Question and Answer Program No. 90

So your Val to remain single was not biblical it might have been well-intentioned and you might've been very sincere, but it was like the valve just thought in Judges 11. Emily might want to look at Judges 11.

He makes a foolish Val that he would sacrifice whatever came out his door to God because God given victory that he thought the dog would run out the door.

The cat turned out to been fought.

What happened was his daughter Bible teacher on this daily program clip that you heard just a moment ago was a portion of one of those answers were so glad you joined us today you have a question that you'd like Stephen to answer to come back in just a few moments and give you a number that you can call referred from a listener in Greensboro, North Carolina, named page coming from Greenspring like Carolina, my friend from combat, especially Carol Kerry titled which talks about how we are to submit to support our rulers but only as long as not God not answer to not murder, yet showing habitable outcome of the war quickly found the soldier come to terms with having Carol contempt action nightly qualify, our enemy, funky dating, we are really glad to hear from you today. Sorry for the struggles that your brothers having Stephen Ward. By definition, is extremely violent it is and the results are a lifelong in the lives especially of our soldiers.

In fact, our heart goes out to these men and women who are engaged in combat like Paige mentioned her brother has been really interesting to me that I think everyone's becoming more and more aware that, apart from the discussion which we will get into about whether wars just which war is just because that's that's another topic, but I think that we want to address webpages asked and that is the difference between killing and murder would be one of those and there is a different certainly murder is the taking of a life of an innocent individual for self serving purposes. Killing is that which takes place on the battlefield. When a soldier is under orders that's another part of Page's question and then we did deal with submission to government and governmental authority, and a soldier is certainly under orders. The decision of who to fight and win the fight where to fight really decisions that soldiers don't make their commanders do we need to be careful though because the soldier still has a moral compass. He still has the sense of right and wrong. If he is ordered to kill innocent people. Obviously our own culture are an unbelieving culture considers those war crimes.

But if the soldier disobeys his commander.

There are consequences there as well. You can be court-martialed and and pay some some serious penalties. I think it is important to understand that again are unbelieving culture is addressing not just this idea of soldiers killing or by the way guilt from having not been killed when their bodies lost their lives that also brings a tremendous amount of of guilt and shame and pain, but our our world is beginning to talk about the moral issues relative to war they talk about a moral injury that a veteran feels which I think is very interesting because that takes us into another realm, which is where page. I believe your brother and every soldier can find hope and help and that is whether or not it was right or wrong, whether or not it was justifiable or unjustifiable.

There is a guilt that comes to a veteran soldier because there's been the taking of another life and factor a number of studies that have been done in recent years, soldiers returning from Iraq. 40% of them who reported either killing or being responsible for killing during their deployment suffered tremendously with the effects that led to PTSD, alcohol abuse, anger, relationship problems, and in fact suicide. One article I came across and made the rather astonishing and tragic conclusion from research that the total number of US active-duty suicides in one year was higher than the number of combat related deaths, so obviously there's a tremendous amount of guilt and and shame, even if the soldiers under orders, even if it would be considered a justifiable war and by the way, if a soldier either felt nothing emotionally about taking the life of another human being. That's what we would call a social path and it would be a very very great danger to society. So the fact that the page. Your brother feels guilt and feels this internal struggle is is actually good thing.

So where do we go with this. Well we go to the Scriptures. Of course, and we think of one of the leading apostles, who himself was guilty of murder. He was complicit in the killing of Stephen, an innocent man who preached a message that the religious leaders didn't like and and he organized it implied in the fact that he kept the cloaks of those and watched as Stephen was stoned to death.

We also know from Paul's own testimony that he was. He suffered in his own soul, the guilt of the memory of incarcerating putting families in the jail.

No doubt leading to the deaths of early believers which is why the church had a hard time accepting Paul early on and Paul on several occasions gave apology and a sense for having been involved in those activities. What is Paul have to say, well, what was Paul's hope, Paul's hope was the gospel. Paul's hope was connected to the killing of his Savior, who by the way, was sent and was under orders by the will of God the father to die and it's that death, the death of Jesus Christ that solves every other death and all of the guilt and shame related to it. That is ever taken place on the planet wartime killing even even a murderer who is listening to me right now.

What is the solution to all of it. It is the death of Jesus Christ and the blood of Jesus was shed to cover all of the crimes. All of this in all of the killing all of the murder, whether right or wrong covers it all by his blood and we can find forgiveness by taking it to that cross laying at the feet of the one who was killed on her behalf murdered, as it were, by the will of God.

Stephen, I think that's a really great and important reminder that the only source of relief for guilt and shame surrounding our sin is the gospel of Jesus Christ. That's right, and even the apostle Paul in I mentioned earlier wrote it this way that God is now reconciled us through Christ in his fleshly body through death in order to present you. That's Scott Stephen page page your brother to present you before him, God holy and blameless and beyond reproach.

That is because you continue in the faith firmly established steadfast, not moving away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, well, that's our hope and that John also in one of his letters road if we confess our sins he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If anyone sins, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he himself was the satisfaction for our sins so we we take every sin, every right every wrong. Every question every doubt to the cross. Scott, I'm so grateful that page called in page. There are a number of resources that might be helpful for you. I happen to be the son of missionary parents who work with the military for 60 years.

If you want to call our studio.

We can give me some information about how to connect reading Google missions to military and they have written resources that would be helpful. Scott were grateful. We live in a country that is safe because of our soldiers are men and women are armed forces that have put their lives on the line and I I personally praise God for the benefit that we have is a free country because of their sacrifice. But I'm aware that there shame and guilt.

This moral injury. Even our secular culture calls it, and the only solution to all of that friends is to take it to the Lord and believe by faith. The gospel of Jesus Christ. Like you, Stephen. I'm grateful for those men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms, but I'm also glad we had the opportunity to address those who survived but who carry with them the burden of guilt over the violence of war. Absolutely no thank you thank you page and give us a call if we can help further the number that paged used. To reach us is 910-808-9384. That's a number that we've set up for you to call Lynn anytime night or day with your Bible question. It'll be recorded on that line for us to play on a future broadcast for Stephen to answer.

It's not a number that you can use if you need to speak with us. But if you have a Bible question. You can use this number 910-808-9384 here's another question that a listener had for Stephen on the extreme right… Legalistic time at church and we weren't allowed to have fun were allowed to have a lot of and if tenant appeared in like life, it seems difficult to make that a product can live up that the other extreme and start following charismatic church and dairy cattle in July.

All the fun you want.

It seems like it has been a reward for being faithful to Jesus. So I am torn between the two extremes.

Really, I wondered if you could help me straighten all this out in my head up and gone back to work with her longtime thank you well II think that part of the answer is avoid those extremes avoid either one of those either one of those descriptions that you've given us in your question are places to avoid sounds to me like you have visited something in the middle. Given visited the church is committed to teaching Scripture, not opinion. Teaching prosperity theology, not the truth of what Scripture teaches. So I think your search needs to begin with. The church is cannot take the Bible and give you what they think the Bible says, but tell you what the Bible actually says and that can help you avoid extremes now, but let me add to that the Christianity Jeff doesn't solve all the questions and in balance, you know it's easy for us to say will on balanced and by the way, I believe people in both those extremes view themselves as balanced balance is extremely difficult. I remember someone saying that arriving at a balanced position is like a pendulum, and the only time a pendulum is in the center is when it's in the process of going from one side to the other, so it always is very difficult to say oh I'm in the middle wait, no, I'm not in a lot of things change as well a lot of issues that you struggle with that I struggle with are issues that generations before us and generations after us will not. We were just come talking here in the studio about some of those issues when we were children. I can remember when I was a little boy, a pool table was the paragon of evil.

You can only play pool.

If you would into the pool hall and pool halls were places you wanted to go and then it became associated with the actually the pool table. I can remember as a young boy. My dad had been. I think it was at Sears and Roebuck and there was a damaged pool table there any any got down on all fours realize that one corner could be repaired he repaired it and then went purchased it for that sale price, which was pennies and he brought it home and put it in the garage and I'll never forget it was sort of like don't tell anybody, but let's go enjoy you know a game of pool and then it was a couple weeks or a couple of months he can remember later when our pastor was at our home. I don't know if it was for dinner. He was stop and buyer may be heard some rumors that the Davie boys were it all in deep trouble.

But he came by and my dad they were chatting about things and the next thing I know he was invited to play this game of pool. I'll never forget all of us in the garage with our pastor, laughing and having a great time playing a game of pool.

That's not how I thought you thought or I'll give you that a church right well you know I sure admired that Mattie Kennesaw through the legalistic battle and in and by the way, that doesn't mean that questionable things should be immediately embraced that that other side Jeff that you talked about. So what you do will you go live. In Romans 14. For one thing and there. Paul gives the principles of a Christian's conscience. They wanted to know if you could eat meat that had been offered to idols. They expected Paul to come back with intermediate absolutely not and he didn't. In fact, he gives principles of how to decide whether or not you could eat that meat and he gives principles like verse five of chapter 14, each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.

He reminds every believer that you're going to stand before the judgment seat of God. So you better be careful and you better know what you're doing and Scripture is not violated and you're not being disobedient in something you do this got a bit of the pastor. Now 31 years and I've heard people argue from both sides of of this issue. I've I've seen the legalist angry at those they would call licentious or libertarians. I've I've seen the libertarians scoff at the legalist. Both sides are wrong to condemn censorious leave one another. Let's be gracious and people disagree about a lot of things. They'll disagree with how to school the child should be Christian school public school or home school, I tell folks in our church. We've done all three, and none of work will perfectly all I had none of them work perfectly but it's a decision you make is apparent on scoff and look down at those who do it differently, you know and I will go all the way to the birth of a child with kinda high charity and put them in the put them in store-bought diapers or do they have to be cloth diapers do you nurse or do you use formula any Jeff. The issues are on ending.

Frankly, because were fallen selfish creatures and we think are opinion matters more than anybody else's, so go live in the Scriptures find the church in an assembly where it's expository preaching verse by verse and the pastor doesn't insert his opinion in between each word and that'll steer you correctly and that we address the issue at length here on the radio Scott. I can skinned my mind. We've done a series on Romans 14 and maybe we could offer that to him as well. We sure can. Jeff we have a resource that we think is going to really help you navigate this issue wisely and anyone who is listening.

Stephen has a nine part series called gray matters that come straight from the Scriptures in Romans 14 gray matters is available on our website. If you go to wisdom online.org you'll find that series and you can actually listen to the messages right there on the website or you can download and read Stephen's manuscript from those messages. Those resources are absolutely free. If you prefer having it on a set of CDs we can help you with that as well. But all of that information is@wisdomonline.org or you can call us for more information to come back in a few moments and give you the number that you can use to call us Stephen we have time for just a couple more questions. All sexual and morality, so I doubt I however I could not keep so I got married me for breaking now or will he require me to divorce my husband to remain single, or should I remain married or important about chastity or marriage.

We are so glad that you called us, because there is hope for you and God's word and we are Emily, thank you. Your question is multilayered, but let me begin first of all with his vow of chastity and I would be very very direct with you because I want to help you in order to do that I need to tell you the truth that this valve chastity is nothing less than an act of penance here you're trying to atone for your immorality in the earlier years by vowing to be single.

God never asked you to make a valid and in order to be forgiven. You will do anything to receive God's forgiveness for your sexual sin or any other sin. The sin you commit tomorrow.

By the way, that is covered by the blood of Christ, your Savior.

Yes, sometimes in distress, we can say Lord you get me out of this. I promise I'll do this, this, this and that and I think of the two guys who are drowning.

You know they were carried out to the ocean and one guy said to the other. You know I not been rebellious, five minutes start dealing with this with God's choices got a few few rescue as soft promise that I'll pay back the money to the bank that I owe and I'll pay the creditor. III shafted in an all in his body nudge Mrs. hey, hold it, don't go any further I see a lifeboat wealth for another words don't get too carried away with your your valves well for you.

Obviously, in agony, sensing, knowing the guilt of your former sin, you thought that somehow God would be impressed with you more if you made a vow that if you simply went to him and said, Lord Jesus, forgive my sin. So your vow to remain single was not biblical.

It might've been well-intentioned and you might've been very sincere, but it was like the valve. Jeff thought in Judges 11. Emily might want to look at Judges 11. He makes a foolish Val that he would sacrifice whatever came out his door to God because God given a victory and he thought, you know, the dog would run out the door. The cat, and as far as I'm concerned that the been fine, but what happened was his daughter runs out the door and she is given over to a life of virginity or Chasity. She remains unmarried and that she's not sacrificed as he planned. He would've done with an animal she wasn't sacrificed she remain single. That was a foolish Val by Jeff that in in that world is Val impacted her life for the rest of her life. So let me let me again make this clear.

Your Val to remain single, though well-intentioned, was foolish. It was unnecessary. God doesn't forgive you because you make a Val he forgives you when you admit that you said if we confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus we can be safe if we admit that were sending. If we say the same thing as God. First John one we are to refer to that verse he'll forgive us when we admit that were sinful. Now you're married.

Guess what those valves are godly those valves. You made your husband are God honoring so you your vow to remain single was foolish, but your valves to be married are godly so it would be absolutely wrong for you to break your godly valves in order to keep a foolish one. So here's what I want you to do enjoy your marriage. Give it to God. If it hasn't already been dedicate yourself as a wife to the Lord and enjoy dedicate sacrifice commit everything you have.

The man you married because those valves were pleasing to God, thank you so much for calling Emily. We were really glad to hear from you and friends. The number that you can use to call us is 910-808-9384. Stephen will give you one more for today questionnaire. There is a him he could have called parent boundaries Angel.

My question is that you really need the entire combination of time itself.

Creation all met up by New York City scenarios.

On the fiction of Christ. I appreciate your response: days. Stephen well, there's a difference between could Jesus have called 10,000 angels, or would Jesus call 10,000 angels a mean first of all on one hand, Jesus can do anything he wants to do okay is God incarnate, but Dave, you're right because you're dipping back into the theology of redemption and according to redemptions plan which was determined in eternity past, Jesus wasn't going to do that now we do see him as a man, fully man.

He battled this in the garden of Gethsemane saying to his father several times. Is there any way this cup can pass from me.

Is there any other way around.

This separation from you and becoming sin anyways under those prayers were told in the gospel because nevertheless I will be done that I didn't say Dave that him is wrong because were told in Matthew 26 around verse 24 when Peter cuts off the year of Malthus Jesus, as you put your sword, don't you know I could call 12 legions of angels to assist me if I want an allegiant 6000 so were talking about, not 10,000 were talking about. He could've called 72,000 angels to assist him to be really awkward to sing it that way.

Would Ray would best of the meter that he could've called 72,000 angels well.

The point is, he could've called 100 million. If you'd wanted it isn't that he couldn't of igniting wants, but he wouldn't because he become to earth for the purpose of dying for our sin, rising sending, and by the way it all wraps together because he soon coming back so the theology behind that him. Stephen is then the important truth that the hymn writers making the point Jesus went really. Thanks Dave, thanks so much for calling were glad to have heard from you. That's all we have time for today but let me give you some information before we go number that you can reach if you would like to speak with us is 86 648 Bible website is wisdom. Online.all of our resources are posted there as well as additional information about thanks for joining us today. Have a great join us on Monday right here on for the heart