What Must I Believe to Be a True Christian?

What must I believe to be a true Christian? That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of CORE Christianity. Hi, it's 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-HELP.

843-2673. And of course, you can always email us at questionsatcorechristianity.com. Now, in case you haven't heard, today is our last live episode of CORE Christianity.

In the coming months, we're going to be offering some great new content on our YouTube channel, so we're encouraging you to follow us on YouTube and be watching for that. And Adriel, I know that you are really excited about the new ministry opportunities that are ahead for CORE Christianity, but I'm wondering, as we do our very last live program today, just take a few minutes to look back on the past three and a half years. What do you think has brought you the most joy in hosting this program? I think it's such a joy to be with such a passion for the Gospel and wanting to encourage people, wanting to help people. And so I've felt just immensely privileged. It's obviously also just such a joy to hear from listeners who have been impacted by the work that we're doing and the work that we have been doing.

I hear testimony of someone who was baptized or someone who got plugged into a solid church or someone who was kind of on the fences about following God and made a decision to give their life to Christ. Those kinds of things, obviously, for me, have been awesome, so encouraging. And so, yeah, Bill, it's been so much fun, such a blessing, and I'm so thankful to the Lord. Amen.

I echo everything you just said. Now, you really have a deep knowledge about the Bible and theology. That comes through every day on this program. But I'm really curious, what do you think you have personally learned from doing the show for the past three and a half years? I would say one of the big things is just an insight into the kinds of struggles that so many people have. And so if you've listened to Core Christianity for the last several years, you know that we get a lot of similar kinds of questions, right? Somebody wrestling with assurance of salvation, for example.

So just that theme. Also lots of misunderstandings with regard to God's law and the proper application of God's law in the world and in the life of the believer. And so I think one of the things that's been really helpful for me as a minister of the gospel is just being able to hear from such a broad audience and see some of these themes coming up again and again, areas where it's important for the church to speak clearly and to provide some encouragement and support. And so I've learned a lot, I think, about the world that God has blessed us to do ministry in. And of course, you're always confronted with a sense of your own inadequacy. I feel like with these questions, for our listeners, you know a lot of times we'll get a question that's like, okay, we just need to pray.

This is big. This is more than just a Bible verse to respond to this. We need to go to the Lord.

We need to take this to the Lord and pray. And then we can look to the Scriptures and ask God for wisdom in helping us to apply the word. But even there, it's just dependence upon the Lord, dependence upon the Holy Spirit. And I'm so grateful for the team.

I think that's always been a theme. We prayed again today before we go live on the air, just praying and saying, God, help us. God, be with us. God, use us to encourage your people. And so again, what a just absolute privilege and a joy it's been. And I just thank the Lord.

Thank Him every day. You know, in today's world, there is a lot of confusion and I think even misinformation about the Christian faith. According to Scripture, what are the core tenets of the Christian faith and what does a person need to believe to truly be a Christian? Yeah, that gets to the heart of, we talked about bringing this up, because it gets to the heart of what we've sought to do over the last five or so years, is help Christians grow in those core tenets. What is the essence of the Gospel? And part of the reason why we've been doing this and are going to continue to do this in the things that the Lord has placed before us in the future is because, sadly, in American evangelicalism, in the broader Church, the core doctrines of the Christian faith, summarized in places like the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed, you know, we're talking about the doctrine of the Trinity, a right understanding of the Incarnation, a right understanding of the Gospel. What is the Gospel?

Lots of people just don't understand that. People even who were raised, brought up in churches, who couldn't articulate those truths according to Scripture. And so, for me as a minister of the Gospel, wanting to see the Church recover that has been so key.

And brothers and sisters, that's what we need and that's what we're committed to and that's what we're going to continue to do as an organization. But you have to go, I think, to Paul in 1 Corinthians 15, where he says, I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve, then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. But Paul says, here it is, let me deliver to you what I also received, what was handed down to me.

This is the deposit of faith, the Gospel that the Church is called to protect and guard and preach. It's that Christ died for our sins. In other words, He came into the world for us, for our salvation, because we're sinners, we need God's grace. He died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures. This is what the prophets of old had talked about, that He was buried, that He rose again from the dead, conquering death and sin and Satan in accordance with the Scriptures, seen by many eyewitnesses. This is the Gospel that we hold fast to, and this is what you need to believe. And by believe, we don't just mean give this sort of historical assent to. Oh yeah, I think that that happened, but trusting in Jesus Christ personally, trusting in Him personally for the forgiveness of your sins, clinging to Him in His life, death, burial, and resurrection, that's the Gospel.

That's the heart of the Gospel, and that's what we all are called to believe. You know, we've mentioned before, one of the resources that we offer here at Core Christianity, which really digs into this, is the book, Core Christianity, by our founder, Dr. Michael Horton. And if you heard what Adriel just said, you have more questions, or you'd like to maybe talk to a friend or relative about what it really means to be a believer, one thing you could do is play this section of the podcast to them, but you could also get a copy of that book, Core Christianity. You can find that by going to our website, corechristianity.com. Just one more question for you, Adriel. I'd just love to know, you preach on a regular basis, you write, you're now a published author, what do you have in mind for this new YouTube venture moving forward?

Yeah. I mean, what I would love to see, and we are going to be working on creating content, videos, highly produced videos, interactive videos, that answer tough questions about the faith, so still more kind of pastoral encouragement, maybe some apologetics there as well. Speaking into, I think, the current issues of the day with conviction, with compassion, with clarity, and if you've listened to Core Christianity for any amount of time, you know that those are the things that we try to bring to the table.

That conviction, being faithful to the Word of God, not compromising but sticking to the Scriptures, clarity, theological clarity, let's not waffle when it comes to proper theology, good theology, but be crystal clear, but also compassion. As you've heard, as many people here on the broadcast day in and day out, people are struggling, people are hurting, people are wrestling in their faith, and so bringing the Word of God and the gospel to bear in a way that is caring and compassionate and without compromise. And so we're going to continue to do that, praise the Lord, via video, via YouTube, some of those other channels, and so I'm excited about that, you know, getting to continue to preach the gospel and hopefully reach an even broader audience, more people to make a greater impact for the glory of God.

Hey! That was our producer who decided to put that nice applause in there because it really deserves applause and some great goals, very admirable goals. And by the way, if you don't currently follow us on YouTube, do that. Starting this week, you'll know when this new content debuts and we know you'll enjoy it because Pastor Adriel will be at the heart of it, so thanks for that, Adriel. You were cutting out there a little bit, I think that was spiritual warfare, Bill. You were cutting out a little bit, but yes, follow us on YouTube, don't miss that, and we're still going to be at it, and so praise, yeah, super thankful for that. Sorry to cut you off, Bill.

Great. Oh no, no problem. Sometimes we have some technical issues because I'm in a different studio and we have some little gremlins that jump onto the phone lines there. We're back and we do want to go to a voicemail from one of our listeners.

Got an interesting call from Matt. Hey guys, thank you. I just appreciate what you've done. Definitely helped me in my walk. I was basically raised Catholic all my life and have recently found a church, a non-denominational church, and I really connect that way. But being raised Catholic, my family is still very practicing and while I'm in my non-denominational service, every once in a while go to a communion service. It's the one time in the service that I feel weird and disconnected and I just feel like it's not good for me to take communion during the non-denominational service. I just feel like this weird emotion towards the Catholic church, like it's super frowned upon. So if you can provide any scripture, any guidance just on whether or not this is a normal feeling, whether or not, you know, I should just dive right in.

Any guidance there is appreciated. Thanks guys, God bless. Yeah, thanks for your question, man. I'm grateful to hear you're connecting with an evangelical church, Bible preaching church. I can imagine that coming from a Roman Catholic background where the liturgy is probably a lot different from what you're experiencing in this non-denominational church, and especially when it comes to partaking of the Lord's Supper. I think in a lot of Bible churches, evangelical churches, we have a low view of the means of grace, of those sacraments or ordinances, and so sometimes, you know, it's like something that the church will do once a month or once a quarter, and even there it's sort of viewed as, well, you know, this is just kind of an opportunity to remember what Jesus did, but there's nothing, you know, mystical or mysterious, or you're not really having a communion with Christ here in any substantial way.

And especially for you coming from a Roman Catholic background where, you know, the belief in the Roman Catholic Church is this is the literal body and blood of Jesus Christ through the working of the Spirit and, you know, the priest administering this sacrament, there's this transformation or transubstantiation that takes place. So you have these two stark contrasts, and I have problems with, obviously, the Roman Catholic theology of the Lord's Supper, of the Eucharist in certain respects. I also have problems with the way in which, you know, a lot of evangelical churches approach the Lord's Supper, just sort of treating it as this mere remembrance of what Jesus has done for us, and so I could see why you feel this tension. Going to a church, you know, communion is obviously about this fellowship that we have, this unique special fellowship that we have with the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, but it's also about our unity as a church, our union with the body of Christ with the church, and so if you reject Catholic theology, if you're not Roman Catholic, you one, shouldn't be taking communion at a Roman Catholic Church, you should be taking the Lord's Supper where you're a member of the church.

And it sounds to me like, you know, you're going to this evangelical, non-denominational church, but you just feel weird about the way in which they're taking the Lord's Supper, and so I think continuing to grow in your understanding of the Supper, maybe you'll find that at that church you do disagree with the theology of how they approach the Lord's Supper, and you need to find a Protestant church that has a more biblical understanding of the Eucharist or of the Lord's Supper. Here's what we need to understand about communion, holy communion. According to Scripture, this isn't just a mere remembrance, Jesus says, do this in remembrance of me, but I think even a lot of people misunderstand what that means. He says that, but it's not just a mere remembering what Jesus has done for us, we're talking about this sign and seal of the gospel, a real, genuine means of God's grace in our lives. The Spirit of God is working in and through these ordinary means that God has given to us so that we might experience, not just, you know, or receive, not just bread and wine, you know, these elements, but the reality, the one whom these signs point to, so that we might feed truly on Jesus himself by faith. This is why Paul in 1 Corinthians 10 says, you know, the cup that we bless, the bread that we break, this is a communion, a koinonia, this intimate fellowship with the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

There's something substantial about that. And so if you're at a church where that's not recognized, that's not understood, yeah, I would feel weird about that too. And, you know, thinking about core Christianity, again, one of the things we've tried to do over the years on this broadcast is help people recover a high view of the local church, right, to the fact that the Christian life is not meant to be lived in isolation by yourself, but with the body of Christ, and a high view of the means of grace, the preaching of the word of God, baptism, the Lord's Supper. These are things that Jesus himself has given to us, and yet these gifts, so often within the church, are spurned or set aside or not received as they ought to be received. And so, appreciate this question, do hope that you do, or are enabled with a clear conscience to participate in the life of the church, again, it may be something where you're still wrestling through, okay, where do I need to go to church that's going to have a high view of the preaching of the gospel, the word of God, but also a high view of the means of grace, baptism, and the Lord's Supper for my own spiritual nourishment and growth and grace.

Amen. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adrian Sanchez. Our phone lines are open if you'd like to call us with your question about the Bible or the Christian life.

Here's the number, it's 833-THE-CORE, 1-833-843-2673. I also want to say thank you to a special group of people who support Core Christianity on a regular basis. We call them our Inner Core. Yes, and I do hope, if you're a member of the Inner Core, man, I'm excited about the things the Lord is going to be continuing to do through your encouragement and your support. We're moving forward with some of these exciting things that Bill was mentioning earlier. One, thank you for your support. If you want to continue to support us moving ahead and partner with us, consider joining that group.

It's a monthly gift of $25 or more. After all these years, I still am struggling to say that right. It's one of the ways you can partner with us and the work that we're doing.

Get in the saddle with us. You can find out more by going to corechristianity.com forward slash inner core. That's corechristianity.com forward slash inner core. Well, Linda's on the line from Missouri with a question. Linda, what's your question for Adriel?

Hello, thank you for taking my call. My question is, I know that I'm sealed by the Holy Spirit, and I know there's a hedge of protection around me. So then why do I have all this paranormal stuff happening in my little apartment here? Things I can see and things I can't see, things that hurt. I mean, these unseen things can actually zap me and it hurts.

I'm just wondering why. Hi, Linda. Well, look, you're right. When a person is born again, when you believe in Jesus, you're immediately sealed with the Holy Spirit. And the one who is in you, John says, is greater than the one who is in the world.

This is 1 John. The evil one does not have authority in any respect over the children of God. You belong to the Lord. Now, we can't experience spiritual oppression, demonic attack.

I would say, how do you respond to that? How do you respond with what the apostle Paul says in the book of Ephesians, in Ephesians chapter 6? Putting on the armor of God, standing fast, standing against the wiles of the evil one, being committed to prayer.

And so all of this, I would say, you take it to the Lord and pray. And pray for the Lord's protection, for his peace, and rest in the fact, as you said, you understand Ephesians chapter 1, right? You've been sealed with the Holy Spirit, you belong to the Lord, and so stand against the evil one with all of his schemes. He might bark at us and try to strike fear into our hearts, but you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. And so why the Lord allows some of the spiritual attack that we experience, we're not always sure. I do know that when people, I'm not saying this about you, but when people dabble in sin or in the occult or those kinds of things, that's an open door for spiritual attack, for evil.

I know that's been an issue for some people, but that's not always the case. And so I would say just continuing to bring these things to the Lord in prayer and maybe meditating on what Paul says in Ephesians 6, 10 through 20, about the armor of God and being sure that you're putting that armor on every day. God bless you, Linda. Good counsel. This is Quora Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez.

We do receive voicemails on a regular basis, and here's one that came in from one of our listeners named Max. Yeah, it's interesting how you pose that question. Yes, God is perfectly just, so everybody who's judged by the Lord is judged justly. Now, you made it sound like, well, if they don't believe in Jesus and they die and they go to hell, well, that doesn't seem just to me. But the fact of the matter is everybody is one made in the image of God and has in one sense the law of God in them through natural revelation. We know the difference between right and wrong, and we also know that there is a God, a creator God, who made all things. Romans chapter 1 makes this absolutely clear.

The issue is we suppress that knowledge and unrighteousness, and so we are held accountable. You might reject Jesus and think, well, I don't think that that's true, but the fact of the matter is the Bible makes it absolutely clear that each and every one of us has this sense of God. You feel it sometimes when you look up at night, the stars, and you're gazing at the heavens. The heavens themselves, the psalmist said in Psalm 19, declare the glory of God. The firmament shows His handiwork day unto day, utter speech. Night unto night reveals knowledge.

The whole world has that. The whole world knows on the basis of that natural revelation that there is a God who exists and who is all-powerful, and yet what we do with that knowledge so often is we reject it, we suppress it so that we can do our own things, so that we can worship ourselves or creatures, and God is going to hold us accountable for that. Now, I do think that those who know even more, those who have more light of revelation, those who have God's special revelation and have heard the gospel over and over again and reject that, I think that they're judged more severely, certainly more severely than the individual who didn't have any of that, and sought to just live a good life on the basis of what they knew of the light of nature. But here's what I can say, I think definitively, is on judgment day, no one is going to say, God, you weren't fair. God is perfectly just, and not only is God perfectly just, and brothers and sisters, this is what we've sought to say for five years or more now, God isn't just perfectly just, He's good, and He's revealed His goodness in the gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ, calling all people everywhere to turn to Him, to believe in Him, and to receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. May God bless you with that. And be sure to join us next time as we explore the truth of God's Word together.