If We Worship One Lord, Why Do Christians Disagree on So Much?

If Catholics, Protestants and other Christian traditions all believe in the same God.

Why is it that Christians disagree on so much that is one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity hi this is Bill Meyer along with pastor Adrian Sanchez and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. We'd love to hear from you. Here's the number to call 833, the court, that's 1-833-843-2673. You can also post your question on our Facebook, Instagram or twitter accounts or email us at questions at core, Christianity.com.

Well, a hard-working post man in Amsterdam received an unexpected Christmas gift from his community last week a check for �4000 which is almost $5000. His name is the role of comic he worked extra long hours in December to ensure that local families would get all their Christmas gifts on time. So to express their thankfulness. The neighborhood rounded up some extra Christmas cash for their beloved post man during Christmas week.

Mr. Pollock was surprised that one of the housing complexes he delivers to with dozens of people standing on their balconies applauding him a resident then handed him a giant check along with the Christmas package containing chocolate and cookies is so encouraging to hear about people who go out of their way to express their gratitude to somebody for a job well done is absolutely and I think that that's the place where you want to be a postman were to say that was the change in jobs yeah I postman everywhere, listening and thinking I am not requesting a transfer that Amsterdam developed by the way were to post a photo of Mr. Pollock being surprised by his neighbors on our show notes for today's program.

If you want to check that out. He's got a great expression on his face. Let's get to our first question of the day Trent left this message on our website at core, Christianity.com/radio hey drilling bill trip from Kensington to see my family and I have begun a year-long plan to read the Bible and we thought it would be encouraging and firing to reach out to go Christianity as questions arise in daily readings in our first question came from Genesis chapter 4 is twofold.

In verse seven God tells Cain that if you do well, will you not be accepted and if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. His desire is for you but you must rule over it. First, this sounds a lot like works righteousness, but we know the first signs the gospel were delivered Adam and Eve back in chapter 3. Could you help us make sense of God statement here and how it relates to Cain and able sacrifices and then God's plan for salvation, and secondly, the phrase is desire is for you.

You must rule over it is very similar to what we read God said to Eve in Genesis 316, when he says your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.

Is there a connection that we should draw from the similarities and if so what is that connection.

Thank you for all you guys do in putamen. Go Christianity all they do every day.

We love listening the show and we thank you so much for what you do have a great day Trent, thank you for your question menu could be on the radio you got. Again, radio voice, and I appreciate your your question and I also love the fact that you are starting 2021 off on the right foot reading the Bible with your family. I'm glad you're reaching out to us. Please continue to do so us as more questions arise as you continue to read the Scriptures at the question related to Cain and his sacrifice that he offered to the Lord and in the rejecting, that that's a fairly common question.

Why is it that Cain's sacrifice was rejected and Ables was accepted and then look there at verse seven. In God's but really it is sort of as an encouragement for Cain is in it.

If you do well, will you not be accepted.

Now this is just really have a lot works right. Do this in life you get that earlier in Genesis is well related to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and in the commandment that was given there and that that's how the law works if you do well, will you not be accepted now.

I also think here in this passage.

In particular, this is really a call to repentance for Cain. It's clear that there was something wrong with his sacrifice that different people have suggested, you know what that might be there some people who think will able sacrifice was accepted because it was a sacrificial animal and Cain's was rejected because it was it wasn't that it was you know that the that the fruit of the land. I don't know if that's the case, necessarily, it seems to me like when we look at the New Testament New Testament talks about pain in a few places, it seems to suggest that it was his own wicked heart in the way he offered his offering to the Lord that caused him to be rejected. Other two passages of Scripture that I think of in particular were Cain is mentioned in first John chapter 3 verse 12 this is a passage actually that I was preaching on.

Not too long ago because I'm currently preaching through the book of first John, but in first John chapter 3 verse 12. Listen to what we read on as you start in verse 11 for this is the message that you have heard from the beginning that we should love one another, we should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother.

And why did he murder him because his own deeds were evil and his brothers righteous. How interesting it would be a lot of information here, but here John tells us Cain was of the evil one, his deeds, his works were unrighteous and one of the reasons he hated his brother was because his brother was righteous to get the sense that there's this this jealousy may be here, and certainly a lack of faith. And that's precisely actually what we see when we look at another place in the New Testament that talks about Cain and Abel. It's in the book of Hebrews chapter 11, you know that that famous hall of faith. Is it sometimes referred to in Hebrews chapter 11 verse four it says this by faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, to which he was commended as righteousness. And why was he commended as righteous wasn't because of works righteousness, it was because of faith and it seems like what Cain didn't do was bring his offering to the Lord in faith and so pure again you have this this call to repentance is encouragement to come in faith. And if you don't sin is crouching at the door and its desire is for you and you're right that earlier in chapter 3 of the book of Genesis. You have this exact same language in chapter 3 verse 16 work, God is speaking to the woman, and he says your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.

This is related to the curse that spoken after the fall that one thing I think we have to be careful with this, the correlation that we draw here between desire and rule in chapter 3 and in chapter 4 we don't want to say anything to suggest that the woman is equated with sin to be careful with with some of the correlations but the reality is that there is this, at least in in chapter 4. This loss this desire that sin has almost like this crouching Tiger looking to consume the people of God in our job is to put it to death. The apostle Paul says in Romans chapter 8 to mortify to rule over it.

To present our bodies to God as those who are alive from the dead by faith and able had that faith. Cain did not and that's what distinguishes the two brothers and that's why the one is commended in the other is cursed. Thank you for your question, Trent and I pray that the Lord continues to bless your Bible reading time with your family. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez by the way on Monday, January 18 we will be taking your questions live on the air. You can talk to pastor a drill at 130 central time, at 1130 Pacific look forward to receiving your call. Starting January 18 will. Here's a post that came in from Chandler on our Instagram page. He says April and Bill, thank you for your program and the detailed answers you get to the questions I've been confused about the end times mark of the beast. I've read that it's a vaccine or a microchip or that it's not even a literal Mark but instead a mark on the forehead is actually representative of a changed mind could you go into detail about what Scripture says about the subject.

I've had lots of nights where I just been kept awake thinking about this and praying that I won't be deceived. All thank you for this question is actually one that I five been hearing more and more frequently five heard Christians say recently, especially with the other coronavirus vaccine in this idea of it being forced in and whatnot. He knows that the mark of the beast and one of the concerns family that a lot of people have is MI accidentally going to take the mark of the beast am I gonna be deceived and end up doing something that places my soul in hell for eternity. Even though I don't want to do that thing is that a lot of people who are really concerned about this and let me just say at the outset that I don't think that this is something that you know we do by accident. I don't think that people sincere Christians can accidentally take the mark of the beast that I didn't know it was this vaccine. I didn't know it was this microchip and now I'm I'm condemned forever. That kind of thing I am of the opinion and in you mentioned this to what we have and were think about the mark of the beast with a can of Revelation chapter 13 in particular that we have here is this symbol of identification with the evil one.

Now it's interesting in Revelation chapter 13 of verse 16 we read also.

It causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the four head so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark that is the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom.

But the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man and his number is 666 now oftentimes in the book of Revelation numbers are used symbolically and that's precisely what's happening here. The number of Amand the number six man was made on the sixth day of creation, other places where numbers are used symbolically in the book of Revelation. Think of earlier in the book of Revelation were talks about the seven spirits of God and so we have to understand as we looking at the book of Revelation that were reading apocalyptic literature and that oftentimes in this kind of apocalyptic prophecy, apocalyptic literature, you have the symbols that are given to us, that's one thing that should guide us in interpreting this, but also throughout the book of Revelation. It's really interesting. God's elect God's chosen are also marked with the name of God. We see this in Revelation chapter 7 verse three in chapter 9 verse four.

Even in the very next verse in chapter 14 verse one John says that I looked, and behold on Mount Zion stood the Lamb and with them 144,000 who had his name and his father's name written on their foreheads to this mark of the Lord, if you will, again, at the very end of the book of Revelation. In Revelation chapter 22 verse four.

So seems like there's this contrast here between those who are marked by God, have the anointing of the holy one. The name of the Lord on them.

If you will, their lives, their minds, their hearts have been transformed by the grace of God and those who are marked by the beast, the Antichrist, if you will, the number of man as I think we have here is, is the children of God and the children of the devil doesn't mean that this isn't something specific, but I think we have to be careful trying to say you know of.

I think this is a microchip or this is a a vaccine that people could accident accidentally take that's not the case at all. This is referring to those who identified themselves, not with the Lord Jesus Christ with the evil one and so Chandler if you have faith in Jesus. If you receive Jesus Christ by faith. If you are in him united to him that I can tell you brother you not to worry about accidentally taking the mark of the beast because you are sealed you have an anointing from the holy one. That's what John says elsewhere and in another book of the New Testament that he wrote the book of first John and the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world, so may the Lord bless you and hopefully that gives you a little bit of insight into how we can understand the mark of the beast better. You know, a drill Chandler's question reminds me there's a lot of bad information out there right now and even some conspiracy theories that a lot of Christians are buying into, and I guess my question for you is a Christian leader is do we have a responsibility to confront some of those conspiracy theories. I think we do. And I think sometimes they can be really harmful and people can really go down the rabbit hole that you know that you just sort of go deeper and deeper into some of these things and one of my concerns is that we can focus individuals, individual Christians can focus so much on those things that they're not been grounded in the Scriptures so they get lost on YouTube or on twitter.

You know, going deeper and deeper into the whole of conspiracies. Instead of just studying the Scripture and trying to under them.

If you want truth go to God's word and let that be the primary thing that's shaping your mind and your heart. That's not to say that there is in terrible evil things that happen in the broader world there isn't corruption and and whatnot and things that if we knew about them. They would just absolutely shock us. I mean, I think that that kind of stuff is out there. We live in a fallen world, and John tells the whole world lies under the sway of the evil one. And so what else would we expect.

But our job is not to go deeper and deeper into that rabbit hole. Our job is to fix our eyes on Jesus to study God's word to pray to love each other about Bill not to go on and on but Peter's encouragement in first Peter chapter 4 he talks about the fact that the end of all things that hand.

Therefore he says let us be sober minded and self-controlled for the sake of our prayers. Let's be hospitable to one another loving one another. That's what were called to sober mindedness, humility, hospitality must devote ourselves to that, and if we do if we do that I think will be just fine. Great advice. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez and we are a listener supported program.

That means we count on people just like you to keep us on the air Corps Christianity, we are striving to help you understand the core truths of the Christian faith. We want to help as many people gain a clear understanding of the gospel as possible through the articles on our website. The resources we produce and all of the questions that are answered on the program but you know we can't do it without your support. As I we are a listener supported program and we depend upon your gifts and spaces we think about going live here on January 18, which were really excited about what ask for your support and for a gift of $25 or more right now will send you as a thank you. Our new resource how to read the Bible.

This is a really excellent resource it will get you into the Scriptures and not get you into the Scriptures to help you better understand them.

One of the things that I really appreciate about this resource. In particular, is how it takes the different genres of Scripture and on and on packs that were just talking right now about the book of Revelation.

The genre of apocalyptic literature and how it's important that we read it in the way that was meant to be read if we don't do that were going to take it out of context and it can end up not being helpful or edifying and so it's so important for us that when we read the Bible reading it the right way in its context, and that's what we've created this resource how to read the Bible and so thank you for your support and for your gifts and we look forward to continuing to serve you with this resource and many other resources to make a donation and receive this new study just head over to core Christianity.com/Bible. That's core Christianity.com/Bible and on behalf of the entire team here core radio. We thank you so much for your support what here's a question that came in via email from Jason that it's kind of a specific question that deals with Christian doctrine. Jason says what are the five solos. Yeah, thanks for question Jason and so the soul is sort of the soul. Referring to those five Latin phrases. If you will that are really core tenets if you will, of Reformation theology that is in the medieval church. There was a lot of corruption a lot of traditions that sort of drowned out the gospel, God raised people up who wanted to go back to the Scriptures back to the pure preaching of the word of God and back to Jesus Christ alone and his grace alone. The five solos refer to those those loans if you will, of the Reformation followed Gratiot by grace alone.

Solo fee day by faith alone solus Christus through Christ alone as solely Dale Gloria for the glory of God alone solo script tour, a by Scripture alone is the focus here with these phrases is on the fact that God himself is the one who redeems us and that he uses his holy word and that it happens through his holy and only begotten son, Jesus Christ alone and were saved by faith alone, so they just know these five sort of tenets I think it help us to see with clarity with the sort of laser focus. The fact that God accomplishes salvation from beginning to end.

For his glory and for our good and by his grace a minute really is.

These are really wonderful truths and yes is a sort of a bummer that have more time to impact each of these just because of the nature of this program but is the focus on the gospel is the focus on Jesus at this the focus on salvation by faith alone on the sufficiency of God's word alone with all these things that are really important for us here at core Christianity because we know that at the end of the day.

God gets all the glory when we focus on him and on his gospel, and so that's that really the tip of the iceberg with the five Solis Jason, thanks so much for your question would encourage you to do some more study on that because we know it will enrich and deepen your faith learning more about those. The five solos. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez. If you have a question for us. We'd love to hear from you curse the phone number to call. It's 833 the poor. That's 1-833-843-2673 life one Holy Spirit in a sister. I too have been grieved by this very thing and I think it's right that we are grieved by this because the fact of the matter is, is one of the things it's so heartbreaking about the church of Jesus Christ today are the divisions that we see and it is certainly something that in the New Testament.

The apostles were really concerned about about schism about divisions about believers not agreeing with each other and you even see it on various occasions in the time of the New Testament, there were schisms and divisions related to all sorts of different things and so it wasn't like you know, at the very beginning of the church. Everything was perfect and everyone got along, though even there you had these very serious problems and they've only continue to get worse throughout the history of the church and the problem is not first and foremost, with God as if God had done something or has done something wrong.

The problem is with us, with our own hearts with our own lack of humility and we really that the root I think of schism and division is pride it's individuals wanting to go off and do their own thing and so what we need to recognize is this is in God's fault if you will. This is the fault of humans, our own sinful blind hearts that keep us from seeing the clear teaching of God's word and agreeing.

That's one of the first things I would say I sort of interesting, like the author to the Hebrews when he talks about the old covenant that he talks about how God found fault with it, but not with it, but with the people because they had sinned one of the reasons why the old covenant eventually was set aside was because ultimately nobody can be saved by the old covenant because we don't keep the old covenant.

The problem is not with the old covenant with God's law. Because law is good. The problem is with me and with you with all of us.

We who fail to obey the Lord.

So similarly, I think in this situation we think about all the divisions that we see in the church today. The problem again is not with God. The problem is with me with our failure to yield to the Scriptures and humility to be led by the Holy Spirit.

Now you're right for all of the divisions are there are cardinal core truths that we cling to as believers in Jesus Christ. In John 14 six which you mentioned Jesus think I am the way the truth and the life.

No one comes to the father but by me. And while we might have differences on a number of doctrines may be secondary issues, we can agree on the core truth to me that's one of things that we like to focus on in this program.

In particular, is one of those core truths of the Christian faith that every Christian must believe that define what it means to be a Christian you think of things like the holy Trinity, the incarnation, salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone these of the courtrooms that week. We all cling to. Now we might have differences on a number of other things but at the end of the day. There's also so much unity we can celebrate that, and what we should do. I think is continue to pray that the Lord would unite us more and more I think of what Jesus said in John chapter 17 when he prayed to the father for the unity of the church. I have hope because I know ultimately that there is one church through faith in Jesus Christ and that Christ is building that church, by the power of the Holy Spirit and that one day the divisions that we see right now those secondary divisions are going to be cleared up by the Lord himself and working to be together around the throne of God worshiping him forever and ever. That's a hope that we look forward to in the meantime we seek to love each other. 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