S1: Hello friends. It's time for the second hour of Open
S1: Line with Doctor Michael Riedel. It's Moody Radio's Bible study
S1: Across America. We're talking about your questions about the Bible,
S1: God and the spiritual life. My name is Michael Ray Zelnick.
S1: I'm professor of Jewish studies and Bible, as well as
S1: academic dean here at Moody Bible Institute. And I'm so
S1: glad that we're live today. Sitting around the radio kitchen
S1: table with our coffee and our Bible, we're ready to
S1: study the scriptures together. If you have a question, give
S1: me a call. The phone number is (877) 548-3675. That's (877) 548-3675.
S1: If you can't call, just go to our website openline
S1: radio.org and click on the Ask Michael a question button.
S1: And you'll fill out the form and your question will
S1: be put in the mailbag, and Tricia will ask it.
S1: Sooner or later we'll get to it, I promise. Uh,
S1: hope you have your Bibles open and you have a
S1: second cup of coffee, because we're going to talk about
S1: the scriptures right now with Chuck in Cleveland, Ohio, listening
S1: on Whkf. Hey, Chuck, welcome to Open Line. How can
S1: I help you today?
S2: Yes. Thank you. Michael. Um, I have a question. Okay.
S2: This has come up lately. Uh, it's I have three
S2: different views about salvation, um, that I'm hearing from my pastor,
S2: from a friend of mine who's a messianic Orthodox Jewish
S2: friend and a ministry I know of. And my pastor's
S2: belief is faith plus nothing. Faith in Jesus plus nothing
S2: equals salvation. The Messianic Orthodox Jew, he believes that faith
S2: plus Torah equals salvation. And the ministry that I know of,
S2: they believe that faith plus repentance equals salvation. I think
S2: the repentance is, um, something like maybe besetting sin or
S2: something like that. You know, it's, uh, I would think
S2: that the Messianic Jew that would, uh, well, you know what?
S1: Here's the thing. The, uh, let me just jump in
S1: and I'll tell you, the Bible teaches we are saved
S1: by grace. That means God's undeserved kindness. We don't deserve it.
S1: He shows us kindness. We're saved by grace. No works, uh,
S1: lest a person should boast. But it's. We're saved by
S1: grace through faith, not of works, lest any person should boast. Well,
S1: where does repentance? Let's go to the second thing. Some
S1: people say faith plus repentance. And you know you've got
S1: to repent. You got to repent. I don't believe in
S1: easy believism, but faith and repentance are two sides of
S1: the same coin. Which is why in acts two or
S1: acts three, Peter doesn't call on people to believe. He
S1: calls upon them to repent. And what that means is
S1: to change your mind. In first Thessalonians one it talks
S1: about how they turned, which uses another Greek word, but
S1: they turn from idols to serve the living and true God.
S1: Now why do I bring that up? Because that's really
S1: what repentance is. And in acts three, he's basically saying
S1: to the crowd, change your mind about Jesus used to
S1: reject him, now believe in him. Uh, in first Thessalonians one,
S1: what Paul is saying is, uh, turn from what you
S1: used to trust, which was idols, and now you have
S1: turned to the Lord Jesus in whom you trust now. Uh,
S1: so it's really the act of faith is stopping. We
S1: stop trusting what we used to trust, and we start
S1: trusting what God has done for us through the Lord Jesus,
S1: that he died for us and rose again. So really,
S1: repentance isn't sitting in the front row on the sinner's
S1: bench and thinking about all the bad things we've ever
S1: done and crying about it and doing all that. What
S1: it is, is turning from what we used to trust
S1: and turning to the one we do trust. That's what
S1: it's about. So it's faith. No works. Uh, and then
S1: the the outcome is that we stop trusting and we
S1: start trusting. We stop trusting idols. Whatever it is, good works,
S1: whatever it is we used to trust. And instead, now
S1: we're trusting in Jesus that he died for us and
S1: rose again. So faith and repentance, two sides of the
S1: same coin. Does that make sense so far?
S2: Um, yes. It sounds like you believe what my pastor believes. Faith.
S1: Well, no no no no no no no. I believe
S1: what the Bible teaches. I want to be really clear.
S1: I want to be really clear. The Bible teaches faith
S1: and repentance are two sides of the same coin, is
S1: what I'm trying to say. I'm not trying to take
S1: sides with your pastor or I'm just trying to. This
S1: is what the Bible teaches. Okay? Okay, okay.
S2: One other thing is repentance is is, uh, the meaning
S2: of repentance is metanoia, which means a change of mind.
S2: But a lot of pastors use that word as meaning
S2: turning from your sin.
S1: Well, that's what I was just saying. It means.
S2: What? What you said. What you said is changing your
S2: mind towards Jesus and His salvation. Not necessarily, you know,
S2: eradicating all your sins in your life.
S1: No. I don't think we can eradicate all our sins
S1: in our life. Uh, only he can. Uh, the reason
S1: I say what I'm what I just said was, if
S1: you read in the book of acts. Okay, it talks
S1: about in acts 317. This is in Peter's sermon at
S1: Solomon's Colonnade, where they healed the lame man, and he's
S1: talking to the crowd about their rejection of Jesus. And
S1: they're probably there were people there who were part of
S1: the crowd that said, crucify him. And he says, brothers,
S1: I know you did this in ignorance, just as your
S1: leaders also did. They didn't realize who they were rejecting.
S1: Had they known, they wouldn't have done it. But what
S1: God predicted through the mouth of all the prophets that
S1: his Messiah would would suffer, he has fulfilled in this way.
S1: And then he says, so what he's talking about is
S1: their rejection of Jesus. And he says in verse 19,
S1: therefore repent and turn. Okay. What's he saying? Change your
S1: mind about Jesus and turn to him. That's what he's saying.
S1: And so, uh, I'm just the context tells me he's
S1: not saying go sit at the sinners bench and cry
S1: over your sins. He's saying, change your mind about Jesus. Uh,
S1: turn you. You rejected him. Now trust in him. That's
S1: that's what he's saying. So. And the same thing happens
S1: in acts two with the crowds there. Peter tells them
S1: to repent. Uh, in acts 238. So, so often we
S1: take repentance to mean, uh, change your behavior. When the
S1: Bible teaches it's change your mind about Jesus. That's what
S1: I'm trying to say now about your friend who says
S1: that faith is keeping the Torah. Uh, it just basically,
S1: I think what? Your friend may be mistaken because he
S1: understands the Torah. For followers of Yeshua of Jesus to
S1: mean keep kosher, keep Sabbath. Uh, the truth of it
S1: is the Torah or God's instruction. Uh, today is the
S1: is the Torah, the law of Messiah, the what the
S1: New Testament calls the law of Christ, the New Covenant.
S1: And if we will trust in Jesus, put our trust
S1: in the Lord Jesus. What will happen is we will
S1: express that faith by keeping that Messianic Torah, the law
S1: of Christ, or being obedient to him. If you love me,
S1: you'll keep my commandments. The Lord Jesus said, so, uh, there.
S1: He may be a little confused about what the Torah is,
S1: that we will. And the thing is, it doesn't. Faith
S1: is not equal to keeping those commandments. Faith is expressed
S1: if we really love Jesus by keeping his commandments. That's
S1: what it's about. So anyway, uh, hope that helps, Chuck. Uh,
S1: I'm not sure that you felt it did, but I'll
S1: do my best with it. Okay. Uh, Wilburn in Ohio,
S1: listening on Wqrf. Welcome to Open Line. How did I
S1: get your name right, Wilburn?
S3: Yes, you did, sir.
S1: That's an unusual name. I've never met anyone named Wilburn before.
S3: Yes, sir. I shall only show a little from my
S3: good Jewish buddy here in Akron.
S1: Okay.
S3: Sir. Alright. Mine is from first Corinthians chapter three, verse 21,
S3: and it states, therefore, let no man glory in men,
S3: for all things are yours. Do yours. Is that God's
S3: point to God or to us?
S1: Let's see. It says, the Lord knows that the reasonings
S1: of the wise are meaningless. So no one should boast
S1: in human leaders, for everything is yours. Uh huh. I
S1: think it's talking about people.
S3: Okay, okay.
S1: Yeah, okay.
S3: That's what I was sure you know, above all things
S3: get understanding. So I got it now. Okay? Okay. Thank
S3: you so much. Shalom. They better leave Israel alone. They
S3: better leave him alone. Shalom, Shalom. God bless you, sir.
S1: Bye bye. Uh. Let's see, Uh, I'm trying to see
S1: what time here. Uh, okay. We're in the window, so. Okay,
S1: we're going to we're going to take a break here.
S1: And when we come back, we're going to talk to Marilyn. So. Marilyn,
S1: don't hang up, okay? Uh, we're going to you're listening
S1: to Open Line. My name is Michael Ray Melnick, and
S1: we're taking your questions about the Bible, God and the
S1: spiritual life. Marilyn's got a question about the Trinity, so
S1: I wanted to make sure I had enough time to
S1: answer it. When we come back, we'll talk to Marilyn,
S1: and so stay with us. Welcome back to Open Line.
S1: You know the last caller or next to. Yeah, I
S1: think it was next to last caller. I talked about
S1: the book of acts and the issues of what does
S1: the book of acts teach about repentance. And one of
S1: the things that I found really helpful was talking about
S1: that subject with a professor I had in seminary, and
S1: his name was Doctor Charles Ryrie. I had him for
S1: a course called The Doctrine of Salvation, and we talked
S1: about the book of acts. And he really knew the
S1: book of Acts because he wrote the moody, every day
S1: Bible commentary on acts. And that's our current resource. And
S1: he was very, very helpful in explaining those issues in
S1: that course. And it's one of the reasons why I
S1: love this book and why we're offering it as our
S1: resource resource this time this month. Because, uh, for a
S1: gift of any size, I'd like to send you a
S1: copy by. Just say thank you. Here's Doctor Ryrie's book
S1: on the book of acts. It's very helpful. Uh, it's
S1: a good resource. Easy to read, easy to understand. No
S1: one made the Bible or theology simpler to understand than
S1: Doctor Ryrie. Uh, that's what I loved about his classes.
S1: And it's what I love about this book. If you'd
S1: like to receive a copy of, uh, Doctor Rory's book,
S1: best thing to do is just head over to Openline radio.
S1: Org or you can call by going to (888) 644-7122. And
S1: with your gift of any size, just make sure you
S1: ask for Doctor Rory's book on the every day Bible
S1: commentary on Acts. Uh, we're going to talk to Marilyn
S1: right now. Uh, listening in Florida on Wmhb. Welcome to
S1: Open Line. Marilyn. How can I help you?
S4: Oh, good morning. I'm happy to be on with you. Um,
S4: I'm had been talking to a lady that was a
S4: Jehovah Witness, and she said the Trinity is not in
S4: the scriptures. Well, I ran across Second Corinthians 1311 and
S4: 14 that talks about the father, the son, and the
S4: Holy Spirit.
S1: What verse? What? Wait wait wait what verse?
S4: I'm going to fast. Second Corinthians 1311 and 14. Okay.
S4: And also Matthew 316 through 17. But I was wondering
S4: if there were any other scriptures that had the three
S4: parts of the Trinity in them.
S1: Well, uh, I think one of my favorite verses is
S1: the great Commission verse in Matthew 28, uh, where, uh,
S1: it says, uh, baptizing them in the name of the father,
S1: son and Holy Spirit. Matthew 28 uh, 16 through 18
S1: that that I think I got those verses right. Uh, and, uh,
S1: what I like about Matthew 28, I'm turning over there
S1: right now. Uh, is here's the thing that that strikes
S1: me as amazing that most many people miss, uh, is
S1: it it's verse 18. Uh, and verse 19 go therefore,
S1: and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them. Notice good
S1: grammar would say in the names of the father, son,
S1: and Holy Spirit. However, in this verse it says, in
S1: the name of the father and the son, and the
S1: Holy Spirit. So it uses a singular noun name to
S1: describe the three persons of the Triune God. Uh, which
S1: would be sort of a hint at the triune nature
S1: of God that he is not three gods, but God
S1: is 1 in 3 persons. Does that. Uh, that's a
S1: good verse. Very good. Yeah. Matthew 2819. Uh, you know, uh,
S1: here's what I'd like you to do. I'd like you
S1: to hang on. Marilyn. Uh, there is a book. It's
S1: not on the Trinity, but it's. It's a book I
S1: wrote called 50 Most Important Bible Questions. And it has, uh,
S1: a good one of the questions, I don't remember which
S1: number is about the. I remember the question was, can
S1: you give a simple explanation of the Trinity? And I said, no,
S1: no one can. But what I do is I lay
S1: out the biblical evidence and deal with some of these verses,
S1: like Matthew 2819 and the ones that you mentioned, as
S1: well as some other verses that you might find really helpful.
S1: So if you stick on the phone. Uh, Marilyn, we'll
S1: send you a copy of 50 Most Important Bible Questions. Okay.
S4: Oh, fantastic. Thank you so very much. Yes.
S1: Thank you. And by the way, if you're listening, you
S1: think the busing. Oh, sure. Uh, if you're listening, you
S1: think I'd like to get a copy of that book?
S1: I can't send everyone one. Marilyn's special. That's why she
S1: gets one. But, uh, you might want to go to
S1: your favorite online bookseller or your local Christian bookstore and
S1: make sure to get a copy of 50 Most Important
S1: Bible Questions. But you got to keep promising, even if
S1: you get it, to listen to the program. Because there
S1: are other questions. You know, sometimes you think, well, I've
S1: got the 50 questions. What do I need to listen
S1: to Open Line for? No, no, no, keep listening. But
S1: I think you'll find that book helpful. We're going to
S1: talk to Stephen in Ohio, listening on Wqrf. Welcome to
S1: Open Line. How can I help you? Stephen.
S3: Hey, doctor Riddell. Nick, can you hear me? Okay.
S1: Yeah.
S3: Okay.
S2: Um, so I recently.
S3: Because I got an audible account and I spent a
S3: lot of time in the car and doing projects around
S3: the house. I listened to the Great Courses series by
S3: a professor, Robert D Miller, who unfortunately passed away in 2023,
S3: but he, uh, gave all these lectures. It was like
S3: probably about ten hours. And he was a professor at
S3: the Catholic University of America, uh, an archaeologist.
S1: What? It's just go ahead with his with your question.
S1: I don't need to know who he is. Okay. Okay. Okay. Well.
S3: The reason I bring that up is because as I
S3: was listening to it, I myself am a lawyer. I
S3: only bring that up because I like to look at
S3: the evidence and find out people's credentials. I also believe
S3: he was a person, uh, a believer. So that's important
S3: to me because I don't want to be misguided by someone. Um,
S3: and I found some of his stuff to be pretty compelling.
S3: And overall, his interpretation of Genesis is is my question.
S3: He didn't interpret it literally like a literal, literal six
S3: days creation a people lived to be 900 years old. Uh,
S3: he was able, I think, to say you could have
S3: evolution and genesis because the literary genre of Genesis is
S3: an ancient creation myth, not meaning myth as it's untrue,
S3: but it's explaining spiritual things in a way that would
S3: have been understanded by the people who received it 2000
S3: plus years ago. And I was wondering if you think
S3: that type of understanding of Genesis could be correct doctrinally,
S3: or if you just find that to be an incorrect
S3: way to interpret Genesis as a whole.
S1: Well, first of all, I think that, uh, and I
S1: don't know Robert Miller, but if you say you think
S1: he's a genuine follower of Jesus, uh, his, uh, salvation
S1: is not based on his view of creation, but his
S1: view of Jesus. And so, uh, I know that C.S.
S1: Lewis took a mythic view of creation, but he knew
S1: the Lord. Uh, because what the key to salvation is
S1: trusting Jesus, that he died for us and rose again,
S1: not an accurate understanding of what the Bible says in
S1: Genesis one and two. So, uh, let's be clear about that.
S1: And there could be a lot of believers that we
S1: learn a lot from, but in many areas that we
S1: wouldn't necessarily agree with their view of creation. Uh, there
S1: were many ancient myths about creation. I don't think it's
S1: fair to relegate the Hebrew Scriptures to that kind of
S1: mythic approach, although it does explain where creation comes from.
S1: But it's true myth in the sense This way, if
S1: you just take myth to mean an explanation, I think
S1: it's crucial that we recognize that Hebrew narrative. Hebrew narrative
S1: is always meant to be taken as fact, not as
S1: some sort of story. Uh, even you mentioned the age
S1: of people, you know, in the primeval period, they were
S1: living all that length of time. And then in Genesis six,
S1: it's not like the the author doesn't recognize that something
S1: unusual is going on. Genesis six, God says, I'm not
S1: going to strive with people because they're evil. Uh, so much.
S1: And then he says, uh, in verse three, uh, my
S1: spirit will not strive with mankind forever because they are corrupt.
S1: Their days will be 120 years. So he kind of
S1: limits the maximum number of years to 120. It doesn't
S1: do it instantaneously when you get to the end. Now remember,
S1: Genesis is just the volume one of a five book, uh, series.
S1: It's one book with five volumes, uh, that's called the Torah,
S1: or some people call it the Five Books of Moses,
S1: but it's like the Lord of the rings, you know,
S1: there's three novels, but it's really one story. The same
S1: thing with the the Pentateuch. It's one book, the book
S1: of the law, and it's got five volumes. And if
S1: you look at the end Deuteronomy 34, how old is
S1: Moses when he dies at the very end? 120 years old.
S1: So it shows that God was going to reduce the
S1: number of years. And the reason I point this out
S1: is that, you know, people say, oh, look how long
S1: they didn't know any better. No, they knew better. When
S1: Moses wrote this, he knew exactly what was going on,
S1: that people were going less and less and less years,
S1: so that by the end of his life, it was
S1: 120 years, just as God had maxed it out at, uh, and, uh,
S1: the days of creation, where the people take them, some
S1: people take them as eras, you know, ages. I don't,
S1: I think evening, morning, 24 hours. That's what I think
S1: it is. Uh, it's six days of creation. Makes perfect
S1: sense to me. You've got Genesis one one and two
S1: where God creates everything. That's summary. And then more specifically,
S1: the six days of creation and the rest of one
S1: 3 to 2 four. And then what you have in
S1: two five to the end of that chapter is the
S1: sixth day of creation. So it goes from very broad
S1: to narrower to very narrow. Uh, and I think that's
S1: what we're talking about. People say, well, how can it
S1: be six days of creation? The world is so old.
S1: You know, you take this early earth with six days
S1: of creation. I believe God created the world with apparent age.
S1: It was just like when Adam was created. When he
S1: was 20 minutes old. He didn't look like a 20
S1: minute old infant. He looked like a man. He was
S1: created with apparent age. I think God created everything with
S1: age to make it look like even the light years
S1: of the stars shining. He created that, you know? So
S1: it came down. He created everything with age. And then, uh,
S1: the other thing is many things that we see as
S1: look very old are the result of catastrophe. Uh, a
S1: catastrophe can explain a lot of these things. Uh, for example,
S1: when Mount Saint Helens had its top blown off, right. Uh,
S1: all the trees on top landed down in Spirit Lake.
S1: This is in 1980. And the the weight of the
S1: the water went into the right, into the roots and
S1: made those trees go down into the bottom of the
S1: lake with the roots at the bottom. And they settled there,
S1: and it looks like a forest under there. They were
S1: covered in lava when they did this. Now there's a fossil, uh,
S1: forest at the bottom of Spirit Lake. And what's amazing
S1: about that is people would say if they looked at that,
S1: they'd say billions of years ago there was a forest here.
S1: But now through evolution. No, we know it's it's it's
S1: 60 years old. And what it is is a result
S1: of catastrophe. Well, there was a huge worldwide catastrophe where
S1: the foundations of the deep open, there were earthquakes. There was, uh,
S1: volcanoes erupting. It just exploded all over the earth. And
S1: a lot of the things that we see as being
S1: ancient fossils are probably the just, just the result of
S1: that catastrophe. So to me, uh, taking the, the Hebrew
S1: Bible at face value makes the most sense. Uh, that's
S1: how I read it. If I have to defend it,
S1: I would use two aspects. Uh, in terms of science, uh,
S1: in terms of the age of the Earth and all
S1: those things. One apparent age and two, uh, catastrophism. And so,
S1: you know, I'm not trying to judge Doctor Miller, you know,
S1: God bless him, he's with the Lord. Now, that's fine,
S1: but I wouldn't agree with his approach to Genesis. Does
S1: that help, Stephen?
S3: And by the.
S1: Way, if you agree with him, that's fine with me too.
S1: I'm not, you know I'm not. Well, my.
S3: Thing is, uh, it was very helpful. It's given me
S3: a lot to think about. Um, and I appreciate that.
S3: And I think what you said about going back to Jesus, uh,
S3: that gives me, uh, confidence. Because I know a lot
S3: of people have Genesis as a stumbling block that I
S3: talk to, but.
S1: Yeah, focus on Jesus. He's the key. He's the creator.
S1: However he did, it is fine with me. So anyway,
S1: thanks for your call. We're going to come back with
S1: the mailbag in just a bit, so don't go away.
S1: This is open line with Michael Zelnick. We'll be right back.
S1: Welcome back to Open Line. My name is Michael Riedel,
S1: and I'm so grateful for everyone that partners with this
S1: program by listening. That's just the first way. I'm so grateful.
S1: There are so many people that tell me they listen
S1: every week, and if they can't get the program on time,
S1: they go on, they get the podcast, or they go
S1: on the Moody Radio app and they listen that way.
S1: And I'm I'm just amazed and grateful for that. And
S1: as well, I'm grateful, uh, that some are, uh, partners
S1: in even a more special sense and that that they
S1: in that they become kitchen table partners. They don't just listen.
S1: What they do is they actively support this program by
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S1: And we're so grateful for that as well. And I,
S1: I just am amazed that people care about us that much. This,
S1: this program and, and the teaching of the word to
S1: people that they will help out that way. And I
S1: appreciate them. And one of the things I do to
S1: show my appreciation is every other week we send out
S1: a Bible study moment. If a person becomes a kitchen
S1: table partner, they get an email, click on it, listen
S1: to a Bible study. We're doing a series on the
S1: covenants over the summer, and that's been very fun for me.
S1: So if you're interested in becoming a kitchen table partner,
S1: we sure would appreciate it if you've given monthly some
S1: given occasionally, but we'd like to turn that into a monthly, uh, gift. Boy,
S1: that's really appreciated. Uh, however it is, we're we're just
S1: grateful for your listening. But if you'd like to become
S1: a kitchen table partner, all you have to do is
S1: call (888) 644-7122 or go to Open Line Radio. Org. Now
S1: it's time for the Febc mailbag. Grateful to Febc for
S1: partnering with our program to bring you Openline and Febc.
S1: Org or Far Eastern Broadcasting Company. There's a lot there.
S1: Go to their website. You can check it out and
S1: see all about how they are bringing the gospel around
S1: the world through media and personal follow up. Uh, check
S1: out their website because it's got a link to their
S1: podcast called Until All Have Heard. I think you'll really
S1: enjoy that. And joining me right now for the Febc
S1: mailbag is Tricia McMillan, our producer, and we've had two
S1: producers today. I didn't mention her at the outset of
S1: the program to Tiara Haynes, to Kyra Haynes. Haines. Hi.
S1: Michael is here. I told her, it's not fair. We've
S1: got tiara answering the phones and to hear her helping out.
S1: I'm just too confusing. But I'm really grateful you're here
S1: to hear her.
S5: Thank you for having me.
S1: Yeah. And. And Tricia. Now, who's asking the questions?
S6: Uh, I think I'll ask the first one. Okay, but
S6: there we go. But I'm not going anywhere but to.
S6: Here is learning all of the programs, and she has
S6: been a valuable resource to us for over for like
S6: a year and a half now. And she's learning all
S6: the programs so that when one of us is out,
S6: she can step in and do all of them. Well
S6: that's great.
S1: Yeah, yeah, well, she did that a few weeks ago.
S1: That's great.
S5: Yeah I did, yeah.
S6: Okay. Our first question is from Linda in Indiana. Listens
S6: to Wnwr in acts 815 to 17. The Samaritans had
S6: accepted the Lord Jesus, but the Holy Spirit had not
S6: come on them yet. So it says, after they went
S6: down there, they prayed for them so the Samaritans might
S6: receive the Holy Spirit, for he capital H had not
S6: yet come down on any of them. They had only
S6: been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then
S6: Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they
S6: received the Holy Spirit. So Linda wants to know, do
S6: we have the Holy Spirit when we accept the Lord Jesus,
S6: or does that come later?
S1: Well, first of all, the nature of the book of
S1: acts is it's a transitional book. It's going from sort
S1: of how the Holy Spirit worked in the Old Testament
S1: to how he's going to work in the church. Okay.
S1: It's it's it's different. Uh, and one of the things
S1: you'll find is if you see, every time that the
S1: Holy Spirit comes upon someone, it's inconsistent. Sometimes it's a
S1: moment of faith. Like, for example, Cornelius in Acts ten,
S1: and sometimes the apostles lay hands on someone and then
S1: they receive the Holy Spirit. It's because it's a transitional book.
S1: So what we should do is we should go to
S1: the epistles like Romans eight nine. If anyone doesn't have
S1: the Spirit of Christ, they don't belong to him. You know,
S1: every believer Romans eight nine has the Holy Spirit. Okay, okay.
S1: So how do I explain this in acts eight? It's
S1: fairly simple. What the issue was is Samaritans were a
S1: schismatic group. They said, oh, we're the true Jews. We
S1: have the true Torah. And they were very independent. You
S1: can read about that in John four. You know, the
S1: Samaritan woman.
S6: The woman at the. Well, yeah.
S1: She says, she says to the Lord Jesus, you say
S1: you should worship in Jerusalem, you Jews. But we Samaritans
S1: say right here on Mount Gerizim, who's got it right?
S1: And so there is this tension. And there was a concern,
S1: I believe, that when the Samaritans received the gospel, that
S1: they would try and be independent of the apostles in Jerusalem.
S1: And so Peter and John go lay hands on them,
S1: and the Holy Spirit comes upon them at that point,
S1: after they've already believed, so that it shows that they
S1: are under the authority of the apostles from Jerusalem. Okay.
S1: So that's that explains that transitional feature. But really, what
S1: where do we get our doctrine from? We get it
S1: from the the epistles.
S6: Okay. Now real quick. Yeah. For someone who doesn't know
S6: what an epistle is, if you're not getting this from
S6: the Gospels and we're not getting it from acts, is
S6: the epistles, everything else in the New Testament, the.
S1: Letters except for the Book of Revelation. So from Romans
S1: all the way to Jude, Jude. And then revelation is
S1: is its epistolary form, but not a full epistle. Okay.
S6: All right.
S1: Just like the letters, the letters of the apostles.
S6: Okay, okay. Fantastic.
S1: Someone once said that we should, uh, experience the apostles teaching,
S1: which is found in the letters, rather than teach the
S1: apostles experience, which is found in the book of acts. Yeah.
S6: Okay. All right. Thank you for that question, Linda.
S5: Thank you. Our next question is from Randall, Alabama. And
S5: he is he listens to us through Wmw. His question
S5: question is from Galatians chapter five, verses 19 to 21.
S5: And those verses deal with the works of the flesh.
S5: This question is, could you explain how people can inherit
S5: the kingdom of God when they still sometimes have wrath,
S5: and all the other works of the flesh?
S1: Yeah, well, you look at this and it's got all
S1: these different things impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, outbursts of anger,
S1: so forth. Wrath is what I think he's talking about there,
S1: I tell you. Uh, as I told you before, that
S1: those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom
S1: of God. Here's what I would say. There's a parenthesis
S1: that has to be included in our minds when we
S1: read something like this. And this is it, that those
S1: who practice such things, not having trusted in Jesus, will
S1: not inherit the kingdom of God If someone trusts in Jesus,
S1: those things are forgiven. Uh, and now it may be
S1: that if a person is habitually, customarily, just flagrantly carrying
S1: out the deeds of the flesh, they may have said
S1: they've trusted in Jesus, but they may not have. I
S1: think that's why Paul says, examine yourself to see if
S1: you're in the faith. But basically none of us are perfect.
S1: Even Paul says, uh, in the book of Philippians chapter,
S1: I think three says, not that I have arrived, but
S1: I press on. So if the apostle Paul who said
S1: these things has not arrived yet, well, I certainly haven't
S1: arrived yet, and there are still fleshly things that will
S1: erupt in my life, even though I've been a believer
S1: now for 52 years. Uh, the only person I know
S1: that's not like that is Eva, you know? But that's
S1: that's not true. Even Eva occasionally will have something from
S1: the flesh, uh, pop out. Uh, Trisha? No. Never.
S6: No. Not never. Yeah.
S1: But but, you know, the point is, we're forgiven. So
S1: the idea is that those who practice such things, uh.
S1: who have not trusted in Jesus, won't inherit the kingdom.
S1: We're forgiven. Now, the question would be, are we practicing
S1: them to such an extent that we're demonstrating that we
S1: really haven't trusted in Jesus? That's the question. Uh, I
S1: think the key is not how much you do, but
S1: how much you've grown, how less. You know, I still
S1: may do things pretty often that are wrong, but I'm
S1: not doing it quite as much as I used to.
S5: So I'm so grateful that God continues to work with us,
S5: and we're all in that process of sanctification.
S1: Yeah, yeah. That's it. It just takes a while. And
S1: I think.
S6: Even this entire passage, if you go to Galatians 516
S6: through 24, um, like that whole passage is talking about,
S6: don't be ruled by the flesh, be ruled by Jesus,
S6: follow him and live by the fruit of the spirit instead.
S6: Like that comes right after these verses that Randall's asking about. Yeah,
S6: that these are what we should be living by and
S6: practicing instead. So thank you for that answer and thanks
S6: for that question, Randall. With that, mark in Ohio, listens
S6: to Wkkf and wants to know, as a born again believer,
S6: do we need to ask for forgiveness for every sin
S6: we commit? Or are they already forgiven? Are we already
S6: forgiven for those sins? Yes.
S1: To both.
S6: Okay, explain.
S1: Here's here's what I think. It's really clear. Uh, when
S1: we've trusted in Jesus, all our sins are forgiven. Past, present, future. Right.
S1: There's there's no there's nothing that's not forgiven. Uh, that's
S1: what I call relational forgiveness. We trust in Jesus. We
S1: become children of the king. You know, we're we're his
S1: children forever. And we are forgiven. Past, present, future. Even
S1: if I can't remember a particular sin, I'm forgiven of it. However,
S1: as I walk with the Lord, uh, I walk in
S1: the light, the light of his word. Try to obey it. Uh,
S1: and we have fellowship together. And then if he brings
S1: to light in my life in an area of sin,
S1: a particular sin that I've committed, that's where first John
S1: one nine kicks in. If we confess or agree with
S1: God about that sin, that's what confess means to agree
S1: with him. Uh, if we agree with God that that
S1: was sin, then what we do is we agree with him,
S1: and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
S1: He is faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
S1: That's what I call fellowship forgiveness. Because we may be
S1: forgiven for all time, past, present, and future. But our
S1: sins that we commit after we come to know him,
S1: block our fellowship with him, and confession, uh, restores that
S1: fellowship so that we can speak openly and and come
S1: boldly and do all those things. And that also comes
S1: through the the death and resurrection of our Messiah. Okay.
S6: All right. So so that would be I know that, um,
S6: excuse me, in doing communion, some churches will have that
S6: time of confession to make sure before you do that
S6: communion that that has been dealt with, that would be
S6: the fellowship, forgiveness. Forgiveness.
S1: Yeah. Okay. So all right. And I think it's really
S1: crucial that every day whenever we talk to the Lord,
S1: we're always open. Lord, show me what it is that
S1: may be blocking my fellowship with.
S6: You, or even in that moment where you're like, oh,
S6: this isn't how I should be responding or reacting right.
S1: Now. Exactly.
S6: And you realize it. Do it right away.
S1: Exactly. Okay.
S6: Is there, like, a specific way we should?
S1: I think it's walking in the light. That's first John
S1: read first John one eight through ten. He says, we're
S1: all sinning. We walk in the light as he is
S1: in the light. We have fellowship with one another. We
S1: often think, that's you and me, Tricia. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Uh,
S1: it's no, it's fellowship with God. We have fellowship. God
S1: and me have fellowship as we walk in the light.
S1: And then, uh, blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us.
S6: From that sin. And and then that fellowship kind of
S6: restores that fellowship.
S1: The light shines on our life. And I go, oh, no,
S1: I see this. Yeah. And then I confess it, and
S1: he cleanses me and I keep on walking in the light.
S1: It's sort of a circular movement. Yeah, yeah. Okay.
S6: All right. Thank you.
S1: We're gonna we're going to break here. Tierra, thanks for
S1: joining us. Thank you.
S7: For having.
S5: Me.
S1: Yeah. It's always great to have you here. And you've
S1: been here a few weeks, and I really appreciate it. Uh,
S1: we're going to be right back with more of your
S1: questions in just a moment. You're listening to Open Line
S1: with Tricia McMillan to hear Haynes and Michael Zelnick. So
S1: don't go away. We'll be right back. Welcome back to
S1: Open Line. I'm Michael Ray Zelnick. I'm so grateful to
S1: God that he is always faithful to Israel, faithful to
S1: his promises to his people. Uh, we're living in a
S1: time with a lot of tension, uh, and anti-Semitism, let's
S1: call it what it is hatred of the Jewish people. Uh,
S1: it's erupting on our campuses. It's erupting in our neighborhoods. It's.
S1: It's erupting all over the world. And as a result
S1: of that Moody Bible Institute, which has a firm conviction
S1: that God is faithful to his people and loves his people,
S1: and that we should, too. We are holding a summit.
S1: We're calling a summit opposing anti-Semitism on November 9th. Check
S1: it out. Uh, hope you'll consider coming to us on
S1: that day. There's all sorts of information. Just go to
S1: our website, openline radio org and click on the banner
S1: there about the summit on opposing anti-Semitism. And you'll get
S1: the information and join us right here at Torrey Gray
S1: Auditorium in Chicago on November 9th. Now, uh, that made
S1: me think of what made me think of that is
S1: also the fact that God has always been faithful. There's
S1: always been anti-Semitism. It's, uh, it's just a the oldest
S1: hatred and Chosen People ministries has their Messianic Jewish art
S1: calendar focusing on Jewish history and God's faithfulness. Despite the anti-Semitism,
S1: God is still faithful to his people, and this calendar
S1: has some wonderful pictures showing God's faithfulness to Israel throughout
S1: Jewish history. and it could be yours free. All you
S1: have to do is go to our website openline radio org.
S1: They're offering it to you. All you have to do
S1: is go to the link that says A Free gift
S1: from Chosen People Ministries. Click on that and you'll get
S1: a copy of the Messianic Jewish Art calendar from Chosen
S1: People Ministries. Grateful that they partner with us and make
S1: this calendar available to our listeners again, go to openline
S1: radio org. Scroll down, click on the link that says
S1: a Free gift from Chosen People Ministries. And we're going
S1: to go to the phones right now to Julie in Nashville, Tennessee,
S1: listening on Wkhm. Welcome to Open Line. Julie. How can
S1: I help you?
S8: Hi there. It's so good to talk with you. I
S8: got to tell you, when I first started listening to you,
S8: I thought you were Doctor Dolnick. And your first name
S8: was Ray. Yeah, I.
S1: Know how it is. That's why I say just call
S1: me Michael. Well, you're from the South, Julie. You know
S1: Michael Ray Dolnick. That's it, that's it.
S8: Well, you do have a lot of names down here. Yeah. Um, Mike,
S8: I know you're short on time. My husband is is
S8: not saved. Um, and I heard a pastor, a well-known pastor,
S8: say that, um, the Gentiles who've heard the gospel and
S8: rejected it at the time of the rapture cannot be
S8: saved that the great delusion will be sent to them. Mhm. Um,
S8: is that true? Only the Jews can be saved after
S8: the rapture.
S1: It says in second Thessalonians 210 or. Yeah, 210. Uh,
S1: it says they perish because they did not accept the
S1: love of the truth in order to be saved. For
S1: this reason, God sends them a strong delusion so that
S1: they will believe what is false so that all will
S1: be condemned. Uh, some people want to say that because
S1: if they don't accept the love of the truth before
S1: the tribulation, then afterwards God will delude them during the tribulation.
S1: I don't think that that's what it's saying. I think
S1: it's stating a general principle that when people reject the gospel,
S1: there is, uh, they don't accept the love of the truth,
S1: and then they are continually being diluted, even in the tribulation. Uh,
S1: and so that's just a general rule, what breaks it.
S1: And this is true today and in the tribulation period,
S1: what breaks it is when God opens our eyes. God
S1: opens our hearts. God will do that. It says in
S1: acts 16 that Lydia of Lydia, that the Lord opened
S1: her heart to believe the things that or to receive
S1: or or think about the things that that Paul was saying.
S1: I think that's what he'll do for all people. There's
S1: going to be a great revival in the tribulation. 144,000
S1: Jewish people are going to believe according to revelation seven.
S1: Then it talks about people from every tribe and tongue
S1: and nation knowing the Lord. And so I think they're
S1: going to be evangelists, and God will open hearts. God
S1: will break the delusion. For many it will be the
S1: greatest revival in history. It says the Lord in acts
S1: 1614 about Lydia. The Lord opened Lydia's heart to pay
S1: attention to what was spoken by Paul, and then she believed. Uh,
S1: and so it seems to me like.
S8: The door won't just close.
S1: Know God. God is always. God is longing for people
S1: to come to know him. He's going to open the
S1: floodgates during the tribulation. It will be the greatest revival
S1: in history. But listen, I think it would be better
S1: for your husband and anyone to, uh, to come to
S1: the Lord now, not wait. That's what I think. So, uh,
S1: you know, keep keep doing what you can to win
S1: him to the Lord now. Okay, Julie, don't wait for
S1: the trip. Absolutely. Okay.
S8: Absolutely, absolutely. Thank you so much. I appreciate.
S1: It. Sure. Thanks for your call. Let's see if I
S1: can do this question really fast. Hey, Deborah, go ahead
S1: with your question as fast as you can, okay?
S9: Okay. Ephesians 612. My core question is where where are
S9: these places? My version says we fight against, uh, this
S9: and the unseen world that in the dark world and
S9: evil spirits in heavenly places. Where's the unseen world?
S1: Okay, the unseen world is talking about the spirit world,
S1: and in particular, the evil spirit world. So we've heard
S1: of the dark web. There's the dark spirit world where
S1: demons are working. You can see that in in Daniel ten,
S1: when the angels from or the demons, the Prince of Persia,
S1: for example, from the heavenly places, is obstructing the angel
S1: to come from the Lord with the message to Daniel,
S1: that's where the heavenly places are. There's this great battle
S1: taking place and it delays him from coming the angel
S1: from God. And this is the unseen battle, the unseen
S1: world where there are evil spirits, the dark world trying
S1: to prevent God's work here in our world. That's what
S1: it's talking about. I can't believe that our program is
S1: done for the day. Thanks for listening everyone. And I
S1: want to say a special thank you to Tricia and
S1: to Chris, and to Yara and to Kyra and all
S1: those of you who.
S10: Helped.
S1: Uh, really do appreciate all that you did to make
S1: the program possible. But mostly thanks for listening and thanks
S1: also for participating in the program. Those of you who
S1: called or wrote in, uh, remember, keep in touch with
S1: us by checking out our web page, Open Line Radio org.
S1: It's got everything you're looking for. Keep reading the Bible.
S1: We'll talk about it next week. Open line with Michael
S1: Zelnick is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of
S1: Moody Bible Institute. See you next week.