What is the Biblical Definition of Marriage?

What is the biblical definition of marriage is one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity will hi, I'm Bill Meyer with Pastor Israel Sanchez and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day.

Would love to hear from you and our phone lines are open right now. Here's the phone number is 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 also post your question on one of our social media sites you can watch Israel live in the studio right now on our YouTube channel and messages that way. Of course you can always email us your question at questions at core, Christianity.com first up today let's go to Norm calling in from Denver Colorado norm, what your question for Israel on the show so I have an eight-year-old stepson that spends the summer with his father. He claims to be a true believer but is also a self-proclaimed prophet of God, and it's often apparent that his father's beliefs conflict with the Christian faith that we profess in our household. My question is, how should we go about raising our son in the biblical Christian faith is regularly exposed to what we believe is a divergent version of Christianity in his father's house. Norm, thank you so much for that question. Realize that you're in a difficult situation. I know I know as a father myself and we want to guard our children from those influences that are going to lead them away from the Lord, and sometimes there can be so-called Christian influences of it where the teaching is a little bit often and I'm here.

You know, talking about a self-proclaimed prophet and maybe going against things you find in Scripture. I could see it ordinarily just they will hate.

Let's let's not put him in that situation, but this is a complex issue because he spending the summers with with his dad so II would you say you for your part, together with your family.

If you have to focus on using the time that the Lord gives you together to be grounded in the truth and maybe if there are there are clear examples of of what the false teaching is Lynn addressing that specifically with the word of God having conversations with your son I think is really important. We need to do a better job as parents just having those conversations in the home talking about Jesus talking about the Lord digging into the Scriptures that the passage that I love to go to been thinking about this is what Paul says to Timothy in second Timothy did in two places actually fit the very beginning of second Timothy in chapter 1 verse five. I'm reminded of your sincere faith. A faded well the first and your mom and your grandmother Lois and your mother you niece and now I am sure dwells in you as well will. How did that faith get planted there in Timothy's heart. If you go to the little bit further and for a second Timothy in second Timothy chapter 3 he says and that and I just love this is best for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it learned from his grandmother and his mother and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ St. in Christ Jesus friends we we need to grow in our understanding of the word we want to make our children wise for salvation through the word of God. We need to be acquainted with the Scriptures want to help our our loved ones become more and more acquainted with the Scriptures as well.

And so what I would say to you norm is with the time that you guys have make sure that your investing and when you see things that are clearly you know that maybe maybe that that your son is herded or that are clearly contradicting the word of God will address those things you have to be combative about it, but you can just go to the Scriptures and say look, here's our ears ultimate authority for us as believers, and here's what we believe the things that we believe while also encouraging him to grow in in charity and love in respect for all people, especially for his parents and so appreciate your question brother may the Lord give you wisdom and and guidance in NB, especially with your stepson is he is he grows in the knowledge and understanding of Jesus some great counsel. Thanks for that. Israel and Norm. Thanks so much for listening to core Christianity. We really do appreciate you well believe it or not this Thursday, June 30 core Christianity will be airing. It's 1000th episode a thousand, and to celebrate we are offering a special getaway package yet you still have a little bit of time to sign up or to to participate in this giveaway were going to be announcing the winners tomorrow. There are three winners working to receive a gift package that includes our three latest Bible studies on Ruth. The parables of King Jesus and the book of Philippians, a brand-new coffee mug which I'm drinking out of right now I just make the coffee taste better when you have a nice mug like this and out one Sony Bluetooth headphone well I mean a pair of Sony Bluetooth headphones that we can listen to core Christianity all day long. They were also to be sending out some coffee to go with the mug and so please do get get involved. Let me go to core Christianity.com/giveaway to sign up, and I hope that you win and will announce the winners tomorrow, so be listening tomorrow if you entered and if you haven't do that today. Again, go to core Christianity.com/giveaway love to have you be one of our winners while our phone lines are open.

If you have a question about the Bible, the Christian life doctrine theology maybe got doubts about the Christian faith. Maybe you consider yourself to be an atheist or an agnostic and you maybe want to challenge a drill on something.

He's open to your questions as well.

Here's the phone number is 833. The core will be taking calls for the next 15 minutes or so 833-843-2673 let's go to Tim in Escondido, California hey Tim, what's your question for pastor.

Israel, I believe the local church with Baptist roots.

So we were taught that believers in Christ will spend eternity in heaven, while those who choose to reject God would suffer eternal torment in the lake of fire. Created for Satan and the demons recently, our church changed the statement of faith to allow unbelievers to experience eternal separation from God through annihilation unfamiliar with the Bible versus describing suffering in the lake of fire. What is the biblical support for the doctrine of annihilation for unbelievers. Hey Tim, thank you for this for this question. You know that this actually doctrine. The doctrine of annihilation is and has been gaining steam. I think especially as the doctrine of hell has come under criticism in recent days in any ancient church. There were some people who held to an idea similar to annihilation is him but it was not the position has not been the position of the universal Christian church throughout her history. In other words, historically, the church is always embrace this idea of hell being a place of conscious torment. Now, different people are going to receive different severities of judgment.

I believe and I think you get that from the Gospels but with regard to where people get this idea of annihilation is a menu when you look at the text of Scripture to talk about torment I think typically they would just say, well those those passages are are speaking metaphorically and we were not meant to take those texts literally per se. And the idea of eternal judgment or eternal destruction could also just be a reference to nonexistence to death in the sense of you know ceasing to exist no longer being conscious of anything and so there there been arguments that have been made.

I'm not necessarily compelled by those arguments. I think it so often is replete him even though when we look at the passages in the Gospels are even in the epistles. We can say well it seems like Jesus is using some some type hyperbolic language here or metaphorical limited in getting you still communicating something very seriously to us and it does seem like he's communicating that hell is this place of conscious torment is not just it's not just sleeping or ceasing to exist. It's it is this place of judgment, and so look a lot of people I think have a real hard time with the doctrine of hell, and in part the reason is because we minimize the doctrine of God and of his holiness in the offense that sin is against a holy God is a part of the issue here, I think, is recovering a right understanding of who God is in Scripture of his holiness.

At times I think that that's key in this. But let me just add add one other thing right what your core Christianity were often talking about the core doctrines of the Christian faith, even though I disagree with this perspective I don't I don't think that Christians who hold this view are somehow outside of the bounds of the Christian faith. In terms of you know that will they can't be considered Christians that that kind of a thing like that, rejecting the doctrine of the Trinity or the doctrine of the deity of Christ. I do think that this this is a view that that isn't in line with what the Scriptures teach.

But again, there are there are genuine believers who differ on these issues and so I think we have to dig into the word of God. I think we can get wisdom from the history of the church as well.

Like I said, historically, that the universal Christian church has really rejected this idea of annihilation is him and so I think I think we need to let the Scripture speak for themselves.

And it seems to me like in the Gospels and the epistles passages that describe hell or the place of judgment, do speak of a place of conscious torment away from the presence of the Lord, thank you for your question.

I just know I don't want to go there a drill yeah well I mean Bill yeah I will you and you know it throughout that the Scriptures we have this call.

I mean I think of of love with the apostles themselves said you know that Christ is going to judge the world working to stand before the Lord and it's a sobering reality. The good news is we have Jesus. This is this what makes in part the gospel so precious is that Christ has borne for us. The judgment that we deserved so that we can stand in the presence of a holy God, justified, having had our sins forgiven. It magnifies the mercy of the Lord.

And so that's we flee to, we flee to the gospel and we rest in what Christ is done for us it's a beautiful description.

Thanks for that Israel.

This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez. We are still taking your calls if you have a question about the Bible, the Christian life.

Or maybe how your Christian walk intersects with today's culture and all the things that are going on in today's world would love to hear from you. Here's the number 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673. By the way, you can also email us your question. Here's our email address its questions at core, Christianity.com, and Andrew got an interesting email from one of our listeners name Cheryl and it actually has to do with your role as a pastor, and she says do you prefer topical preaching or expository preaching. I prefer tropical preaching with the dolphins behind.

I I this actually really good question. There been debates about this right like you shouldn't preach topical sermons or you you you know you need to take a break from expository bridge maybe just defining these things would be helpful if so topical preaching that you know is the church or your pastor says hey were going to do series throughout the year on topics that we think are relevant.

It could be related to giving it could be related to things happening in society.

It could be related to marriage. Right of any how many marriage series have been preached in churches, whereas expository preaching is is really to be more focused on expositor in drawing out the meaning of a text of Scripture or passages of Scripture usually know preaching through books of the Bible and just just speaking personally as a minister the gospel. I.e. I preach the books of the Bible right now are preaching through the book of Revelation earlier, we are preaching to the book of Genesis I enjoys starting in chapter 1, and going through the book, but I also enjoyed taking a break from that at times and and doing more topical preaching, especially if the need arises in the church are their questions really pressing questions that we need to address. I think as as pastors and so I prefer expository preaching. That's is the sort of steady diet that I give to the people in my church opening up the Scriptures at the great thing about this is a keeps you honest as as a pastor needed his focus on your hobby horses. If you we are going through the text of Scripture and letting God speak to his people and that's ultimately what what all preaching should be is fixing our eyes on Jesus and letting God speak through his word, but it is helpful. I think it times to topics and focus on them.

Maybe during Christmastime. For example, you are focusing on the incarnation of our Lord Jesus, and the significance of that. Maybe there their different ways to approach is but I think I think having a little bit of both and can be helpful, but I would say a steadier diet, a heavier emphasis on expository preaching and if you can do it in a tropical place.

Then, you know, more power to you so well said this is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez and in week two tech voicemails 24 hours a day. You can leave us a voicemail and here's one from one of our listeners named Bill Bill Wilson. I really appreciate a system whereby cost to specific questions and circumstances people face God for our use as your ministry to bless his people. This is my question. What does the Bible constitute as a marriage between a man and a woman, or civil or biblical, or in other words, from a point of view of the Bible. What makes a marriage marriage yeah is super important question in our day and age, and especially with immediate just think of how marriage is viewed by so many people in society today.

We've we've minimize this as well.

We don't have a high view of marriage is this institution really given to us by God himself as a gift. At the very beginning of creation. We we read about the first marriage between Adam and Eve from thinking of Genesis chapter 2 verse 21 so the Lord caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept. While Adam slept.

He took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh and the rib that the Lord had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man and the man said this at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh, she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed and set last section there in verses 24 and 25 Genesis 2 that I think get to the heart of your question. Marriage is something that God does in joining people together.

This is why Jesus says in the Gospels what God has joined together, let not man separate is okay, so that the focus is on the action of God, you have the creation of a new family that the idea of leaving in cleaving, leaving his father and mother's house and clinging to his wife cleaving to his wife and new family. You have that oneness which the apostle Paul in places like the book of Ephesians highlights is as emphasizing the care and concern that we should have for each other within marriage and ultimately there in the book of Ephesians as well. Paul emphasizes that marriage is a picture of the relationship that Jesus Christ has with his church and so there's this this really a minute in in marriage and in Christian marriage.

In particular there supposed to be this glorious picture of gospel love what a high calling. It is for us as believers and so I think I think that's where we need to focus now often in immuno throughout history and even in the Bible. Marriage was was was more than just asserted two people say hell yeah let's let's do this and it's got teeth to it. It's this covenant thing if you will, what, where, society, the family, oftentimes civil government was also involved. And then of course Paul in Romans chapter 13 talks about the fact that we as Christians are a part of these societies as well were called to pursue the good of the societies that God has a sin and so and so we participate in in these things. Of course you know that that the state doesn't get to define what marriage is is what God does in his word and again he gives us the perfect picture of what that should look like to the relationship of Christ and his bride. And so I think that needs to be our focus will not just abandoning you know be the other things related to the civil regulations and think there there there are good things for us there but but certainly you know this is look different for four different societies throughout history in the church in different places, but I think for us it's it's getting married is as believers and of course to believers. This is something that the apostle Paul makes clear in first Corinthians 2 other believers in the Lord, he says, and honoring the Lord in our relationships, caring for one another and it being this covenant between two people before society before the world, demonstrating true love, the love that God gives to us and so appreciate your question again such as this is an important question.

May the Lord bless you. Thanks for for reaching out your listing the core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez. Let's go to Mesa calling in from San Diego Mesa what your question about healthy landing will I went skinny is Luke 843 41. He actually salvation by clicking rail and then also and three chemically add our winning. I will be hearing more in their work. All right.

Okay let me answer the first Timothy one really quickly, so right there you know Paul writing to Timothy talks about women being saved through childbearing.

There's been a lot of debate about what exactly that means there's a here's a principle for Bible interpretation that is very very important and this is one of things want to help you do here at the court is rightly interpret the Scriptures and there are some some guidelines that I think can be helpful in one of them is we let the clearer passages of Scripture interpret the less clear passages of Scripture.

This is key because her to come across passages in the Bible you think okay what I do know what this is talking about but there a lot of other passages that are really clear on the issue that are better helpful as we want to let the clear text of Scripture guide us in understanding the once it may be a little bit less clear, and certainly the idea that women are saved in a different way than men are right. Maybe you know you're a guy you're saved by salvation we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. But if your woman your saved through having children will know Paul, the one taught justification by faith alone is the same one who wrote first Timothy. And so the question is what exactly is he talking about their in first Timothy chapter 2 verse 15 when he talks about the need of women will woman being saved through childbearing will one note the context in first Timothy one of the issues, what they were were a group of false teachers who were actually forbidding marriage and minimizing that the gift of the family in first Timothy chapter 4 verse one Paul says the Spirit expressly says that in the later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons through the insincerity of liars, whose consciences are seared who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving is another words are a group of people.

Apostates Paul says in spirits is there going there to show up in there and abandon the truth, giving heed to deceiving spirits and the doctrines of demons and I think this is in part what what Paul is trying to guard the church against, and so in the context there is very important. Some people also say will this could be a reference to not not just generally women having children, but the seed of the woman you think back to Genesis chapter 3 verse 15 we were told that the seed of the woman is going to crush the head of the serpent. In other words, not just general childbearing, but a very specific birth prophesied way back in Genesis chapter 3 and I actually think that there's some value to that interpretation. But again, we want to let the clear passages of Scripture interpret the less clear passages now with regard to the woman who had an issue of blood in the Gospels in Luke chapter 8, but then also you know the parallel passage in Mark chapter 6, I think it's it's really important it's usually market. Chapter 5 I think it is really important to hear what Jesus says to her, looking at Mark chapter 5 in verse 34. He says daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your disease. Now I think this is more than just Jesus curing her disease. I think he's welcoming her as his daughter as a child of the true and the living God, and by the way this story is my favorite picture of faith in the Gospels because you here you have a woman who's at the end of her rope. She's suffering immensely. She's had this this physical issue that nobody has been able to help her with an and because of this issue.

She is technically unclean, ceremonially unclean, so not considered a part of the worshiping people of God, at least not able to be in any significant way or in it in the way that she would've liked to been because of her condition and so she's at the end of her rope and she sees Jesus in the crowd, and she thinks if I just lay hold of his garment. I'll be made well and so she makes her way through the crowd and she lays hold of Jesus's robe and she's healed in Jesus stops everyone and and says who touched me, and of course his disciples are single we meet who touched you. We got all these people here, and Jesus goes to her and looks at her and says daughter, your faith has made you well, you know, faith is. Faith is an unclean hand grips the righteous robes of Jesus Christ, we do lay hold of Jesus by faith and experiencing expensive same cleansing she did.

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