government. 0:04:34.620 --> 0:04:35.300 That's great. 0:04:35.620 --> 0:04:37.340 So we've been doing that for 80 years. 0:04:37.380 --> 0:04:41.540 Yeah. That's wonderful. And now you've been with you're on 0:04:41.540 --> 0:04:44.580 the board of directors of National Religious Broadcasters. 0:04:44.620 --> 0:04:45.300 Quite a number of years. 0:04:45.339 --> 0:04:48.140 I'm sure our listeners don't know what the NRB is. 0:04:48.180 --> 0:04:49.620 And so tell us about that. 0:04:49.660 --> 0:04:53.300 Well, the NRB was originally formed around 1945 for the 0:04:53.300 --> 0:04:58.820 purpose of protecting religious liberty to broadcast Christian content on 0:04:59.060 --> 0:05:04.299 US government supported FCC radio stations. So any radio station 0:05:04.300 --> 0:05:06.820 in the United States that you listen to is under 0:05:06.820 --> 0:05:10.820 the control of the FCC, Federal Communications Commission. And at 0:05:10.820 --> 0:05:14.140 one time, there was a threat that Christian content was 0:05:14.180 --> 0:05:16.540 kind of like not favorable on that. So that's why 0:05:16.540 --> 0:05:19.980 they were formed. But now it's a meeting place for 0:05:19.980 --> 0:05:26.340 everybody radio, radio stations, even new media, social media, Christian broadcasting. 0:05:26.620 --> 0:05:28.220 TV broadcasting as well. 0:05:28.500 --> 0:05:31.460 And it makes an enormous difference for the ability for 0:05:31.460 --> 0:05:34.100 these communicators to get together. Just like I'm here today 0:05:34.100 --> 0:05:36.580 to talk to you and other people. I met with 0:05:36.620 --> 0:05:39.500 a Transworld Radio guys this morning because we're in partnership. 0:05:39.660 --> 0:05:42.260 It's become a meeting place. It's become a place where 0:05:42.260 --> 0:05:46.219 you can voice your concerns and get the NRP to help. Um, yeah. 0:05:46.220 --> 0:05:49.020 It's a very, very highly functional organization. 0:05:49.020 --> 0:05:51.900 Well, it's great to have you here. And most people 0:05:51.900 --> 0:05:54.550 don't know you were the one that said I should 0:05:54.550 --> 0:05:56.270 go on the radio and answer Bible questions. 0:05:56.310 --> 0:05:56.510 I did. 0:05:56.550 --> 0:05:58.790 I remember when you were the CEO of Moody. 0:05:58.830 --> 0:06:01.270 Yeah, right. Yeah. That's right. And and I still think 0:06:01.270 --> 0:06:02.390 it was a brilliant move. 0:06:03.470 --> 0:06:04.229 I think so too. 0:06:04.270 --> 0:06:06.750 I started I started listening to Open Line, by the way, 0:06:06.750 --> 0:06:10.229 with Don Cole and Tricia McMillan. And so, no, it 0:06:10.230 --> 0:06:11.909 was Tricia Boyle back in those days. 0:06:11.950 --> 0:06:12.710 Back in the day? 0:06:12.750 --> 0:06:15.669 Yeah. I've always been a fan. It's a very important program. 0:06:16.029 --> 0:06:18.710 Proclaiming the gospel on radio, I think, is one of 0:06:18.710 --> 0:06:22.589 the most undervalued ministries anywhere in the world. We see 0:06:22.630 --> 0:06:25.310 it in hundreds of places. You see it right here 0:06:25.310 --> 0:06:27.470 in the United States. So for those of you who 0:06:27.470 --> 0:06:30.589 are listening, I hope you appreciate Moody Radio. I hope 0:06:30.589 --> 0:06:33.909 you appreciate the fact that you can hear God's Word 0:06:34.110 --> 0:06:38.270 on radio freely without the without the possibility of persecution. 0:06:38.270 --> 0:06:40.350 So let them know that you appreciate. 0:06:40.390 --> 0:06:42.029 Okay. Tell us about your podcast though. 0:06:42.390 --> 0:06:45.549 Yeah, we have a podcast until all have heard Wayne Shepherd, 0:06:45.550 --> 0:06:48.670 who's a familiar voice on Moody Radio. Wayne Shepherd and 0:06:48.670 --> 0:06:52.070 I do this podcast. It's, um, available on any podcast 0:06:52.070 --> 0:06:56.070 site until all I've heard we interview. Listeners in countries, 0:06:56.070 --> 0:06:59.070 we interview our directors in places and they tell you. 0:06:59.110 --> 0:07:01.430 What is it like to be a Christian in Indonesia, 0:07:01.430 --> 0:07:03.990 the largest Muslim country in the world? Or how is 0:07:03.990 --> 0:07:07.190 the gospel getting spread in Communist China where it's being 0:07:07.190 --> 0:07:10.430 blocked every time we turn around? Very interesting program provides 0:07:10.430 --> 0:07:12.750 a lot of information for for those of us who 0:07:12.750 --> 0:07:16.990 want to know how effective the Great Commission is about 0:07:16.990 --> 0:07:19.630 getting the gospel to places that they have never heard. 0:07:19.670 --> 0:07:21.830 Oh, that's great, that's great. I hope everyone will check 0:07:21.870 --> 0:07:24.190 out until all have heard. Check it out on your 0:07:24.190 --> 0:07:27.470 your podcast, uh, search whatever you want to find. I 0:07:27.470 --> 0:07:29.470 guess you're on all platforms. I think. 0:07:29.470 --> 0:07:29.670 So. 0:07:29.670 --> 0:07:32.150 Yeah. I tell people to go to Febc. Org. You'll 0:07:32.150 --> 0:07:35.590 you'll be sure to find until all I've heard. Thank you. Editor. 0:07:35.590 --> 0:07:36.350 Thanks for joining me. 0:07:36.390 --> 0:07:38.070 Always a joy to be with you. And God bless 0:07:38.070 --> 0:07:38.870 Moody Radio. 0:07:38.870 --> 0:07:41.950 Thank you. We're going to start with a question right now. 0:07:42.430 --> 0:07:45.270 I am Jasmine and my question is how to read 0:07:45.270 --> 0:07:47.390 the Bible in accordance with God's will. 0:07:47.670 --> 0:07:51.430 How how do we read the Bible in accordance with 0:07:51.430 --> 0:07:55.470 God's will. Well, the first thing I would say, it's 0:07:55.510 --> 0:07:58.990 always God's will that you read the Bible if you 0:07:58.990 --> 0:08:01.429 want to know God's will. He gave us his word 0:08:01.430 --> 0:08:04.510 so that we would read it. Uh, that's that's why 0:08:04.510 --> 0:08:05.830 he took it and put it in there. But I'm 0:08:05.870 --> 0:08:08.630 not exactly sure what you mean. Ah. How do you 0:08:08.630 --> 0:08:11.230 read the word? To find out God's will? Is that 0:08:11.230 --> 0:08:11.950 what you mean? 0:08:12.150 --> 0:08:12.710 Yes. 0:08:12.750 --> 0:08:18.070 Okay. Okay. So. Well, when we think about, uh, God's will, 0:08:18.750 --> 0:08:25.070 there's his, uh. You know, so often we think of 0:08:25.070 --> 0:08:27.790 his will as being some nebulous thing that we have 0:08:27.790 --> 0:08:31.710 to seek, you know? But he has his revealed will. 0:08:32.230 --> 0:08:36.350 That's in Scripture. And, uh, most of the time, I 0:08:36.350 --> 0:08:40.990 think we will have most of our questions answered if 0:08:41.030 --> 0:08:44.390 we're reading the word on a regular basis. Uh, and 0:08:44.390 --> 0:08:46.550 we see his revealed will there. I think that's a 0:08:46.550 --> 0:08:50.120 really important point to make. I think God doesn't care 0:08:50.120 --> 0:08:55.560 if we choose to use Colgate or Crest toothpaste. You know, 0:08:55.600 --> 0:08:58.280 people struggle with. Hmm. What should I do? Is it 0:08:58.320 --> 0:09:02.760 God's will for me to get Colgate? No. Uh, you know, 0:09:02.800 --> 0:09:08.480 the Bible reveals how we are to engage with other people, uh, 0:09:08.480 --> 0:09:11.480 to love them. Uh, we love God. We love people. 0:09:11.480 --> 0:09:13.920 That's clearly in God's word. It teaches us how to 0:09:13.920 --> 0:09:16.960 do that. Uh, it teaches us what we should be 0:09:16.960 --> 0:09:20.600 saying and doing our control of our lips, uh, and 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:23.400 and what we should be talking about. There's so much 0:09:23.679 --> 0:09:27.760 in the word of God that is revealed to us. Uh, 0:09:27.760 --> 0:09:30.160 so it may not tell us who to marry in 0:09:30.160 --> 0:09:33.080 the sense of, you know, marry John Smith or or 0:09:33.280 --> 0:09:37.199 Audrey or whoever it is, but it will tell us 0:09:37.200 --> 0:09:39.880 that we should. It's clear in the scriptures that if 0:09:39.880 --> 0:09:43.600 if a person is a follower of Jesus, that they 0:09:43.600 --> 0:09:45.960 should only marry not only a follower of Jesus, but 0:09:45.960 --> 0:09:49.600 someone as committed to that faith as they are. So 0:09:50.400 --> 0:09:54.320 that narrows the, the the options for us. And so 0:09:54.360 --> 0:09:57.000 it's really important that that when you're reading the Word 0:09:57.000 --> 0:09:59.520 of God, anything that it deals with in terms of 0:09:59.520 --> 0:10:03.360 our behavior, that's God's revealed will for us. And then 0:10:03.360 --> 0:10:06.560 I really think that God opens doors, closes doors. Uh, 0:10:06.559 --> 0:10:10.640 he enables us to follow that revealed will in terms 0:10:10.640 --> 0:10:15.080 of individual special aspects, his special will that he has 0:10:15.080 --> 0:10:18.760 for us. And and he we pray, we seek God. 0:10:18.920 --> 0:10:21.000 We ask him. We don't just open a Bible and 0:10:21.000 --> 0:10:22.960 point our finger and say, oh, this is what I 0:10:22.960 --> 0:10:26.360 should do. But rather we're now praying, seeking, looking at 0:10:26.360 --> 0:10:29.120 open doors, closed doors. We allow the Holy Spirit to 0:10:29.160 --> 0:10:31.280 speak to our hearts. And those are some of the 0:10:31.280 --> 0:10:37.000 ways that, uh, God reveals his special will. But most 0:10:37.000 --> 0:10:39.520 most important, to become a student of the word and 0:10:39.520 --> 0:10:44.160 understand his revealed will. Okay, we're going to take a 0:10:44.160 --> 0:10:47.610 break here. And when we come back. There's a lot 0:10:47.650 --> 0:10:49.890 of questions here in this room. And so we're going 0:10:49.929 --> 0:10:51.890 to get to all of them. I hope you're listening 0:10:51.890 --> 0:10:55.890 and saying, oh, that's my question. Because what we're going 0:10:55.890 --> 0:10:59.170 to do is answer all these questions and hopefully you'll 0:10:59.170 --> 0:11:02.250 find the answers that you're looking for. Uh, this is 0:11:02.250 --> 0:11:06.370 open line with Michael Radonich at the National Religious Broadcasters 0:11:06.370 --> 0:11:16.050 Convention in Dallas, and we'll be right back. Jewish people 0:11:16.050 --> 0:11:20.929 completed our annual Passover observance last weekend. This festival was 0:11:20.929 --> 0:11:24.290 such a meaningful celebration of redemption to learn the rich 0:11:24.290 --> 0:11:28.290 teaching of this holiday. Chosen People Ministries, one of our partners, 0:11:28.290 --> 0:11:32.290 is offering a free booklet, Passover A time for redemption. 0:11:32.770 --> 0:11:36.130 Besides explaining the significance of the Exodus from Egypt, this 0:11:36.130 --> 0:11:39.329 booklet will open our eyes to the way the Passover 0:11:39.330 --> 0:11:45.650 foreshadows the death and resurrection of Yeshua, Jesus our Passover Lamb. Additionally, 0:11:45.890 --> 0:11:49.450 comprehending Passover will deepen our understanding of the Messiah Yeshua, 0:11:49.490 --> 0:11:52.490 the Bread of Life. Celebrating the Lord's Supper will never 0:11:52.530 --> 0:11:55.890 be the same. After grasping the significance of this festival 0:11:56.290 --> 0:11:59.370 for a free copy of Passover A time for redemption, 0:11:59.370 --> 0:12:03.170 just go to the Open Line website. That's Open Line radio.org. 0:12:03.450 --> 0:12:06.170 Scroll down and you'll see the link that says A 0:12:06.170 --> 0:12:09.329 free gift from Chosen People Ministries. Click on that and 0:12:09.330 --> 0:12:11.730 you'll be taken to a page where you can sign 0:12:11.730 --> 0:12:15.090 up for your very own copy of Passover. A time 0:12:15.090 --> 0:12:29.530 for redemption. Welcome back to Open Line. We're at the 0:12:29.530 --> 0:12:34.170 National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Dallas, Texas. It's a pre-recorded 0:12:34.170 --> 0:12:38.209 program with a live audience. Uh, but it's prerecorded, so 0:12:38.210 --> 0:12:41.250 don't call in today. My name is Michael. We're talking 0:12:41.250 --> 0:12:44.370 about the questions that these folks have about the Bible, 0:12:44.410 --> 0:12:47.730 God and the spiritual life. And hopefully those are the 0:12:47.730 --> 0:12:50.689 same questions you have and we'll be talking with them 0:12:50.690 --> 0:12:52.610 right now. Let's go right to the questions. 0:12:53.370 --> 0:12:57.010 I'm Jared from Wctg and radio in Lima, Ohio. And 0:12:57.010 --> 0:13:00.170 my Bible question is can we lose our salvation? 0:13:01.970 --> 0:13:04.410 That I think, is I used to think that the 0:13:04.410 --> 0:13:07.250 Genesis six question was the number one question, but I really, 0:13:07.250 --> 0:13:12.290 truly believe that fear of losing salvation is something that 0:13:12.290 --> 0:13:15.290 is prevalent. It's the number one question I get, and 0:13:15.330 --> 0:13:18.490 I think it's so important that we understand where we 0:13:18.490 --> 0:13:23.050 are in terms of relationship with God. And so in 0:13:23.050 --> 0:13:26.690 John chapter six, uh, this is what the Lord Jesus 0:13:26.690 --> 0:13:28.890 had to say. And I think it's where we ought 0:13:28.890 --> 0:13:33.490 to start when we discuss this, this question, uh, he 0:13:33.490 --> 0:13:37.010 says in John six that all that the father has 0:13:37.010 --> 0:13:40.969 given me will come to me. That's in verse 37. 0:13:41.450 --> 0:13:46.100 Let's see if I can find it here. Uh, it says, uh. 0:13:48.900 --> 0:13:54.580 Here we go. Uh. Everyone the father gives me will 0:13:54.580 --> 0:13:56.459 come to me. And the one who comes to me, 0:13:56.460 --> 0:13:59.179 I will never cast out. And so the the point 0:13:59.179 --> 0:14:03.939 of that is, uh, that everyone that the father opens 0:14:03.940 --> 0:14:06.020 the hearts of people to come to the Lord Jesus, 0:14:06.020 --> 0:14:08.940 and he will receive us. The Lord Jesus will always 0:14:08.940 --> 0:14:11.700 receive us. Then he says, for I have come down 0:14:11.700 --> 0:14:15.660 out of heaven, uh, not to do my will, but 0:14:15.660 --> 0:14:18.300 the will of him who sent me. The Lord Jesus, saying, 0:14:18.300 --> 0:14:22.940 I always do the father's will. Now that's imperative that 0:14:22.940 --> 0:14:27.180 we understand that because the proof that he really is 0:14:27.340 --> 0:14:30.580 the Messiah, the Son of God, who he claimed to 0:14:30.580 --> 0:14:34.540 be is, is in the fact that he obeys what 0:14:34.540 --> 0:14:37.580 the father has sent him to do. He always does 0:14:37.580 --> 0:14:40.420 the will of the father, and this is the will 0:14:40.620 --> 0:14:44.500 of him who sent me. What's his will? Well, obviously 0:14:44.500 --> 0:14:48.500 there's lots, lots of aspects about God's will. But he 0:14:48.500 --> 0:14:51.300 says this is the will for me, that. That the 0:14:51.300 --> 0:14:53.460 one who of the one who sent me that I 0:14:53.460 --> 0:14:57.220 should lose none of those he has given me, but 0:14:57.220 --> 0:14:59.700 should raise them up on the last day. So it's 0:14:59.700 --> 0:15:02.940 really clear what the Lord Jesus says is not only 0:15:02.940 --> 0:15:07.100 will he receive us, but he will keep us. And 0:15:07.140 --> 0:15:10.380 if if he could lose one of us after we've 0:15:10.380 --> 0:15:13.620 come to know him, that means he's not doing the 0:15:13.620 --> 0:15:15.860 father's will, and he is not who he claimed to be. 0:15:16.020 --> 0:15:19.660 The Lord Jesus stakes his entire identity on the fact 0:15:19.660 --> 0:15:22.620 that he can keep you and me secure. And so 0:15:23.100 --> 0:15:25.860 that is, people often say, do you do you believe 0:15:25.860 --> 0:15:29.380 in perseverance of the saints? I don't I think we're 0:15:29.380 --> 0:15:32.660 pretty bad at persevering. I do believe in perseverance of 0:15:32.660 --> 0:15:37.100 the Savior. He's very good at keeping his word. And so, uh, 0:15:37.140 --> 0:15:41.710 that's my my hope and confidence. There's one of the passage, 0:15:41.710 --> 0:15:46.470 I think, because this is such a such an important question, 0:15:47.350 --> 0:15:53.630 it's so common. Uh. Is what the Lord said in 0:15:53.630 --> 0:15:59.590 this passage. He says, uh, in John ten about his followers, 0:15:59.590 --> 0:16:02.230 his sheep who hear his voice. I give them eternal 0:16:02.230 --> 0:16:07.510 life and they will never perish, ever. No one will 0:16:07.510 --> 0:16:11.070 snatch them out of my hand. My father, who has 0:16:11.070 --> 0:16:13.190 given them to me is greater than all no one 0:16:13.190 --> 0:16:17.190 is able to snatch. Snatch them out of the father's hand. 0:16:17.630 --> 0:16:19.790 The father and I are one, he says no one 0:16:19.790 --> 0:16:22.790 can snatch anyone out of my hand or the father's hand. 0:16:23.070 --> 0:16:26.550 That's John 1028 through 30. Why is that so important? 0:16:26.750 --> 0:16:30.310 Just imagine yourself as a toddler walking along and you 0:16:30.310 --> 0:16:33.150 have one parent holding your hand and the other parent 0:16:33.150 --> 0:16:36.910 holding your other hand. And now, I used to walk 0:16:36.910 --> 0:16:38.870 with my son when he was a toddler. We lived 0:16:38.870 --> 0:16:41.670 in Queens, New York, and there was a huge boulevard, 0:16:41.670 --> 0:16:44.670 Queens Boulevard, with about 8 or 10 lanes of traffic 0:16:44.670 --> 0:16:46.590 right in front of the courthouse. We'd walk over there 0:16:46.590 --> 0:16:49.230 and cross the street, and my wife and I would 0:16:49.270 --> 0:16:52.950 hold his hand as we crossed the street. People would say, well, 0:16:52.990 --> 0:16:55.830 couldn't he run out of your hand? Not on your life. 0:16:56.070 --> 0:16:59.110 I had him so secure he might have if he 0:16:59.110 --> 0:17:01.550 tried to leave. There was no way, because that was 0:17:01.550 --> 0:17:04.630 a very dangerous street. We would hold hands as we crossed, 0:17:04.670 --> 0:17:10.030 as we cross the dangerous aspects of this life. The 0:17:10.030 --> 0:17:13.550 father and the son have us in their hands, and 0:17:13.550 --> 0:17:16.110 nothing will ever rip us out of their hands. We 0:17:16.109 --> 0:17:19.110 can't even jump out of their hands. We are safe 0:17:19.109 --> 0:17:23.310 and secure. So that's why it's so crucial to know 0:17:23.310 --> 0:17:25.149 that you get up one day and you have a 0:17:25.150 --> 0:17:28.429 wonderful day, and you read the Bible and you pray 0:17:28.470 --> 0:17:31.310 and you, you know, if you're a woman, you got 0:17:31.310 --> 0:17:34.830 your your hair done right and your makeup's good. And 0:17:34.830 --> 0:17:37.840 the kids have gotten off to school great. And you've 0:17:37.880 --> 0:17:41.479 packed their lunches and everything's great, and you get to 0:17:41.520 --> 0:17:44.920 work and everything is doing fine. And and you think, 0:17:44.960 --> 0:17:48.359 of course, God loves me. I am safe and secure. What? 0:17:48.400 --> 0:17:51.040 What couldn't he love here? And then the next day, 0:17:51.040 --> 0:17:53.479 you get up and you realize you've overslept and the 0:17:53.480 --> 0:17:55.600 kids have overslept. And you have to rush them, throw 0:17:55.600 --> 0:17:59.200 them out of the house without even getting them dressed. 0:17:59.240 --> 0:18:02.560 Go in your pajamas, get on the bus. And now 0:18:02.960 --> 0:18:05.800 you eat lunch. No breakfast today and you don't have 0:18:05.800 --> 0:18:10.000 any time in the word. And you're not praying, and. 0:18:10.000 --> 0:18:11.879 And you get a ticket on your way to work, 0:18:12.080 --> 0:18:16.120 and and you get to work and it says, you 0:18:16.119 --> 0:18:20.680 say God doesn't love me. I who could love this? 0:18:21.160 --> 0:18:24.479 And here's the best news we have. He loves us 0:18:24.640 --> 0:18:28.080 as much every day. We can never earn more of 0:18:28.080 --> 0:18:30.960 his love or less of his love. The Bible says 0:18:30.960 --> 0:18:33.320 nothing for those of us who have put our trust 0:18:33.320 --> 0:18:36.239 in Jesus. Nothing can separate us from the love of 0:18:36.240 --> 0:18:39.320 God which is in the Lord Jesus. Romans eight. So 0:18:39.320 --> 0:18:41.200 that's that's what I would say about that. 0:18:43.160 --> 0:18:46.240 I'm David Woodworth from our Moody Radio affiliate relations area, 0:18:46.240 --> 0:18:50.159 and I my question is related to a recent social 0:18:50.160 --> 0:18:54.200 media post. Recently, a well-known pastor among the greater Christian 0:18:54.200 --> 0:18:59.680 community equated Jesus position on the center cross at Calvary 0:18:59.680 --> 0:19:03.320 S Hill when he was crucified to a political statement 0:19:03.320 --> 0:19:07.840 that Jesus today would be a middle of the road 0:19:08.240 --> 0:19:11.520 political standing, that is, versus being on the right, a 0:19:11.520 --> 0:19:15.520 conservative or on the left like a liberal. Uh, and 0:19:15.720 --> 0:19:19.840 he was subsequently criticized by all kinds of Christians for 0:19:19.880 --> 0:19:22.560 making that kind of a statement. And he later retracted 0:19:22.560 --> 0:19:25.880 that statement from the social media. My question, though, is 0:19:26.160 --> 0:19:31.160 how dangerous is it to draw modern parallels to Scripture 0:19:31.160 --> 0:19:33.760 references such as one he was pointing to? 0:19:33.800 --> 0:19:36.600 I would think that. That you think it's pretty dangerous, 0:19:36.600 --> 0:19:37.360 don't you? Yeah. 0:19:37.359 --> 0:19:37.760 Oh, yeah. 0:19:37.800 --> 0:19:40.400 Yeah, yeah. That's a pretty loaded question, is all I'm 0:19:40.400 --> 0:19:43.840 going to say. Yeah. Well, I don't think that the 0:19:43.840 --> 0:19:47.040 Lord Jesus would be. I should be identified as a centrist. 0:19:47.080 --> 0:19:49.320 And I'm glad he pulled that back. I think he 0:19:49.320 --> 0:19:54.440 should be identified as a supervisor. He's over it all. And, uh, 0:19:54.440 --> 0:19:57.360 he's he's ruling us from the right hand of the father. 0:19:57.520 --> 0:20:01.199 He's our king. Uh, and, uh, so we have to 0:20:01.240 --> 0:20:04.000 kind of think of him as being sovereign over us 0:20:04.000 --> 0:20:06.239 rather than in the center or the right or the 0:20:06.240 --> 0:20:08.840 left with us. And I think that's a better way 0:20:08.880 --> 0:20:13.240 of you. But I think so often what we do 0:20:13.240 --> 0:20:16.920 is when we read Scripture, we want to impose our 0:20:16.920 --> 0:20:20.720 own meanings and applications onto it. And I think what 0:20:20.720 --> 0:20:23.800 we have to do is draw out the meanings from Scripture. 0:20:23.800 --> 0:20:27.560 So we have to understand what the text is actually saying. 0:20:27.960 --> 0:20:31.320 That text, for example, about how the Lord Jesus was 0:20:31.320 --> 0:20:37.649 crucified between To criminals. It's really more about how in 0:20:37.650 --> 0:20:40.130 Isaiah says, he was counted to be among the criminals. 0:20:40.490 --> 0:20:46.210 It's it's not about a political position. So it's sort 0:20:46.210 --> 0:20:50.929 of a linkage, a fulfillment in some respects of Isaiah 53. 0:20:51.770 --> 0:20:55.370 That said, what we need to do is read what 0:20:55.369 --> 0:20:58.410 the text is saying in terms of what it means, 0:20:58.410 --> 0:21:02.129 and then draw a principle from it. Now there's an application, 0:21:02.130 --> 0:21:05.730 and when we get that principle, we can apply it 0:21:06.250 --> 0:21:09.410 to our own lives. So for example, the principle he 0:21:09.410 --> 0:21:12.969 was associated with criminals, he was not understood for who 0:21:12.970 --> 0:21:16.570 he really was and was rejected. And that's why he 0:21:16.570 --> 0:21:20.570 was crucified between two criminals. That's what we see as 0:21:20.570 --> 0:21:24.770 a principle that very often we can be rejected. We 0:21:24.770 --> 0:21:30.850 can be associated with people who maybe aren't as really 0:21:30.890 --> 0:21:34.650 who we are. but might be rejected because of our 0:21:34.650 --> 0:21:39.090 associations or identifications and things like that, because we want 0:21:39.130 --> 0:21:42.730 to identify with all kinds of people. And, uh, and 0:21:42.730 --> 0:21:45.210 so as a result of that, uh, we have to 0:21:45.250 --> 0:21:47.810 be ready for rejection what they did to the shepherd, 0:21:47.810 --> 0:21:51.010 they'll do to the sheep. And and hopefully we won't 0:21:51.010 --> 0:21:53.970 be crucified. But that, you know, in some cultures, in 0:21:53.970 --> 0:21:56.530 some places that did happen. So I would say that 0:21:56.530 --> 0:21:59.290 we have to understand what the text is actually saying, 0:21:59.490 --> 0:22:02.929 draw a biblical principle from it and then apply it 0:22:02.930 --> 0:22:06.290 to our own lives. That's really how we study the scriptures, 0:22:06.330 --> 0:22:10.369 not with trying to impose our political views into it. 0:22:10.369 --> 0:22:11.650 So yeah. 0:22:12.890 --> 0:22:15.570 My name is Maddie. And my question is, does God 0:22:15.570 --> 0:22:17.010 ever change his mind? 0:22:18.250 --> 0:22:22.770 Uh, right now he's changing his mind about having me 0:22:22.810 --> 0:22:32.780 do this program. Uh, the Bible says that he does. Uh, 0:22:32.780 --> 0:22:37.700 for example, the Lord changed his mind about it, says 0:22:37.700 --> 0:22:40.739 that he regretted that he created humanity because they were 0:22:40.740 --> 0:22:47.100 so sinful. In Jonah, he changed his mind about, uh, 0:22:48.420 --> 0:22:52.740 destroying Nineveh. So it sounds like he can change his mind. 0:22:53.619 --> 0:22:57.460 And then, on the other hand, in the book of Numbers, 0:22:57.700 --> 0:23:01.219 very you know, this is like the foundational book of 0:23:01.220 --> 0:23:05.100 the whole Bible, the Torah, uh, the the Pentateuch, the 0:23:05.100 --> 0:23:11.859 law of Moses in numbers 20. I believe it is, uh, 0:23:12.980 --> 0:23:18.860 it says that God is not a man, that he 0:23:18.859 --> 0:23:22.940 should lie, nor the Son of man, that he should 0:23:22.940 --> 0:23:27.380 change his mind. Uh, I'm looking for that verse. Uh, 0:23:27.540 --> 0:23:31.419 but the point of that is that, uh, that may 0:23:31.460 --> 0:23:34.020 be numbers 23. I think I got it wrong. Yeah. 0:23:34.060 --> 0:23:37.740 Numbers 23, verse 19. God is not a man who lies, 0:23:37.780 --> 0:23:40.300 or a son of man who changes his mind. Does 0:23:40.300 --> 0:23:45.260 he speak and not act or promise and not fulfill? 0:23:45.700 --> 0:23:48.619 So God doesn't change his mind, but he does. What 0:23:48.619 --> 0:23:51.460 does that mean? I believe those passages that where it 0:23:51.460 --> 0:23:56.300 says that God changes his mind is a figure of 0:23:56.300 --> 0:24:04.580 speech called anthropomorphism. That means attributing to God human characteristics. 0:24:05.140 --> 0:24:09.780 And the reason we have anthropomorphisms in the Bible, for example, 0:24:10.020 --> 0:24:12.980 the ear of the Lord is not too dull to hear, 0:24:13.020 --> 0:24:15.939 nor is his holy arm too short to save. I 0:24:15.940 --> 0:24:19.140 think that's in Isaiah 59. I want to tell you something. 0:24:19.180 --> 0:24:23.979 God is a spirit and he has no body, so 0:24:23.980 --> 0:24:26.659 he doesn't have an ear and he doesn't have an arm, 0:24:27.180 --> 0:24:30.060 and yet it uses that. So what is it? That's 0:24:30.060 --> 0:24:32.460 a figure of speech to help us understand that God 0:24:32.460 --> 0:24:37.220 hears and acts in the same way. We cannot comprehend 0:24:37.340 --> 0:24:43.300 how the sovereign God and how, uh, our interaction with 0:24:43.300 --> 0:24:47.700 him works. Human responsibility. It's beyond our ability between God's 0:24:47.700 --> 0:24:52.300 sovereignty and human responsibility. And so, as a result, there 0:24:52.300 --> 0:24:55.740 are figures of speech that are used to say, listen, 0:24:55.740 --> 0:24:58.980 it's okay to pray and God will respond. He'll change 0:24:58.980 --> 0:25:02.420 his mind. He'll change his actions based on the people 0:25:02.420 --> 0:25:06.060 of Nineveh repenting. Doesn't mean he that was part of 0:25:06.060 --> 0:25:09.939 his whole sovereign plan altogether, but we cannot comprehend it. 0:25:09.940 --> 0:25:13.740 And so the Bible, kind of the way Scripture does, 0:25:13.740 --> 0:25:18.060 is it kind of accommodates us by giving us these 0:25:18.060 --> 0:25:20.940 figures of speech so that we still would pray that 0:25:20.940 --> 0:25:24.140 we will still look to God to act in our lives. Uh, 0:25:24.380 --> 0:25:28.109 and it's not that God gods think of watching a 0:25:28.109 --> 0:25:31.590 whole parade. You know, if you're standing on the side, 0:25:31.590 --> 0:25:33.790 you can only see the the ones coming in front 0:25:33.790 --> 0:25:36.190 of you. Gods on top of the building. He sees 0:25:36.190 --> 0:25:39.230 it from beginning to end, and that's how he's going 0:25:39.230 --> 0:25:41.830 to accomplish his purposes. And so it looks like he's 0:25:41.830 --> 0:25:44.709 changing his mind to us. So anyway, we're going to 0:25:44.710 --> 0:25:47.110 come right back with more of your questions. In fact, 0:25:47.109 --> 0:25:49.750 we're going to do the mailbag, the Febc mailbag in 0:25:49.750 --> 0:25:52.390 just a moment with Tricia McMillan. Stay with us. We'll 0:25:52.390 --> 0:26:03.189 be right back. We're so glad that Febc partners with 0:26:03.190 --> 0:26:06.469 Open Line with Doctor Michael Ray Melnick, bringing the Febc 0:26:06.510 --> 0:26:10.430 mailbag every week. Learn how Far East Broadcasting Company is 0:26:10.430 --> 0:26:14.109 taking Christ to the world at febc. Org on their 0:26:14.109 --> 0:26:17.630 weekly podcast. Until all I've heard with Ed Cannon, you'll 0:26:17.630 --> 0:26:22.310 hear stories of lives changed by Messiah all across the globe. Again, 0:26:22.430 --> 0:26:28.429 you can hear the podcast when you visit febc. That's Febc. Org. 0:26:38.790 --> 0:26:42.070 Welcome back to Open Line. We're at the National Religious 0:26:42.070 --> 0:26:46.950 Broadcasters Convention and we're having a great time here in Dallas, Texas. 0:26:46.950 --> 0:26:49.990 It's prerecorded so no calls today. But we're still going 0:26:49.990 --> 0:26:52.910 to have our mailbag aspect of the program. The Febc 0:26:52.950 --> 0:26:58.750 mailbag is sponsored partnership with Far Eastern Broadcasting Company. It's 0:26:58.750 --> 0:27:01.869 a wonderful ministry that brings the gospel through media and 0:27:01.869 --> 0:27:04.750 personal follow up to people all over the world. I 0:27:04.750 --> 0:27:08.909 hope you'll check out their website and check out their 0:27:08.910 --> 0:27:12.310 podcast until all have heard. And joining me right now 0:27:12.310 --> 0:27:14.830 is Tricia McMillan. She's part of the team here with 0:27:14.830 --> 0:27:17.469 Open Line. Uh, how long have you been part of 0:27:17.470 --> 0:27:18.030 the team. 0:27:18.510 --> 0:27:20.949 At Open Line? Yeah. Oh, goodness. No. 0:27:22.109 --> 0:27:22.710 Nine years. 0:27:22.750 --> 0:27:24.879 Nine, nine and a half years. 0:27:24.920 --> 0:27:27.080 Yeah. And. And how long have you been working for 0:27:27.119 --> 0:27:27.879 Moody Radio? 0:27:28.000 --> 0:27:30.040 Uh, almost 25, 25 years. 0:27:30.040 --> 0:27:31.680 And she started when she was two. 0:27:31.800 --> 0:27:32.320 Mhm. 0:27:32.760 --> 0:27:36.600 Yeah. Uh, now I've, I knew her before. I knew 0:27:36.640 --> 0:27:41.199 Tricia before she was married. Uh, she worked in all 0:27:41.200 --> 0:27:43.400 kinds of things in Moody Radio. I think right out 0:27:43.400 --> 0:27:45.160 of school as a student. Right. 0:27:45.200 --> 0:27:47.760 I did, yes, I did my internship my senior year. Yeah. 0:27:47.800 --> 0:27:49.240 And then started working. 0:27:49.280 --> 0:27:52.560 Well, that's. And I, I remember when we needed a 0:27:53.080 --> 0:27:57.480 producer for Open Line. I said there are only two 0:27:57.480 --> 0:27:59.640 people in Moody Radio that I would accept. I won't 0:27:59.640 --> 0:28:01.840 say who the other one was, but I was really 0:28:01.960 --> 0:28:06.480 obnoxiously insistent that Tricia McMillan be the producer of Open Line, 0:28:06.480 --> 0:28:08.879 and I was so grateful that I didn't get fired. 0:28:08.880 --> 0:28:12.760 But instead, I got Tricia to come and join us here. Uh, 0:28:12.760 --> 0:28:17.080 but anyway, that that is, uh, you know, the partnership 0:28:17.080 --> 0:28:19.840 that that I feel with everyone that works on Open 0:28:19.840 --> 0:28:22.520 line with everyone at Moody Radio. It's it's just a. 0:28:23.280 --> 0:28:27.879 I just have this great sense that we're all working together, uh, 0:28:27.880 --> 0:28:32.560 towards that, that goal and of bringing the good news 0:28:32.560 --> 0:28:35.040 to people, helping people understand the scriptures and live them 0:28:35.040 --> 0:28:37.800 out better in their lives. Uh, that's what we're about. 0:28:37.800 --> 0:28:40.200 We really do believe at Moody Radio, and we're all 0:28:40.200 --> 0:28:44.440 partnering together, that the gospel changes everything. And that's we 0:28:44.480 --> 0:28:48.440 want to bring the word to life, uh, to everyone. And, uh, 0:28:48.440 --> 0:28:51.320 one of the things I love about this partnership is 0:28:51.520 --> 0:28:55.120 that as a result, what we can do is we 0:28:55.120 --> 0:28:58.320 can bring the good news to people, and there are 0:28:58.320 --> 0:29:01.800 people out there who will partner with us as well. 0:29:01.800 --> 0:29:04.160 We call them kitchen table Partners on Open Line. These 0:29:04.160 --> 0:29:06.920 are people who commit to give every week, every month 0:29:06.920 --> 0:29:08.720 to open line so I can be on the air 0:29:08.760 --> 0:29:11.120 every week, and I'm so grateful to them. So they 0:29:11.120 --> 0:29:14.240 give a monthly gift. And not only that, uh, they're 0:29:14.240 --> 0:29:16.120 just really partners with the program. I know they pray 0:29:16.120 --> 0:29:18.440 for us, uh, and I do pray for them as 0:29:18.440 --> 0:29:21.360 they send in prayer requests. I love that, uh, but 0:29:21.450 --> 0:29:25.050 another aspect of this partnership with our Kitchen Table partners 0:29:25.090 --> 0:29:28.650 is Tricia, and I produce a Bible study moment every 0:29:28.650 --> 0:29:32.530 other week. Uh, it's a it's an audio brief Bible 0:29:32.530 --> 0:29:34.570 study that they get in the email and they click 0:29:34.570 --> 0:29:35.970 on it and they get to hear it. And it's 0:29:35.970 --> 0:29:38.130 one of the ways that we can say, hey, thanks 0:29:38.130 --> 0:29:40.530 so much for being a kitchen table partner. If you 0:29:40.570 --> 0:29:43.650 are interested in becoming a kitchen table partner, uh, just 0:29:43.650 --> 0:29:52.290 call 886447122. That's (888) 644-7122. Or you can just go to 0:29:52.330 --> 0:29:58.890 open line radio or call or open line radio. Org. 0:29:59.530 --> 0:30:02.290 All right. Our first question from the mailbag is from Noelle. 0:30:02.290 --> 0:30:06.170 And Georgia listens to WNBA. I'm studying the book of Ruth, 0:30:06.170 --> 0:30:08.650 and a commentator referred to this book as part of 0:30:08.650 --> 0:30:12.730 the Bethlehem trilogy. What is the Bethlehem trilogy? 0:30:12.770 --> 0:30:13.490 The Bethlehem. 0:30:13.530 --> 0:30:14.490 Trilogy? 0:30:14.610 --> 0:30:15.209 Yeah. 0:30:15.250 --> 0:30:17.850 I have never heard that expression before. 0:30:17.890 --> 0:30:18.330 Okay. 0:30:18.490 --> 0:30:21.450 Did did you ever hear it before? 0:30:21.490 --> 0:30:22.290 I did not. 0:30:22.530 --> 0:30:25.650 Wow. I can tell you what the Book of Emanuel is, 0:30:25.690 --> 0:30:28.770 is chapter seven through 12 of Isaiah. But I've never 0:30:28.770 --> 0:30:31.570 heard of the. That's a very creative thing. I don't 0:30:31.570 --> 0:30:35.370 know what he would. Well, obviously, Bethlehem is where these 0:30:35.370 --> 0:30:39.850 events take place. Uh, maybe he the gospel, the story 0:30:39.850 --> 0:30:42.610 of the birth of Jesus. That's from Bethlehem. And I 0:30:42.610 --> 0:30:47.290 would guess that the the story of David coming from Bethlehem. So, uh, 0:30:47.330 --> 0:30:52.090 the story of David, the story of Ruth and Naomi. 0:30:52.490 --> 0:30:54.770 And then thirdly, I would guess the third book, and 0:30:54.770 --> 0:30:57.770 that would be the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. How 0:30:57.770 --> 0:30:58.370 am I doing? 0:30:58.930 --> 0:31:01.890 Uh, I'm not sure. I probably should have done more research. 0:31:01.930 --> 0:31:03.330 I'm so sorry for springing this. 0:31:03.370 --> 0:31:06.010 I'm going to just say that's my Bethlehem trilogy, and 0:31:06.010 --> 0:31:07.090 I will go with that. 0:31:07.130 --> 0:31:10.210 All right, so one one says that three stories, two 0:31:10.250 --> 0:31:12.850 at the end of Judges and Ruth make up what 0:31:12.850 --> 0:31:15.290 is frequently referred to as the Bethlehem trilogy. 0:31:15.330 --> 0:31:15.970 Okay, there we go. 0:31:16.010 --> 0:31:19.890 Three events occur in or near Bethlehem the city of David. 0:31:19.930 --> 0:31:22.410 You know, part of the reason why that's someone who 0:31:22.410 --> 0:31:25.050 reads the English Bible. Only that would come up with that, 0:31:25.410 --> 0:31:29.450 because Judges and Ruth are in our English Bibles right 0:31:29.450 --> 0:31:32.570 next to each other. But Ruth actually follows the Book 0:31:32.570 --> 0:31:34.730 of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible. 0:31:35.210 --> 0:31:37.410 So that's actually the next question I had for you 0:31:37.410 --> 0:31:41.770 is from Colleen in Wisconsin, who you had mentioned that recently. Um, 0:31:41.890 --> 0:31:45.010 and she wanted to know why and when did the 0:31:45.010 --> 0:31:49.090 order of those books get, get redistributed and moved around? 0:31:49.130 --> 0:31:52.250 And are there any current English Bible translation that arrange 0:31:52.250 --> 0:31:54.850 it where Ruth would come after Proverbs? 0:31:54.890 --> 0:31:57.290 Yeah, okay. Well, first of all, let me just say 0:31:57.290 --> 0:32:01.330 why it is that Proverbs 31 is I mentioned this 0:32:01.330 --> 0:32:04.570 on the radio a few weeks ago, but, uh, Proverbs 0:32:04.570 --> 0:32:08.890 31 talks about the woman of noble character. The Hebrew 0:32:08.890 --> 0:32:13.130 phrase is Eshet kale. Uh, a woman of valor is 0:32:13.130 --> 0:32:17.410 what it is. And it's got that sort of theoretical description. 0:32:17.900 --> 0:32:20.540 I once preached on Proverbs 31 for Mother's Day and 0:32:20.540 --> 0:32:22.380 I titled the sermon how in the world did I 0:32:22.380 --> 0:32:26.300 get so tired? I mean, that is one active woman. 0:32:26.300 --> 0:32:31.620 She's selling real estate. She's she's making textiles. She's, uh, 0:32:31.620 --> 0:32:34.740 she's feeding her family and makes her husband look good 0:32:34.740 --> 0:32:37.740 at the gate where all the elders sit. It is, uh, 0:32:38.020 --> 0:32:40.900 she's really an amazing woman. And if you want to 0:32:40.940 --> 0:32:44.460 know what a real amazing woman like that looks like, 0:32:44.500 --> 0:32:47.700 the very next book is the Book of Ruth. And 0:32:47.700 --> 0:32:50.900 what does Boaz say of her? I have heard about you, Ruth, 0:32:50.900 --> 0:32:54.980 that you are an asset. A woman of valor. And 0:32:54.980 --> 0:32:57.620 I really do believe in the Hebrew canon. That's why 0:32:57.660 --> 0:33:01.380 Ruth follows Proverbs 31. It's a description of Ruth, who 0:33:01.420 --> 0:33:05.180 is a living example of that woman in Proverbs 31. 0:33:05.180 --> 0:33:08.140 I think it's so interesting that it's a moabitess that 0:33:08.220 --> 0:33:12.620 is the one that's the. So that's that. Well, later on, 0:33:12.820 --> 0:33:16.459 when the Bible was translated into Greek in the Intertestamental period. 0:33:16.460 --> 0:33:20.820 It's called the Septuagint for reasons that I do not understand. 0:33:21.140 --> 0:33:24.940 I don't think anyone does. They reordered the books and 0:33:24.940 --> 0:33:28.459 they reordered them into the order that we have in 0:33:28.460 --> 0:33:32.620 our English Bibles. And so even though we translate our 0:33:32.620 --> 0:33:39.140 Bibles from the Hebrew, they follow the order of our 0:33:39.140 --> 0:33:42.060 English Bibles. They follow the order of the Septuagint in 0:33:42.060 --> 0:33:45.380 the Old Testament. So that's that's where we get it from. 0:33:45.380 --> 0:33:49.100 And then are there any English Bibles that have the 0:33:49.260 --> 0:33:53.940 Hebrew Bible order? I would say yes. There's the Tree 0:33:53.940 --> 0:33:57.459 of Life translation, which is a translation done almost entirely 0:33:57.460 --> 0:34:02.180 by Messianic Jewish scholars. And it's a good translation, and 0:34:02.180 --> 0:34:06.140 it follows the Hebrew Bible order. I think there are 0:34:06.140 --> 0:34:09.899 some others that, for example, the American Bible Society has 0:34:09.900 --> 0:34:14.739 put together a an Old Testament translation without chapter divisions 0:34:14.739 --> 0:34:19.590 or verse divisions. How do you find anything? But, but. 0:34:20.070 --> 0:34:23.750 And it follows the Hebrew Bible order. Okay. So. All right. Okay. 0:34:23.790 --> 0:34:26.069 Well, thank you for that question, Colleen. Next question is 0:34:26.070 --> 0:34:29.270 from Nancy in Illinois, who actually listens to the Florida 0:34:29.270 --> 0:34:30.830 station on the Moody Radio app? 0:34:30.870 --> 0:34:34.390 Oh, there we go. That's a it's probably because it's 0:34:34.390 --> 0:34:37.550 cold in Chicago and she wants to listen in Florida. 0:34:38.430 --> 0:34:42.910 What is the difference between likeness and image in Genesis 0:34:42.950 --> 0:34:46.710 126 which says, Then God said, let us make man 0:34:46.710 --> 0:34:49.230 in our image according to our likeness. 0:34:49.469 --> 0:34:52.870 I don't think there's much of a difference in Hebrew. Uh, 0:34:53.030 --> 0:34:57.630 there's a form of poetry that doesn't rhyme like our poetry. 0:34:57.910 --> 0:35:03.029 The rhythm is much more about. And this is written 0:35:03.030 --> 0:35:08.549 in poetic fashion. Okay. It's what's called parallelism, where it 0:35:08.550 --> 0:35:11.670 says the same thing two different ways with with a 0:35:11.670 --> 0:35:16.470 different nuance, perhaps, but it really is repetitive. And so 0:35:17.790 --> 0:35:24.510 to be made in the image of God, uh, indicates that, uh, 0:35:24.989 --> 0:35:31.870 it's there's something that we represent. God. Uh, and and 0:35:31.870 --> 0:35:35.469 so God made us in his image and in that passage, 0:35:35.670 --> 0:35:40.430 and we're like him in some respect. So image, likeness. Uh, 0:35:40.430 --> 0:35:42.029 in the ancient world, what they would do is they 0:35:42.030 --> 0:35:44.589 would say, we're going to make an image of the God, 0:35:45.390 --> 0:35:47.549 and they'd make an idol, and they'd put it in 0:35:47.550 --> 0:35:52.509 their temples, and it would represent God there. And they 0:35:52.510 --> 0:35:54.870 get that's sort of the concept of the image of God. 0:35:54.870 --> 0:35:57.270 But we're not little gods. What God did is he 0:35:57.270 --> 0:36:00.270 made us after his image. He made us in his image, 0:36:00.270 --> 0:36:02.310 and he put us here on the earth to represent 0:36:02.310 --> 0:36:07.750 him just as so that similar idea and, uh, what 0:36:07.750 --> 0:36:09.109 does it mean to be made in the image of 0:36:09.110 --> 0:36:11.750 God in this text? It does appear to me that 0:36:11.750 --> 0:36:14.589 part of it is that there's only one God, and 0:36:14.590 --> 0:36:18.350 yet there's a plurality. Here's what I mean. It says, uh, 0:36:18.830 --> 0:36:23.189 God said, let us make man in our image and 0:36:23.190 --> 0:36:27.790 according to our likeness. Who's God talking to you? The angels. No, man. 0:36:27.870 --> 0:36:30.509 Humanity is not made in the image of God, of angels. 0:36:30.830 --> 0:36:32.589 We're made in the image of God. Who's he? Maybe 0:36:32.630 --> 0:36:36.029 he's being like Queen Victoria. You know, plural of majesty. 0:36:36.070 --> 0:36:39.189 Always talking about himself in the plural. I don't think 0:36:39.190 --> 0:36:41.469 that's the case either. Well, what is it? Well, the 0:36:41.469 --> 0:36:45.390 text tells us God created man in his own image. 0:36:45.390 --> 0:36:50.950 He created him in the image of God. He created them. Plurality, 0:36:52.030 --> 0:36:55.070 male and female. So just as there's one God but 0:36:55.070 --> 0:37:01.190 plurality in the Godhead, so there's one essence of humanity 0:37:01.630 --> 0:37:04.510 made in the image of God, but there's plurality, male 0:37:04.510 --> 0:37:07.310 and female. And so it hints. Part of the image 0:37:07.310 --> 0:37:12.200 of God is plurality and oneness. Uh, that's one uh, 0:37:12.200 --> 0:37:16.520 another aspect is because of this, we could engage humanity, 0:37:16.520 --> 0:37:19.719 can engage with God. We have a spiritual capacity. You see, 0:37:19.719 --> 0:37:24.479 in Genesis two, with the creation of the animals, they 0:37:24.480 --> 0:37:27.200 do not have a spiritual capacity to relate to God. 0:37:27.239 --> 0:37:29.759 God made humanity in his image. So we have a 0:37:29.760 --> 0:37:34.120 spiritual capacity also. He gave us dominion over the earth 0:37:34.440 --> 0:37:38.160 and to guard and protect the earth, uh, as God's 0:37:38.160 --> 0:37:40.640 representative on earth. And I think that's part of the 0:37:40.640 --> 0:37:43.960 image of God. So those are the the aspects of 0:37:44.320 --> 0:37:48.319 image and likeness that we have as part of humanity. Okay, okay. 0:37:48.320 --> 0:37:50.440 We're going to take a break here. And when we 0:37:50.480 --> 0:37:52.120 come back, we're going to take a few more questions 0:37:52.120 --> 0:37:54.759 from people here in the room with us at the 0:37:54.760 --> 0:37:58.880 National Religious Broadcasters Convention. My name is Michael Zelnick. That 0:37:58.880 --> 0:38:02.560 was Christian McMillan. And we are you're listening to Open Line. 0:38:02.560 --> 0:38:04.600 We're going to come right back with more of these 0:38:04.600 --> 0:38:18.600 questions in just a moment. So stay with us. Have 0:38:18.600 --> 0:38:21.080 you ever wondered how we got the Bible? The story 0:38:21.080 --> 0:38:23.600 of the Bible by Carl Laney takes you on a 0:38:23.600 --> 0:38:28.600 fascinating journey through scriptures from divine inspiration to modern translations. 0:38:28.760 --> 0:38:31.959 Doctor Laney reveals how God gave us his word. This 0:38:31.960 --> 0:38:35.600 book will deepen your confidence in the Bible's reliability while 0:38:35.600 --> 0:38:39.000 answering questions you've always had. If you'd like a copy, 0:38:39.040 --> 0:38:41.320 it's yours. When you give a gift of any size, 0:38:41.480 --> 0:38:55.960 just go to our website, openlibrary.org or call 886447122. Welcome 0:38:55.960 --> 0:38:59.680 back to Open Line. This is a special pre-recorded edition 0:38:59.680 --> 0:39:04.920 of Open Line from the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Dallas, Texas. 0:39:05.160 --> 0:39:07.640 And so today's not a day to call, uh, but 0:39:07.640 --> 0:39:10.170 to listen. We have a live audience here and they 0:39:10.210 --> 0:39:14.170 are the ones asking the question questions. And we're going 0:39:14.170 --> 0:39:17.490 to go right back to those questions right now. 0:39:18.290 --> 0:39:21.130 So I'm Rob, I'm the executive director of Crossway Radio, 0:39:21.170 --> 0:39:22.730 Moody affiliate in new Jersey. 0:39:23.170 --> 0:39:23.730 New Jersey. 0:39:23.770 --> 0:39:24.850 Nice to be here. Yes. 0:39:24.890 --> 0:39:25.570 What town? 0:39:25.969 --> 0:39:28.770 Where? In Dover. And also in Washington, new Jersey. Great. 0:39:28.770 --> 0:39:29.569 And we have another station. 0:39:29.610 --> 0:39:31.970 I'm from the East Coast, so. Yeah, I love Jersey. 0:39:32.010 --> 0:39:35.290 Yeah. So my question is what translation of the Bible 0:39:35.330 --> 0:39:38.850 do you use and why does it matter which translation. 0:39:40.370 --> 0:39:45.850 I happen to use the Holman Christian Standard Bible, the CSB. 0:39:45.890 --> 0:39:50.890 It's been revised. Revised. Now it's the Holman CSB, but 0:39:50.890 --> 0:39:53.810 I use the original one. I like it because I 0:39:53.810 --> 0:39:59.770 think it balances. Uh, you know, there's three different schools 0:39:59.770 --> 0:40:05.690 of translation. There's formal, uh, word for word translation, like 0:40:05.690 --> 0:40:08.730 the New American Standard. That's a great translation. My wife 0:40:08.730 --> 0:40:13.250 thinks that Moses and the Apostle Paul actually translated that. Uh, 0:40:13.570 --> 0:40:18.250 so she's a really committed person to the new American standard. 0:40:18.290 --> 0:40:24.490 Then there's, uh, dynamic equivalence instead of formal equivalence, which is, uh, 0:40:24.890 --> 0:40:27.730 thought for thought, uh, because it's really hard to take 0:40:27.730 --> 0:40:30.610 an ancient language and update it so that it makes sense. 0:40:30.610 --> 0:40:33.450 And so there's, uh, that's like the New Living Translation. 0:40:33.530 --> 0:40:38.290 A dynamic equivalence. And then, uh, what they was decided 0:40:38.290 --> 0:40:43.489 with this translation, the CSB was to go with optimal equivalence, 0:40:43.489 --> 0:40:45.650 to try and be as literal as we can word 0:40:45.650 --> 0:40:47.690 for word, except where it doesn't make any sense or 0:40:47.690 --> 0:40:50.129 it's just too bumpy. And then to to use some 0:40:50.170 --> 0:40:51.890 thought for thought to straighten it out. And I think 0:40:51.890 --> 0:40:55.169 it does a good balance of doing that, and that's 0:40:55.170 --> 0:40:59.770 why I use it. Uh, but when I'm studying, uh, 0:40:59.770 --> 0:41:02.770 in depth, I might start with the new American standard 0:41:02.770 --> 0:41:07.380 because it's word for word, uh, and less interpretive. Uh, 0:41:07.500 --> 0:41:10.540 if I'm reading quickly, I'll use the New Living Translation 0:41:10.540 --> 0:41:14.779 or the NIV because it gives me a quicker, smoother read. 0:41:14.860 --> 0:41:18.460 So there's I think there's place and value of all 0:41:18.460 --> 0:41:21.700 the different translations. The ESV is a very good translation, 0:41:21.700 --> 0:41:24.819 so I'm not at all saying that this is the 0:41:24.820 --> 0:41:28.620 only one that we should have. Uh, I people think 0:41:28.620 --> 0:41:31.140 I'm down on the King James Version. I'm not. I 0:41:31.140 --> 0:41:34.420 think that there are better manuscripts that are used for 0:41:34.460 --> 0:41:37.980 the the than the King James. But if people like 0:41:37.980 --> 0:41:40.020 the King James, they should read it because it's a 0:41:40.020 --> 0:41:44.540 good translation. If you're in the 17th century and uh, uh, 0:41:44.980 --> 0:41:49.060 my wife says, which translation should we read? The one 0:41:49.060 --> 0:41:51.299 that we would actually read. That's the one that we 0:41:51.300 --> 0:41:53.660 should read. That's the best translation for the person. 0:41:53.700 --> 0:41:58.140 So what's the easiest way to explain the Trinity to 0:41:58.180 --> 0:41:58.980 a non-believer? 0:41:59.020 --> 0:41:59.219 Uh. 0:42:00.420 --> 0:42:03.700 Don't try. I think in the book 50 Most Important 0:42:03.700 --> 0:42:06.420 Bible questions. There's a question that said, is there a 0:42:06.420 --> 0:42:10.259 simple explanation? Could you give a simple explanation of the Trinity? 0:42:10.420 --> 0:42:12.940 And my first answer were the first words of my 0:42:12.940 --> 0:42:16.219 answer are I wish I could. There is no simple 0:42:16.219 --> 0:42:20.500 explanation of the Trinity. So the way I mean, we 0:42:20.500 --> 0:42:22.660 could go through what the Bible says, that the Bible 0:42:22.660 --> 0:42:25.500 teaches that there is a father, there's a son, there's 0:42:25.500 --> 0:42:28.140 a Holy Spirit teaches that they all are God. But 0:42:28.140 --> 0:42:33.700 the Bible also teaches that, uh, that God is one. Hear, 0:42:33.700 --> 0:42:36.060 O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Uh, 0:42:36.060 --> 0:42:40.340 even in the New Testament. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 0:42:40.340 --> 0:42:43.940 one Lord. You know Ephesians four four. So, uh, the 0:42:43.940 --> 0:42:47.620 Bible teaches that there is only one God, and yet 0:42:48.260 --> 0:42:54.580 there seems to be this three persons. You know, uh, 0:42:54.780 --> 0:42:57.739 I think the clearest way that's presented that's sort of 0:42:57.780 --> 0:43:02.980 surprising to us is in Matthew 28, where it says, uh, 0:43:03.700 --> 0:43:08.219 that the, uh, baptizing them in the name of the father, 0:43:08.219 --> 0:43:10.379 son and the Holy Spirit, you would expect the word 0:43:10.380 --> 0:43:14.700 name to be plural, but it's not. It's the name 0:43:14.700 --> 0:43:16.860 singular of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit. 0:43:16.860 --> 0:43:20.660 3 in 1. So theologians have done this with, uh, 0:43:20.700 --> 0:43:23.420 in the past, in the fourth or fifth century, six centuries, 0:43:23.420 --> 0:43:26.460 they've used terms like ousia, the essence of God, that 0:43:26.460 --> 0:43:29.100 there's one essence of God, and that there are three 0:43:29.140 --> 0:43:34.580 hypostases three persons. But I always say this. I know 0:43:34.580 --> 0:43:37.700 the Bible teaches it. I'm not sure I could explain 0:43:37.700 --> 0:43:41.500 it to myself, let alone to anyone else. And so 0:43:42.340 --> 0:43:44.779 the the best thing I can do is it says 0:43:44.780 --> 0:43:48.740 in Isaiah 55, as high as the heavens are above 0:43:48.739 --> 0:43:53.299 the earth, so far are my ways higher than your ways, 0:43:53.300 --> 0:43:57.180 my thoughts higher than your thoughts. God understands the Trinity. 0:43:57.500 --> 0:44:00.140 I just have to believe it. I don't have to 0:44:00.140 --> 0:44:05.270 understand it. Uh, the verse in Second Timothy without controversy. 0:44:05.270 --> 0:44:07.870 Great is the mystery of God that God was manifest 0:44:07.910 --> 0:44:10.190 in the flesh. He says, if Paul could talk it, 0:44:10.230 --> 0:44:14.350 call it a mystery, why can't we? So Ed Cannon 0:44:14.350 --> 0:44:16.070 mentioned at the beginning of the hour. 0:44:16.270 --> 0:44:19.310 Donald Cole, I know you learned a lot from him 0:44:19.510 --> 0:44:22.870 and how he answered questions. Have you learned anything or 0:44:22.870 --> 0:44:25.270 what have you learned from your listeners? 0:44:25.950 --> 0:44:30.030 Yes, just like I learned from my students at school. Yeah, 0:44:30.630 --> 0:44:33.670 I would say I was thinking about that question. One 0:44:33.670 --> 0:44:37.110 of I see the questions that come in, and sometimes 0:44:37.110 --> 0:44:40.990 people are reading the Bible so carefully and they're comparing 0:44:41.150 --> 0:44:44.229 kings to Chronicles, and they're saying, well, the story seems 0:44:44.230 --> 0:44:45.989 a little different here than it is there, or they 0:44:46.030 --> 0:44:48.670 compared the different gospels, or they want to know the 0:44:48.670 --> 0:44:53.150 exact genealogy genealogy of every apostle. Why does James the 0:44:53.150 --> 0:44:55.870 son of Alphaeus and not James the sons of Zebedee, 0:44:55.910 --> 0:44:59.149 you know the son of James and John. So one 0:44:59.150 --> 0:45:01.510 of the things that I see is a really careful 0:45:01.510 --> 0:45:05.589 reading of the scriptures, and I really appreciate that. And 0:45:05.590 --> 0:45:08.069 it reminds me over and over to read the details, 0:45:08.110 --> 0:45:11.830 go for the details. The second aspect that I think 0:45:11.830 --> 0:45:14.549 I've learned from them, and that's even sometimes when they 0:45:14.550 --> 0:45:20.109 misapply the Bible, uh, they're really trying to have the 0:45:20.110 --> 0:45:26.390 scriptures affect their lives. And as a result of that, 0:45:26.390 --> 0:45:29.390 sometimes they go a little too far with their application. 0:45:29.989 --> 0:45:32.790 But it's a good motive. They want the Bible to 0:45:32.830 --> 0:45:35.750 guide them in everything that they're doing and how they're living. 0:45:35.750 --> 0:45:38.670 And that's also a great reminder for me and something 0:45:38.670 --> 0:45:40.670 that I need to be doing as I read it. 0:45:40.670 --> 0:45:42.990 I can't be just reading it to fill my head. 0:45:43.030 --> 0:45:45.989 I need it to affect my heart and and then 0:45:45.989 --> 0:45:49.350 change my life, transform my life. And and those are 0:45:49.350 --> 0:45:53.310 two aspects that I think I learned most from, from 0:45:53.310 --> 0:45:58.870 listeners who call with their questions because they're calling, because they, they, 0:45:59.160 --> 0:46:02.319 they really are reading the Bible carefully. And then secondly, 0:46:02.760 --> 0:46:06.880 they're they're wanting to change their lives. So, uh. Well, 0:46:06.880 --> 0:46:10.240 I can't believe that that's the fastest hour I've ever 0:46:10.239 --> 0:46:13.520 been part of. And I'm so glad that you've been listening. Uh, 0:46:13.760 --> 0:46:16.080 this is a special time of open line at the 0:46:16.080 --> 0:46:20.560 National Religious Broadcasters Convention. Hope you enjoyed that. Uh, first hour, 0:46:20.560 --> 0:46:22.520 but we're going to come back with a second hour 0:46:22.520 --> 0:46:26.920 right here at the convention, so don't miss out on that. Uh, 0:46:27.360 --> 0:46:30.040 while we're in the break, check out our web page, 0:46:30.080 --> 0:46:34.480 Open Line radio.org. That web page has everything you're looking for, 0:46:34.480 --> 0:46:40.040 whether it's past programs, how to become a kitchen table partner, 0:46:40.040 --> 0:46:43.040 or how to get our current resource. Uh, we're going 0:46:43.080 --> 0:46:44.879 to come back with more of your questions in just 0:46:44.880 --> 0:46:48.719 a moment. Open line. Our Bible study across America will 0:46:48.719 --> 0:46:51.720 continue in the second hour, so stay with us. Open 0:46:51.719 --> 0:46:54.280 line with Doctor Michael Radonich is a production of Moody 0:46:54.280 --> 0:46:57.520 Radio and ministry of Moody Bible Institute.