If We're No Longer "Under the Law", Why Do We Still Follow the Ten Commandments?

If we're no longer under the law, then why do we still follow the Ten Commandments? 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. Our phone lines are open, and you can call us right now for the next 25 minutes or so. Here's the number, 833-THE-CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. Now, you can also post your question on one of our social media sites, including YouTube, and you can watch Adriel live in the studio every day at 1130 a.m. Pacific time and see what he's up to in there. And you never know, he might have his Gutenberg Bible out and be getting ready to preach.

So check that out. I'm quick on the draw, Bill. I always have that thing just ready to go whenever people need a sermon. When I come around, people just run because they know they're about to get a sermon. By the way, you can send Adriel your question through YouTube as well, and you can always email us anytime at questionsatcorechristianity.com.

First up today, here's a voicemail from one of our listeners named Kathy. Is it wrong to be baptized a second time? My son was baptized as an infant. That's how our church believes. We are calling upon the Holy Spirit to come into their life. But as an adult now, he is thinking about getting baptized on his own. And I just wondered, is that kind of a slam to the Holy Spirit as if we're saying the first one wasn't good enough? I just wanted your take on that. I think if he approaches this with a pure heart that he's not dismissing what happened as an infant, but rather is saying, I agree with what my parents did when I was an infant, and I want to, as an adult, express that. I don't know.

I'm really torn on this, so your opinion would be much appreciated. Thank you. Hey, Kathy, thank you for that question. First, how wonderful, right? I mean, you're seeking to raise your son in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. He was baptized as an infant, given the sign of God's covenant promises, those promises that are to us and also to our children, as the Bible says in so many places. And so that promise, the promise of the gospel, was exhibited to him there through water, through the words of institution given by our Lord Jesus. When he instituted baptism, when he instituted baptism, saying, go into all the world and make disciples, baptizing in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, I'm with you always, even to the end of the age.

And now, as he's grown, that faith, that faith that he has that the Lord has given to him, is becoming more and more evident. And he's got this question of, well, do I go and get baptized again? Can I go and get baptized again?

And I sort of understand why he would want to, in one sense, right? Because it's like, well, I didn't remember when I was baptized as an infant. I want to tell the world that I believe in Jesus. And so, one, let me just say again, it's wonderful to see, so beautiful to see, when our kids are really grasping the truth of the gospel, laying hold of those promises by faith. And that's what baptism calls us to. It calls us to lay hold of the reality, the promise by faith, not just for the one baptized, but anytime you see a baptism as a Christian, you're reminded as well of how God has spoken through water and his word, sealing his people with the promise of salvation. And so, because that was legitimate, I would say, even for an infant, you know, the child of a believing parent or two believing parents, God's word is sure and faithful and true.

And because that's the case, I don't think that it would be necessary or even proper to try and do that again. Again, realizing, you know, that he wants to express his faith and relationship with the Lord. I think typically, you know, the way that this would happen with a child who's been baptized as an infant is to make a public profession of faith, to be admitted to the Lord's table, you know, becoming a communicant member of the church, but not to get baptized again, because there's only one baptism, and the legitimacy of baptism is rooted in God's word and promise. It's not dependent primarily upon my own subjective faith, but what God has said.

And then, by faith, we lay hold of those promises which are sure, which stand, even if we lay hold of those promises later in life. You know, I was baptized as a child, but I didn't really lay hold of those gospel promises that God exhibited to me so clearly until I was older. That's when the Spirit of God worked in my life, and sometimes that's how it is, and it sounds like that's how it was here in this situation, but no need, I would say, to go get baptized again, quote-unquote.

Now, I know that there are differences of opinion on this. If somebody has a more baptistic background, what they're going to say is, well, no, you know, that baptism as an infant didn't count, so he does need to get baptized now that he really, really believes in Jesus. But those, you know, differences of opinion on baptism, on the nature of baptism, on the proper recipients of baptism. Important questions, but not things that keep us from loving each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, and so I would differ from that view and think that for you and now for your son, the proper way for it is not to be baptized again, but to profess his faith and to live now as becomes the followers of Christ and to seek to live in light of that baptism that he received as a child every single day of his life now.

Thank you. Just a follow-up question for you, Adriel. What happens if, let's say, this young man is plugged into a church that heartily believes in adult baptism and would say, well, baptism is an outward sign of an inward change, and you need to be baptized if you're going to be part of our church.

What does he do? I mean, that's, I've, I know people who have been in situations like this where they weren't admitted to church membership because they had been baptized as an infant and the church didn't agree with that baptism, and so then they were forced with the decision. If I'm going to be a member here, I have to get baptized the way they want me to get baptized, and for me, you know, I'm convicted sort of in the other direction. I would say, well, find a church that holds to, you know, the view of baptism that you have rather than just sort of going through the motions in order to become a member of the church, especially if you don't agree with it, you know.

I mean, that's, I think that's a real big problem for a number of reasons, and so, and so, yeah, it is, it is kind of a sticky situation. I know there are many Baptist churches that say, okay, well, that's what you believe, and you were baptized as an infant. We will accept your baptism, but it does, it does raise all sorts of questions, and so kind of a sticky situation.

I know one that people have had to, had to walk through. Great explanation. Thanks for that. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Maybe you have a question about doctrine or theology or something in your own church life that's either confusing to you or concerning to you, or maybe a passage of Scripture that's always kind of stumped you. You can call us right now at 833-THE-CORE.

That's 833-843-2673. Let's go to Grace calling in from the Chicago area. Grace, what's your question for Adriel?

Hi, Bill. Hi, Pastor Adriel. I've been going to church for several years now, and I'm currently attending membership classes to become a member. Recently during a class, I learned that this particular denomination believes that it is possible for a born-again Christian to lose their salvation.

This really surprised me because of my personal Bible study of the Scriptures. I have always believed, and I'm convinced to my core, that one cannot lose their salvation, as the Gospel of John 639, John 829, and many others seem to indicate, at least to my understanding. What do you think, and what should I do now, since I've come to love this body of believers?

A great question, Grace, and I would agree with you. I don't think that a true believer can lose their salvation. I think that we grieve the Holy Spirit, like Paul says in the book of Ephesians, but that ultimately we'll persevere in faith, even if we have seasons of struggling with sin, even an intense struggle with sin. I don't think that means that we've lost our justification or that the grace of God is entirely removed from our lives. Of course, that's what some churches, like the Roman Catholic Church, for example, that's the view there, that if you commit a serious sin, what's referred to as a mortal sin, well then the grace of God is removed, and you have to kind of get re-saved in one sense, you have to go through this sacrament of penance. And then there are a lot of Protestant churches, evangelical churches even, that hold to something similar, where you can be saved, but then if you do a particular sin, maybe a really grievous sin, then you lose your salvation. And I just disagree with that idea of sort of stepping in and out of being a child of God. I think if you're a child of God, you can struggle with sin, but the Lord will discipline you, and ultimately he'll keep you. And so with regard to this situation, I think you have to ask, well, one, the most important thing about the church that you're part of is, are they faithful to the Scriptures, and are they preaching the Gospel clearly?

Is that happening? It's more than just the community, right? The community is important, having relationships and friendships there. I mean, I think that's really important, but you need to know that you're going to be in a place that you're going to be nourished by the Word of God week in and week out, and it's going to be faithfully proclaimed. And maybe the teaching there is solid, maybe it's rooted in the Scriptures as far as you can tell, like this is something that you just are surprised by.

I don't know, but that's going to be an issue that you have to work through and think about for yourself. For myself, that would raise other questions related to, well, how do they understand the sovereignty of God and salvation? How do they understand the doctrine of justification?

Some of these core doctrines that really are important, that were central to the Protestant Reformation. I would do some more digging before I jumped into membership, just because I wouldn't want to become a member and all of a sudden then realize, oh boy, actually they believe all sorts of things differently than I do. And so that's my encouragement to you.

May God give you wisdom. I'm grateful to hear that you found a community where you feel like, man, I've fallen in love with this church. Maybe an opportunity also to speak with the leadership of the pastors there, give them a chance to kind of explain where they're coming from. I don't know if you want to share, Grace, what particular Christian, is it a non-denominational church? It's a Nazarene church.

Okay, okay. Yeah, so that's going to be, I mean, again, theologically there are going to be some differences there. That's not to minimize the community and maybe the vibrancy of the fellowship there.

I think that that's wonderful. Here's something that we sometimes talk about on the broadcast, is the marks of a true church. And I think this is helpful in terms of determining what kind of a church should I pursue. At the top of the list is the pure preaching of the Word of God, the gospel.

That's number one. That has to be the main thing. And then beside that, you have the right administration of the ordinances that Jesus gave to the church.

Is Christ being worshiped as the Bible calls us to worship Him? And then the discipline of the church, not just thinking about church discipline, but that fellowship that's there. And so it sounds like that fellowship, there is fellowship and encouragement, that's great, but that's not the only thing. You really need to factor in also, is the Word of God being faithfully taught here?

And are they clear? Are they right on when it comes to the gospel? Because that's what we need. Week in and week out is a steady diet of Christ for us, for the forgiveness of our sins, in order to fill us with grace and the Spirit of God so that we might live lives of obedience and following after the Lord, having been forgiven, having been received by the Lord. So Grace, thank you for that question, and God bless you as you work through this particular question for yourself. Hey Grace, thanks so much for your call and for listening to Quora Christianity. We'll be praying for you as you make these decisions moving forward and ask some good questions of the leadership of the church about their beliefs. This is Quora Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Let's go to Jan in Tyler, Texas. Jan, what's your question for Adriel?

Yes, hi, thank you for taking my call. I was calling in reference to children who, when Jesus said, oh, let the children come to me. And all three of my children, when they were very young, like five, six, and eight or nine, came to him and were baptized, and we tried to raise them up we tried to raise them up in the nurture, you know, and in teaching about Jesus. Today, as an adult, they are way, way off.

I mean nowhere near, and I don't even want to go into details about that. So I thought about Solomon when he was very young. He was wise and did everything according to what God commanded him, and then he went way off in the very, very end. So my question is, are my children saved? God bless you, and look, the question is, I think one that's at the heart of every parent, you know, longs for our children to know and love Jesus, and you seek to raise your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, as you said, and then they go astray like this, and you're wondering, well, is what happened, is what they did in the past, you know, they're baptized as five, six, seven, does that count? As I was saying to an earlier caller, we have to lay hold of those promises given to us in baptism, the promise of the gospel for ourselves personally.

You know, there are many people who are baptized who don't go to heaven, who reject the gospel and turn away from the Lord. Now, I don't want to presume about your children or make an assumption, I don't know where they are, it sounds to me like, you know, you said they've drifted away from God, they're not walking with the Lord anymore, but here's what I will say, is there's still hope. As long as a person has breath in their lungs, they can turn to the Lord and confess their sins and receive his grace, and so I think your prayer right now is, Lord, do for them what you did to the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15, help them to come to their senses, to realize that they need you, that they need your grace, that they need your mercy, that they've turned away from you, and that, you know, they're living in this way that's not pleasing in your sight. And so having that hope, one, recognizing that also God can use, you know, the teaching that you gave them as young children, that sometimes those seeds don't sprout until much later, and maybe they're still there, the seed of God's word that you planted talking about Jesus as they were kids. So pray that God would add his grace and his spirit to cause those seeds to grow, perhaps, but ultimately that they would not continue to wander away from the Lord, but that they would turn to him in faith and lay hold of those gracious promises that God has given to them, Jan, and may God bless you and be with you as you seek to encourage them and also to be a godly influence in their lives. May God give you wisdom to know how to speak to them, and I just want to take a moment to pray for your children and for you right now, Jan, asking the Lord to do his work.

Our Father in Heaven, we come before you, we lift our sister Jan up to you, and we pray for her children, Lord. Jesus, would you, as the Good Shepherd, pursue them? Would you draw them back to yourself? Those seeds of faith, Lord, that were planted, the seeds of your word that were planted when they were younger, God, would you water them with the grace of your Holy Spirit? Would you give our sister wisdom to know how to encourage and speak the truth to her children? You know how hard that can be with family, especially, Lord, to know when to speak and what to say? Would you give her wisdom, Lord, in the filling of your spirit and courage and boldness, Lord?

And would you do what only you can do, Lord, in softening their hearts and helping them to see their need of you and in bringing them home, Lord God? We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen. Jan, thanks for your call. We feel for you and your whole situation, and we'll be praying for you here at CORE Christianity.

Well, we'd love to hear from you. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life, you can leave us a voicemail 24 hours a day at 833-THE-CORE. That's 833-843-2673. I also want to mention we have a brand new CORE guide available on our website. It's called Five Names of God You Should Know. Yeah, you're going to want to get this resource. I love our CORE guides because they're free, for one, but they're also, you know, short but rich in terms of theology and helping you understand who God is so that you might approach Him in faith. And so get a hold of this resource. Again, it's called Five Names of God You Should Know, unpacking some of the names of God revealed in Scripture and their significance for you as a believer. You can find those, that download, at COREChristianity.com forward slash offers.

And there's a lot of other great CORE guides and CORE questions available too you can download. Again, go to COREChristianity.com forward slash offers. Let's go to Steven who's calling in from Arizona. Steven, are you in the Safford area or Tucson? Where are you right now?

Yeah, I'm out of Tucson, Missouri. And what's your question? Okay, so kind of piggyback off of the Lord being our Good Shepherd, let me sum it up real quick. Can we miss out on God's predestined will for our life? So I'll elaborate on that. Walking by faith and allowing for God's will from each one of us, from each one fold, I ask this question, can I make a wrong turn while pursuing and honoring God off the path that He has for me?

Not intentionally, perhaps just in error. So can one go off trail, so to speak, and create a life without the Lord's blessing over it, or will God coerce us back to the predestined will that He has for us? Hey, excellent question. So I mean, one for a believer, I think that God, and that word predestined is really interesting in the New Testament, appears a lot of places, especially in Paul, and it's sort of the idea of building a fence around something, right? God's care and oversight of His children. All things have been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things together according to the counsel of His will, Paul says in Ephesians chapter 1. And so we're thinking there about the sovereignty of God, but it's clear from Scripture that each one of us makes decisions, that we can wander off the right path. Now your question is, is God going to bring me back? Well, again, I think if you belong to the Lord, if you're one of His sheep, if you've trusted in Jesus, that yeah, the Good Shepherd is not going to let go of you. And when we wander, what does He do? He promises to discipline us for His own sake, for His own glory, and for our good. And so we have a shepherd who, when we stray, doesn't just leave us to the wolves, but pursues us.

And I mean, that's Jesus, the Good Shepherd. And so again, you know, we're sort of getting into the question of human responsibility and God's sovereignty. We know, as I mentioned in Ephesians chapter 1, that all things work together according to the counsel of God and His predetermined purpose. But from the human perspective, we're each making decisions every single day, and those decisions matter. And God holds us accountable for the decisions that we make. And so you do have this relationship between human responsibility and the sovereignty of God, and we recognize that even within the choices that we make, God is working and accomplishing His sovereign and predetermined purposes.

You see this in places like Acts chapter 4, where Luke talks about the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus, and how God was working that out for the salvation of His people. And so I think each of us, one, we don't have to worry about, you know, man, is God's plan going to be fully and finally thwarted? Is evil going to get the upper hand? No, because God is good and He's sovereign. But at the same time, we should do all that we can to pursue God, to seek to live faithfully, to obey His Word, what He's revealed to us in Scripture. And not, you know, it's not an excuse for us to sit back and say, oh well, you know, whatever's going to happen is going to happen.

It's going to happen. No, that's the wrong perspective. We're called to obey the Lord, to follow the Lord, to believe, and to rest in His sovereign will. Thanks for reaching out to us, Steve. Really good word. Thanks for that, Adriel. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Just a reminder, you can call our voicemail system anytime, 24 hours a day, and leave your question at 833-THE-CORE.

Here's a voicemail that came in from one of our listeners named June. Good afternoon, Pastor. I just got a question regarding Romans chapter seven, that Paul is talking about the law, that we are no longer under the law. Is he talking about the Ten Commandments here, the Mosaic law, or is he talking about the law of the land, which is like the Old Testament practices, like, you know, they're operating on the temple with animals. So I just want to see if maybe you can clarify it for me.

I really appreciate it. Thank you, Pastor. Yeah, excellent question. I think specifically he's talking about being under the law or the Mosaic covenant, as this works covenant, we might say, being under it as a means of attaining a right standing before God. And that does include the Ten Commandments, but it's not that we set aside the Ten Commandments because we're no longer under the law in that sense.

Rather, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we're set free to love God and to love our neighbor. And so what Paul is doing is he's saying, look, through Jesus, through his life, death, and resurrection, because you are in him, you too have died to the law, just like he died to the law. I mean, he was crucified under the law. He took the curse of the law upon himself for our sakes. Paul says this very clearly in Galatians chapter 3. And so it's as if we died with Jesus. Now, the law can no longer condemn us because Christ was condemned in our place.

So what does that mean? That means that the law is no longer over me in that sense, but it is a guide for us. Those Ten Commandments, it's not that they've been invalidated or set aside.

No, they're still a guide for us. And ultimately, the law is summarized in what? In loving God and in loving my neighbor. And that is something that all of us are called to, that the whole world is called to, and that Christians, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, day by day, grow in.

I mean, we still struggle. We don't perfectly obey the law. But nevertheless, the law can't condemn us.

Why? Because we died to it in Jesus. What a glorious salvation. We're free. I mean, that's the point that Paul is making in Romans 6 through 8.

We are free now to live as the children of God and to love him as those who have been justified by the free gift of his grace. Praise God. Thanks for listening to Core Christianity. To request your copy of today's special offer, go to corechristianity.com forward slash radio, or you can call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833 the core. When you contact us, let us know how we can be praying for you. And be sure to join us next time as we explore the truth of God's word together.