How Should We Respond When a Church Member Commits a Hate Crime?

How should we respond when a Christian commits a hate crime? That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of CORE Christianity. Hi, this is Bill Meyer, along with Pastor Adriel 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 for the next 25 minutes with your question and talk to Pastor Adriel live. Here's the number. It's 833-THE-CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. You can also post your question on our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts. You can watch us on YouTube, and you can email us your question at questionsatcorechristianity.com.

First up today, let's go to Sally in Ligonier, Indiana. Sally, what's your question for Pastor Adriel? My question is regarding baptism. Some denominations mainly baptize infants. Others insist that the only legitimate baptism is by immersion, as Christ was immersed. I just wondered what was Pastor's opinion on that.

Hey, thank you for that question, Sally. Really, what we're talking about right now is the mode of baptism. Is it necessary to be immersed, fully dunked in the water, in order for you to be truly baptized? The church has had different ways of baptizing, whether that's through immersion or sprinkling or pouring. One of the most ancient Christian documents that we know of, a document called the Didache, probably written around the same time as the Gospels.

I mean, it's that old. It was written by believers, by Christians. One of the things the Didache talks about is this idea of baptism and how to do it. One of the things it talks about being baptized in sort of living water or a river or something like that.

If you can't do that, well, then you can't do that. You can't just baptize via pouring. You have to recognize that there were, circumstantially, sometimes it was difficult to be fully immersed. Well, that doesn't mean that you couldn't be baptized. There were other ways, other modes, legitimate modes of baptism. In fact, just to get biblical with this, you think about what Jesus himself said in Acts 1, where he told the disciples prior to his ascension that he was going to baptize them in the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1, verse 5, Jesus said, John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. He was referring to what took place on the day of Pentecost. Well, what did it look like when the disciples were baptized in the Holy Spirit, Sally, in the very next chapter? It was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. You see this also in verse 33 of Acts chapter 2. Therefore, being exalted at the right hand of God and having received the promise of the Father, the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. So this idea of baptism, it doesn't necessarily have to mean that a person needs to be fully immersed in order to be legitimately baptized, although that's perfectly fine. It's wonderful. I think that's a good thing. But you can also be sprinkled, or you could have water poured on you, and that would also be a legitimate baptism.

I think you see that in Acts 1 and 2, and it's certainly something that the Church has done from the very beginning. Sally, thank you so much for your question. May the Lord bless you. You're listening to Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Let's go to Jenny from Donelson, Iowa.

Jenny, welcome to the program. Thank you for taking my call. I have been doubting my salvation for about a year, and it's caused a lot of constant inner turmoil. And I was just wondering, what does putting my faith and trust in Jesus look like? I've prayed just in case prayer a lot, just in case it didn't take the first time, and how can I believe that he died for me? This has been a big struggle for me. Yeah.

Well, Jenny, you are not alone. There are a lot of sincere, genuine believers who have this same question, and I've shared it on the broadcast before, that I really wrestled with this as a newer Christian. And when we look at the New Testament, there are a number of places that the New Testament talks about us having assurance, or places where we can get assurance from as believers.

The one that a lot of times people focus on is their fruit. Am I really being faithful? Am I really walking with Jesus?

Has my life truly changed? And there are places in the Scriptures where it talks about this, where it talks about how having a genuine relationship with Jesus does indeed change us. The Spirit of God is working in us day by day.

But I don't think that's the primary place you should go, or any of us should go, to find assurance. Another place that the Scriptures talk about is this sort of internal testimony of the Holy Spirit. Paul said in the book of Romans that the Spirit of God bears witness with our spirit that we are indeed the children of God.

Sort of like this overwhelming sense of the fact that I have been adopted into God's family. And so some people will point to that. And I think that's legitimate. I mean, it's biblical, but even that I would say is not the primary place that we should go in order to find assurance. The primary place we go is to the promise of the Gospel, which is for sinners, Jenni. It's that Jesus Christ died, rose again from the grave, and that all who trust in him are indeed saved, born again. And it's this objective promise that the author of the Hebrews talks about, actually, in a passage of Scripture that a lot of times people will go to.

And it's one that they feel like causes them to question their salvation. It's in the book of Hebrews chapter 6. And in the second part of Hebrews chapter 6, I want you to know what the author of the Hebrews said, Jenni, because this was something that was really comforting for me when I grasped it, wrestling with this very question. The author of the Hebrews says, Hebrews 6, 13, when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, Surely I will bless you and multiply you. And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.

So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath. So that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we, that's you and me, Jenni, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to lay hold of the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf. What is the anchor of your soul? What is the anchor of my soul? It is Jesus Christ himself who has ascended into heaven. The anchor of my soul, what keeps me, is not my own faithfulness.

It's not my feelings. We've got to not look to those things in order to find assurance. We look up to Jesus, to his work. And what I love about this passage of scripture, Jenni, is it's focusing on the promise of God, the sure promise of God, that God can't lie. He's extended this gospel to us, to sinners. Our job is to lay hold of that hope by faith.

Now, how do you do that? Well, faith, Jenni, is like an empty hand. It's just receiving the grace that Jesus has for you. As broken as we are, as sinful as we are, as much as we still struggle, that grace is for you, and so you lay hold of it. And so, you know, we can look at our lives and say, I see the Lord working in me, and that might comfort us. We can have this sense of the fact that we've been adopted into the family of God. But even those things, it can be sort of shaky.

They're subjective. The objective hope that you can have is in what Jesus has done. He is the anchor of your soul. And as John says in his first letter, 1 John, I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you might know that you have eternal life. Jenni, if you believe in Jesus, if you trust in him, if you've extended that empty hand to him receiving his grace, you can know that you have eternal life.

God bless you. You know, Adriel, you used two really important words there, objective and subjective. And objectively, the price has been paid for our sin. Objectively, we are saved. And yet subjectively, as Jenni expressed and many people expressed, they get stuck with, how do I feel on a certain day?

Am I really sure? We need to keep coming back to that again and again, don't we? Yeah, it's looking outside of ourselves up to Christ and to his work. And at the end of the day, that should lead us to worship, because we're not resting on what we do, but what he did. And so in that sense, it really is such a comfort, because we know that our works are shaky, that we do well, and then we fail, and then we get back up.

But that's why we don't get assurance primarily from what we do, but from what Jesus did, and that it's for sinners like us. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Let's go to Danni, who's calling in from Davie, Florida. Danni, welcome to the program. Hey guys, Adrian and Bill. It's an honor to talk to you guys. I found your program, and I don't think I've missed a day since. It's a real blessing to me. So I just wanted you guys to know that.

Hey, thank you, Danni. The question is, we know that people in our day who claim to be Christian, yet they are trusting in their good works to save them instead of the grace and mercy of God and the finished work of Jesus, which causes them to remain unsaved sadly. And we know from the Old Testament, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Now, to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work, but trusts God, who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.

So my question is this. Jews in the Old Testament times were saved the same way as Abraham and us, by trusting God and looking to the coming Messiah. And we look back to the cross, but Old Testament Jews seem to put their obedience of the law as something that was crucial to their salvation. So if people now add works to salvation, nullifying their salvation, then wouldn't Old Testament Jews be guilty of the same mistake and were then unsaved because of their trusting in the good works of their obedience to the law? I'd like your thoughts on that issue. I really appreciate the question, and it shows that you are digging into the Scriptures.

You're absolutely right, and I think that this is something that's really important for us to grasp. The saints in the Old Testament, they weren't saved a different way from us. They weren't saved by their works, by the law, and now under the new covenant, we're saved by grace and the forgiveness of sins, that kind of a thing. No, everyone who's saved is saved by grace through faith, and you cited a couple verses in the book of Romans there. It talks about Abraham being justified by faith as well.

Just good text to go to. So that is the clear teaching of the Scripture. And so then the question is what was the role of the law? What was the role of the temple, the sacrifices?

You had the ceremonial law, all of those other things. And it wasn't so that the Hebrews would put their trust in it for their salvation, for their justification, we might say. The apostle Paul, he sort of teases this out in the book of Galatians specifically, and he talks about how the law was given as a guardian until Christ came. This is Galatians chapter 3 verse 24, in order that we might be justified by faith. So the law could never justify.

It didn't justify then, it doesn't justify now. In one sense, it was this guardian that helped to keep the people of God there under the old covenant until the appointed time. And all the other things, you know, the ceremonial law, you think of the temple, the tabernacle, the types and shadows. What those things were meant to do was set the eyes of the Hebrews onto Christ and the gospel through these sort of shadowy types, these precursors, if you will, to the redemptive work of Jesus. When John the Baptist shows up preaching, he points to Jesus and he says, Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. In other words, this is the ultimate sacrifice for atonement, for our sins, that all those sacrifices of the old covenant pointed forward to. And so the Hebrews weren't called to put their trust in the law.

If you trust in the law, if you trust in yourself, your own works, you're lost, you're condemned. And again, that's a point that Paul makes throughout Galatians and especially in Galatians chapter 3. It was all of these things, the law, the sacrifices, the types and shadows of the Old Testament were meant to point us, to lead us by the hand to Jesus. And one of the things that's so beautiful about this is when you really grasp this, it helps you to recognize that the entire Bible, friends, is about Christ.

It took me a long time to understand that, years actually. I'd read the Old Testament and I'd think, okay, it just seems like God is all about rules and regulations there and in the New Testament he's about grace. And it seems like they were saved by the law back then and now we're saved by forgiveness and grace.

No, that's not it at all. That's exactly what Paul says was not the case in Galatians chapter 3. All of these things are actually pointing us to Jesus and to the grace that we receive in him. And Jesus himself is the one who said this. When the religious leaders were denying him, were rejecting him, you know, he says to them in John chapter 5, you search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, but these are the very scriptures that testify of me. And so we see Jesus, the gospel, all over the place in the Old Testament, but it was through these sort of types, figures, shadows, these precursors, if you will, to the reality. And so that's how we have to understand this.

They weren't trusting in those things. Those things were leading them to the one in whom they should trust and in whom we should trust, Jesus. Thank you for your question, Danny.

Amen. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. If you have a question for Pastor Adriel, here's the number to call and you want to call here in the next 10 minutes or so. It's 833-THE-CORE.

That's 833-843-2673. One reminder, some radio stations air our program at a delayed basis later in the day. So if you want to call live and talk to Pastor Adriel, here are the times to call 1130 a.m. Pacific, 1230 Mountain, 130 Central or 230 Eastern Time.

That's the time that we are on live and you can call in. Well, we aren't supported by a church or a denomination here at Core Christianity. We depend on people just like you, and one of the ways you can support this ministry is by joining what we call our inner core. Yeah, brothers and sisters, I want to, well, one, thank you for your support of this broadcast by listening and engaging and calling.

We love getting these questions. Please continue to call us. If you haven't called and you have a question, reach out to us. And also your prayers and your financial support means a lot, and the inner core is a group essentially that you can join. It's a monthly donation of $25 or more, and we have a lot of exclusive content for inner core members, interviews, devotional resources, just other really helpful resources. If you sign up for the inner core, you'll get a copy of this book, Core Christianity, Finding Yourself in God's Story. It was written by theology professor Dr. Michael Horton, a good friend of mine, and just another resource that we know will help you to grow in your relationship with the Lord. And that's what it's all about is understanding the truth of God's word so that we might love him and know him and walk with him.

That's what we want for ourselves, and that's what we want for you. And so thank you for your support. And if you've been blessed by this broadcast, consider joining the inner core. Here's how you join. Just go to corechristianity.com forward slash inner core. That's corechristianity.com forward slash inner core.

One word to learn more. Or give us a call at 833-THE-CORE, 833-843-2673. Let's go to Maria calling in from Paris, California. Maria, what's your question for Pastor Adriel? Hi Pastor Adriel. My question is, how does one pray for a non-believer and they're in a state of mental confusion and delirium?

Yeah. Well, I would say we lift them up to the Lord. We offer a prayer for them with faith, trusting in God and looking to the Lord. I mean, situations like this, I think a lot of times can cause us to question whether or not God is able to help another person. And sometimes you think of issues where you mentioned delirium, maybe there's some mental health stuff there.

You know, it can really, really discourage us. But sister, I want to encourage you, Maria, the Lord Jesus hears your prayers and he is able to work in the life of this individual, whatever it is that they're going through. And so I think what we do is we lift them up and we say, Lord, give them clarity of mind. Ultimately, Lord, cause the light of your countenance, the light of your love, the light of your mercy, the light of Jesus to shine upon them so that they might know your truth. And we ultimately know that in terms of someone coming to the faith, Maria, someone embracing the gospel, that that really is a work of the Holy Spirit. And so I think you can pray and ought to pray that the Spirit of God would be at work in this person's life, illuminating their mind and helping them to see and cling to Jesus. And so you pray for that. And also, I would say, pray for opportunities to be able to share the love of the Lord with this individual, to extend that kindness to them through your actions toward them.

Even just speaking the truth in love, speaking the gospel, who Jesus is and what he's done for us so that they might begin to see by the grace of the Holy Spirit. And so, yeah, I want to encourage you to pray and I think that that's the best approach, knowing that the Spirit is in control and trusting in him to do his work. Thank you for your question.

Amen. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. You can leave us a voicemail on our phone line 24 hours a day if you have a question. You can also leave a voicemail through our website at corechristianity.com.

Just click on the little microphone icon to record your question. Here's a voicemail we received from Brad. Yeah, my question has to do with news, recent news about the shooting in Atlanta that's happened. And I guess one of many, there's been more shootings that have gone on where the perpetrator is someone who's their church member or their professing Christian or they go to an evangelical church and so some people say that these churches kind of ignore talking about these types of things and should talk about them more in order to confront this type of sin. Some people are saying it doesn't have anything to do with the fact that these people went to church, and I guess I was just wondering what you think churches or pastors could do. Should they do more than what they are doing or is this just something that's inevitable, you know, with certain people who are sinners and might have other mental health issues?

Yeah, thank you for that question. Absolutely devastating what took place in Atlanta. And then as you mentioned, you know, a lot of the news stations reported this person was a member of a church. And at least, you know, the first thing we should do is cry out to the Lord for his mercy, for his mercy and comfort for especially the victims, for those who have been directly affected.

Pray for the church to have a good response, to be able to come alongside of those who are in need in this time. Obviously, you know, something like this happens and it's another black eye for the church and the eyes of the world. You know, the world sees this and they just say, yeah, you guys are all a bunch of hypocrites.

And so this is just absolutely devastating, heartbreaking. And I know a lot of people right now are sort of looking for motives and that kind of a thing. I did see some reports that were saying essentially, you know, he was saying that the reason he did this heinous thing was because of some sexual addiction that he had quote, quote, a temptation for him that he wanted to eliminate these spas that he shot up. And what this is, frankly, is this is the spirit of the Antichrist murder. And it's a sort of false theology, frankly, frankly, a misunderstanding of sin, a misunderstanding of the image of God.

It seems like he has objectified these women, essentially dehumanized them and then was able to kill them. And he saw it as fighting against his temptation. And I think it's okay for us within the church and we should reflect on ourselves. And are there things that we say as Christian leaders and pastors that allow people to think like this? I think oftentimes in the church when we're always pointing the finger at the outside and saying the problem is out there, not inside of us, the problem is out there, sometimes people can take that and run with it and say, yeah, that's right, that's the problem.

And that's the problem that I'm at war with. And maybe that's what this young man thought. And he was deceived.

He was deceived. And as I said, that was, this is the spirit of the Antichrist at work. Jesus himself made it absolutely clear in Matthew chapter 15 where the problem is, where sin lies. He says it comes from our hearts. Verse 19 of Matthew 15, for out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone. Brothers and sisters, too often we fail to realize that the problem, that the sin issue that we need to deal with first and foremost isn't out there. It isn't in other people made in the image of God first and foremost. So often it's right here in our own hearts. And if in the church there's this rhetoric that's always sort of pointing the finger out there, and in particular here one of the big issues was the way in which women were being treated and talked about as if these women were the problem. And I think there can be language that's used in the church at times that contributes to this sort of ideology that we need to fight against, frankly. No, we need to turn to the Lord. The problem so often, brothers and sisters, is our own hearts and the sin that's there that needs to be mortified. And the hope is the gospel, that Jesus himself has conquered sin, even the sin in us. Call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833-THE-CORE. When you contact us, please let us know how you've been encouraged by this program. And be sure to join us next time as we explore the truth of God's Word together.