Can Christians Pursue “Religious Exemption” to Abstain from the COVID Vaccine?

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Should Christians seek a religious exemption to abstain from getting the covert vaccine that is one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity why this is no mire 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.

You know, we are not afraid to take on tough questions here on this program will be soon met today. You can call us right now with your question.

At 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 also post your question on one of our social media sites you can watch a drill right now live in the studio on YouTube and send him a message that way and of course you can always email us at questions at core, Christianity.com first up today let's go to Connor who left us a voicemail regarding bended no and how never separate but I was not looking across my God, my God, why have you taken me clarify that a little bit what it means that bother way the really what that breaks or how that thank you very much.

I can't think that question a really important question because sometimes you hear people make statements preachers make statements like, you know, the father abandoned Christ on the cross, or even hated you know his son. That kind of a thing you know you making him a sacrifice for sin. And I think it's it's really important that were thinking about the atonement of Jesus Christ. What he did for us on the cross that we don't compromise our doctrine of the Trinity in the way we articulate the doctrine of the atonement. And so, yes Jesus on the cross quotes from Psalm 22 were the psalmist said, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me. Matthew chapter 27 verse 45. Now, from the sixth hour. There was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour, and about the ninth hour about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying that Leah Lee let Musso back to me.

That is my God, my God, why have you forsaken me so ever. We understand this at any one thing we have to be real clear on is that you don't have here a a rift, a division within the persons of the holy Trinity, such that that that that our doctrine of God was compromised or destroyed. In fact, Jesus made it clear that the father was not going to abandon him at the cross. I think of what he told his disciples in the book of John.

In John chapter 16 he says. And this is in the context of the upper room discourse. John chapter 16 verse 32, he said, behold, the hour is coming, indeed it is, when you will be scattered each to his own home and will leave me alone now. The hour is a reference to Christ's redemptive work on the cross.

It's it's something that we see throughout that the gospel of John Hayes that overcomes you disciples are to leave me as we know that's that's what happened. They abandoned him there on the cross.

Yet Jesus said I am not alone, for the father is with me.

John chapter 16 verse 32 is oh Christ there on the cross is speaking in our place as our substitute taking our sin as I can rightly say my God my God why you forsaken me in so far as is, as that's the case, but we don't have a rift between the persons of the holy Trinity. We have to make sure that we have a an Orthodox understanding of the work of Christ on the cross and an Orthodox understanding of of the holy Trinity and the persons of the holy Trinity how they relate to each to one another. Jesus was offering himself up willingly in love for our sakes and through to the power of the Holy Spirit.

So it's it's really important that we don't get that confused appreciate your question. Connor and thank you for giving us a call to Connor. Thanks so much for listening to core Christianity. We really do appreciate it. One of the ways you can ask us a question is by going on Facebook or Facebook page and submit a question that way. Here's one we received from Todd. He says how do you feel about taking a religious exemption or the covert vaccine.

We can write to it. Bill right away. Other couple reasons. I've heard that that Christians will give for seeking religious exemption to the primary one being the question of you know where these vaccines developed using fetal cell lines from aborted babies or from an aborted baby. Another vaccines themselves like that the Pfizer and the modernity vaccine do not contain fetal cells in them is interviewed. There's some confusion about that were talking about how they were developed that the testing stage of the vaccine and ironically there are a ton of medicines that we use every day which used fetal cell lines in their research and development medicines like acetaminophen and albuterol aspirin and ibuprofen and Tylenol Pepto-Bismol Tums Zoloft Claritin Sudafed Benadryl. I think if if you're going to be consistent. You need to be sure that you aren't taking those medicines as well. If you're if you're if you're basing your religious exemption on well II don't like that that there was testing involved with this with these but these fetal cell lines with your ears. My big question is this really a genuine religious scruple or is it more of a don't tread on me. Don't tell me what to do or how to how to how to live my life reaction to something the government is doing, or is it is it based out of fear rightly due to concern about vaccine side effects, which scientifically speaking, I think that they been minimal although there have been some severe cases that I've heard about.

I'd I don't want to dismiss people's genuine concerns, but I do want to say this and again I thinks is important.

Don't say that you have a religious issue with the vaccine when it may really be more of a personal or political issue with it. I've heard of situations where where folks are you know that they don't want to get the vaccine. They don't go to church but their contacting churches and pastors seeking religious exemption even though they don't attend any church and that might my thought is, you should probably get religious first before she starts thinking about religious exemptions and again I'm not wanting to minimize people's fears or concerns for personal liberty.

I'm just saying don't use Jesus as a tool. I feel like there's a lot of that going on. I'm not saying anything me know if we can get until that the vaccine mandates and whether or not those are good things, wise things of the pandemonium that ensued because of all this and I'm just saying let's be honest as her having this conversation Jesus in their back to get us out of a bind with the government. He's there for you submit your life to to worship him is there to forgive your sins. That's all we go to Jesus.

And I think that's the most important thing I think I think sometimes that get lost in all of this and so taught appreciate that question and God bless you. This is core Christianity with pastor Averill Sanchez's Halloween coming up here in just a couple of weeks and every time we get to this time of year people start talking about things like Satanism and are there demons and anything you know are there angels and demons fighting a battle that we don't see and actually we have a free resource we want to tell you about the gets into a lot of that information. Yeah, I mean that this the quick answers to those questions are yes and no. There are demons and there is a spiritual war that were all in but there is a lot of confusion about about spiritual warfare today and angels team in seconds with that everything is okay that's all we have. This resource is a free resource nine. Frequently asked questions about angels and demons and and really it was a resource that we produced here at core Christianity to help us her way through some of the can confusing and information that's out there on this topic and so get a hold of this free resource and bill you can let them know how to do that. Unfortunately there's a lot of bad teaching when it comes to angels and demons and so we really want to clear up. Look at it from a biblical perspective we done just that in this a free PDF download. You can find it by going to core Christianity.com/questions again. Core, Christianity.com/questions look for nine frequently asked questions about angels and demons.

Let's go to Linda who's calling in from Oklahoma. Linda what's your question for pastor atrial Jewish Savior why they no longer have sacrifices to God for their stand as a great question and that the simple answer is because there is no temple for them to sacrifice in the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., I remember that couple years ago. It happened to be the that the celebration of Yom Kippur and I was I was hanging out with some friends and one of the guys there was Jewish. I think it was a reformed Jew. I think that that's what he call himself in and he was talking about Yom Kippur and I asked him you know like eight.

Typically, on the day of atonement youth you read the book of Leviticus chapter 16 and there's this sacrifice of the scapegoat and all these things going on what you do on this day because there's no temple in and he said well you know we just sort of treated as a day of reflection and repentance and is asserted to spiritualize all of those things but but that the reality is Linda there. There is no temple for them to sacrifice and that's what you don't have any more of those animal sacrifices, and in that the destruction of the temple was something that Jesus prophesied about the reason there's no more temple really is because Christ fulfilled everything that those sacrifices pointed forward to and so it's really an opportunity for us and were having conversations with our Jewish friends to be able to talk about the atoning work of Jesus Christ the author the Hebrews he brings us up and in Hebrews chapter 10 beginning in verse 20 says, since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come, instead of the true form of these realities, it can never by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered since the worshipers having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins, but in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year, for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away since he of the argument. There is a look Leno of the temple was still standing.

They had these these sacrifices. These annual sacrifices, and although sacrifices went to show was that this system doesn't really work.

We have to keep on doing the same thing over and over again that the blood of bulls and goats really can't take away our sins and they says consequently when Christ came into the world. He said sacrifices and offerings.

You have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me in burnt offerings and sin offerings you've taken no pleasure and I said behold I have come to do your will of God as it is written of me in the scroll of the book Jesus and his once for all sacrifice was the fulfillment of that temple system and so they don't sacrifice because there is no temple and we as Christians don't don't have these kinds of sacrifices because the once for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ is sufficient to do away with all of our sins. The book of Hebrews very powerful for us to really understand the difference between the Jewish sacrificial system, and what Jesus has provided for us with his death on the cross and so something Oliver should be reading right absolutely interest and encouragement free to pick up the book of Hebrews in it is referred to as an X or Tatian. Some people think it was a first century sermon in on early Christian sermon. The beautiful thing about it is it's all about how Jesus is better. He's better than in the Old Testament priesthood. The Levitical priesthood is better than the Angels is better than the old covenant is better than Moses. It really is sort of a picture of what preaching should be today is this is this exhortation that fixes our eyes on Jesus and on his greatness and so if you want to a book of the Bible to do that for you. It's the book of Hebrews.

Your listing to core Christianity with pastor atrial Sanchez were still taking your calls if you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life will take calls for another eight minutes or so. So jump on your phone right now, here's the number it's 833 the core and you can always leave a voicemail as well.

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The core let's go to Betty in Battle Creek, Nebraska Betty what your question for pastor atrial rate and 86 to 8 days eight and nine. I wanted 89 and Aaron stepped on, and Revelation 2011 says that when the new and said he is wrapped down. Them that they know my dad met.

Isaiah 65 and about dying young in the 09. Now I think I'm a tyrant. Thank you for that question. Betty and praise the Lord love to hear that you've been Dean of the Scriptures. Every day for for so many years and I want to clear this up for you so right you have the of these two passages of Scripture that describe the new heavens and the new earth, the one a prophecy given in Isaiah chapter 65 and the other really it is this fulfillment that we see in Revelation chapter 21. SSRIs are directed to that the end of the story the end of redemptive history where you have that the new heavens and the new earth ushered in, and we read there. In Revelation 21 you and I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven the first earth had passed away. The sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning or crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away really is this the justice beautiful beautiful picture but then you look at Isaiah 65 and it seems that you have this language of in verse 20. For example, it says no more, shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days on old man who does not fill out his days for the young man shall die 100 years old and the sinner 100 years old shall be accursed.

As of the question. Is there a contradiction here and now Satan no, we just have to think about how often the prophets spoke and so the prophets are speaking Isaiah speaking here at a particular time and he's he's painting a picture of this beautiful existence that God is going to bring about that in and he's picturing it as as this lush life long life.

God's provision. God's love. God's presence. There is a get to be premature death anymore. That kind of the thing that we could take a little bit less literally. Understanding that this is a sort of prophetic speech as as he's helping us.

You have this this picture of what the new heavens and creation is going to be like. But the reality is there is going to be no death there in the new heavens and the new earth and and that's not something that that I think is clear there in Revelation chapter 21 more clear. Even then, then maybe there and in Isaiah chapter 65 and and that was also something is this you know no more, no more shadow of death. That's also something that Isaiah prophesied about elsewhere, and so Isaiah as a prophet also pictures that the new creation as this this place where death is fully and finally conquered and so you don't have a contradiction between Isaiah and John in the book of Revelation, and thank you for that question. May God bless you as you continue to study the Scriptures. This is core Christianity with pastor atrial Sanchez. You can always leave us a voicemail 24 hours a day with your question about the Bible or the Christian life numbers 833. The core let's go to Karina in St. Louis, Missouri Karina what your question for atrial thank you my call. I have a serious situation. My mother-in-law and her daughters have been raised Seventh-day Adventist and while me and my husband were going out and she tried to push me that way will I was raised evangelical Christian. And thank goodness we've been married for 21 years and my husband has pulled in my direction and we now go to a local church with our children but my mother-in-law is constantly trying to make us see our error or make us think that we are sending and it's just me, because she make feel like we are acting wrong and I don't know how to combat that are what I should say to her how to convince her. I know, but I can't get through to her.

So I guess my my question is how can I do that is always difficult, especially when it's when it's a family situation. Karina and so I want I want to take a moment to pray for you obviously right it will. We want to be gracious. We want to be loving some of these some of these conversations. Maybe she's wanting to have doctrinal conversations theological conversations is important for you to understand with the word of God teaches and why you believe the things that you believe what we want to reason with each other from the Scriptures and so if the issue is, you know, worshiping on Sunday instead of on Saturday. I think there are number of passages you can point to acts chapter 21st Corinthians chapter 16 that the earliest disciples of the Lord Jesus in the book of acts in the New Testament. They were gathering together on the Lord's day on the first day of the week, in commemoration of the fact that Jesus had risen from the dead, so that that's why we do it in and it often when I get a conversations with people say why are you worshiping on Sunday and subsided I say look if it was good enough for the disciples for the apostle Paul for further the people who walked with Jesus when it's good enough for me and so I think there's a lot of confusion about this.

So maybe as you are grounded in the truth of Scripture. You can have those conversations with her, but if they're not helpful and if they're not charitable will then you also want to be careful and make sure that you're not just wasting time or or contributing to, or participating in an something it's knocking to be very helpfully I think about what we read in Titus chapter 3 verse 10, Paul says Astro person who stirs up division after warning him once and then twice have nothing more to do with him, so sometimes that's that's what we have to do is if an individual is just they're not really looking to have a genuine conversation open to learning. Opening open even to changing their opinion, this one argue and fight and stir up division it at some point, I think that that healthiest thing to do is to take a step back from those kinds of conversations made. That doesn't mean taking a step back from the relationship or just saying look, we're not gonna see eye to eye on this. If you're open to what the Bible actually teaches. We can we can talk about this, but it's not helpful and it's not healthy. The way the conversation is going right now and and with that, I would also say just continuing to pray continue to pray for your mother-in-law for that part of the family that the Lord would open open hearts and eyes, and that you would be able to ultimately have the kinds of conversations that are going to draw the both of you closer to the Lord. And so we pray for you right now. Father, I thank you for Karina Lord and we know just how it how difficult the situations are with the family and wanting to love our family. Lord God as you call us to and yet struggling at times to know how to do that and also getting into these discussions.

Lord sometimes can can be so draining and unedifying Lord I pray that you would bless Karina and the conversations that she has with her mother-in-law, Lord, that you would by the grace of your Holy Spirit give her wisdom that you would create an atmosphere of true openness and a willingness to search the Scriptures and to be led. Lord God by your word would you give my sister and her family wisdom about how to how to continue to move forward in this situation, would you just open the heart of her mother-in-law Dolores as she continues to search the Scriptures would give give humility give grace we pray in Jesus name, amen and amen. You're listening to core Christianity. If you would like to email us your question.

Here's her email address its questions at core, Christianity.com, Jean sent us that she said I was reading second Kings and in chapter 2, verses 23 to 25.

There is the strange incident of Elisha cursing a group of boys and then to bears killing them. I don't know how I could explain this. If someone asked me about this disturbing incident. It seems very random and cruel to punish the boys for calling him baldhead please help me understand this bill. I know this is one of your least favorite Bible passages that it's the baldhead, not II have a life by slowly molding so I had nightmare.

This is a hard one for me as well, but soap second Kings chapter 2 what you have here and in this chapter is essentially this succession where Elijah the prophet basically hands the baton to Elisha, the prophet and the prophets had a very important role for for the people of God, bringing the word of God to to the nation of Israel and at the end of this chapter we read Elisha went up from there to Bethel and while he was going up on the way some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him saying go up you baldhead go up you baldhead and he turned around and when he saw them he cursed them in the name of the Lord and to she bears came out of the woods and tore 42 of the boys from there he went on to Mount Carmel and from there he returned to Samaria as of you will read this and I think what in the world is going on. There were a couple of things one small boys. There could also be a reference to young men.

It doesn't have to be when it went out. They can be another five or six-year-olds if it could been teenagers maybe even even older. So young adults. So what were not entirely certain how old they were, they could have been. They could've been older and and the question is was the prophet just upset because you know they're there making fun of his appearance know it seems like there's more to it than that.

There one Bethel actually was the center of controversy in regard to the worship of the Old Testament was an idol that had been set up there in first Kings chapter 12 by Jeroboam. It was this false place of worship is of these these young men are going to the prophet nursing go up to Bethel almost calling him to dig, commit idolatry, that the language of going up in Scripture often is is used in the context of worship you think of the Psalms of Ascent going up to the temple of the Lord is a seems like they were calling him to idolatry, cursing him and and as a result there cursed and in that so that's what we see there in second Kings chapter 2. Thank you for that question and may the Lord bless you, thank you for listening core Christianity. 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. Thanks for listening to today's episode of court, Israel, and I love our podcast audience, and we'd love to take your questions, give us a call Monday through Friday at 11:30 AM Pacific time at 833-843-2673. That's 833. The core