How Can the Gospel Help In My Present Pain and Anguish?

How can the gospel help in my present pain and anguish. That's just one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity will happy Memorial day.

I'm Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel Sanchez and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day.

You can call us right now with your question. At 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 and you can email us with your question at questions at core, Christianity.com will as you know, the coronavirus quarantine has forced many folks to convert their kitchens or their dining rooms into offices. You combine that with the silliness that comes from being hunkered down at home for several months and while you have a potentially crazy situation on your hands and that's exactly what happened to Carol Fields. Carrie and her husband Matt are both working from home these days and he has found a new hobby. He photo bombs. Her zoom conference calls when it's time for Karen to have a virtual meeting your love this husband dons a new silly outfit and continues his work as normal. Sometimes he's Batman.

Other times he's Waldo from where's Waldo or a cowboy terrorist because the colleagues I meeting with always see him before I do.

Never a dull moment in this house that day. I've seen some of these videos online of the resume bloopers. I think everybody's just learning how to do the online meeting thing and there been some pretty funny ones. You know this guy obviously is very creative and he's making his life's wife just a little more interesting in this bill is the second good news story were people where different costumes are blessed him. It was the mailman who is coming around us that I still want to know where people getting all these costumes that they must have theater backgrounds and that's got to be will let's get to our first question of the day and this one comes from Lamar who emailed us and he says I've come across the teaching it says on the one hand, a person is saved by grace through faith.

Yet, it also says that works play a role in the final judgment and are necessary for salvation. This is a confusing teaching. Is this a biblical understanding of salvation.

Okay, so look him. I mean, I completely understand why you're confused. Sometimes people will use certain words in different ways. For example, someone might say works are necessary as an evidence of faith. That is, you know they don't have any role in contributing to our salvation in in in the sense of earning it in a meritorious sense, but there necessary as a fruit of faith or people might say that there necessary in order to obtain final salvation. That is, you might be saved right now by faith, but whether or not you get to heaven is still a matter of your own personal obedience.

No problem with that use unit begs the question, how good do my works have to be and how many do I have to have, to attain final salvation. That's why think this view is problematic.

Granting that there have been different ways of talking about this.

I prefer to view good works is the necessary fruit of faith. They exhibit the reality of saving faith, but they're not the meritorious cause of our final salvation. If salvation is by grace and works flow out of grace we can't boast in our works as if they were the cause of our salvation. At the same time we know we don't want to downplay the importance of good works in the life of a believer, dare I say even the necessity so long as were using that word in a way that doesn't suggest that were saved by works instead of by faith. Sometimes another way the people talked about this and I think it's okay to use this kind of terminology as well and sort of like a means to an end. You think about what Paul said in in second Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 13 we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, beloved by the Lord, because God shows you as the first fruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth that it was a sort of pathway to salvation his work as were headed to glorification we been justified by faith. But now I me. Like Paul says in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10 were God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God is prepared in advance so that we might walk in them. And so you know good works.

We don't want to downplay the importance of good works and in their necessity is this is evidence of faith and even is that this of pathway that we walk upon as believers in Jesus Christ to be less one of the wonderful things as were saved by faith were justified sanctified by faith in the spirit of God is working in us to produce these good works you think about what Jesus said in in John chapter 15, apart from me you can do nothing to abide in me, you will bear much fruit, because the life of Christ is flowing in and through the people of God through our union with him by faith and so want to be careful how we use language here. We talk about our salvation.

We don't want to suggest that in any way were earning our salvation by our works, that there the meritorious cause of our of our salvation, but we don't want to downplay the importance of good works. I want to encourage each other, stir each other up as Scripture says to love and good works. Lamar God bless you and and may the Lord strengthen you as you seek to serve him and to follow him resting in the fact that your justified saved by faith alone, but knowing that God calls us to live holy lives that are pleasing to him. One of the things that Lamar mentioned was the final judgment and I've heard some Christians say well you know when we get to heaven. People that really love a good works are to have a bigger mansion. How do you respond to the fact that we are going to get a reward, a heavenly reward someday and it seems to indicate the Bible seems to indicate that a lot of that is based on what we did in this life. I mean, I'll just take whatever I can get from the two bedroom one bath you know 1000 ft.� as long as I narrow you know I will hear but there there does seem to be this indication throughout Scripture that you that we are going to be rewarded in some sense tufted you know say this is exactly what that's going to look like you not see the language of mansions comes from Jesus's upper room discourse. I don't know that I am imagining you will we'll get to the new creation. Some people can have bigger houses than others in their gonna be no fitted with. I don't know the best heavenly faucets and what that would look like.

But we do know that God is pleased with the works that we do through his son Jesus Christ and by faith and in working to be commended by the Lord, you know you have that saying well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master is, I'm not entirely sure what that's gonna look like Bill but I do know that these works that we we have should flow out of gratitude and love for what God is done for us in Christ and really good works can only come through faith in Jesus Christ is no such thing as a good work apart from Christ.

And so that's the important thing. This is core Christianity and would love to get your question you can call us at 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673. You can also go to our website at core, Christianity.com/radio and you'll see a little microphone there on the side of the page you click on that microphone you can leave your question for us right there, let's go to our first call of the day. Why draw the one or more prevalent equally.

Hey Matthew, thank you for for colonists unit is a great little book by Jerry Bridges called respectable sins. Then, early on in the book Bridges makes the point that we as believers tend to focus on the sins of society rather than the sins of the saints. He says no, we give a free pass to the things we struggle with while focusing our disdain on the sins other people wrestle with or engage in that could be part of the issue. Matthew, I think, but another thing is that our culture is really embraced the ideology and agenda of the LGBT community. We redefine marriage were trying to do away with gender were completely confused today about sexuality. That's one of the reasons I think this discussion is been at the forefront for many people. And let's be honest, the church has not always done the best job when it comes to dealing with these kinds of questions. But we have to understand homosexuality is a sin, according to the Scriptures, we can't stop there. We need to be able to demonstrate how the gospel of Jesus Christ calls sinners from all backgrounds to lay down their lifestyles. Whatever those lifestyles may be in embrace something better.

The gospel and love of Jesus Christ is not a cheap alternative to our sins. It provides us with something better and we have to get to that which is better when we have this discussion, but we also need to remove the log from our own eyes. You're right.

The evangelical church has its own issues to deal with when it comes to sex and sexuality divorce pornography, which is destroying so many lives and marriages of cases of abuse within the church. We Lord have mercy on us.

There's a lot of repenting that needs to be done here at home to but that doesn't mean we ever want to water down the truth of God's word or avoid boldly proclaiming the biblical sexual ethic, why because it's God's word and because it's good people today think that sex on demand you to do whatever you want with whoever you want whenever you want is liberating but you know it really is slavery. It's using other people to gratify our own desires.

It's the exploitation of men and women made in the image of God. It takes something that is a gift from God. Sex and it dishonors it and so you know we really have to speak the truth of God's word to the culture when it comes to the biblical sexual ethic, and this could be one of the most difficult things I think for many people today to hear because they've embraced sort of what we hear all around us know that sort of free love you to be with whoever you want when everyone can tell me what to do or who to love and we really confused. I think one what love is into what what sexuality is all about. It's a gift from God meant to be enjoyed in the context of marriage between one man and one one woman to the glory of God. And I really think that a lot of the confusion that existed in the cultures part of the reason why the church is having this discussion over and over again, but we don't want to be hypocrites. We don't want to just point the finger and not deal with the issues that are plaguing our own churches, in the sense that that many people experience and so we want to be gracious as well want to be humble.

We want to repent and we want to speak the truth to those outside the church so you for your question brother no Israel that reminds me how critical it is for Christian parents to be teaching their kids about God's marvelous gift of sex and what it means to be expressed within the appropriate guidelines of a committed marriage monogamous marriage and is actually a great series of books that parents can use with their kids called God's design for sex by Stan and Brenda Jones stammers the Provost at Wheaton College for many years, and one of the leading Christian psychologist in the nation and it's just a wonderful series that starts very young and takes her kids all the way through the teenage years teaching them just that God's design for sexuality. Yeah, I'm glad you mentioned that Bill me this is one of the things that we do we we talk about with our children. God's design for sexuality. Even the reality of of things like abuse women want to keep our kids safe. There's this wonderful book written by Justin and Lindsay Holcomb. God made all of me a book to help children protect their bodies and that that's an excellent resource. My wife and I have gone through that with our kids and this is a lot of good stuff out there that we can take advantage of will post those in the show notes of today's episode. You can find them@corechristianity.com/radio will have a memorial day, you know, given what so many people in our country are going through right now in this time of coronavirus having a sure confidence in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross on our behalf is so critical that's right will when we see it all around us that the fact that many in the church don't understand the basic cardinal truths of the Christian faith and because of that were unable to engage a culture, a world that needs to hear the gospel we all times.

Many within the church don't understand the gospel like they should. And that's what were here want to answer the difficult questions the unsettling questions that Christians and skeptics are asking.

We want you to know the beauty of the gospel in the grace of Jesus Christ for you so that you might be liberated that you can walk in the light and encourage the people around you with the truth of God's word. Your support alongside the worker team does to produce this broadcast is making a difference difference it's helping people know that liberating love of Jesus Christ, an eternal difference when ask you please consider sending a gift now to help us continue in our effort and is a thank you for a gift of $20 or more working to send you our Nucor Christianity Bible study on Paul's letter to the Romans to make a donation and receive this study on the book of Romans, head over to core Christianity.com and on behalf of the entire team in core radio. Thank you for your support. You can also reach us at 833. The core is 833-843-2673. By the way, you can post your questions on our Instagram or Facebook page and that's exactly what Al did. He posted this on Instagram if my heart is pure, will it outweigh my worldly ways. Well Al, our hearts are naturally pure because were born in sin of the children of wrath, the New Testament says our hearts produce all sorts of evil things in Jesus makes that absolutely clear him and you know he's the talked about how from the heart proceed all sorts of evil things, you know, adultery, murder, sexual immorality, we often think the problem is other people out, but it isn't. It's our own sinful hearts and only Jesus can deal with our sinful hearts. I can't purify my heart. Only Jesus can think of acts chapter 15 verse nine where the did the disciples are having a discussion about whether or not Gentiles who joined the church need to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses in order to be justified in order to be a real part of the body of Christ and the disciples are decisive know God made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts that is the Gentiles hearts by faith. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 22 says let us draw near with the true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Think about that your heart is it purified by your good works, it's purified by the blood of Jesus Christ. If you have faith in Jesus. If you belong to him. Your heart has been cleansed. Many believers are shocked to find out that even after they've been cleansed, they still struggle with the old worldly ways hard-won pastor like it's Lazarus being raised from the dead, you know your ear alive.

You still got the old grave clothes on the need to be shed. The spirit of God is going to be helping you shed those old threads for the entirety of your Christian life you can be confident in that blessingI've heard people who do things that they know are wrong, say, well, God knows my heart was in God is not purify your heart so that you can take his grace for granted. If you're actively engaging in sin but justifying yourself by saying well God knows my heart. Be careful, Paul said God is not deceived or mock whatever a man sows, he will reap if you sowed your flesh, you will reap corruption pulsate in the book of Galatians is so we don't want to take God's grace for granted. We rest in the fact that by faith. Jesus cleanses our heart. In the spirit of God is working in us to sanctify us, and that's the hope that we have is not the sort of balancing act where it's you don't like my good works are trying to outweigh my impure heart that kind of a thing know our hearts are either cleansed by faith, or they're not. And if they are cleansed, and God is working in us both to will and to work for his good pleasure. I'll thank you so much for your question. We appreciate that we love to get your questions you can email us anytime at questions at core, Christianity.com you can also call us and Shawn gave us a call with this question. I'm actually calling in regards to my life is going through. She when she was younger was molested and through the rest of her life has been carried out with her and feeling that God brought her into the world only to be taken advantage of.

I try to talk to her and ask her about the gospel and how, through Christ all of our pains in English are answered in the gospel. I feel inadequate in being able to turn to somewhere in Scripture to be at. Show her my comfort over what I do. Where do I go to bigotry help guide her as she's going through this and help her to understand that the gospel isn't only for when you die, but for now hereunder I really appreciate everything you guys have done Mike Israel, the new addition Bill everything you've done is uplifted and only my understanding of the Scriptures, but given me a moment of peace in the time of this coronavirus and I thank you all nonrevocable wonderful day. God bless son thank you for your encouragement and God bless you and your wife is well. I want to begin by praying for you brother gracious heavenly father, I list Sean in his life up to you and Lord often were crushed by circumstances that are outside of our control, and Lord that that we don't know how to how to deal with, but we look to you. We pray, God, for your mercy for your grace I pray for Sean's life. Lord I ask that by the grace of your Holy Spirit that you would comfort her in a way that only you can, that the gospel of Jesus Christ would become more and more precious to her every day. Lord, that she would find a comfort there that she would know the selfless and sacrificial love of Jesus, who gave himself for her for her good. I pray for Sean's Lord, that you would encourage him that you would strengthen him that you would give him wisdom to know how to speak to his wife encourage her to come alongside of her. I pray that you would give them patience and grace, mercy, Lord be with these your children, bless them, Lord, and keep them in your grace I pray in Jesus name, amen John if I could speak your wife, I'd say you know Jesus loves you.

He hates what happened to you and Jesus does not take advantage of you evil people may hurt us and use us. But Jesus does not do that to you. He did not bring you into this world so that you could be taken advantage of and that's not the end of your story, God brought you into this world to know him and to glorify him in his heart, as it may seem.

You don't have to be defined by your abuse by your past, Jesus is is an advocate for the vulnerable and the abused I think about those strong words in Matthew 18, verse six, where Jesus said whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Now this is one of the things we have to understand is victims of abuse aren't sending oftentimes there's this guilt that's associated with the abuse. A sense of shame but but you don't have to carry that you have to feel like you've done something wrong and it's so heartbreaking because so often when when someone has been abused they carry that way and I think that's one of the things that the gospel frees us of. We don't have to carry that there's a difference between sending and being sinned against the gospel frees us Sean. I agree with you that the gospel is the ultimate source of our hope in that it provides a true comfort for people who have suffered abuse but it's not like a Band-Aid that we can just slap onto our traumas.

Your wife is experience something horrible and in healing takes a long time.

The sometimes the application of the gospel is like a steady medicine rather than one time surgery that fixes everything whenever were confronted with fear or shame or a sense of worthlessness, we run once again to our identity in Jesus Christ, to what he's done for us in the gospel what he says about us that were loved that were accepted that were valued by the Lord rather than used that recommend you know a couple of resources one a good Christian counselor can be really helpful here. Probably one who specializes in working with victims of abuse.

This is not meant to replace your encouragement as her husband, or the church's role in pointing the two of you to Jesus and that's another thing that the church is so important. Being a part of a good church but it can be really helpful to have a good counselor to set up another tool that can it can aid in the healing process that can help this sort of deal with some of the underlying feelings that might be that sometimes are hard to identify and work through. There's also a great book I mentioned earlier, a children's book that Justin and Lindsay Holcomb wrote, but they wrote another one for victims of abuse called rid of my disgrace. There really is in a better book I've come across when it comes to applying the compassion and goodness of the gospel to victims of abuse and so I would encourage you to pick that resource up rid of my disgrace by Justin and Lindsay Holcomb.

It's a minute to have a book, but it really gets to the heart of the issue.

What is it mean to apply the grace of Jesus to people who suffered these horrible things to many of us who have suffered these these horrible things just know that there is hope, as you say, that the forgiveness of Jesus, the love of Jesus the comfort of the Holy Spirit is for you and God is for you. He's for your wife in this very difficult time not to lose hope the process of healing can take a really long time. I pray for you brother that the healing of our Lord Jesus Christ with daily be at work in your wife and in you. God is with you. That's the hope we have. Thanks for listening to core Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us@corechristianity.com and click on offers and the menu bar 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