Are Certain Passages of the Bible Inappropriate for Children?

The Bible says our children should be raised up in the faith, but are there some passages in the Bible that are inappropriate for younger kids. That is one of the questions will be answering on today's edition of core Christianity hi this is Bill Meyer, along with my friend Pastor Adm. 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 court, that's 1-833-843-2673 if you're on social media. You can post your question on our Facebook, Instagram or twitter accounts and you can email us your question at questions at core, Christianity.com will she was in the right place at the right time. Holly and Millie is the wife of Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Kelly Mrs. Millie came to the rescue during a Veterans Day ceremony last week, saving the life of a man who collapsed during the event and stop breathing. Mrs. Millie heard a commotion behind her at the ceremony, she turned around to see than an older veteran had collapsed and lay unconscious on the ground. Well, she's been a nurse for 33 years and she sprang into action. Mrs. Millie directed someone to call 911. Then she performed two cycles of CPR on the man saving his life. Mrs. Millie is that the type of woman you want to be around in a tight situation that we all need of the Mrs. Millie around for the flick. It will list it to our first question of the day. This is a call that came in from David in Oklahoma. In case it bought there one for me. I was actually Lord Farrell Holy Spirit who is. Thank you David God bless you and thank you for that encouragement. Nine of the Hebrews chapter 6 can be a really troubling passage share this before, but the first time I read it I was in high school was the lunch hour and I was I was a newer believer just reading through the book of Hebrews and I got to chapter 6 and I was frankly terrified because you know there's some strong words in Hebrews 6 it makes it sound like if a person falls away.

There's no hope for them anymore and so I want to read Hebrews 6 is the first part of the chapter and unravel this for you. It says therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and faith toward God and of instruction about washings and the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead and the eternal judgment. In this we will do if God permits, for it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened with tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt for the land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned but just note the encouragement that he gives now in verse nine that we speak. In this way. Yet, in your case. Beloved, we are sure of better things. Things that belong to salvation without the really important thing here is where approaching this passage is to understand what was happening there in the Hebrew church.

This was a group of probably Jewish believers are people who are coming out of the Hebrew faith who are now after having embraced the gospel, having turned to Jesus.

Now there being tempted to go back to Judaism, essentially back to the old covenant. So throughout this entire book. The author, the Hebrews is helping them to see that Jesus is better. He's better than the old covenant sacrifices. He's better than the old covenant priesthood is trying to fix their eyes back on Jesus so that they would trust in him instead of trusting in the types and shadows of the old covenant, the sacrificial system yet. Imagine what a temptation that would've been for these people because if they were brought up in this unit they had the smells and bells of the temple to all of a sudden leave that behind and focus on Jesus that there was probably something that they missed and so some of them were now turning back in the office of the Hebrews is saying is warning them throughout this book.

If you do that you're lost you're lost that he does encourage them. As I said there in verse nine. Even the were speaking in this way. Yet, in your case.

Beloved, we feel sure of better things. But the issue here is not that that the Hebrew Christians were falling into some Sanyo alcoholism or or lust or something like that. The issue here was some of them weren't trusting in Jesus. Some of them were going back to the old covenant sacrificial system and putting their confidence in those things, and the author says look if you do that if you're not trusting in Jesus Christ.

There is no hope for you but brothers and sisters. I'm confident of better things for you.

Things that accompany salvation, and so it's really important for us to understand that context because if we don't then you know if if, as a believer you have a season of struggling with the particular center or a time you feel like I was backslidden for that. You might feel hopeless thinking oh man I fell away. There is now no hope there is no more room for me for for repentance. But that's not what the author the Hebrews is saying you think about all of the people in the Bible who fell into grievous sin, and yet the Lord continued to minister to them and called them back to himself. Meet the King David. You think of Peter you think of everyone who God is ever used them in there.

There were times in their lives where he really struggles, and yet God's mercy was not exhausted for them and David is an exhausted for you in it and it wasn't a man I love. I love the way you put it there, you know there was a period of difficulty better than the Holy Spirit began to work in your heart and so I think that you can be confident brother that the Lord is working in you that he has forgiven you, and that when we turn to Jesus by faith this matter. What we've done were truly turning to him by faith. There is forgiveness. The problem with the people in the book of Hebrews.

Some of them were turning away from Jesus back to the sacrificial system of the old covenant, and if you're putting your trust in yourself and your works are and something else to justify you before a holy God will then there is a lot of reason to be concerned. But if you're turning away from yourself to Jesus trusting in him and there's hope. Thanks, David know Israel. This is just another reminder why context is so important. We need to be able to interpret the Bible correctly because if we grab passages and don't really understand the context we can get really confused and sometimes we can get stuck with with guilt and shame that that God never intended. You're absolutely right, and especially with some of these passages in the text that people will go to the try to make a case that you can lose your salvation, and that kind of a thing.

The context this is really important. I mean it in a situation like this. If the author the Hebrews was talking about, you know, if you if you fall away in the sense you start to struggle with sin again or or or fall into some old pattern. Peter did that in the same Peter who denied Jesus while he was being crucified, also wasn't walking in step with the gospel. When Paul confronted him in the book of Galatians, he describes that why because of the fear of man. In one sense he was denying his Lord denying Jesus out of the fear of men, something that happened when when our Lord was with being crucified. The same thing that he did what our Lord was being crucified, so there are going to be times where we fail as Christian to be.

John says this it you know I write these things to you. John says in first John, so that you may not sin.

But if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous is not an excuse for us to sin is never okay to sin, but it's just knowing that when we fail God doesn't abandon us and I think sometimes people can read passages like this out of context. Hebrews 6 and think I failed God is through with me.

I just want to say to you who are struggling with that thought, he's not through with you is not through with you. Look to Jesus turned to Jesus and receive the grace that he has for you.

By the way, we have an excellent resource to record Christianity that will help you with questions like this is called nine ways to know you're really a Christian. You can find that by going to court, Christianity.com/offers. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez and here's the question that came in from Amber. She posted this on her Facebook page.

How do we obey God.

If we don't know the whole Bible when we have to memorize every command to truly be obedient yeah you think about all the commands in the Old Testament you hundreds and hundreds of commitment course you have the 10 Commandments, the moral law, but then you also have all these other laws throughout the Old Testament, which in many cases are applying those commandments. You also have under the old covenant. These commands related to the worship of Israel and the Temple. Of course those commandments. Specifically, they don't they don't apply to us anymore Amber because those type for Chevy were just talking about the book of Hebrews, but those old covenant worship commands. They don't apply because Jesus is fulfilled them. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

That's why we don't have enough sacrifices in the temple anymore because Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice that the sacrifices in the Old Testament pointed forward to one of the things that I love how Jesus is. He made it so simple for his disciples know one occasion, SME came to him as a teacher.

What is the greatest commandment into member what Jesus responded to the greatest commandment is that we love God with all of our hearts varies. He's echoing back in Deuteronomy chapter 6, you know we hero Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one that you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, Jesus is.

That's the greatest commandment.

And they said the second is like it you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these commandments hang all the law and the prophets. In other words, these two command that these summary commandments if you will, the greatest commandment in the second greatest commitment that you do these two things, and you'll have fulfilled the whole law. Pretty amazing. So I think in a in a real simple way, we can say looking at the know every single commandment of the Bible. Ultimately the question is do you love God you love your neighbor.

If we are doing those things. If we do that will work. Obeying God's law were fulfilling the law of God, not the reality is that we talk about this all the time on the program. Nobody perfectly keeps God's love and you think about that. You know, here's the summary of the law love God perfectly and love your neighbor as yourself and that you think about what Jesus says elsewhere about who our neighbor is that is just the person we like is the person is hurt us. It's it's our enemy is the person who we might not get along with.

Well loving that person like myself, don't we fall short of that and we certainly fall short of loving God perfectly.

Absolutely. And yet God calls us to that and through Christ one we experience the forgiveness of sins, but to he fills us with his Holy Spirit so that we begin to love God imperfectly in this life, but so that we begin to love God, we begin to love each other as we should, and got calls us to that.

That's white. Paul says, you know, and in Romans chapter 8, you know that we've been filled with the spirit, and that by the spirit we are fulfilling the righteous requirement of the law ultimately love God and and love neighbor now when I can do it perfectly this side of heaven, but God is at work in us transforming us making us more and more into the image of his son Jesus. And so that really is simplified for us by Jesus.

And that is no contradiction there. But Jesus is look. Here's the law love God, love your neighbor and ultimately Jesus was the one who perfectly exemplified that in his life and in his sacrificial death for us to bless you.

I'm so glad you're shortened that list for us. Adriana and Debbie. I really, really putting a lot of time trying to memorize this commandments is not only got to go through Leviticus man you have some real issues.

So thank you for it and you know I see sometimes of Leviticus really is my favorite book of the Old Testament. It's so overlooked, but it's it's a wonderful book. Many I get into it.

Your listing the core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez I Bill Meyer and you know holidays are filled with a lot of fun activities but sometimes the hustle and bustle of the season drowns out the most important aspect of Christmas. The fact that in Jesus, God has come to be with us. That's what were so excited to share a new resource we have here core Christianity.com our Christmas devotional.

It's called Jesus Christ the promised Messiah.

This is a daily devotional that shows you what Christmas is all about each day of December, it highlights prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament, and it shows you where these prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus in the New Testament. So take some time every day by yourself or with your family to read the Scriptures and meditate on their meaning. Our hope is that you come to Jesus through the pages of the Bible you and your loved ones will experience his life-giving presence.

This Christmas, this devotional is free when you sign up for our weekly newsletter.

So head over to core Christianity.com/Christmas to download. That's core Christianity.com/Christmas. You can also call us for that offer or any one of our offers at 833-843-2673. That's 833. The core let's get to another call that came in a drill. This is Sandy from Pennsylvania about 21. Not everyone Lord Lord will and have I wonder what Gary questioned me to explain to me. Thank you. By hi Cindy, yeah, this is another one of those passages in the New Testament that does strike fear into the hearts of many believers. We Artie talked about. Hebrews chapter 6 but this warning from our Lord Jesus here to even begin a little bit earlier because, again, context is key. Jesus said back in verse 15 beware of false prophets. They will come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles. So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but it is these tree bears bad fruit. Healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a disease tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Thus, you will recognize them by their fruits.

Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven.

But the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name and I will declare to them, I never knew you depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. Now I think Jesus's primary target here is the false teachers the false prophets. Those who dress themselves up in religion and yet practice lawlessness, in particular in the immediate context and you see this throughout the sermon on the Mount, Jesus is really laying into the Pharisees and the religious leaders of his day, who looked wholly externally. They went through the motions of religion if you will, in the side.

They were dead.

They had a hatred for God and for their neighbor. The love God I didn't love the people around them actually just stood in judgment over everyone and that they thought that they were righteous. Why, because of what they did and how they lived. When in reality they were completely lost. And when Jesus showed up.

They rejected him they didn't believe in him you see it's not enough just to be religious just to say, Lord, Lord, to call upon God with our lips know not if were rejecting God and his word, not for rejecting what Jesus has said himself that's what he's he's getting at here. Not everyone who says to me Lord Lord is is going to go to heaven if you know sometimes people say it out. Are you stable how can I know I'm stable. Did you say that prayer the sinners prayer did you say Lord Lord forgive me of my sins. It is in a prayer that saves us. It's truly knowing Christ. And Jesus says here is not that these people lost their salvation or something like that. He says he says of the false prophets here depart from me, I never knew you. That's interesting because we think about you know the word to know and oftentimes I think we don't understand that word in the same way that the Bible often uses that word to know someone, it carries the sense of a lot more intimacy in Scripture. You think back to the book of Genesis were talks about how Adam knew his wife Eva. When God speaks to his people and he says to them, you only of all the nations of the world have I known is not that God was say like I denied it didn't have the knowledge of the fact that I created all these other nations. No, not at all if it's if personal relationship.

This intimacy this love and Jesus says these false teachers we never had that kind of relationship. The question is do you know the Lord and does the Lord know you and how do we know God through faith in Jesus Christ. I find it interesting there to Sandy that some of the language that Jesus uses you nice as you don't bear fruit, you're going to get cut off. They reminds me of what Jesus also said in John chapter 15.

We talked about how he's the vine and we are the branches and when were united to him by faith. His life begins to flow in us. At any system.

What is united to be does bear fruit. I mean, there's this change in our lives is not just Lord, Lord, this sort of empty faith if you will will we call upon God but don't truly know him this passage as you said, it can be scary, but I think that there is also a comfort here in knowing that God does want to know us through his son Jesus that he sent Jesus into the world so that we would have that personal relationship with him, trusting in him by faith.

And so the question is not how much do you do because you know these false teachers there point of their works and we prophesy and do many mighty works in your name and classes. That's not what it's about. The question Sandy is not what you do is who do you know you know Jesus by faith. Have you received his grace if you confess your sins to him and experienced his mercy. That's the main thing that's with each of us have to ask ourselves by believing Jesus and have I received his grace.

If you have then rejoice, but if you're trusting in yourself and your own works in your and you got this religious thing going on you and you pray Lord Lord with the reality is, your confidence is and in Christ and in his work, but in what you do all again, just like I said with that question related to Hebrews chapter 6 that there's a lot of reason to be concerned there because none of us can work our way into God's good graces know we only come to the Father through the son, Jesus, and that's with these false teachers didn't do you know again that's why we call this program core Christianity is the core of the gospel that federal just shared we have that wonderful resource called nine ways to know you are really a Christian. You can find out more about that at our website. Core, Christianity.com/offers. Here's a question we received through our email it questions at core, Christianity.com are all passages of the Bible appropriate for children. If there are some inappropriate passages. How can parents know which passages they should read to their kids, and which passages they should avoid secret questionnaire reminds me of the a while back and reading to first and second Samuel with our kids. You know we got to that scene where David committed adultery with Bathsheba and it's pretty graphic I started to read the passage and then I stopped in both my wife and I we looked at each other and kinda smiled and said okay. Maybe we should maybe we should get the PG version and I explained that David send in this very very terrible way that had these horrible consequences in our kids are pretty young and at that time there were even younger.

As I think you just have to use wisdom and and ask yourself the question of some of the stories in the Bible again introduce topics to your children that you might think. I don't know that I want to have the sex talk.

For example, with my four-year-old or my five-year-old right now. That kind of thing. I think the important thing.

One is that you are reading the Bible to your children and boy let's do it consistently. I think that's the key is being able to consistently read through Scripture and then as you come across passages of Scripture you think you commit this is gonna be a little bit too much. Maybe this scene is a little too violent or this is gonna require a lot more explanation of the my child is ready for that.

While I think there are different ways that you can approach it, but certainly there is so much in the word of God that we ought to be exposing our children to ultimately and and primarily who Jesus is and what he's done for them, not even think about that story. The story of the crucifixion and how graphic it is.

Personally we've we've never shied away from from talking about that with our kids because we think it displays so clearly how much God was willing to give because of his love for us and so I think that there are certain things that you don't want to shy away from. I think that you want to highlight them and talk about God's great love for his people. But again, this is going to require wisdom. We know your children better than me. Certainly, so it would be wrong for me. I think the tell you here's how you should approach a but I what I will say is we need to be teaching our children the word of God.

What a blessing it is for us to be able to pass the faith on to our children uses faithful moms and dads were reading the Bible to their children who were praying for their children who are teaching their children the songs of the faith in us that were called to do to saturate our children with God's word and that's what we want to do on this program so may the Lord help each of us to grow in the knowledge of Scripture so that you might know the God of the Bible better and better.

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As we explore the truth of God's word together