Is Jesus or the Bible the Word of God?

The Bible is called the Word of God, but Jesus is also called the Word of God.

So which is it? That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of CORE Christianity. Hi, this is Bill Meyer, along with my friend Pastor Adriel Sanchez. And this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. Well, a new survey has found that the Bible has been a vital lifeline for Christians in the United Kingdom and Ireland during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The Bible study app WordGo found that 63% of churchgoing Christians in the UK and Ireland say the Bible has been crucial in helping them deal with the pressures of life since the lockdowns first began in March. Simon Lennox, who's the director of WordGo, says it's so encouraging to hear of people being comforted by God through the Bible in these challenging times. This shows us the genuine impact of Bible engagement on our lives. In times of great uncertainty, we need the timeless wisdom and genuine peace that only the Word of God can bring. Isn't that encouraging, Adriel? Yeah, and I'm sure, Bill, we would both say amen to that. I know in my own life, there have been challenging times where I went to the scriptures and studied God's Word, and it just was such a comfort, I mean, just an anchor, frankly, in those difficult times.

So I'm glad to hear that other people are recognizing that it is so important for us to go to God's Word to find that comfort and that peace when things seem really unstable. Our first question of the day, this was posted on our Facebook page by Lee, and Lee says, I've heard a pastor say that he's never once had someone come to him and repent of being greedy, even though Jesus talks about greed more than any other sin. My question is, then, has anyone ever confessed to you that they struggle with greed? And if not, what do you think about this?

Yeah, believe it or not, no. I mean, that's not one of the frequently confessed sins, and I think that that is a problem. Maybe it exposes a big blind spot that we have. I mean, especially in our context in the United States, where we really have more money than the rest of the world. I mean, so many of us are doing much better than the majority of the people that live on planet Earth. And now that doesn't mean that we're necessarily greedy, but I think that money is one of the biggest idols, temptations for us, comfort, just that pursuing comfort to the extent of neglecting what God has called us to and how God has called us to use the resources that he gives to us. The love of money can be something that you are enslaved to. Whether you're rich or you're poor, if it's what drives you, what you live for, what you hoard up and cling to, there's an issue. This is why Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, you can't serve God and mammon or money riches. You have to pick one. It's amazing to me.

Let me say this. I know because of the prosperity gospel and these televangelists that people see on television, that there are a lot of faithful pastors that have a hard time talking about money and possessions, because the whole conversation has become so tainted with preachers on TV who were saying things like, oh, you need to sow your seed and be blessed and send to my ministry and God is going to give you back tenfold, you know, those kinds of things, those kinds of lies. I mean, it really is a false doctrine, and it leaves a bad taste in so many people's mouths. And so that, I think, there's this reaction to that where pastors just say, I'm not even going to touch the topic of money with a 10-foot pole. And yet, Jesus had no problem talking about money and possessions. I mean, think about the parables that he told, and it's interesting because when he talked about how we as Christians should think about money and possessions, he almost flipped everything upside down to what we would normally assume. For example, he gives the parable of that rich fool who stored up all this money, his riches, and he said to himself, now, alas, I can finally rest. Look at all this that I've saved up.

I've really been pretty savvy financially. And yet, that person died with all of his riches, and Jesus said, that man was a fool because he wasn't investing in heaven. And then you think about the poor widow there in the temple giving her widow's might, everything that she had, frankly.

And we might be tempted to think, okay, the rich guy, he was smart with his resources. That widow, man, she was foolish, giving her last dime to the temple. And yet, Jesus commends her, and he calls the rich man a fool. You see, I think a lot of times in our society today, we might look at the rich man as a smart guy, storing up for tomorrow, and look at the widow and think, hey, man, how pitiful. And yet, Jesus commends the widow and calls the rich man a fool.

What are you investing in, I think is the key question. Where your treasure is, that's where your heart will be. And there is such a close relationship to the way we think about money and possessions, and oftentimes reveals something of our spiritual condition, how we think about God and his kingdom.

And each of us, frankly, we're going to be held accountable. Randy Alcorn, he has a book, I think it's called Money, Possessions, and Eternity. He made a point in that book that really struck me.

He said, you know, if you work from 25 to 65, making $25,000 a year, you will have made $1 million in your lifetime. And his point was to say that each of us in the course of our lives will manage a fortune. And if we're not careful, it will manage us.

It will rule over us. And ultimately, we're going to be accountable for how we used the resources that God gave to us. And so Jesus, again, has a lot to say about money and possessions, because he knew that this was a huge temptation for us.

And it is a huge temptation, I think, for many of us here in the United States. And so we do have to ask ourselves whether or not we are tempted by this and being controlled by money and possessions and the longing for security and these other things. Or are we using the resources God gives us for his glory? Are we doing good and sharing, as Paul told Timothy, to encourage the rich in his congregation to do, sharing with those who are in need, giving to the work of the church?

Do you give to your local church for the advancement of the gospel? I mean, all of these things are so, so important, and they reveal something about how we think about the world and how we think about God and his kingdom. And so I think this is a huge blind spot for us and something that each of us needs to ask ourselves personally. Am I controlled by money or am I controlled by the Lord and his spirit? And do I use the money that he gives me as a tool for advancing his glory?

Lee, so thankful you asked that question. It's something that all of us should be really pondering in our hearts and asking God to show us if there's any blind spots. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez, and here's a question that came in from Ben.

He posted this on our Instagram account. He says, in Mark 13 30, Jesus says, Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. How do we correctly interpret this passage? It seems to say all of those things have already happened since that generation has already passed away.

Or who is this generation referring to? Thanks so much. Yeah, thank you for your question, Mark. And I think the key as far as understanding this is concerned is, you know, looking at the beginning of the chapter. And by the way, you know, I just I just mentioned the widow's might, the widow's offering comes right before this.

So I'm actually going to start in 12, chapter 12, verse 41, because I think it helps us to understand even that story to into 13 and then answer your question. So as he sat down opposite the Treasury and watch the people putting money into the offering box, many rich people put in large sums, and a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box, for they all contributed out of their abundance.

But she, out of her poverty, has put in everything she had, all that she had to live on. And he came out of the temple. And one of the disciples said to him, Look, teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings. And Jesus said to him, Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. So in the context of Mark Chapter 13, there are really two things that Jesus is talking about, I think.

One, he's talking about the second coming at various points, you know, his return to judge the earth. But he's also talking about what he referred to there at the very beginning of the chapter, which was the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, this glorious building. I mean, Josephus, the Jewish historian, when he talks about it, he says that when the sun was rising on the temple, it was almost as if the thing was glowing. It was just these large white stones and overlaid with gold. It looked as if it was covered in snow at times when the sun would hit it.

It was absolutely magnificent. And that's why the disciples say, Wow, look at how beautiful this is. And Jesus says it's going to be torn down. And sure enough, in 70 AD, the Romans did just that. They destroyed the temple.

They sacked Jerusalem. And so that's what Jesus is referring to. I think that event in particular, when he talks about this generation witnessing the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. And the reason I brought up again the widow's mite there is because how do you think that the temple got so beautiful?

Well, it was through the contributions of people like this poor widow. And so in one sense, she's commended because of her sacrificial giving. But Jesus was also rebuking the priesthood, the temple officials who were exploiting people and taking basically everything that they had instead of caring for them to build this big, beautiful building that one day would be torn down. And ultimately, we know that through Jesus, the temple is being rebuilt. I'm not talking about the physical temple in Jerusalem. I'm talking about the temple of his body, the church. And you and I are living stones in that temple.

It really is a wonderful thing. And so, so yeah, I think I think when we recognize that Jesus is referring right there specifically to 70 AD, it clears up any confusion about this generation witnessing these things. Thanks for your question. You're listening to Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. I'm Bill Meyer. And here at this program, our mission is to help you understand the core truths of the Christian faith. But the fact is, we can't do it without your help.

Absolutely, Bill. We are a listener supported program. And all of the work that we do from the articles on our website to the resources we produce and each and every question answered on this program is only possible with your support. So if you've benefited from the answers to questions about the Christian faith that you hear on Core Christianity, and if you want others to experience that as well, we would ask you to please consider sending a gift now to help us continue our work. As a thank you for a gift of $20 or more, we'll send you our new resource, How to Read the Bible. This resource introduces you to the history of the Bible, key concepts that help to bridge the Old and the New Testaments together, key ideas from the main sections of the Bible, and it shows you how the entire Bible points to Jesus. How to Read the Bible is a 10-week study that can be used in personal devotions, Sunday school classes, or your Bible study group. Each weekly lesson includes selected passages from the Bible, reflection questions, and explanations of the key themes every Christian should know about the Bible. To make a donation and receive this new study, just head over to CoreChristianity.com forward slash Bible. That's CoreChristianity.com forward slash Bible.

And on behalf of the entire team here at Core Radio, we thank you for your support. Here's a question that came in from Eli who posted this on our website. He says, please explain what Jeremiah 48 10 means. Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed.

This is very confusing to me. Why do the books of the prophets often speak in these dark and confusing ways? Well, in the context there in Jeremiah chapter 48, God is pronouncing judgment against the people of Moab, and oftentimes in the prophets you have this sort of apocalyptic, poetic language. And I think that's one of the reasons why sometimes it can be difficult for us to sort of parse out the meaning, because, you know, a lot of times the prophets are using this language that we're not used to. And they're speaking in ways that are quite fantastic in order to make a very vivid point.

And so it's important for us to understand even just the idiom there or the genre of apocalyptic literature. And that's oftentimes, as I said, how the prophets would write. Now, who were the prophets, Elia? I mean, the prophets were raised up essentially to prosecute the terms of God's covenant, in particular to Israel's kings. And what I mean by that is God had given this covenant to his people, and when they failed to obey their end of the bargain, when they sinned against the Lord, well, God would raise up prophets, and he would send these prophets to the people to prosecute the terms of the covenant, to say, hey, if you don't repent, judgment is coming. And so the prophets would oftentimes bring a message of judgment, not just for Israel, although it was often related to Israel, but also for the world, for the nations of the world that were acting in ways that were wicked and contrary to God's laws. And so God raised up these prophets to bring a message of judgment oftentimes, but also a message of hope in the Messiah. And you see that hope articulated in other places in the book of Jeremiah. I think of Jeremiah 31 and the promise of the new covenant. I think of Isaiah's prophecies, you know, in Isaiah 52 and 53 related to the suffering servant. I mean, these are prophecies that point us forward to the Messiah, to Jesus, and to the forgiveness of our sins. And so I think one of the reasons that we're oftentimes confused when we read the prophets is because we don't understand the genre of prophetic literature.

We're having a hard time understanding that. And then also because just the context, right? I mean, these prophecies came in a historical setting. This was during something that was taking place in the life of God's people in Israel.

And if we don't understand that historical background, a lot of times as the prophets are talking, we're going to have a hard time understanding what they're even referring to, because we don't understand who Moab was and what their role was in that time in history. So it's important for us. One of the things that this reminds us of is the importance of reading the Bible in its context and getting some of that historical background.

And once we have that, it does really help to color the text even more for us. And so, I mean, there are helpful resources out there. You think of the study Bible or even a basic commentary, and that's what I oftentimes encourage. If you're going to read through the prophets, having a simple commentary next to you that's going to give you at least some of the historical background will help make sense of things. But even if you don't have that, I would still encourage you to read, because it's God's Word. And God will use His Word to encourage you and to point you to His Son, Jesus. Thanks for that, Adriel. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez.

If you have a question for us, you can call us anytime at 833-THE-CORE. Yes, this is Glenn from Sedalia, Missouri. I have a two-part question concerning the Word of God. I realize that the Word of—what is the Word of God in reality?

Is it more than just the words on the page? Is it the Spirit behind that? Of course, God says He became flesh. Well, among us, the Word became flesh.

So it's Jesus. So please explain that and why people, pastors, preachers, do not share that God says this. And God says that when they always seem to say, well, Paul said this, James said that, the writer of Hebrews says this, instead of God says this. Thank you. Thank you for that question.

You know, I think you're picking up on something. A lot of times when we talk about the Word of God, we could mean one of two things. We could be referring to the Bible as God's Word inspired by the Holy Spirit. And of course, I would go to a place like 2 Timothy 3, verse 16, where it talks about all Scripture being God-breathed. The Word of God, it's God's very Word.

It's God speaking to us. And then we also talk about Jesus as the Word of God, the second person of the Holy Trinity. And John speaks in this way in particular in his gospel and in the book of Revelation as well. John 1, verse 1, And the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And then down in verse 14, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have beheld his glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

What a great verse to meditate upon as we start to approach the Christmas season. But so, yeah, there are two ways, I think, in which we can think about that phrase, the Word of God, and both ways are biblical. We can be talking about Scripture or we can be talking about the incarnate Word, the Logos, as he's called, the second person of the Trinity.

Logos being the Greek word for Word. Now, why do pastors not say this is God's Word, you know, Paul said or James said? Well, because Paul and James did, in fact, say, I mean, God used these individuals to communicate his Word. He inspired them by the Holy Spirit without sort of erasing their personalities. You know, it wasn't like, you know, this automatic writing where God sort of possessed these individuals and they lost all control. And they just, you know, moving their hand on a piece of paper, writing things down.

No, it wasn't that. God used them. God used their personalities. And yet he inspired them by the Holy Spirit and preserved what they said for us as his Word to us. And so we can say, I mean, when I'm preaching through the New Testament or the Old Testament, sometimes I'll say, well, Moses said this or John says here. But I could also say this is God's Word and God is speaking to us through these words.

They're there for us for today in a very real sense as we understand them in their context. Now, why is it that Jesus is called the Word of God? It really is interesting, but this was at the heart of some of the debates related to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity early on in the life of the Church. Actually, the fact that Jesus is called the Word, the Word of the Father, the Word of God, I think highlights his own divine status, Jesus's own divine status in that he comes from the Father. He is the one through whom the Father creates all things. And that's what John says a little bit later there in John chapter 1. He's always in the Father. In the same way that the Word that comes from our mouth comes from within, Jesus reveals the Father. That's another thing that John makes absolutely clear. Do you think of what Jesus says?

Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Well, Jesus, as the Word of the Father reveals the Father, he is the eternal Son of God who took on flesh and came down to us for our salvation, for our redemption. And so it's important that we understand, you know, how is this phrase being used? Are we referring to Jesus, the second person of the Holy Trinity, or are we referring to Holy Scripture, the Bible, as God's Word? Well, both phrases are true insofar as they're referring to one or the other. We have God's Word, and we also trust in God's Word, Jesus, the eternal Word of the Father.

Great clarification. Thanks, Adriel. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Just a reminder that we are listener supported. We count on people just like you to keep this program on the air. So if you're a regular listener of the radio program or the podcast and you believe in what we do and you find it helpful, we would encourage you to prayerfully consider making a gift.

You can do that by going to our website at corechristianity.com. One last question for today. This one came in from Natalie, and she says, In 1 John 5, what is the sin that leads to death? Yeah, well, we're ending with a really easy question.

I think I know. No, this is actually a pretty controversial passage. And I know that there are a lot of Christians who read this text where John is referring to the sin that leads to death, the sin that we shouldn't pray for an individual about, and they're terrified because they think, Well, have I done that?

Or will I do that? But it seems to me like John isn't trying to cause these Christians to worry, to think, Oh, boy, did I commit the sin unto death? Because at the beginning of this section and at the end of this section, he reassures them. In verse 13, I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And then in verse 18, we know that if you're born again, everyone who has been born again does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him and the evil one does not touch him. So I don't think that this sin unto death is a sin that genuine believers, those who are truly born again, regenerative of the Holy Spirit can actually commit because they have eternal life and they're kept by Jesus. And so what is this sin unto death? Well, I think it's referring to those who abandon the church and in abandoning the church and the faith, quote unquote, they're showing forth that they were never really a part of the true community of faith to begin with.

And John actually says this very thing earlier. He speaks of schismatics, people who had left that church, the church that he's writing to, and he says they went out from us. If they had really been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out that it might become evident that they were not truly of us. So I think that the sin unto death here is unbelief, apostasy, turning away. And what that reveals, and John says this in First John, what that reveals is that this person, despite the fact that maybe they were around the truth and had even made a profession of faith and heard the truth of the gospel over and over and over again, they ended up being deceived and rejecting it and not believing.

And as a result, they left the church. And John says, look, unbelief, rejecting Christ, there's no hope for the person that does that. But if you believe in Jesus, if you trust in him, well, know this. It's what John says in First John 5 13. He will never leave you or forsake you. You know, he will keep you and preserve you unto the very end. And be sure to join us next time as we explore the truth of God's Word together.