When Should a Christian Not Attend a Wedding?

When should a Christian not attend a wedding is just one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity why this is Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel Sanchez and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. We would love to hear your question you can call us at 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 you can always leave us a voicemail at the numbers well if you can't get through. And you can post a question on one of our social media sites or email us at questions at core, Christianity.com.

First, a play, let's go to Matthew calling in from Arkansas. Matthew what your question for Pastor Israel.

Hey, thank you for taking my call.

My question was regarding the use of the Hebrew word you'll and Genesis 1 and two so there's the debate about whether or not the only faithful interpretation of that word and chapter 1 is for 24 hour period and I was wondering if that is accurate for people who would you know be open to the interpretation of Yelm as an epic time. Or something along those lines would necessarily be an unfaithful interpretation. They Matthew thank you for that question and I love it as I'm preaching to the book of Genesis and and preach through Genesis 1.

Several months ago. Now there are several interpretations on the day that word you home. The days of of Genesis 1. Of course, one interpretation is that they are literal 24 hour days six literal 24 hour days. I'm now of course with the seventh day there some question because that's the day on which God rested in that rest in Scripture is is pictured as an eternal rest guy didn't just rest for 24 hours I get the word Yelm is used there as well and so seems like there's a little bit of wiggle room here. There are also I think faithful Christians who believe in the inspiration of holy Scripture and the authority of God's word. Take other views of that Hebrew word Yelm there is is as you mentioned is sort of the particle interpretation where a day might refer to a long period of time. Sometimes people refer to this as the day age theory and often people will point to other passages of Scripture research sort of seems to indicate that a dead day I'm can be taken in another sense, so Psalm chapter 90, verse four, second Peter chapter 3 verse eight, where Peter talks about Noah day and with the Lord being like a thousand years or the thousand years like a day. There's also another view which is really understanding that the early chapters of Genesis. In particular, Genesis chapter 1 is more of a literary framework were getting these sort of pictures here that mainly highlight for us that God is the creator king who made all things out of nothing and is ordering his creation and it's really meant to communicate this argument.

This polemic against the pagan religions that were around Israel at that time that that that she doesn't necessarily speak to whether or not the days there were 24 hours it just saying that there's a lot more going on there than just how long were the days that a lot of times we get caught up in in that question in particular that the main takeaways years I think what what you have to embrace in order to be an Orthodox Christian. That's that that God created all things from nothing creation ex knee hello that the holy Trinity was the one that created God the creator father son and Holy Spirit. I don't I don't think that those other views the views that aren't the though the note.

624 hour days that those views put someone outside of the bounds of the Christian faith or mean that there unfaithful person think they're all like I said a lot of godly men and women who hold those views and so there's there's I think some freedom here in terms of trying to understand this text and really get to the heart of what Genesis 1 is communicating in and really at the heart of it is is a focus on theology and history, theology, being a polemic against the ancient near Eastern pagan religions, but also history.

We do believe it is nothing we have to embrace it for you to be Orthodox. Adam was a real person. The first Adam that we have to embrace that because we believe in Jesus, the second Adam is so if Adam wasn't real.

We have problems with our understanding of Christ. The second Adam and what he came to accomplish.

But I trust that answers your question, I would say you don't have to view people who maybe take a different interpretation is not Christian interest, even unfaithful. I know people are wrestling with the Hebrew text here and there are great people who disagree on this so thank you for your question.

Matthew your listing your core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez. Let's go to carry in the water Oklahoma curtain. I say the name of your town correctly. What is your question so created in Genesis chapter 2 God did not bring the splash from the dust of the earth until chapter 3. After the white were what is your interpretation or your understanding of what were exactly before they became flesh as you and I are yeah I sort us again here early and in the Bible. In the early books of Genesis and I think these two questions are kind of related, but it's actually carry in.

In chapter 2, where God breathed the breath of life into man so Genesis chapter 2 verse seven then the Lord God formed the man of the dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living creature and then later in chapter 3 we have the account of the fall, so man lived but didn't live for God. For too long.

There was sin and rebellion but but you do have the breath of life entering into man in Genesis chapter 2, and that that really in Genesis chapter 2 is the account of the creation is this cleared up for you. Carry about. I don't remember exactly where it towards the end of chapter 3.

When talking about getting covering yes yeah so that's that's different from breathing the breath of life into man.

And honestly it's such a beautiful picture for us of the gospel. So you have right the creation of man in Genesis chapter 2 men called to be fruitful and multiply to tend the garden to keep it this this great cultural mandate is it sometimes referred to by by theologians and pastors and sadly that Adam and Eve didn't do what they were called to do. Adam and Eve rebelled. They sinned against the Lord by eating from the forbidden fruit and then in Genesis chapter 3, you have the, the, the curse essentially on the ground you have you have the result of sin entering into the world and in verse 22, or action.

Verse 20 it says the man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living and the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them know a little bit earlier.

After the fall, if you recall, carry they try to clothe themselves with with the with the fig leaf. You know they were trying to hide their nakedness before the Lord and it just didn't work. And that's the reality for us to let that shame that nakedness that comes through sin if you will.

There's nothing we can do to cover up her naked before God. What we need is to be closed by the Lord. And so what happens here at the end of of chapter 3. Essentially, God takes animal skins and clothes.

Adam and Eve. He covers their nakedness.

What is that mean to me that there had to be death. An animal had to die had to be sacrificed.

And so you have a picture here in Genesis chapter 3 of the gospel of this idea that the Lamb of God would take away the sin of the world that we the people of God needed to be clothed, covered, if you will. Because of our nakedness.

It's so wonderful to think about how all of Scripture is sort of pointing us in that direction are our need for a Savior, and how God provides that salvation for us ultimately in his son Jesus. And so that's what's been foreshadowed there in Genesis chapter 3 verses 20 and 21 you for your call, carry, and we often talk about those those types of shadows that we see throughout the Old Testament that point us to Jesus.

It's really remarkable when you think about the connections there and I think maybe a lot of people miss those when they're reading the Old Testament. Yeah, they're sort of like Easter eggs you know you know when you're a kid and you're running around looking for Easter eggs and you find when you find a really good one and you open it up and it's got all this treasure, you know, marshmallows and chocolate and all that good stuff that's asserted what it is it that's the feeling I get when I when I stumble across something in the Scriptures like that like Genesis chapter 3 verse 21 were God clothes. Adam and Eve and covers their nakedness. It's like what what weight the gospel right there in Genesis chapter 3 long long before Jesus would come the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. It's all there in it and again this is why Jesus could say to the religious leaders you know in John chapter 5, you search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life.

It's those very Scriptures that testify of me rose Moses wrote about me. As we see Jesus throughout the pages of the Bible. If you will find it such a beautiful thing. This is core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez. We want to take just a moment to say thank you to a special group of people called our inner core.

These are people that support this program on a monthly basis. We can't do it without them. Frankly, because we don't receive any government money or money from a denomination. We don't play commercials on this program so we really do, people just like you to make this program possible. And it will take a little bit about what you get when you join the inner core yeah inner core members get sent a copy of the book core Christianity, which is a book that I think every Christian should read. I mean, it really dives into the, the core Christian doctrines that are so important for each of us to know doctrines that oftentimes we just sort of think we know about, or we assume we know them when in reality, we've never really studied them in death doctrines like the doctrine of the Trinity. The doctrine of the incarnation, the doctrine of Scripture. These are the, the fundamentals, the basics that every Christian should be trained in and so you get a copy of that book and you also get a number on a number of other exclusive resources that we send to our inner core members and if I could just appeal to you if you've been blessed by the work that we do here at core Christianity every day answering questions about the Bible and the Christian faith, seeking to answer directly from the Scriptures and with the pastoral heart. If you been blessed by that. Would you consider partnering with us inner core members as it's a donation of $25 or more every month. And so it's not too much and it really goes a long way in helping us carry out the mission that we believe God is given to us and so would you join the inner core easy to do that. Just go to our website which is core Christianity.com/inner core again core Christianity/and in the words inner core and you can find out more about joining unicorn. Some of those special benefits that you will receive including monthly devotional from Pastor Israel sent to our inner core members would love to have you consider that so check it out this week at core, Christianity.com. Let's go to voicemail.

We received earlier this week from one of our listers named Richard Hester Sanchez, my daughter is getting married in a few months asked homosexual friend of the groom to conduct the ceremony as a Christian man who is been married for 35 years. I feel that I should not attend the ceremony. I would appreciate and respect your thoughts on the matter. Thank you and may God bless your ministry Richard, thank you for your question. I want to give an answer and then I want to pray for you that the Lord would give you wisdom in loving your your daughter and in caring for her and the decision that you that you're going to make here, let me just give you some some things that come to mind with this question.

One. Marriage is a common institution it it's common to the people of the world. That is, you don't have to be a Christian in order to get married. There are many non-Christians who are married with each other. I think before God legitimately and who were married by you know all sorts of different kinds of people is not that the person who makes the marriage it's it's the promise. It's the covenant that two people enter into, if you will, and so there can be a legitimate marriage here, I think, even if it's not done in the context of the church because I said marriage is this, this common institution which ultimately we know from the apostle Paul is meant to point us to Christ and to his work for us to think about what Paul said in the book of Ephesians that marriage is is a picture of the relationship that exists between Jesus Christ and his church, and so that's the first thing I would say that nothing else is in others there is an ancient controversy in the church in the first few centuries of the church known as the Donatist controversy and I think actually it is this situation is entirely the same, but I wonder if there isn't some wisdom we can glean from that controversy back then there was a question about whether or not the baptisms that were performed by certain ministers, pastors were legitimate and the reason that those baptisms were being called into question is because those pastors later turned away from the faith during a time of great persecution they committed apostasy. They denied the Lord has so there were some within the church who were saying. Boy if you were baptized by you know Pastor Johnson, who turned away from the Lord. During that time of persecution. Your baptism probably didn't stick that probably wasn't a legitimate baptism because it it turns out that Pastor Johnson was a nonbeliever. He must not have really been a Christian. He was an apostate and so this was a great country and as you can imagine, people wonder what we do do do I need to go and get baptized again are legitimately baptized for the first time and I think that the answer that the church gave was right on and based on the teaching of holy Scripture, and it was it was basically this it was that it's not the, the holiness of the minister what you know their perfection. There their faith even that causes these things in particular here in Donatist controversy was a question of the sacrament, that causes baptism and the Lord's supper to be real or powerful or efficacious.

It's the spirit of God.

It's the promise of God. It's the word of God. So regardless of the person who's administering them it's it's ultimately the word and promise of God that makes it legitimate now course, I don't believe marriage is a sacrament is not that the same thing that were talking about here, but I think by extension or you know by way of analogy, there there some similarity here where you could say I don't think that this is the right way to go about this. I would prefer you for you to be married within a church but but I think that even despite the fact that this individual is is the one performing the marriage it it it can still be a real marriage and this is a common institution and so that's where you as a father have to exercise wisdom in weighing all of these things together and I am sure that you had this conversation with your daughter brother because you love her and and she knows how you feel and I know also that you probably don't want to burn any bridges with her and her future husband that you want to care for them and be there for them and so I think it's still possible for you to attend the wedding, even if even if you disagree, and I think and make that known. And you can and you can give the rationale for why you disagree because of how you view marriage and what marriages according to the Scriptures and how ultimately it's supposed to point us to Jesus in the gospel and if that's not happening here will then that's that's a tragedy. And yet you know you still want to I think keep that connection with her and so is is is there a way I guess I would ask of you being able to express how you feel to her, but also continue to show her your love and support for her specifically and keep the door open so that you can as a man who's been married for many years and and know what marriage is all about so that you can point her in the right direction and in continuing to encourage her daughter and to love her and so I am I can give you the that the answer and what exactly you have to do in this situation, but there are some things I think that you can think about as you as you make your own decision and let me pray now that the Lord would give you wisdom. Dear heavenly father we lift this brother up to you and I pray for him. I ask Lord God that you would be with him that you would give him wisdom that you would feel him with your Holy Spirit so that with whatever decision he makes, you might have a clear conscience and God that it would ultimately result in you being honored and glorified, that you would strengthen his relationship with his daughter and with with her fianc� that you would help him to be an example of your love and also of the truth Lord in their lives and so would you be with him and guide him as if he thinks about this very difficult decision. Would you give much grace to him and be at work also and in his daughter and in her fianc� would pray in Jesus name, amen, amen. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez, one of the ways you can so that a question is through our YouTube channel.

You can actually watch a drill live on YouTube every day at 11:30 AM Pacific 1230 Mountain 130 Central or 230 Eastern time.

That's the time to tune into YouTube and submit a question to us is when we received earlier this day for earlier today from one of our letters. By the way, we have people watching right now in Phoenix, Arizona, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Rochester, New York and Farmington, Michigan. So thanks so much all of you for checking us out on YouTube.

Here's the question what is the best way to go about expressing to your pastor that the Scripture he is teaching is not the correct interpretation should I even express my concerns.

I do think that you should express your concerns and of course you know this is this is a real tragedy when an elder or a leader in the church may be as is teaching something that is out of line with Scripture. I'm now course, it could always be that maybe there teaching the truth and and we just disagree with them but I think with humility you can go to your pastor or your elders and bring this up, you know, Paul told Timothy in first Timothy chapter 5, verse one. Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father younger men as brothers older women as mothers, younger women as sisters in all purity so I would say the wrong approach would be to go to your pastor and rebuke him and say I rebuke you in the name of Jesus Christ as your dear teaching this thing that I die disagree with at least you know if if there's some some debate to be had and and and so I would say you go with humility and you appeal to him as you would a father.

Even this is what Paul says in first Timothy chapter 5 and open up the Scriptures and the hope is that your pastor would be willing to open up the Scriptures with you and to talk about whatever it is that that your you're struggling with in terms of the interpretation, but I would say let the whole conversation be bathed in prayer approach it humbly. Respectfully, encouraging. I would say maybe coming and asking questions would be a better approach than coming in and making accusations of asking questions about maybe his particular interpretation and how it lines up with other passages of Scripture where it is that you think it is not entirely accurate. And so, yeah, be humble, be humble and be open also to the encouragement of your elders amine were also of in this together trying to understand the Scriptures want to be Brion together and search the Scriptures and it could be that were wrong when we when we ask these kinds of questions want to be open to that to and really getting to the bottom of what the Bible teaches. But I think if you approach in that way with humility. With love, with respect that that's that's can it be your your best your best chance of of something fruitful coming from and I hope something fruitful does come from it. Let me just say as a pastor I really love. I know not every pastor feel this way and maybe that's why I do core Christianity because I enjoy this but I love when people asked me questions about a passage I preached on and even if they disagree, even if there's pushback you know I like to be able to get into it will. Here's how I came to this conclusion in terms of the exegesis and studying the Scripture. I think that's okay and and I think pastor should be able to do that. That's what we study the word of God so we can have these kinds of conversations and so it's unfortunate.

I think when when people raise questions and and there just shut down and I hope that that doesn't happen for you. I hope you can have a good conversation with your pastor, full of love and charity great counsel there. Israel, thanks for that. This is core Christianity.

Here's another YouTube live question we received this once from Caleb.

He says how do you reconcile Proverbs 16 seven with second Timothy 312. So let me read those two verses Caleb Proverbs chapter 16 verse seven says when a man's ways please the Lord. He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him and then second Timothy chapter 3 verse 12 says. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. The first thing I would say is we have to think about the genre of Scripture that were looking at and in the Proverbs are looking at wisdom literature and often times in the wisdom literature you you have in some books, like the book of Proverbs, or even in the Psalter in the book of Psalms you have this sort of principle of justice, of right and wrong. You do this and good things will happen.

Do this and bad things will happen. It seems very very black-and-white and it is just general wisdom it's it's yeah these are general truths that I think we can take to the bank and that we should take to the bank because it's wisdom given to us from the Lord.

But even in the wisdom literature. You have sort of contradictions, because you think of and when I say contradiction. I don't I don't mean in the sense that sometimes critics of the Bible will bring up your contradictions in Scripture. I just mean that it's part of how the wisdom literature is meant to be read. I had a professor in seminary who said it it, we need to read in counterpoint so you have that the sort of black-and-white in a right and wrong of the Proverbs do good and good will happen to bad and bad happens and then you have other books of the wisdom literature, like the book of Job or like the book of Ecclesiastes, where you have people who did the right thing if you will. And yet terrible things happen and so were supposed to read that in counterpoint, recognizing that that wisdom is a complex thing that not everything is as black-and-white that we have to take things on an individual basis on a case-by-case basis. Even though there are general principles that we can that we can take to the bank and that we can live by.

And so there's no real contradiction between what we read in Proverbs there and what Paul says in second Timothy chapter 3 it's it's true. If you desire to live a godly life in Jesus Christ, you will experience persecution and yet the Lord is with you and will be with you through those things and so I think once we understand the different genres that were looking at.

We realize that there's no contradiction between those two texts and we can embrace them each at as they stand on their own. 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 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