Exploring the Bible and Taking Your Questions Live on Air
The Bible. The Bible. It's the word of God, living and active, sharper than any two edged sword. It contains all we need for life and godliness. And it reveals to us the mysteries of God. Join us for the next hour as we study the Bible and take your Bible questions. This is Exploring the Word on American Family Radio.
Welcome to Exploring the Word. Bert Harper, Alex McFarland with you today. We hope you're having a good day.
Answering Listener Questions Through Pre-Recorded Segments for Broader Reach
this is one of those days. We're pre recording and we're taking questions that we have received from wordfr.net and our Facebook page and trying to answer some of those. And we do that from time to time because when we're on the radio live, we're taking phone calls and answering those questions. So these are ways we found out to get to these questions because it's just beyond our ability to get to every question through those processes by an individual answer. We figure other people might have these same questions, don't we Alex?
They do. And we appreciate all the correspondence, really. People contact us through Facebook and email and by telephone. And it really does mean a lot to us. And we've noticed, you know, there's a lot of very, repeated questions that it's on the minds of people and we want to do our best to speak to where people's needs are.
Children's Logical Questions and the Foundation of Reason in God's Creation
Exactly. And we want to start out with this one. I saw it, I smiled. I've been there. I've had children. And children can ask some difficult questions. Kids say the darndest things.
Art link letter.
Art link letter. They also ask the toughest questions. That would be a good program.
Well, let me tell you why children ask such good questions. And it's been my privilege to interview a lot of children. And you know, we did the film series with American Family Studios on the 21 toughest questions your kids will ask.
And they can get that right at.
Yeah. And you know, I give God the glory. It won an award a year and a half ago at a video convention that I didn't even know was going on. I didn't even know we were entered. But it won best curriculum.
Amen.
But we entered, I mean we interviewed a lot of children ages 5 to 12. And part of the reason that children can ask really good questions is because the good Lord made us to be logical, reasonable. And kids, they understand, you know, there's black and there's white, there's right and there's wrong, there's fair and there's unfair. One of the repeated cries of childhood it's not fair. Yeah, but kids understand, although they may not know how to name it this way, they understand cause and effect. I mean, if there's a plate on the table, somebody put it there.
That has to do with rewards and punishment.
Exactly.
That's what you do with children. They understand those things.
Either the door is open or the door is shut. That's because the good Lord made us reasonable creatures. Now, sadly, I watch a lot of young people and even some adults and years of conditioning and years of public schooling and years of being beaten over the head with relativism lead us by our adult life. If we don't build our life on Jesus and a Christian worldview, we begin to think that contradictory things can all be true at the same time.
Explaining God's Existence: Addressing 'Who Made God?' for Children Simply
But kids would say something like this, well, if God made everything, who made God?
Well, that is the question. This one is worth. a little girl named Amy, I just got to call her name. Six year old asking. She's confused on where the beginning is. That's a good where is the beginning? If we were running a race, we'd know where the beginning was. We'd know where the end was. We better know. She's asking, how could he God just be there and I can hear this mother's. I need a simple way to explain this to my first grader.
That's right. Well, you know, in the 21 questions book, I have an opening chapter about avoiding the deer in the headlights look. And let me just encourage moms and dads, it's okay to say to your children, honey, that's a good question. And let me do a little research and we'll talk about it. Two things you don't say to a child and because a lot of the ways that mom and dad react to spiritual realities will influence your kids view of God and how we think about God. Or should God even be a priority? Let your children know, hey, you know, this is really important. What we think about the Lord really is the most important thing. And so I'm just so happy we're going to look at this together. The other thing you don't say, honey, that's not important. How would I know? I don't know. That's not important. Don't ever say that and don't say this. It's wrong to ask questions. Don't tell your child it's wrong. The good Lord is big enough to withstand our scrutiny. For Isaiah 1:18, God says, Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. So it's fine to have questions and it's fine to tell your children, you know what? I'm going to study and then we'll talk about it. Let me just say this. She asked for a simple way to explain this to a first grader. I want to address this question as simply as we can. And then I do want to dig down a little more deeply. if a child asks, who made God? How could God just be there? And you could say, well, God just is. You know, God has been around forever, and we're so glad of that because God will never die. You know, grandma might have had to pass on and die, but God will never die. And God loves you, and God is forever. who made God? Nobody. He's always been alive. Now it's amazing how children will receive that. But I want to drill down more deeply because this is so beautiful. Now hang with me, folks. There is within thought and logic, there's what's called, the law of causality and the law of cosmology. Okay, Causality says every effect had a cause.
Understanding Causality and Cosmology: God as the Uncaused, Non-Contingent Being
I mean, if a baseball flies through the window, something threw it.
They either hit it off of a bat or somebody threw it. One or the other.
That's right. We had a thing. I was in my car and boom, A rock burst the back window, the passenger's window. Well, what happened was a man with a mower really, really far away in the other yard, it threw that rock 100ft and it smashed the window. Now, I knew that rock did not throw itself. Something propelled it. The spinning of a mower blade. Well, what caused that mower blade to spin? An engine. What cranked that engine? My neighbor. Who pulled the cord. So every effect has a cause. But the law of cosmology is, every creation had a creator. Now, when a child says this, if God made everything, who made God? Believe it or not, their God ordained heavenly little brain is invoking the law of causality. Now, let me put it another way. A five year old child asked me this, Or a five year old child told me this five year old child said, Alex, I believe in God. I said, that's great. Why? Little boy said, well, all this stuff had to come from somewhere. That's creation had to have a creator. Now, children are logical. Here's the thing. when we say if God made everything, who made God? What we're thinking in our mind is this, that everything is dependent on something else. Where did the cake come from? Mama baked it. Where did our house come from? builder built it. But you see, all of the stuff in life is dependent on something else. There is one thing in the universe and one thing only that is not dependent on anything outside of itself, and that's God.
God's Eternal Nature: 'I Am That I Am' and the Trustworthiness of Scripture
now scholars have A big fat 85 cent word, the word non contingent. God is not contingent. he is a necessary being in the sense of necessary, meaning. There is nothing beyond God that he is dependent on. God isn't looking for anybody to pay his rent or cook his food. He is non contingent, self existent, eternal, uncreated. God just is. It's Exodus 3:14 when he said, I am that I am. Now, I don't understand it, but I believe it. and when you think about it, I know we've got to move on, but think about this. God just is eternal. not only is that mind, boggling, hopefully inspiring, is a little bit scary.
It's also unable to completely comprehend.
True.
No person, Einstein or anybody can completely comprehend that. You go back to the Bible and just say in the beginning, God. And to that sixth grader, you're teaching them to read in the beginning. Now this is the beginning of Earth. There was something before Earth, and that is God. and God has been there. Does that mean God's always been there? The only answer we have is yes. And what answer is there apart from the Bible? There is none except God is. And remember, go, to Moses. You know me, I'm going to try to go to the Bible for answers on this. When Moses said, who am I going to say that sent me to Pharaoh? Tell them that I am, that I am has sent you. Read those stories even to the first grader. Read those stories to the first grader. Put all the material in it, but use those words. Alex, in the beginning, God, I am that I am. In other words, he was. It's not I was or I will be. I am. God is, always, far as we can understand in the present. And, the Bible will speak for itself.
Amen.
And, even in understanding, some people say, well, I don't believe the Bible. Just because a person doesn't believe the Bible doesn't keep it from being the word of God.
Revisiting Childhood Questions About God and Encouraging Bible Exploration
And the Bible says the word of God is able to do all these things, preach the word of God and it will happen. That's simplistic, but it's true. Take that first grader. Read the Bible stories that talk about that and those two. I know that's a great point and I pray that this helps. listen, I've got those grandchildren and they're asking me these questions, Alex. My boys did. And now my grandchildren are every generation ask those questions. And they're legitimate questions.
You know, I really do think about it. I remember I was a kid and I was, in the front yard, just lying in the grass one warm summer day, and I looked up and I saw these pretty clouds. have you ever been on a day that you could see the moon in the daylight?
Yeah.
And one day, so I'm looking up and I thought, wow, those clouds. Wonder what's beyond those clouds. And I could see the moon, oddly enough, on a bright day, I thought, wonder what's beyond the moon. And just think about it, as I was a little child trying to get this into my, you know, seven or eight year old head, okay? Beyond Earth, beyond the solar system, beyond the clouds and stars, beyond space, beyond every finite, limited, created thing, there is something that's infinite, uncreated, eternal, has always been. And it's God. And when, you think about the fact that God has never not existed, you know, it ought to.
It comforts, challenges in every way. Every kind of mental capacity and emotion comes up.
When I hear that, Alex, it ought to put a bit of reverent fear in your heart.
You better believe it.
And let me just say, you want to be right with God. Listen, we little tiny humans, you don't want to be sideways with a being that's eternal and all powerful. And he loves you.
He does. Let me give one more thought real quick before, before we go to break. Go to the Creation Museum.
Amen.
amen. As quick as you can. Get that six year old first grader, through the 12th, all ages. But get them there before they get 12 years old. And spend some money. It takes a little bit of money. Go to the Creation Museum in Kentucky. Yeah. And go and see about the universe. What's that?
Oh, and. Oh, the Planetarium.
Planetarium. Spend extra money. Go to the Planetarium and the Ark and it will bless you. You're listening to Exploring the Word. Alex and I are taking questions from [email protected] and our Facebook page and answering them. Hope you're enjoying it. And we'll be back right after the break.
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But it's true. It will not pass away. It remains yesterday and forever the same. The word is alive.
Welcome back to Exploring the Word.
Exploring Hebrews Chapter Six: The Security of the Believer and Apostasy
We're doing questions and answers. These come from wordfr.net and from our Facebook page. So we're taking time to answer those, and many of them are repeated questions, and we've grouped them together trying to answer them that way. One Alex, that always comes up is in the book of Hebrews. Hebrews is a very great, great book. It's got two or three passages in there that are difficult for different people from different perspectives to answer. We do our best to answer them as biblically as we can. And one of them is about Hebrews 6, 4. And it's about a person that is saved. And then they reject apostatize, they go against God, they turn their back on God. now I firmly believe that they were never with God according to the book of 1 Jon. You know, they went out from us because they were not with us the first time. But the whole thing is, let me read Hebrews 6, 4 and talk about this question about being saved, really saved, and then the possibility of being lost. some people say it's once saved, always saved. Well, I know that, but that's kind of a flippant answer. We can call it the security of the believer. perseverance of the saints is Jon Calvin's answer for that. Mine is the grace of God. The grace of God is able to keep us. Jon, chapter 10. He's able to keep that. Paul said he's able to keep that which we've committed unto him against that day. But here's Hebrews 6. and, it talks about 6, 5, and it says. Well, let me read, verse 4 and 5. It says, for it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good word of God in the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God and, and put him to an open chain. Now, again, I don't care which position you take, that of the security of the believer that you are saved, if you really have come to Christ, he'll never pluck you out of his hand. No man Can. Or if the person says, you can apostatize Now, I think the issue of being saved today and lost tomorrow, and then saved again and lost again. There's nothing in the Bible that even hints toward a relationship like that, Alex. But there are some passages that make it seemingly that a person could walk away after they've come to Christ, and they say, no, I'm walking away from him. I'm, giving up, I'm going my way. The question is here. Were they really born again in the first place or were they this tasting, is this tasting something of checking it out but not being consumed and it not consuming it? Give us some thoughts on it. I'm not sure there's answers, but there's thoughts. Let's give some thoughts on it.
Well, yeah, I do think there's an answer here because, the new birth to be saved, born from above is Jon, chapter three, where Jesus told Nicodemus, you must be born again. when something is born, it can't be unborn. and a lot goes on in the salvation transaction. Our sins are forgiven. The righteousness of Christ is imparted to us. The Holy Spirit indwells. So when a person has, trusted Christ and truly been saved, I mean, there's a brand new nature. But look at Hebrews 6:4. It says, for it is impossible to restore again to repentance. Those who have been enlightened and who have tasted the heavenly gift become partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the ages to come. If they then commit apostasy, they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt. Okay, that's Hebrews 6:4,6. Okay, in verse four you've got, the word enlightenment tasted.
Dissecting 'Tasting' Spiritual Truths: Salvation's Unconditional Security in Christ
Partaker. and so if you read it in the English Bible, it sounds like, okay, wow, they were saved, but then they got unsaved. I honestly believe these are people that, the word enlightened, I looked it up and it's the word from which we get the word photon, like light exposed to light tasted. The heavenly gift means like to sample food at a banquet. Imagine. This may not be a perfect analogy, but let's say, you go into a banquet, a buffet, and you maybe take a pinch and you see what's there on the buffet, but you don't sit down at the table and eat. It's one thing to smell the aroma, maybe taste a pinch, but you don't sit down and you walk away from it. You walk away from the banquet, okay?
After tasting it, you walk away from the banquet.
And it says, tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come. What that implies in Hebrews 6, 5 is they got it. They understood what they were doing. And look, there is a point, my friend, when you realize, you feel the pull of the Holy Spirit, it clicks. You say, you know what? Jesus is real. He loves me. He died for me. I could put my trust in him. I mean, what this is saying is in Hebrews 6, not somebody that truly was born again, gave their life to Christ, they understood the gospel and they walked away from it.
Okay, let's talk about the word taste. And I came up with this, and I want you to share with it, your thoughts on it. In the Old Testament, looking at Nehemiah, now in the King James, he was the cupbearer. The real thing was he was the food tester. The most common way, that's a dangerous job. the most common way to kill the monarch was poison. And so the job was someone that would taste of the meal before he ate it. The food taster did not consume the meal. They just tasted it. And the king is the one who got the full meal. Now, Alex, this word tastes like it was a buffet. Is Nehemiah's position as cupbearer, is it a little bit of an example of somebody that tastes of something but does not consume it? Is that, illustration of that?
I think that's a good illustration to, really get a sampling of something, but not the whole thing, not the meal. And like I said, you sample the buffet, but you don't sit down at the table. And if the Hebrews 6, 4, 6 passage was the only thing we had, then we might wonder, could salvation be lost? But looking at all the other scriptures that we've got about Romans 4 and Jon 10 and, Jon 6:40, I give to them eternal, and they will never perish. whoever believes in me will have everlasting life. And we've got to, look at the whole canon of scripture regarding our salvation. And, we often invoke 1 Jon 5, 13. Let me just say this, that, our life is everlasting life. It's not intermittent life. If you could lose it, get it back, get it, lose it, get it. I mean, our journey to heaven would be intermittent life.
So eternal life is not only a quality of life, it's a quantity as well. It's both, and it's eternal could it be called eternal life? If it could be, yeah. I mean, lost or, you know, I think, God would have called it something else. And he's the one, that Jesus quoted that word. They shall have eternal life and they shall never perish.
yeah, exactly. And let me just say this too. We are not saved by works, and we're not kept saved by works. I mean, really, our eternal security is not contingent on performance. Now, should we walk with Jesus? Yes.
Defining Apostasy and the Essential Components of True Saving Faith
But if someone apostatizes, I think what it's talking about in verse six, if they then commit apostasy. Apostasy is not struggling with sin. Apostasy is to repudiate, turn your back on. if somebody could say, I don't believe in Jesus anymore. I reject Jesus, God isn't real. Or maybe if he is, he's evil and I'm not a Christian. You know, I think about this. the rock star Katy Perry, who was raised Baptist, sang gospel, and she said in an interview, I don't call myself a Christian anymore. And she's dabbled in everything from soft core pornography to Hinduism and Buddhism. I think that gal needs to get saved. because if you can say, I don't call myself a Christian anymore, well, that's dangerous ground. That's apostasy.
Okay, let's bring this in and go to the next question. Let me share this with you. If you're one of these people that believe that you're secure in Christ and yet you've never come to a place of realization because the Bible says in the Book of Acts, faith without works is dead.
The Nature of Saving Faith: Heart, Will, and Emotions in Following Christ
That's a dead faith. In other words, you can believe, Alex, with your mind, you can know about Jesus death on the cross. You can know about his resurrection, and you can believe that's a historical fact that it really happened. That is not salvation. When it says, when a man believes in his heart, it's his mind, his will, and his emotions, it's not just his mind. With your will, Jesus said, whosoever will take up the cross and follow me. It's not okay, I will whoever wills it. my will is changed. Jesus came and says, I no longer came to do my will, but I came to do the will of the Father. And that's the idea of salvation. I came no more. It's not me, it is Christ. I give it over to him. And then my emotions, yes, it does affect you. It affects what you think, it affects your life, what you do. So if you've never had an experience in Your life of grace, where Christ came in and he changed everything. I would go back and I would examine to see if I'd really come to the realization of knowing Christ as savior. Once you've nailed it down, nail it down, write it in the fly leaf of your Bible. And when Satan comes and he tries to fool you and say, you can't be his child, you say, lord, the Bible says that I'm in Christ, and settle that. So we appreciate that, Alex, and we need to. If you have questions about your salvation and you need someone to talk to, you can go to Triple eight, need him. And it's also online chat about Jesus. You can do that as well. You ready for another question?
Let's do it.
Investigating 'Sons of God' in Job and Genesis: Angels, Fallen Beings, and Spiritual Battles
Let's do this one in Job. And this is similar to the one in Genesis, chapter six. So we pool these all together because it's talking about the sons of God. and in Job it says when the sons of God came and appeared before God in heaven, and Lucifer was in that group, you know, Satan was in that group. who are the sons of God? Well, are they the same ones in Genesis 6? Same one in Job 1:6?
No, I don't think they're the same. I think the ones in Genesis are, people, now, sons of God, as in created beings. But in Job, apparently, some of the angels appear before God to give a progress report on what they're doing.
They're still accountable, right?
They're still accountable.
Let's come back to that. But I want to throw this in real quickly. So a person who says, I don't believe in creation, I just believe in evolution, guess what? They are going to find out one day. There is still accountability, aren't there?
There is still accountability.
Okay, that was just a sidetrack.
Good point.
I don't want to chase that rabbit. But go back to the sons of God.
Well, yeah, I mean, they are created beings. And you know, as we've said many times, there are four categories of life, plant life, animal life, human life, and angelic life. And as we know, some of the angels fell. Well, interestingly, apparently in Job, and by the way, we get a lot of really good insight into the supernatural world through the book of Job.
We really do. And it is a great study we have done that. We spent a good bit of time when we went through Job looking at those.
We really did. Apparently even Lucifer himself, Satan can get within shouting distance of God. or God in his power, at any moment that he wants to, can summons him before you Exactly. And so Satan, who among his other, attributes is called the accuser of the brethren, said, let me harm Job. Job only loves you, God, because you've blessed him. But you let me rough him up a little bit and he'll curse you to your face. God says, I don't think so. I think Job is upright and righteous and really does love me. And God allowed Job to go through some testing. Now, we talked about this when we did this study. If you divvy it up, job went through 17 types of very severe tests and didn't know that the sons of God, the angels, had appeared before God to give a report.
Job didn't know what we know. When we read the book of Job, we know the story, the whole story. We kind of got the backdrop. We know the backdrop.
We got to go backstage a little bit and peer behind the curtain. And, you know, we often in life we say, why? Why are things hard? Why are things hard? we need to understand when we're going through trials, there may be a spiritual struggle, a spiritual battle. That's the backdrop we don't even know about.
With that in mind, Romans 8:28. God takes all things and he works them for good to those that are called according to his purpose, those that love him. Verse 29 talks about for whom he foreknew he predestined. To do what?
Be conformed.
Is that what all this works out to? To me that gives me comfort, the heartache, the difficulty of living in a fallen world. all the things that God does to discipline me, to prune me, you know, to take away the things that causes me not to bear much fruit. They're painful. Everything I know about it is painful. But what is the purpose? To bring him glory. And that I might be conformed to his image.
Isn't that something?
Does that not. I don't know about you, Alex. That helps me go through some stuff.
Exactly. Exactly. You're listening to Exploring the Word with Bert Harper and Alex McFarland. We're taking listener questions on this pre recorded show and we're going to get with more Bible questions after this break. So stay with us and we're going to stay in the Word and find answers to your questions. Thanks for listening. We'll be right back.
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Let the power of your words dwell here Richly changing the ways that I
see
Fill me with otherly wisdom Plant me deep like a tree by the street.
Interpreting Prophecy: Dual Fulfillment and the 'Now and Not Yet' in Scripture
Welcome back. We're glad that you're tuned in. We're not going to take phone calls, but we're going to ask answer. We may ask some questions too of one another, but we're going to answer a few questions. this is a pre recorded program and you have sent Questions in by wordfr.net in our Facebook page. So let's go right into them and let's kind of treat this like a lightning round if we can, you know, like at the end of a program. Alex. We'll see how quick we can do it. But not inadequate, but I hope it'll be adequate but quick. this one is about Peter and him quoting joel in Acts 2. And the question is, he said these things were happening at that time, but when so many people are claiming to be happening now, or even that there is still to come, is it possible that it can happen twice? Or I'm going to put my own. He asks, is Peter mistaken about the timeline or do we get a picture of what is and what will be? That's the way it was a lot in the Old Testament. You remember, it would be true then, but the bigger picture would come to happen. When Jesus was on the cross, David did feel like, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? That was real for David to quote those words, Alex, but they really came to full being when Jesus was on the cross.
Well, you know, Warren Wiersbe, who is a really good scholar to know about, who was at one time pastor of Moody Church in Chicago, but he used to talk, about the now and the not yet.
That's it.
You know, a lot of scriptures would have a kind of a dual fulfillment. And In Acts chapter two, if you read really 1621, Peter, is preaching. Oh, and I just have to say, isn't, it great that Peter got to preach, I guess the most famous sermon of all time, other than the ones preached by Christ, but the sermon at Pentecost. And he says, but this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel, and it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. Well, for one thing, there, daughters, sons and old men. It's talking about, this outpouring of the Holy Spirit, this ingathering of salvation to the gospel. And what Christ has done is for all people. The sons, the daughters, the old men, the whole tribe. It's for everybody. And so Joel 2, 28, 32, it's really very much like Psalm 16 and Psalm 110 that talks about the coming of the Holy Spirit. Exactly. So for one thing, there is the coming of the Holy Spirit. There is the ongoing work.
And when the Holy Spirit breaks through at a new place, we would call it an unreached people group. Or we could call it a frontier mission area. You always have a lot more phenomena happening. Look at the Book of Acts at Pentecost, right? And look what happened when the Holy Spirit fell in Samaria. Then look what happened when the Holy Spirit came to the Ephesians. You had similar responses in all places. They'd say, is this not like it was at Pentecost? And what did those three places have in common? It was the Holy Spirit coming into a new area. And, Alex, you look at the Book of Acts, and you'll see it. When he came into a new, area, there was always a little bit more of the sign gifts. And then after he had stayed there for a while, it comes more to the service and speaking gifts. Notice that in the Book of Acts, I think it gives clarity. It doesn't do away with the gifts of the Spirit. Even today, all of the gifts of the Spirit, I think they're operative. But I do believe the explanation in the Book of Acts tells where they operate best. And if you try to live on those kind of experiences, what will happen to you is what will happen in, the church at Corinth. There will be confusion. If you keep trying to live on that introductory, phenomena that happens with assigned gifts in a frontier mission area, an unreached people group, I believe it will lead to confusion like it was in the Book of Corinth.
Well, and you know what's really interesting is this, Pentecost was, kind of like God hit the start button on the church age. Now, here's the thing. when Peter goes, this is that which was spoken. It's interesting that the ascension of Christ, the 50 days they spent in prayer, and then Peter preaches and the Spirit falls. People hear the gospel in their native language. Tongues are manifest. 3,000 souls are saved. Here's the thing. a lot of the Old Testament scriptures had pointed toward the fulfillment of God's kingdom here on earth. It's interesting. a fallen world had awaited the coming of Christ and the ushering in of his kingdom. Prior to Pentecost, there had been the promise of God's kingdom, but Pentecost and following, it's almost like the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world have run on parallel tracks. Let me say this folks, the kingdom of God is here. Now, if you read Matthew 11, it talks about the kingdom has suffered violence and the kingdom of God is ever so slowly inserting itself over the top of the kingdom of the world. Don't you be, discouraged and think that darkness and evil is winning. It is not.
It is not.
Just as sure, just as sure as everything, the kingdom of God is coming into this world, isn't it?
Yes, it is. It's not the yin and the yang, but it is the ebb flow. The ebb flow, parallel trot. But the kingdom of God is eternal and victorious. Another question was we were talking about Peter and Paul in comparison. And anytime you do that, you're probably going to get into some misunderstanding. And we were talking about Peter's faults being exposed and obvious.
Examining the Lives of Paul and Peter: Flaws, Strengths, and Exemplary Christian Service
I mean, you know, Peter, how many times have you heard people say, well, I'm like Peter? And then how many people have ever said I'm like Paul? Very few folks say I'm like Paul, but many say, well, the two that people identify with more than anybody else is Peter and Thomas. You know, they say, I hear it
all the time, doubting Thomas and plain spoken Peter.
But did Paul have faults? Well, we know he had faults because he is a human being. I will say this. To find the faults of Paul, you have to look deep and hard and then you have to look and say, was that a fault or was it not? Just like he and Barnabas disagreeing on whether taking, Jon Mark with them on the second missionary journey, God, worked it out for good. And I know most of the time two people can't be right if they are opposed to one another. But in a way they were. Barnabas wanted to salvage Jon Mark and said, you know, we need to disciple this guy. And the best way to disciple him is for him to hang around with us. Let him go with us. Yes, Paul said, well, he man, no, it's not good for the work. If he bails out on us again. Is both right? Well, I mean, are both of those statements right?
Yes, I think you're right on both accounts. the Apostle Paul. It is hard to find flaws in Paul. Now, he was a sinner. I mean, prior to his conversion, he persecuted the church. Church consented or helped somehow arranged for the martyrdom of Steven. I mean, he was a bad dude. and I do think Paul is, like, the most exemplary Christian ever. I mean, if you read about his service for Christ, he truly poured himself out for the gospel. I mean, he really did. he wrote over half of the NewSong Testament. He planted churches. He was persecuted, he was put in jail. He was elderly and cold. but he was brave. I mean, if you read about Galatians, Chapter two, and there was the Judaizers, Paul was brave enough to withstand Peter. If you read it, it got up in his face. I mean, think about this. Paul occasionally would say to the churches, you know, obey what I'm telling you, as if I were there in person. And remember, you have the gospel because I came to you. I mean, he kind of would pull.
He'd pull rank, wouldn't he, when he needed to.
But I really do think the Apostle Paul is the greatest Christian that ever lived. And what was his thorn in the flesh? I mean, people have made some wild speculation, at. We don't know exactly what the thorn in the flesh was, but it may have been his eyesight. and when he talks about, my own handwriting in this very large hand, as in huge letters, it might have been the writing of somebody who was nearly blind. And maybe he prayed and begged God for his eyesight to be restored.
We may not see his faults as clearly, but when you read his writings, he did. You catch that now? That's the.
The Importance of Church Membership: Salvation, Fellowship, and Service
He saw his faults, and he knew what God had done for him. And he lived for God. What a man. Here's another question that came in, and it's talking about going to church. And just to make it simple, this lady said, do I have to go to church to be saved? Does Jesus Christ still love me the same if I don't go to church?
you don't have to go to church to be saved. You know, the word church is a lot like the word baptism. Do you have to be baptized to be saved? Not in the sense of water baptism, although water baptism is an important.
Very important, isn't it? You identify with Christ with that.
But the NewSong Testament also uses the word baptism in the Sense of being immersed into Jesus.
Necessary.
Yeah. So in that sense, to be in Christ, of course you do. Now, the word church there is the body of believers worldwide, the family of God, the born again band of believers for all of history. So, yeah, you have to be in the church in that sense. But do you have to every Sunday morning at 9:45, go down to the corner church to be saved? Well, you can be saved and be out of church, but I think if you're a, born again believer, you're going to want to do what Hebrews 10:25 says and assemble yourselves together. And, I will say this. I've known born again Christians who for 10 or 20 years of their life got out of church. And I'll tell you, they ran out of gas pretty quickly.
I'm a product of that family. My dad, I've showed this on the radio before. For the first 10 years of my life, we were not in church in my family. And, church had a church fuss, a church split, hurt. My dad moved, didn't get back in church. But yet I saw this godly man outside of church. That's what's amazing. The godly qualities that I admire in him today, they were real. But that church, a church loved my dad and our family, and we became a part of a local church. And if that church is where I was saved, if that church is where God called me to preach, preached my first sermon, met my wife, married my wife, all at that same church, ordained there, at that same building, that same body of believers, I love that church. And Willard Baptist Church just north of here in Tupelo. So one more thing I got to say about that, and I've used this on the radio before. Horace Greeley, was he the one that said, go west, young man, go west?
Yes.
And when a lot of believers went west, they settled in areas where there was no churches and they had to have fellowship within their family. But guess what they did after a community started? Guess what they had start, Alex?
They'd build a church.
They'd build a local church. And it is, no, not necessary, but important beyond measure. How important it is to be part of a local church.
Oh, yeah.
To work with them. And also accountability. And for a witness. Adrian Rogers, someone we'd like to, I guess we quote Vence Havner and Adrian Rogers more than anybody. Probably.
Yes.
But Adrian Rogers said every time you get up on Sunday morning and go to church, you're saying to everybody who's watching, I still believe. What a testimony Let me say, look,
the discipline of get up, get dressed, be on time for Sunday school, read the quarterly, go to preaching, worship, sing in the choir, serve on a committee. Look, I can't speak for everybody else, but I need the consistency, and the discipline of being a part, a contributing member. And let me just say one more thing. You were talking about where people move to a community and they'll start a church all around this blessed nation. We'll see Cedar Grove Memorial Methodist Church and, Thomas Road Baptist. I've seen so many Thomas Road and Elm Street Baptist and all this stuff. Okay, look, don't just look for the big, glitzy, church. I've been in a lot of those mega churches, and that's great. Praise God. Find a church and give prayerful consideration to the place where God wants you to serve. Because I think, our relationship to the church primarily is one of service. The question is not how can I be served? The question is how may I serve? And God might lead you and your family to the church that doesn't have the subwoofers and the smoke machines, but is the little church where your family can really plug into the family and serve. Don't just dismiss the little corner church that doesn't have.
I've heard this, Alex, and I agree with you fully. You're going to know about 100 people in a church, regardless. Regardless. And that may be everybody in the church, or it may be less than a hundred and you know everybody. Or if you're a part of a megachurch, it has $5,000. 5,000, people in attendance. you know, you'll just know 100 of them. And, plug in where God wants you. Last thing we're going to do is pray. We have a lot of calls and a lot of folks on email talking about their children in lifestyles. Transgender homosexual lifestyles, lesbian lifestyles. two things I want to say and then want you to pray because we haven't got. But just a minute. love them, but don't enable them.
Right.
Don't let your love for them cause you to agree with a lifestyle that is destructive.
And don't allow them to make the litmus test for your love. Be that you deny God and his word.
Let's pray for them.
About 30 seconds, Father. Help restore the family and those people that are away from you. Call them to yourself.
A Closing Prayer for Family Restoration and Standing Firm in God's Truth
Give moms and dads wisdom to love their kids, but courage to stand for Christ. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
We really are concerned about your children.
Yes.
We stand with you, praying for them.
We're an American family.
We are association. And we know what it is to have victories. We also know what it is to have defeats. And we stay with God through it all.
Amen.
It's been good to be with you, alex.
Well. Jon 17:17 says, Thy word is truth. And when we have questions, we find the answers in God's word.
God's word.
Sure.
It's settled in heaven. Thank you for listening. We pray that you would have a great day today in the Lord.
Disclaimer Regarding Broadcast Views and Opinions
The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast do not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
Exploring the Bible and Taking Your Questions Live on Air
The Bible. The Bible. It's the word of God, living and active, sharper than any two edged sword. It contains all we need for life and godliness. And it reveals to us the mysteries of God. Join us for the next hour as we study the Bible and take your Bible questions. This is Exploring the Word on American Family Radio.
Welcome to Exploring the Word. Bert Harper, Alex McFarland with you today. We hope you're having a good day.
Answering Listener Questions Through Pre-Recorded Segments for Broader Reach
this is one of those days. We're pre recording and we're taking questions that we have received from wordfr.net and our Facebook page and trying to answer some of those. And we do that from time to time because when we're on the radio live, we're taking phone calls and answering those questions. So these are ways we found out to get to these questions because it's just beyond our ability to get to every question through those processes by an individual answer. We figure other people might have these same questions, don't we Alex?
They do. And we appreciate all the correspondence, really. People contact us through Facebook and email and by telephone. And it really does mean a lot to us. And we've noticed, you know, there's a lot of very, repeated questions that it's on the minds of people and we want to do our best to speak to where people's needs are.
Children's Logical Questions and the Foundation of Reason in God's Creation
Exactly. And we want to start out with this one. I saw it, I smiled. I've been there. I've had children. And children can ask some difficult questions. Kids say the darndest things.
Art link letter.
Art link letter. They also ask the toughest questions. That would be a good program.
Well, let me tell you why children ask such good questions. And it's been my privilege to interview a lot of children. And you know, we did the film series with American Family Studios on the 21 toughest questions your kids will ask.
And they can get that right at.
Yeah. And you know, I give God the glory. It won an award a year and a half ago at a video convention that I didn't even know was going on. I didn't even know we were entered. But it won best curriculum.
Amen.
But we entered, I mean we interviewed a lot of children ages 5 to 12. And part of the reason that children can ask really good questions is because the good Lord made us to be logical, reasonable. And kids, they understand, you know, there's black and there's white, there's right and there's wrong, there's fair and there's unfair. One of the repeated cries of childhood it's not fair. Yeah, but kids understand, although they may not know how to name it this way, they understand cause and effect. I mean, if there's a plate on the table, somebody put it there.
That has to do with rewards and punishment.
Exactly.
That's what you do with children. They understand those things.
Either the door is open or the door is shut. That's because the good Lord made us reasonable creatures. Now, sadly, I watch a lot of young people and even some adults and years of conditioning and years of public schooling and years of being beaten over the head with relativism lead us by our adult life. If we don't build our life on Jesus and a Christian worldview, we begin to think that contradictory things can all be true at the same time.
Explaining God's Existence: Addressing 'Who Made God?' for Children Simply
But kids would say something like this, well, if God made everything, who made God?
Well, that is the question. This one is worth. a little girl named Amy, I just got to call her name. Six year old asking. She's confused on where the beginning is. That's a good where is the beginning? If we were running a race, we'd know where the beginning was. We'd know where the end was. We better know. She's asking, how could he God just be there and I can hear this mother's. I need a simple way to explain this to my first grader.
That's right. Well, you know, in the 21 questions book, I have an opening chapter about avoiding the deer in the headlights look. And let me just encourage moms and dads, it's okay to say to your children, honey, that's a good question. And let me do a little research and we'll talk about it. Two things you don't say to a child and because a lot of the ways that mom and dad react to spiritual realities will influence your kids view of God and how we think about God. Or should God even be a priority? Let your children know, hey, you know, this is really important. What we think about the Lord really is the most important thing. And so I'm just so happy we're going to look at this together. The other thing you don't say, honey, that's not important. How would I know? I don't know. That's not important. Don't ever say that and don't say this. It's wrong to ask questions. Don't tell your child it's wrong. The good Lord is big enough to withstand our scrutiny. For Isaiah 1:18, God says, Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. So it's fine to have questions and it's fine to tell your children, you know what? I'm going to study and then we'll talk about it. Let me just say this. She asked for a simple way to explain this to a first grader. I want to address this question as simply as we can. And then I do want to dig down a little more deeply. if a child asks, who made God? How could God just be there? And you could say, well, God just is. You know, God has been around forever, and we're so glad of that because God will never die. You know, grandma might have had to pass on and die, but God will never die. And God loves you, and God is forever. who made God? Nobody. He's always been alive. Now it's amazing how children will receive that. But I want to drill down more deeply because this is so beautiful. Now hang with me, folks. There is within thought and logic, there's what's called, the law of causality and the law of cosmology. Okay, Causality says every effect had a cause.
Understanding Causality and Cosmology: God as the Uncaused, Non-Contingent Being
I mean, if a baseball flies through the window, something threw it.
They either hit it off of a bat or somebody threw it. One or the other.
That's right. We had a thing. I was in my car and boom, A rock burst the back window, the passenger's window. Well, what happened was a man with a mower really, really far away in the other yard, it threw that rock 100ft and it smashed the window. Now, I knew that rock did not throw itself. Something propelled it. The spinning of a mower blade. Well, what caused that mower blade to spin? An engine. What cranked that engine? My neighbor. Who pulled the cord. So every effect has a cause. But the law of cosmology is, every creation had a creator. Now, when a child says this, if God made everything, who made God? Believe it or not, their God ordained heavenly little brain is invoking the law of causality. Now, let me put it another way. A five year old child asked me this, Or a five year old child told me this five year old child said, Alex, I believe in God. I said, that's great. Why? Little boy said, well, all this stuff had to come from somewhere. That's creation had to have a creator. Now, children are logical. Here's the thing. when we say if God made everything, who made God? What we're thinking in our mind is this, that everything is dependent on something else. Where did the cake come from? Mama baked it. Where did our house come from? builder built it. But you see, all of the stuff in life is dependent on something else. There is one thing in the universe and one thing only that is not dependent on anything outside of itself, and that's God.
God's Eternal Nature: 'I Am That I Am' and the Trustworthiness of Scripture
now scholars have A big fat 85 cent word, the word non contingent. God is not contingent. he is a necessary being in the sense of necessary, meaning. There is nothing beyond God that he is dependent on. God isn't looking for anybody to pay his rent or cook his food. He is non contingent, self existent, eternal, uncreated. God just is. It's Exodus 3:14 when he said, I am that I am. Now, I don't understand it, but I believe it. and when you think about it, I know we've got to move on, but think about this. God just is eternal. not only is that mind, boggling, hopefully inspiring, is a little bit scary.
It's also unable to completely comprehend.
True.
No person, Einstein or anybody can completely comprehend that. You go back to the Bible and just say in the beginning, God. And to that sixth grader, you're teaching them to read in the beginning. Now this is the beginning of Earth. There was something before Earth, and that is God. and God has been there. Does that mean God's always been there? The only answer we have is yes. And what answer is there apart from the Bible? There is none except God is. And remember, go, to Moses. You know me, I'm going to try to go to the Bible for answers on this. When Moses said, who am I going to say that sent me to Pharaoh? Tell them that I am, that I am has sent you. Read those stories even to the first grader. Read those stories to the first grader. Put all the material in it, but use those words. Alex, in the beginning, God, I am that I am. In other words, he was. It's not I was or I will be. I am. God is, always, far as we can understand in the present. And, the Bible will speak for itself.
Amen.
And, even in understanding, some people say, well, I don't believe the Bible. Just because a person doesn't believe the Bible doesn't keep it from being the word of God.
Revisiting Childhood Questions About God and Encouraging Bible Exploration
And the Bible says the word of God is able to do all these things, preach the word of God and it will happen. That's simplistic, but it's true. Take that first grader. Read the Bible stories that talk about that and those two. I know that's a great point and I pray that this helps. listen, I've got those grandchildren and they're asking me these questions, Alex. My boys did. And now my grandchildren are every generation ask those questions. And they're legitimate questions.
You know, I really do think about it. I remember I was a kid and I was, in the front yard, just lying in the grass one warm summer day, and I looked up and I saw these pretty clouds. have you ever been on a day that you could see the moon in the daylight?
Yeah.
And one day, so I'm looking up and I thought, wow, those clouds. Wonder what's beyond those clouds. And I could see the moon, oddly enough, on a bright day, I thought, wonder what's beyond the moon. And just think about it, as I was a little child trying to get this into my, you know, seven or eight year old head, okay? Beyond Earth, beyond the solar system, beyond the clouds and stars, beyond space, beyond every finite, limited, created thing, there is something that's infinite, uncreated, eternal, has always been. And it's God. And when, you think about the fact that God has never not existed, you know, it ought to.
It comforts, challenges in every way. Every kind of mental capacity and emotion comes up.
When I hear that, Alex, it ought to put a bit of reverent fear in your heart.
You better believe it.
And let me just say, you want to be right with God. Listen, we little tiny humans, you don't want to be sideways with a being that's eternal and all powerful. And he loves you.
He does. Let me give one more thought real quick before, before we go to break. Go to the Creation Museum.
Amen.
amen. As quick as you can. Get that six year old first grader, through the 12th, all ages. But get them there before they get 12 years old. And spend some money. It takes a little bit of money. Go to the Creation Museum in Kentucky. Yeah. And go and see about the universe. What's that?
Oh, and. Oh, the Planetarium.
Planetarium. Spend extra money. Go to the Planetarium and the Ark and it will bless you. You're listening to Exploring the Word. Alex and I are taking questions from [email protected] and our Facebook page and answering them. Hope you're enjoying it. And we'll be back right after the break.
Listener Support and the Enduring Power of God's Word
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But it's true. It will not pass away. It remains yesterday and forever the same. The word is alive.
Welcome back to Exploring the Word.
Exploring Hebrews Chapter Six: The Security of the Believer and Apostasy
We're doing questions and answers. These come from wordfr.net and from our Facebook page. So we're taking time to answer those, and many of them are repeated questions, and we've grouped them together trying to answer them that way. One Alex, that always comes up is in the book of Hebrews. Hebrews is a very great, great book. It's got two or three passages in there that are difficult for different people from different perspectives to answer. We do our best to answer them as biblically as we can. And one of them is about Hebrews 6, 4. And it's about a person that is saved. And then they reject apostatize, they go against God, they turn their back on God. now I firmly believe that they were never with God according to the book of 1 Jon. You know, they went out from us because they were not with us the first time. But the whole thing is, let me read Hebrews 6, 4 and talk about this question about being saved, really saved, and then the possibility of being lost. some people say it's once saved, always saved. Well, I know that, but that's kind of a flippant answer. We can call it the security of the believer. perseverance of the saints is Jon Calvin's answer for that. Mine is the grace of God. The grace of God is able to keep us. Jon, chapter 10. He's able to keep that. Paul said he's able to keep that which we've committed unto him against that day. But here's Hebrews 6. and, it talks about 6, 5, and it says. Well, let me read, verse 4 and 5. It says, for it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good word of God in the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God and, and put him to an open chain. Now, again, I don't care which position you take, that of the security of the believer that you are saved, if you really have come to Christ, he'll never pluck you out of his hand. No man Can. Or if the person says, you can apostatize Now, I think the issue of being saved today and lost tomorrow, and then saved again and lost again. There's nothing in the Bible that even hints toward a relationship like that, Alex. But there are some passages that make it seemingly that a person could walk away after they've come to Christ, and they say, no, I'm walking away from him. I'm, giving up, I'm going my way. The question is here. Were they really born again in the first place or were they this tasting, is this tasting something of checking it out but not being consumed and it not consuming it? Give us some thoughts on it. I'm not sure there's answers, but there's thoughts. Let's give some thoughts on it.
Well, yeah, I do think there's an answer here because, the new birth to be saved, born from above is Jon, chapter three, where Jesus told Nicodemus, you must be born again. when something is born, it can't be unborn. and a lot goes on in the salvation transaction. Our sins are forgiven. The righteousness of Christ is imparted to us. The Holy Spirit indwells. So when a person has, trusted Christ and truly been saved, I mean, there's a brand new nature. But look at Hebrews 6:4. It says, for it is impossible to restore again to repentance. Those who have been enlightened and who have tasted the heavenly gift become partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the ages to come. If they then commit apostasy, they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt. Okay, that's Hebrews 6:4,6. Okay, in verse four you've got, the word enlightenment tasted.
Dissecting 'Tasting' Spiritual Truths: Salvation's Unconditional Security in Christ
Partaker. and so if you read it in the English Bible, it sounds like, okay, wow, they were saved, but then they got unsaved. I honestly believe these are people that, the word enlightened, I looked it up and it's the word from which we get the word photon, like light exposed to light tasted. The heavenly gift means like to sample food at a banquet. Imagine. This may not be a perfect analogy, but let's say, you go into a banquet, a buffet, and you maybe take a pinch and you see what's there on the buffet, but you don't sit down at the table and eat. It's one thing to smell the aroma, maybe taste a pinch, but you don't sit down and you walk away from it. You walk away from the banquet, okay?
After tasting it, you walk away from the banquet.
And it says, tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come. What that implies in Hebrews 6, 5 is they got it. They understood what they were doing. And look, there is a point, my friend, when you realize, you feel the pull of the Holy Spirit, it clicks. You say, you know what? Jesus is real. He loves me. He died for me. I could put my trust in him. I mean, what this is saying is in Hebrews 6, not somebody that truly was born again, gave their life to Christ, they understood the gospel and they walked away from it.
Okay, let's talk about the word taste. And I came up with this, and I want you to share with it, your thoughts on it. In the Old Testament, looking at Nehemiah, now in the King James, he was the cupbearer. The real thing was he was the food tester. The most common way, that's a dangerous job. the most common way to kill the monarch was poison. And so the job was someone that would taste of the meal before he ate it. The food taster did not consume the meal. They just tasted it. And the king is the one who got the full meal. Now, Alex, this word tastes like it was a buffet. Is Nehemiah's position as cupbearer, is it a little bit of an example of somebody that tastes of something but does not consume it? Is that, illustration of that?
I think that's a good illustration to, really get a sampling of something, but not the whole thing, not the meal. And like I said, you sample the buffet, but you don't sit down at the table. And if the Hebrews 6, 4, 6 passage was the only thing we had, then we might wonder, could salvation be lost? But looking at all the other scriptures that we've got about Romans 4 and Jon 10 and, Jon 6:40, I give to them eternal, and they will never perish. whoever believes in me will have everlasting life. And we've got to, look at the whole canon of scripture regarding our salvation. And, we often invoke 1 Jon 5, 13. Let me just say this, that, our life is everlasting life. It's not intermittent life. If you could lose it, get it back, get it, lose it, get it. I mean, our journey to heaven would be intermittent life.
So eternal life is not only a quality of life, it's a quantity as well. It's both, and it's eternal could it be called eternal life? If it could be, yeah. I mean, lost or, you know, I think, God would have called it something else. And he's the one, that Jesus quoted that word. They shall have eternal life and they shall never perish.
yeah, exactly. And let me just say this too. We are not saved by works, and we're not kept saved by works. I mean, really, our eternal security is not contingent on performance. Now, should we walk with Jesus? Yes.
Defining Apostasy and the Essential Components of True Saving Faith
But if someone apostatizes, I think what it's talking about in verse six, if they then commit apostasy. Apostasy is not struggling with sin. Apostasy is to repudiate, turn your back on. if somebody could say, I don't believe in Jesus anymore. I reject Jesus, God isn't real. Or maybe if he is, he's evil and I'm not a Christian. You know, I think about this. the rock star Katy Perry, who was raised Baptist, sang gospel, and she said in an interview, I don't call myself a Christian anymore. And she's dabbled in everything from soft core pornography to Hinduism and Buddhism. I think that gal needs to get saved. because if you can say, I don't call myself a Christian anymore, well, that's dangerous ground. That's apostasy.
Okay, let's bring this in and go to the next question. Let me share this with you. If you're one of these people that believe that you're secure in Christ and yet you've never come to a place of realization because the Bible says in the Book of Acts, faith without works is dead.
The Nature of Saving Faith: Heart, Will, and Emotions in Following Christ
That's a dead faith. In other words, you can believe, Alex, with your mind, you can know about Jesus death on the cross. You can know about his resurrection, and you can believe that's a historical fact that it really happened. That is not salvation. When it says, when a man believes in his heart, it's his mind, his will, and his emotions, it's not just his mind. With your will, Jesus said, whosoever will take up the cross and follow me. It's not okay, I will whoever wills it. my will is changed. Jesus came and says, I no longer came to do my will, but I came to do the will of the Father. And that's the idea of salvation. I came no more. It's not me, it is Christ. I give it over to him. And then my emotions, yes, it does affect you. It affects what you think, it affects your life, what you do. So if you've never had an experience in Your life of grace, where Christ came in and he changed everything. I would go back and I would examine to see if I'd really come to the realization of knowing Christ as savior. Once you've nailed it down, nail it down, write it in the fly leaf of your Bible. And when Satan comes and he tries to fool you and say, you can't be his child, you say, lord, the Bible says that I'm in Christ, and settle that. So we appreciate that, Alex, and we need to. If you have questions about your salvation and you need someone to talk to, you can go to Triple eight, need him. And it's also online chat about Jesus. You can do that as well. You ready for another question?
Let's do it.
Investigating 'Sons of God' in Job and Genesis: Angels, Fallen Beings, and Spiritual Battles
Let's do this one in Job. And this is similar to the one in Genesis, chapter six. So we pool these all together because it's talking about the sons of God. and in Job it says when the sons of God came and appeared before God in heaven, and Lucifer was in that group, you know, Satan was in that group. who are the sons of God? Well, are they the same ones in Genesis 6? Same one in Job 1:6?
No, I don't think they're the same. I think the ones in Genesis are, people, now, sons of God, as in created beings. But in Job, apparently, some of the angels appear before God to give a progress report on what they're doing.
They're still accountable, right?
They're still accountable.
Let's come back to that. But I want to throw this in real quickly. So a person who says, I don't believe in creation, I just believe in evolution, guess what? They are going to find out one day. There is still accountability, aren't there?
There is still accountability.
Okay, that was just a sidetrack.
Good point.
I don't want to chase that rabbit. But go back to the sons of God.
Well, yeah, I mean, they are created beings. And you know, as we've said many times, there are four categories of life, plant life, animal life, human life, and angelic life. And as we know, some of the angels fell. Well, interestingly, apparently in Job, and by the way, we get a lot of really good insight into the supernatural world through the book of Job.
We really do. And it is a great study we have done that. We spent a good bit of time when we went through Job looking at those.
We really did. Apparently even Lucifer himself, Satan can get within shouting distance of God. or God in his power, at any moment that he wants to, can summons him before you Exactly. And so Satan, who among his other, attributes is called the accuser of the brethren, said, let me harm Job. Job only loves you, God, because you've blessed him. But you let me rough him up a little bit and he'll curse you to your face. God says, I don't think so. I think Job is upright and righteous and really does love me. And God allowed Job to go through some testing. Now, we talked about this when we did this study. If you divvy it up, job went through 17 types of very severe tests and didn't know that the sons of God, the angels, had appeared before God to give a report.
Job didn't know what we know. When we read the book of Job, we know the story, the whole story. We kind of got the backdrop. We know the backdrop.
We got to go backstage a little bit and peer behind the curtain. And, you know, we often in life we say, why? Why are things hard? Why are things hard? we need to understand when we're going through trials, there may be a spiritual struggle, a spiritual battle. That's the backdrop we don't even know about.
With that in mind, Romans 8:28. God takes all things and he works them for good to those that are called according to his purpose, those that love him. Verse 29 talks about for whom he foreknew he predestined. To do what?
Be conformed.
Is that what all this works out to? To me that gives me comfort, the heartache, the difficulty of living in a fallen world. all the things that God does to discipline me, to prune me, you know, to take away the things that causes me not to bear much fruit. They're painful. Everything I know about it is painful. But what is the purpose? To bring him glory. And that I might be conformed to his image.
Isn't that something?
Does that not. I don't know about you, Alex. That helps me go through some stuff.
Exactly. Exactly. You're listening to Exploring the Word with Bert Harper and Alex McFarland. We're taking listener questions on this pre recorded show and we're going to get with more Bible questions after this break. So stay with us and we're going to stay in the Word and find answers to your questions. Thanks for listening. We'll be right back.
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now back to the Bible study with Alex and Bert. You're listening to Exploring the Word on American Family Rad American Family Radio. American Family.
Let the power of your words dwell here Richly changing the ways that I
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Fill me with otherly wisdom Plant me deep like a tree by the street.
Interpreting Prophecy: Dual Fulfillment and the 'Now and Not Yet' in Scripture
Welcome back. We're glad that you're tuned in. We're not going to take phone calls, but we're going to ask answer. We may ask some questions too of one another, but we're going to answer a few questions. this is a pre recorded program and you have sent Questions in by wordfr.net in our Facebook page. So let's go right into them and let's kind of treat this like a lightning round if we can, you know, like at the end of a program. Alex. We'll see how quick we can do it. But not inadequate, but I hope it'll be adequate but quick. this one is about Peter and him quoting joel in Acts 2. And the question is, he said these things were happening at that time, but when so many people are claiming to be happening now, or even that there is still to come, is it possible that it can happen twice? Or I'm going to put my own. He asks, is Peter mistaken about the timeline or do we get a picture of what is and what will be? That's the way it was a lot in the Old Testament. You remember, it would be true then, but the bigger picture would come to happen. When Jesus was on the cross, David did feel like, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? That was real for David to quote those words, Alex, but they really came to full being when Jesus was on the cross.
Well, you know, Warren Wiersbe, who is a really good scholar to know about, who was at one time pastor of Moody Church in Chicago, but he used to talk, about the now and the not yet.
That's it.
You know, a lot of scriptures would have a kind of a dual fulfillment. And In Acts chapter two, if you read really 1621, Peter, is preaching. Oh, and I just have to say, isn't, it great that Peter got to preach, I guess the most famous sermon of all time, other than the ones preached by Christ, but the sermon at Pentecost. And he says, but this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel, and it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. Well, for one thing, there, daughters, sons and old men. It's talking about, this outpouring of the Holy Spirit, this ingathering of salvation to the gospel. And what Christ has done is for all people. The sons, the daughters, the old men, the whole tribe. It's for everybody. And so Joel 2, 28, 32, it's really very much like Psalm 16 and Psalm 110 that talks about the coming of the Holy Spirit. Exactly. So for one thing, there is the coming of the Holy Spirit. There is the ongoing work.
And when the Holy Spirit breaks through at a new place, we would call it an unreached people group. Or we could call it a frontier mission area. You always have a lot more phenomena happening. Look at the Book of Acts at Pentecost, right? And look what happened when the Holy Spirit fell in Samaria. Then look what happened when the Holy Spirit came to the Ephesians. You had similar responses in all places. They'd say, is this not like it was at Pentecost? And what did those three places have in common? It was the Holy Spirit coming into a new area. And, Alex, you look at the Book of Acts, and you'll see it. When he came into a new, area, there was always a little bit more of the sign gifts. And then after he had stayed there for a while, it comes more to the service and speaking gifts. Notice that in the Book of Acts, I think it gives clarity. It doesn't do away with the gifts of the Spirit. Even today, all of the gifts of the Spirit, I think they're operative. But I do believe the explanation in the Book of Acts tells where they operate best. And if you try to live on those kind of experiences, what will happen to you is what will happen in, the church at Corinth. There will be confusion. If you keep trying to live on that introductory, phenomena that happens with assigned gifts in a frontier mission area, an unreached people group, I believe it will lead to confusion like it was in the Book of Corinth.
Well, and you know what's really interesting is this, Pentecost was, kind of like God hit the start button on the church age. Now, here's the thing. when Peter goes, this is that which was spoken. It's interesting that the ascension of Christ, the 50 days they spent in prayer, and then Peter preaches and the Spirit falls. People hear the gospel in their native language. Tongues are manifest. 3,000 souls are saved. Here's the thing. a lot of the Old Testament scriptures had pointed toward the fulfillment of God's kingdom here on earth. It's interesting. a fallen world had awaited the coming of Christ and the ushering in of his kingdom. Prior to Pentecost, there had been the promise of God's kingdom, but Pentecost and following, it's almost like the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world have run on parallel tracks. Let me say this folks, the kingdom of God is here. Now, if you read Matthew 11, it talks about the kingdom has suffered violence and the kingdom of God is ever so slowly inserting itself over the top of the kingdom of the world. Don't you be, discouraged and think that darkness and evil is winning. It is not.
It is not.
Just as sure, just as sure as everything, the kingdom of God is coming into this world, isn't it?
Yes, it is. It's not the yin and the yang, but it is the ebb flow. The ebb flow, parallel trot. But the kingdom of God is eternal and victorious. Another question was we were talking about Peter and Paul in comparison. And anytime you do that, you're probably going to get into some misunderstanding. And we were talking about Peter's faults being exposed and obvious.
Examining the Lives of Paul and Peter: Flaws, Strengths, and Exemplary Christian Service
I mean, you know, Peter, how many times have you heard people say, well, I'm like Peter? And then how many people have ever said I'm like Paul? Very few folks say I'm like Paul, but many say, well, the two that people identify with more than anybody else is Peter and Thomas. You know, they say, I hear it
all the time, doubting Thomas and plain spoken Peter.
But did Paul have faults? Well, we know he had faults because he is a human being. I will say this. To find the faults of Paul, you have to look deep and hard and then you have to look and say, was that a fault or was it not? Just like he and Barnabas disagreeing on whether taking, Jon Mark with them on the second missionary journey, God, worked it out for good. And I know most of the time two people can't be right if they are opposed to one another. But in a way they were. Barnabas wanted to salvage Jon Mark and said, you know, we need to disciple this guy. And the best way to disciple him is for him to hang around with us. Let him go with us. Yes, Paul said, well, he man, no, it's not good for the work. If he bails out on us again. Is both right? Well, I mean, are both of those statements right?
Yes, I think you're right on both accounts. the Apostle Paul. It is hard to find flaws in Paul. Now, he was a sinner. I mean, prior to his conversion, he persecuted the church. Church consented or helped somehow arranged for the martyrdom of Steven. I mean, he was a bad dude. and I do think Paul is, like, the most exemplary Christian ever. I mean, if you read about his service for Christ, he truly poured himself out for the gospel. I mean, he really did. he wrote over half of the NewSong Testament. He planted churches. He was persecuted, he was put in jail. He was elderly and cold. but he was brave. I mean, if you read about Galatians, Chapter two, and there was the Judaizers, Paul was brave enough to withstand Peter. If you read it, it got up in his face. I mean, think about this. Paul occasionally would say to the churches, you know, obey what I'm telling you, as if I were there in person. And remember, you have the gospel because I came to you. I mean, he kind of would pull.
He'd pull rank, wouldn't he, when he needed to.
But I really do think the Apostle Paul is the greatest Christian that ever lived. And what was his thorn in the flesh? I mean, people have made some wild speculation, at. We don't know exactly what the thorn in the flesh was, but it may have been his eyesight. and when he talks about, my own handwriting in this very large hand, as in huge letters, it might have been the writing of somebody who was nearly blind. And maybe he prayed and begged God for his eyesight to be restored.
We may not see his faults as clearly, but when you read his writings, he did. You catch that now? That's the.
The Importance of Church Membership: Salvation, Fellowship, and Service
He saw his faults, and he knew what God had done for him. And he lived for God. What a man. Here's another question that came in, and it's talking about going to church. And just to make it simple, this lady said, do I have to go to church to be saved? Does Jesus Christ still love me the same if I don't go to church?
you don't have to go to church to be saved. You know, the word church is a lot like the word baptism. Do you have to be baptized to be saved? Not in the sense of water baptism, although water baptism is an important.
Very important, isn't it? You identify with Christ with that.
But the NewSong Testament also uses the word baptism in the Sense of being immersed into Jesus.
Necessary.
Yeah. So in that sense, to be in Christ, of course you do. Now, the word church there is the body of believers worldwide, the family of God, the born again band of believers for all of history. So, yeah, you have to be in the church in that sense. But do you have to every Sunday morning at 9:45, go down to the corner church to be saved? Well, you can be saved and be out of church, but I think if you're a, born again believer, you're going to want to do what Hebrews 10:25 says and assemble yourselves together. And, I will say this. I've known born again Christians who for 10 or 20 years of their life got out of church. And I'll tell you, they ran out of gas pretty quickly.
I'm a product of that family. My dad, I've showed this on the radio before. For the first 10 years of my life, we were not in church in my family. And, church had a church fuss, a church split, hurt. My dad moved, didn't get back in church. But yet I saw this godly man outside of church. That's what's amazing. The godly qualities that I admire in him today, they were real. But that church, a church loved my dad and our family, and we became a part of a local church. And if that church is where I was saved, if that church is where God called me to preach, preached my first sermon, met my wife, married my wife, all at that same church, ordained there, at that same building, that same body of believers, I love that church. And Willard Baptist Church just north of here in Tupelo. So one more thing I got to say about that, and I've used this on the radio before. Horace Greeley, was he the one that said, go west, young man, go west?
Yes.
And when a lot of believers went west, they settled in areas where there was no churches and they had to have fellowship within their family. But guess what they did after a community started? Guess what they had start, Alex?
They'd build a church.
They'd build a local church. And it is, no, not necessary, but important beyond measure. How important it is to be part of a local church.
Oh, yeah.
To work with them. And also accountability. And for a witness. Adrian Rogers, someone we'd like to, I guess we quote Vence Havner and Adrian Rogers more than anybody. Probably.
Yes.
But Adrian Rogers said every time you get up on Sunday morning and go to church, you're saying to everybody who's watching, I still believe. What a testimony Let me say, look,
the discipline of get up, get dressed, be on time for Sunday school, read the quarterly, go to preaching, worship, sing in the choir, serve on a committee. Look, I can't speak for everybody else, but I need the consistency, and the discipline of being a part, a contributing member. And let me just say one more thing. You were talking about where people move to a community and they'll start a church all around this blessed nation. We'll see Cedar Grove Memorial Methodist Church and, Thomas Road Baptist. I've seen so many Thomas Road and Elm Street Baptist and all this stuff. Okay, look, don't just look for the big, glitzy, church. I've been in a lot of those mega churches, and that's great. Praise God. Find a church and give prayerful consideration to the place where God wants you to serve. Because I think, our relationship to the church primarily is one of service. The question is not how can I be served? The question is how may I serve? And God might lead you and your family to the church that doesn't have the subwoofers and the smoke machines, but is the little church where your family can really plug into the family and serve. Don't just dismiss the little corner church that doesn't have.
I've heard this, Alex, and I agree with you fully. You're going to know about 100 people in a church, regardless. Regardless. And that may be everybody in the church, or it may be less than a hundred and you know everybody. Or if you're a part of a megachurch, it has $5,000. 5,000, people in attendance. you know, you'll just know 100 of them. And, plug in where God wants you. Last thing we're going to do is pray. We have a lot of calls and a lot of folks on email talking about their children in lifestyles. Transgender homosexual lifestyles, lesbian lifestyles. two things I want to say and then want you to pray because we haven't got. But just a minute. love them, but don't enable them.
Right.
Don't let your love for them cause you to agree with a lifestyle that is destructive.
And don't allow them to make the litmus test for your love. Be that you deny God and his word.
Let's pray for them.
About 30 seconds, Father. Help restore the family and those people that are away from you. Call them to yourself.
A Closing Prayer for Family Restoration and Standing Firm in God's Truth
Give moms and dads wisdom to love their kids, but courage to stand for Christ. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
We really are concerned about your children.
Yes.
We stand with you, praying for them.
We're an American family.
We are association. And we know what it is to have victories. We also know what it is to have defeats. And we stay with God through it all.
Amen.
It's been good to be with you, alex.
Well. Jon 17:17 says, Thy word is truth. And when we have questions, we find the answers in God's word.
God's word.
Sure.
It's settled in heaven. Thank you for listening. We pray that you would have a great day today in the Lord.
Disclaimer Regarding Broadcast Views and Opinions
The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast do not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
Join Bert Harper and Alex McFarland on American Family Radio's Exploring the Word as they dive into listener-submitted questions from AFR.net and Facebook. In this episode, we tackle tough topics including how to explain God's eternal existence to children using logic and causality, the theological realities of Hebrews 6 and eternal security, the sons of God in Job and Genesis, dual fulfillments of prophecy in Acts, and the vital importance of the local church. Discover biblical truths that anchor your faith and strengthen your walk with Christ.
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