Can Christians “Pull the Plug” for Dying Relatives?

Is it okay for Christians to pull the plug on dying relatives? 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.

And we do get some challenging ones, as you can tell. And our phone lines will be open for the next 25 minutes or so. Here's our number. It's 833-THE-CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. Of course, you can always post your question on one of our social media sites. You can watch Adriel live in the studio right now on YouTube and message us through our YouTube channel. And you can always email us your question at questionsatcorechristianity.com.

First up today, a voicemail from one of our listeners named Jill. Hi, I had a quick question in 1 Corinthians 6, 2, and 3, where it says we will be judging the angels. And I was just curious about how that's going to work. And like, when all this timeframe take place. And basically, just what is this talking about? I appreciate it. And thank you in advance for answering my question.

Yeah, pretty wild passage, right? 1 Corinthians chapter 6, where Paul says, verse 3, do you not know that we are to judge angels? Okay, well, first, we have to understand the context. In the context, there was an issue in Corinth where the Christians were taking each other to court. They were entering the lawsuit, suing each other. And the problem was, Paul says, you guys aren't able to just settle your own disputes. You're taking each other to courts, to non-Christian courts, so that they can deal with your issues. And 1, that's just a bad witness. 2, you guys need to learn how to deal with issues within the church, at least in the situation that he was talking about. I mean, there are instances where I think you need to get outside authorities involved.

But in this situation, he says, can't you guys figure it out? Don't you know that we're going to judge the angels? And if we're going to judge angels, well, then you should be able to make right judgments pertaining to the things that are happening in the life of the church. He says, how much more than matters pertaining to this life. So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? And so some people say that that word, judge, could also be translated rule.

We're going to rule angels. But that doesn't really fit the context here. He's talking about judgment. And of course, the Bible says in other places that the disciples are going to share in Christ's rule, reigning with Christ. The apostle Paul says this to Timothy in the book of 1 Timothy, or 2 Timothy, actually, chapter 2, verse 12. And so this is part of our sharing in the kingly office of Jesus Christ as his people. We're going to rule and reign with him. And insofar as we're ruling and reigning with him, we're going to participate somehow mysteriously in the judgment of angels as well. And I see this as something that's going to take place in the future on the last day at the final judgment. So what that's going to look like, we're not given any revelation pertaining to that.

We're not sure. But that we're going to rule and reign with Christ and participate in the judgment in this way is something that scripture does say. And so in the context here, it's one of the things that Paul is pointing to in order to get Christians to get along within the church and to be able to settle disputes within the body of Christ.

Thanks for that, Adriel. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. And we'd love to hear from you if you have a question about the Bible, the Christian life, doctrine, theology, you name it.

Even if you have some doubts about the Christian faith or maybe you're of a different religion and you're wondering, hey, what about all these claims that Jesus made? I'm confused about that. We would love to get your question. Here's our number. It's 833-THE-CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. We also want to tell you about a very special family and faith collection that we have here at Core Christianity. This is just perfect for you if you're a parent or grandparent, uncle or aunt, and you want to help your kids learn more about the faith. Yeah, we have a new offer that combines some of the best questions and answers we've received on the show about faith and family. I think that it's fair to say that a lot of the questions we get here at Core Christianity have to do with family, with relationships, dating, marriage, children, parents, very practical stuff. That's why the Core team has put together a new resource on faith and family available on our website for a gift of any amount. The collection includes questions and answers from the show, articles, and bonus materials about marriage, parenting, sexuality, and dating relationships. Head over to corechristianity.com to get ahold of that resource. This is just an excellent resource, which we know will be a big benefit to you. Go to corechristianity.com and you can find that at forward slash offers corechristianity.com forward slash offers or call us for that resource or any one of our resources at 833-THE-CORE. Well, we wanted to go to a voicemail from one of our listeners who called in from up north. Let's hear what he had to say.

Hello, my name is Don and I'm calling from Ontario, Canada. We listen to Core Christianity nearly every day and so appreciate your ministry. We are at the age where we are preparing our wills and struggling in our conscience before God as to where to draw the line in the sand between God's sovereignty over life and death and the state legally allowing itself to choose when to die.

We have considered Ecclesiastes 8-8, Job 30-23, and other scriptures and would appreciate your biblical advice on this matter. May the Lord bless you. Don, thank you for your encouragement and a very important question, especially as society shifts and we're getting more of these ethical questions related to medicine, related to life, related to death. There is a very helpful resource that I want to direct you to before I get to the answer.

It's a resource that's helped me with questions like this. A book written actually by a professor that I had while I was in seminary called Bioethics and the Christian Life, written by Dr. David Van Droonen. Again, it's called Bioethics and the Christian Life and he actually has a whole section in the book related to the end of life, suicide, euthanasia, the distinction between killing and letting die. I think that's an important distinction to bring out when we're thinking about biblical wisdom, what the Bible says about life and death. Murder is forbidden. Killing is murderous forbidden. You were thinking about the sixth commandment. That's very clear in God's law. There are instances in scripture where killing or the taking of life is permitted. You think of, for example, the instances of capital punishment under the old covenant. Paul even referencing that in Romans chapter 13, instances of wars that were justified in scripture. That's another example of times where it's not something that's forbidden or viewed as a sin. Also, defending life in regards to protecting life.

We also need to factor in the fact that I don't know that that's what's happening here, certainly. When we think also about the sixth commandment, it's not just calling us negatively not to murder, but I think on the flip side, positively, we as the people of God should be about the preservation of life, the cultivation of life. We need to have a high view of life and the dignity of human life. What we are starting to see in society right now is, and this has been happening now for many years, this downplaying of that. Certainly, when we think about the beginning of life in the abortion industry, just not a care for life, for human life, life made in the image of God. The church has to be really distinct here. I think, and this is one of the things that comes out in that book, we can distinguish between killing and letting die.

This is where I think wisdom comes in, in terms of we're under the obligation at all times to do everything so that essentially the natural course of what's taking place won't happen. I was not long ago talking to a dear sister in the Lord who has since gone to be with Jesus. She recently died. She was diagnosed with cancer, and she did not want to do treatment. The doctors told her, she asked, what's going to happen to me if I don't get treated?

The doctors told her, you probably have about three months left to live if you don't do any treatment. She said, three months to see Jesus sounds like a good thing to me. Of course, that was her decision. I would see that as very different, a situation like that. There's no not valuing of life there. I think there's just a commitment to Christ and saying, no, I'm not going to get the treatment.

I don't want to get that treatment. I think this requires wisdom for you and for your family. I think, again, that distinction between killing and letting die is one that can be helpful. I would encourage you to get a hold of that resource just as you continue to think about this and what the scriptures have to say about this. Don, thank you for reaching out to us. Such a difficult issue, and I know there are some Scandinavian countries now where the whole euthanasia thing has taken a pretty dark turn, where they're even euthanizing people who may not be mentally competent. It's very tragic, and I'm so glad you addressed that.

It definitely is a wisdom issue, so thanks for that, Adriel. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Our phone lines are open. If you have a question about the Bible, the Christian life, doctrine, theology, you name it, we'd love to hear from you. Our phone lines will be open for the next maybe 15 minutes or so, so call us at 833-THE-CORE. That's 1-833-843-2673.

Let's go to Pat in Long Island, New York. Pat, what's your question for Pastor Adriel? Hi, my question is, in Proverbs chapter 26, the fourth verse says, answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be likened to him. Verse 5 says, answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. I have never been able to figure that out. One verse says, answer not, the next one says, answer him.

Yeah, thank you for that question. One, what you have in the book of Proverbs is repeatedly this discussion about the fool. The person who is just rejecting the truth of God's word, not embracing the law of the Lord, has heard it and continues to turn away from it. The reality is, since the beginning of time, one of the things that we're going to continue to see, and ultimately that God calls us to be wise in, and this is what wisdom promises to give us, and what we get in particular in the wisdom literature. When wisdom says, answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him himself, it's this picture of not entering into or sharing with the foolish approach to life and wisdom.

I sort of take it as, in the New Testament when Jesus talks about or speaks of not casting your pearls before swine, lest they turn around and trample them and trample you as well. We have to think with wisdom about how we engage people in the world, and in particular those people who are coming against the truth of God's word, and are not at all interested in receiving it. We've all been in conversations with individuals who aren't actually looking for the truth, who are just wise in their own eyes, and they love your attention. They're happy to enter into the argument or the discussion, but they're not interested in listening. Entering into that kind of discussion is indeed foolish.

I think that's what we're getting at there. Part of it is true wisdom, exercising true wisdom, is knowing when to speak and when to enter into the discussion, and when not to speak, and when to back away, when not to cast our pearls before swine. I think that's at the heart of what is being spoken of here, Pat. Thank you for your question. Pat, thanks so much for calling and for being a regular listener to Core Christianity.

We really do appreciate you. Let's go to Troy calling in from Nashville, Tennessee. Troy, what's your question for Adriel? Adriel, Revelations chapter 13-15, and it's about the beast who gives breath to the image. In one hour according to Elon Musk for convenience, is this what this means, that the machine will have the breath of life because the chip will be put into people?

Okay. Troy, we've received a number of questions about the mark of the beast in Revelation 13. Of course, there is a ton of fear and concern, concern even that, am I going to accidentally take something that's the mark of the beast? For a while, we were getting a lot of questions about the vaccine. Is the vaccine the mark of the beast?

I read something online or in a blog, maybe this is the mark of the beast, or maybe some chip that Elon Musk is going to invent, something like that. That's not what Revelation chapter 13 is about. The mark of the beast is identifying with the idolatrous system of worship that rejects God. This is not something that people accidentally take, that a Christian believer can, oh no, I didn't know, and without knowing, I received the mark of the beast.

No, and I think that's one of the concerns that many people have. What's so interesting there in Revelation chapter 13, again, we have to remember that the book of Revelation is a book full of symbols and imagery. Even the number 666, the number of man, is highly symbolic.

We have to factor that in as we think about these kinds of questions. What I was going to say is even with regard to this idea of being marked, the picture there is identifying with false worship, identifying with Satan, with the beast. The saints, we're told in chapter 14, are marked with God's name.

John says, I looked and behold on Mount Zion stood the Lamb and with Him 144,000 who had His name and His Father's name written on their foreheads. So you have two groups of people here. You have those who are identified with the beast and false worship, and those who are identified with the true and the living God who have been marked by the grace of the Holy Spirit, by the name of God. That's how we need to understand this.

We're not talking about a vaccine here. We're talking about worship and idolatry and what we identify with. Do we identify with the true and the living God or with the false system of worship out there in the world? The mark of the beast, again, let me just say it very clearly, is not something that believers receive or can receive. They've been marked with the name of the true God, sealed with the Holy Spirit, Paul tells us in Ephesians 1, verses 13 and 14.

That's how we need to understand. We need to read the book of Revelation as it was meant to be read. By the way, we have a resource that will help you to do just that. It's a resource, a 10-week study through the book of Revelation, written by a professor I had in seminary, a different professor, actually, Dennis Johnson. This is an excellent resource. I recommend that you get a hold of that resource. You're listening to Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. If you have a question for us, you can always email us at this email address.

It's questionsatcorechristianity.com. Here's an email from Sherry, and she says, God had compassion for the people of Nineveh and sent Jonah to preach so they could be saved. But many times in the Old Testament, the Israelites were told to break off relations with foreigners. They were supposed to kill them all many times in battles, including women and children. And I feel we need to treat foreigners with kindness today, but we are also allowing all of their religions and customs into our country as well. Can you explain why God wanted to save some people and wanted to destroy others?

That's an excellent question. First, let me just say, when God called Abraham in the book of Genesis and his family, and he said, Your offspring are going to bless the whole world. Through you, all the nations of the world are going to be blessed. So from the very beginning, God's heart has been for the nations, for all people. And he called Israel, his covenant people, to be a light to the nations so that through them, the whole world might turn to the true and the living God. They're referred to as a light to the nations in places like the book of Isaiah. That's what they were called to as a people. That was their vocation, we might say. But instead of being a light to the nations, they allowed idolatry and false worship to creep in.

The light went out, if you will. And so God sent his son, Jesus, the light of the world, to the world so that the nations might turn back to him. Jesus, the true Israelite. And when God commanded, you think of the destruction of Canaan as the children of Israel took the land, when God was commanding war there and the eradication of the Canaanites, that was in part to drive out the false worship, the idolatry, that would have compromised Israel as a people. It wasn't God just saying, I don't like these people, I like those people over there. No, again, the goal has always been the light of the world to the nations. And I think actually the story of Nineveh is a great example of this.

And so first, again, I'll just say it's not God saying, I like you, I don't like you kind of a thing. No, it's God using his people. And the goal of this, God using his people, is to bring the truth to the world. We, the people of God, fell short of that.

We continue to fall short of that. And that's why Jesus sent his son into the world. And in Christ, we, the church, are the light of the world. This is why John, when he has his vision in the book of Revelation, and he sees Jesus, he sees him standing in the midst of seven golden lampstands. So what do lampstands do?

They contain light, they illuminate. And the lampstands, we're told there in Revelation chapter one, verse 20, are the churches, the seven churches there in Asia Minor. But the church, like Israel under the old covenant, is called to be a lampstand, shining the light of God's goodness, God's glory, in the world to the world.

Why? Because God cares about the world, because God cares about missions, because God is calling all people everywhere to repent. And so that's how I see this. And again, we see example after example of that in the Old Testament. And that's not contradicted by the holy wars that were happening when Israel was taking the land.

No, that was, again, in part so that the light of God could continue to spread without the threat of idolatry and idolatry taking over Israel. Thank you for your question. You're listening to Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Have time for one more question.

This is an email from one of our listeners, Adriel. This is from Angela, and she says, Why do we pay tithes in money? Can we pay our tithe through our service?

Thank you for that question. Well, in the New Testament, you do have examples of Christians bringing their offerings, resources, money to the church for the good of those who are in need, for the ministry of the church as well, taking care of, paying for the ministry of the word, pastoral ministry, those kinds of things. I mean, you see this in Scripture, you see this in the New Testament. Can we give something else? Well, I think that, I mean, it depends on the situation that someone is in. There are instances where maybe someone has no money at all to give.

They're poverty-stricken. And in situations like that, I think it's important that the church, and in particular the deacons of the church, step in to help. But we are called to work so that we might give. I mean, it's what Paul told the Ephesians, Let the thief no longer steal, but let him work with his hands so that he might have to give to the one who is in need.

And one of the greatest idols, I think, today in Western society is money and possessions. And so if we're thinking, I'm just going to cling to this and instead of giving money to the ministry or for the ministry of the word, I'm just going to give my time, that kind of thing. I would say we want to make sure that resources, money, doesn't grip our hearts more than the truth of the gospel and God's word.

And so we should give and we should give generously. 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. If 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.