Are the Spiritual Gifts in 1 Corinthians 14 for the Church Today?

Are the spiritual gifts mentioned in first Corinthians chapter 14 valid for the church today. That's just one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity will hi this is Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel Sanchez.

We pray that you had a wonderful weekend.

This is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day and we would love to hear from you.

Our phone lines are open right now you can call us for the next 25 minutes or so at this number it's 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673, as always, you can post your question on whatever social media sites you can always email us your question at questions at core, Christianity.com first up today let's go to a voicemail from one of our listeners. This is Paul about this. I know between God and Jesus. Everybody's like okay but different people are different entities and at sermon this map, but I've also heard that Jesus was also God when he came down here, man. I was wondering if that was common because I hope I sent that right. Thank you. You guys are great About Paul, thank you for that question. There is no more important question.

I think that we can ask ourselves an answer, then who is Jesus.

If I get is the question that Jesus asked his disciples, who do men say that I am who do you say that I am Peter responded by saying you are the Christ, the son of the living God and Jesus said blessed are you.

No flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my father who is in heaven so there's there's no more important question that we can answer then who is Jesus Christ because it relates to our our own eternal salvation rightly. Understanding this now.

It sounds to me like you're on the right track in terms of unity recognize it that Jesus came as God, but it sounds like there's a little bit of confusion here, you know, how do we differentiate between the father and the sun, the persons of the holy Trinity. I like to go to a needle pulp into the gospel of John in John chapter 1 beginning in verse one. I think this is a really important passage of Scripture as we think about the identity of Jesus Christ. It says in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God, they have given the distinction there, if you will. The word was with God and the Word was God.

Okay so right there. We see that Jesus is God. He was there in the very beginning, but that he's distinct from the father.

And if you go down to verse 14 John said the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only son from the father full of grace and truth.

And so Jesus is is God the word if you willed the second person of the holy Trinity, father, son and Holy Spirit.

The word came to earth and assumed humanity took human flesh to himself from the womb of the Virgin Mary, never ceasing to be what he what he always was God. He wasn't that Jesus you know laid aside his divinity or the word laid aside his divinity or something like that know Jesus that the second person of the holy Trinity, the divine person the divine person, second person of the holy Trinity who came assume humanity, so that in that humanity he might live suffer and die for our sins so that we might be redeemed and only God can save us. Paul that's why it's important that we get this right you know that isn't just splitting theological hairs. It is not that big of a deal who you say Jesus is or was.

This is why the early church debated about this and talked about this is the reading the Scriptures is there if they're embracing what the apostles taught. They were confronted with this reality that the word is God.

God himself so we say that God is three persons, but one in essence undivided and this is how we understand the doctrine of the Trinity and I would encourage Paul adjusted to meditate, maybe on John chapter 1 to read that chapter read the whole gospel as you think about that question for yourself who is Jesus do I know Jesus have I experienced his grace in my life.

Thank you Paul for giving us a call in a literal as you said, the most important question we could ever ask and how we answer it is so key, so thank you for pointing that out man that is so important to our lives and our our belief in the who Jesus really is. This is core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez. As you probably know, our goal on this program is to answer the tough questions people have about the Bible and the Christian life. Theology and doctrine what's going on in our culture today. We have a brand-new free resource that answers many of these tough questions in a very helpful booklet that we made this resource for our one year anniversary which we just celebrated recently, answering questions live on the air and it is him is just that it's a resource that help you answer the tough questions about the grip of the Christian faith. It's called tough questions answered.

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If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life will be taking calls for the next 15 minutes or so. So jump on your phone right now and give us a call. Here's the number 1-833-843-2673. That's 833 the core there's a voicemail received from one of our listeners named Grace skip yesterday at the topic of speaking in tongues and spiritual gifts came.

I understand that the apostles were the only ones of these spiritual gifts, but one of the leaders in my group I was talking about speaking in tongues and and dad spiritual gifts and how they are given to us that the Holy Spirit's. I saw that she was using the passion translation. I want to know is the first Corinthians context was letter written to and to where they and what is the best way to explain the contexts I started my own research on this question, but what I understand is that the apostles were the only ones of the scheduled guests. Thank you. Hey Grace I love your question. Thank you for calling and how how wonderful unit you dear in youth group in your hearing some things and you want to you want to test what you're hearing your wanting to be Paris and not to search the Scriptures to find out if what you're being taught is really true and so I want to commend you in that as you dig into the Scriptures and you do the research for yourself that now who were the Corinthians willed the Corinthians were a church that you have the apostle Paul is writing to that a lot of issues and you read through the book of first Corinthians 2nd Corinthians, he realized there were a number of issues there at the church in Corinth theological questions and issues of morality issues of division that was a huge issue in court.

That's one of the things that the apostle Paul is trying to address in one of the things that the Corinthians were divisive over what spiritual gifts it seemed. According to the apostle Paul, as if you know there were there were Christians there in Corinth who were exalting themselves. Everything will my gifts the better gift that kind of thing they were neglecting others within the church. And that's one of the reasons why the apostle Paul said what he said in first Corinthians chapter 12 and what he emphasized there is that every member of the body is gifted by the Lord in unique ways and that each each member plays a very important role that you have the hand can save the I don't have any need for you and right there. He makes it clear that it wasn't just the apostles who had bees.

These spiritual gifts. These miraculous gifts even at times there in the first century, but that the various members in the church now one question that we sometimes get graces do I have to speak in tongues to be saved or is that a sign that I truly am saved and we always answer that question by saying no because, again, the apostle Paul says, especially towards the end of first Corinthians chapter 12 that not every believer has the same gift, but it seems like another part of your question here is, are these gifts these miraculous gifts still for people of that faith today are still for followers of Jesus today. Now my view is that those gifts passed out of the ordinary life of the church is the word of God continued to advances as local churches were established when you don't read in first Timothy three and Titus one. The qualifications for profits within the new covenant community you do have the qualifications for elders and deacons. It seems like those working to be the ordinary officers in the life of the church has. I don't think that you have prophets today walking around like you did. And in the days of Jeremiah, and Isaiah, or even what you had during the sort of transitional. In the New Testament in the first century church. The book of acts we see there.

This is something that is debated by believers by Christians today.

But one thing that I do want to emphasize for you is it that the sign gifts were really meant to help fix people's eyes on the gospel and the forgiveness of sins.

That's white. That's why God was working in this miraculous way.

At this stage of redemptive history if you will, as the gospel was first going out and I think what the author the Hebrew said in Hebrews chapter 2 beginning in verse three.

He's talking about embracing the gospel is writing to these Christians and he says how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation, it was declared at first by the Lord and it was attested to us by those who heard while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit ditch distributed according to his will. In other words, what was the purpose of those miracles and those gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to the will of God. It was to bear witness to the message. The message of salvation in Jesus Christ. That has to be central in Christian ministry in your youth group that message. The message of the cross, Christ crucified for the forgiveness of our sins for our justification that we should be hearing about every single week when we gather together with the people of God.

That's we need and it's that message that the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the first century church report were meant to help to bolster it, so can God work in extraordinary ways. Today I think I think that he can if if he chooses to, but ordinarily I think EP works through the faithful preaching of the word of God, the faithful teaching of Scripture and growing together in Christian community.

It sounds to me like that's exactly what you want.

May the Lord bless you as you continue to dig into the Scriptures and and grow together with the body of Christ.

Thank you Grace God bless Grace thanks for listening to core Christianity and we love the fact that you are digging into God's word and when you are teaching your kinda going. I'm not sure this fits the Bible, you actually explore it and thank you for your call and we appreciate you so much. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez.

Let's go to Taylor who's calling in from Houston, Texas Taylor, what your question for a drill hey so my question is if you were to be speaking with someone who is not a Christian be an atheist.

I'm practicing Balaam whatever have you. Why should they be a Christian. Taylor thank you for that question.

Some time talking to someone who rejects the Christian faith and I'm trying to convince them you should embrace Christianity that the first passage of Scripture that my mind goes to is what Peter said in acts chapter 4 verse 12. He said there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Christianity has what you can't find anywhere else.

Not in any other world religion.

It has what we call the gospel. The word gospel simply means good news and it's the good news of what God did for you in his son Jesus. It's not do this, that in the other and God will love you. Here's a list of commandments that you can obey a regimen for fasting that you can do that will bring you into God's good graces. It's the fact that we were dead in our trespasses and sins that all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and yet God did not leave us in that condition he sent his son into the world so that through him we might have life, and you're not going to find that in atheism. Of course are knocking to find that in Islam or in Buddhism gather there might be profits in good teaching or holy teaching are called calls to morality.

But what you don't have is the one name given under heaven by which men must be saved. Jesus Christ and so it's the love of God, the grace of Jesus Christ that I think we put before others that I want to put before others and say hey you're knocking to get this anywhere else.

Sure other places will tell you, you know how to be a good person how to live a good life, but they won't tell you how you can have your sins forgiven because they don't have a mechanism for it like Christianity has the blood of Jesus Christ, God himself forgiving our sins through his son Jesus. And so that that's one of the places I would want to just knowing the little that I know I Taylor based on your question and it did just a pension of five conversations with people who aren't believers who don't embrace the gospel I might approach it differently based on where they're coming from, and the kinds of questions that they're asking. But fundamentally, I would say it's what Christianity has, you can't find anywhere else.bless amen thank you for that Israel with a clear explanation and so critical when were talking to people who don't believe her work have questions about our Christian faith. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez, just a reminder we have this great free resource available to you and it's very similar to what we do here on the program every day. It answers a lot of the tough questions people have about the Christian faith is a 50 page booklet. It's absolutely free and you can get it by going to our website at core, Christianity.com/offers that's core Christianity.com/offers.

Look for tough questions answered.

Let's go to Debbie calling in from St. Louis, Missouri.

Debbie what your question for a drill to taking my call. Different between the gospel to the Bible, a Debbie, thank you for that question will the Gospels yield the four Gospels Matthew Mark Luke and John which are going to give us a record if you will, of the life of Jesus, of his of his earthly ministry.

In particular, but also his birth and and so on and so forth and so in the Gospels, we might say we have history in eyewitness accounts given to us of of what Jesus did, especially focusing on his ministry has his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. The epistles were written after Jesus's resurrection from the dead, and so these letters that you have in the New Testament. You have the Pauline epistles written by Paul, the general epistles written to the church. Generally, books like the book of Hebrews are first and second Peter pastoral epistles, even you know you think of Paul's letter to Timothy and and these are encouragements that we receive that the church received after the resurrection of Jesus pertaining to how to continue to follow the Lord know applying the truth of the gospel to the people of God into the issues that their churches were facing. And so the Gospels we might say or are in of the historical account of of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ and what what we need to focus on in terms of his redemptive acts and the epistles we have these these pastoral letters that were written to churches there in the first century that were that were struggling to walk with Jesus to be faithful to the gospel that they had embraced growing in their understanding of the truth of God's word. We believe that those epistles are also inspired by the Holy Spirit that God the Holy Spirit worked in these individuals to write these things down not just for the benefit of those churches to whom they were originally written before the whole church for us today and so yeah that's it.

That's a real simple distinction, but it's helpful to understand that especially us as we read through the Bible and as we seek to to get you know what what's being said in in the New Testament and so God bless you as you dig into the Scriptures.

Debbie you're listening to core Christianity. Our phone lines are open right now.

If you have a question about the Bible, the Christian life, doctrine and theology or maybe how your faith walk intersects with what's going on in today's culture. In fact, really be recording a second program today. So after a live program goes off the air will continue taking calls.

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It's 833-843-2673 that numbers 833. The core and we would love to hear from you. Let's go to Tessa calling in from California. Tessa what your question for pastor. Israel Christian.

Luckily I'm painting a secular sexual identity that she still believes Jesus to put I said the biblical truth with her that it's clear she's not willing to let this plant has committed himself to a simple relationship. How do I continue to love handy as I lightning throughout online hand not being a pest that had not discerning her choices thinking I Tessa well, thank you for that question, let me begin by just praying for your friend and for you father, Lord, in this day when there are so many who are turning away from the faith to pursue other things Lord, we know that this was prophesied in your word and in various places, Lord.

And yet it still breaks our hearts and we long to see those whom we love who maybe were once in the church, but if you have since left come back. Lord, like the prodigal son and be embraced by you and I pray for Tessa's friend.

God, that you would work in her life.

By the grace of your Holy Spirit, that like the prodigal son, she would see how empty a life without you is and that she would come home to you Lord and would you give Tessa wisdom the grace of the Holy Spirit to know how to interact with her friend to love her Lord God to speak the truth boldly as well be with her. I pray in Jesus name, amen. Well Tessa I think that that's that's just the thing it's it's loving her, but loving. An individual who is committed to turning away from Jesus or living in a way that's contrary to Jesus, needs to be defined in a biblical way too often. Today, people say will will love should just mean you just affirm what an individual wants the decisions that they make for themselves and then of course that's not true at all. I have five small children and loving them as their father does not look like just letting them do whatever they want and affirming them in those decisions because sometimes the decisions that they make are the things they want art best for them. Now of course that you know the situation.

It is a little bit different. You're not her father. You emu in the two of you are friends and what you you want her to love Jesus and to know Jesus and the apostle Paul said in first Corinthians chapter 5 that when a professing believer is going this way when they're rejecting the, the, the teaching of the Bible really on on on the on anything you may hear were talking about the disorder sexual ethic, and in the context of first printing chapter 5 I think that's front and center so it will pulses when that's happening we don't minimize their sin. When you say okay everything is fine. Let's just let's pretend like nothing is wrong.

Let's continue to love this person by no we still hang out. We have a good time to get. I'm hoping that maybe over time as we just continue to be friends and spend time together. You know she'll change her mind know I think you want to be honest and say you are headed down a destructive past you path your your turning away from Jesus again what Paul said in first Corinthians chapter 5 verse nine I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people, not all meaning the sexually immoral of this world or the greedy and swindlers are idolaters since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I'm writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed or is an idolater or revile her drunkard or swindler not even eat with such a one for what have I to do with judging outsiders is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge God judges those outside now the whole point with this with would sing with him. I can't just spend time with you and and laugh and joke like everything is okay is not to have to cut this person out not to be rude in any way. It is to highlight the fact that there is something seriously wrong in the relationship that you can't just laugh and have a good time is as though there will wasn't this serious issue. This departure from the faith, and so I think at the you can be honest you know you keep the door open, but you also say look at if you're going to continue to profess to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus and yet reject what the Bible so clearly teaches, with regard to these things. I can't just sort of. I can just pretend like everything is okay is a hard thing. Then I found that when you are truthful with with friends in situations like this that oftentimes they end up cutting off the relationship because I just don't want to hear it anymore.

There there there choosing to go down this path and they don't want others to tell them that that's not right. And so the other big thing here. Tessa is to pray to continue to pray for your friend, because ultimately it's a work of the holy spirit, the spirit of God needs to work in her heart, softening her heart and and you know what he's able to do that and so I would say to be committed to praying for her.

Be committed to loving her, by being honest with her and in and truthful with her about this decision that she's made and saying you're always there for her but don't just pretend like everything is fine. Don't just be friends, as it were, as that as he were prior to on the basis of what Paul says there in first Corinthians chapter 5 and may the Lord bless you as you seek to love her to continue to share the love of Christ with her. 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