Matt Slick Live

The following program is recorded content created by the Truth Network. It's Matt Slick Live. Matt is the founder and president of the Christian Apologetics Research Ministry, found online at Carm.org. When you have questions about Bible doctrines, turn to Matt Slick Live for answers, taking your calls and responding to your questions at 877-207-2276. Here's Matt Slick.

Hey everybody, welcome to the show. It's me, Matt Slick. Your list of matchlick live. If you want, as usual, to give me a call, all you gotta do is dial 877-2072276. And um Yeah.

So anyway, we got stuff going on and I got some stuff to talk about. We'll get to that later. I got some mess up. We had a good meeting today on a staff meeting for the new site, which will be released a week from tomorrow. The new Carm site, we're going to be writing an article.

I'm working on an article now about its new features, new abilities, why it's so good. And it's gonna be a slightly different look. It'll be very simplified and uh search engine Um Centered. And uh w we've really been Going at it a lot. We've got a lot of new stuff we want to come, we want to add to it in the next few months.

I mean, some really good stuff.

So anyway, that that's that. And uh next week on the show here, I want to have the two main designers of the site. And that'll be Josh and Pete. Josh has pneumonia. Pray for Josh.

He got pneumonia. And they've given the medicine. He should be okay. But, you know. There's that.

He's designed the externals, and Pete's designed the internals. And so, um Between the two of them, it's really oh man, it's really something else.

So they'll be explaining things on Friday. And then Saturday, we're going to be having a release party. Uh, and that because that'll be the official day of the 25th, is when it's going to be uh released, and we're going to release it. A minute after midnight, so that I can say 30 years. It was 30 years that we released a new site.

And that's that. It'll be on Friday night after midnight at 10 my time, about a minute after it'll be done. And it'll take a few hours to propagate through all the DNS servers and things like that.

So if you go there a minute afterwards, it doesn't show. It just takes time to propagate. That's how that's normal tech stuff.

So there's that. And so we're going to have A URL that's going to be given out so that people can. Participate and come in on a Saturday. We'll probably do it around five. 5 p.m.

Eastern Time, something like that, or 6 p.m. Eastern Time, we'll do that. And we'll just have people come in and give testimonials or whatever they want. We can talk for a half hour, an hour about what Carm's done. Yeah.

So that's what we're hoping to do. And the newsletter's not gone out because we've had a An irritating, let's just say an irritating problem with the service and I'm not real happy with it and I want to go to a different one altogether. That's in the plans as well.

So we've got some stuff working. We've got some stuff we're doing. And there you go. Let's get to Alan from Virginia. Alan, welcome.

You're on the air. Hey, Matt, how's it going? It's gone, man. It's gone. It's gone.

So what do you got, buddy? Uh Can you explain what Paul means in Romans fourteen twenty three? Sure, I'll try. Let's see. It says, But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not of faith.

And whatever is not a From faith is sin. the context of Romans 14. I call Romans 14 the forgotten chapter. And the reason I do is because what Romans 14 does is it allows people. the right of differences of opinions.

So We can have differences of opinions on lots of things, not the essentials, but on infant baptism, adult baptism, covenant styles, dispensationalism, preacher rapture, post-chip rapture, etc. And so, what Paul's doing in Romans 14. He starts off with accepting when he's weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One person says you can eat this and do that, another one worship on this day and that day. Verse five, uh one person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike.

Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind, for he serves God. And then he talks about giving an account before God of what it is that you do. And so it goes on like that, okay? Then he goes on to verse 21, It is good not to eat meat, or to drink wine, or do anything by which your brother stumbles. You don't want to use your freedom to stumble anybody else.

The faith which you have have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself. in what he approves. But, here's the verse: he who doubts is condemned if he eats.

So, if you're not sure what you're doing is right or wrong, don't do it. Because you don't want your freedom To get you to the gray area of morality, you're not sure if it's good or bad, so you go ahead and do it. The idea is if you doubt, you condemn if you eat.

Now, talk about eating unvarying things because the Jews were not to eat certain foods.

Well, now all of a sudden they can.

So they're not sure about this still, they shouldn't do it. And the principle here is, like I said, if you're not sure about something, Don't do it. If you're not sure if it's right or wrong, don't do it.

So, because at that point it says the eating is not of faith, whatever is not of faith is sin. If you're not sure about something, Don't do it. And this necessitates us to study the Word of God. And that we shouldn't do it, okay?

Okay. Yeah, one of the things I was thinking about recently is, uh, is recreation or having hobbies sinful? No. Mm-hmm. Yeah, sorry, go ahead.

No, that's fine. Um And then also getting to things Where um We know you sin you sin when you break a law from God and that you can sit in your heart and with your physical actions with adultery as an example for a sin, you can can commit both ways.

So there's not all there's not necessarily just the the physical action you have to be concerned about, but also the intent. Um Um Here's a question. Is intent self-understood or not a separate work slash action from a physical work slash action? Or are they one action slash word? Intention is not the same thing as an action.

You could intend to do something and not do it. If they were one and the same, then any intention means you're also doing it. in real time.

Now, on the other hand, there's a spiritual aspect of intentionality. If you intend to lie in a situation, you don't end up lying, you've still sinned. because your heart is intended to do that which is contrary to the word of God.

Okay. Okay. W would you say that um Your intentions are also actions though. No. Uh your intentions by definition are not an action.

because they're different words. with different definitions.

So for example, with adultery if you do it in your heart, that's not an action you're doing. It's not an AI see. Uh an intention is not an not something that you've actually done. All right.

So and now we could broad That this is intending to do something in action.

Well, it is in the sense of in your brain, in your soul, you're acting, you're thinking. That's an action.

So intention and action in that sense are one and the same. But in the physical realm of the manifestation of an intent, they're not the same thing. intentions with uh results There's a gap between the intent and the result.

So, in that sense, no, they're not the same thing. But there can be a an intention understanding When Jesus says, if you look at a woman to lust with her in your heart, you've committed sin, you committed adultery. In that sense, an ungodly intention Instantly results in a sin right then and there, even though. The action or the intent is not carried out. in that sense.

And there can be different kinds of intentions, intentions that Never get manifested. Intentions you want to manifest. or intentions you don't intend to manifest. Because you can intend not to manifest Anybody, the hatred you have for someone, that's unrighteous hatred. You never intended to act on it.

but you have that intention or that attitude of harm to somebody, but you never you know you're never going to do anything, then that's a a different category of sin than an intention that you want, and then you act on it.

Okay. Okay. Doesn't does an intent that is sent infect the physical action to then cause it to also be sin. Um I say that again.

So does an intent that is sin infect the physical action to then cause it to be sin? Yeah.

an if an intention is sinful, it's sinful by the nature. Period. If you intend to deceive somebody in a a lawsuit in a contract, let's say. You intend to reneg on your word. You intend to take their money and then say something like, sue me.

And let's say this This never manifests, but that was your intent. then you have sinned. Absolutely. Mm-hmm. Okay.

Bonker. Yeah Well, some of the stuff I'm sh I'm struggl sh struggling with right now is the determining what recreations or hobbies are sinful or not. Yeah, I've I'm having trouble trying to understand what um So look. I have neighbors who I every not every weekend but every other every third weekend they take their four wheelers out. and they go out and and have fun.

Okay. Is that in itself sinful?

Well, let's look at a context. I don't know if they're believers or not believers. But if we have someone who wants to go water skiing, jet skiing, let's say. Is the intention of jet skiing sinful.

Well, I would say in and of itself, no. What about the context? The context is you promised your wife for a year on this particular day you're going to do such and such, and that particular day you break your word and you go do kojesking. Then the intention to do that, which entails breaking a promise, Then that intention is sinful because it's in contrast to something that is necessary. uh b as as you're you're binding yourself.

But if the intention is I've been working really hard. I just need a break. And there's no reasons why not to, then you go out and you have fun, and it's just good exercise. Then that's not. It's not bad.

determines Sinfulness of varying things. Adultery, the context is, never justifies it.

So there are things that are are absolute and things that are not.

Okay. Gotcha.

Okay. Thank you, Matt. All right.

I'm glad it helps. Yeah, I appreciate it. All right.

Okay. Well, hey, everybody, if you want to give me a call, the number's 87-720-72276. I want to hear from you. Give me a call. Um I have nobody waiting right now, so maybe I'll get to some of the emails.

So.

Something that's kind of unusual that happens to me every now and then happened about uh 45 minutes ago. It's it's really subtle, it's not a big deal.

So I sit down at my desk, and to my right, I have an Oculus. I have an old one, I need a new one. Get updated because I go in there for the purpose of witnessing. I go into the virtual world. You've seen videos where people have those things in their hands and the big head glasses kind of thing, head thing on, and they crash into things.

Well, that's what I do. I don't crash into things, I sit in my chair. And I've had these things for two or three years now and Um So the reason I I use them To go witness. My wife got them for me for Christmas once because they had a fishing program on there. And I like to fish.

It's relaxing. And so. I went fishing, beat all the fishing stuff, and I was going witnessing, and she's just rubbing her forehead. You know, so anyway. I sit down and out of nowhere Go into into uh the virtual world.

just out of nowhere.

So I turn it on. and after the break I'll tell you What happened, not that big a deal, but it was kind of interesting. Right back after these messages. Why don't you give me a call? 877-777.

Two zero seven. Two two. 7-6, we'll be right back. It's Matt Slick Live, taking your calls at 877-207-2276. Here's Matt Slick.

All right, everyone, welcome back to the show. If you want to give me a call, it is easy peasy. All I have to do is dial 877. two zero seven 2276. You can also email me.

At info at carm.org, put in a subject line, radio comment, or radio question, one of those kind of things in there we can get to, which we'll probably end up doing today.

Sometimes Fridays are fast and busy, sometimes they're not, and maybe todays are not, who knows?

So it's telling me that uh you know I went into uh the virtual world. And I like I said, I just get these out of nowhere. Go. I and I like to respond to them. I'm not thinking about anything.

Anyway, just I go. I went into this Muslim room. I didn't know what it's a Muslim room. Ask about Islam.

So I go in there. And I ask a question. I said In Christianity All of your sins are forgiven right now when you trust Christ. In Islam, Are all of your sins forgiven right now? And this one Muslim gave me about a four Minute answer.

A four-minute enter. Seriously. And I'm sitting there, and I interjected a couple of times. I'm sorry, but you're not answering the question. And what he was doing was talking about Well, if you try this, you try that, you got to repent, you got through these stages, you got to do this.

Even if you do right, you don't know, and all this stuff. And, you know, I'm trying to be patient because these guys that all they're trying to do is poor Muslims. Oh, man. They're so deceived. All they're trying to do is justify Justify not having uh forgiveness of sense.

but yet they hope to have em, etcetera.

Now, in Islam, generally, what I've heard from Muslims is that all people who are Muslims go to heaven. But you can go to a place between your death and paradise where you suffer and pay for your sins, and then when you're made worthy, you go be with Allah. in paradise you get seventy virgins and all that kind of stuff.

So uh i it it's you know, their idea of heaven is Oh jeez. It's the same as Mormons. uh celestial uh intercourse.

So uh You can tell us what a guy thinks of that. It's so obvious to me. It's so obvious. You got to create a religion. Hey, what do you want to have to be the ultimate great thing?

Oh, lots of women. We Do you have anything? Better than that?

Well, they got nothing else on their minds. And so they create a religion that's got to be in there so they can have lots of women now. Just like. Brigham Young did, I mean, excuse me, just like Joseph Smith did, and just like Muhammad did. Lots of women and power and money.

Anyway, um. Back to the topic.

So So finally I I said, look, I I said you're not giving me an answer. And he said, yes, I am. He said, Repeat what I said.

So I gave him a synopsis of what he told me. And he said, that's not what I said. It was. I was listening to the guy. And I repeated it back to him.

And then I said, Can I, and he just kept talking. And I said, Look, and I you don't you don't even let me talk. And I said, Is this what Islam teaches you?

Well, he didn't like that. But it's a question I ask. I ask Muslims is when they behave badly, and it's very frequent that they do. The attitude of a Muslim is they are absolutely right, Christianity is absolutely wrong, and they have the right and the obligation to dominate all conversations and tell you what for. That's her attitude.

And it's really bad. It's a really bad attitude because I point it out, I say, you don't even allow conversation. They said, this is not, this is another reason we're talking about Islam yesterday in the radio. Islam, oh man, it's bad. It's bad for it's bad for government, it's bad for society, it's bad.

It's bad for eternity. You believe in Islam, you die, you're going to hell.

Well anyway, back on topic.

So You know, I kept asking this question: Are you justified right now? Are you saved right now? And he couldn't answer the question.

So this guy kicked me out. And I came back in and he kicked me out again. Because I said, why? You can't answer a question. You kicked me out.

He goes, you're out of here. And so it it showed me the Uh the inability of the Muslims to really answer Typical questions. But before he kicked me out I did this with him. I said, Look, I said, I don't know. how much you understand about logic.

And he said, Don't insult me I'm not insulting you if I say I don't know what you know. That's all I'm saying. I don't know. And he kept quiet because you're always on the attack. And I said, look.

In logic you have statements. that are either true or false. It's called the law of excluded metal. And I said, I can make a statement, for example, I can say, it's either the case that, or it's not the case that. This is a true dichotomy.

And there's only One of the values is true.

So I said, for example, it's either the case that all of your sins are forgiven right now, or it's not the case that all of your sins are forgiven right now. I said, which of those is the true? Which one's true? He couldn't answer it. And I thought it was interesting because, you know, I I know what questions to ask Muslims that are difficult for them.

And I didn't get a chance to say this, but Let me ask you. are all of your scent of the listener. Why don't you just listen to me right now? Are all of your sins forgiven right this second? Are they?

It's either the case that yes, they are, or it's either the case that no, they're not. It's either yes, they are all forgiven or no, they are not all forgiven. There's no in-between. You can say you don't know. But it doesn't mean either one of the yes or no opp uh options are as valid.

It just means you don't know which one is valid.

So Generally speaking. The reason Someone doesn't know if their sins are forgiven is because either there's two main reasons. One, they just don't know biblical theology. And so they're just ignorant, they don't know. That's not an insult of ignorance, it just means they just don't know.

But here's the thing: if you have been around for a while, you've studied the word, you've been to church lots of times, etc., you've been a Christian for a while. And if you don't know if your sins are all forgiven, generally the reason is because your salvation depends on your goodness. Get one. You can never know if your sins are forgiven, if your salvation depends in part on how good you are. And if that's the case.

Ken, you'll never know. Because you can never be good enough. And you hope you are. And it's just like Islam. like Mormonism.

like Jehovah's Witnesses. like Roman Catholicism. like Eastern Orthodoxy. In all of these religions, in Islam, all of them. Salvation for Forgiveness of sins depends in part.

on your ability to do what's right. to repent properly. to stay repentant properly. To go through ceremonies, sacraments. To not do the bad things, to do the good things, and that you hope that this will all work out.

That you can be saved. And that your sins are forgiven. Let me tell you: if you believe like that, Um you're believing demonic doctrine. You're believing a doctrine that's from from Satan.

Now I said it that way on purpose because I want to get your attention. If you believe, that your salvation depends in any part on your goodness. and your ability to remain faithful.

Well, you're believing in demonic doctrine.

Now people may be offended by that. But be offended. I don't care. Call me up. Give me a scripture to contrary it, contradict it.

Let's examine the scripture. Don't forget, you go to Hebrews 10:26, Hebrews 6:46. You go to the various verses, right? Disqualification that he talks about and himself and Paul and all that. We can go into all these.

But let me get back on track. The Bible says in 1 John 5:13, these things are written so you may know you have eternal life. You can know you have it if all your faith is in Jesus. But you can't know it. if all of your faith is not in Jesus and part of it rests in yourself and your own ability.

That's the difference between light and darkness, salvation and damnation. truth and error. Jesus. true gospel. the false gospel is all the the world.

Please write back after these messages. It's Matt Slick Live, taking a call at 877-207-2276. Here's Matt Slick. All right, everyone, welcome back to the show. If you want to give me a call, we have three open lines: 877-277.

2072276. Let's get on with. There we go again, Patrick from North Carolina. Patrick, welcome here on the air. Hey, hi.

only meat.

Well um My my question is is John three, five, Jesus said, I tell you the truth, unless you're born of water and spirit, you'll never enter the kingdom of heaven. And you believe the water is human birth, right? That's my opinion, which is not the dominant pin opinion of the majority of people, but I think context justifies that. That's just my opinion, which most people disagree with.

So Adam and Eve were not born of a woman. Are they in heaven today? What Jesus is doing in John 3 is speaking normatively to the Pharisee. Adam and Eve are in heaven because they were created by God directly. And then the pre-incarnate Christ covered them with animal skins, implying the atoning sacrifice.

So, yeah, they're in heaven. But um You know, the John 3:5, have you ever considered it could be living water like Jesus explains in John 4? with the woman at the well that If you knew the gift of God, you would have asked me for a drink and I would have given you living water. Yeah, there are varying views what the water can be.

Some say baptism, but then it's it have to be the baptism of John. And then that would Be slightly problematic, or there's some challenges with that.

Some say the uh the the spirit is referring to the spirit, some say it's the word, the washing of the word, as revealed in in uh Titus 3:5.

So there's a variety of addresses. Even the one that I hold to has been proposed and defended by people. though it's not the majority position.

Okay. But I find that most people don't understand the living water one. They don't. I've never really heard people. mention living water as the water in John 3.5.

It's a metaphor, or it's a maybe it's a simile where the word. of God is living, you know, things like this. It's a figure of speech. the the living water, okay? Yeah, but uh In John 7, 37, Jesus said, Um for those who believe Will have streams of living water flowing from within them, referring to the spirit.

But the strings Would that be tears coming out of your eyes, streams of living water? It's John Eath John give me John 738. Um No, that's those are tears. because the Bible talks about people crying and weeping.

So it's not the same thing. In uh It says, For the shepherd at the center of the throne, which is Jesus. will lead you to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from your eye. How can you deny that living water is connected to tears? After reading that.

of course are connected linguistically. It doesn't mean they're equal. ontologically. Let's um You know, like Your personal testimony you s You admit that you cried like a baby the day you were saved. Maybe you were born of uh the living water that day.

No, I wasn't. I was born by the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was there next to me when I. Was on my knees. Right, but the evidence is what I say. You were on your knees crying so hard, you said you cried harder than you ever cried in your life.

Yes.

Now, Patrick, we've gone through this so many times. I know you want to say that baptism is critical. crying. And I no, I say baptism is living water when you're on your knees crying out to God literally with tears of living water.

Okay. No, that's not viable from Scripture. You're drawing unnecessary conclusions. But your testimony backs it up.

Okay. He keeps interrupting and I'm I grow tiring uh tired of him. Uh so he keeps interrupting and this is what happens with with him over the years. I've been talking for him for years. He gets become more and more interruptive and then demanding and and I'm just not in the mood for it with him.

So for those of you who don't know, we've had a long history of conversations. in different venues. And uh it's very unfortunate that He doesn't listen to reason, doesn't understand the basics of the Christian faith. Let's get to Jim from North Carolina. Jim, welcome.

You're on the air. Yeah.

Reincides. Kim. Kim. All right.

Pim, yes, not Jim.

Okay. Sorry about that. Hey Matt, I had three questions, but I'll throw the first one at you.

Okay. What about have you ever heard tell of these chick tracks? Yes.

Yeah.

Chat T chick out of California. He's passed away now. Yeah.

Mm-hmm. Yeah, I know about that. Have negative and positive about it. They're a little campy, a little ridiculous in some areas, a little overdone in other areas. But on the good side, they would present the gospel.

and people got saved out of them.

So You know? I would say there's more good done than bad, I would assume, though I'm not God, I can't tell you, okay?

Okay, now this second question. What do you think about the nine gifts of the Spirit listed in Corinthians? Are they still in effect for today? Are they The fruit of the Spirit.

Well hold on, I got I wanna clear. The fruit, which is nine, and the gifts In Corinthians. The Romans and Corinthians are nine charismatic gifts. Is that what you mean? Yeah, the the gears, not the fruits.

Okay. Incidentally, it's one fruit in Greek. Out of Galatians 5:22, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience. It's one fruit. A lot of people don't know that.

Yeah, I believe in the continuation of all the charismatic gifts. Yep, I do.

Okay. Our third question is What about the baptism? of the Holy Ghost which I explained. the living water pulled out.

Well, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. a second work of grace. What do you think about that? People have said that it's a second work of grace. I could understand that, and I think a case could be made for it.

There seems to be a differentiation between the regenerative work. That occurs when you believe and you're indwelt by God and the Holy Spirit is in you, versus the movement or the pouring of the Holy Spirit upon you where it manifests in the charismatic gifts. And I believe both of those are possible. The second work is only upon those who've already received the first one. That's what that's what I would say.

Okay? Yes.

Yeah, I I agree. I wanted to see what you thought about that. Yeah, I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that. And for varying reasons. And it's unusual for a reformed individual like myself to affirm all of the charismatic gifts being present for today.

But the Reform camp will say that th threatens the uh the canon. And the answer is very simple, no, it doesn't. Because if you go to First Corinthians fourteen, people are speaking in tongues and having words of knowledge and wisdom and prophesying, and it was never intended to be canonized.

So there's a kind of work of the Spirit that is never intended to be canonized. Just like in Acts 10, 44 through 48, they're speaking in tongues and glorifying God. That's a charismatic thing. It didn't need to be included in the canon. There's the revelation that's intended to be included by God and that which is not.

And the scriptures are that which are intended to be canonized.

So, yeah, that argument doesn't work. Anyway, okay? Yeah.

What does that canonize mean? Canon means just the Bible, the the official documents that are the books, that are inspired. We call it the canon, C-A-N-O-N. The canon of Scripture is Genesis to Revelation. The canon in the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church includes extra books.

uh the pseudo-pigryful or apocryphal books. which are not true scriptures. They just include them because they're false churches.

Okay. Okay. What about uh Calvinism. Predestination. Predestination is taught in the Bible.

It's mentioned there, Ridzo in the Greek, and it occurs. And I definitely affirm predestination and election, and I hold to the five points of Calvinism. And if you don't, that's okay, but I do.

Okay. Yeah, I don't even know the five points of it. I was just wondering, 'cause. I've seen predestination all through that. The whole Bible, you know.

Yeah, it's in the Bible. along with God's electing, along with God's choosing. And a lot of people just don't like it because they submit Scripture to their own free will. They think human free will is the pinnacle of all judgments and all things fair. and they elevate the created thing.

to the level of God. when they say human free will is what can't be violated. Man, the arrogance. But nevertheless, that's what's happening in the Christian Church today.

Okay, here I'll show this ask this and I'll let you go. I don't know how to deal with this thing. I'm out here beating the bushes. Christ, the win people for Christ that then I have the thought like, well, what difference does it make? It's pregest.

So I Paul would say, how does God find fault? Yeah, that's Robert Smith. Romans 9. In fact, when you get back from the break, I'll respond to that.

Okay. I say mate. Our responsibility is, okay. Hey folks, we'll be right back after these messages with Jim from North Carolina talking about... If predestination is true, why evangelize?

We'll be right back after these messages, please. It's Matt Slick Live, taking a call at 877-207-2276. Here's Matt Slick. All right, everyone, welcome back to the show. All right, let's get back on with.

Kim from North Carolina. Are you still there? Yeah, P I M, Tim. Tim?

Okay, then Timothy, gotcha. All right, gotcha. Yeah, well, Timothy, that's my real name, is Timothy. All right.

Well, good. Thank you. All right, so Yes, about predestination. Why if things are predestined, why are we to evangelize?

Well, as a friend of the world, Yes, and All right, so nine, eighteen, down through. Very cool. Yeah.

Yeah.

Eighteen zooms. Yeah.

Uh-huh.

Now you're asking different things so I'm quite familiar with this area of Scripture. But let me get to the first issue. Why should we evangelize if things are predestined by God? And the reason why And the reason is because we're in sales, not production, as my friend Bill McKeever said. And so we are obligated to do what God has called us to do.

We don't know all the means by which God has ordained people getting saved.

So God ordains the ends as well as the means, or the means as well as the ends.

So the intention of our heart to serve him Is part of the will of God who works as the Bible says in Ephesians 1:11, God works all things after the counsel of His will.

So your evangelism, my evangelism, are all work after the counsel of His will that brings about His ultimate plan. Another factor is that a lot of times we just don't understand the full working of God. We know that God predestines, we know that God elects from the foundation of the world, but we don't know how it is or what it is that God has used as a decision-making thing. It's in Himself, but what knowledge or conditions within Himself results in these decisions he makes. We don't know.

Now The Christian is saved, and his or her prayers ascend to God because they are. cleansed by the blood of Christ.

So when we pray for the salvation of our neighbor, We are then doing what is godly and according to the will of God.

So now that adds another factor. Does God know because he intends that our prayers through Christ influence him, which he's wanted from all eternity? And then we get into these circles of logic that kind of. like a dog chasing its own tail. It's getting somewhere, but it's also not getting somewhere.

So there are just certain things about God that we can't understand and we don't need to worry about understanding.

So what we do is we Believe God elects and predestines. We believe we're responsible for being evangelistic and let God sort it all out.

Okay? That helps me. That helps me, man. I appreciate you. And I pray for you.

Thank you. You keep okay across, babe. I think you're helping a lot of people.

Well, I hope so, by God's intention and God's grace. That's a problem. If that's the case, if my years on radio have helped people, then praise God. That is all I can say. By God's grace.

That's all it is. His his glory. Yeah.

Trying to go.

Okay, Tim. called Mahiv Neil. All right.

Thank you, Matt, very much. You're welcome. God bless, brother. I really appreciate it. Thank you.

God bless you, my Bye-bye. Bye. All right.

Now, let's jump over to none other than Jermaine from California. Jermaine, brother. Welcome, you're on the air. Hey, Matt, I am I had a question of restoration services. I've seen some churches do this for fallen I guess members of the staff from the preacher.

True to the elders and deacons and I know sometimes it's kind of a Spectacles, sometimes it's not, but. Are these necessarily biblical in the way that they're done. I know restoration There's a process, but it just seems like for some people they kind of make a show out of it because they want to return. The pastor Two. Appreciate it.

But I'm I'm just kind of when it seems like someone may or may not be repentant, I'm not sure.

So I just wanted to hear what you thought about it. Yeah, there's some ambiguity there. And we've always got to be careful.

Sometimes people do things for the sake of show.

Sometimes people do a showful thing, not for the sake of showing, but for a public. restoration and they want people to know. And so the intention of these things is very important, because the exact same action can be sinful or not sinful depending on the contextual intent.

So it's However, let's say a pastor has committed adultery as a minister of the gospel. Then he's lost. His in my opinion, he's lost his rights. to preach and teach ever again from pulpit. Because He is under stricter judgment.

and he has brought shame to the name of Christ, And Um He cannot then be said to be without Because if he Was proclaiming the word of God before. and then committed adultery. Then Uh I'm looking for the verse. Above repute. That's that's what I was looking for, that word.

He could that we can't say then he's above repute because Well, now you're preaching again and you know five years ago you were committing adultery while you're preaching.

So the condition externally is the same. But we don't know what the condition of his heart is. And so, this is a thing, this is why the Bible, from what I understand it to teach, and I'm open to being corrected on this. is uh that the pastor is supposed to be above reproach. That doesn't mean perfect.

But if you've committed adultery while you're a pastor, as an example. You're no longer buffer. You should have known better, you did know better, and you sought after it.

So I've Say no, they're not there.

So, what's happening in a church service? If they're reinstating someone in that condition, I'd say, no, it's an invalid restoration. See, so it just depends on a lot of things.

Okay. seen this done several times with some people some Some ministries they actually try to do it twice for These guys who were have been caught multiple times and it's like, okay, well At that point, it seems like more of a mockery, but Yes. recently with Tony Evans. Passer Tony Evans had a a restoration service, but he he's not stepping back into ministry as a senior pastor anymore. I can't.

What's that? Yeah, he can't. I mean, he knew better. Here, let me recount a story, a true story. When I was in seminary, one of the discussions that popped up was about a local past her.

Who was the PCA, Presbyterian Church in America? I think it was PCA. I could be wrong, but I think it was. And he was married, happily married, and he became attracted to a woman. in the in uh the church administration offices and stuff like that.

And he tried to deal with it on his own, and nothing happened he never intended anything, but this intra attraction was there, so he brought it up to the elders. He brought it up to the elders. Then the presbytery found out, and the presbytery removed him from his office. for a period of two years, if I remember, so that he could get counseling.

Now in such a case I would have no problem attending the restoration of his preaching credentials. Because He didn't do anything wrong. He recognized what he was doing is wrong. Nothing... Was untoward in that sense.

He just had an improper attraction, which he voluntarily brought up.

So he's trying to act in a godly manner. And so They they worked with them. counseled him. And in two years, I never heard what happened, but that was the intention, because you know, then you get to study and graduate and move on. But the intention was, um.

to restore him. I have no problem with that. I think that's a a good example of something.

Okay. Oh, we lost him. I'm paying attention to the screen.

So uh those kind of things I think uh are acceptable. Because no Sinful action has occurred. There was a Could you say if you're attracted to another female while you're married, that's automatically sinful? I wouldn't say it's automatically sinful. I'd say y you're aware of it and you just You don't act on it, you don't think on it, you don't do anything, because that's just the way it is.

So, I don't have any problem with that. That's just a natural recourse or natural thing about our nature. We see nice-looking people, and it's attractive or pretty. As far as it goes, that's fine. But if the intention If it becomes intentional to further that relationship, then it stepped into sin, and that needs to be repented of.

Right away. This pastor that I had heard about had no intention of this, but was disturbed by his own. inability to handle it properly. and went for help. I think it's noble.

I had a lot of respect for him. And I would have no problem personally, excuse me, hiccups. I'd have no problem. uh sitting under his preaching and teaching. I I wouldn't have any problem with that.

Later on. That's just my opinion.

So, you could disagree, and maybe we could talk about it. Maybe you have some insights on that, but uh That's just me.

So, uh, all right.

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