When Should I Give Up On Reconciliation?

I remarry if my spouse has left me, 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 Gabriel 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.

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You can watch us right now on YouTube and you can email us your question at questions at core, Christianity.com burst up today let's go to a voicemail we received from one of our listeners for you. So we got Holy Spirit in Matthew 28 we are to go out all the nation Holy Spirit.

Chapter 2, and later on back chapter 8 chapter 1019 why that we baptized in the name of the father son and Holy Spirit. The early church baptized in the name of Jesus, please explain that to me I would very much appreciate that.

Thank you for that question and for giving us a call. I'm glad to hear that your church baptizes in the name of the father and of the son of the Holy Spirit. That is the formula that Jesus gave us in Matthew chapter 28 no right right before he left his disciples, he gave them we sometimes referred to as the great commission. He said going to all the world and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you.

And so that's that's what the church is called to get to the church is always done since the very beginning and sometimes seems as if there's a discrepancy when we read the book of acts because infrequently they are in the book of acts meant and mentioned. I think asked chapter 8 chapter 10 back in acts chapter 2. You have the disciples baptizing in the name of Jesus. And I think one of the reasons that Luke records it that way is because you have to remember this is the early advancement of the gospel and in particular, many of those were converting to the faith were coming from a Hebrew Baptist background and so this is this this focus here is on being associated with aligned with Jesus Christ himself, and I think it's that they didn't baptized in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit. I think they were they were leading people to the Lord Jesus Christ and so that's why Luke uses language. In fact, it's kind of interesting because in acts chapter 19 you have this whole discussion about the baptism of John, and the baptism of Jesus. It says in acts chapter 19 beginning in verse one and it happened that while Apollo's was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus and there he found some disciples and he said to them, did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed. And they said no we have not heard that there is a Holy Spirit and he said into what then were you baptized, and they said into John's baptism. And Paul said John baptized with the baptism of repentance telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is Jesus, and on hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus is a see there the focus on aligning yourself with Jesus Christ in particular fruit for this audience is I don't I don't believe that there was any contradiction at all. They were baptizing in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, and there really is such an important thing for us to grasp this in baptism friends God places his name on you. You belong to the Lord by faith.

You are a representative if you will, of the trying got our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. And so it's it's really important for us to grasp these things but that's why you have this language of being baptized in the name of Jesus in the book of acts written by Luke its distress or to focus on that. The early alignment with Jesus Christ coming out of Judaism, not the baptism of John, this is aligning ourselves with Christ, thank you for your question, right? Thanks so much for a listing and for submitting your question to us by the way, you can always email us a question at questions at core, Christianity.com or leave us a voicemail with your question 24 hours a day you can call us and leave a message at 833.

The core let's go to Dale in this only to Roloff, Kansas hi Dale, how I say the name of your town correctly only old life. All right, all that is so great for after lenient grace. I brought that him Bible and I was challenged on that because it doesn't say that in the Bible, but I heard it from the pulpit that one point and so I wanted to get your take on what lenient grace is how it can be explained yes this is really a theological question and when were discussing the idea of preventing grace were thinking in particular about maybe the grace that an individual experiences prior to their conversion that helps them embrace Jesus Christ.

That kind of thing and there's all sorts of debate in the church about this unit is is it the Holy Spirit is giving you a little bit and you respond to that little bit that he gives you. And then he gives you a little bit more and then you respond some more and and maybe you do some good works in your city preparing yourself for your salvation. That kind of a thing for that that moment where you receive the Lord Jesus Christ. I I think honestly Dale. The best way to to look at this is what Paul says in Ephesians chapter 2, he says, look here.

Here was our spiritual condition prior to embracing Jesus Christ, and it it's actually kind of shocking when you think about it because typically we think that was a pretty good person.

You and I was sort of seeking the Lord, the things of the Lord and I stumbled upon the faith right by you know II embrace Jesus because I I really started to understand these things but what Paul says look spiritually speaking, apart from Christ. Apart from the Holy Spirit.

Here's where we were. Ephesians 21 you were dead in trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind, but God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace to you by grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated fetus with him in the heavenly places in Jesus Christ. That's the grace we want to talk about. It's the grace that raises sinners from the dead by by the power of the Holy Spirit is a one of the things I think that were all recognizing is that apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. Apart from the regenerating life-giving work of the Holy Spirit friends. We would not know the Lord.

It really is a work of God, and even faith, we would say mean this is something that the Paul goes on to say there in Ephesians chapter 2 is this gift that the Lord gives to us and in the result of this Dale is, we are humbled we should come to grips with this and realize Lord, it wasn't anything in me that cause you to to be gracious to me what was solely your love, your power, your spirit, and as a result, God gets all the glory.

And so this really is humbling reality, but I think it gives God maximum praise because we recognize that the depths that we were in we were dead in trespasses and sins. And yet it's there in in that state that God loved us and made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved thank you for your question Dale.

Great picture you painted for all of us. There is real, thanks so much. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez by the way we want us issue a special thank you to our great listeners that are part of what we call our inner core. These are folks that support us on a regular basis, and if you join the inner core will send you a copy of the book core Christianity and some exclusive content before anybody else gets it, including some wonderful devotionals from pastor Israel. You can find out more by going to our website. Core, Christianity.com/inner core. Let's go to Elizabeth who left us a voicemail a couple of days ago hello so I recently joined this marriage ministry online whose foundation is sole purpose is to provide encouragement for marriages and the marriages that are going through a really tough time where the spouse has either left the home to be with another person or on a straight a column particles and in some extreme cases, divorce has already occurred in this spouse is waiting for God to a R open the eyes of the X-Files and in another extreme cases, the spouses remarried their teaching that if you wait you praying past that God can do the impossible and restore your marriage back to his company. My question to you is healthy for an individual whose husband has been gone for 15 to 20 years for them to wait all his might. My personal opinion is, no, that's that doesn't seem to me to be very helpful. I really that the core of the question here is, you know how long is too long the wind. When should I give up on reconciliation. Of course you have the words of the apostle Paul in first Corinthians chapter 7 verse 10 to the married I give this charge not I but the Lord. This is what God is charging the Corinthians, with an and us. The wife should not separate from her husband. But if she does, she should remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband and the husband should not divorce his wife, but if there's a situation where a husband is abandon his wife Elizabeth and has gone in and and gotten remarried well there there no longer there no longer married. The in the original couple that marriage has been dissolved and so in that situation. I think if if the, the initial wife was abandoned by the husband is left is married someone else, she's free to not be married to me.

She can wait. Obviously you know we we can always say God can do whatever he wants. We all heard stories of you know these miraculous God bringing two people back together but but the the wife in that case would be free either to remain single or to to marry in the Lord but I don't think it's helpful. I'm not familiar with this ministry. The talking about.

In particular, seems like they're taking a very hard stance and saying no matter what happens if if your husband abandons you, and goes and marry somebody else. You just have to wait and in order to be reconciled and one that's not what what the Bible teaches. You're not bound in that situation and to I think that can be Elizabeth quite unhealthy if if you are as an individual wanting to be married and you've been left and you're just sort of waiting and waiting and waiting and putting this expectation on on your ex-husband and in on this new family that they've started the doesn't seem to me to be the right way.

Now, of course, as I said, you're free but individual be free to be single mentors and to serve the Lord there and there's nothing wrong with that, or they'd be free to marry someone else. So thank you Elizabeth and add what you say. I mean marriages met such a blessing from the Lord, but we need a lot of support. We need a lot of encouragement. We need good people speaking into our marriages and into our lives coming alongside of us. I'm grateful that that this is something that you're interested in Elizabeth and that you want to partner with people in jobless. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez and if you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life. Our phone lines will be open for another 10 minutes or so, so now's the time to call. Here's the number 833-843-2673 if you want to spell it out on your phone. It's 833 the core while one of the things we want to mention was summer time just around the corner and a lot of families taking road trips is that we have a wonderful CD for families that were offering. It's a CD you can listen to in the car or listen to at home as part of a family devotional time. Yeah, I likely put their bill part of the family devotional time. One of the I think easiest ways for families to do devotions is with music. It's easy to keep the kids involved. That way we have no for young kids and I found it. It's one thing to sit down and try to read them a Bible story in and that that happens. Praise the Lord, but a lot of times it is asserted more catching it to sit down and listen to some music that's God honoring and focuses on the Lord on his word and it's a great way to teach the truths of Scripture to our children and to ourselves as well and so the CD is called evensong is put together by the Getty's wonderful hymn writers and we want to make it yours and it is yours for a gift of any amount is what you do, just go to our website at core, Christianity.com/offers and look for that CD called evensong by Keith and Kristin Gotti is that Israel said just wonderful hymn writers and performers before them in person and we just love their hearts us look for that core, Christianity.com/offers or call us for that offer or any one of our offers at 833-843-2673. That's 833.

The core Kenny in Smithville, Missouri Kenny what? Restaurant yesterday was being discussed. Verse 26 of Genesis 1, God said, let us make man in our Lenten angels and so forth. But you know we need to go down to verse 27 because were not the image of angels or anything else. So God created man in his own image in the image of God created him male and female. I think it got left and maybe I'm the only one thought. But it got left but we could be possibly created like the angels yeah I would say this. I really appreciate. We give follow-ups to questions getting so thank you for giving us a call that there are some who point to the reality that that there's a sense in which there are things that we do share with the Angels. In particular, you know, this sort of call to render judgment and rule Psalm chapter 8 does talk about God making us a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowning us with glory. A really wonderful text of Scripture but but yes it in terms of our being made in God's image, the focus is on the fact that we we reflect the the holy triune God are called to reflect the holy trying God in our lives in our vocation and what God calls us to. We didn't get really to in-depth into what it means to be made in the image of God.

There's a lot that we could say about that.

But yes, surely this is Kenny is as I'm sure you know, one of the things it makes us the primary thing that makes us unique among God's creation is that we are made in the image of God. The animals are not made in the image of God, then this is also why I think this is a great sort of apologetic point that we can make is so many people in the world today right date.

They embrace this belief that mankind is special, mankind is unique. We shouldn't hurt one another. We should love one another, we should respect all people.

Well, what, where does that come from, why do we have that sort of innate sense of there something unique about humanity. It's wrong for us to harm one another what we would say it's rooted in the fact that we were created in the very image of God. We are just animals.

Where were image bearers and so that's why were called one of the reasons why were called to love and respect and and show dignity to to one another and so appreciate you bringing this up and and thanks for bringing in verse 27 there as well. Kenny, thanks for listening know at some point. Member will get into all the aspects that we do reflect God's image, because there are several effect at work were moral beings. Unlike the animals and certainly relational beings, and there are variety of otherwise were creative beings and it's pretty amazing when you think about the ways that we reflect God's image course we do poorly because were still fallen, but isn't it cool. It is very cool. Bill and let your business girders to be with pastor Israel Sanchez.

If you have a call about the Bible or the Christian life. We would love to hear from you at 833-843-2673 let's go to Walter in Winfield, Kansas Walter what your question for pastor and greetings brother go with what about that and I will bet that the name of the Holy Ghost is also the name of the Lord your we don't believe there is a lot you all and all all that you do in the name of the Lord, you know you only go about the Holy Ghost and we will sounds like you guys are trying to cover all your bases, like that I think based on what Jesus said in Matthew 28 we are to baptize in the name of the father the son and the Holy Spirit. As I said already that the baptism in the name of Jesus Christ recorded in the book of acts are really focusing on that that beetle, aligning people with Jesus coming out of the Hebrew faith coming out of Judaism. So we are called to baptize in the name of the triune God. I do think it's interesting to bring up Colossians chapter 3 verse 17*in verse 16, a word where Paul said that the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. I think that in particular there.

Paul is just talking about the way in which we live our lives in all things, giving glory to the Lord in everything that we do doing in the name of Jesus Christ and what a wonderful encouragement that is for each of us as we think about how we live our lives and and how we conduct ourselves, we can ask ourselves that question. Am I doing this in the name of the Lord Jesus is dishonoring to him and that's that's really what Paul is getting at in Colossians chapter 37 verse 17 but thank you for giving us a call and may the Lord bless you brother. Thanks, Walter.

We appreciate having you as a regular listener here on core Christianity let's go to Stephen Springfield, Missouri Steve, what's your question for Israel. Yes sir, all preachers change the there are greater rewards for people. When you get to heaven. Another so I'm curious as to how that relates to the story of the workers in the vineyard, how they work.

No different. The time for the same amount of money throughout the day and then you know the house there in my father's house are many mansions just got kind of confused how you could say if you put the human perspective of old oil. It's great to see you in heaven. All you got a better house that's adding most most of the state was say like I'll take whatever I'll take the one bedroom one bath in heaven I'll take the studio.

I don't need a bagel mansion, so long as I'm in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, to be happy is like with the psalmist and Psalm 73 whom have I in heaven but you and on earth. There is none that I desire besides you couple this interpretive points one when it comes to the parables. You don't want to be real careful that we understand them in light of their context and what they're trying to communicate.

Sometimes people try to build a lot of sort of complex theology out of parables that that may be is is just going a little bit too far. Some people point to other passages of Scripture like in first grade. In chapter 3 where Paul says if the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives us in verse 14 he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire and there he is talking about pastors and ministers and how they conduct themselves in the ministry, proclaiming Jesus Christ and in in Scripture does talk about these these different rewards or crowns that the saints that believers will receive. You have the imperishable crown described in first Corinthians chapter 9 verse 25 crown of righteousness. In second Timothy chapter 4 verse eight, a crown of life in James chapter 1 verse 12. But I think this is all just just the prize of eternal life now. Are there varying rewards or commendations in heaven. You know well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master it.

I think that your God is going to commend us when we stand before them for particular things.

It we did but we have to be careful that were not creating some sort of heavenly caste system. And sometimes when people talk about rewards in heaven. That's how they can make it sound you. Some people can be real blathering to have the front row seats to the throne of God and in other people are going to be weight way in the back. Well, that's not what the Bible teaches, and so so we want to be careful that we don't read too much into it.

It sounds to me like that's exactly what you're which are also trying not to do. Steve, so I appreciate I appreciate I think you're on the right track and may the Lord bless you.

This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez. Here's an email we received from one of our listeners named Olivia Israel, she says, what does it mean to abide in Jesus, yeah, well that to abide in Jesus and me to something that we see, mostly in the Gospel of John. John's writing that writings that kind of language, and John will say various things will say you know we abide in Jesus by believing him. John chapter 6 it talks about eating Jesus his flesh and drinking his blood just as if you don't do that you don't abide in me coming to Christ. Following him obeying him.

Even you have that good. That kind of language in particular. In John 15, but really it's this imagery, this organic imagery of the fact that we are united to him and we are in him and apart from him. We can do nothing good, that's precisely what Jesus says in John chapter 15 and also that would abide is simply giving to rest. We are called. You are called to rest in Jesus and what he's done and it's his life that flows in and through you to bear fruit. That's what this wonderful call to rest in Christ and in the gospel. Thanks for listening to core Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at core, Christianity.com and click on offers in the menu 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