1 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:11,960 From the Christian Research Institute and Charlotte, North Carolina. You're listening to the 2 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:17,199 Bible answer Man broadcast with Hank Canagraph. We're on the air because life and 3 00:00:17,359 --> 00:00:22,399 truth matter. The mission of the Christian Research Institute is to equip believers to 4 00:00:22,559 --> 00:00:26,280 always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you, to give 5 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:30,879 the reason for the hope that you have with gentleness and respect. For more 6 00:00:30,879 --> 00:00:38,039 information resources or to donate to CURI, call eight eight eight seven thousand CRI, 7 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:43,920 or go online to equip dot org. The following program was pre recorded 8 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:49,039 and now here's Bible answer Man host Hank Canagraph. Thank you so much, 9 00:00:49,079 --> 00:00:52,479 Randy. First up today Steven listening in Louisville, Kentucky. Hi Stephen, 10 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:58,479 Hello, thanks for tacking a call. You're welcome to question regarding God's will. 11 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:03,359 I'm just basing off twenty eight. We know often God's good those who 12 00:01:03,399 --> 00:01:07,560 love him. So the question comes to ask does God have a will for 13 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:11,200 non Christians? And I guess what does that will? How is it kind 14 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:15,959 of carried out in the Bible. Well, he is wanting everyone to come 15 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:22,040 to a knowledge of himself. In fact, if you read Second Peter chapter 16 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:27,840 three, the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand 17 00:01:29,159 --> 00:01:34,280 slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting or not willing anyone to 18 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:41,480 perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But of course God does not 19 00:01:41,719 --> 00:01:47,400 work contrary to our will, which is to say, he works in concert 20 00:01:47,959 --> 00:01:53,480 with our will. And so if you turn to Second Thessalonians two ten, 21 00:01:53,599 --> 00:02:01,640 we are told there that the unbeliever's perish because they refuse to love the truth 22 00:02:02,239 --> 00:02:10,000 and so to be saved. The interesting thing that we recognize in reading this 23 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:20,400 is that God wants everyone to come to a knowledge of himself, but there 24 00:02:20,439 --> 00:02:23,319 are those who are unwilling to do so. Okay, that makes sense, 25 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:27,800 Yeah, thank you, you get it. And again that passage is so 26 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:34,479 poignant. They perish because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved. 27 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:38,879 They refuse. In other words, God doesn't override their will. Their 28 00:02:38,919 --> 00:02:45,080 will plays a very significant part in the process. Want to go back to 29 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:47,400 the phone lines. Talk to Larry long Beach, California. Hi, Larry, 30 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:53,599 hy you doing good? How are you good? Great? I have 31 00:02:53,680 --> 00:03:01,080 a question that came up in a Bible study about denying Christ. It saysn't 32 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:05,639 a word that if you deny me, I'll deny you before the Father. 33 00:03:06,919 --> 00:03:12,280 And so the question was supposed to me if someone would put a gun to 34 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:19,280 my head and ask me to, uh, you know this, pronounce my 35 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:23,759 faith or whatever or deny or what would I do it as a Christian? 36 00:03:23,479 --> 00:03:28,000 And I said, uh, to be honest, I don't know. I 37 00:03:28,039 --> 00:03:30,560 think I might, I may not do it, I might not do it. 38 00:03:30,719 --> 00:03:35,560 Do it? So my point was what do I have to prove to 39 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:43,199 someone that I am a belongs to Christ? So my question is is that 40 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:47,199 scripture talking I believe it's probably talking to it about salvation or to another believer, 41 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:52,159 Because to a non believer, because of course you can't lose your salvation. 42 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:54,319 If he denies you, that means you would never he's to begin with. 43 00:03:54,879 --> 00:03:59,520 So the main question is if I was to do that, what's the 44 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:03,800 concept for me as a believer? If I was to deny Christ like that 45 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:11,719 in that way, someone was to force me to pronounce my fate. Yeah, 46 00:04:11,759 --> 00:04:14,039 well, it all depends on the intent of your heart. In both 47 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:18,879 cases, there are those who say they believe that do not really believe, 48 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:24,519 And there are those who say, maybe in that circumstance that they don't believe, 49 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:29,120 but yet truly, deep down inside do believe, but are terrified or 50 00:04:29,199 --> 00:04:33,439 afraid. So I think it really gets past the externalities and it gets to 51 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:39,560 the heart of the matter. Is this person genuinely a believer. If you 52 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:44,279 are genuinely a believer with a gun to your head, then you are more 53 00:04:44,399 --> 00:04:50,920 concerned about eternal verities than just temporary life. And this is precisely what turned 54 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:56,920 a Roman empire upside down. This is not a hypothetical question. Believers were 55 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:00,800 asked to say Caesar is Lord, and if they say instead Christ is Lord, 56 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:06,040 then they were often killed, not just with a gunshot, but much 57 00:05:06,199 --> 00:05:13,319 worse. They died agonizing brutal deaths, being ripped apart in front of spectators 58 00:05:13,319 --> 00:05:18,000 by animals, or being dressed in tar jackets and lit a blaze. So 59 00:05:18,199 --> 00:05:24,360 the point here, I think is strategic and profound, and that is as 60 00:05:24,399 --> 00:05:30,199 a believer, ultimately our faith will acknowledge Jesus Christ before men. And that's 61 00:05:30,199 --> 00:05:36,040 why Jesus Christ can tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the son 62 00:05:36,079 --> 00:05:42,040 of Man, will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he 63 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:46,560 who disowns Me before men will be disowned before the angels of God, and 64 00:05:46,639 --> 00:05:50,319 everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but 65 00:05:50,399 --> 00:05:56,439 anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. This passage is 66 00:05:56,519 --> 00:06:02,360 particularly poignant and profound in that the I wish teachers of the Law, those 67 00:06:02,439 --> 00:06:06,560 who are the leaders of God's people, the representatives of God to the people. 68 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:14,480 These leaders were willing to deny Jesus Christ before men. They knew who 69 00:06:14,519 --> 00:06:19,000 he was, but they were willing to deny who he was because they loved 70 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:25,720 their tradition, and they loved their success, and they loved mean earthly vanities 71 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:30,319 more than they loved the Savior. And so they denied him before men, 72 00:06:30,879 --> 00:06:36,879 fully knowing that he was the Savior, and that therefore becomes an unforgivable sin. 73 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:42,279 Now, an unforgivable sin, in context, is not just an act. 74 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:47,839 It is a continuous, willful, ongoing rejection of Jesus Christ, which 75 00:06:47,879 --> 00:06:53,399 is precisely what is going on with the teachers of the Law, who knew 76 00:06:53,439 --> 00:07:00,199 better but loved their own fancies more than they loved the Savior. Right as 77 00:07:00,279 --> 00:07:03,360 possible for a believer, I truly believe in Christ and face with a life 78 00:07:03,439 --> 00:07:10,639 or death situation could actually say no. I mean, well, I'm not 79 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:15,839 willing to judge them. And the reason I'm not is because the real issue 80 00:07:15,519 --> 00:07:19,759 is not the words on your lips, but the real commitment that you have 81 00:07:19,920 --> 00:07:24,800 to Jesus Christ. It may be that there are some in a moment of 82 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:29,519 terror that would say something with their lips that really isn't the true intent of 83 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:32,079 their heart, and therefore, because I cannot see the heart, I'm not 84 00:07:32,199 --> 00:07:35,920 willing to make that declaration. But on the other hand, I have made 85 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:44,439 very clear that genuine believers would not fall into that category except in a very 86 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:48,079 unusual circumstance which I couldn't conceive of. Genuine believers are going to say, 87 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:53,120 not Caesar's Lord, but Christ is Lord. And if that cost me my 88 00:07:53,199 --> 00:07:56,839 life, so be it, because you can't kill me. I'm going to 89 00:07:56,959 --> 00:08:03,199 rise, immortal, imperishable, incorruptible. Ultimately, the resurrection changes everything. 90 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:07,959 The resurrection takes scared, scattered disciples and turns them into lions of the faith. 91 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:11,959 And as it did in the first century, it should in the twenty 92 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:16,000 first century. Right. Okay, very good, thanks, very answer, 93 00:08:16,199 --> 00:08:18,680 You got it. Thank you for your call back to the phone lines talk 94 00:08:18,759 --> 00:08:26,040 to Jim and Chesapeake, Virginia. Hi, Jim, don't good. I 95 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:30,560 got a question out. Is it illegal for Christians to drink? No, 96 00:08:31,279 --> 00:08:33,000 it's illegal for Christians to get drunk. If you want to use the word 97 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:35,879 illegal, I mean. What the Bible is clear about, if it's clear 98 00:08:35,919 --> 00:08:41,120 about anything, is that we should be stewards of the temple of the Holy 99 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:48,240 Spirit, which is that we should be stewards of both the physical and metaphysical 100 00:08:48,279 --> 00:08:52,360 aspects of our humanity. So we are called not to be gluttons, and 101 00:08:52,399 --> 00:08:56,720 we're called not to be winebibbers. And what that means is that we're called 102 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:01,519 to take care of the physical body, because it is the temple of the 103 00:09:01,559 --> 00:09:05,639 Lord, and if we take care of it, we're more useful in his 104 00:09:05,759 --> 00:09:11,279 service. And likewise, we are called to take care of the metaphysical aspects 105 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:13,879 of our humanity. And if you're in an altered state of consciousness, you 106 00:09:15,399 --> 00:09:20,080 may well do something that dishonors or displeases the Lord. And thus we shouldn't 107 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:24,879 get ourselves into an altered state of consciousness. And that's why Proverbs twenty says 108 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:28,399 wine is a mocker and beer is a brawler, and whoever is led astray 109 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:35,240 by them is not why or if you go to Proverbs twenty three, Solomon 110 00:09:35,279 --> 00:09:39,759 says, do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on 111 00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:46,519 meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags. 112 00:09:48,039 --> 00:09:50,919 And there are many other passages that could be pointed to passages in the 113 00:09:50,960 --> 00:09:56,120 New Testament, like Ephesians chapter five, verse eighteen, which says do not 114 00:09:56,159 --> 00:10:00,519 be drunk on wine which leads to debauchery, stead be filled with the spirit. 115 00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:05,320 So the point is we should take care of the temple that God has 116 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:09,879 given us, which includes both our physicality and the faculties of our mind. 117 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:18,679 Because people say that that wine back in the day, whether say why as 118 00:10:18,679 --> 00:10:22,559 it is today? Is that true? Well, yeah, of course it's 119 00:10:22,559 --> 00:10:26,360 true. I mean things change over time, and maybe the alcohol content is 120 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:30,720 higher today in a typical wine than it would have been back then. Honestly, 121 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:31,840 I'm not an expert on it, but the principle is the same. 122 00:10:31,879 --> 00:10:37,200 I mean, if you drink enough of a wine that has a lower alcohol 123 00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:39,759 content, you will still get drunk. So I mean the principle is still 124 00:10:39,799 --> 00:10:43,320 the same. Whether you drink a lot or a little. The point is 125 00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:46,960 you're not supposed to get into an altered state of consciousness. The Bible is 126 00:10:48,039 --> 00:10:50,159 very clear about that. So it's not that you can't drink wine, it's 127 00:10:50,159 --> 00:10:54,120 that you can't get drunk. It's not that you can't eat. That you 128 00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:56,639 shouldn't be a clutton. Be right back with more answers to your questions in 129 00:10:56,799 --> 00:11:01,639 just a few moments right here on the Bible Answerment Broadcast. Every Bible answer 130 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:05,799 Man broadcast, such as the one you're listening to right now, is made 131 00:11:05,879 --> 00:11:09,919 possible through the financial support of friends like you. Each month, we depend 132 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:16,039 entirely on God's provision through his people to bring you more of the broadcast, 133 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:22,080 podcasts, and other resources you rely on. If you want a sound proclamation 134 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:26,399 and defense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to continue to be heard through the 135 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:31,679 outreaches of the Christian Research Institute, become a member of crii's support team today. 136 00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:39,799 Call eight eight eight seven thousand CRI and stand with CRII daily in the 137 00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:46,440 battle for life and truth. That's eight eight eight seven thousand CRI. Or 138 00:11:46,519 --> 00:11:52,360 visit our website at equip dot org. We'll return shortly with more from Hank 139 00:11:52,440 --> 00:12:05,080 Hanagraph. Anyone who's been paying attention knows there's a war going on, not 140 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:09,240 just on traditional morality, civility, and decency, but even more fundamentally on 141 00:12:09,399 --> 00:12:15,080 historic notions of truth. And the enemy isn't just the onslaught of fake news, 142 00:12:15,120 --> 00:12:20,279 facilitated by a post truth culture and turbocharged by growing legions of ideological spinductors. 143 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:26,759 Note the real enemies of truth range from postmodernist convictions that there is no 144 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:33,399 objective truth to militant scientism that claims that only science can determine truth and religion 145 00:12:33,480 --> 00:12:37,759 is little more than primitive superstitions. But CRI Support Team members are not waving 146 00:12:37,759 --> 00:12:43,799 a white flag of surrender. They're holding the fort by undergirding everyone of Christian 147 00:12:43,879 --> 00:12:48,279 Research Institute's mind shaping and life changing outreaches twenty four to seven. To learn 148 00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:52,720 how you can make a difference and enjoy all the benefits of Support Team membership, 149 00:12:54,000 --> 00:13:03,720 simply visit equip dot org. A deeper understanding of the Bible's principles and 150 00:13:03,799 --> 00:13:07,639 truths will improve the spiritual, moral, and ethical problems facing our nation. 151 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:13,559 Yet the obstacle isn't that the Bible doesn't speak to our greatest needs or answer 152 00:13:13,559 --> 00:13:16,919 our deepest questions. It's that the average person lacks the time and tools to 153 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:22,320 extract the answers. That's why Hank Hanigraph wrote the Complete Bible answer Book Collector's 154 00:13:22,480 --> 00:13:28,440 Edition, Revised and updated. This expanded edition addresses over two hundred and ten 155 00:13:28,559 --> 00:13:31,799 of the top questions he's received. As host of the Bible answer Man broadcast, 156 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:37,399 Hank has taken the complex and made it simple and memorable. Receive the 157 00:13:37,519 --> 00:13:41,200 revised and updated Complete Bible answer Book as our thank you for your gift by 158 00:13:41,279 --> 00:13:46,840 calling eight eight eight seven thousand CROI and make a gift to support cris life 159 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:54,200 Changing outreaches eight eight eight seven thousand CROI or visit equip dot org. That's 160 00:13:54,320 --> 00:14:05,559 equip dot org. Hank Hannagraph has dedicated his life to defending truth because truth 161 00:14:05,679 --> 00:14:09,600 matters. However, his life and ministry were radically transformed by another three word 162 00:14:09,639 --> 00:14:16,200 phrase. Life matters more. Truth matters because Christianity is rooted in history and 163 00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:20,759 evidence. Life matters more because it is the experience of union with God. 164 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:26,120 The goal of Christian life is union with God. All attempts to understand Christianity 165 00:14:26,159 --> 00:14:31,480 from a solely rational perspective put us in danger of devolving into a transactional rather 166 00:14:31,519 --> 00:14:35,799 than transformational relationship with God. Truth Matters, Life Matters More will equip you 167 00:14:35,879 --> 00:14:41,759 to move beyond intellectually knowing about God to experientially knowing Him in Christ. To 168 00:14:41,799 --> 00:14:46,039 receive your copy of Truth Matters, Life Matters More called eight eight eight seven 169 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:50,919 thousand CRI, and make a gift to support the Christian Research Institute's life changing 170 00:14:50,919 --> 00:14:56,200 outreaches eight eight eight seven thousand CRI, or visit us online at equipp dot 171 00:14:56,320 --> 00:15:11,559 org. Once again, here is Hank cautagraph thinks which band didn't write back 172 00:15:11,559 --> 00:15:13,559 to our phone call? Was next up? Greg Shuney, Oklahoma? Hi 173 00:15:13,679 --> 00:15:18,720 Greg, Hi Hank? How are you today? I'm well, good talking 174 00:15:18,759 --> 00:15:24,279 to you. Thank you. I have a question regarding Lee. Paul wrote 175 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:28,120 a list of things that said if you do these things, you will not 176 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:33,559 enter into heaven. A friend of mine have been discussing whether somebody who confesses 177 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:41,759 Christ, and after the confession they continue in an active, non repentant homosexual 178 00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:50,440 lifestyle, would that person be able to enter into heaven And if they have 179 00:15:50,679 --> 00:15:54,600 confessed Christ's for than savor. Well, I don't think it has anything to 180 00:15:54,679 --> 00:15:58,159 do with homosexuality or heterosexuality. I think it has to do with what you 181 00:15:58,519 --> 00:16:03,159 noted in the prolog to the question, and that is being unrepentant. The 182 00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:07,840 issue is that if you realize you're a sinner and are willing to repent of 183 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:12,559 your sin and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and savior, then He is yours 184 00:16:12,639 --> 00:16:18,559 and you are his. So if you are unrepentant, that means that you 185 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:22,960 want to continue doing it your own way, in explicit opposition to God. 186 00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:27,159 That is not a sign that you love God and serve God, but rather 187 00:16:27,279 --> 00:16:32,720 that you love and serve yourself. And that is not the definition of what 188 00:16:32,799 --> 00:16:37,639 it means to be a Christian. So I can imagine someone who is struggling 189 00:16:37,759 --> 00:16:45,360 with gender issues or struggling with homosexuality being a believer, but they want to 190 00:16:45,559 --> 00:16:51,679 conform their will to God's will because they know God's will is best for them. 191 00:16:52,679 --> 00:16:56,879 And yet precisely because they have their will or set in a different direction, 192 00:16:56,919 --> 00:16:59,200 they want to do God's way rather than their own way. They are 193 00:16:59,320 --> 00:17:03,639 yet believer struggling with a besetting sin. And I would say that all of 194 00:17:03,799 --> 00:17:07,279 us, in whatever state we are, may struggle with besetting sins, But 195 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:11,079 the real issue is are we willing to turn from them with God's help and 196 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:15,640 make Jesus Lord and savior of our life. If a person is a drug 197 00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:21,799 addict and they want to stop the drug use, they repent and yet to 198 00:17:21,880 --> 00:17:25,839 get caught up in it again, what you're saying is a besetting sin and 199 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:30,839 they're not successful. But they repent and they try again, and they are 200 00:17:30,880 --> 00:17:34,599 not successful, and they repeat that over and over. Is that a different 201 00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:41,799 situation of a willful determination? Is I'm not even going to try and stop 202 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:45,079 the use of pross Well, I mean, I think there's a difference between 203 00:17:45,359 --> 00:17:52,119 wanting and being willing and being able. If you are unable but you desperately 204 00:17:52,359 --> 00:17:57,440 want to change, that does not negate you from being a believer. In 205 00:17:57,559 --> 00:18:02,920 fact, it is underscoring the fact that you are a believer. But if 206 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:06,880 you claim to be without sin, then John says, you deceive yourself and 207 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:10,640 the truth is not in you. But if you confess your sin, He's 208 00:18:10,799 --> 00:18:14,960 faithful and just. He will forgive us from our sins and purify us from 209 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:18,240 all iniquity or all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we 210 00:18:18,319 --> 00:18:21,200 make them out to be a liar, and his word has no place in 211 00:18:21,279 --> 00:18:23,440 our lives. So we all recognize that we're sinners, and we have different 212 00:18:23,559 --> 00:18:27,920 besetting sins, and we struggle with them. For some it's anger, For 213 00:18:29,119 --> 00:18:33,319 others it's lust for someone else that maybe a homosexuality, whatever it happens to 214 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:37,240 be. We are in the sinful condition and we constantly struggle with that. 215 00:18:37,359 --> 00:18:41,160 I mean, if you look at our exemplar, the Apostle Paul, he 216 00:18:41,319 --> 00:18:42,440 said, the good that I would I do not in the evil that I 217 00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:45,000 would not I do? Who can save me from this body of death? 218 00:18:45,319 --> 00:18:49,759 If our exemplar struggles to that degree, it should be no surprise that we 219 00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:52,880 too struggle against the world, the flesh, and the devil. But the 220 00:18:53,000 --> 00:19:00,319 real issue is do we repent of our sin and desire Jesus Christ to be 221 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:04,079 Lord and savior of our life. If we do, then change happens. 222 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:08,160 It may be incremental, and it may not even be visible to yourself, 223 00:19:08,279 --> 00:19:12,119 but the fact of the matter is change happens because the one who justifies you 224 00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:18,960 is also sanctifying you daily, conforming you to his image. Thank you, 225 00:19:18,039 --> 00:19:23,440 I appreciate that answer. That clarifies something for me. Well, I appreciate 226 00:19:23,599 --> 00:19:26,920 your call. Thank you so much. I want to go back to the 227 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:32,160 phone lines. We'll talk to Carlos next. He's in Vineland, New Jersey. 228 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:36,039 Hi, Carlos, Hello, Hank, thank you for taking my call 229 00:19:36,279 --> 00:19:41,160 the pleasure. I have two questions. These are some questions that I need 230 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:47,160 some clarification with and that I'm thinking you're vite okay. Number one, if 231 00:19:47,559 --> 00:19:55,799 Satan costs a lot of chaos by convincing Eve to eat of the frooit of 232 00:19:55,960 --> 00:20:03,759 knowledge, why wasn't it stop by God from the very beginning to save everyone 233 00:20:03,759 --> 00:20:07,160 a lot of problems? Well, I mean, I think we can say 234 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:15,079 that we have all ratified Eve's sin. We have all done what is evil 235 00:20:15,319 --> 00:20:21,039 in God's sight, and therefore we're justly and condignly condemned for our sin. 236 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:25,759 So if you look at how God set up the universe, he did it 237 00:20:25,839 --> 00:20:30,839 in such a way that love is possible. Now, had he created us 238 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:33,359 as mere chatty Kathy dollars, all you do is pull the string and then 239 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:38,039 whatever's programmed in comes out, love is rendered meaningless. So we were created 240 00:20:38,079 --> 00:20:41,000 in such a way that we could respond to God, or we could rebel 241 00:20:41,039 --> 00:20:45,359 against God and Adam and Eve rebelled, and as a result of that they 242 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:49,720 found Eliza perpetual sin terminated by death. Now, the rest of the Bible 243 00:20:49,799 --> 00:20:56,759 is God's unfolding plan of redemption, whereby reconciliation can once again take place. 244 00:20:56,440 --> 00:21:00,599 So there was a tempter, there was a temptation, But that's because we 245 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:07,279 have the choice to either do it God's way or to respond to disobedience. 246 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:11,119 But it's written that he's going to get rid of Satan. Well, I 247 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:17,000 mean, certainly there's going to be a time where the problem of sin and 248 00:21:17,079 --> 00:21:22,759 Satan is fully and finally resolved. But look, the issue of the Tree 249 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:26,680 of the Knowledge of Good and evil is that God placed that tree in the 250 00:21:26,799 --> 00:21:32,480 middle of Paradise as a test, and then Satan perverted it as a temptation. 251 00:21:33,319 --> 00:21:37,039 So in eating from the tree about which God said, when you eat 252 00:21:37,119 --> 00:21:41,720 of it, you will surely die, Adam was challenging God is arbiter of 253 00:21:41,839 --> 00:21:47,160 good and evil. Now we can also look at the Tree of the Knowledge 254 00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:49,519 of Good and evil as a symbol of choice, a choice between obedience and 255 00:21:49,599 --> 00:21:56,480 disobedience, between majestic revelation and moral relativism. Put another way, it's between 256 00:21:56,559 --> 00:21:59,440 God's truth and my truth. I'm either going to do it God's where I'm 257 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:03,319 going to do it. And though Adam sinned, the beauty is that God 258 00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:07,599 responds with mercy. He drove Adam from the garden so that he no longer 259 00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:15,319 had access to the Tree of life, and to do otherwise would have doomed 260 00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:21,160 humanity to an endless physical existence in a fallen spiritual condition, which is what 261 00:22:21,319 --> 00:22:23,839 hell is. But what you have, as I said, is an ongoing 262 00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:29,400 plan of redemption, whereby we can have the best of all possible worlds, 263 00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:33,640 a world in which we're actualized in righteousness and forever able not to sin. 264 00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:38,519 I think I understand that Adam and Eve made the wrong decision, but it 265 00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:44,640 was that one event alone that costs a lot of sufferings. A lot of 266 00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:51,039 people have died for that same reason. Sin was cynthicized for the first time. 267 00:22:52,759 --> 00:22:56,839 If this one event could have been canceled, why not get rid of 268 00:22:56,920 --> 00:23:00,160 Satim from the very beginning? Well, I mean, I explained that. 269 00:23:00,279 --> 00:23:03,160 I mean, first of all, Satan has created as a volitional being as 270 00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:07,480 well, and without volition, without will, love is rendered meaningless. That's 271 00:23:07,599 --> 00:23:12,880 why I mean, God could have created a universe in which everyone simply chirped 272 00:23:14,680 --> 00:23:15,839 I love you, I love you, I love you. But it would 273 00:23:15,839 --> 00:23:22,720 be meaningless if there's no choice, I understand. Okay, all right, 274 00:23:22,559 --> 00:23:26,039 And the other question, if it was taking yeah, go ahead. I'm 275 00:23:26,079 --> 00:23:30,759 a little bit confused because the Bible does talk about the name of God, 276 00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:37,480 the Creator, and in a lot of instances it separates God from Jesus. 277 00:23:37,319 --> 00:23:41,440 And some people believe that Jesus is God, but some people believe that it's 278 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:45,599 the Father and the Son. And I was wondering, you can clarify that 279 00:23:45,799 --> 00:23:49,200 for me. Yeah, Well, the Bible's unambiguous when it comes to this, 280 00:23:49,359 --> 00:23:52,079 Carlos. I mean, the Bible says that there's only one God. 281 00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:56,960 In other words, when we talk about the nature of God, we talk 282 00:23:57,200 --> 00:24:03,880 about one God. But the Bible also says that Jesus is God, the 283 00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:07,799 Holy Spirit is God, and the Father is God. And furthermore, the 284 00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:11,319 Bible says, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are eternally distinct. So 285 00:24:12,119 --> 00:24:17,599 the way the Bible cashes this out is when it talks about the ontology or 286 00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:21,799 the nature of God, there's only one, But when it talks about persons 287 00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:26,119 within the Godhead, there are three. These are personal self distinctions within the 288 00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:30,880 Godhead. So the Father loves the Son, the Son loves the Holy Spirit. 289 00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:33,880 The Holy Spirit loves the Father and the Son, and so there's a 290 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:38,960 love relationship between Father, Son and Holy Spirit. So identity formed and completed 291 00:24:40,039 --> 00:24:45,200 on the basis of loving relationships within the Godhead. So what do we have? 292 00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:48,119 We have? One? What one God? By nature essence? Three 293 00:24:48,279 --> 00:24:52,000 in terms of person, and again person has to be carefully defined. And 294 00:24:52,079 --> 00:24:57,000 what I mean by that is identity formed and completed on the basis of relationships 295 00:24:57,039 --> 00:25:02,960 within the Godhead. Now I can't fully comprehend that, but I do apprehend 296 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:07,240 that in scripture, and therefore I bow my need before God's revelation of himself 297 00:25:07,279 --> 00:25:10,240 to me. Now, if the Bible said, and I've said this in 298 00:25:10,279 --> 00:25:12,279 the Bible Landsman broadcast repeatedly, if the Bible said there was one God in 299 00:25:12,359 --> 00:25:17,240 three gods, that would be an obvious contradiction, and I wouldn't think the 300 00:25:17,279 --> 00:25:19,480 Bible was divine. But that's not what the Bible's saying. The Bible saying 301 00:25:19,759 --> 00:25:23,279 there is one God revealed in three persons who are eternally distinct. And again, 302 00:25:23,319 --> 00:25:27,480 while I can't fully comprehend that. I apprehend that in the pages of 303 00:25:27,559 --> 00:25:33,599 Scripture, and if I could fully comprehend God, well God wouldn't be all 304 00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:37,880 that he is. I'm finite. He's infinite, and I'm going to spend 305 00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:44,000 an eternity getting no the glory and goodness not only of His created handiwork, 306 00:25:44,079 --> 00:25:48,720 but of His nature. This is something that will be an eternal pursuit. 307 00:25:48,759 --> 00:25:51,640 We're gonna have to leave it at that because we're out of time for this 308 00:25:51,759 --> 00:25:55,240 edition of the Bible Lancemen Broadcast. We'll be right back here tomorrow, Lord 309 00:25:55,319 --> 00:25:56,799 Willing with more of the show. 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