Which Doctrines Should Christians Divide Over?

Hey, Pastor Adriel here, and we want to hear from our podcast audience specifically. Give us a call at 1130 Pacific Time, 833-843-2673. That's 833, the CORE, with your question about the Christian faith.

Are there certain doctrines that Christians should break fellowship over? That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of CORE Christianity. Well, 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. We would love to hear from you, and you can call us right now with your question at 833, the CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. You can also post your question on our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter account. You can always email us at questionsatcorechristianity.com.

First up today, let's go to Kim in Farmington, Illinois. Kim, what's your question for Pastor Adriel? My question has to do with the Freemasons organization. My grandfather in World War II had joined it thinking it was a group of men that supported each other for morality and integrity. And the more I look into it, I'm not so sure what the church's perspective is on it, as you don't ever really name your supreme being, and it is a secretive organization. Do you have any thoughts on that?

Yeah, Kim, I have a few thoughts, and thank you for your question. It does seem to me like, as an organization, the Freemasons are open to this idea of a supreme being, and there's talk of that, and there also is talk of morality, even Judeo-Christian morality. But my big question is, who do they say that Jesus is?

It's not just enough to have this general view of God and morality and doing the right thing. That's not what the Christian faith is all about, and insofar as that's put forward as the belief system, if you will, of the Freemasons, I wonder if there isn't something that definitely contradicts the teachings of the Christian faith, because you think of Jesus himself, what he said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

When he had that discussion with Peter in Matthew chapter 16, you know, who do men say that I am, Jesus said, and Peter responded by giving all sorts of answers, and he says, but who do you say that I am? And Peter recognized by the grace of God that he is the Christ, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and so my concern is when you have organizations that minimize or downplay the importance of the Gospel and the identity of Jesus Christ, I think that's where you have some serious issues, and so I would say if people embrace those beliefs of the Freemasons, well, those are in contradiction to what the Bible teaches, and I would have some significant concerns. The other thing, just personally speaking, Kim, as a pastor, is we have a community that God has given to us that he's put us into through baptism and by faith in Jesus Christ called the Church, and so I think that really is where we as believers need to focus our attention, is membership in the local church, growing together with other believers. If we want encouragement to live lives of integrity that are honoring to the true and the living God, we get that from the local church, not from organizations like the Freemasons, and so those are just some of the things that I would bring up and some of the concerns that I have as well. I appreciate your question, and may the Lord bless you. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. One of the ways you can ask a question is by leaving us a voicemail, and you can call 24 hours a day at 833-THE-CORE. That's 1-833-843-2673. We do our best to listen to our voicemails once each day, and here's one we received from one of our listeners last week.

Hello, my name is Leanne. In 2 Timothy 2 and Titus 3.9, the word addresses quarreling among other believers or disagreeing. We're supposed to all be in the common faith. When you're in fellowship with other believers in Christ, yet you have very different theological differences, such as when a Catholic might call upon Mary in prayer or consider her a type of co-redeemer with Christ, is this considered idolatry? The Bible also speaks of not arguing over these lesser matters, but what concerns salvation. Is this one of those cases, such as dispute about pre-trib or pro-trib, has nothing to do with the Gospel and salvation, but is this one that would affect salvation and what you believe in that matter?

If you could help me with that answer, I would appreciate it. God bless. Hey, Leanne. Thank you for that question, and there were actually a couple of questions there, but first I want to go to that text that you mentioned, well, at least the one in 2 Timothy 2, beginning in verse 14, because I think it's a really important reminder for all of us. Remind them of these things, Paul said to Timothy, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words which does no good but only ruins the hearers.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness. And then he goes on to say in verse 22, so flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies. You know that they breed quarrels, and the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone. Able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness, God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth.

I love this encouragement here, Leanne, and I think it's precisely what we need more of in our day today as we engage with each other via social media and other platforms. But your question is, when it comes to certain doctrines, which are the doctrines that we ought to make a big deal about, where it is important for us to step in and say, hey, this needs to be addressed? Well, with regard to the last one that you mentioned pertaining to eschatology, pre-trib, post-trib, that kind of a thing, those discussions aren't going to determine whether or not someone is in heaven.

Someone who embraces one view or the other view there, that has nothing to do, I think, with their eternal security, with whether or not they've embraced Jesus Christ by faith and are trusting in him alone for salvation. So I would see those as secondary issues. Now, that's not to say that they aren't important, that the Bible doesn't speak to them, and that we shouldn't have conversations still about those kinds of things. It's just one of those things that we don't need to get into these big quarrels over that really, I think, can sometimes draw us away from the Lord even.

What about other things, though? You mentioned praying to Mary, viewing her as a co-mediator with Jesus Christ, that kind of thing. That gives me more concern because I don't believe that you see that in the scripture, and I know one thing that's very clear in scripture is that God cares about the way that he's worshipped, the way that we approach him. Throughout the Bible, this is made clear in places like Leviticus chapter 10 where God judged Nadab and Abihu for worshipping him the wrong way. You think about Ananias and Sapphira or even Paul's exhortation in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 with regard to the Lord's Supper, how we approach the Lord there. God cares about how he's worshipped, and throughout the history of the church, there has been this tendency to corrupt the worship of God in ways that fix our eyes on other things besides Jesus. I'm uncomfortable with people who are focusing on the Virgin Mary, for example, as a mediator to get to God.

We have one mediator already. His name is Jesus Christ. He's our great high priest. I think these are things that we should talk about and deal with because ultimately we want to fix people's eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's what's central. If what we're doing in worship takes our eyes away from Jesus or causes us to adore someone besides him, I think that there is a significant problem. We focus on this broadcast on core Christianity.

That's what we're all about. Fundamentally, that's the Gospel, the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. It's what Paul said is of first importance in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Whenever you have anything that compromises the Gospel, we need to call it out. We need to address it.

There are secondary issues that we don't necessarily need to divide over, but we really need to make sure that we get the Gospel right. Thank you, Leanne, for your question. Some great counsel there.

Thank you for that, Adriel. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. We have a resource we'd like to tell you about today, Halloween, coming up here in just a couple of weeks. It always brings up interesting questions about demons and the devil, Satanism. We often get questions about that here at the core. We also get questions about angels. We've created a free resource that we'd like to offer you today.

Thanks, Bill. We're sharing a frequently requested resource on corechristianity.com. It's called Nine Frequently Asked Questions About Angels and Demons. Unfortunately, there is a lot of strange teaching out there when people start talking about angels and demons. The topic of spiritual warfare.

We want to make sure that we get this right. We made this free resource. Get a hold of it. Again, it's called Nine Frequently Asked Questions About Angels and Demons. It's a free PDF download. You can find it by going to corechristianity.com forward slash offers. That's corechristianity.com forward slash offers.

Just look for Nine Frequently Asked Questions About Angels and Demons. Let's go back to the phones. We have Wayne on the line from Oakland, California. And Wayne, what's your question for Pastor Adriel? Hi. Hi, Pastor. I actually have two questions.

Two things. One, I spoke with all my worship. I spoke with two elderly Jewish people when I was worshiping our father.

And we get into a conversation. And then the question came up, why were the Jews chosen? Why were the Jews chosen?

And I know the answer to that. Being a meat Christian, I know the answer to that. And I told them that the reason why the Jews were chosen was because God, our father, used the Jews to bring his son into this world.

Okay, and used by way of Abraham, Isaac, and of course, Jacob and Judah, by the way. So, but I guess a big question I have to ask regarding that, this first issue here, is how come that's not taught? You know, these are Jewish people asking me that. How come that's not taught in the churches or on the radios or whatever? That's the first thing. Hey, you know, I think we only have time for just that one first question, which I think is a really good question and an important question.

With regard to why people don't teach this, that's a hard one to answer. Initially, when I was hearing your question, my mind immediately went to Deuteronomy chapter seven. Listen to what the text says there, because I think it's a very clear biblical answer to your question, why did God choose these Hebrew people? For you are a people holy to the Lord your God.

This is verse six of Deuteronomy seven. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession. Out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth, it was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you. For you were the fewest of all the peoples. But it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers that the Lord has brought you out with the mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So here's here's one thing that we just need to say right off the bat is God's choice of the the Israelites was not because they were mighty or righteous or perfect or better than the other nations.

On the contrary, God says you were the least of all the peoples. Why did God choose them to display his greatness and glory throughout the world so that they might be a light that would bring essentially the the entire world into the worship of the true in the living God. Now when you study the Bible, one of the things that you find is Israel under the old covenant didn't do her job. She she rebelled against the Lord actually instead of being a light to the nations.

She engaged in the idolatry of the nations. And so you have the the exile you have all these things that take place there. They're, you know, removed from their land. They experience that the curses of Deuteronomy chapter 8 the covenant curses and yet God did not fully abandon his people. He sent his son Jesus into the world the true Israelite the faithful one who perfectly fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law so that in him we might find eternal salvation that gets to what you were saying brother with regard to, you know, God's promises and that that's also what's mentioned there in Deuteronomy chapter 7 the promises that God made to the patriarchs that go all the way back actually to Genesis chapter 3 verse 15 where God says that the seed of the woman is going to crush the head of the serpent. So God used them and through them came the Christ Paul says this in Romans chapter 9 as well. And now we have a relationship with the true in the living God. We are a part of the true Israel if you will by faith in Jesus Christ. The church is God's chosen people on Earth today and we rejoice in that I think again part of the reason maybe people don't teach us just because they're unfamiliar with the Word of God.

We know that the you know biblical illiteracy is rampant today people just don't study the scriptures like they once did and so it's so important for us to dig into the word. Thank you for that question. Hey Wayne.

Thanks so much for your question. Thanks for listening to core Christianity. Let's get back to the phones. Here's the number if you have a question for us 833 the core and you can leave us a voicemail at that number as well 833 the core. Let's go to Dan in Wichita, Kansas. Dan. What's your question for Adriel?

Hi, thanks for taking my call. So the other day I was talking to a guy and he believes in the divinity of Christ, but he doesn't believe that those other scriptures are inspired by God. So he basically believe what God what Jesus said was divine and inspired by everything else is not so when I asked him, you know, when I preached the gospel to him and said that faith in Christ is what saves us from hell. He asked me where does Jesus say that? When does Jesus say that and all I could think of was John 3 17, but it doesn't specifically say that if you don't have faith in me, you're going to hell. So I was my question is is there a scripture somewhere where Jesus says specifically if you don't have faith in me, then you're going to go to hell.

Hey Dan, thank you for that that question. I mean a number of passages come up from from the Gospels. Jesus said very clearly in Matthew chapter 10 verse 32 everyone who acknowledges me before men. I will also acknowledge before my father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men.

I also will deny before my father who is in heaven. You think of that other passage that I referenced earlier John chapter 14 verse 6 where Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me and then just a little bit earlier in the Gospel of John in John chapter 5. Jesus is having a discussion with these religious leaders who reject him who don't want anything to do with him.

And he says beginning in verse 37 John chapter 5 verse 37 the father who sent me has himself born witness about me his voice. You have never heard his form you have never seen and you do not have his word abiding in you for you do not believe the one whom he has sent you search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life and it is they that bear witness about me yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. Well there it is right there very very clear Jesus is saying to these religious leaders you reject me you're unwilling to come to me and because you're unwilling to come to me you don't have life and life there is not just you know, you know a happy life here on Earth. It's eternal life.

It's that spiritual life that Jesus Christ gives and again in the very next chapter of John's Gospel in John chapter 6 verse 47. Truly truly I say to you Jesus says to a crowd of people whoever believes in me has eternal life there it is again. And so Jesus is absolutely clear if we don't believe in him if we reject him if we don't trust in him we do not have eternal life. He said it to the religious leaders he said it to the crowds you know sometimes today I think Dan people people have not read Jesus closely enough they just to go he was a great teacher I accept him as this this you know moral authority maybe even as as God in some sense but I you know he didn't really say that you have to believe in me in order to get to heaven. Well we just need to read the text a lot closer I think because Jesus does say those things and the question is whose word are we going to take are we going to believe what Jesus says about himself or are we just going to make it up on our on our own. I mean this is a real big issue today I would encourage all of you who wrestle with with this question in particular to sit down and read the Gospels to read the Gospels to listen to what Jesus himself said and to submit to what he says. He is the true and the living God in him there is life eternal life and he calls us to him man read the Gospels Jesus makes it very clear there Dan. Those are a few of the passages that that I would encourage you to share with your friend and God bless you for having these conversations may may God open his heart and his eyes to hear the voice of Christ speaking in the scriptures. God bless Dan thanks so much for your call and for your concern for this this friend of yours and wow there's some great passages scripture that Adriel brought up that you could share with him that are pretty irrefutable when it comes to eternal life. This is core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez want to say thank you to a very special group of people who make this program possible. We call them our inner core they support us on a monthly basis with a $25 gift each month and what it does is it helps us to pay the bills keep us on the air and if you believe in this program if you think it's helpful if it's helped you to grow spiritually and you believe that it has the power to reach others for Christ.

We'd ask you to prayerfully consider joining our inner core you can learn more about that by going to our website core Christianity dot com forward slash inner core. Let's go to Tony in Memphis, Tennessee. Tony. What's your question for Pastor Adriel? Hi, good afternoon.

Thank you so much for taking my call. I wanted to ask him. I know he don't believe in speaking in tongues the pastor, but I do thank God for you and I do you think that the people that do speak in tongues that are they still a part of the body of Christ? Hey Tony, thank you for your question and may the Lord bless you as I have indicated on the program before I do believe that there was such a thing as the gift of tongues. I mean it's described in the book of Acts.

It's described in the book of First Corinthians. My concern is that I wonder if a lot of what we see in the church today is the same as what we see in First Corinthians and in the book of Acts and in particular when I study the scriptures you know I come to the conclusion that those gifts in particular the sign gifts that were associated with the apostles Tony were used for a very particular purpose in the history of redemption as the gospel was going out initially. Now I recognize that there are people who disagree with me on this and I think that there are Christians who love Jesus Christ, sounds like you yourself Tony, who disagree with maybe my position on this and I would not say that that means that you are not a Christian or not a part of the body of Christ.

We talked about this a little bit earlier on the broadcast when we were talking about the differences that we can have. The real question is do we, do you believe in Jesus Christ? Have you received him by faith? Does the Spirit of God live in you through the work of the gospel? That's how we're united to the body of Christ, not on the basis of what we believe about spiritual gifts or even what spiritual gifts that we have. Paul said in First Corinthians chapter 12 towards the end that not everyone is gifted in the same way and it would be foolish to say well one person is gifted in this way, that person is not gifted in this way therefore they're not a part of the body of Christ. Paul's point in First Corinthians 12 is no we're all a part of the same body. Now of course again I have a difference of opinion on this issue in particular but that would not lead me to conclude that someone who believed in the gift of tongues was not a part of the body of Christ. The gift of tongues for today that is and so hope that clears it up for you Tony and thank you for your question. This is Core Christianity. One of the ways you can ask Adriel a question is by emailing us.

Our email address is questions at corechristianity.com. Here's a question from Carl. He says in a government of the people by the people for the people, does God hold citizens responsible for the sins of the government? I think people of all political persuasions will agree the government does evil even if they disagree on what that evil is.

For example differences on abortion, criminal justice, poverty, or war. How do we deal with that? Yeah this is a really complex question. Well we are called to relate to broader society to civil government and the way we relate to her is something that God holds us individually as Christians accountable for and so I think that yes this is something that is important. We have to think through how to apply the truth of God's word as God guides us through the scriptures and by the grace of the Holy Spirit for the good of our neighbor and broader society and part of that looks like participating in these broader processes related to civil government. Whether that's voting or any number of other things and so we are going to be accountable.

Now again I said this is really complex and we don't have all the information, all of the details. We're wrestling with the information that we have and seeking to apply the scriptures to the best of our knowledge, the best of our ability to seek to be faithful to the Lord while we're here on earth. You know we know that the governments of this world are temporal. They're not going to be here forever and that's something that scares people sometimes but the hope that we have is that Christ's government, the kingdom that he's building right now here on earth which is manifested in the local church throughout the world, this universal Christian church all over the place is going to endure forever. And that's precisely what the Lord Jesus said, I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against her. And so while we're here on earth we're relating to these temporal governments that are around for a time and we're seeking to honor Christ in all that we do whether that's how we vote, how we think about the needs of society, the needs of the poor, the needs of the vulnerable, the needs of the unborn. All of that is really important so we need to pray and ask that the Lord would give us wisdom.

We need to have a lot of humility and we need to continue to dig into the scriptures so that we might be faithful to the Lord and loving to one another as we relate to broader society. God bless. 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. Thanks for listening to today's episode of CORE Christianity. Adriel and I love our podcast audience and we'd love to take your questions. Give us a call Monday through Friday at 1130 a.m. Pacific time at 833-843-2673. That's 833-the-core.