How Do I Honor My Parents When They Have Terrible Theology?

How do I honor my parents when they have terrible theology? That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of Core Christianity. Well, hi there. Welcome to the program. As always, you can post your question on one of our social media sites, you can join us on our YouTube channel, and you can always email us your question at questions at corechristianity.com.

First up today, Adriel, here's a question we received from one of our YouTube listeners. If God is Jesus, then was his crucifixion self-murder or self-suicide? Well, Jesus is God, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Was his crucifixion self-murder or self-suicide?

The answer to that is no. Jesus was laying down his life to save others. It was a sacrificial act, not a selfish act. I mean, it was a sacrificial act. It was him saying, you know, greater love hath no man than this, and that he laid down his life for his friends. This is what we read in the Gospel of John, in John chapter 15, verse 13. And Jesus said, nobody takes my life from me.

I'm laying it down willingly. And so it's really important that we understand that. There's a lot of confusion, really, about the atonement. There are some people who say, well, you know, the father sent his son into the world to be murdered, and Jesus basically had to just take it like a punching bag, that kind of a thing. No, this was the greatest act of love in the history of humanity. It's the father sending his son in love, the son offering himself up freely in love for us, for sinners.

And so that's the answer to the question. I mean, this is divine love on display. Big time. Big time, yeah.

The biggest time ever. The Gospel. Yeah. Oh, man, that's such a great answer. Thank you for that, Adriel. This is Core Christianity, and we would love to hear from you if you have a question about the Bible, the Christian life, theology, Christian doctrine. One of the ways you can do that is by leaving us a voicemail. Our voicemail is open 24 hours a day, and we try to review our questions each day. Here's the number. It's 833-THE-CORE. And here's a voicemail that we received earlier this week.

Hi there. My question is regarding Exodus 20-12 about honouring your father and mother. I'm just wondering how to do that best if you have strong disagreements with your parents about their belief in conspiracy theories about the vaccine or the pandemic or even political views that are more extreme and that you find really challenging, as well as, you know, prosperity gospel type beliefs as well. So I'm just really struggling with how to honour them while I still disagree with some really significant issues. Thank you very much. Hey, thanks for that question.

I know you're not alone. Boy, the last couple of years have really highlighted some of the divisions that exist in our culture, in the Church, and even in our own families where there are strong disagreements about a number of these things. And so when you have that kind of a disagreement with your parents and you know you're commanded in the Ten Commandments, you know, honour your father and your mother, the Fifth Commandment, how do I do that when I think that their views on a particular subject are wrong or when I think that they or I know that they have theological views that are in error? A couple of passages of scripture that I think we could go to. One is what Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 5. This is an encouragement to young Timothy. He says, Do not rebuke an older man, but encourage him as you would a father. Younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters in all purity. And so I don't think it's our place to rebuke our parents to say, Oh, you're crazy.

You know, your views are just way out. No, he's saying there's a tenderness, a love, an affection that we have with each other. That's why he's making this analogy within the Church here. But he's saying, you know, you would want to encourage your parents. You would want to honour them even in the disagreement that you have. And so I think that's one passage of scripture that you can look at and just say, OK, I really probably the best approach is not to, you know, to come out swinging to rebuke them and to say, Gosh, your views are so crazy.

How could you believe these things? No, we reason with each other. We have encouraging conversations.

We open ourselves up also, you know, humbly saying, Look, help me also to understand, you know, maybe where can I be off? I imagine that there are situations where it's the opposite, right, where there are, you know, sons and daughters whose theology maybe is out there. And the parents were trying to say, Hey, you need to get this in line, more in line with the scriptures and the ability to be encouraging, not just to simply rebuke is really important. I also think about what Jesus said in the gospels, because he used this as an example of honouring your parents as an example of something that the religious leaders in his day weren't doing. And he says to them in Mark chapter seven, verse eight, you leave the commandment of God and hold to the traditions of men. And he said to them, you have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition. For Moses said, honour your father and your mother and whoever reviles father or mother must surely die. But you say if a man tells his father or his mother, whatever you would have gained from me as Corban that is given to God, then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down and many such things you do. What the religious leaders were doing is essentially they weren't caring for their parents.

They were abandoning them. They were saying, look, I'm so devoted to service to God that I got nothing for you. And Jesus said, actually, what you've done is you've twisted the word and you've trusted in your own traditions that are allowing you, helping you to invalidate God's word.

That's a problem. And so part of, I think rightly honouring our parents is caring for them and loving them and taking care of them. And so and so that's another thing that we see here in in the New Testament. But I would just encourage you. I mean, this is a tension that many people are feeling right now, whether it's with their parents or with other people in the church or just friends, you know, other family members, that kind of a thing. As followers of Jesus Christ, let's let's be gracious in our speech. Let's be humble, willing to listen, slow to speak. Right. Let's basically do the opposite that everyone in our culture is doing right now and set the proper example that the Lord, I think, would have us to set in terms of how we communicate with each other, encouraging one another and building one another up with our words. And even when there's a disagreement, that doesn't mean we can't disagree and have sharp disagreements and even discussions about that.

But the way in which we disagree should be different from how everyone else in the world does. You said slow to speak. I think you would also probably say slow to post before you hit that enter button. Yeah. Yeah.

Bill, boy, I think we're all convicted now that you said that. Yeah. We just think about all of our communications that we have and what they say about us. I mean, Jesus said from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. And so a lot of the anger that you see, a lot of the rhetoric, you know, where does that come from? It comes from the heart, places of fear, often a lack of trust.

And so, yeah, we really need to be careful. You're listening to Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. We have a YouTube channel, by the way, and you can join Adriel every day at eleven thirty a.m. Pacific time.

Check out the broadcast on YouTube live and you can actually message us that way as well. And here is a YouTube question we received, Adriel. And this is a question you hear a lot, particularly from people who are maybe agnostics or atheists. And it's a it's a question that's difficult for a lot of Christians to answer. If God is all powerful, why does he allow evil and misery?

Yeah, it's it's sometimes, you know, called the question of theodicy, right? If we say that God is all powerful, but there's evil in the world, well, then he must not be good because he could stop it and he doesn't. But if we say that he's all powerful or we could say he's not all powerful and and then there's evil, he can still be good, but he's just not all powerful, that kind of tension that we see. And of course, we confess as Christians that God is not the author of evil, but that he has allowed it for his sovereign purposes. And we don't always know what those what those purposes are. One thing we can say is that God has decreed from eternity past how to solve all the problems that we've created due to our sin.

In other words, he doesn't allow anything that he hasn't already determined to to to restore, to fix. And ultimately, you know, we have a sign of that in the work of Jesus Christ himself. I mean, here is, if you will, the most heinous crime that has ever been committed on the on the face of the planet. The murder of God, the son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. And I mentioned, you know, Jesus offering himself up freely, but there was there were guilty people who crucified him, put him to death. And yet we read in the early chapters of the Book of Acts that all of this happened according to the predetermined plan of God. In other words, somehow God was using all of these things that were taking place for the good of humanity, for the restoration of humanity, for the in-breaking of the new creation to conquer death and then rise again from the grave. And so we don't always understand God's mysterious purposes. What we have is what the scripture teaches us. And it does teach us that God is all powerful, that he's omnipotent, that he knows all things, that he takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, that, you know, God doesn't delight in sin. He doesn't tempt us to do evil. That's what God reveals to us.

And yet we know that he has permitted, you know, these things to take place, you know, within his decree. And so there we say, Lord, I don't understand why, but that doesn't mean that you don't have reasons. And that doesn't mean that there isn't a good answer.

It just means that I, in my finite understanding, don't know those reasons. Now, maybe when we're in the presence of the Lord, I think we will have a fuller understanding. But for our part now, we look to the Lord and say, God, we trust you. And at times we lament, we cry out because of the suffering, not understanding why it is that the Lord has allowed a certain thing to take place in the world or even in our own lives.

And that's okay. Those prayers are honest prayers, and the Lord wants those prayers. We see them throughout the book of Psalms. But we still continue to trust in what the Word of God says, that he is able, somehow, to cause all things to work together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. Romans chapter 8. And so we're clinging to the scriptures here and to how God has revealed himself in scripture.

And that's what we're called to do right now. We don't have all the answers this side of heaven, but I think we'll understand fuller when we're in the presence of the Lord. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. If you're a regular listener to this program and you find it helpful, you believe in what we do here, we want to let you know that we have a special group of people that you can join that support this program on a regular basis.

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Here's our phone number. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life, it's 833-THE-CORE. And this is a question we received from Jasmine. My question is regarding Catholics in general. The scripture that... Well, of course, in my opinion, based off of several scriptures, Mary is putting her faith in Jesus. And to my understanding, as far as the Catholic religion, they put their faith in Mary. But when the water was turned into wine and they ran out of wine, she told him about it and he's pretty much like, that's not my problem, I didn't come for that, and she still told the crowd, whatever he says, do it. So that scripture itself, she made it plain that she puts her faith in him. So I don't understand how Catholics believe themselves to be Christians if the basis of Christianity is believing in Jesus and not Mary. So please clarify that for me. Please and thank you. Bye-bye.

Hey, Jasmine, thank you for that question. Now, there's a lot that I disagree with in Roman Catholic theology. I think it's really important, whenever we have a disagreement with someone, another theological school of thought or a church tradition, that we represent them as best we can. And I think Roman Catholics would want to say, no, we're putting our trust in Jesus and Mary is... I mean, sometimes actually in the language of what I've heard some Catholics talk or say is she's this sort of co-mediator with Jesus. We can go to her to mediate for us before Jesus himself.

There is, I think, a real issue here, a real problem. But I think what they would try to say is, no, for us, it's mainly Jesus, but you sort of have also this openness to her as this co-mediator or as having this primary role in our own even sanctification, salvation. You see that in Roman Catholic piety in their prayers. But you're absolutely right that Mary put her trust in Jesus. She was saved by grace through faith, through the Gospel.

I think of that song that she sang often referred to as the Magnificat. It's in the Gospel of Luke. In Luke 1, verse 46, Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. Who does Mary want us to fix our eyes on? On Jesus, on God our Savior, on his redemptive work.

Insofar as she bears witness to that reality, I think great. But if we're losing sight of Jesus and of the Gospel and we're focusing on the saints, if you will, and they become our primary mediators before God, I think that there's a significant problem. Think of what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Timothy, chapter 2.

This is absolutely clear. 1 Timothy, chapter 2, verse 5, there is one God and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. Now, Jesus as our mediator is the one who gives us direct access to the Father. That's why we can go to God in prayer freely, openly, because of the work that Jesus Christ has done for us.

And that's key. You don't need other mediators to give you access to God. Jesus is the mediator who gives you access to the Father. He's your advocate in heaven.

Whoever lives to make intercession for you. Now, does that mean that we just sort of, you know, we have a negative view of the Virgin Mary? No, we shouldn't have a negative view of the Virgin Mary. We have a biblical view of the Virgin Mary. And I think the biblical view is not to put our trust in her, but to put our trust in the one who she praised and worshiped God, her Savior. And so, you know, this is a significant issue.

And I think when you're talking to your friends who are Roman Catholics and you're having conversations about this, I think focusing on the Gospel, focusing on Jesus, on the fact that he is the sole mediator between God and man is key. And a proper understanding of that. So thank you, Jasmine, for that question.

Great explanation. Thanks for that, Adriel. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. One of the ways that you can ask a question about the Bible or the Christian life, theology or doctrine is by emailing us.

Here's our email address. It's questions at corechristianity.com. Just the word questions at corechristianity.com. And Lawrence asks this question, Adriel. Could you please explain, I never knew you in the parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew chapter 7.

Okay, so, yeah, I'd be happy to. So you go to the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew chapter 7. This is actually a text of scripture that a lot of people, I mean, for some, you know, this is the most terrifying verse in the Bible. And I'm going to start in Matthew chapter 7, verse 15.

Jesus said, beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? So every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.

A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire, thus you will recognize them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you.

Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. In other words, these people are going to stand before Jesus on the day of judgment, confident in what they had done. Didn't I cast out demons and prophesy and do all these great works, Jesus, in your name? And Jesus' response is, I never knew you. I don't know who you are.

Now, note this. He doesn't say, hey, I used to know you. We had a relationship, and you trusted in me, and then you fell away from your salvation, that kind of a thing.

No, he's saying, we've never been in relationship before, and the scary thing is these people thought that they were. Now, specifically, I think he's really, this is a dig at the religious leaders. Earlier, I started where he says, beware of false prophets.

Outwardly, they look good. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly, they're like dogs. They're like wolves, ravenous wolves who are looking to prey on the sheep, and that's precisely what many in the priesthood of Israel at that time, the scribes and the Pharisees, were doing, and so I think this is a rebuke to them, and I never knew you. I mean, we have to understand that in scripture, that word to know is a lot deeper than it is in our English language. I mean, you think in the Old Testament, it speaks of a kind of intimacy. God says of his people, you only of all the people of the earth have I known.

It's not, you know, I was only cognitively aware of you. It's this personal relationship to know, to be in fellowship, in communion. There's this intimacy there, and these people, these false prophets, never had that intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ by faith, and so the question here is, and the interesting thing is they're pointing to their works, aren't they? Didn't we do all these things? The question is not, can you do religious things? Can you go through the motions?

Do you look good on the outside? No, that's not the question. The question is, do you know Jesus? Does he know you?

Do you have a personal relationship with him by faith? These people had never repented of their sins, turned from them. He says, they say, Lord, Lord, but they don't do what I say. They really don't care about what I say.

They don't know me. I don't know them, and so this is, like I said, a passage of scripture that gives people a lot of fear because they're like, I don't want that to be the case, obviously. I don't want to die and stand before the Lord, and him say, I never knew you, and so that's a rebuke to these religious hypocrites, but there are people today who, they go through the motions of religion, and there's a lot of religious hypocrisy, and yet they don't believe. They don't trust in Jesus Christ by faith. They haven't received him for the forgiveness of their sins, and so we emphasize this on the broadcast all the time. There's nothing more important than knowing Jesus, than understanding who he is, and receiving him by faith for the forgiveness of your sins. You can go through the motions of religion. Maybe you said a prayer, the sinner's prayer years ago, but it really didn't mean anything to you, or maybe you felt like it meant something to you in that moment, and you say, Lord, Lord, but you really don't care at all about the Lord.

There's nothing in your life that would indicate that you do. I would say flee to him. Go to him and say, Lord, honestly, have mercy on me. I need your grace. I need your mercy. I need your forgiveness, because I'm a sinner, and when we do that, when we go to Jesus confessing our sin, he doesn't cast us out. He receives us, and that's what the religious leaders didn't do.

They didn't trust in him by faith. 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.