How to Answer Progressive Christianity

There are some people today who say they like the teachings and example of Jesus, but they reject most of the Bible and the church's teachings about Christianity. How should we respond to that. That's just one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity high on Bill Meyer with my friend Pastor April 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 also post your question on our Facebook, Instagram or twitter accounts or email us at questions at core, Christianity.com, while if you're planning on holding a month-long Christmas movie marathon this holiday season. We have the perfect job for you.

The product review company reviews.org is choosing one lucky person as this year's chief holiday cheer Meister if you're selected for this job you will watch 25 Christmas movies in 25 days and to give you the largest possible selection reviews.org will award you a year-long subscription to a variety of streaming platforms.

Now you have to complete a brief survey with your thoughts on each movie and after you finished all 25 you'll receive $2500 as compensation for your hard work.

You can learn more@reviews.org, is that something you think your family would like to do a root way out. Where do I sign up. I think we have been watching a few Christmas E-type movies you know in preparation obviously for the holidays and whatnot so be like. I got to know what what are your favorites. Well, I think, a Christmas story that one from like the 1940s when once the red Ryder BB gun yes because his dad is just so classic in that movie reminds me of my dad so awesome let's get to our first question of the day.

This is a call that came in from Joseph in Missouri. A quick question about this idea of faith and how we as Christians are expected to promote faith as I was one of our core tools in trusting are in the Lord and my question is really a matter of the authority of faith. How weeks are you always expecting to trust in the use of faith as as a reason for believing in God. When faith can be used to justify so many things that divide. I know many people who use faith to justify different sects of Christianity or even other religions. There are many Muslims and Jews in community that also use faith to light it confuses me when I often hear my my Christian peers tell me that we need to have faith in the Lord, where, how well we can reconcile that issue that faith can be used to believe anything that just I really appreciate your question and it is a great question because a lot of people assume that faith is anti-intellectual or just some sort of feeling biblical faith is knowledge, assent and trust.

There is there's a content to the, the faith, the Christian faith and a message that supports that content frankly meet the the apostolic preaching wasn't ever believe this because it's going to make you feel good. It was believe this because this is true, and it actually happened and there are a number of places where we can see this what I think of Paul's words in first Corinthians chapter 15 sexy portion of Scripture that were having our kids memorized.

Right now all that in verse three I delivered to you as a first importance what I also received that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was married, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas and then to the 12. Then he appeared to more than 500 brothers that one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep that the content of the faith. I say believe this because because it's going to make you feel good or leave this because it'll change the way you live for me that that's true, it will change the way that you live, but we believe it because it's rooted in reality and history.

Peter said the very same thing and in second Peter chapter 1 verse 16 we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his Majesty but when he received honor and glory from God the father and the voice was born to him by the Majestic glory. This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased. We ourselves heard this very voice born from heaven.

We were with him on the holy mountain, John in first John chapter 1 verses one and following.

He makes the very same point as we saw and heard and touched with our hands concerning the word of life in his gospel. John says I'm writing these things to you so that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ that believing you might have life in his name and what he does throughout his gospel is he testifies of these signs these things that took place that should confirm our faith. So faith is injustice the sort of empty feeling. This empty belief it's rooted in reality and events that actually took place that we can look at and examine and observe and I think that there is there's great evidence for some of the resources that I would point you to our our great Coco's book the story of reality. That's just one, but there are also two resources that we have over core, Christianity.com talk about evidences for the resurrection.

For example, just some of the things that we go to. As Christians, as they look. This is just you know let this feeling of faith well up in you and and that's how you know it's true. No, it's examine what has been claimed look at what the Scriptures say and embrace them because they are true ultimately not faith as a safe. It's not something that even 10 well up inside of us made it comes through the Scriptures, but it's also a gift given to us from God, but he often uses means to help confirm that faith and to establish that faith in our own hearts. And so God often gave his people reasons to trust him another passage Joseph that was very instrumental for me as a newer Christian when I was when I was first starting to walk with the Lord and considering all of these things in the back. How can I be sure that what I believe is true. You mentioned you and other religions like Islam and that kind of thing you know you have all these people were claiming to have faith. What makes this faith.

In particular, unique, what what I pointed to the resurrection.

But God also said in Isaiah 46, nine and 10. I am God and there is no other. I am God and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times, things that have not yet been done. The first got a saying there and it's really interesting the context there. Isaiah 46 is he's basically in this argument against the false idols and easy is comparing himself to them. They don't do anything they can't help anyone. The false gods of the world they don't speak at their with their worthless essentially, and God says I'm different than that I actually do speak. I declare the end from the beginning I would tell you that the end of the story here in the beginning before it even happens and that's another thing that I thing we can point to, we can look at the Bible's prophetic testimony all of the for the things that are written about Jesus long before Jesus was born from the place of his birth to the manner of his birth to the way that he lived to ask licit details about his death. All of these things are are things that I think helped to confirm our faith, but ultimately we need to go to the Scriptures, and as we search the Scriptures and as we listen to the apostolic testimony we find is it's never to know that faith is a feeling or that kind of thing. It is this is the content of the faith, and you can trust it.

For these reasons, and so we place our hope in God and his word and what you said and and you find that it's not anti-intellectual. And it's not just a feeling. It's so much more than that and I think that's what differentiates the Christian faith from all the other religions of the world.

Joseph thanks so much for your call and we mentioned a couple of resources there. We pray pick up one of those.

In particular, the great Coco book the story of reality could be a big help to you in the discussing the issue of Christian faith with those in your sphere of influence. Let's go to another question here on core Christianity. This one comes from Rachel through her email she says even though Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus. God used him to play a huge role in the saving of our sins since he returned the silver regretted his actions and committed suicide. Did Jesus forgive him and die for his sins as well. Rachel and what a tragic story is in its Judas was one of the 12. One of the disciples spent so much time with Jesus, hearing Jesus teach. Seeing no doubt the miracles of Jesus and even probably an insert waste being used by Jesus throughout the ministry of the apostles and yet he meets this tragic and and and especially in John's Gospel is as it gets closer to the betrayal you sort of see things culminating in in the betrayal of Judas and Satan entering him were told Judas was not saved. The reality is Judas Judas had remorse over what he had done, but he didn't have repentance. There was there was regret no doubt that I think there's something that's that's really powerfully illustrated. For us, or because you think about Judas and Peter and me both apostles of our Lord disciples of our Lord and both having heard the message of the gospel. Having walked with Jesus experienced is his physical presence both of them at one point even being referred to as Satan your member that scene where where Peter tried to keep Jesus from being crucified. And Jesus said to him, get behind me Satan made a big Jesus had some pretty strong words for Peter and both of them. Rachel actually denied Jesus. At one point in their lives, but the difference was this Judas denied Jesus and was filled with remorse but not repentance. He basically felt hopeless so he took his own life was absolutely tragic after having betrayed the Lord. Peter on the other hand, after he denied the Lord turned to Jesus. This is a really important point.

I helps us understand what repentance is Judas while he had remorse and regret didn't have repentance because in repentance. It doesn't just look like wallowing in despair yet involves recognizing and hating your sin. Turning away from it, but Judas turned toward himself and that's what he was hopeless in repentance we turn from our sin to Jesus and you think of Jesus's kindness throughout his life, even toward Judaism with when Judas was betraying him.

Jesus addressed Judas us as friend even in the midst of that moment of betrayal. See our Lord Jesus is full of love and compassion. But if we don't turn to him. If we just wallow in our sins and in unbelief, and while we might have regret for a life poorly lived were unwilling to hope in him to cling to his gospel. We will be lost and that that's the main difference between a guy like Peter and a guy like Judas and we have to be on guard that when we are confronted by our sins. We don't confuse remorse and regret for repentance. Ms. wanting to feel really bad about yourself and assertive wallow in your standard and I think I'm just such a terrible person.

There's no hope for me. That's not repentance. There is an element of hope to repentance because repentance looks up to Jesus and realize that despite the fact that we failed in miserable ways and horrible ways in ways that sometimes even shock us. There is a God in heaven who is provided for us the blood of his very son, it's able to cleanse us from all sin and its recognizing that the forgiveness and grace of Jesus is more powerful even in our sin, the sins that we think are sometimes insurmountable and and beyond forgiveness know by the grace of God and through the blood of Jesus Christ. There is hope.

And so I just want to say something to you the person right now who maybe is in that place of wallowing in your failures in your sins.

Feeling like a man. There's no hope for me. That's where Judas was. Don't stay there look up to Jesus and receive the grace that he has for repentant sinners, and know that his blood is sufficient to cleanse you, ma'am. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez and you know here at this program. Our goal is to help you understand the core truths of the Christian faith. Every time we answer callers question every article we run on the website every resource we produce is really seeking to help you gain a clear clear understanding of the gospel. The core message of Christianity, but we need your support to do it.

That's right Bill, we do, and that's what we want to ask you to please consider sending a gift now to help us continue as a thank you for a gift of $20 or more will send you our new resource how to read the Bible help you be more confident in your ability to read the Bible with understanding. It's a 10 week study that can be used in personal devotions Sunday school classes or even a Bible study group. Each weekly lesson includes selected passages from the Bible. Reflection questions and explanations of the key themes every Christian should know about the Bible as a whole. This study will introduce you to the history of the Bible key concepts that help tie the Old Testament and the New Testament into one cohesive whole and key ideas from the main sections of the Bible to make a donation receive this new study had over to core Christianity.com/Bible.

That's core Christianity.com/Bible and on behalf of the entire team at core radio.

Thank you for your support. You can also call us for that resource or for any one of our resources at this number is 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 from Virginia.

Another question for you. I played talking to a gentleman online that he did not believe in history is relevant saying that they are now known under the law no longer under the law.

We no longer had not repentance or cause us to have to look back toward the law even know what we are repenting and therefore want to frustrate the great outcry by having to look back at the law or be under the law in any form, and therefore we do not have to reply and I wondered what he got out that thank you bye-bye hi Tessa, well, one let me to say thank you for calling us again. We love receiving your questions and digging into the Scriptures together.

That's just not true. The idea that we don't need repentance anymore.

I need to repent every single day, Bill.

I don't know about you, it really is a part of the Christian life a part of the every day Christian life is turning away from our sins and clinging to the gospel of Jesus Christ now know there are different ways in which people have talked about repentance is sometimes people think of it is just a sort of entryway into the Christian life. It's it's that moment when an individual realizes that there are a sinner and they turn away from their sins toward Jesus Christ, to receive him by faith alone that that's talk about conversion that that's what's happening there at its conversion by the grace of the Holy Spirit, but the fact of the matter is, and I love the way Martin Luther put it this was the very first of his 95 theses what you know that the document that helped to kick off the Protestant Reformation. He said at the very beginning of that that would our Lord Jesus Christ, talked about repentance he intended the entire life of the Christian be a life of repentance and I think that if were following the Lord, day by day taking up our cross as Jesus said, each day we realize that that's the case and the fact of the matter is, even though were not under the law as believers in Jesus Christ, the more it were dead to the law.

We been crucified with Jesus Christ.

Paul talks about this in places like Galatians 3 in Romans chapter 6 even though were no longer under the law. We by the spirit. Paul says this and in Romans chapter 8 fulfill the righteous requirements of the law to the law of God that the moral law, the 10 Commandments is always and in effect were always called to love God and love our neighbor ultimately and in so far as we fall short of that day by day call to repent.

Now this side of heaven are repentance is never going to be perfect them is still going to be tainted by that the vestiges of of sin by our own weakness as believers in Jesus Christ me this is a real fight that were in ex-wife of Paul in Galatians chapter 5 extorts the church you walk by the spirit so that you don't fulfill the desires of the flesh.

It's a real everyday battle, but it's a battle that were in in a battle that we have to fight. And so anyone who says oh we don't have to repent anymore made it sounds to me. Kind of like that they could be buying into that lie that John talked about in first John is his first epistle recess. If anyone says that were without sin. He's a liar and the truth is not in the reason we still have to repent every day is because we still sin and we still fail, but the good news is in John goes on to say this, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

So it's not your perfect repentance are my perfect repentance that saves us is that advocate that we have been having Jesus Christ in and through his prayers and his advocacy were called to walk with him walk in the light as John will say and repent of our sins is as God reveals them to us. May the Lord bless you, Tessa doesn't think so much for calling and for listing the core Christianity. It's great to have you as one of our regular listeners. Here's an email question that came in from John Averill. John says I'm in a discussion with the person who was bought into theological liberalism, once the ultimate most concise study or tool for comprehensively addressing these issues.

I love this person and I long to see them come to rest in Christ well yeah John a minute is a tragedy when we have close friends who have embraced heresy or theological error or just flat out don't believe in God anymore that in the saddle I don't even have faith anymore. That kind of thing and so sorry to hear about your friend Mick… Take a moment to pray for John's friend and to pray for wisdom for John father. Our hearts break when people around us turn from you. I may people who knew the truth and who were in church for a while but have embraced different doctrine. Another quote unquote gospel as Paul calls it in Galatians chapter 1 that really is in a gospel that doesn't give hope to people.

I pray for John's friend that you would soften his heart to the true gospel that you would cause him to see the error of theological liberalism, and that you would give John wisdom as he interacts with his friend and talks about you talks about your word would you do the work that only you can do Lord by your Holy Spirit in bringing this this individual back to you and back to the church in Jesus name, amen. No John there are different ways in which people have defined theological liberalism. I feel like in recent days.

You know when when Christians talk about things like social justice, and issues of race in the church.

Sometimes people assume that that's that's theological liberalism and and that's not necessarily the case. Not at all. In fact, God's word addresses these very things. So we want to be faithful to the Scriptures theological liberalism is this system of belief, or lack of belief. Quite frankly, that often rejects the miraculous in Scripture and focuses on us on what we do on loving our neighbor that kind of a thing.

I had to read one author in particular, back in seminary named Adolph von Harnack. I wouldn't necessarily recommend a BSs. This work called the essence of Christianity, where he argued, essentially, that the essence of Christianity was not all the miracles you know, things like the resurrection and and Jesus walking on water that was the husk that SF was meant to be stripped away.

It wasn't real that was them the myth if you will the real essence of Christianity is the great commandment love God, love your neighbor be a good person. Add the idea therewith. Theological liberalism was seen of the modern man can't really accept these miracles anymore and so we have to create a Christianity that's more palatable that that's going to be able to carry weight in our modern society because people just reject these these miracles and the sad reality is, you know, in an effort to try and save Christianity made it oddly enough that's what they thought they were doing and are making it more accessible and palatable for the modern man what they actually did was destroy it because they took the real kernel of Christianity which is the message of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The miracles, the very thing that they were saying was the husk of Christianity was meant to be stripped away. That was the very kernel. That's how we have and why we have hope. Paul made it absolutely clear in first Corinthians 15. If there is no resurrection from the dead. Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. Let's not waste our lives, going to church and giving to charity and and loving our neighbors.

Even the neighbors that don't care about us and hate us and and teaching our kids the faithful to the point if there's no resurrection from the dead. Paul said I am a liar and you're still in your sins. And yet it's that very message. The essence of Christianity that theological liberalism undermined and there have been historically a number of responses to this there is this excellent little book by a guy named Jay Gresham matron called Christianity and liberalism.

I was going to be a little bit more technical than some of the stuff that we recommend on the program, but it's a short book and it really addresses the heresy of theological liberalism, and so that's one resource. John, I think that you can look at but really I think highlighting the fact that what theological liberalism does that actually destroys Christianity, it doesn't uphold Christianity in so far as it takes away the true kernel of the Christian faith. And that's why it's so important for us to know what core Christianity is because a lot of times people today basically have the view of the theological liberals and that's why people say that all religions are the same right is and isn't. The essence of religion just love God and love your neighbor that that's what's enduring that's what all religions call us to ultimately there'll teaching the same thing right is that the case that's why I think theological liberalism is so appealing to many people today because they've embraced that narrative, but the essence of Christianity is not that that's not what makes Christianity Christianity. What makes Christianity unique among all the religions of the world is that this really happened that God really did send his son into the world to pay for our sins, and then he rose again from the dead, conquering mankind's greatest problems of sin and death, so that in Jesus Christ we might have eternal life, and it's that reality theological liberalism set aside so we need to recover more and more brothers and sisters. The truth of Scripture to cling to it and to place our faith in Jesus and in the truth of the fact that he is risen from the dead. Thanks for listening to core Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer.

Visit us@corechristianity.com and click on offers in the menu bar or call us at 1-833-843-2673 that's a 33 core when you contact us. Please let us know how you been encouraged by this podcast and be sure to join us next time. As we explore the truth of God's word together