Was Jesus Saved by Faith?

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 loan.

Welcome back to corporate entity. The program where we talk about the Christian faith together, answer your questions. I'm with Prof. Michael Horton, I'm Pastor atrial Sanchez, the second largest Protestant denomination in the country is proposing a split. According to NPR called the United Methodist Church announced a proposal recently to split the denomination over what it called fundamental differences regarding its beliefs on same-sex marriage and LGBT Q clergy. The proposal signed by 16 church leaders from around the world will be voted on at the church is 2020 Gen. conference in May. If passed, it would allow for a traditionalist denomination to separate from the United Methodist Church, the second largest Protestant denomination in the US, with more than 12 million members worldwide. Pretty big news Mike.

It really is. It's tragic when you see things like this happening in one sense because it's you you think about what Christ prayed for for unity in the church, but sometimes I mean these kinds of divisions have to happen in order to maintain fidelity to the Scriptures right as the apostle Paul said there must be divisions among you wish to show those who are his, to distinguish truth from error, but we have to remember were unite not united by what's on our marquee not united by names by denominational labels were united by truth.

That's right. And so does Jesus prayed in his high priestly prayer John 17. Father, sanctify them, that is, set them apart from the world, sanctify them by your truth.

Your word is truth.

That has to be the touchstone for everything.

I may just add to a lot of times with denominations.

The mission creep and message creep have happened long before you have declension's over practice in a we get all alarmed when you have whole denominations that embrace same-sex marriage. For example, that has been a long road that began the long time ago when denominations rejected the authority of Scripture.

Yeah, and rejected the doctrine of creation and lots of other truths that we professes Christian. So I think that before we talk about how we should live as Christians, and what commandments we should follow as important as that is, we have to understand what we believe about who God is who we are, what he's done to save us. What the church is how we are to be different from the world we have to understand the doctrine that undergirds the practice.

Otherwise, nothing will surprise us about the slide of denominations toward basically being assimilated in the world. It shows us that even within the church. We can have blind spots if were not sticking to the Scriptures and we got a question about that on Facebook from Sharon who asked. I believe that in every age.

Christians have had blind spots what you think are some of the potential blind spots in our age at the top when Sharon, you're right there every age has blind spots that are unique to them. We have these perennial heresies we can call it Pelagianism.

For example, the, the ancient heresy that basically says we pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps we save ourselves.

You could call it Gnosticism in the ancient heresy that said that matter is evil, creation is evil. We need to escape from this world rather than the redemption of this world by God in Jesus Christ or you think of Arianism the denial of the deity of Christ, we we face these in every age and we say all that sounds wrong but actually it is wrong because it goes back to a perennial challenge to the Bible's teaching on central issues, but I think Sharon today especially we think about our context, we have come to really believe in ourselves, in a way that is part of that Promethean attitude, but it's a little different because we have the technology to support it. You know what when we look back on previous eras in the history of the church people have been at the mercy really of the weather of natural disasters of disease and people have had to pray for God to intervene. Think of the fact that in the the 15th century the church of England was calling for the months of prayer and fasting.

When the great plague hit and decimated the whole European population, but in the 1980s the Church of England was calling for more government funding for AIDS research with the HIV-AIDS crisis. Now it's a great thing that we live in an age where medicine has been improved.

World technology has grown, but notice that shift.

Instead of feeling like we are dependent on the Lord. Ultimately, we begin to think that we can fix this and when that creeps into the church and we think we can fix the problem. We can save ourselves with the right technology that we want run into some real problems there just feeds our narcissistic self-confidence. So I would say that our increasing reliance on technology to solve all of our problems undermining our our vision of God's sovereignty in Providence in our lives. Technology is changing our habits as human beings, making us less social, making us much more narcissistic and individualistic and turned in on ourselves. I would say probably among all the contextual differences in our particular generation technology is probably one of the big blind spots. We don't know we can't assess that yet, but there are going to be some long term negative impacts of our addiction to technology down the road. It's almost like the Tower of Babel all over again, except where were were ascending to God through these technological advances are member and you nose the Tower of Babel, the, the lure there. The attraction was its universality. We will we will build a structure of technological instrument that will reach to the heavens so it will no longer be separated does not select wide web, I mean now we can all be connected, but are we really not were not really connected were more isolated from each other. The government will thank you for that question, Sharon. Here's another Facebook question received from an medial can a person reject God's grace or walk away after receiving God's grace and I just preached on the very beginning of Galatians and the books introduction is really unique when it comes to Paul's letters if you're familiar with Paul's letters right. Usually, he begins by giving thanks for the church as he's writing to. I thank God for you, Ephesians, Philippians, so on and so forth in Galatians.

There is no Thanksgiving that Paul says I am shocked.

I'm astonished wisely shocked because I'm shocked that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you in the grace of Christ on the surface. There are so many Bible verses that make it clear that God can be gracious to us and we still turn away from him.

I think the each one of us if we thought about our own lives. To say that we've experienced this God has been so good to us and yet we still send only we still make decisions that don't make any sense at all and we have to go back and say Lord, be merciful to me a sinner.

Now if you're asking can a person who is been born again ultimately leave their salvation so that there eternally condemned.

No, I don't think so. I believe that Christ keeps all of the sheep that have been given to him by the father. If you've truly been justified. You will be glorified as some people have called this idea.

The idea of the golden chain of redemption. You have a bye week and look at Romans chapter 8 verses 29 through 30. Listen to what Paul said there for those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and those whom he predestined he also called and those whom he called he also justified and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Not some of them he had. He predestined he called some of the neck. All right, just as a closed set unit is if you are justified. You're going to be glorified in medial so were thinking about this in a couple of different ways can a person reject God's grace, yet we do it all the time, yet there's more to it than that. God by his grace raises us from spiritual death so that were born again, he justifies us and even his justified believers were still in a sin, we have the hope that he will preserve us at the work which he began in us isn't going to go and finished that one day we who have been justified will also be glorified and so if you've been justified by the if you're saved or not can it turn away from God's grace isn't that them. The important point here is not that well even if I turn away and I renounce my faith God stuck with me because I said yes to Jesus 10 years ago, rather it is, as Paul says to the Philippians he who began a good work and you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. He began this work.

I didn't begin it with my decision. He began it with his decision and he's committed to what he starts. That's right so he's going to finish this project and its I'm never going to walk away is not that I'm saved, even if I do I'm never going to walk away because he who began a good work in me will complete and that really is so comforting to me. I think about it. It really is our only hope.

As blamer said in his eighth and the him come, thou fount one of my favorite hymns prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love it just so true. I think each of us knows deep down inside Lord I'm so prone to wander. My heart is deceitful above all things. Like the prophet Jeremiah said. And yet God gives us this promise that he city continue to work in us and he's in a keep us and that's our hope yeah you're listening to core Christianity were answering your questions about the fate of your question about the Bible reach out to us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 1833 the core and we have a special opportunity for you to partner with us in the ministry that were doing.

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We look forward to hearing from you. Let's go to the first call now for the day. My name is Anthony I am from Portland Oregon. My question is I go to seminary and Bible University. I had a theology of all how it can't really be computed like somebody understand or interpret Scripture, typically on the know of when the Bible talking about man-to-man and how, or though and how some people interpret that the deal you rather than routing, though we supposed to correct our brother on that no young. Thank you Anthony yeah we are called to rightly divide or interpret the word of God that the apostle Paul three says that second Timothy 215 says work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth, that is an obligation that we all have you not just pastors and teachers, but all all of us as Christians rightly interpret the word of God and when we are convinced that someone not even a brother or sister is not rightly interpreting the word of God.

We need to offer correction and it's all over the place right and in the New Testament. Think of the Marines were searching the Scriptures to see if what the apostle Paul is saying is true. You also think that Priscilla and Tukwila with Apollo's in that situation.

In the book of acts coming alongside and helping them understand the Scriptures a little bit better cc is in the Bible, absolutely. You know I'm familiar with the argument that you're representing their from your teacher. Namely, that when the Bible talks about homosexual relationships is really not dogma. Homosexuality per se, pedophilia and violence in and so forth. No, actually it's pretty clear we know homosexual practice was condemned in the Old Testament & the same is true in the New Testament as well. Think of the way Paul talks about it in Romans one, verses 26 and 27. There the apostle Paul talks about idolatry and the twisting and distorting of God's word that reflects the extent to which human beings will go in order to suppress the truth in unrighteousness and as an example, he says, for example, exchanging the natural desires of a man for a woman and woman for man for members of the same gender is not talking at all there about violence or pedophilia. He's talking about same-sex relationships and then in first Corinthians 69 he says or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. Don't be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral cave. So just in general, adulterers, fornicators, whether it's heterosexual or not, nor idolaters, nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexuals, that is, men who practice sex with men. But the word there is arsenic quite today. It's a very specific technical word for men who practice sexual intercourse with men.

So it's a very particular practice that the Scriptures designate here and in many other places in Scripture.

It doesn't have to have any extenuating circumstances to make it worse than it is. Same-sex practices are forbidden by God, the creator who made us male and female he said it's not good that man be alone.

I'll make a helper suitable for him and he so he created Eve. Adam was elated when God created Eve you know is interesting in this culture we talk so much about difference and celebrating difference. One of the problems with homosexuality is that it doesn't celebrate difference at all. God loves difference he made it. God created us differently from each other.

He created different sex and gender. He created different races. God is a God of difference. He wants us to celebrate those differences to embrace those differences and men or women practicing sexual relationships with members of the same sex are depriving themselves approval or violating God's law, his norms for society, but there also depriving themselves of that rich difference that God coded into not only society but are very bodies so I think there are lots of ways that people try to get around things I I'm surprised that you're going to an evangelical college and seminary where there's a professor who is kind of caving in on the liberal interpretation of this to twist it to suppress the truth in unrighteousness to say that it's not talking about what it obviously is talking about is simply mishandling the word of truth is, move onto another Facebook question here from Henry.

Does God really work all things together for good. I know that the Bible says that and maybe I just need some reassurance but there are things I have experience that I can't imagine God using for good. I know Henry. It's often hard to see how God works in our lives.

Turning evil circumstances to accomplish his good purpose. But that's just what the Bible teaches over and over again constantly.

It puts us in contact with the God who works all things together for his good purposes course. Romans 828 is the passage you probably weren't referring to their think about the story of Joseph in Genesis chapter 50 Joseph's brothers had left him in a pit basically left them for dead and tricked their father and into believing that he'd been eaten by a lion, yet through all the horrible circumstances that his brothers put him through the result of that, he rises up in God's good Providence to become the Prime Minister of Egypt and the brothers come to him in the famine, not knowing that it's there brother. They come to the Pharaoh's right-hand man in Egypt because they're starving. They say please help us. Can you give us some grain and lo and behold it's Joseph. Joseph reveals himself, and they should be terrified here's a guy who has the most power in the whole region. He could snuff them out in one instant, but instead he tells them you meant it for evil but God meant it for good to save many people alive this day and that's what happens you know when you trust in God's providence, you realize that no matter what the motives are from maybe people who treated you badly no matter what the motives that Satan has for your life. When evil and suffering come your way. There is a good God who has it all under control. God isn't caught off guard is not caught by surprise when these things happen. Rather, he's already figured out how he's going to leave those darker threads into his beautiful tapestry.

You can look at a tapestry from the back and it's all those loose threads. It makes no sense at all.

And that's what it's like when we look at our lives with our own eyes, but then you turn it over and it's a beautiful scene. That's what God sees. God sees how he's weaving everything together into a plan that will glorify him and will bring us salvation when we just believe that is it just blind faith know it's confidence based on the fact that at the very moment when it looked like all was lost when it looked like Satan had obviously triumphed in the death of Jesus of Nazareth as the son of God was hanging on the cross in agony at that very moment, God the father was reconciling the world to himself in his son and then he raised him from the dead on the third day. If you ever have any question or concern or doubts about whether God has a plan for your life. Henry, one that is for your good and will never terminate in anything evil. Look at the cross look at the cross and the resurrection were God proved that he is sovereign and that he is good and he works all things together for the good of those who love him, who are the called according to his purpose in my thinking about that text in Romans chapter 8 and Henry's question. You know, I know for a lot of people when they experienced terrible circumstance could be sickness, it could be a struggle with sin. It could be the loss of a loved one. One of the big questions that they have is just seems like God doesn't love. How can I know that God loves me as I'm going through this and you think about that promise that we have in Romans chapter 8 and then even the things that the apostle Paul describes about what his will, God's people experience sometimes and I think a little bit later and in the passages says who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness or danger or sword all the stuff Paul went through talk about things you denote the sword, nakedness, famine of just how can God even be loving me right now.

These these terrible circumstances and impulses know through all of these things were more than conquerors in Christ. Nothing can separate us from God's love and it's clinging to that word that promise right absolutely and email. Now that you received from Daniel who asked her to Sunday school teacher make the point that Jesus was saved by faith. This sounds wrong to me, but I'm not sure why. Can you please give me your thoughts.

Sure, Daniel. There's a lot that's wrong with saying Jesus was saved by faith that assumes that Jesus was lost in the first place. He saves us he didn't need saving. We did and we get this really confused we misunderstand what salvation is and how it was accomplished at the same time Jesus bore our sins on the cross and so there is a sense in which he needed to be saved by himself not redeemed by his own sins, but to be read deemed from the tomb of death and hell and he was when he was raised from the dead. He was vindicated by God. He wasn't under God the father's judgment, but he came under that voluntarily for our sake not true that Jesus had faith in his father's plan and mission, but he was actually justified by his works he was justified by his obedience. He's the only one that ever could be, exactly, he was declared righteous because he was righteous. He did everything the father told him to do. He fulfilled everything the father set before him.

He was saved by works, so that we could be saved in him by grace alone through faith alone in him alone, and that's the gospel. 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 core when you contact us.

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