How Do You Know When a Person with Mental Illness is Saved?

One of my family members has schizophrenia. How do you know when a person with severe mental illness is saved. That's just one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity hi this is Bill Meyer along with 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 core that's 1-833-843-2673. You can also post your question on her Facebook, Instagram or twitter accounts. You can watch us on YouTube and you can email us with your question at questions@corechristianity.com later. Let's go to Ed who is calling in from San Diego California and welcome to core Christianity Michael Billy Joel thinks that I really appreciate it yeah and get to hear from you at your question my question a couple days ago goes, going over with my my daughter.

She pictures old story of Abraham and Isaac. And you know God asks Abraham to take Isaac up to sacrifice the mountain. Of course you know that's not what God wanted him to do. As I went to that story with her and eventually I said that you know there would be a future son from the line of Abraham that would eventually go up that mountain and be sacrificed in for for our sins and so you know that you know who this is.

And she said God course Jesus and so she gave me a confused look like what I thought. There is no Jesus was the son of God. And yes, and there's also God the father, son, and got spirit and she gave me this confused look. So I just wanted to get your input and bills and put in to see how would you explain to to a child to sexual child. The training love that question. We deftly need to be teaching our kids the Sais and I've I've wrestled with this question is both my own kids. I got a nine-year-old a six-year-old, a four-year-old and a two-year-old and we've had conversations with attorney affect our member one one day and were all around the dinner table and I think it was my daughter she just asked the question the middle of dinner you know if if God lives in me and in mom and in my siblings. You haven't got me one. But he lives in each one of us like that doesn't make any sense to me. So kids I feel like oftentimes asked some of the best questions that I think at least as far as the Trinity is concerned, we want to do is use biblical language so the Bible teaches that there is one God.

Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 40 Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

But the Bible also reveals to us that this this one God is three persons. The father the son and the Holy Spirit. And I think the temptation for us were trying to explain the mystery of the Trinity is to say too much.

You know sometimes you get these analogies that people will use that oftentimes I think actually end up muddying the waters and so I would say just stick with the biblical language and with the confession that the churches had over the last 2000 years. Essentially, that there is one God in three persons.

Now there's no contradiction there because he's one in essence and three distinct persons is not one essence in three essences.

He's not one person in three persons, he's one essence in three persons, and so I would say you just just use biblical in which a one thing that's been helpful for us is praying to the father the son and the Holy Spirit worshiping the Trinity that that's really how we begin to grasp this if you will it as much as is humanly possible. Beastly's great mysteries of the faith is in the context of worship and so I would say pick some pick some good him some good songs that sing praises to the father the son and the Holy Spirit and and immerse your children and that kind of language the Trinitarian language and I think that's the best thing that we can do for our kids. Is there thinking about these great mysteries. Lord bless you brother and and keep up the good work and in discipling your children. Thanks so much for your call and we appreciate you being one of our regular listeners like us were lost at you know I was thinking Israel. There are those analogies that people try to use in your right.

Oftentimes they can lead us astray, or it can be even harder to understand the Trinity unit for the one about the anger that the you know water can be either liquid or vapor ice or one that I'm never hearing back when I was in high school was well the trend is like an Apple you got the skin in the flesh in the core and the hostess.

I think cause more harm than good. Yeah, and I'm and I were talking about the God who is transcendent. I mean he's he's otherworldly. He's not of this creation. And so that we can use you know language and analogies and end the best wants to stick to are the ones that God gives us in his word, but we want to be careful that we don't go into all the speculation of the Trinity is the God that we adore not the God that we speculate about.

And so I typically avoid a lot of those sort of analogies lustration to trying to stick with the biblical language.

This is core Christianity with pastor Adm. Sanchez. Here's the number.

If you have a question for us about the Bible or the Christian life. It's 833 the core by the way, you can also call us if you can call us this half-hour you can call us anytime and leave a voicemail at that number 1-833-843-2673 let's go to James calling from St. Louis, Missouri. James welcome the core Christianity hey James, welcome of the broadcast. With your question brother I get my life back to the Lord and you and I was wondering I don't live in the Lord our sins behind us and forget the bottom, wondering when the devil attacks sometimes to me is what I'm thinking. It is that it puts these accents come up in my mind. No, just out of nowhere sometimes or my dear son by talking or some I say something, and one of the devil is one way that he attacked the can we ask your forgiveness for Wilson began Argus for them being in our mind or coming into our mind like that. Yeah James. I know I know a lot of people have the same question. You know what you do, how you deal with it. We been forgiven me and we confess our sins to the Lord were were walking with Jesus.

But yet you know the memory of our past sin still plagues us and puts us under this load of guilt. Sometimes even the feelings of condemnation in my really forgiving. Could God really forgive all of those things and I think that is one of the ways that the devil continues to attack believers to accuse them. Satan wants to convince us that were beyond the grace of God that our situation is hopeless that the Lord really doesn't want to work in us and through us and that were not forgiven and and that's one of the ways it is sometimes it it even they may not even be the devil. It might just be noise as we are reminded of things that we've done are just the memory pops in our head. You know that kind of the thing that that we feel that that guilt that shame and that's why brother we have to decide how you fight that battle. We flee to what the word of God says, and we cling to Christ to his cross to his blood other two passages of Scripture that I think can be really comforting to you.

They've been comforting to me in those moments were at work. I'm wrestling with those thoughts. Hebrews chapter 9 beginning in verse 13. Listen with the author. The Hebrews said, for if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

You know purifies your conscience is not the fact that work work we've done really good in the past were perfect were sinless, not at all. All of us come to the Lord, weighed down by our sins, but were cleansed by the blood of the eternal son of God. That's what purifies our conscience and actually in in the very next chapter in Hebrews chapter 10 in verse 22. The author, the Hebrew says let us draw near with the true heart in full assurance, James. That's what God wants you to have full assurance draw near with a true art and full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water, and so yes no sometimes the memory of our sins plagues us it comes up and that's we go to the cross. That's a week we cling to the blood of Jesus. And it's that promise that God gives to us in the gospel that our sins are forgiven solely by faith in Jesus Christ that that helps us to be free from that load of guilt and condemnation. So when you're feeling that you know that when the devil is trying to put you back under that load of guilt and shame to say you know you your you are too far gone or got really didn't forgive you know you point to Christ, you go to the cross and you rest brother in what Jesus has done for you. May the Lord bless you Mamma thanks so much drill for those reassuring words, that's just so I think for all of us who deal with those sort of issues knows, maybe past sins that come up in her mind are the people remind us of its it's so refreshing to go back to God's truth came out MC let's go to MC who is calling in from Nashville, Tennessee MC, welcome to core Christianity, like all I will use Janell and I just appreciate what you guys are doing. Thank you so much appreciate you you calling us with your question question regarding the new apoptotic reclamation. I'm wondering what your thoughts on it are an incident biblical incident, email, and I think I have a couple of young Christian friends to our are caught up in it and was just wondering, might my take on it is now is what it is and you guys can find more about an idea so just wondering now if you had some biblical ensnare ensnare enticingly on helping them out of yeah well it's a great question and you do have from time to time in the history of the church and of these groups that did pop up and there oftentimes claiming to be restoring something that was lost at the church lost me see this especially with a lot of the cold.

Some you think about Mormonism. For example, and get you to lead Jehovah's Witnesses, people listen to these groups. It is said the gospel was lost or the that the primary teaching of the church was lost and it needs to be restored and I think that's what you have here with groups like the new apostolic Reformation sort of associated with the signs and wonders movement trying to restore the offices of apostle and profit within the church. Those kinds of things and you and I would say no, they're not biblical. And a lot of times these these movements with the get us away from is the core of the Christian faith, the gospel of Jesus Christ. You were so quick to run to movements, signs and wonders.

The stuff that's exciting. We need to go back to is the ultimate sign of the Christian faith, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and the greatest miracle miracle of all the forgiveness of our sins.

And that's what we what we grow in and out of in faithful obedience to the Lord. And so what concerned me about about some of these movements that that crop up from time to time is that they take our eyes off of the main thing off of core Christianity that I don't know MC if you are thinking about a specific doctrine that that your hearing about from your friends or a teaching in this movement was it was or something specifically that there were saying that you were curious about God told me that all things that I noticed like you know that where you are but it is unlawful to drive a vehicle without car insurance and they were basing their damnation that I don't need to have car insurance on that that God told me Kale, and so mean a lot and set disconcerting to me so you well. It's always convenient when God tells us we don't have to pay for insurance. It's really missing is what I would point to set Hebrews chapter 2 beginning in verse one. Listen with the author to the Hebrews had been in Hebrews quite a bit this program. Therefore, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it for since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution. How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation. And then he says, it was declared at first by the Lord and it was attested to us by those who heard while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by the gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. The purpose of the signs and wonders in the Scripture was primarily to point us to the message of Jesus.

The message of the gospel and again what so concerned about many of these movements is is there focusing on these quote unquote signs and wonders and miracles and apostles and yet they're taking us away from the apostolic message of the forgiveness of sins they become an end in and of themselves, and they take our eyes off of Jesus and that I think should cause us to question and certainly if somebody says you know God told me this, or God told me that and it contradicts God's word will we know that God isn't the one who, speaking to them. So there's a lot of room here for danger for confusion and and I would encourage you you know you just go to the Scriptures with your friends.

I would be concerned about, you know friends of mine who were getting caught up in this because so often in these movements that you also have is a lot of spiritual abuse someone is taking to themselves and of the authority the name of an apostle then there trying to make rules and regulations for the people under them. It's just sort of the it's the wild wild West in terms of theology and so what we have to do is get back to the word of God were we know that God has spoken and challenge beliefs that are contrary to the word of God.

It seems to me that it's very clear that the new apostolic rep Reformation with whatever you want to call it has a lot of beliefs that are contrary to what God has already revealed in his word and it leads people away from the simplicity of the gospel. God bless you MC this is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez.

Here's our phone number if you got a question for us 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673. Now if you are brand-new to this program. We have something we'd like to send you call our core kit, yet were excited about this core kit that were offering you for free and it basically will expose you to who we are as as a team as an organization wanting to help people grow in their understanding of the cord doctrines of the Christian faith of what it means to follow Jesus and and I just know that the these resources, we happy to be helpful. We have Meno CDs with teaching a number of articles, some of the most popular questions that we answer on this on this broadcast all sort of brought together in one place for you to to benefit from it and so get a hold of this the core kit and Bill, can you tell how to get all this resource. It is so simple. All you have to do is go to our website at the special link core, Christianity.com/kit that's core Christianity.com/kit and you can sign up. You can also call us for that resource or any one of our resources at 833 the court by the way, if you want to call us and leave a voicemail. You can call that number anytime 24 hours a day can also go to our website and click on the microphone icon, leave a message there. And yesterday we received this voicemail from one of our listeners and I have a brother who I shared with him and we have read the Bible together, praying together. Keep only the born-again believer that he struggled with understanding the Bible and you know when a person has mental illness expansion born-again hey Nicole, thank you so much for that question and certainly a lack of understanding when it comes to the Bible or the doctrines of the Christian faith to some of the deeper doctrines you know that doesn't necessarily mean that a person is in saving were talking about fully understand the Bible. Me. No one comes to the Bible with a full level of understanding were all learning more and more about the mystery of who God is and how he has saved us, and there are two passages in Scripture that come to mind when I think about your question. The first one is in Matthew chapter 11 verse 25 for Jesus himself prayed and he said I thank you father, Lord of heaven and earth that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.

Yes father, for such was your gracious will. Now that these things are ease talking about, that the truth of the gospel.

The truth of his kingdom which the scribes and the Pharisees, those with understanding quote unquote rejected didn't see were blind to. And Jesus, as you know who's who's getting that unit was understanding these truths.

The gospel little children.

The people who were were tempted to to sort of set aside the people who think though they don't have understanding that a little bit later in Matthew's gospel in Matthew chapter 16 one. Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ.

You remember what what it says in Matthew 1616 Simon Peter replied, you are the Christ, the son of the living God confessed Jesus and Jesus answered him, blessed are you, Simon bar Jonah for flesh and blood is not revealed this to you, but my father who is in heaven. The point is salvation comes through the gospel in the gospel is something that God can reveal to anyone regardless of age or mental illness. It's not so much depended upon our capacity but on God's spirit and what a comfort that is is your is your praying for your brother as your encouraging your brother and you can encourage your brother to look. It's okay that you understand everything we don't understand that's that's how it is, were dependent upon the Lord and his spirit and were not saved by our perfect understanding of how salvation works were saved by Jesus.

Now how can you know he say we say that you know you pray with them.

He's he's confessed Jesus he says that he's born again right and then that's it is as simple as that. Does he trust in Jesus. Romans chapter 10 verse nine says if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved and so sister be encouraged and may the Lord bless you as you continue to to encourage your brother as well and open up the Scriptures and pray with him. That's where the power is the power is in the word of God and God's spirit works together with the word is as you're reading it at your studying as your meditating on it. Keep that up because that's where we get understanding.

May the Lord bless you know. Israel know there's a book that you would recommend for people who have family members who are suffering from mental illness that can really be helpful to them. Yeah, you know that there is a book in particular I'm thinking about schizophrenia.

We have a friend her name.

Assuming that a car she would be called broken pieces and the God who mends them schizophrenia to a mother's eyes and that that's helpful for the first person account of working with and caring for family member who who battles with schizophrenia. We know this is unit thinking about mental health issues such an important thing for us to to navigate this well as a church so II recommend that book if you go to today's show notes on our webpage core, Christianity.com/radio. You can find that a particular reference mentioned in any of the references that we mention on the subprogram as well as our offer today. The core kit let's go to Michael calling in from Sioux City, Iowa Michael, welcome to core Christianity good afternoon brothers how are you doing well. Michael, thank you for for calling us with your question. I can't get the concept. I understand that God needed a sacrifice of blood to atone for the sins and Christ being the ultimate sacrifice, but while talking with my daughter.

She asked the question why did God need a blood sacrifice. And I didn't really know how to answer the LA really highlights the fact that sin leads to death. It takes life and the book of Leviticus Moses said that the life is in the blood. That's why the Israelites were allotted drink blood or eat food with the blood in it and it was the blood essentially that made atonement and it was this picture of a life for a life of the fact that sin takes life and so we need that substitute.

That's one of the things you you see so clearly portrayed in the sacrificial system of the Old Testament again spoken of so clearly in the book of Hebrews and the author Lee Huber said, and in chapter 9 verse 20. This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you and in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship.

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins, and so with these types and shadows that we had in the Old Testament, Michael. We had this this picture of the need for atonement and the fact that sin is serious and as so often in in in the world today and in even in the church. I think we can minimize how serious sin is the Paul says the wages of sin is death.

Sin leads to death. That's what God told Adam and Eve in the garden of the day you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall surely die. That's what sin brings forth is death and that's what was so clearly depicted with with the blood and the blood sacrifices. And you're right that ultimately this is why Jesus was sent into the world to think about what John the Baptist said about Jesus in John chapter 1 behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and how did he take away the sin of the world through the shedding of his holy blood. Peter says you've been cleansed from from the futile ways inherited by your fire from your forefathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. And so what we see here is that God takes sin seriously, but the he's provided for us perfectly. He's made a way for our salvation and all the types in the shadows of the Old Testament under the old covenant pointed to the reality of Jesus, of his shed blood for the purifying of our conscience. Thanks for listening to core Christianity request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at core, Christianity.com and click on offers in the menu bar or call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833 when you contact us. Please let us know how you been encouraged by this program and be sure to join us next time. As we explore the truth of God's word together