Can You Reject Being Labeled a “Christian” and Still Believe in Jesus?

Can you reject the Christian religion and still believe in Jesus? That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of CORE Christianity. Well, hi, I'm 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 right now with your question. Here's our phone number. It's 833-THE-CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. You can also post your question on one of our social media sites. You can watch Adriel in the studio right now on our YouTube channel and send him a message that way. And you can also email us your question at questions at corechristianity.com.

First up today, let's go to one of our listeners named Dakota. Recently in our Bible study, we've been talking about how Jesus had fulfilled the law, but we were wondering about how in the Psalms, David says he meditates on the law day and night. What maybe the difference between those two words, law, was. Thanks.

Hey Dakota, thank you for that question. The law of God, yes, frequently throughout the book of Psalms you have this language of meditating on the law. Right at the very beginning of the Psalms, blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord.

And on his law he meditates day and night. Psalms one and two, the first two Psalms of the Psalter, are really sort of setting the stage for the entire thing, this focus on Torah, on God's law, and how meditation on it makes us wise, wise for salvation. Now when you see that word law throughout the Psalms, oftentimes I think we just assume that means, well, the Ten Commandments, the law of God. Probably it's better to understand that as referring to the Torah. You think of the first five books of the Old Testament. And in fact, the Psalms themselves are a reflection of Torah.

There are first, the Torah is the first five books of the Old Testament, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. And you may not know this, but the Psalms are actually broken up into five books, just like Torah, if you will. And so this is this reflection on Torah. And David, the psalmist, frequently speaks of meditating on Torah, on God's law. Now do we do that today as Christians? Are we called to do that since Jesus fulfilled the law, as he said in Matthew chapter 5 verse 17? I didn't come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. I would say yes, we're shaped by scripture, by the word of God.

Jesus fulfilled Torah, if you will, all of the law, by perfectly obeying it. And in him, we're justified. We receive God's grace, God's forgiveness, God's spirit, but we are called daily to walk in the law of liberty, if you will, shaped by the spirit of God, so that we ought to be meditating on the word, meditating on the scriptures. And so I think we can join the psalmist when he says, I meditate on the law. I delight in the law. We want to say amen.

And we do, and we should as well. And so, Dakota, thank you for that question. God bless.

Great explanation. Thanks for that, Adriel. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. We would love to hear from you. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life, maybe a question about theology or doctrine or how your Christian walk intersects with what's going on in today's culture. And as we always say, we're welcoming them to talk to atheists and agnostics as well. If you have some doubts about the Christian faith, feel free to give us a call. Here's the phone number, 833-THE-CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. Now, you may wonder, why did God implement the church in today's world? And we actually have a new resource, a free resource, that answers that very question. Yeah, it's called Eight Things Everyone Should Know About Church. There's a lot of confusion today about church, about going to church. What's the purpose of going to church? And the reality is there are a number of statistics that have come out recently that are highlighting the fact that more than ever now, people are abandoning church, the idea of organized religion.

So we want to address this according to the Scriptures. And we've created this resource, as Bill said, Eight Things Everyone Should Know About Church. And it's yours for free.

You can download it over at corechristianity.com forward slash offers to get Eight Things Everyone Should Know About Church. You can also call us for that or any one of our offers at 833-THE-CORE. And you can also leave us a voicemail there if you have a question and can't call during the live show. Feel free to call us 24 hours a day, 833-843-2673.

Here's a voicemail that came in from one of our listeners earlier this week. Hi, I just wanted to know, do you have to be considered Catholic or Christian in order to go to heaven? Or can you not claim that type of religion and just believe in the Word of Jesus Christ and our Lord?

Thank you. It sounds to me like you're asking, do I need to embrace the title of Christian in order to be saved? Can I just say I believe in Jesus? Yeah, you know, I have a personal relationship with Jesus, but I'm not identifying with any particular religious system or any denomination.

You know, if I had you on the line right now, I'd want to dig a little bit deeper. I think it's important that we identify with Christ by faith, we believe in him, receive him according to what the Bible teaches. But you need to also understand that when we embrace Jesus Christ for salvation, he unites us to his body as well. The family of believers who were first referred to as Christians according to the book of Acts in Acts 11 verse 26, it reads there, And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch for a whole year. They met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch, the disciples were first called Christians, that is followers of Jesus Christ. And of course, you know, the title is one thing. There are many people who identify as Christians who don't really even believe in Jesus. That's one thing.

It's not the title that saves us. It's that real true faith in Jesus Christ having received his grace. But having received that grace, again, what I want to emphasize and what we oftentimes emphasize on this broadcast is you're a part of the church. You're united not only to Christ, the head of the church, but also to his body, that is the people of God. And as a result of that, you should be in a local church. You should identify with other Christians. You should grow together with believers. This is fundamental to the spiritual life, to growth in grace. We don't grow in isolation on our own, you know, in our closets with Jesus, that kind of a thing. We grow as members of the body of Christ.

Paul makes this absolutely clear in places like 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and Ephesians chapter 4. And so I would say if you're having trouble with the title Christian, you know, that's one thing. But you need to be in a solid Christian church where you're claiming the name of Christ.

And maybe if the issue is, you know, I just feel like there's so much baggage associated with denominations or with calling myself a Christian. Well, maybe you call yourself a Christian, but as you're having conversations with non-believers or people who have issues with the title, you just say, look, I'm a Christian, which means my life is devoted to Jesus Christ. I follow Jesus like the disciples did in Acts chapter 11. And I believe in him. You know, it's important for us not just to abandon, I think, these titles, these names, but that we help people understand what it means to be a follower of Jesus, because there's so much confusion about that in the world today. And so God bless you, brother, as you seek to follow the Lord.

You're listening to CORE Christianity. We would love to get your call if you've got a question about the Bible or the Christian life. Our phone lines will be open for the next 15 minutes or so. You can hop on the phone at 833-THE-CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. Let's go to Linda, who's in Tallahassee, Florida. Linda, what's your question for Pastor Adriel?

Yes, I have a question. When they take surveys like George Barna or different ones, they say mainline denominations, and then they say evangelical denominations. And I would like to know who are those mainline denominations and which are the evangelical denominations? Okay, yeah, thank you for that question.

Really, really helpful to clarify here a little bit. So usually when people talk about mainline denominations, they're thinking of churches like the Presbyterian Church USA, PCUSA, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the ELCA, some of these larger mainline Protestant denominations that have been around in the United States for a while. And there are several of those. And typically, you know, one of the sad things is that many of these mainline denominations are characterized by a steady decline, not just in membership, but in terms of, you know, the way in which they hold to biblical convictions.

Not all of them. There are some that are really still trying to be faithful to the Word of God, but many of them in terms of their theology, in terms of their views on the inspiration and inerrancy of Holy Scripture, the deity of Christ, the exclusivity of the gospel. For some of them, they've just completely abandoned those doctrines altogether. And typically when surveys like the Barna one are referring to evangelical denominations, they're talking about denominations that are still clinging to, holding fast to some of those core doctrines related to the inerrancy of scripture, related to the deity of Christ, related to the gospel. And so that would be, you know, I think one really easy way to distinguish them.

Typically, the mainline churches are viewed as more progressive with regard to theology, with regard to their views on scripture, more liberal leaning, if you will, whereas the evangelical denominations would be considered a little bit more conservative or a lot more conservative in some instances. But like I said, I mean, that's painting with a broad brush, and so you're bound to find some exceptions to that as well. Here's the main thing, the most important thing, right? We can talk about denominations and the specific denomination that I'm a part of. No denomination is perfect, by the way. That should be clear to us.

The focus needs to be what is taught. Are we holding fast to the word of God, to the scriptures? Is the Spirit of God speaking through the work of the church? And the Spirit of God is speaking where the word of God is being faithfully taught. Just because a church calls itself a church or a denomination doesn't mean that it is, in fact, a church of the Lord Jesus Christ. You think about the churches at the beginning of the book of Revelation that Jesus is speaking against.

He's saying, I'm threatening to remove your lampstand. Why will you think of the moral depravity? You think of the abandoning of the doctrines, the core doctrines of the Christian faith. You can have a building. You can have the title church. You can be a denomination even. And yet, if you're rejecting Christ, the gospel, the scriptures, the authority of God's word, the Spirit of God is not going to work there.

This is a really serious thing. It should cause us to ask ourselves the question of what is it that my church believes and clings to? Is the gospel being proclaimed? Is the word of God being taught? That's the main thing, sister. And so pray that the Lord has you in a good church and that you are experiencing the grace of Christ through the power of the Spirit in the preaching of the word.

God bless. You know, Adriel, you've also pointed out in the past that those who are preaching a false gospel are going to be under some pretty heavy judgment, condemnation from the Lord for leading people astray. Yeah, it is terrifying, actually. I mean, read books like the book of 2 Peter where Peter gives just a warning against false teachers. Just as there were false prophets in the days past, there will be false teachers among you. And so we do see this warning throughout scriptures. We are called to be discerning, to be wise, and to cling to the truth of God's word. And especially for those who take the word of God and twist it. People who claim to be Christian teachers, leaders in the church, but they're twisting the word of God and leading people astray. There is a severe warning held out to them. And again, Peter talks about that in 2 Peter. Another reason for all of us to be Bereans and to know God's word very clearly so we can discern a truth from error. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez.

Let's go to a voicemail that came in from one of our listeners named Tracy. My question is, when there's infidelity in the marriage, and you forgive the one partner, but the spouse is still friends with an instigator to the infidelity, and you've asked your spouse that they need to make amends as well, or you need to stop being friends with them, or they should have apologized to my spouse, my mate, for being for being a part of the infidelity. Is that wrong for the spouse to be waiting and yearning for that moment to happen? And is that still a sign of unforgiveness?

Thank you. Okay, so in a situation where there has been infidelity and the spouse is saying, hey, the person that you cheated with, I don't want you to have a friendship, a relationship, even to any communication. I don't want you to have that. Is that asking too much?

No, not at all. In fact, I would say that's necessary. For the partner who cheated, one, I think a part of repentance looks like recognizing the severity of your sin, the reality of the destruction that it causes, the pain that it brings, especially to your loved one, to your spouse, and being willing to say, I'm cutting this off.

I'm getting the accountability that I need, and recognizing just how susceptible we are to sin. You just would never want to put yourself in that position. Again, I would say it's absolutely imperative that that relationship, where there was infidelity, that does not continue, that there's no more communication at all. And so for the spouse who's asking for that, if the response is, oh gosh, why don't you just forgive, it's not that big of a deal, I would say those are serious red flags.

There needs to be accountability, not just with openness and honesty with you and your husband, but also with the church oversight, care, and repentance in the situation, again, means being willing to yield and to say, if your spouse is saying, please, you've done this, I don't want you to have this kind of communication anymore at all, you should be bending over backwards to make sure that you aren't putting yourself in that kind of position again, but also that you're caring for your wife or for your spouse and for their needs and for their fears that they have in light of this betrayal. And so that's not asking for too much. In fact, I think that that's 100% what needs to happen. And if there's an unwillingness there, in my mind, that's a serious issue.

Those are some serious red flags. And so thank you for that very practical question. Hope that's helpful to you. You're listening to Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. A reminder, we have that wonderful free resource on the church. It's eight things everyone should know about church. You can find that at our website corechristianity.com forward slash downloads.

Just look for eight things everyone should know about church. Of course, you can call us for that or any one of our resources. And if you have a question for Adriel, you can hop on the phone right now. We'll be taking questions for the next five minutes or so. 833-843-2673.

That's 833 the core. Let's go to Mike who's calling in from Indiana. Mike, what's your question for Pastor Adriel? My question is exactly when did the doctrine of the Trinity become a core value of the Christian church?

And also, it's kind of a two-part. I wanted to know why Christians don't just follow what Jesus said was the greatest command when questioned in Mark 12 29. He said, Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one.

Thanks, Mike. So with regard to the doctrine of the Trinity, there are some people who erroneously teach that that was a doctrine that, you know, just sort of was invented in the fourth century at the Council of Nicaea, but that that wasn't what the apostles taught or believed. That is that they did not believe that Jesus was God, that the Holy Spirit was God, that the Father was God, and yet that they were still one.

And of course, that commandment that you see there in the Gospels, Jesus quoting from the Shema in Deuteronomy 6 verse 4, Hear O Israel, the Lord our God the Lord is one. And the doctrine of the Trinity does not deny that in any way. We believe, I believe as someone who embraces the doctrine of the Trinity together with the rest of the Christian church, that God is one, one in essence, undivided, but that God has revealed himself as three persons. You know, so you have one God, one in essence, three distinct persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, distinguished by what we sometimes refer to as their personal properties.

The Father is unbegotten, the Son is eternally begotten, the Holy Spirit proceeds, is breathed forth, if you will, eternally from the Father and the Son and the Son. And so the doctrine of the Trinity does not deny Mark chapter 12, the Shema. Actually, one thing that you might find very interesting is the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 8, when he quotes that same portion of scripture, the Shema in Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 4, he inserts Jesus Christ in the middle of it. He says in 1 Corinthians chapter 8 verse 5, For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. Here, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Paul says, For us there is one God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ.

He inserts, if you will, Jesus Christ right there in the Shema, the hero Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one, in such a way that we're led to believe and understand on the basis of scripture that the apostles of our Lord Jesus themselves understood Deuteronomy 6-4 in this way, that Jesus is right there at the center of it, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Again, there is one God, one in essence, equal in power and glory, three distinct persons. And over and over again in the New Testament, you see this, Jesus referred to as God. John chapter 1 verse 1, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Well, who is the Word? John goes on to say in verse 14, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus, the eternal Son of God, assumed humanity. The Word became flesh. And so you see this over and over again, not just with regard to Jesus, but also with regard to the Holy Spirit.

Our bodies are called the temples of the Holy Spirit. Again, this is clear in the book of First Corinthians. Peter, when he's confronting Ananias and Sapphira, says, You've lied to God.

You have not lied to men. You've lied to the Holy Spirit. And so there are passages of scripture that make it absolutely clear that the doctrine of the Trinity was not something that was invented in the fourth century, but something that the apostles themselves embraced and believed. And so we are staying faithful to Mark chapter 12 verse 29 and how the apostles themselves understood in those other passages of scripture that we go to. And so I would say this doctrine has been there from the very beginning, revealed throughout scripture, especially in the New Testament, but we see evidence even in the Old Testament of it.

And we embrace it as the revelation of God, and we submit to the Word of God in this as we do with everything else. Mike, God bless you. Thanks so much for your question, Mike. We appreciate you being a regular listener here to CORE Christianity. Let's go to Jeff who's calling in from Coleman, Oklahoma. Jeff, what's your question for Pastor Adriel? Yeah, I'm calling because I have a question about one thing to always say. Last Sunday I was at a Bible study and a teacher mentioned that she might get in trouble for saying it, that she doesn't believe in that.

But I do, but I don't know if I'm just being too critical or is that something that's a major issue or not or what do you think? Hey, Jeff, it's not one of those issues that I think would cause us to say, well, if somebody doesn't reject or if somebody doesn't embrace this idea that you can't lose your salvation, then they must not be a Christian. So if this is what this teacher holds to, I wouldn't say, well, they're not a believer because they hold to that. This is something that genuine believers in Jesus Christ have differed on. Now my position is that if you are truly born again, if you belong to Jesus, you're one of his sheep, that you're not going to stop being one of his sheep at some point in your life.

You're not going to lose your salvation, but that Jesus himself will keep you, will cause you to persevere and will preserve you by the grace of his spirit, which doesn't mean that we don't still struggle and might not still struggle and even wander as believers, but that the Lord brings us back to himself. And I believe that on the basis of what I see in the New Testament in various places. I think of Jesus's own words in John chapter 10, the words of Jesus, the good shepherd, he says in verse 27, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give them eternal life and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of the father's hand.

I and the father are one. Now there are some people that embrace, Jeff, and I think this is what we should reject is a sort of easy believism, if you will. They say, oh, I said a prayer, I believe in Jesus, I must be saved, I'm living however I want and I'm going to go to heaven because I got that fire insurance when I said the sinner's prayer or whatnot. Well, that's not what it means to be saved. I said a prayer, I did some work and now I belong to God forever. No, believing in Jesus means truly trusting in him, putting your trust in him for your salvation.

When you do, he fills you with his spirit and he doesn't just fill you with his spirit once, but he keeps you for all time. 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.