My Friend Is in an Open Marriage: What Should I Do?

The so-called open marriage doesn't see a problem with what should I do that is one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity hi this is Bill Meyer along with pastor Pedro 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 also post your question on our Facebook or Instagram account and you can email us at questions at core, Christianity.com burst up today we have a question from Dugan in Arapahoe Nebraska hi Dugan welcome the core Christianity hi Michael, thanks for Cullinane, what your question rather well wondered for years Christian, but I wanted where Ludlow can I find the change you. We serve Jesus to the same yesterday today and forever. Where did Jesus change this work made it in the beginning Genesis chapter 2 from the seven-page of the first day. Can you please show me the Scripture. Yeah, thank you so much for that question brother and he were thinking about the law of God in the day of worship. Why is it that Christians have were shipped on Sunday on the first day of the week as opposed on the last day of the week, why would point first and foremost to the resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus rose again on the first day of the week. On Sunday, the Lord's day and as a commemoration of that Christians.

The body of Christ have gathered together on that day on the Lord's day since since the days of the apostles. Now Jesus ultimately is our Sabbath rest me think about a lot of the types and shadows that you had in the Old Testament whether it was the temple with its sacrifices, or even this idea of Sabbath eternal rest. Christ is the rest in whom we enter the author the Hebrews talks about this but Jesus himself. Dugan said in Matthew chapter 11 actually one of my most favorite passages in all Scripture Matthew chapter 11 Jesus said come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Boy, isn't that just a passage of Scripture that each of us to say yes I need that I want that right now.

In such a busy society is the one we live in.

Jesus says come to me and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light and so ultimately Christ is our Sabbath rest, we enter into him by faith and in the earliest believers. Dugan began gathering together on Sunday because they recognize that they that they had entered into Christ the Sabbath rest, and you see this in various places of the Scriptures are talks about that believers gathering together on the first day of the week so I think of acts chapter 20. For example, acts chapter 20 beginning in verse seven we read on the first day of the week when we were gathered together to do what to break bread, Paul talked with them intending to depart on the next day any prolonged his speech until midnight another, which would you have your is preaching always is giving a sermon he's going until midnight and and and also the breaking of bread, probably a reference to the Lord's supper.

You see this earlier in acts chapter 2, verse 42 of these are the things that the early Christians were committed to again you have gathering together on the first day of the week referenced at the end of the book of first Corinthians in first Corinthians chapter 16 and so really member from the very beginning we see the apostles of our Lord Jesus himself gathering together on Sunday. Why because they've they've entered by faith in Jesus into that Sabbath rest, and so on Sunday we gather together and rest in Christ worshiping together with the people of God. That's what Christians have done for 2000 years and that's that's right is right there and in the text of Scripture in those two passages.

Dugan those once I point to so acts chapter 21st 20 and 16. Ultimately, the idea of Jesus being our Sabbath rest. Thank you for calling it away. Driller seems to be a lot of debate about this whole Sabbath issue and I'm wondering why it seems like in the last couple of years.

There's more and more Christians are concerned about any speculation on why that is a boy, I don't know.

I do know that from the very beginning. One of the biggest things that the church has wrestled with the Christian churches wrestled with is this temptation to go back under the law. That is back under the regulations of the old covenant and and the way in which those were observed in the Old Testament.

From the very beginning have books in the New Testament like the book of Galatians in the book of Romans were a lot of these things were happening. This is what the apostles were dealing with, and so I think we have this this sort of temptation to go back under the law. And that's why it's important that we understand the grace of God.

This is core Christianity with pastor Pedro Sanchez. Let's go to Julia calling in from Belleville, Illinois. Julia welcome the core Christianity hello Cheryl L yell medically everything that went quickly because England went about 30 years, maybe. Anyway, I'm way and feel about me know so much about how they feel about you know about abortion are going to another church to go in between my Cherokee Nago my future week. You know it's real, very conservative and it's real, you know, and I think you know that love God anyway about what I want to know without way be ungodly if I wanted to take my kayaking in between both companies say yeah a Julia one I just love that you are digging into community life in the church.

It sounds like you just can't get enough of the body of Christ and in a day in an age when I think a lot of people to serve abandoning Christian community.

We feel like we don't need the church anymore. It's so refreshing to hear you talk about how you just want more more community. I think that's I think that's absolutely wonderful as a past me to say this, I think it's good to get you as much of that as we can, but it's good to be committed to one local body were really investing our time, our talents are gifts. That's not to say that you know you can have an and shouldn't have Christian relationships and friendships in other churches, but I think it's good.

The Bible says that that the elders of the church are our heir to care for our souls there looking out for our best interest, and so it's it's really important I think for us to be committed a faithful part of one church while we also have, I think I relationships, friendships, and in other churches and so with regard to tithing they'll let me just say you know Paul has this wonderful discussion. Second Corinthians about giving and he says the point is this grant in chapter 9 verse six whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart that again to you Julia each one must give as he is decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion other words, no pastor don't twist our arms to give her or coerce us. That kind of thing know God loves a cheerful giver, and God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times. You may up abound in every good work. As it is written, he has distribute distributed freely. He has given to the poor. His righteousness endures forever, and so that the principal at least with regard to giving under the new covenant is that we should give generously.

I know some people use.

The tide is a sort of baseline you at I want to make sure that at least giving a tithe. I think that's great.

I think that's you know a wonderful thing to do but but really each individual sort of purposes in their own heart and and they give generously with joy because the Lord loves a cheerful giver. And so what I would do is I would encourage you one be committed to one local body be committed to the people there to investing in relationships there to being under the ministry of the word.

There continuum. It sounds like your you're learning a lot. You're growing in your faith that that's wonderful. You as a pastor I can say this in the local church. There's enough need in each individual church.

We don't need to go to other churches to find me there. There's just so much need in the local church to be invested there but benefit from, and be blessed by Christian relationships out that church that you're a part of it. If you want to give to what they're doing as well. That's totally fine. The Lord loves a cheerful giver and Julia God is the most generous of all we can ever out give the Lord and so I do want to encourage you want to encourage you in that generosity that excitement that you have to love and care for the people of God. Now, just like keep it up sister and I don't think there's anything wrong with you if you want to give a gift to this other churches well doing that again.

Paul said in sync with his nine the Lord loves a cheerful giver.

God bless you and Julia. Thanks so much for your call.

This is core Christianity with pastor Pedro Sanchez. Our phone lines are open right now and we would love to talk to you.

If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life. Here's the number to call. It's 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673. By the way, some of the radio stations that air of this program error on a delayed basis. So if you'd like to call and talk to pastor Israel live here is the time you might want to note this down if you want to call him and ask your question live. You call at 11:30 AM Pacific 12:30 PM Mountain 130 Central or 230 Eastern time. That's when we actually do our program live let's go to a voicemail message that came in last week and I ran to open relationship and her married boyfriend Matt and like each other and I feel like really wrong because I know what the Bible says about marriage. Now she's pregnant she doesn't know if it her husband or boyfriend, and aside from praying for her. I don't know what else to do because I don't know how she would take care if I tried to tell her how wrong it was clear to answer my question for me and I will talk to you later tonight to see. I think you so much for giving us a call with that message and I guess the first thing I would want to ask you is is this friend of your someone who claims to be a follower of Jesus. Do they say that there Christian and if that's the case, I think you know for for people who claim to believe be believers we want to call them to what they confessed. If you confess faith in Christ is a certain way in which we we as believers, we as Christians are called to live in part, that is purity and the author. The Hebrews talks about this with regard to marriage in Hebrews chapter 13 where he talks about the marriage bed not being undefiled. I'm just it really be as believers we need to be called to live in line with the one that we follow Jesus. This is our life reflect his goodness.

His glory his law. If this friend isn't a believer, but I think it's wonderful that you have this relationship with her that you guys are able to have these kinds of conversations and I know that it can kinda be scary to to confront someone or to point something out and say look, I think that this is wrong and I think that God calls us as Christians to speak the truth in love, that is, you need to speak the truth to this friend and actually that's one of the ways that your but you're being a good friend. I think about what Proverbs chapter 27 verse six says faithful are the wounds of a friend profuse are the kisses of an enemy that was a good friend is sometimes willing to wound us you had someone in your in your life who has been willing to say hey what you're doing is not good. It's not honoring to God.

It's not helpful.

It's not healthy if you had anyone like that in life I know for for myself when I have friends were willing to comment speak that kind of truth to me. At first it might sting, but at the end of the day. You know I feel I really feel loved. I feel like they care more about me than just sort of you know, having this artificial friendship, artificial relationship where where everything is good all the time and we don't speak the truth to each other good friends speak the truth to each other even about sin. So I think that you can do that and I think you can do that lovingly, and it may be that this person says you know what I don't want to hear and they cut you out of their their life and there's nothing you can do about that.

I've had that happen to myself as well with with friends in the past, but it could also be that they hear you and they say wow and thank you for caring enough about me to be honest with me because it sounds like this friend is already beginning to see and experience the pain and the confusion that comes with this kind of relationship and so being honest and also not burning the bridge and I think this this person can come to a point, perhaps where everything falls apart where they lose their boyfriend and their marriage altogether and you want to be someone who's there for them in those moments is good to continue to speak the truth, but also extend grace to to be someone who welcomes them their questions and ultimately shares not just the truth of God's law. Hey, this is wrong with the truth of the gospel that there is a God in heaven who is merciful to sinners who came to seek and save the lost. That's one of the things that I love so much about our Lord Jesus, you just think about his earthly ministry and how we cared for and ministered to the lost, he ate with them.

He sat with them.

He talked with them.

He spoke the truth to them and sometimes they didn't like it but oftentimes I think one of the things that they realized was man cares about us and he has grace for us and has grace for sinners and so extend that grace to your friend, Christina, and may the Lord bless you and give you wisdom as you continue the conversation with her very challenging situation Christian. We appreciate so much are your care for your friend wanting her to to live the life that God has designed for her to have. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez and if you have a question we'd love to hear from you right now you can call us and talk to pastor Israel about questions about the Bible or the Christian life. The numbers 833 the core that's 833-843-2673. By the way, if you are a regular listener to our program, you want to let you know we are supported by a particular church or denomination. We depend on people just like you to keep the show on the air and if you believe in what we do.

Would like to invite you to join what we call our inner core.

Yeah, at the inner core is a group of supporters who commit to giving us a monthly gift is $25 or more a month pays one of the ways that were able to keep this program going and there are some some pretty neat perks to being a member of the inner core you get bonus content every month from core Christianity, including exclusive videos that were working on redoing some some really helpful Bible devotions and sneak peeks to new resources that were about to release another thing that we just recently put together was a video that we made with our founder Dr. Michael Horton about how to reach young people who are leaving the church today and what we can do to communicate the gospel in ways that are clear and and helpful to them really get to bring them back into the fold and so you get that you also get a signed copy of this book, core Christianity, written by Dr. Michael Horton help us start this entire program to say I'm actually meeting with a group of newer believers in our church later today to go over chapters 2 through four of core Christianity's been really need to see these people so young in the faith learning about Christianity and growing growing immensely in their understanding of what God's word teaches that the core truth of the Christian faith, and so become a member of the inner core.

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That's all one word core, Christianity.com/inner core. To learn more or you can give us a call anytime at 833, the court, 833-843-2673 let's go to Wallace who's calling in from Nashville, Tennessee. Wallace what your question for pastor. Israel and I have I heard not so that cannot lose a bit of description Bible is the best in the Holy Spirit will not be forgivable that this life or the life to call. Yes, if a person that a Christian happens to commit the person is not the grip of the come to Christ. The smoke was wonderful. Yeah hey thank you for that question.

But let me just say I know that there are a lot of believers I know this is you, but I know that there are a lot of Christians sincere believers who they read that passage about the bless me the Holy Spirit and they are just gripped with fear because I think, oh Lord, I don't want to do that sin, whatever that sin is and they live in terror. Frankly thinking I don't want to lose the grace of God you think of all the mercy that the Lord is shown us his goodness, the grace of the Holy Spirit, and so you read about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit in places like Mark chapter 3 and and and your terrified that many believers are terrified. Let me just read the context as I think the context helps to explain this for us and the scribes who came down from Jerusalem is verse 22 of Mark three were saying he is possessed by be eligible and by the prince of demons he casts out the demons he called them to him and said to them in parables. How can Satan cast out Satan. If the kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand and if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand what is coming to an end, but no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man then indeed he may plunder his house.

Truly I say to you all sins will be forgiven. The children of man and whatever blasphemies they utter. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness but is guilty of an eternal sin for verse 30. They were saying. He has an unclean spirit that tie right there. And in verse 30 I think is key because it helps to explain what what these people were doing, who had blasting the Holy Spirit. They were essentially rejecting Christ altogether. This wasn't just like it, you know, they believed in Jesus that embrace the gospel and then they they fell into some very grievous sin is blasting the Holy Spirit know they reject who Jesus said that he was. They reject the gospel. They reject his blood.

In fact they they call Jesus the demon now look if somebody believes that Jesus is Satan. There is no way for that person to be saved.

They have not embraced Christ by faith.

So this is not a sin that believers can can commit true Christians who embrace the gospel by faith, who recognize that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah that they're born again. They don't commit the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit because essentially what it is is is this hardhearted faithlessness that identifies Christ and his work with the power of the evil one that's with the scribes and the Pharisees were doing and Jesus gave them a very stern warning, he said, look, if you reject me. If you reject my gospel.

If you if you chalk it all up to. Oh, you know those Christians out there, just drink and bathwater. You know they're there possessed by devils that kind of a thing. Be careful because if you die believing that if you don't have the truth if you don't have Jesus will be lost. So Wallace is in a sin that that you as a Christian, someone who embraces Jesus can or will commit. This is something that those who reject the gospel over and over and over again, who denied Christ and don't want anything to do with them.

This is a sin that that they essentially doing been speaking more specifically, there of this, the scribes and the Pharisees and so thank you for your question rather gray clarification.

Thanks for that intro. This is core Christianity with pastor Adm. Sanchez. We have time for one more question Travis from Omaha, Nebraska. Welcome to the program very much and thanks for taking my call. I was curious about hundred my family through the other night and in chapter 1 somewhere around verse 18 or so. Paul started his dissertation and he starts talking about the ungodliness and unrighteousness of man and they exchange the net woman for what is against nature's own support and I was wondering is Paul talking about a specific event of biblical text that happened. I don't understand what event that is when that happened, and thank you all a Travis excellent question brother. So yes Romans chapter 1 really the early chapters here of the book of Romans, the apostle Paul is highlighting for us. The fact that everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, not just the Gentiles but even the Jews. All of us need the grace of Jesus Christ that justification that comes through his cross solely by faith. But here early on is highlighting the fact that even even the Gentiles right like it in one since they know God and how do they know God will through the created world around us. The invisible attributes of God were told here, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made so that they are without excuse. That is the whole world is without excuse before God, because we look up at the stars at night brother. And we realize we each of us have this deep sense of God. We know that there's something greater out there than us that were not alone in this sense of God right in and policy what they Gentiles have that but here's what they do with that knowledge, instead of turning to God. They suppress that sense of God that they have in unrighteousness and things go from bad to worse as they continued to reject God and engage in all sorts of idolatry and all sorts of sin gets talking about a specific historical thing that took place in the Bible is the sort of general reality of humanity apart from Christ. We take the light that God gives us and we suppress it we turn from it and that's why it's so important that we understand how the righteousness of God is revealed.

It's revealed solely through the cross of Jesus for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift. That's the hope that we have Romans 323 that's what we look to Jesus and his work. Thanks for listening to core Christianity request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at core, Christianity.com and click on offers and 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