What Is Justice According To The Christian Faith?

What is justice according to the Christian faith best is one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity hope you had a nice holiday weekend.

I'm Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel Sanchez and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day.

You can call us right now with your question. At 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 and you can email us with your question at questions at core, Christianity.com first step today, a story that will tug at the heartstrings of all dog lovers Chris Sala pack is a Ranger at Delaware water gap National recreation area he's being hailed as a hero after carrying a huge dog on his back down a rocky trail dog that was suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion on a very hot day.

Here's the story. Temperatures were in the 90s with high humidity at the park pediatric nurse Alexi Daniel and her fellow hikers came across a man who was frantically asking for help. His dog was lying on the trail, panting heavily and couldn't move.

Lexi and her friends offer the dog some of the water but it didn't seem to help. That's when Ranger Chris arrived and according Alexi's now viral Facebook post. He made the quick decision to hoist this huge dog onto his shoulders. After hiking the trail for a couple of miles.

Chris stopped to lay the dog in a cool stream before continuing further down the mountain with him back on his shoulders. The good news is the dogs expected to make a full recovery and Ranger.

Chris is a hero to dog lovers everywhere. Good for you, Ranger Chris, I got to see some photos of this.

I don't how big this dog was, but in my mind I'm just you know envisioning like this great Dane or one of those so you Ranger Chris is just this buff Ranger had the real bad to get that dog down the mountain so Bill I know you have a dog. Do you ever carry Sparky around yet. I have carried him or his only 35 pounds, though, so I don't how to be an incredible to get the get Sparky on my shoulders so nice let's get to our first question of the day. This one comes from Tara who posted on our Instagram account.

She says I've been told by some people that Jesus Christ is a fake name. Therefore, I'm following a fake Jesus Christ. Some people call him Yahoo shop Messiah or Yeshua Messiah. I think these people are from a Hebrew roots movement.

I've tried doing translations and I feel lost.

God is not the author of confusion. So to me this seems like the work of Satan. Can you please clarify for me is it wrong to call the son of God, Jesus Christ, no it's not wrong at all. You know, I think that this is is one of the things or people get really caught up in some of the minor details and miss the forest for the trees in the fact the matter is in the Hebrew Bible. There's no "j" you have that they yeah "y" so you know, in the Old Testament Yahweh or Yeshua, Joshua, we translate that into English, we use the "j" Jesus, but there really is nothing wrong with calling our Lord, the son of God, Jesus, to be nicest the English Bible. How we translate Yeshua and I think that people really as I was saying and they get so caught up on you know the wording. How we pronounce the name. When the real focus is on who Jesus is and what his name means we don't want to be superstitious about the name of God or the name of Jesus I remember when I was a little kid out one time talking to someone who told me if you ever are scared or if you think you see a ghost or a demon say I rebuke you in Jesus name and the demon just has to go away, for it was so funny Bill as as a little kid I always had those words any demo scared I was.

Had those words. I rebuke you in Jesus name on the tip of my tongue and I remember one day I went to go stay with some of my cousins and spent the night at their house and it was dark and I was in this strange place and I was scared I was a little boy and it you know you know your hearing all these sounds outside that you don't normally hear and and I was wide awake. It's nighttime and all of a sudden the door to the room where I was sleeping. "And I remember sitting up immediately and saying I rebuke you in Jesus name. And it was my aunt who walked in pretty proto-money.

But you know I think we can have this superstitious sort of know working to use Jesus's name, like a magical talisman. We have to pronounce it right or say it right but that's not the case at all. Reminds me of acts chapter 19 in verse 13. This interesting story about these guys called the sons of Siva verse 13 says, then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcist undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had an evil spirit, saying, I assure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims seven sons of a Jewish high priest name Steve were doing this but the evil spirit answered them Jesus I know, and Paul, I recognize, but who are you and the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them and mastered all of them and overpowered them so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded what a scene that must've been. They were trying to use Jesus's name superstitiously and it didn't work out for them so well and I think that we have to be careful to that we don't get so caught up in. You know how are you pronouncing are you saying it the right way that we actually miss the point.

The name of Jesus is from Joshua Yeshua in the Old Testament and the focuses in on the name in particular how it's pronounced, but its meaning the angel of the Lord told Joseph in Matthew 121 she that is your wife will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Then Joshua Jesus means Jehovah is salvation. Jesus shows up is this new and greater Joshua, who is leading his people into the true promised land, not Canaan, but the kingdom of God and the sad thing is when people get all worked up about the spelling or pronunciation. By the way Jehovah's Witnesses do this as well with with the name Jehovah, but at the end of the day what ends up happening is the same people miss the point.

The gospel is not how are you pronouncing the name of God, it's who is this God that saves us and what is he done to accomplish our salvation. Jesus is called Jesus because he saves his people from their sins. How by his death on the cross. That's the focus and that's where we need to point people think that question brings up the bigger issue a drill of majoring in the minors and I know we talked about this before you uncork Christianity the reason we call this program core Christianity is a we are focusing on the core tenets of the Christian faith and is there a danger. I know sometimes we have people that they lock in on one particular Bible verse or particular name or genealogy or something and they they seem to just make that the most important thing, but that again misses the forest for the trees.

It misses the most important aspect of what you were just talking about. Yeah, I mean that there totally is a danger and I think it's one of the tools that Satan uses to take our eyes off of Jesus. Satan will do whatever he can to move our eyes away from the core tenets of the Christian faith, namely, the gospel, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ because he knows that's where the powers and Paul says that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but for us it's the power of God unto salvation is a look if Satan can get us arguing about how to pronounce the name of Jesus, so long as were not trusting in Jesus for our salvation. He's happy and that's where we have to be really careful nuts as you said Bill, one of the reasons why we think core Christianity is so important because that's the focus is the focus of the Scriptures Jesus and what he's done for us and we want to point people to back because we know that basket to be what transforms them and helps them to walk with the joy and the confidence that God calls us to have a man. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez and you can call us with your question. At 833-843-2673.

That's 833 the core and by the way, you can also record your question through our website. If you go to core Christianity.com/radio you'll see a little microphone icon. If you click on that you can record your question right there hi and Kathy from alcohol in first Samuel 10 six the prophet Samuel anoints Saul with a vial of oil and tells him that the Lord will come upon him, for the Lord is making in first Samuel 2816 the spirit of Samuel comes to Saul and tells him that the Lord has departed from him and has become his enemy. My question is was Saul similar to Judas in Judas walk with Jesus Christ for three years but never accepted him as his Savior never put his faith in him and it wasn't counted to him for righteousness is that the same thing with Saul.

Hey Kathy, thank you so much for your question is so funny is years ago when I was a teenager I you I used to listen on the radio to a Bible Q&A program similar to this one and I remember reading about Saul and calling in and asking about Saul as well because you know you read that story. Just think, boy. It seems like he's filled with the spirit being used by the Lord mightily called, certainly by God anointed as this king and yet the end of his life is so tragic and at least for me back that I remember thinking pointed Saul lose his salvation to me what what's going on here right it actually was quite scary and then you think about Judas as well. I mean talk about someone who is in the presence of Jesus, who has seen the mighty works of our Lord, who knows firsthand that teaching of the Lord demonstrate out of Jesus's mouth. Judas got to hear it day in and day out, so you have these interesting similarities between both Saul and Judas both of them experienced the powerful work of God in the powerful work of God's spirit. You think again of Saul in the Old Testament we were told the spirit of God came upon him that he prophesied that he was anointed as this king of the first king of of Israel and then you think of Judas every day hearing Jesus teach seeing Jesus preach seeing the miracles, casting out demons, healing those who were sick I mean both of these men had a very intimate understanding if you will or knowledge of the power of God and Judas in particular them in heat. He saw Jesus, he was in the presence of Jesus develop many of us have known someone in our lives may be quite a few people who, for the longest time. You know it they were in the church.

They were reading their Bibles.

You know, participating in service in one way or another. Maybe they were on the worship team.

They had this great testimony they could talk about how the spirit of God and worked in their lives in and how God had changed them and then little by little things started to change and they stop going to church.

They stop praying they stop reading the Scriptures and and now years later if you were to ask them about Jesus to just beat you know I don't want to talk about that no interested all and you wonder what happened there sort of what we see in in install it. Also in Judas and made it seem like they were there experiencing the mighty power of God and then they fell away and I think one of the lessons that we learn from stories like this, the story of Saul, the story of Judas that we see around us so often, even in the life of the church today is that a person can have an intimate awareness, knowledge of the word of God, the teachings of Jesus. They can even in some sense experience the power of the Holy Spirit. I think the author of Hebrews talks about this and in Hebrews chapter 16 the tasting of the heavenly gift experiencing the powers of the age to come be made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and yet we have all of that for in the church.

Hearing these things experiencing these things. We have all of that and yet we don't personally lay hold of the truth that were hearing by faith. In other words, if we just around it were not clinging to the gospel for ourselves, clinging to Jesus by faith while they and all of those experiences are and can it benefit us to think also of the wilderness generation in the Old Testament into talk about seeing and experiencing mighty miracles but Jude and Jude chapter 1 says God after saving the people out of the wilderness afterwards destroyed those who did not believe the friends you can be around the truth.

Your whole life. The question is do you believe it and believe doesn't just mean yeah I accept it cognitively. It's you rest in and receive Jesus personally for yourself or your justification for the forgiveness of your sins that I do. I do think we do see a similarity there Kathy between Judas and Saul and I think it's a picture of what we see happening oftentimes around us in the life of the church and it's a it's a warning for us and it's a reminder to us.

Boy it's one thing to be around these things. It's another thing to lay hold of them by faith, lay hold of the gospel of Jesus for you, not just for other people, not just to forgive some people out there, but to forgive you and your sins cling to that truth and rest in it. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez. I'm Bill Meyer and we have a really cool offer to tell you about today. Yeah, Bill. I'm excited about this when you notice a pastor. People are always asking me what are the books that every Christian should read and I know for myself and one of the first ones I always point out is CS Lewis's classic mere Christianity for limited time and while supplies last. Were offering a copy of mere Christianity for a donation of any amount. The advantage of this offer go to core Christianity.com/offers your copy of CS Lewis's classic mere Christianity and you can also call us at 833-843-2673 for help getting any of our offers that 833. The core something else that a drill I want to tell you about is a special episode of this program that's gonna be focusing on marriage that's gonna be coming up on Friday, July 17 and April. We do get a lot of questions about marriage or core Christianity, yet we do. I mean it's it really is such an important thing for us to talk about coming in light of everything that's going on in our culture. I think of what the author the Hebrews says in Hebrews chapter 13. Let marriage be honored among all the Lord that he uses. There is is just valued what is it mean to treat marriage as something precious and in a culture and in a society where it's often devalued, mean that the Bible says so many things about marriage is so important for us to have a right understanding of marriage, and to encourage those who are married in the Lord and so excited about this program. We want to invite you to submit any questions you might have about your marriage, or maybe your parents marriage or somebody's marriage that you're close to you can submit your question by email at questions at core, Christianity.com you can of course call us anytime at 833 the core you could post your question on our Instagram account or Facebook page and you can also record your question at our website. Just go to core Christianity.com/radio.

Click on the microphone icon and leave your question there again that program coming up on Friday, July 17.

Between now and then please do submit any questions you have about marriage. We would love to respond to those will.

Here's a question we received from Brandon a drill. He says what's the difference between John's baptism and Jesus's baptism, John the Baptist, that he baptized with water, but Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit then asked 19 Paul rebaptized in the name of the Lord. All those who had been baptized into John's baptism of repentance, are these really two different baptisms does John's baptism conferred was the benefits of Christ.

Could the believers in acts 19 have repented and believed and still not have received the Holy Spirit and regeneration. Yeah, what a question you know you read acts chapter 19 you think a case of the people of been baptized in John's baptism, or by John's baptism and now they're being baptized in the name of Jesus or in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit.

So is this like a re-baptism your diet does raise a lot of questions.

Well in Luke chapter 3 verses three through six. We have what Luke says about John the Baptist. He went into all the region around the Jordan proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins that sounds really similar to the another baptism that that the apostles talked about with reference to Jesus as it is written. Luke goes on in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord make his paths straight.

Every valley shall be filled in every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight and the rough places shall become level ways and all flesh shall see the salvation of God that John's baptism really prefigured the spirit baptism that Jesus spoke of again there in Luke chapter 3.

If you go little bit further in verse 16 John answered them, I baptize with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. In other words, just as a there's a greater baptism.

It's coming and it's in a come from this one who I'm not even I'm not even worthy to untie his shoes. This guy is coming. He's the one you need to look to it, of course, throughout the Gospels. John is come continually pointing to Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world to me just say that John's baptism was unique. It was this preparatory baptism, turning people to Jesus the Messiah. It was this unique thing in the history of redemption.

I respect people who hold different views on this matter. Some people say yeah.

Fundamentally, the baptisms are the same there others to say no. John's baptism is really different than the baptism that Jesus instituted it the end of Matthew's gospel in Matthew 28, which is going to all the world and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit. It does seem to me like on the basis of acts 19 that there is something fundamentally different here, even though they're both these baptisms of repentance. John's baptism was not in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, and it seems like there was something missing from the disciples in acts chapter 19 that caused Paul and others to say no, you need to be.

You need to be baptized in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, and so I think that John's baptism was primarily meant to prepare the way for Jesus. John is turning people to Jesus and once Jesus came and instituted Christian baptism right that became essentially what what the disciples were called to go and do in making disciples and it's what we do to this very day. It's the first step. If you will entrance into the church.

I think today a lot of people devalue Christian baptism.

It's obvious from the New Testament.

This is a really important thing that Jesus gave to the church, but it really is the first step in discipleship that we can't be disciples if were not baptized and that's why these people in acts chapter 19 are baptized because it is this very important thing that Jesus is given to the church. Brandon, thank you so much for your question. This is core Christianity. Thank you so much for joining us. We have time for one last question a drill. This one was posted on our Instagram account from Pursley and Pursley says what is justice according to the Christian faith will it in the Hebrew Bible. Justice is the word mission pot and it refers to treating people equitably admit really has to do with getting what we deserve, or what is owed to us, particularly you think of the context of what we might call the court room and imagine a judge sitting in the courtroom, rendering a verdict he's giving mission pot. Hopefully he is right because it if his judgment is unjust or unrighteous. It's the opposite of of justice of mission pot that here's the really interesting thing that we see it in the Old Testament. In particular, is that God often times emphasized giving justice to the full memorable to the week in society. So for example, Zechariah chapter 7 verses nine and 10. Thus says the Lord of hosts render true judgments show kindness and mercy to one another.

Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner or the poor and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart to Tim Keller in his book generous just think it's a great resource on the subject. By the way, he notes that in the context of the ancient near East. These groups were often mistreated because they weren't in positions of authority or power. It makes a case that the justice of the society is measured according to the Bible by how it treats the most vulnerable. Now the word justice and righteousness in the Bible go hand-in-hand. And God is a God of justice who judges righteously and actually this is one of humanity's greatest problems because individually before God, there is none righteous, God's perfect law that calls us to love God perfectly with all of our hearts, minds, with all our strength that calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and who is our neighbor, our neighbors in just the person that we enjoy loving you to the person that maybe is in our family, or are we are best friends are our neighbor happens to be the people that sometimes were tempted to marginalize now ask yourself do I do that perfectly mean. Who of us can say yeah I've I've kept the law-love God with all of my heart, with all of my strength with all of my mind I love my neighbor as myself. The fact of the matter is we have a hard time even loving the people we like giving ourselves and the law of God, the justice of God condemns us because God is good and we are not, that's why. Ultimately, we don't want justice per se, not perfect justice. We want mercy in the way God gives us mercy is that he enacted justice on his son Jesus in our place. Thanks for listening to core Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer.

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