Understanding the Curse of Ham

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 hi and welcome to another episode of candy to show or we answer your questions about the faith. I'm Pastor atrial Sanchez and with my friend Prof. Michael holy, atrial joy it is to be together again is thinking about God's word and Mike, I know that when you're favorable to the vow he said it over and over again is the book of Romans was instrumental for you as you were coming up and in growing in the Lord well we got a question here about the book of Romans someone who's struggling to make sense of one chapter in particular, her name is Karen and she asked. I'm really struggling to make sense of Romans 11 part about branches being cut off. How do you interpret this is all teaching that Christians can lose their salvation and how does this fit with Romans nine, a lot of really big questions there. Mike yeah Karen you I can tell you your careful Bible reader just the way you asked these questions. So here's Romans 1117 to 24.

The most important passages. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you all the while all of shoe were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree. Do not be arrogant for the branches. If you are remember not you who support the route but the route that supports you. Then you will say branches were broken off so that I might be grafted.

What's true, they were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith.

So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will you spare you note then the kindness and the severity of God's severity towards those who have fallen, but kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off, and even they if they do not continue in their unbelief will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were caught from what is by nature a wild olive tree and grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these the natural branches be grafted back into their own. All of tree. First of all, the Karen this passage is part of a wider argument in Romans 9 to 11 that begins with a question. Has God's word failed.

No words, God promised salvation to Israel, but now it looks like he's kind of ditched Israel for the Gentiles, what's up have his promises failed know Paul says there's a partial hardening.

It's not total because some Jews are being saved. Even right now.

Paul included but it's a partial hardening pulses until the full number of elected Gentiles are brought in to all those whom God is chosen from among the nations will be brought in and then there will be a huge outpouring of the Spirit on the physical descendents of Abraham, then I believe Paul is saying we are going to witness whoever is alive in that generation what it what a thing to behold. There's going to be a mass coming to Christ Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah among the Jewish people, so don't get cocky Gentile Christians. Paul says here, many Jews have presumed upon God's favor is, if there God's people just because of their DNA, but if they are united to Jesus then they aren't really Abraham's children. Well, if that's true for Jews is certainly true for Gentiles. Good grief, they're not even ethnically related to Abraham and so Paul says God broke off branches that didn't believe in Jesus to make room as it were for believing Gentile branches if he's done that. Don't think for a minute that you're saved. Whether you actually place your trust in Jesus Christ personally.

He says they were cut off because of unbelief you were grafted in through faith, a dead branch is a dead branch whether it's Jewish or Gentile in origin, but a Gentile branch can be broken off. If it doesn't believe any Jewish branch can be grafted back in if it does believe, so everything turns on solo file faith alone. It's by faith alone that were justified now that we can see the difference between the visible membership in God's people and being united to Christ personally, through faith.

Esau was a member of the covenant people, but he rejected his birthright for a pot of stew.

Don't be like Esau pulsing don't just belong outwardly to God's people without being inwardly and seemingly united to Christ through faith and trust in him. Look to Jesus Christ. So nobody is losing their salvation here in Romans 11. Rather, they're losing their status, their covenantal membership in Christ body because they don't actually believe they don't actually embrace Christ through the means that he provides in the visible church. Thank you for that question. Let's go to a phone call. Now that received? We noted God don't hold noticing that a sonic that they had shoe. Why would that we separate the site that God will answer Noah's curse on Canaan who didn't do anything based on what his father bank that is not a curse. No amount of judgment only just prophesy now.

We do know that most of you, night, and the Egyptians Libyans most all was well past relations want to know what else to help treat fictional back which except hey thank you for your question straight to the text you referring to and try to address what I believe is a really important issue brother in Genesis 9. Noah gets drunk and his son Ham sees his nakedness were told to do some shame involved here and when Noah wakes up he says in 925 cursing betaine in a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers. So basically Ham's descendents would be cursed. The Hebrew word there are our means to curse. So that's why we refer to it is a curse that it doesn't mean that this passage has been rightly applied today, though I here's what I think you're getting at, Ajay. Some people use this text as a justification for things like slavery, thinking was, as you say Canaan's descendents were black and they were cursed to servitude but the reality is that thing is that interpretation is more of an imposition on the biblical text made to justify the sinful behavior of people who wanted to enslave others and it is faithful to the Scriptures. Noah's curse or prophecy or whatever you want to call it had nothing to do with Ham's skin color but with Ham's sin. Now, in terms of the present data center section. Kind of interesting. National Geographic had an interesting article back in 2017, where they reported on a DNA test that was done on some ancient Canaanite bones. The test revealed quote Canaanite ancestry is a mix of indigenous populations who settled the Levant, the region encompassing much of modern Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories and migrants who arrived from the East between 6600 years ago and 3500 years ago, specifically cursive Canaan is a curse on black people to servitude is just a misuse of Scripture in order to expose Ajay our own sinfulness. The fact that we will use God's word to break God's law cut losses to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Racism breaks the second greatest commandment.

According to Jesus, and so I think you're right about the fact that some interpreters have misuse this tax and applied in a way that it isn't meant to be applied as is a curse on Ethiopian nations or black African nations that kind of thing which is nowhere in the text. With regard to why Canaan gets cursed for Ham's sin will listen to what Exodus 34, seven says God said keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children to the third and fourth generation. This is a part of the time of the old covenant, and I think it's significant Ajay that one of the promises of the new covenant is that God is no longer in act. In this or do this. Jeremiah 3129. Following if you want to check it out. So whatever the cursive Canaan was, guess what, in Jesus it's gone it's been taken away.

Christ is born our curse and given us his righteousness. That's the curse that we all need to worry about exactly curse of everlasting death that has been lifted as you say for all who trust in Jesus. Amen.

Whatever race, God bless you brother eliciting a core Christianity were answering your questions about the word of God with Prof. Michael Horton, I'm Pastor atrial Sanchez is called your question about the fate that 1-833-843-2673. That's 1833, the court, we have a great offer for our listeners. Today we do a drill were sharing a frequently requested resource on core, Christianity.com. It's called nine frequently asked questions about angels and demons and it's free. When you sign up for our weekly newsletter is one of our popular resources because there's a lot of bad teaching out there when it comes to angels and demons download and share this resource that focuses on what the Bible actually teaches head on over to core Christianity.com/offers to download nine frequently asked questions about angels and demons. You can also give us a call to get a hold of that resource at 1-833-843-2673. That's 1833 the core go to another question now.

My name is Ben I'm from New York State. I have a question for Dr. Gordon. My question is, in the 10 Commandments were commanded to keep the Sabbath day, but in Matthew 12 Jesus seems to go against his command. So is it okay to work on the center. The only job I can get requires me work on Sundays. I really like to know more about that. Thank you think you been there's a lot of debate among Bible believing Christians about how to interpret certain passages concerning the Sabbath in the new covenant. On one hand there are those who say well the 10 Commandments are no longer binding for us. Hebrews 4 tells us we who rest from our works and simply believe in Christ have entered that Sabbath rest so certainly all of us that believe that the Old Testament Sabbath was a type that is a shadow pointing forward like the sacrificial system to our ultimate rest in Jesus Christ, having been fulfilled.

This argument goes that the type falls away. Colossians 2 Paul says therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are the shadow of things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

On the other hand, there Christians to say well you know it is one of the 10 Commandments and the moral law continues forever revealing God's moral nature. The 10 Commandments, including the fourth commandment are not grounded in redemption that is there not unique to the new covenant, they are grounded in creation. God made us in such a way wired us for obedience to these 10 Commandments, not nine, but 10 and while obviously all of the laws attached to this fourth commandment part of the civil law.

For instance, stoning people who break the Sabbath. Those laws have fallen away the commandment at its heart has not fallen away.

Here's what I would say regardless which position you take their does God provide enough for you to be able to say I'm going to trust in you be regular and faithful and will in my church attendance.

Be a part of the family of God and trust the Lord to provide for me for those other days of the week when we go it alone we die on the vine.

We really need the body of Christ. We need the regular preaching of the word we need to participate regularly in the Lord's supper and the prayers and confession together and just fellowship so then I would say try to find a job where you don't have to work on the Lord's day give that date of the Lord. Look, the world is taking so much from us during the week as it is so many hours let's say no to that day and give that day the Lord that's really helpful.

Mike, I think, even when we look at that passage in Matthew chapter 12 the Pharisees might've felt like Jesus was breaking the Sabbath that that's one of the things about Christ as the sinless is not not breaking the Alethea know he what he's doing there. He's reminding us of the purpose of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

Get rid of it.

A legalistic way of looking at this and say look, God made this for our benefit. You can become legalistic about and say you know you can't even help somebody whose cars broken down on the Lord's day.

Well know that's not true.

There are exceptions for acts of mercy where people need us to help them and acts of necessity where were in a situation, unforeseen, or an accident of some sort where we just we need to order police officer or nurse has to rush all of a sudden out of church rush to help someone that is an act of mercy not going to church is not an act of mercy or necessity. It's a violation of the clear command of Scripture to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, my going to move on to an email that we received from Kelly about a friend who may have wandered from the faith. I was in a Bible study and heard some bad news about a friend who had shown of the church in a while. She just disappeared. It turns out she might've fallen away from the faith.

We prayed for her that she would hit rock bottom. Repent and return to the Lord. I didn't feel totally comfortable praying. In this way, how should I pray for people to return to the Lord while Kelly, I'm really sorry. It sounds like you know this person and are surprised that she stop coming to church. I don't think it's a strange prayer. I think that people do sometimes have to hit rock bottom look. They feel like they're on top of the world they don't need God. They do hit rock bottom and realize that they simply are helpless to save themselves and even if after repeated pleas and warnings. They resist the calls of the leaders in the church and are excluded from the Lord's table.

Even then we still pray that the Lord will bring them back. However, he does that may not be a good idea Kelly to tell the Lord how you think you should do that, but it's enough for us to pray that he will bring them back. Remember, by the way, Peter denied Jesus three times to a little girl nevertheless became one of the churches. Great leaders and martyrs and so praying for your friend shouldn't feel weird at all.

Caller take her out for dinner. Listen to her and after a lot of listening reminder of the precious promises that she's walking away from and trust the Holy Spirit to bring her back to Christ and yelling and if I might add Kelly.

It sounds to me like you have the right heart in this unity we want to see this person not hit rock bottom so that their suffering but so that they might turn to Jesus you love your friend Mike might we pray for this Allied letter to you dear heavenly father, thank you that you've given this friend a deer friend like Kelly who is concerned about her everlasting welfare. Pray that this person who has been part of the church in a friend of Kelly's would return that she would embrace Christ with all of his benefits and know that her father is already running toward her to embrace her. Pray this in Jesus name Amen amen.

This is Christianity with author and seminary professor Dr. Michael Horton give him a call with your question about the Bible is evincing theology and life go hand-in-hand. You can reach us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 1833 the core. He also sent us an email at questions at core, Christianity.com here's another call Don Norton drawn Ohio so I'm introverted how we know what laws will apply today and I drive MY notes below speak through morality and food laws of those one passed away our tender look at whatever kind of just going automated customer of my God. How should I think about this sure John yeah the moral law, the 10 Commandments is abiding that is the revelation of God's own moral nature. He created us in his image that's grounded in creation, it's eternal at its binding. Then there are laws that you find specifically in the Old Testament, which are very different from laws that you find. Specifically, in the New Testament. For example, in Matthew five Jesus gives the sermon on the mount, and just as Moses received the law on the Mount, Jesus gives the law on the mount was Jesus is saying I'm not as Moses I'm God I am not just receiving the law. I am the God of Sinai and so he tells them. You have heard it said in the law but I say not just again God says but I say I am God. So he's delivering the law and in their very different in the Old Testament go cleanse the land of all that the files go get the Canaanites, the Hittites, the parasites and termites and cast them out of the land but I say Jesus tells us, pray for those who persecute you.

Don't fight back to defend the gospel don't use violence to defend the gospel. Instead, pray for your those who are persecuting you. So basically we have one unchanging moral law, the 10 Commandments and then we have different laws, depending on the different covenants different laws that are stapled as an appendix to that 10 Commandments, the 10 Commandments don't change, but those laws around do you sometimes the way we talk about this and I've heard other Christians talk about this is by distinguishing between the moral law and the civil law or the ceremonial law you think about all those ceremonies in the Old Testament related to the temple worship work laws related to diet.

You know, in the civil law. One of the reasons why we can eat bacon, which I think both of us are very grateful for to the Lord, but I think that that's really helpful Mike in terms of trying to parse out what is applicable today and what isn't.

You mentioned bacon peters on his vision and extent. There is no longer a distinction between clean and unclean animals. Why, what's the point of that vision a sheet coming down with clean and unclean animals, and God says they're all clean, well, the clean, unclean laws, basically keeping kosher was just another way of God beating it of the heads of his people that they were separate from the nations you're not filthy Gentiles. But now Christ has come, and is uniting Jew and Gentile in his own body.

By his death and resurrection and that was a hard lesson to learn but he finally got it that we are all clean in Christ there is no division between Jew and Gentile in Jesus at this question about the relationship between the old and the New Testament. How we sort of understand where we stand as believers in Jesus Christ today reminds me of an email that we got about Genesis 12 this from Jim. In Genesis 12 God makes a covenant with Abraham that he would make him a great nation and called them to go where the promises of this conditional on Abraham's obedience.

How is the new covenant with Christians similar or different yeah Jim, this is one of my favorite episodes in the Bible, both in Genesis 12 and especially in chapter 15 we see that this covenant that God made with Abraham is unconditionally gracious God makes all the promises and then he confirms it by a vision in which he passes alone through pieces of animal carcasses, not in the ancient near East. This was a political ceremony, a great King would rescue a city or smaller nation, and then annex them to his empire he would deliver the terms of them remaining his people and if they broke those terms. He would annihilate them while what's strange about this vision is that not only has God alone. The great King made all the promises without any conditions, but instead of making the servant King himself passed through the pieces, the great King. Does that alone, so God will fulfill this covenant. No matter what, even if these cut in half, so to speak. Now God also gives Abraham obligations but they are in view of God's mercies, not the conditions for inheriting the promises is that the same as the new covenant for us as believers, it is it is it and is very different from the covenant with Adam which he swore and the promise depended on him fulfilling the commandment.

Same with a covenant that Israel swore at Mount Sinai saying all this we will do with Moses as the mediator know you're right a drill in Jeremiah 31 God says the new covenant will not be like the Sinai covenant can be clearer. Instead, God will circumcise our heart, he will write his law on our hearts.

He will give us his Holy Spirit and forgive all our sins course.

Again, there are obligations, but they aren't the basis for the covenant, the basis for the covenant is Christ, having fulfilled all obedience on our behalf and justifying us on that basis what God does regenerating us for giving us justifying us adopting us. We are then called to obedience as his children.

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