Does the 6th Commandment Forbid Christians from Serving in the Military?

Greater risks does the sixth commandment forbids Christians from serving in the military. That is one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity will hi there, and happy Friday.

This is Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel Sanchez. This is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day.

We would love to hear from you and our phone lines are open right now you can call us at this number 1-833-843-2673. That's 833 the core and we are open to questions about theology and doctrine and how your Christian life intersects with what's going on in today's culture, you name it. You can call us and pastor Israel would love to answer your question, we can also post your question on our Facebook, Instagram or twitter accounts and you can always email us at questions at core, Christianity.com now all this week we have been featuring questions from the eighth graders in the faith Christian Academy in Quakertown, Pennsylvania each day. This class listens to core Christianity in their classroom with their teacher.

We are so excited about this and this particular question is from a student named Leanne and Haley and thanks for listening to core Christianity and thank you for that question.

You know that this is a question that many people asking have been asking for for 2000 years and you read the New Testament. Seems like the disciples were just waiting for the coming of the Lord right around the corner but but a lot of times gone by, and Jesus is not come back yet and so the question is why is that and I think the best passage of Scripture to go to is what Peter says the apostle Peter in second Peter chapter 3 where he's talking about the day of the Lord.

That is the second coming of Jesus Christ.

He says you know people are going to show up who say will.

Where is the promise of his coming everything. It is happening as it is always happened. You know what's going on scoffing and and not following the Lord there there questioning the coming of the Lord and Peter gives this this reminder.

In second Peter chapter 3, he says they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God and by means of these the world that then existed was day loosed with water and perished by the same word the heavens and the earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and the destruction of the ungodly, but do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should reach repentance other words, one reason that we can say the Lord is not come back yet is because he's patient toward you, toward his people calling us to himself, calling us to repentance. And it's as the Lord tarries our job is to draw near to him and to proclaim the gospel to the nation so that people might be welcomed into the family of God join the church to experience the forgiveness of sins, and so I would encourage you to do just meditate on that passage there in second Peter three with with the Lord one day is is is a thousand years in a thousand years as one day. It's not as if a lot of time has gone by God's perspective, if you will. He's patient toward us. He's calling us to repentance leading up to that day so thank you for your question. God bless you your listing to core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez and we would love to hear from you.

If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life hop on your phone right now at 833-843-2673 also post your question on one of our social media sites and Amber posted this on our Facebook page she says. First John says you know you're a Christian by how you love the brethren. This verse makes me question my salvation because I do not know if I love them. Hey Amber thank you for for this question. I recently had the privilege of preaching through first John and it's important that we understand the context of this book. John is writing to a group of Christians would just experienced somewhat of a schism in the church there were false teachers who had left would abandoned the fellowship in and one of the ways that John is saying we can identify those peoples by the fact that they've they've abandoned the church they've left the fellowship is as they went out from us, but they were not of us.

If they were really of us that would've continued to be a part of the fellowship but it is true that, as Christians, you were justified not by what we've done. People but by what Jesus is done for us. We receive that gift of salvation and then the Lord begins working in us and and filling us with his spirit and giving us the grace to love one another, but that love that we have here on earth now even even with that, the grace of the Holy Spirit in our lives is never perfect, as were always going to struggle and that's what I like to go to what John says just just a little bit later in first John chapter 4, he says we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. That's were 16 the love that God has for us. God is love and whoever of hides in love abides in God and God abides in him by this is love perfected with us so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in the world. There is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. That's the priority it's not your love for God. It's the love of God for his people that that's the primary love that should comfort us and give us confidence that we belong to the Lord that were saved is not what we've done. It's what he's done and the goodwill he shown toward us in his son Jesus and as we embrace that working to grow in love in the Christian life. We should, because the spirit of God is working in our lives but but it's not that that love is not going to be perfect, and so I would say if you're part of the church you're growing together with the believers are seeking to love them rest in the fact that God is love you. First, that he sent his son into the world for you and for your forgiveness. Remember what what John also says we know we have eternal life because we believe in him that gift by faith. God bless you Greg? Thanks for that age group you are listening to core Christianity we been mentioning all week that we have this great group of students listen to our program every day at Faith Christian Academy in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. Their teacher introduce them to this program and they have submitted questions of why voicemail this week and here's another one not murder plain military commandment excellent question. So we go to 10 Commandments in Exodus chapter 20, you have the sixth commandment you shall not murder. Now it's important for us understand that this is not just prohibition against all killing it just, and in general there something specific that's being spoken about here.

I mean it's clear in the Bible in the Old Testament and New Testament that there were instances where God commanded his people to kill you.

Think of the of the book of Joshua and the Israelites going into Canaan and driving out the Canaanites is, is this war, this just war were God was bringing judgment on on these people through his people and so that there is an example. There you also think of the laws in Israel related to capital punishment people who would be put to death because of behavior. Things that they had done. You also see this in the New Testament and in Romans chapter 13 where it talks about civil authorities how they bear the sword and they don't bear the sword in vain that those are instances that make it really clear that that this commandment here in Exodus chapter 20 can't be just referring to all killing. In general, actually there. There's is interesting interaction in the New Testament where John the Baptist is preaching repentance in the gospel of Luke and he has a number of people coming to himself and what does it look like for us to repent, and among those people who come to John the Baptist is or are a group of soldiers. Luke chapter 3, beginning in verse 10, the crowds asked him what then shall we do, and he answered them. Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none and whoever has food is to do likewise. Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, teacher, what shall we do, and he said to them, collects no more than you are authorized to do soldiers also asked him what shall we do, and he said to them, do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages is really interesting. They don't say I quit your job.

You should be a soldier because of Exodus chapter 20 nice is easy to do your job, but do your job honorably. Right now, don't extort money from anyone you know don't don't threaten people that kind of thing and so that we have to distinguish between murder what Exodus 20 is talking about, you know, the unjust taking of a life and those instances where God has permitted you think of again with the cases of war or capital punishment. God has permitted the taking of human life, and in particular circumstances. So thank you that question, and God bless you guys your listing to core Christianity and we are excited to share. We have a very special offer for our listeners. If you are a parent or grandparent. This will particularly interesting to you. It's a new book from a friend of this ministry, author and theologian Nancy Guthrie yeah Nancy was just with us on the broadcast. Not too long ago and I and so if you're able to look back to our podcasting to make sure you check out the episode we had Nancy on on the show and that the resources were offering today is called what every child should know about prayer.

It's a mini biblical theology of prayer really directed toward children.

An awesome resource and so if you have kids or grandkids and you want to help them grow in their prayer lives.

Get this book and I know it will be of a blessing to you and to your family.

You can find it@corechristianity.com/offers that's core Christianity.com/offers just look for what every child should know about prayer. Now if you have a question for a drill working to keep our phone lines open for another 10 minutes or so. So give us a call at 833-843-2673. That's 833. The core let's go to an email question that came in a drill and this one is from Jason. He says how can we apply first Thessalonians 516 through 18 in our lives will let me turn their first Thessalonians chapter 5 and actually know as were as were coming up on on Thanksgiving here. This is a a good expectation for us right. First Thessalonians chapter 5, beginning in verse 16 rejoice always, pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. They a lot of people today are wondering how can I find God's will for my life as if it's this great mystery and of course were thinking about the everyday decisions that we make some does. We don't we don't have a light shining down on us from heaven saying go this way, and not that way, but generally speaking, we have God's revelation, his word for us that reveals his will for our lives and and if you want to know what God wants from you right now today it's this. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances.

Now, I appreciate the way that the question there was worded bill. How do we how do we do this especially when we feel like work were facing difficulty in life and you have to remember that the guy who wrote this.

The apostle Paul is a guy who faced a lot of difficulty, persecution, famine, sword that I know all sorts of things imprisonment being shipwrecked out in the sea. Here's a guy who suffered immensely and so he's not just he's not just talking from this from this place of a man I'm really bless it's easy for me to do these things to just rejoice always stick to be in prayer to give thanks for everything know there are a lot of difficult circumstances, and the apostle Paul's life and yet and yet he wrote this is it.

So I think it is important for us to understand that this is something that we can do even in the midst of the difficulties that we face in life and it is not because those difficulties are, you know just what were happy about the difficulty per se know is that we recognize that God is at work. It even in and through the difficult circumstances that we face that we experience and were able to say thank you Lord thank you Lord.

I may not understand what you're doing right now my life but I know what your word says your word says that you're able to cause all things to work together for the good of those who are called according to your purpose and so Lord I'm gonna trust in your it requires faith. It really does.

It requires faith to say Lord I am going to trust in you and I am going to give you thanks that you're at work right now and I'm going to rejoice that while I don't understand what's going on. You do in your good and you're going to take care of me and so I think the key is knowing who it is that we serve a God of all glory whose all-powerful and who loves us and is going to take care of us, and so as you keep that in mind, right, heed the exhortation here the imperatives that the apostle Paul gives us to rejoice, to give thanks and to continue steadfastly in prayer, but are so well said in rural and during those difficult situations in life.

That's we have to remember is that we have an all loving, all-powerful God, who is in charge, even when maybe our preferences of the way we think our circumstances should go are not going that way we can trust in him so that let's go to a Facebook question that came in from one of our listeners name Kim. She says this. Why do some offer the sinners prayer when that is nowhere in the Bible, Jesus says we must be born of water, not a special prayer yet. Seems like obviously right.

This is something that that's very widespread in Christian churches.

This idea of the sinners prayer asking Jesus into your heart so that you might be saving, and I think part of it in this probably became big you think of the those piano evangelistic conferences that would be held or crusades that would be held at gather together all sorts of people thousands of people you want them to make a decision for Christ it's very decision focused not always very discipleship focused, and so I think part of the issue is maybe for a long time in in the church we've we've really focused on those decisions. How many people have made a commitment to Christ under my ministry we've not spent the time that we've need to spend working with individuals and discipling them and helping them to grow in their local church. And so I think that's that's one of the reasons it just in terms of how people of thought about evangelism these big evangelistic crusades wanting people to make a decision for Christ and giving them something concrete that they can do you can say this prayer but we know that it's not a prayer that we prayed that saves us its faith in Jesus Christ. What would a preacher is called to do is preach the gospel, faith, repentance, the salvation of what Jesus is accomplished for us and people lay hold of that message by faith you can you can believe that without ever uttering a word. I don't think that there is there is anything necessarily wrong with with praying and saying, Lord, come into my life.

I'm a sinner, forgiving at the that's a good that we all need to do that. The danger I think is when people assume I've I've said this prayer insert like this, this, and of these magic words that I can utter my fire insurance to make sure that I many go to heaven when I die, and then they they leave the evangelistic crusade and don't get plugged into a church and think to themselves, I'm good now. I'm glad I'm good at and they just continue to live their life as they had always lived. That's the danger, and let me just speak to you right now if maybe you had that experience.

Maybe you went to a crusade one day in and you said this prayer and you know you accepted Jesus into your heart if you will. And then you just went on to live your life every wanted you just haven't been a part of a church you don't know where you stand with God. The prayer saying a prayer is not what saves us believing in Jesus Christ is what saves us were called to follow him, not just to say a prayer but to follow him and so want to encourage all of our listeners to do that. Looks like being a part of a good church where the Bible is faithfully taught and where you can grow together with other believers grade point. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez so that a few minutes left. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life. You can give us a call at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833 the core. Here's an email question we received it releases from Lynn and she says hello, Bill, and a drill.

Thanks so much for your ministry.

My daughter is 11 years old and she has a good relationship with her dad who doesn't live with us.

He has told her he doesn't believe in God and many of my daughter's friends at school are also nonbelievers. She's expressed that she finds it hard as I'm really the only one she can talk to about God and sometimes she feels embarrassed. She's expressed to me that she would like to be a Christian.

She likes being a Christian and enjoys reading her Bible.

I want to help nurture her relationship with God. What would you advise of her. Sanchez is make sure that you're in a church. Lynn I hope you guys are in a church that there are other believers there who can encourage you and your daughter and building relationships with the people there in that church may be no relay friendships with children who your daughter's age but also just the others as well at the calving conversations that's really helpful for our kids to have conversations with other believers who are their parents age to it to hear them talk about the Lord. It's it's interesting.

It we've we've got several friends in our church and I'll talk to my children about the Lord and and you know they listen to their dad.

The pastor of the church, but I am always interested to see how they respond when others in our church talk about Jesus and the work that he's done in in their lives. And it ain't seeing you know them light up and listen and pay attention is is so encouraging C1 expose your daughter to those those relationships. I think she certainly should be encouraged in reading the word of God in in fellow shipping with other believers. One thing that you can also encourage her and I just recently had a conversation with the family are in our church about this is that that stage as a Christian, going to school, you can feel like you don't fit in, and you want people to like you. You want you know your your friends, your your middle school friends are your high school friends are your elementary school friends to to like you and so you don't want to talk about Jesus or religion because you're afraid that they won't like you, and in one of the things I would encourage young people with this is look your real friends are gonna love you and like you for who you are. Don't try to pretend to be someone that you're not, so that other people will like you and the most important thing about us is our relationship with Jesus.

The fact that we belong to him and you. You should be bold about that it's okay to be bold about that. The talk about that in your true friends. You know are going to encourage you in that or if they don't want to spend time with you because you you know you're a Christian that's that's on them.

And Jesus said there gonna be people who don't like us because of our faith in him, but be bold for Jesus and be who you are in him. So God bless great advice. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez, just a reminder we have that wonderful book from our good friend Nancy Guthrie available it's what every child should know about prayer. So if your parent or grandparent go to our website at core, Christianity.com/offers to learn more about that book make a great Christmas gift. Actually, for someone again. It's called what every child should know about prayer. Let's go back to the phones we have Marcus on the line from Stockton, California. Marcus what your question for pastor.

Israel of her my call.

I'm wondering? Hurts friend saying that you are to and out the Old Testament part of the Bible, current ways to help people then in that context will make sense of the world and life they live in, but they're not necessary little thing think we might have to subscribe to. I'm just wondering if you know you can disagree with Bible and certain parts and not ascribed to them. You know can still consider yourself a Christian, Marcus. I guess I would say depends on what it is you're talking about. Obviously, there are number of Christians who I disagree about things and and that's okay. We can still have fellowship with with one another, but there are certain things with regard to the Scriptures that that we just me Cardinal true is that if we if we disagreed with them. If we set a that's not that big of a deal, we would be undermining the faith altogether. In fact that's what happened at various points in the history of the church. Think of the 19th and 20th century there were people that were saying yeah those miracles in the Bible in the Old Testament that the resurrection of Jesus that that's all myth, though that's not the real essence of what Christianity is about the essence of what Christianity is about is is really loving each other, and loving God.

And the problem with that is the they were essentially what they were doing is they were cutting out the most important parts of Scripture. The parts had to do with our very salvation. The resurrection of Jesus and Paul says in verse 20 and 15.

If Christ is not raised, we are still dead in our sin. The brothers and sisters, we have to receive the word of God for what what it is his authoritative speech to us and I'm always concerned when people say I want to get rid of this section or that section at a high feel about that. We are not that the judges of God's word. We need to receive it with humility and let it judge just let it speak the truth to us and let it transform us by the power of the Holy Spirit, and so I would say embrace all of the Scripture, God bless. 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