S1: Hello friends. It's time for the second hour of Open
S1: Line with Doctor Michael Moody Radio's Bible Study Across America.
S1: We're talking about your questions about the Bible, God and
S1: the spiritual life. My name is Michael Ray. I'm the
S1: academic dean, and I'm also a professor of Jewish studies
S1: and Bible at Moody Bible Institute. We're live today sitting
S1: around the radio kitchen table, and we're talking about your
S1: questions about the Bible, God, and the spiritual life. If
S1: you'd like to give us a call with your question,
S1: the phone number is (877) 548-3675. That's (877) 548-3675. If you can't call,
S1: just go to our website Open Line radio.org. Click on
S1: the link that says Ask Michael a question and you
S1: can post your question there. It'll be put into the mailbag. Now,
S1: do you have your second cup of coffee? I hope so,
S1: because if you have your Bibles open, we're ready to
S1: talk about the scriptures, and we're going to talk with
S1: Jeff in Minnesota listening on CTI. Welcome to Open Line, Jeff.
S1: How can I help you today?
S2: Thank you. Michael. It's very much an honor to talk
S2: to you today. My question is about the law. About
S2: the law to understand the, uh, you know, it all
S2: the that which, uh, the New Testament tells us Jesus
S2: fulfilled the law. Did he? First off, is there a
S2: definitive list? And did he fulfill just the sacrificial part?
S2: Certainly there's some law that we follow in the legal, uh, governmental, uh,
S2: situation right now. Uh, basically the same, same thing. But
S2: he didn't deliver us from from that. But just I
S2: was trying to find out. Is there a definitive list
S2: or where I should look to really get a full description?
S1: The passage you're talking about the the Lord fulfilling the law, right?
S1: Is Matthew five okay? Right. That's what you're talking about.
S1: Or am I telling you or are you. Are you
S1: aware of that?
S2: Yeah, I'm aware of that. That's that's true.
S1: Okay. So Matthew five says this in verse 17. And
S1: I think most people miss this. Are you ready?
S2: Yes.
S1: Don't assume that I came to destroy the law or
S1: the prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
S1: When he talks about the law of the prophets, he's
S1: not talking about just the Law of Moses. He's talking
S1: about the Old Testament. Now, later on, uh, the Jesus
S1: and Luke talks about the law, the prophets, and the writings,
S1: or the Psalms. The threefold. But generally speaking, when people
S1: talked about the scriptures, the Old Testament scriptures, they called
S1: them the law and the prophets. And so when Jesus said,
S1: I didn't come to destroy the law or the prophets,
S1: I didn't. I didn't come to destroy, but to fulfill.
S1: He's saying, I didn't come to destroy the scriptures. I
S1: came to fulfill the scriptures. He's talking more broadly than
S1: just the Law of Moses. And then he goes on
S1: to talk about the law of Moses in particular. But
S1: he is talking about the whole Bible. Uh, that's the
S1: first thing. Secondly, when we look at the Bible, people
S1: will say, are we under the law of Moses or
S1: are we not? And I give the really clear answer
S1: of yes and no. Uh, the the reason I say
S1: no is when we use the word law, it's used
S1: a number of ways. It's used of the Pentateuch from
S1: Genesis through Deuteronomy, right? Right. Is that the word of God,
S1: or are we under its authority? Yeah, of course it is.
S1: It's our authority. When when Paul talks about the inspired scriptures,
S1: he's including that, right? That's our authority. So, uh, on
S1: the one hand, yes, we're under that. Secondly, he also
S1: uses it of the Sinai covenant, the laws, the 613
S1: commandments that were handed down. Now, many of those Sinai
S1: covenant laws have been repeated in the New Covenant. So
S1: if we're new covenant followers of Jesus, we have to
S1: be obedient to those same laws. Uh, like nine of
S1: the Ten Commandments are repeated in the New Testament. So
S1: are we under that? But our lifestyle is sort of
S1: an enhanced New Covenant law, meaning Paul keeps talking about
S1: the law of Christ. You may have seen that the
S1: Messianic Torah, the messianic law, that's that's how you could
S1: translate it. So we're we're operating our operating system is
S1: the law of Messiah, but that encompasses, uh, the teachings
S1: and the principles that are in the law of Moses. So,
S1: for example, kosher laws, I think all foods have been
S1: declared clean. People can eat whatever they want. Uh, people
S1: can keep kosher. They can not keep kosher. It's up
S1: to them. You want to have bacon and eggs or
S1: instead of turkey bacon, have actual bacon from a pig.
S1: It's allowed. Right? However, there are principles that are in
S1: that passage. So no matter what, we need to treat
S1: those individual laws as God's wisdom and find the wisdom
S1: principle that governs our lives. And in that sense, we're
S1: under it. We're not under the specific don't eat these foods,
S1: but we are under the principle of that. God said
S1: he wanted Israel to be holy in Leviticus 11. He
S1: wanted Israel to be separate, and one of the ways
S1: they could separate themselves would be to carry, to keep
S1: the kosher laws. So that's why, uh, it says be holy,
S1: for I am holy there at the end of Leviticus 11.
S1: Should we keep ourselves distinct and separate? Yeah, that's the
S1: wisdom principle. And we have to be different in some
S1: way than those people around us. Does that does that
S1: make sense?
S2: Yeah, it gives me a lot to think about, about
S2: fulfilling all the scripture, uh, rather than just the first
S2: five list, Leviticus and and whatnot. So, uh, yeah, I
S2: appreciate that insight. Yeah, it gives me more. Yeah.
S1: Great. Uh, okay. Uh, we're going to, uh, we're going
S1: to talk to Tony in West Chicago, uh, listening on Wmbi.
S1: Welcome to Open Line, Tony. How can I help you?
S3: Thank you. Um, yeah. Um, my question, um, has been
S3: something that's been on my mind for a while now.
S3: And just to preface, uh, I am a strong supporter
S3: of Israel. I hope and pray for their safety and success. However,
S3: Old Testament Israel was disciplined by God for idolatry, by
S3: enemy nations, and news of Israel's secularism, like the abortion, uh,
S3: counts and homosexuality, which is all idolatry, has been very
S3: worrying to me. Could it be that the October 7th
S3: massacre has been a wake up call to Israel? And
S3: if so, has there been a discussion on this perspective
S3: in Israel regarding future concerns, and should we be praying
S3: in this respect in this regard?
S1: Well, I would put it this way. You know what?
S1: I'm going to be really blunt here. Where would I
S1: rather be as a person who affirms God's and the
S1: biblical expectations of human sexuality? I would rather be in
S1: Israel than, for example, in Gaza, where Hamas kills people
S1: who have same sex relationships. Right? They throw them off
S1: the roof. So I would I would rather be in
S1: Israel where there's freedom, just like I think in America.
S1: I think that I would rather be in a democracy
S1: that has recognizes the humanity and human rights of of
S1: people like, engaged in, in same sex relationships. I'm not
S1: in any way saying that we need to, to to, uh,
S1: have anything but respect for those people, even if we
S1: disagree with their lifestyle. I'm not endorsing anything about the lifestyle.
S1: I'm just saying people are made in the image of God.
S1: And I appreciate that Israel doesn't do what happens in
S1: many countries around Israel. Wouldn't you agree with that?
S3: Well, I think that's that's not only just one issue
S3: of of idolatry. It's the whole issue.
S1: Well, I'm going to go on to talk about the others,
S1: but I just want to know if you agree with
S1: me about that.
S3: I think that, um, it's certainly good to be certainly
S3: trying to find how to help those who are have
S3: made these decisions. Absolutely. And in, in as a Christian,
S3: I work I absolutely work toward that.
S1: Yeah. Okay. Good. Now, uh, Uh, the. That's a governmental perspective,
S1: not a personal. Do you understand what I'm saying? Uh,
S1: I think that we ought not to do anything unkind
S1: or un. Uh, untoward, uh, to anyone. Even people who
S1: don't know the Lord. I mean, what do you think? So, uh, now,
S1: the other thing I would say about this is. Yes. God. Uh,
S1: so often people think there's, like, this tit for tat
S1: thing going on, but God does this in our lives, too,
S1: doesn't he? He brings difficulties and challenges in our lives,
S1: either to make us more faithful or to correct us
S1: when we've been unfaithful. Isn't that true? Right? That's what
S1: Hebrews 12 is about.
S3: So pretty. Pretty, uh. Painful?
S1: Yeah. And so not that there was any justification for what, uh,
S1: for what Hamas did. Not that, uh, there's any endorsement
S1: of it. Uh, and we shouldn't approve of it in
S1: any way, shape or form. Uh, we should condemn it.
S1: Hate it, uh, respect Israel's right to defend itself. All
S1: that's true. But don't you think it causes people to say, well,
S1: I better seek the Lord? You know, it says in
S1: Psalm 120, verse one, uh, that out of my distress
S1: I cry to the Lord, and he heard me. And
S1: so I've been talking to friends who are followers of
S1: Jesus in Israel, and they have been telling me they
S1: have never seen Israelis quite as open spiritually as they've
S1: seen them since 1011. That this has done something in
S1: the land to bring a sense of searching, a searching
S1: for the Lord, to see where God is at. So
S1: that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to pray
S1: that God opens hearts and people will, uh, come to
S1: know him because of the struggles that they're facing. I
S1: think that's how I would pray for Israel right now.
S1: Not only for deliverance from this difficulty. Difficult situation. For safety,
S1: for protection, but also for spiritual pursuit of the Lord.
S1: And that God would reveal himself to them. I think
S1: that would be great, don't you, Tony? I do, I
S1: hope so. Absolutely. Yeah. Okay. We'll be back with more
S1: questions in just a moment. This is open line with
S1: Michael Radulovic. Welcome back to Open Line. I'm Michael Radulovic.
S1: Glad to be with you today. Talking about your questions
S1: about the Bible, God and the spiritual life, and seems
S1: like today a lot of questions about Israel as well. So, uh,
S1: I do want to mention a couple of things. One
S1: is we have our favorite. I have my favorite resource.
S1: I think I've given it a long time as a
S1: thank you for your gift of any size. And that
S1: is a Bible dictionary. Uh, I think it's so crucial
S1: that everyone build a library and, uh, a good Bible
S1: library as a resource when you're reading the Bible to
S1: be able to turn to something and and look things up. Uh,
S1: when you wonder who are these people that are mentioned?
S1: What's this place name? What happened there? What's this event?
S1: What's this Holy day? Well, you could look it up
S1: in the Ultimate Bible Dictionary, published by B.A. publishers. It's
S1: the same publisher that produced my favorite Bible translation, the
S1: Holman CSB. And we'd like to send you a copy
S1: of the Ultimate Bible Dictionary as a thank you for
S1: a gift of any size. And boy, we could really, uh,
S1: we would really appreciate a gift. Now, this month, as
S1: we come to the end of our fiscal year at
S1: Moody Bible Institute. So if you'd like to give, uh,
S1: the best way to do that is to call (888) 644-7122
S1: or go to open line radio.org, and we'll send you
S1: a copy of the Ultimate Bible Dictionary. You're going to
S1: love this handy terrific book. Uh, it's it's small, it's
S1: easy to carry. It's a great resource. Again, call (888) 644-7122
S1: or go to Open Line radio.org. And remember to ask
S1: for the ultimate Bible dictionary with your gift of any size.
S1: Now some people are asking me about something else, and
S1: I need to mention this that one of one of
S1: the things that happens if you become a kitchen table partner,
S1: which is people kitchen table partners give monthly so that
S1: we can be on the air weekly. Uh, it's a
S1: commitment they make, uh, for 12 months to give monthly. Uh,
S1: do you still get the resource? Yes. All you have
S1: to do is ask for it. We're really grateful for
S1: the gifts that you give on a monthly basis. And
S1: of course, we want to send you the resource, but
S1: we really appreciate that monthly commitment to be a kitchen
S1: table partner. And if some of you have given occasionally
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S1: to our website, Open Line radio.org or call (886) 447-1221. And
S1: we're going to talk with Craig and Grand Rapids Michigan
S1: listening on WGN. Welcome to Open Line Craig. How can
S1: I help you today.
S4: Hi. Um, thanks for taking me. And I'm kind of
S4: I've been reading through the Bible and stuff. And then
S4: with all the, all the wars and stuff going on
S4: right now, and, and I just had the question, like
S4: going through, um, in Matthew where Jesus says, um, to
S4: love your enemy. And then in Luke he says, do
S4: good to them. I don't, it's how how would that
S4: look if, say, Netanyahu said, I'm going like, I.
S1: I love Iran and so they can nuke me if
S1: they want. They can nuke my people.
S4: Well, no, no, no, not if and I believe I
S4: believe in Israel because it says in the Bible, um,
S4: don't ever go against Israel.
S1: Well, here's here's the thing that you're asking about, first
S1: of all, those verses about love your enemy. That's not
S1: talking about international affairs, that's talking about, uh, into interpersonal conflicts.
S1: And I think it's, uh, very important that we do
S1: make enemies in life, and we have to love them
S1: and care for them and do good for them. That's
S1: first of all. Right. Uh, secondly, uh, Uh, sometimes holding
S1: people accountable is the most loving thing to do. I'll
S1: think back to when there was some people. I was
S1: leading a Bible study that was going to become a
S1: congregation in Brooklyn, New York, and we were there, and
S1: some people came in to disrupt the meeting, and they
S1: started turning over our tables and knocking over chairs and
S1: knocking people down and doing all this. And one of
S1: our guys working with the ministry I was with grabbed
S1: one of those guys to protect the people and held them.
S1: He was sort of a martial arts expert. He didn't
S1: hurt the guy. He just held him. We called the
S1: police and the police said, uh, you know, when the
S1: police were on their way, we called 911. Uh, this
S1: guy says to us, I thought you were supposed to
S1: be Jesus followers. What about loving your enemies? And we said,
S1: we do love you. You have to learn not to
S1: act this way. And the way you can learn that
S1: is by being held accountable. And so we're calling the
S1: police in love, and we're going to press charges and
S1: we're going to, you know, try and find every charge
S1: we can. Press. So you learn not to behave this
S1: way because that would be the most loving thing to do.
S1: That's also loving and doing good for people. And then finally, uh,
S1: there's the responsibility of a state. According to Romans 13,
S1: that it's not that it's not loving, but there still
S1: is this accountability that other nations will have if they threaten, uh,
S1: your nation with a nuclear weapon to eradicate it. A
S1: government would be responsible to stop that. Uh, and it
S1: would be the most loving thing to do for all involved.
S1: The same thing when Hamas acted that way and threatened
S1: to have repeated, um, uh, assaults on Israel, repeated invasions.
S1: They said that right away. This is not the first one.
S1: We're going to do it again and again and again. Well,
S1: then there had to be. The most loving thing to
S1: do is to hold them to account. And so it's
S1: a lot of times we look at love as being
S1: very soft. And sometimes love has to be very tough.
S4: That's not that's definitely not what I'm saying, but I'm
S4: saying Jesus says so they came in the Hamas did
S4: that horrible thing. And I can understand they threw your
S4: tables over. You stopped the guy. Yes. That's defending immediately.
S4: But they're done. They're gone. And now we plan. And
S4: you look at Jesus and say, all right, Jesus, what
S4: do we do? We get over there. And I just
S4: can't like, does Jesus say, yes, get over there and
S4: kill them.
S1: He says, well, I'm going to tell you what he says. Okay, Craig.
S4: Greg can handle it.
S1: Craig. This is what he says. He is the New Testament,
S1: the word of God.
S4: Yes.
S1: Yes. So it's the word of Jesus. In fact, it's
S1: called the Word of Christ in Romans chapter 13. It
S1: says that the government is a servant of God. Twice
S1: it says the government is a servant of the Lord
S1: to carry out vengeance appropriately. Now, I don't mean revenge.
S4: But that's a verse.
S1: Yeah. Here's what it says.
S4: Said to carry out vengeance.
S1: Here's what it is. Uh. An avenger. Listen to the verse.
S1: Government is God's servant for your good. This is Paul writing.
S1: But the word of God is the word of Christ, right? So.
S1: But if you do wrong, be afraid.
S4: Right?
S1: Pardon me.
S4: Whether they believe or not. Believe.
S1: Yeah. Listen to this, okay? Government is God's servant for
S1: your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid because
S1: it does not carry the sword. That's the assault weapon
S1: of the first century. For no reason for government is
S1: God's servant and avenger that brings wrath on the one
S1: who does wrong. That's a governmental responsibility.
S4: Yeah, that does make sense. What verse was that?
S1: Romans 13 four.
S4: Okay. And then so would it be wrong to you
S4: for a soldier in Israel, to a Christian soldier, to say,
S4: I'm not going over there and killing those people?
S1: No, I think it would be wrong. Uh, a soldier
S1: is under the government, and the government is authorized to
S1: do this. And just like in Israel, in ancient Israel,
S1: when God authorized, uh, the government of Israel to to
S1: go to war.
S4: Yeah, I understand what you're saying, but I'm saying, would
S4: Jesus would that be he's using Jesus as to say,
S4: that's my worst enemy.
S1: I think he I think I think.
S4: He's.
S1: I think what he would be saying would be misusing
S1: the words of Jesus, which have to do with personal
S1: enmity and not governmental responsibility.
S4: So you could hear Jesus only saying, get over there.
S1: And you know what, Craig? I'm trying to say to
S1: you as clearly as I can, that I believe I
S1: was once in a discussion with a pacifist who didn't
S1: believe that anyone should ever go to war, and when
S1: asked why wait, Craig. Wait when when when when he
S1: said that the question was why? And he said, what
S1: would Jesus do? And I said, okay, read revelation 19
S1: and revelation 19 says that the Lord Jesus himself will
S1: go to war. So if we're going to do what
S1: Jesus did, there may be circumstances that a government requires
S1: us to go to war. So that's all I'm saying.
S1: And what you're doing is dealing with a non-governmental situation
S1: and trying to make it into, uh, apply it to
S1: a governmental situation, which is different.
S4: I know. Okay. We follow the government until it goes against.
S4: And I'm not I'm not saying it's wrong.
S1: I'm talking about.
S4: I'm. I'm just confused.
S1: Craig. I'm talking Craig. I'm talking about a biblical responsibility
S1: for government. Romans 13 four. So. Okay. That's what I'm
S1: talking about.
S4: What happened when Babylon came in and took them?
S1: Babylon was held accountable for that. Read the book of Habakkuk.
S4: But yeah, but that's the I mean, God came in
S4: and said, go, go with.
S1: Them, you know. Craig, listen, I'm going to just tell
S1: you Babylon has really nothing to do with what we're
S1: talking about here. Here's what it says. The Bible says
S1: that that's a governmental responsibility. That's all I'm saying. Okay.
S1: And that may be the most loving, loving thing to do.
S1: And by the way, I do think it's loving, uh,
S1: to get Hamas out of Gaza. That would be the
S1: best thing to do. So anyway, thanks for your call, Craig. Uh,
S1: we're going to talk with, uh, David in Mentor, Ohio. Uh,
S1: welcome to Open Line. David. How can I help you?
S5: Uh, good morning, doctor. Thank you for taking my call. Sure.
S5: I have a question. Well, first, before I say anything,
S5: I want to say to Craig, um, he needs to
S5: learn what Jesus meant when Jesus said that no longer, uh,
S5: you know, you would go bare handed that you would
S5: need to pick up a sword. So you're allowed to
S5: protect yourself anyway?
S6: Yeah. Go ahead.
S5: Getting to my question.
S6: Mhm.
S5: And acts 1040. Verse 42 and says to him, uh,
S5: which was ordained of God to be the judge of
S5: the quick and the dead. I'm kind of curious if
S5: the quick if he's referring to people who are physically alive,
S5: or is he talking about people who are spiritually quickened
S5: and with the dead? Same thing. People were physically dead,
S5: or people who are spiritually dead. It may be both.
S6: But I think he's talking about.
S1: The living and the dead just means all people for
S1: all time. That's all it means.
S6: It's a it's a it's.
S1: A merism meaning that he is going to be the
S1: judge of all people. People who have died, people who
S1: are alive, people who will live, all people he will
S1: be the judge of. Okay.
S5: You're here to talk that people are. People are saved,
S5: that they will not be judged. But I believe.
S1: He.
S6: Is the judge of all people.
S5: For actions. Yeah.
S1: He's a judge of all. And now he's going to
S1: judge believers differently. It'll be at the the Bema Seat
S1: of the Messiah. Well, thanks for your call, David. We'll
S1: be back in just a bit with more of your
S1: questions right here on Open Line with Michael Ray Dolnick.
S1: Welcome back to Open Line. I'm Michael Ray Elnec, and
S1: so glad to be with you. So grateful that you're listening.
S1: And also so grateful that Tricia McMillan is coming in
S1: with the Febc mailbag. So happy to see you, Tricia.
S1: The Febc mailbag is there because the Febc Far Eastern
S1: Broadcasting Company partners with us to bring you the mailbag.
S1: And this is a terrific organization that brings the good
S1: news to people through media, through personal engagement. They have
S1: a wonderful podcast called Until All Have Heard. It features
S1: Ed Cannon, the president of Febc. I encourage you to
S1: check it out by going to Febc. Org or to
S1: your favorite podcast distributor and get a copy of that.
S1: Listen to it and be encouraged as the gospel is
S1: spread through Febc. Hey, Tricia. Hey, we got a lot
S1: of questions here. Let's see how many we can do.
S1: What do you think?
S7: All right. Sounds great. We got a question on Facebook
S7: from someone who says I'm a baker for farmers markets.
S7: And last year, I began a farmers market in our
S7: church parking lot with the support of the pastors, elders
S7: and trustees and then the vendor fees that the people
S7: selling things, um, pay goes back into the church and
S7: needs there, which is kind of a cool deal.
S6: So it's.
S1: A fundraiser in a sense, for the.
S7: Church? Yeah. Several members of the church are vendors there, too.
S7: And we've even had a hot dog lunch outreach as
S7: a youth group fundraiser. An influential member has compared this
S7: farmer's market, though, to the story of Jesus overturning the
S7: tables in the temple and has told has told me
S7: that we should know better. My vision was to use
S7: it as an outreach, a collaboration with the church, creating
S7: connections in the community, and so many good things. But
S7: instead it seems to be turning into a battle. I
S7: don't want to continue this if it's a bad thing.
S7: Is the market comparable to the temple money changers? And
S7: I would even throw in like a church rummage sale
S7: would be, I think, a similar thing.
S6: Well.
S1: This was not only did this come up once before
S1: when I was a pastor in New York a long
S1: time ago. Uh, we were going to a Bible conference,
S1: and we had a lot of new Russian Jewish immigrants
S1: in our congregation, and they couldn't afford to go to
S1: this Bible conference at a Bible conference center in the mountains.
S1: And we were going to go. And so what we
S1: did is we had a rummage sale in our parking lot.
S1: Everyone brought everything, and we raised enough money to send
S1: every single person that couldn't afford to go to this conference.
S1: And what was so strange is there was one woman
S1: in our congregation who just went crazy about it. She
S1: thought this was the end of the world. She thought
S1: that what we were doing was turning our our temple
S1: into a den of thieves. Uh, and so I've encountered
S1: this before. Here's what I would say. The problem with
S1: the money changers and what was going on in the
S1: temple is completely different. Here's what was happening. First of all,
S1: they people had to bring a sacrifice so they would
S1: go to the temple. No matter how spotless or perfect
S1: their lamb was, if they brought one, the inspectors from
S1: the priesthood would say, nah, that's not quite good enough.
S1: We want the ones that we can be sure of.
S1: You have to buy one of ours. And it was
S1: like at airport prices is the way I would describe it.
S1: You know, you go to the airport and you want
S1: to get a hot dog and it's $16 and you're like, wow.
S1: Do they know what's going on outside of the airport?
S1: So they would charge a great deal for those perfect
S1: spotless lambs and goats and things in, in the temple.
S1: And then you'd say, okay, I'll buy it because I
S1: have to bring my sacrifice. And then they would say, oh,
S1: I'm sorry, your money's no good here. You've got to
S1: go to the money changers. We only have temple currency.
S1: You can't give us a shekel. You've got to give
S1: us a temple shekel. And. Okay, so I'll go to
S1: the money changers, and those guys would charge. Well, there's
S1: a 20% fee to convert your money to temple money.
S1: And so they were making money in a corrupt way.
S1: And that's what was upsetting the Lord. Not that there
S1: were if they had just been a nonprofit and providing
S1: the animals at at proper price, if they were converting
S1: the money with a reasonable amount of, of a surcharge,
S1: I don't think it would have spurred the, the, the, the,
S1: the conflict that that did come out because of it.
S1: That's what made the Lord Jesus so righteously angry. And
S1: so it seems to me. Go ahead with your parking
S1: lot farmers market. It's it's a great way to raise money.
S7: Okay. All right. Thank you for that question. I hope
S7: that helps. Um, as you continue to reach out in
S7: your community. Uh, Michael wrote us in Indiana, listens to WGN,
S7: and said, I'm leading a Bible study through the book
S7: of acts. And as I have prepared, I have gotten
S7: to verse two, chapter 16, verse three, which has raised
S7: two questions for me. One why would Paul circumcise Timothy?
S7: Let me read the verse. Paul wanted Timothy to go
S7: with him, so he took him and circumcised him because
S7: of the Jews who were in those places. Since they
S7: all knew that his father was a Greek. So why
S7: would Paul circumcise Timothy if, as he states in first
S7: Corinthians 718 and 19 and Galatians five six, the circumcision
S7: isn't what saves you, and it doesn't matter. Um, and
S7: then perhaps more to the point, number two, how would
S7: anyone even know that Timothy was circumcised?
S1: Okay. Uh, the verse, first of all, let me just
S1: state that when Paul writes in first Corinthians 718, was
S1: anyone already circumcised when he was called? In other words,
S1: are you Jewish because Jewish people would be circumcised on
S1: the eighth day because of an outward sign of the
S1: Abrahamic covenant? He should not undo his circumcision. There was
S1: actually a surgery that people were doing. So they compete
S1: in Greco-Roman World Games that demonstrated that restored the circumcision
S1: or undid the circumcision, I should say. And so he said,
S1: don't do that if you're Jewish, stay Jewish. Uh, he
S1: should not get if someone is uncircumcised, if you're a
S1: Gentile and become a follower of Jesus, don't get circumcised.
S1: You don't have to become Jewish to become a follower.
S1: So when he says he should not get circumcised, he's
S1: talking about Gentiles. Same thing in Galatians. What was the
S1: problem in Galatians? They were telling Gentiles they had to
S1: be circumcised in order to become followers of Jesus. It
S1: was addressing Gentiles. He says in the Messiah, Jesus, neither
S1: circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything. In other words, if you're
S1: a Gentile, you don't have to be circumcised to come
S1: to faith. That's the point of that. And so. why
S1: is it that Paul Circumcises Timothy? Is because Timothy's mother
S1: is Jewish. He considers Timothy fully Jewish. The outward sign
S1: of the Abrahamic Covenant. Not for salvation, but for the
S1: the God's faithfulness to Israel was through circumcision. And so
S1: Paul did that as a mark of the Abrahamic covenant,
S1: just as you would with any Jewish child. Uh, just
S1: as Paul was circumcised on the eighth day. So that's
S1: why he circumcised Timothy. He wouldn't have circumcised Titus. In fact,
S1: he says he didn't. The reason he didn't was because
S1: Titus was a Gentile and there was a principle involved.
S1: Don't want anyone to think that a person has to
S1: be circumcised on the eighth day, or ritually, in order
S1: to be saved. That's why it was for the outward
S1: sign of the Abrahamic Covenant. How did they know? I
S1: think people would ask, uh, are you are you are
S1: you circumcised? Yeah. You know.
S7: Because they would know that he's Jewish.
S1: Yeah.
S7: Okay.
S1: Yeah. That's it. Okay. And they would also know that
S1: his father wasn't Jewish. People would. And. And so they ask,
S1: I don't think that they have an inspection.
S7: Okay.
S1: You know, I've been asked. Believe it or not, when, uh,
S1: when I've met people, uh, in very observant Jews and
S1: they find out I'm a messianic Jew, they'll say, well,
S1: were you circumcised? Of course. Eighth day, you know.
S7: Okay.
S1: So no one ever would do anything other than that.
S7: Okay. And it wouldn't matter that that his father was
S7: Greek because his mother was Jewish.
S6: Yeah.
S1: Either in the Bible, either parent being Jewish makes the
S1: child Jewish.
S7: Okay. All right. And therefore, as a witness to the
S7: Jewish people in those places where he was going to go,
S7: this was also a witness to them.
S1: I would go even further. Not just a witness. Yeah.
S1: But also because God commanded Jews to circumcise on the
S1: eighth day. He missed it because obviously his father had
S1: objected to it. So, uh, but as an obedience to Abraham,
S1: the outward sign of the Abrahamic covenant.
S7: Okay. Okay. Thank you. Thank you for that. You want
S7: to do one more?
S6: Yeah.
S1: Let's do it real quick.
S7: Okay. Anita in Indiana listens to WGN and says, first
S7: John 516, which says if anyone sees his brother committing
S7: a sin that does not bring death, he should ask
S7: as in prayer, and God will give life to him.
S7: To those who commit sin that doesn't bring death. There
S7: is sin that brings death. I am not saying he
S7: should pray about that. So Anita wants to know, is
S7: this saying not to pray for someone who has rejected
S7: God in faith? How do we know that that person
S7: won't repent and that we shouldn't pray for them?
S1: Yeah, this is not talking about whether a person, uh,
S1: sealed their fate or if they're saved or anything like that.
S1: This is talking about believers. And what it's saying is
S1: that there are people, there are certain sins that mentions
S1: it in first Corinthians 11, that there are some people
S1: taking the Lord's Supper unworthily, and they were sick. Some
S1: have even gone to sleep or died. Euphemism for death. Mhm.
S1: That there's a sin that can lead to death. Uh,
S1: that there are certain sins, whether it's abusing, taking the
S1: Lord's Supper, uh, inappropriately. Uh, there are certain sins. I'm
S1: not sure what they all are, but we know that
S1: there are certain sins that are more significant and that they,
S1: the Lord, will take someone home. Um, and he said, here, uh,
S1: in this verse, if a person is involved in sin,
S1: this believer, and it's not one of those sins that
S1: they're not sick yet, they're they're not on the verge
S1: of death, but pray for them that they would repent.
S1: On the other hand, there may be a person who
S1: is involved in a sin that brings death, and they're
S1: already sick. They're on the point of death. Uh, it
S1: is clear that God has disciplined them. I'm not saying
S1: he should pray about that, because the only thing that
S1: can help this person is James five. I believe if
S1: they call for the elders to pray, and that person
S1: not only will be raised up from their deathbed, but
S1: also their sins will be forgiven. So that person has
S1: to repent. This is just talking about temporal sin. Okay.
S1: So temporal judgment for sin.
S7: Okay. All right. Thank you.
S1: Yeah. And sometimes it's God's mercy that he takes us
S1: home rather than let us go on in our rebellious ways. Yeah,
S1: it's hard for us to imagine that, but that's what
S1: it is. We're going to. We're going to take a
S1: break here. Tricia, thank you so much for putting the
S1: mailbag together.
S7: You're welcome.
S1: I, I just I find it amazing how many you
S1: get through and grateful for all of you who write
S1: to Openlibrary.org by going to ask Michael a question. Really
S1: appreciate that. That was Tricia McMillan asking the questions. I'm
S1: Michael Ray. I'll be right back with more of your
S1: questions about the Bible, God, and the spiritual life. In
S1: just a moment. Welcome back to Open Line. There's so
S1: much today going on in Israel and a lot of
S1: questions today at Open Line about that as well. It's
S1: so hard to see where the future is going. But
S1: the Bible is really clear. And that's why one of
S1: our partners, Chosen People Ministries, is offering a really helpful book,
S1: and it's for free if you'd like it. It's called
S1: Israel's Glorious Future. It's a book that reveals the promises
S1: that God made to Israel and his covenants. And what the.
S1: Although the past may be difficult, the future is indeed glorious.
S1: If you'd like a copy of Israel's glorious future, All
S1: you have to do is go to our website, Open
S1: Line radio.org. Scroll down until you see the link that
S1: says A free gift from Chosen People Ministries. Click on
S1: that and you'll be taken to a page where you
S1: can sign up for your very own free copy of
S1: Israel's Glorious Future. Also, I did want to mention that
S1: even though it's summertime now, heat wave, heat wave, uh,
S1: here in the Midwest, I guess all over the country.
S1: We can start planning now for a winter vacation. I'm
S1: going to be doing something really special and people are interested.
S1: You might want to know about this. Uh, going to
S1: be on a tall ship, a Bible conference on a boat,
S1: so to speak. Tall ship in the Caribbean next December
S1: 6th through 13th. Uh, if you're interested in studying the
S1: book of Daniel with me and enjoying the Caribbean in
S1: the cold weather, uh, here in the Midwest, we can
S1: go down or anywhere you are in the country, go
S1: down to the Caribbean, to the Bahamas, and then sail
S1: for for a week. Uh, all you have to do
S1: is As as we study together, worship together, and then
S1: enjoy the warm weather together back in the future. Uh,
S1: when we need it, you can check it out. Go
S1: to Open Line radio.org and scroll down till you click
S1: on the link that says Michael Wright Personal website. Uh,
S1: if you want to check that out, that's where it'll be. Uh,
S1: and we're going to talk to Jim outside of Cleveland
S1: listening on CRF. Welcome to Open Line. Jim. How can
S1: I help you today?
S8: Oh, thank you, doctor Ray. Um, it says in Luke
S8: 1040 to 42, but Martha was distracted in much serving,
S8: and she approached him and said, Lord, do you not
S8: care that my sister has helped me to serve alone?
S8: Therefore tell her to help me. And Jesus answered and
S8: said to her, Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled
S8: about many things, but one thing is needed, and Mary
S8: has chosen that good part which will not be taken
S8: away from her. I just wanted to make sure that
S8: wasn't like, um, the Lord diminishing service of um, to him,
S8: except just the fact that she was worried and distressed.
S1: Well, I think this has to do with priorities that
S1: so often, uh, what we do in our lives is
S1: we get very busy with work and responsibilities and family
S1: duties and so many things that we need to do.
S1: It may be even making sure that everything is done
S1: on the house or in the garage is cleaned out
S1: and all these different things that we prioritize that because
S1: we want to run our households well and we neglect
S1: that which is most important, which is spending time with
S1: the Lord Jesus. It's not saying.
S8: That.
S1: Wait wait, wait, Jim, it's not saying that service is wrong.
S1: It's not even saying that we shouldn't do those things.
S1: It's just saying that what Mary has done is prioritize
S1: her time with the Lord. And that's all it's saying. Uh,
S1: and what? Martha, Martha was kind of consumed with her tasks,
S1: and as a result, uh, she wanted help. But sometimes,
S1: you know, I often tell moms it's okay not to
S1: sweep the floor every minute. Uh, if it means that
S1: you're not going to have time with the Lord Jesus,
S1: I tell guys, you don't have to make sure the
S1: garage looks perfect. What you have to do is make
S1: sure that every day that we, we, uh, spend time
S1: with the Lord and give that some priority. Does that help, Jim?
S8: Yeah, yeah. That did, um, I heard a sermon one time,
S8: and they were saying how Martha was really, uh, good.
S8: And they went on to say, you know, her service
S8: to the Lord was was right, but they didn't balance
S8: it with what Jesus said about Mary, which is really
S8: the point.
S1: Of, well, this is really about priorities, Jim. That's that's
S1: what it is. And our first priority every day is
S1: to spend some time at the feet of our Lord.
S1: That's what we need to be doing. So hey, thanks
S1: for your call. I really appreciate it. Jim. We're going
S1: to talk to Ron in Elmwood Park, Illinois, listening on W-m-b-d.
S1: Welcome to Open Line, Ron. Good morning.
S9: How are you?
S1: Good. How are you?
S9: I'm well, thank you. I have a very mundane question.
S9: I believe in Joshua, uh, and specifically Joshua ten. They
S9: speak about the sun standing still and near the end
S9: of the, um, that chapter, I think it says that
S9: the Israelites were invading Gibeah. And while they were doing this,
S9: the stunts played out for a day and a half
S9: over Gibeah. Now, some thinks that thoughts were that, well,
S9: maybe Israel needed more time. So that's why the sun
S9: stood still. But in the Bible we're reading and in
S9: the footnotes try to explain that if people had a
S9: couple thoughts that no, God made the world stand still
S9: and or he had, um, reflective devices which reflected the
S9: sun for this day and a half. Any comments or thoughts?
S1: Well, first of all, it says on the day the
S1: Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke
S1: to the Lord in the presence of Israel. Sun, stand
S1: still over Gibeon and moon over the valley of Ayalon.
S1: Ayalon and the sun stood still, and the moon stopped
S1: until the nation took vengeance on its enemies. Isn't this
S1: written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stopped
S1: in the middle of the sky and delayed its setting
S1: almost a full day. There is been no day like
S1: it before, since when the Lord listened to the voice
S1: of a man, because the Lord, the Lord fought for Israel.
S1: Here's that's those are the verses you're talking about. I
S1: think the simplest way is say, this is a miracle
S1: that I can't explain. Uh, if the sun and moon,
S1: if the if the day really stopped that it didn't
S1: proceed as it should have. You know, the sun we
S1: revolve around the sun. The sun doesn't revolve around us.
S1: But it looked like the sun stopped. I don't know
S1: how that happens, because that that has to do with
S1: the regulation of time and the world. I don't know
S1: how we would have stopped or the sun would have
S1: stopped and I can't understand it. There are people who
S1: propose scientific explanations, but frankly, I, you know, I just
S1: live with it, that it was a miracle. God understands
S1: how it worked. I don't need to, and I'm okay
S1: with that. So I hope you are too. That's. That's
S1: how I live with it. Uh, Ronald, thanks for your call. Uh,
S1: thanks for listening, everyone. That's the program for the week.
S1: I can't believe that's two hours of of my life
S1: I think of every week. Is being here with you?
S1: Thanks to the Open Line team, uh, for being here
S1: with us for all that you do. I really appreciate it.
S1: And remember, keep in touch with Open Line during the
S1: week by going to our website, Open Line radio.org. It's
S1: got all the links that you're looking for. It'll be
S1: right there. Keep reading the Bible. We'll talk about it
S1: next week. Open line with Doctor Michael Ray is a
S1: production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.
S1: See you next week.