Can a Protestant Marry a Catholic?

Should a Protestant Christian marry a Catholic? That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of CORE Christianity. Well, hi there. 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 also post your question on our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts. You can watch us live on YouTube and send us a message that way, and you can email us your question at questions at corechristianity.com.

Hey Bill, I wanted to open it up today's broadcast, sort of piggybacking off of something that we discussed at the opening of yesterday's show. We got an excellent phone call from a brother named Mike, and he had a question that I know a lot of people have. He was asking about, you know, there are some passages of scripture that talk about God choosing individuals for salvation. We went to Ephesians chapter one, I mentioned Romans chapter nine, but then you also have other passages of scripture that make it sound like God wills all people to be saved. So it seems like there's this contradiction that we find in the Bible, and his question is, how do we deal with that? We went into it, but honestly, because I know it's such an important topic and it's a question that many people have, I wanted to follow up some more and look at a passage in 1 Timothy chapter two, where Paul tells Timothy, look, God wants you to be praying for all people, and he says in verse three, this is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. If that's true, and yet other passages of scripture like Ephesians one are true, where Paul says very clearly to the church at Ephesus, he's writing to believers, and he says, God chose you in Jesus before the foundation of the world.

You were predestined in love to adoption his sons. How can these two things be reconciled? I wanted to touch on just how a number of, I think, great theologians have talked about this throughout the history of the church. St. Augustine, for example, writing many, many years ago, and he wrestled with a lot of these questions about God's sovereignty and the human will. He said, well, a passage like this is referring to the fact that God wills all to be saved who actually are saved.

That's one way of looking at it. Another way of looking at this is it's talking in particular about God willing all people to be saved without distinction, but not all without exception. For example, all different kinds of people. Earlier in 1 Timothy two, it does seem like the apostle Paul is talking about different kinds of people. Verse two, kings and all who are in the high positions. He's talking about earthly rulers, that kind of a thing.

There are still others, and this is actually an interesting way of looking at it. There was a guy named John of Damascus, another great theologian and church father who said, look, God wills, in one sense, all people to be saved. He says antecedently, but consequently, he may not will all people to be saved. For example, a judge may will the life of all people, but not for particular individuals who have been condemned. I just wanted to throw that out there because there are a number of ways that really brilliant theologians throughout the history of the church have sought to deal with this.

It's not a contradiction. It's what the scripture clearly teaches that God does choose people for salvation, yet we know that as he's revealed his will to us in his word, he wills all people to be saved. Of course, as I just explained, there are different ways of looking at that, but one other thing, Bill, that I would want to say is we have God's revealed will. We know what he's revealed to us through his law, through the holy scriptures, but you also have God's decree. Again, in Ephesians chapter one, it says that God calls all things to work together after the counsel of his will. There's nothing that happens in the history of humanity outside of God's decree.

In one sense, everything happens as a result of God's decree, and yet not necessarily directly. We're getting into some really deep theology here, but I just so appreciated the question that we got from Mike that I wanted to follow up, and I hope he's listening right now. I'm grateful for all of you who listen and give us calls.

Do give us a call today, 833-843-2673. It was a great question from Mike, and I think a lot of people struggle with the whole fairness issue. They say, well, if God is just and God is loving, how could he possibly exclude some people from eternity with him? So how would you respond to that?

Yeah, and I did mention this briefly yesterday. It's just the reality that when we think about justice, we actually don't want justice. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. If God just gave us what we deserved, the wages of sin is death. What we need is mercy. What we want is mercy. So God is not obligated to save anyone, and yet he sent his son into the world to call all people everywhere to repentance and faith, and he does save people by his grace, and so we rejoice in that.

Amen. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life, our phone lines will be open for the next 20 minutes or so, so hop on the phone right now.

833-THE-CORE, 833-THE-CORE, which translates into 833-843-2673. Let's go to Joel in Ontario, Canada. Joel, what's your question for Pastor Adriel?

Hello, Pastor Adriel. Thank you for your program. I really appreciate you being on the air and answering our questions. The question that I have today for you is how do I explain the true gospel to a friend who is charismatic and believes in the prosperity of the gospel, especially at this time since he has tested COVID positive, and he is sick, and yeah, so this is a sensitive time for him.

So how do I approach this issue, and as for our relationship, we are housemates, so yeah, that's my question for you. Well, Joel, I definitely want to say a prayer for your friend, and so let's just do that right now. Father, we lift Joel's friend up to you who is sick with COVID right now. We ask for his healing. We also pray, Lord, above all else, that you would open his heart to understand the true gospel of your son, Jesus. Father, we know that there are many people in the world today who have been captivated by other gospels, false gospels, gospels that aren't gospels at all like the prosperity gospel movement. Would you do a mighty work in this man's life? Would you use Joel to be able to speak the truth in love, and would you give our brother Joel wisdom as he seeks to share the message of salvation, the message of Christ, the true gospel with his housemate?

Would you be with him and grant us all, Lord God, your wisdom? Well, in one sense, one of the things that your friend should be seeing is just how bankrupt the prosperity gospel is, especially in this moment as he's suffering with something like the COVID-19 pandemic. The prosperity gospel promises people health, wealth, riches, all sorts of earthly blessings, but what it doesn't do is talk about sin and repentance and justification. Really, the focus of the true gospel, the forgiveness of sins, that's brushed under the rug and people are promised all of these things that just ultimately God never promised us.

Maybe this will be an open door for you and your discussions with him just to be able to say, look, friend, we do experience suffering as Christians. Jesus made it absolutely clear in John chapter 16, before he left his disciples in this world, you will have tribulation. Look at the lives of the apostles. They experienced suffering, sickness, all of these things. Timothy had frequent stomach ailments. He was Paul's son in the faith, and yet Paul doesn't say name and claim your healing.

Instead, actually tells him to take a little bit of wine to help him settle his stomach. The reality is there's just no evidence for the teaching of the prosperity gospel movement in Holy Scripture. They've twisted God's word, and so what you want to help your friend to see is the true gospel and focusing primarily on the fact that, one, look, we're going to get sick. We're going to suffer in our lives as believers. God didn't promise us an easy life necessarily.

No, not at all. In this world, you will have tribulation, but here's what he did promise to you and to your friend, Joel. He promised the forgiveness of sins through the blood of his son, Jesus, and that's where you have to focus. You have to focus on what the good news actually is, and the good news is better than God is going to give you a house and health and all these other things. No, that's not the good news of the gospel.

That's actually not good enough. The good news is all of your sins can be freely forgiven through Jesus Christ, not on the basis of what you've done, not your works done in righteousness, but through Jesus himself. And maybe right now, in the midst of your housemaid's suffering, he'll be more open to that message, Joel. I would encourage you to pray for him.

That's the main thing. We know that the Spirit of God is the one who opens hearts to receive the gospel. Pray for him. Begin praying now that the Lord would open his heart and pray for wisdom as you speak to him, and then go straight to Jesus and to his work, straight to the cross, and the promise of the forgiveness of sins. That's what we're promised by faith in Jesus.

Not an easy life, and your friend is experiencing that right now as he suffers with COVID, and I pray that the Lord brings him healing and gives you wisdom as you seek to have this discussion with him. Thanks for your call, Joel. Joel, thanks so much, and thank you for being a regular listener there in Canada. We really appreciate you being part of the core Christianity family. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life, now is the time to call.

The number is 833-THE-CORE. We should remind you that some radio stations air our program on a delayed basis. So if you're listening to this later in the day or in the evening, we should let you know the time to call into the studio live is 1130 a.m. Pacific time, which translates into 1230 Mountain, 130 Central, or 230 Eastern time. For that 30-minute period, you can call actually right into the studio and talk to Pastor Adriel. Let's go to John in St. Louis, Missouri. John, what's your question? Hi, Pastor Adriel. Thank you for taking my call.

I love your show. My question is about is it concerns Proverbs 16 nine in their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. I just am looking for a better perspective. I never know if I'm actually in the will of God and or if I'm depending on myself, you know, self determination to. And so I find myself in conflict often and I'm just looking for an explanation or better perspective on that verse.

Yeah. Hey, bro, thank you for your encouragement. John, Proverbs 16, verse nine, the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. You know, I think of what the psalmist says, you know, unless the Lord builds the house, those who build labor in vain, unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. And really, right here, what we're getting in this wisdom literature is a call to humble ourselves and to recognize that with all of our planning, all of our ideas for the future, really, it's God.

It's God who establishes the steps. And so we should look to him in humility. And I think another passage that you can go to that I would say is sort of parallels in one sense. What we see there in Proverbs, chapter 16, verse nine is an exhortation that we see in the book of James. In James Chapter four, as James talks about people who are planning their ways irrespective of God and his will.

James says, James Chapter four, verse 13. Come now, you who say, today or tomorrow, we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit. Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life?

For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that. See the call to humility there? Look, there's nothing wrong with planning for the future and saying, we'd like to go do this, that and the other. We're making plans for what's to come.

We're going to save some money, that kind of a thing. But we have to have this attitude of humility and recognizing that it's the Lord who establishes our way. And so we come before him and say, God, if you will guide me, lead me. Now, in terms of deciphering the will of God for your life, there are two ways we can look at this.

One, John, you do know God's will. It's revealed to you in Holy Scripture. It's ultimately summarized in his law how God calls us to live. That's where we see God's revealed will. And there are also a number of passages in the New Testament that very clearly talk about the will of God. God's will is our sanctification, for example.

Paul told the Thessalonians that we would or should abstain from sexual immorality. God's will is that we would rejoice always, that we would pray without ceasing. God's will is that we follow him, that we love him and that we love our neighbor as ourselves. That's something that God has revealed to you. And so as you pursue those things, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, you can know that you are in the will of God. And as you think about life decisions, you know, do we move here or there?

You know, where do I go to college? That kind of a thing. Whatever those decisions are, we don't really have a clear scripture that we can point to. I think what you do is you say, Lord, I'm following you. I'm trusting you. My main desire is to please you, and I'm making plans, but I know, God, that you're the one who establishes my steps.

You see how there's an attitude of humility there? That's what we're called to, trusting that God is the one who establishes our steps even as we make plans and looking to him. And knowing that if things don't work out the way we had hoped, that doesn't mean that, you know, we were outside of God's will or something like that, but that God is just going to continue to lead us through these, you know, providential circumstances. And so I hope that God gives you peace, John, as you think about living your own life and honoring him. And again, let me just reiterate, you do, based on what scripture says, you know what God's will is for you to love him and to follow him.

And as you as you seek to do that, you're in the right place. Adriel, how would you respond when you hear some Christian leaders, some pastors, some churches talk about, you know, there's only one particular will for you as far as who is to marry or what job to take, or as you mentioned, what college to go to. And you've got to discern that particular will. I would just say, be careful with anybody who comes to you and says, you know, ladies, if a guy comes to you and says, God told me it's his will for you to marry me, I would say, don't believe it. So I think that there are, there can be abuses, very serious abuses, and that's why when we're talking about the will of God specifically, we want to talk about his revealed will, what he's expressed to us in scripture, in his holy revelation, and we pursue that. And when we do that, as poorly as we do it, because we all sin and fail and fall short, but as we do that, we can know and trust that we're walking in the will of God.

Amen. You're listening to Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. If you have kids, we want to let you know about a wonderful book that we have available that will help you answer some of the questions they may have about the Christian faith. Yeah, I think apologetics for kids is really, really important. We need to help prepare our children to live in a world that's oftentimes hostile to Christianity. How do we know that Christianity is really true? This book by Chris Morphew, it's written for ages 9 to 13. I mean, this is a wonderful book that will introduce you, your children, your grandchildren, even to some of these really important questions that they're going to be asking, and that the world wants answers to, and it's just so crucial that we begin helping to fortify their faith at this very young age.

So get ahold of this resource. Again, the book is called How Do We Know That Christianity Is Really True? We'll give that to you for a donation of any amount at corechristianity.com forward slash offers. That's corechristianity.com forward slash offers. How Do We Know That Christianity Is Really True? A wonderful book for families to get and read together this summer. You can also call us for that offer or any one of our offers at 833-843-2673.

That's 833-the-core. Well, let's go to a voicemail we received from one of our callers earlier this week. So I have a question on marriage, where I know you're supposed to get married in the Catholic Church, but what happens if one of those causes doesn't believe in the Catholic religion but believes in Christianity? Yeah, thank you for that question, and one that's very practical, very relevant. I know that there are people who want to be married, but they're wondering, well, do I marry someone from a different church, a different denomination?

Is that okay? In scripture, in 1 Corinthians 7, the apostle Paul makes it very clear in verse 39 that we're only to marry in the Lord. That is, people who are in Jesus Christ, they believe in Jesus, they have faith in Jesus, and so we're not to marry or, I would say, pursue marriage relationships with people who are outside of the faith. There's nothing more important than what you or the person you marry says about Jesus, what you believe about Christ.

If you want to raise a family in the Lord, you need to be pursuing people who are in Christ. There's also another passage of scripture in 2 Corinthians, in 2 Corinthians chapter 6, where the apostle Paul says in verse 14, do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial, or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?

There, I think, again, talking about relationships, and in particular, those intimate relationships, and Paul's reiterating, they don't have those kinds of relationships, marriage relationship with someone who's not a believer. Now, I am, personally, a Protestant Christian. I believe in the core tenets of the Protestant Reformation, and those passages that I brought up, I don't want you to think that what I'm saying is someone who's a Roman Catholic can't really, truly be united to Jesus Christ by faith. There are, I believe, many Catholics who have a saving relationship with Jesus, and there are many Protestants, I think, who are in Protestant churches who haven't laid hold of Jesus Christ by faith.

Yet, when it comes to your question here, I would say, really, for two reasons, for wisdom reasons and theological reasons, it's not wise for Protestants and Catholics to marry, just wisdom wise. You have to think about, how are we going to raise our family? Where are we going to go to church? Is my wife or husband going to go to one church, and I'm going to go to a different church, so that we're not able to cultivate our relationship with the Lord together as a family? Where are we going to raise our kids? What church are they going to be in? Those are really, really big and really, really important questions. It's hard to be fully engaged in a church if you're not a member of a church, and if your spouse is going somewhere else, or if you're sort of going back and forth, that kind of a thing, I think that that's just not wise.

That's not helpful. I would say don't pursue that, but then in terms of the theological rationale, there are significant theological differences between Roman Catholics and Protestants. This is why there was a Reformation in the medieval church. It's important that we understand what those differences are.

We oftentimes talk about those kinds of differences here on this broadcast. We're talking about core Christianity. We're talking about what the gospel is, the distinction between the law and the gospel, what God requires of us in order to be saved. Those are questions oftentimes that Protestants and Catholics answer differently. I'm not saying that you can't be a Christian if you're a Roman Catholic, but what I am saying is in terms of pursuing marriage relationships, I think it's not the wisest.

This is something you'd want to work through prior to getting married, and so thank you for that question. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Let's go to Selah in Oklahoma City. Selah, what's your question for Pastor Adriel? Hi, Pastor.

Thank you so much for having me on. I guess my question is, how would you handle a question? I think it's what it's turned into. After a soccer game last night, there was a girl who we were after the game and we were just kind of talking, and she, I don't know how the subject came up, but she said the question was asked to her, are you a Christian? And she very proudly said, oh, no, no, no, and I'm not affiliated with any religion. And almost immediately, I thought, no.

And I was overcome with fear as I thought, or I should have said something. She didn't ask a question. She just made a comment.

I kind of want to know how you would address situations like that, or how can I better prepare, as I will see her next week. I'm not sure if that question is going to come up again, but as I'm learning more and more about the truth, I felt compelled to say something or ask a question, but I was afraid of being offensive. And I felt like Moses at that point.

I was like, no, please, somebody else, I'm not going to say anything. And I didn't, and I feel bad. I think the Holy Spirit convicted me later. I want to be better prepared for situations like that, you know, learning every single day, and I just didn't feel entitled, nor did I feel ready or prepared to actually even start that conversation or anything.

Well, Selah, you know, God bless you, and you're not alone. I've been in situations like that as well, where I felt like somebody said something, and it was just sort of a perfect setup for me to be able to share the gospel, and I totally blew it. And I walked away from the situation thinking, oh, Lord, forgive me, because, you know, there are opportunities that God gives us, and we're struggling with shame or fear or not wanting to offend. And so we pray for boldness. And the reality is, this is something the disciples of our Lord Jesus also had to pray for. In Acts chapter 4, you have the disciples of the risen Christ praying and asking God for boldness.

And so I would say pray that the Lord gives you boldness. In a situation like that, it sounds like this woman wasn't probably even interested in having a conversation about religion. She kind of proudly or arrogantly said, I don't have any religion, that kind of a thing. And I think that's where maybe some helpful questions could come in, like, well, why not? You know, were you raised a certain way, and you decided to turn away from it? Asking questions can begin to create a context in which you can have more fruitful gospel conversations. I don't think it would have been helpful to just, you know, sort of jump in and say, oh, you fool, you should have a religion, and it should be Christianity, that kind of thing. And I know you would never do that. But, you know, you want to find out more about where she's coming from.

It sounds like this was obviously something that she felt strongly about, and I think you could ask why. And as you do that, that opens the door, begins to open the door for the opportunity to share about the true faith, about who Jesus is and what he's done, about why the gospel is actually good news for all people, that Jesus has come into the world to forgive sinners. That's good news, and I appreciate you want to share it. Thanks for listening to CORE Christianity. To request your copy of today's special offer, visit us at corechristianity.com and click on offers in the menu bar, or 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.