Classic Christianity – Call-In Bob George P411 (02-01-19)
Welcome to Classic Christianity Radio with Bob George. Let’s now join Bob George as he offers practical biblical insights as he helps people experience faith, hope and love in Jesus.
Bob addressed common questions in the world today. “Can believers marry again after divorce?”, “What did Jesus teach in Matthew?”, “What should we do when we sin as believers?”, and “Have I committed the sin of blasphemy?” are the questions asked by several callers. The callers are asking essentially the same question. “What does it mean to walk by faith?” Bob explains the New Covenant we are living under as believers as a covenant of grace, same as a will or a testament, started when Jesus shed hi blood on the cross. By properly understanding Jesus as being a Jew and and Old Covenant, speaking about the New Covenant in the gospels, one can more easily discern the meaning of scriptures in their proper context. For example, why would Jesus say, “Be perfect as I am perfect?”. I know myself I could never perfectly obey the law. How many of you have gotten angry on the freeway when someone recklessly cut you off? Jesus says that when you are angry, you have committed murder in your heart. All that Jesus just taught there was under an Old Covenant system. Bob explains how under grace, we have freedom, and with freedom there is responsibility, not to sin, but to uphold what is true in conduct and behavior. True freedom is not to do whatever you want but to do what you know is right and with that freedom is responsibility. Although we could sin it but makes no sense to do so. As a responsible citizen of heaven, under grace, as a new creation in Christ, as a child of God, you have a loving relationship with God as your Father, longing to please him in every way. The Holy spirit lives in you, teaching and instructing you the thoughts of God, and all that with no fear of wrath, for the payment of death for sin has already been paid in full. So then, what has religion taught you? That you need to keep short accounts with God, as if God is angry at you over sin and holding you to account? Have you been taught that you need to go to a priest to confess your sins? Bob says that, in both cases, that is not living by faith but presumption. For you are presuming your sins have not been forgiven when God says they have been forgiven completely and forever, ever since Jesus died on the cross and took away the sins of the world, not counting men’s sins against them. How much do you rely on what has been taught by religion but not by what God’s word clearly reveals to you by His Spirit? Can you trust what God’s word says? Lay hold of truth and believe what God has said! When you sin, simply thank him for what he has already done for you. There truly is a Sabbath rest for the people of God, resting from our works just as He did from His!
Michael from Atlanta, GA
Michael, a believer, asked a question on divorce and marriage. Matthew 19 was throwing him into confusion because he is not sure how to proceed in a situation where his believing wife has left him. Is he free to marry now that a divorce is final, or would he be committing adultery if he did? If two Christians divorce, the word says unless you commit adultery, then if you marry another would that not be adultery? How does that work?
Matthew 19:3-10
3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’
5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?
6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”
8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.
9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
10 The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”
Bob immediately directed him to the New Testament epistles in 1 Corinthians and also passages from Hebrews 9 and did not even address Matthew 19 until after explaining the New Covenant of grace that we are under. If you want to be under an Old Covenant, then read Matthew 19, but we are not under that covenant.
Hebrews 9:13-17
13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.
We live on this side of the cross. Jesus, while on earth, ushered in a new covenant that went into effect the day he died. The terms covenant, will and testament are interchangeable and the same agreement. The old covenant, old will, or old testament was replaced with a new covenant, new will or new testament. Under the old covenant is the covenant of law and is what Jesus taught under. It consisted of a sanctuary, Levitical priests, law of Moses, and the sacrifices of bulls and goats to temporarily cover sin. Jesus announced a coming of the new covenant but taught under the old covenant. He buried us under the old covenant. That was his purpose on earth, to show man that there is no way you will ever obtain salvation through your own works.
Galatians 2:21
I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
He came to show us what true righteousness was and in so doing showed us our own unrighteousness.
Romans 3:20
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
That is why Jesus made statements like “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). That is impossible for man to do. If you look lustfully at a woman in your heart, you already committed adultery (Matthew 5:28). If you are angry with someone, then you have already murdered him in your heart (Matthew 5:22). Jesus came to show us that we cannot live up to the law. The law was there to show us we are sinners, so we would turn to Christ for salvation, to be led now, no longer by the law written on stone, but by the living Holy spirit of God in us, who guides us into all truth (Galatians 3).
1 Corinthians 7:8-10
8 Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. 11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
So Paul i addressing three categories of people here, the unmarried, the widows and the virgin. To the widows, he is saying it is good fro them to stay unmarried, but if they cannot control themselves, then they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion. If you enjoyed sex in the context of marriage and now that is taken away, then it is logical for you to desire to be married. Now those who have never been married, they don’t burn for what they once had. You can yearn for something you never had.
Matthew 19 is in the old covenant time period and Jesus is speaking to those who are still under that covenant. The Pharisees motives were to trap Jesus in his words and were not looking for truth but ways to skirt the law. So let us get out of the old covenant and ponder over the new.
The New Covenant started at the death of Christ. Do you have a will? When will it go into effect? When you die. If someone divorced, then should he ever marry again? What is the thinking in a covenant in a covenant of grace?
Are you willing to live with him? Then you are set apart, sanctified, by his wife. If you are married to a doctor, you are set apart as doctor’s wife.
Are both of you Christians? Then hang in there. There is no one who has been married who has not had a conflict or strain in their marriage. If someone does not want to hang in there and leave you, then you are divorced. Then you are free under grace. You cannot control the will of another person.
Now Matthew is speaking to those under law and is discussing the perfection under law, which no man could ever keep. That is what is being explained in Matthew by Jesus to crush the Pharisees of their boasting under law. But are you under the old covenant or the new covenant? You are under the new covenant of grace.
If going to live life commensurate as a child of God, then you are not going to look for a woman to have sex with but someone to serve in love and in God’s way.
Frank from New Orleans
Frank struggled in getting to his question and went into great lengths to explain the trials and difficulties in New Orleans. His basic question was if he should leave New Orleans and for wisdom on direction of when and where to go. Nobody can tell someone else what to do in such matters. For the Lord directs each individual as a Father to a child. You have to ask God’s wisdom for that and follow the Lord’ instruction.
Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
No one can tell you where to go. If you have a strong desire and is God-given, then act on it. Otherwise, stay where you are.
Frank from Indianapolis, IN
Frank was getting bothered that he might have committed the sin of blasphemy. He recalled a time as a teenager when he got angry at God and cursed God. That bothered him so much that he wondered if he had committed the sin of blasphemy?
He is not alone in thinking such thoughts. Many believers have read or heard this scripture and have not understood.
Matthew 12:31-32
And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Blasphemy is the denial of the testimony of the work of Christ Jesus in your life, denying his work on the cross and his offer of resurrected life for you.
John 16:9
The world’s sin is unbelief in me.
The sins of the entire world went to the back of God and never to be seen again. Jesus took the sins of the world away when he died on the cross. God is not dealing with you on the basis of sin and death but on the basis of a new life. No different than coveting or any other violation of the 10 commandments. He died to take away all the sins of the world including yours. He is dealing with you on the basis as a child of God, in a father and son relationship.
Hebrews 4:16
So let us come boldly to the very throne of God and stay there to receive his mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need.
Romans 8:15
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to son-ship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.
He is in the process of teaching, disciplining and correcting us through His Spirit and the word of God. There is no unpardonable sin except the rejection of Christ. You cannot pardon denying the one who took it away. That is the only sin that cannot be forgiven, for it has to be repented of.
Someone is always looking for some sin you have done to condemn you for, one that they have not done, so as to justify themselves as if to excuse themselves from going to Christ. Those who think like that are thinking in terms of obedience to a law and no one can ever be justified under the law. It is never about how perfectly obedient we are but how perfectly loving and just God is but who extended His grace to us, and that while we were yet sinners.
Lawrence Victoria, TX
Lawrence explained that he was raised Baptist, was married to two Catholic women before and the person he is now dating is Catholic. He is beginning to realize the false teaching of Catholicism in regards to what is necessary in mind of a Catholic to go to a priest to confess sins. So he wanted to know how to speak to Catholics in regards to issue of truth.
Whoever you speak and whatever religion he is in is not really the focus. In all cases, just explain the truth of the gospel. There is no need to go to priest to go to confession. In all kinds of religions, you hear what you ought to be doing and well versed in what “do, do” Christianity is about. But no one knows what Christ has done.
Just on these passage of scripture alone, what kind of questions could be asked?
2 Corinthians 5:19
For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting men’s sins against them but blotting them out. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others.
Do you know God was in Christ, not counting your sins against you?
1 John 2:2
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
Do you know Christ died not only for my sin but the sins of the whole world?
Colossians 2:15 (TLB)
In this way God took away Satan’s power to accuse you of sin, and God openly displayed to the whole world Christ’s triumph at the cross where your sins were all taken away.
What does it mean when sins have been taken away at the cross?
John 19:30
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
What does Jesus mean when he says, “It is finished”. If something is finished, then there is nothing else to do is there?
Most people don’t know that. They are just taught what you do.
Now, the there is no difference in thinking between Catholics and Protestants, the religious, when one gets right down to it. Catholics go to a priest to get forgiveness and Protestants just quote 1 John 1:9 and confess their sins they do to God. In both cases, they are denying the fact that Jesus has taken away our sins.
If going to walk by faith, and hopefully you want to, then the only thing to do is thank Him for what He has already done. For me, a child of God in Christ, to ask God for what Christ has already done is not faith but presumption. And by doing confession, you thing you are spiritual, because it has the appearance of humility, and other things people do with harsh treatment of their body. All such things just puff one up in pride.
Colossians 2:20-23 (TLB)
20 Since you died, as it were, with Christ and this has set you free from following the world’s ideas of how to be saved—by doing good and obeying various rules[a]—why do you keep right on following them anyway, still bound by such rules as 21 not eating, tasting, or even touching certain foods? 22 Such rules are mere human teachings, for food was made to be eaten and used up. 23 These rules may seem good, for rules of this kind require strong devotion and are humiliating and hard on the body, but they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person’s evil thoughts and desires. They only make him proud.
Now the Protestants brag about keeping short accounts with God and say it is okay to sin but be sure to confess them. That is no different than what Catholics believe in principle of practice. The issue is that we have to realize the sins of the world were taken away at the cross. No one will ever go to hell because of his sins. The sins of the entire world were placed on the back of God never to be seen again. “The world’s sin (singular) is unbelief in me” (John 16:9).
The only sin attributable to man is the rejection of the Son of God. Propitiation, in 1 John 2:2 means that his sacrifice, his shed blood, of such eternal value, that it was able to take away, and it did, the sins of the entire world for all eternity. What did you do with my Son?
All that is needed is to accept the provision of God for us and rest in what He did. How foolish to think you have to work to make yourself clean in what you do! You are a sinner and you are spiritually dead before faith in Christ was revealed to you. Death is a problem and must be corrected by eternal life and that life is only available in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In order to give life He had to take away eternally the cause of death, which is sin. That is why God was reconciling the whole world unto himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). That is either true or it isn’t? If not true, then pitch the bible and say Jesus lied to us.
Hebrews 1:3
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
When it said he sat down at right hand of God, what does he mean?
He sat down because his work was finished. He made his enemies his footstool.
Hebrews 1:13
To which of the angels did God ever say, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?
If that is true, how do we respond to that? That is what faith is, responding to truth and believing that truth. Emphasis in the religious world is on how you do it rather than on what He did. Faith says, “Thank you” for what he has accomplished on my behalf.
God has reconciled the whole world to Himself, having completed the work of dying on the cross, and is not counting men’s sins against Him (2 Corinthians 5:19). Is it true? If it is true, then what do you do when you sin? When someone else sins? Thank Him for forgiving him. Ask him to do what he has already done is a repudiation of faith.
Is the religious world walking by faith or in presumption? I was taught that every time I sinned I had to ask forgiveness for that. But in faith, we simply thank him for what he already has done.
Hebrews 4:8-10
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.
When you are doing that are you resting? Are you resting from his works just as he is from his? I am resting in the fact that I am a forgiven person? That is what the Sabbath rest is all about. He does not want you living in a desert. He wants you to be in the Sabbath rest.
Does that mean you go live like the devil? No.
Galatians 5:13
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
No, don’t use your freedom to indulge the flesh but to serve one another in love. Freedom in a country but true freedom is not to do whatever you want but to do what you know is right and with that freedom is responsibility. Freedom has responsibility connected with it, a responsibility to walk in newness of life. I don’t have to be responsible but God gives me a desire to do so. Don’t have to, but want to. That is the way of grace. I don’t need a license to sin for I can sin quite well without one. Bu I do need God’s grace to walk in the new way of freedom.
Romans 6:4
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
That is true freedom!
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