Call-In Classic Christianity Radio – Bob George P601 (01-22-21)
Synopsis
There is so much error that needs to be replaced with truth. You are inundated with teaching from denominational persuasions of men, that if you are not in God’s word, relying on the Spirit to reveal truth to you, you have this tendency to hold onto things you think are true. You have heard something so often and so repetitively from people who have this reputation of being a leader or having some seminary degree that you believe what they say. They could be teaching truth, but they could also be teaching error. How do you know? So we are to be those who diligently study the scriptures to see if what someone says is true.
Many people think the ten commandments are a guide for a believer. But if you look into scripture, you come to realize that the law was made for the unbeliever, that they come to the end of the law for righteousness, that they might seek a Savior. The law will never go away because the law is a tool for the lost. Without a penalty, the law is meaningless. And the penalty for sin is death. Therefore, for us to have any hope, an innocent person, one without sin, must die for the guilty, for you and I. That is why Jesus came, to take away our sins that caused our death, so that life could be given.
Then what does the law do for the believer? It certainly tells you what God defines as sin, but the law could only condemn. It has no power to help us live a godly life. Only a person with the Spirit of God in him can live a godly life. A godly life comes from God living in you to produce what you and I could never produce from our flesh. So when you are born again, the Spirit of God is placed in you, so that He can guide you into all truth and lead you internally. For love is from God, God is love and love is the fulfillment of the law, and He who loves does his neighbor no wrong. But love is a fruit of the Spirit and the Spirit has to produce that love in and through you. That is why you and I must be born again, to have the Holy Spirit take residence within us.
Transcript
Andy from Sierra, British Columbia
Andy: I am curious about. I listened to people who have talked about the ten commandments, and how that does not entirely go away. What is the role of the ten commandments in the life of a believer?
Bob: What you are saying is dead wrong? It is being taught by somebody who has no understanding at all of the scripture in regard to the ten commandments. The law was given to lead you to Christ. So are the ten commandments still applicable to a lost person? Absolutely. That is what it says.
Galatians 3:19-22
19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. 20 A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
Bob: So when you see an until then there is a before and an after. Again, the scripture that I am reading to you right now is from Galatians 3:19-24, and that is how it starts. What was the purpose of the law? The question asked is not, “What ‘is’ the purpose?” but “What ‘was’ the purpose of the law?”
Bob: It was added until the seed to whom the promise was made had come. That was the promise of Abraham. He believed God and that was credited to him as righteousness. Abraham was saved by faith that was revealed to him. Our salvation is on faith in Christ.
Romans 5:3
3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Galatians 3:23-25
23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
Bob: Before Jesus came or faith came into your own life, you were locked up until faith was revealed. It declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin.
Galatians 4:8-9
8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you know God – or rather are known by God – how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?
Bob: After accepting Christ, you are no longer under the law. If you have the laws in your heart, you cannot live by grace. Leave the law where it is to be left, at Mt. Sinai.
Bob: Those led by the Spirit, walking by faith, are sons of God. Those who are walking in faith, those led by the Spirit, are not under the law. If you are led by the Spirit, then you are not being led by the law. I hope nobody here is saying, “I do not want to be led by the Spirit but I want to be led by the law?”
Andy: People say, “We are no longer under ceremonial laws but we are still under the ten commandments.”
2 Corinthians 3:7-9
7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!
Bob: The ministry that brought death, written on stone, what was that? That was the ten commandments. Moses gave us the law.
John 1:17
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Bob: When you see law in the singular form, it is always referring to the first five books of the bible, called the Pentateuch. That is the law of God. When scripture talks about “putting my laws in their hearts” as in Hebrews, it is supposed to be a quotation out of the Old Testament, but in Hebrews, it says “I will put my laws in their hearts”. It is not the laws of Moses but the laws of Jesus.
Matthew 22:37-40
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
2 Corinthians 3:7-9
7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!
Bob: The ministry of the Spirit is more glorious. If the ten commandments came with glory, how much more glorious is the ministry of the Spirit! What is the law? The law is a ministry of condemnation. What did the Spirit bring? Righteousness! How much more glorious is the ministry that bring righteousness.
Bob: When scripture is referring to being dead to the law, it means being dead to all of it. If you have to be under the law, then you have to be under all of it. You cannot separate law from the punishment of the law. The law can only apply to those under the law for that is the only people the law can speak to, to people under the law.
Romans 3:19
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
Romans 3:20
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.
Bob: So if you are under the law, then shut your mouth. You will not be declared righteous by observing the law. Under the law, scripture instructs you to shut your mouth. You can give the law a try or you can walk by faith. Those are your only options.
Romans 7:23-25
23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Bob: That is what Paul said, that he worked himself to death. He finally said, “what a wretched man I am”. If you are going to be under law, then you are under the law of sin and death. As Paul said, “Who will free me from this bondage?” Paul came to accept the grace of God by faith and said, “Praise God”.
Bob: We are now guided internally by the Spirit of God in us, by the living person of Christ Jesus. He is our guide. He leads us and guides us into all truth.
John 16:13
13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come
Romans 8:2
2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
2 Corinthians 3:6
6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant – not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Bob: The law condemns and the Spirit gives life.
Andy: I feel like doing things wrong all the time.
Bob: In order to feel guilty, then you must be guilty for a reason. But are you guilty in the sight of God? Your sins were guilty but they were all punished at the cross.
Andy: But I still have these stupid habits hanging on.
Galatians 5:17
17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.
Bob: Join the crowd, Andy. You do not think you are all by yourself, do you? That is unrealistic expectations. You have indwelling sin still living in your flesh. You also have the Son of God living in you. You have the privilege of participating in the divine nature living in you.
2 Peter 1:4
4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
Bob: You can also choose to participate in yucky flesh that lives in you. You have a choice. When you give yourself to God, called walking in the Spirit, you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh.
Galatians 5:16
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Bob: It does not say, “The desires of the flesh will go away”. It did not say, “Clean up your flesh and you will be spiritual”. The only solution to not giving into the flesh is walking in the Spirit. It is like saying the only way to escape the law of gravity is to stay under the law of aerodynamics and stay there. If you decide to step out of an airplane to get a breath of fresh air, then you are no longer under the law of aerodynamics and are now under gravity and will fall to the ground. Do not get preoccupied in what the flesh is doing, and keep preoccupied with what Christ Jesus and what he is doing. If you are sitting under guilt then you cannot love Him.
1 John 4:19
19 We love because he first loved us.
Bob: You cannot love God if you think He is beating you to death. It is only when you can come to the conclusion that nothing can separate you from the love of God.
Romans 8:37-39
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Bob: Live in that love and you will be controlled by the Spirit of God.
Unknown Caller
Caller: I was attending a church that was teaching the five-fold ministries of prophets and apostles and teachers, and they quote from 1 Corinthians 12:27. Can you explain that to me?
1 Corinthians 12:27-29
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
Bob: We are a body of Christ and each one of us are a part of the body, who are in Christ Jesus. In the church, God has placed apostles. That is a group that determined the bible we hold in our hands today. They were alive or eyewitnesses of Jesus or a commiserate of someone who did. They were the final word on truth as long as they lived. When they died, all was written down in written form. The prophets were those who received direct revelation from God. Anything they said of God is also in our hands today.
Bob: Then there were teachers, then miracles, and gifts of healing, helping, guidance, administration and language. Are all apostles? No. Are all teachers? No. Do all work miracles? No.
Bob: As you read further in Corinthians, Paul exhorts us to eagerly desire the greater gifts. And the greatest gift is love.
1 Corinthians 12:31
31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing
Bob: All of these gifts to the body, you can be experiencing those, but if you do not have love, then you might as well not do those things. All that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
Galatians 5:6b
6 The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
Bob: Apostleship and prophets do not exist today. We have teachers, pastors and evangelists and that is for the purpose for equipping the saints.
Ephesians 4:11-13
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Bob: There are different gifts, as God determined. There are sign gifts. Some gifts only existed then. Other gifts are still in existence today. Romans, written later, does not even mention all those gifts. Some had a use in the past and others are only for today. What we do know is that we have pastors, teachers and evangelists for the purpose to help people walk by faith in Christ.
Caller: He is not saying all these gifts are in operation in the church today?
Bob: Absolutely. If you need a sign, then you are an adulterous and wicked generation, always looking for a sign. Jesus said that if you cannot believe after the resurrection, then you will not believe at all.
Matthew 12:39
39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.”
Luke 16:31
31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Bob: We have the fullness of the gospel as revealed to us in the Word of God. If you need a sign, that is a repudiation of faith. When I accepted Christ as Savior I did not need a sign. The sign that salvation took place was a change of life.
Bob: Today He wants us to walk by faith. That seems like people sometimes do not want to walk by faith. They want signs and miracles and show business and do not walk to walk by faith.
Caller: Thanks a bunch. That helped a lot.
Dean from Colorado Springs, CO
Dean: I cannot get you very well down here because I had power down on the station. I can hear you a little bit on the radio. I get some kind of music that comes in about half an hour after you come on and drowns you all out.
Bob: That is all a part of good old radio. You have to cut power back on A.M stations. That happens every year. The best thing to do is get on the internet during those periods of times and possibly pick up the program there.
Dean: I do not have a computer, but I certainly get into your books and I am reading them and listening as much as I can. But more than that I am able to share a lot of this with my family. I just wanted to share something with you, Bob, that has been absolutely a miracle. My sister, who is in Arkansas, and I have talked to you about her before. She is absolutely in love with the Lord. Her middle son had got caught up in drugs and things like that. He has been living with a gal for the last six years in Pensacola, FL. Finally, he just got fed up with it and went to Arkansas. And he saw that when he got there, he saw his mother, who was an absolutely changed person because of the Lord in her life now. He was just absolutely amazed and she was able to share a lot of this stuff, Bob, through your books and especially Classic Christianity and Victory over Depression. He said, “For some reason I have got to get back to Pensacola.” So he went back to Pensacola and he called me the other night, “Uncle Dean, I want to tell you something.” He will be 39 in December. “My mind is as clear as it has been in I do not know many years. I am thinking clearly right now. I am going to get a lot of stuff I left here in Pensacola and I am going to straighten out. I am going to tell people who I have wronged I am going to make right. When I read the first few chapters of that book, Victory over Depression, that man talked about me. My mind got so clear I could think for the first time in I cannot remember in how many years.” I want to share that your books have the power they are having in people’s lives.
John 8:32
32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
Bob: Well, Dean, thank you. It is very humbling to know that and to hear that. But again, it is back to that same old thing, that truth is what sets people free and error is what binds you. When you are in a condition that is totally contrary to the things of God, you are in error. Your mind is full of error. And it is not complicated. How do you get rid of error. You replace it with truth. It is not something you have to wallow around on the ground with. You just begin to, like what happened to the gentleman you are talking about, you begin to read truth and that truth begins to dispel error in your head, and if you have come to the Lord, that is the whole process we will be in as long as we are alive on this earth. We will be replacing error that is in our minds, and still to this day, full of error, and replacing that with truth. That is all a part of the renewing of the mind that will be taking place as long as we are alive.
Dean: This young man is my nephew. I love him dearly. My sister has three boys and my younger sister has three boys. I love all these boys. He told me the other night when he called me, and he was absolutely in tears. He said, “Uncle Dave, you lived this life for so many years. I saw it and I denied it. I have seen the change made in you.” He said, “I can see the difference it is making in me now. I want to thank you for being there for me.”
Bob: Wow! Well, that is what makes life worthwhile isn’ it, Dean.
Romans 8:31-33
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
Hebrews 13:5
5 God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Bob: Yes. That is the message, absolutely. Talk about a purpose filled life. There is only one purpose for us being here and that is to make our bodies available to the living Christ who lives in us to live His life in and through us. It is not living by a group of principles or living by law or to get all the churches together doing the same things at the same time at the same place with the same degree of enthusiasm. It is recognizing God saves you and me individually and is there to guide us individually just like He told Peter, “What is it to you if I have him to live forever? I am telling you to follow Me.” He is not telling you to get into church to do the same thing, the same time, the same place, with the same degree of enthusiasm.
Dean: Right.
John 16:13
13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
Bob: He says, “Individually I will guide you. I will tell you where I want you to go and how to do it.” If we will just learn to trust the Holy Spirit of God living in us, that would be amazing the results that would take place. I was thinking of a comment I heard the other day. Somebody was talking about all these birds. They all left to go to another place. It was getting cold here. Just like the swans coming back from California to Capistana. They do not have a calendar. How do they do that? They do not have to watch either. They just show up at the same time every year. Somebody said those are smart birds. No. Those are birds who are listening to whatever voice that is within them telling them what to do. They are just merely listening to it. If we ever learn to be obedient there is no telling what would be accomplished in our lives.
Dean: It was like the salmon that went back to where they were. How do they know to do that? It has to be something greater than ourselves?
Bob: Absolutely.
Dean: And it is not the big bang either.
Bob: Nope.
Dean: Anyway, I wanted to share that with you. I am just humbled by what the Lord is doing in my sisters lives and nephews now. The Lord had got a hold of Buddy now. His name is buddy. The Lord has got a hold of his life. The other two brothers are going to see a difference that he saw in his mother. He is going to have an influence on the other two boys. I just sense in my spirit that great things are going to happen very, very soon. I want to let you know. Thank God for your wisdom, Bob, and through your insight into the mind that we do not have psychological problems but we have thinking problems. We need to get our thoughts together. We need to get our thinking straightened out and everything else will fall in line.
Bob: Well, Dean, thank you so much for your call, brother. You call at any time.
