Do People in Heaven Know What's Happening on Earth?

This is core Christianity, where answering your questions about the Christian life Monday through Friday.

Your hosts are author and seminary professor Dr. Michael Horton and Pastor atrial Sanchez call right now with your question.

At 1833. The core that's 1-833-843-2673 and now here's atrial Sanchez. Welcome back to the core.

We are answering your questions about the faith time with Prof. Michael Horton and I'm Pastor atrial Sanchez Mike. I'm really excited right now because we just started preaching through the book of Galatians I start preaching through the book of Galatians that our Toronto having one of your book I know what a book and many people don't know this but Galatians was actually pretty important during the time of the Reformation and me knowing about the gospel justification the doctrine of justification and how that relates to the everyday Christian life and particular and this is one of the big things that the apostle Paul teases out throughout the book of Galatians is what's the relationship to the law with our relationship to the law as believers. It's a question that a lot of people have and it's a question that Joey has.

He asked us on Instagram I Mike atrial.

I would like to know to what extent Old Testament laws still apply to us today. Would you say that only the 10 commitments apply or would you say that other laws apply to thanks Joy, you know, we first of all, often go to the Old Testament in the wrong way. I think we go looking for character studies so we don't quite know what to do with the Old Testament we look at Daniel Zito.

Dare to be a Daniel. Here are some life lessons we can learn from Daniel but Jesus told his disciples in Luke 24 that all the Scriptures are about him.

He told the Pharisees in John five. You search the Scriptures thinking you have life in them, not realizing is they that testify concerning me, but you won't come to me in order to have life.

So Jesus himself tells us we should read the Bible with himself at the center and that's how the apostles preached the Old Testament to throughout the book of acts that is like walking into a movie midweight when we just pick up at Matthew is hard to know the plot were the main characters unless we let the New Testament tell us what the Old Testament means that's the key. Let the New Testament tell us what the Old Testament means because it's an unfolding story from Genesis to Revelation. And Jesus is the central character, so there are two dangers here Joey. The one is a more Gentile danger, and that's to forget that God fulfilled his promise through the history of Israel. Israel is sort of the plot here apart from the Old Testament, the gospel just doesn't make any sense. The other danger is more Jewish. That is to forget that the law of Moses was only temporary.

As Paul says it was a guardian, leading Israel to Christ now that Christ has come, we don't continue the laws that govern the nation of Israel, but without the promises that foreshadow the coming of our Savior. His arrival doesn't make much sense.

Plus we learned so much about God from the Old Testament's character is moral will what he has promised to do, how he judges and saves it's this God who is revealed in Jesus Christ.

So if we discount the Old Testament we really discount Jesus. The whole system of the Old Testament. The old covenant laws that govern the nation of Israel are obsolete. That's what the writer to the Hebrews doesn't. Hebrews 8 obsolete over the old covenant is over, but that doesn't mean that the moral law, the 10 Commandments are over.

It doesn't mean that God doesn't still require true worship or that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. But it does mean that there is no nation anymore in the world for those laws to apply to the civil legislation of Israel were not under the sacrificial laws what what are called the ceremonial laws.

The dietary laws and so forth. Peter saw the sheet in his vision sheet coming down from heaven. Of all the unclean animals and told to eat. It is another way I'm I'm I'm Jewish that's not kosher, and it was a way of God telling him now the Gentiles who are unclean in Jewish eyes are now clean in Christ.

Those who have faith in Jesus.

Even if there Gentiles are one with the people of God, the true Israel is made up of all who trust in Jesus Christ, all who trust in Christ. As Paul says in Galatians are the children of Abraham. That's the way to read it as an unfolding story with the spiritual promise given to Abraham that he will be the father of nations and how one seed one seed who is Christ is going to be the way God fulfills that promise of a worldwide family to Abraham and it's so important for us to understand that sort of unfolding revelation because there are people today who will make objections to Christianity by saying things like while you guys are hypocrites, you on the Old Testament. Yeah, it condemns things like homosexuality. But it also condemns eating shellfish Fran I know you guys like to go to red lobster after your church service or whatever and sometimes Christians will still hear that and though say well yeah, I guess, in Leviticus, it does do that kind of thing. So how would understand is why it's so important to make these distinctions are we talking about that the ceremonial law are we talking about the civil law will Jesus through his life, death, burial and resurrection are he fabricated those ceremonial pointed to him and so they're not in effect anymore and really can't bind people by those and so it's important for us to understand that so that when people make those kinds of objections we can say no. There's a real biblical reason for why we eat shrimp.

Yeah, let's go to the next question.

Here's an email that we received from Georgina hi Mike atrial. I have a question about how to navigate a mental health situation.

For years I've struggled with anxiety and depression and was told that it was just a spiritual issue, but after being encouraged by a friend to see a psychologist I was diagnosed with PTSD and now my psychologist is recommending. I talked to a therapist to work through some of the trauma experienced in college.

What are your thoughts about this is my faith have anything to say about it right for you Georgina for getting that kinda help. That's right, he and I think the first thing I would want to say to Georgina is that it's not just a spiritual issue is also a physical issue and we really need to wrap our minds around this.

In the church. Specifically, if you had the flu and someone at church told you that it was just a spiritual issue. You wouldn't by always go to a doctor. You get some medicine or if you had some kind of a physical trauma because of a car accident or falling down the stairs you go to the hospital and get professional care. While there such a thing as mental illness, and it's really important that we don't ignore it and I think that because in many churches and for so long we have ignored it. We've not dealt with it the right way, there is there been devastating effects were hearing about them on the news all the time. Today there is also such a thing is mental trauma.

And that's another thing we need to take into account right there are things that can happen in our lives that can impact us in significant ways, and I don't know what you experienced in college, but I think sing a good therapist can really be helpful when it comes to finding healing so I would encourage you to take your psychologists advice and sit down with someone who's going to help you work through whatever it was that your experience was so that you can continue to grow and I also encourage you to be and that this is just as important it be rooted in a good church through all of this you need to hear the good news of the gospel every week that no matter what you've experienced your ultimate identity is in Jesus Christ, your past trauma doesn't have to define you. That doesn't mean it isn't gonna be a process even a painful one. Working through these things it probably will be very hard and that's why we need encouragement and all the help we can get in so having a good group of people around you. Hearing the word of God, the gospel every day every week.

Maybe having a network in your church of godly women who you can go to it can encourage you as you're working through some of these things as well but but yeah there's no reason to be afraid of talking to a psychologist or also even a therapist to think through some of these things deeper. No worse were so divided right now so you have many Christians who believe that were only souls evidently and many pagans who believe that worldly bodies, and actually, the Bible tells us that we are in sold bodies and embodied souls. You can't really pull the body and the soul apart were integrated units and so of course it's a spiritual problem is not just a spiritual problem, of course, it's physical problem is not just a physical problem is a human problem, and it's the result of living in a fallen world being of a world that's out of whack and also being a victim of other people's actions and also making. In some cases mistakes ourselves. You can't separate chemicals in the brain which are physical from spiritual issues were we fall short of the glory of God. Georgina, thank you for your email that I also want to direct your attention to a resource that we have over at our website. Core, Christianity.com nine things everyone needs to know about depression.

I think it's gonna be a helpful resource for you as you look for more information regarding this issue. In particular, and hopefully it's it's further encouragement listening to court Christianity were answering your questions about the faith. If you have a question. It was a call 1-833-843-2673. That's 1833 the core.

You can also email us at questions at court, Christianity.com. I want to let you know about a special offer that we have for you today Bible study that really has been taking off my cousin and that a study gospel John yeah just with a couple friends yesterday who were sitting there going through it personally and it's really enrich their understanding of of the gospel. Of course we get the gospel out of John out to new Christians. It's just we love the gospel of John Amis.

This is really I think one of the important series that we done the hard copy version of it just looks nice yeah and it reads really well. It's packed with rich content. If you want to go through the gospel of John together in a group or by yourself recommended to your pastor or for Bible study leaders.

This is really a resource that can help you and others grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Just head on over to court, Christianity.com/offers to get your copy of our Bible study on the gospel of John.

That's right. You can also give us a call at 1-833-843-2673 the whole of any of the resources that we offer, and it may be a good time just to also remind you this is a really helpful resource that you can recommend to your pastor or Bible study leader as their thinking about maybe the next thing that they want to go through with people in the church. So get your hands on the study of the gospel of John to our first call for the day will I line during her by our money out pretty well destroyed that relationship, and that they were led by another person and wandering people and having our helmet what people are arguing. Yeah, thanks Lisa will will wonder, don't we, you know what heaven like will we know each other will be no our love ones and and so forth. You one thing were told first Corinthians 29 is that no eye has seen, nor ear heard what God has prepared for those who love them so were kind of waiting on the edge of our seats to have all these questions answered. We do know that we will recognize each other as David knew he'd see his son who died in infancy. We read in in second Samuel 1223 David's lament, but now he is dead.

Why should I fast can I bring him back again. I shall go to him, but he will not return to me so he was looking forward, at least in the it in his misery and sorrow to the hope of actually seeing his son again, but we don't have any biblical passages indicating that people in heaven or hell know what's going on here on earth we can't really comprehend Lisa what it's like to actually be in the presence of the triune God. The white hot center of all joy, peace, righteousness, and friendship. But we have a taste of it here. When we gather together with his people around Christ who speaks to us in his word baptizes us into the realities of the age to come, and gives us his own body and blood in the Lord's supper, which we received by faith. The taste of it in the prayers of his people with Christ, interceding at the father's right hand in the fellowship of the saints.

We do have a taste of it as the writer to the Hebrews says in Hebrews 12 beginning at verse 18, for you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest in the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers bag that no further messages be spoken to them at Mount Sinai were the law was given for. They could not endure the command that was given.

If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, I tremble with fear, but now you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel blood of Abel cried out for vengeance. But the blood of Christ cries out for forgiveness.

What better for taste. Can we have of heaven now then to be already in the presence of the Angels and the deer saints who've gone before us when we gather for worship with our brothers and sisters who are living now that really is such a magnificent picture of what's taking place in church on Sunday and boy when when we lay hold of that week we get a taste of heaven right now to worship such a beautiful thing. Andrea asked us on Facebook. What would you say really helps in pursuing holiness does gilding help.

Should we only use the gospel to motivate people you know it'll in a lot of churches.

I grew up in the key motive was guilt not not opposed, like most people are cited to the concept of duty made. There is a place a big place for saying I don't feel like it. I don't want to do it, but it's the right thing to do and I just need to do it. There's a place for the but that's not holiness per se.

A lot of people follow duty who aren't Christians. It's not love for God and neighbor necessarily, but love for doing the right thing that motivates a lot of people just duty on a lot of people were raised without and then we all decided seems like en masse that this was legalism in ways that are not going to do anything that I don't really want to do in my heart. We end up with this ridiculous extremism. The pendulum going back and forth swinging back and forth make a rule legalism or break a rule antinomianism. But when you go back to the Scriptures. Andrea, you realize that how we live is a mere set of rules and behaviors is the result of belonging to a particular family. The family of God and the commands are rooted in the announcement of what God has done for us apart from our holiness apart from our obedience to those commands by saving us in Jesus Christ, his law commands. Perfect love. We don't have it and we deserve his judgment, but instead he loved us so much he gave his only son. Okay I talk about the four D's lot. The drama of redemption we have to know the story from Genesis to Revelation that unfolding story that reaches us in the fullness of time, with the incarnation, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, then we need to immerse ourselves in the doctrines, not just that he lived and died but that he died for our sins and was raised for our justification. The doctrine tells us what the drama means for us and then that leads to doxology praise and thanksgiving. In view of God's mercies, present your bodies a living sacrifice which leads us to discipleship. Then from the heart.

We want to follow the Lord because were looking to Christ. The author and finisher of our faith, we have the greatest story ever told Andrea that the drama isn't just a great story.

It's the true story and the Holy Spirit has written you and me into that story crucifying bearing and raising us with Christ and so what's our response, not drudgery, but the light as Paul says in Romans 831 what shall we say in response to these things. If God is for us who can be against us.

So we have the example of Christ. To be sure his humility, his sacrificial love. But even more than that, Andrea.

We have union with Christ. We don't just follow Jesus. We are united to Jesus like a dead branch is grafted onto a living vine and begins to bear fruit. That's us. It's a wonderful truth to know that because were united to Christ we are justified were being sanctified and one day will be glorified. There might years ago a friend of mine. He invited me to their Easter pasta midnight service and I went with him and it was really interesting. You know they had these candles that they light for the resurrection of Jesus every processes around the church as like it's midnight and so a lot of people myself afterwards. You just leave well. Apparently they had a whole other worship service. After the hat is in the middle of the night and the priest who was there with telling the people. If you leave early. You don't have the light of Christ anymore, and I remember just thinking consciousness with these people are hearing all the time. You know I get just guilt in idea of let's guilt people into feeling bad so that they stick around and maybe then they'll get the Gossard. There is no gospel and I just remember thinking that's crazy and you know people didn't listen to the whole permit is an award being the light of the world and and his resurrection is that he brought liberation from the fear of the law's condemnation exactly and and like I said it didn't work. And if I think that to the question here is, it really doesn't.

We need the grace of the gospel. That's where we get the gratitude from the joy as you were saying and that's as a minister of the gospel and that's what we want to preach. We want to preach the gospel and that's a change lives you, thank you for your question. Here is an Instagram message we received from Carrie in Ephesians 5, Paul says that Christian should be submitted to one another. What does this look like in practice.

How do leaders in the church. For example, submit to the people they lead was Paul making a different point. Thanks. Sure.

Here's what Paul says in the passage that you referred to Carrie Ephesians 5 verses 15 to 21. Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is and do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the spirit addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. If you've seen the Godfather you have a pretty decent idea of the hierarchical society of ancient Rome. The CID of the paterfamilias, the father of the family. His lordship spread out from the nuclear family to his estate. And of course Caesar was the ultimate pot tear or father now against that background, Paul's message about the church and its relationship to God the father in Jesus Christ his son is pretty staggering. Jesus had already turned on its head.

The world's understanding of power know the greatest leader will be the communities greatest servant, willing even to sacrifice his own life as Jesus in fact did here was the eternally begotten son of the father, who nevertheless descended in our flesh experience the deepest humiliation at our hands while redeeming us while we were doing it from death and hell. Jesus isn't just the Savior of individual believers, but of his whole church. He alone is the sovereign head of his bride in the line of submission. Interestingly, here isn't top down. Everyone is an equal member of Christ is what Paul teaches male and female Jew and Gentile, free and slave, rich and poor. Galatians 220 is not amazing.

He's going right up against the hierarchical society of his day. So while in a secular society. You answer to the people above you in God's new society we all answer to each other, and ultimately to Christ to get that out of that passage all that that to each other even singing Psalms hymns and spiritual songs together, addressing one another in Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, rather than our spiritual leaders ruling over us like the Gentiles lord it over people. There are fellow errors with us of Christ's kingdom and they are the servants of all.

They to submit to the church. Think of the fact that in a rightly ordered church. If a pastor goes off the rails and doctrinal life. He can't just have his way. He's not a lot of himself is not the Godfather. No, he's obligated to submit to the elders who aren't, by the way, other clergy, but Lehman so everything that Paul says about mutual submission has to be seen in that light gathers the proper order and spiritual affairs. Just as in earthly affairs but assign org chart of domination. So in Christ we have a new regime where those with power.

Don't rule over those with less power. Those who were given the most authority are actually given the most opportunity to love and serve the rest of the body. Thanks for listening to core Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us@corechristianity.com and click on offers in the menu for or call us at 1-833-843-2673 that's a 33, the court when you contact us. Please let us know how you been encouraged by this podcast and be sure to join us next time. As we explore the truth of God's word together