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. All right, everyone, welcome to the show. It's me, Matt Slick. You're listening to Matt Slick Live today's date. is uh January 9th.

twenty twenty six. And if you want to give me a call, it's easy. All I have to do is dial eight seven seven two zero seven two two seven six. Been working hard today. had a meeting this morning and uh working on email technology and I got so much to do, and just pray for me because there's a lot.

Now, hopefully, tonight, I'm going to be on TikTok. And uh Maybe in three hours uh from now, uh might get on. I like to do that. Because I get in there and 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80. People will come in at a time depending on the topic.

And I had lots of discussions. We discuss anything. People come up and we ask them, What's your age and world view?

Now, the age is for TikTok reasons, and world view is so I just know where they're coming from, that's all. And sometimes people will come in and they'll say, Well, I'm not telling you my worldview. And I say, Okay, goodbye.

Next, we even have a sign, a little thing up there. It says, just tell us your age and worldview. That's all we're asking. And then we just go and, you know, and then we have a disk dialogue.

Some people just don't want to play by the rules and say, okay, fine, you know, that's okay. We'll see you later. No big deal. We go to the next person and then they'll say, you know, I'm not sure my worldview is. Or they'll say, what is a worldview?

Now, a worldview is a set of assumptions or presuppositions that you have by which you judge truth. You know, as a Christian, I'm a Christian Trinitarian.

So I will judge truth by what the Bible says, and I presuppose the validity of the Christian Trinitarian being and the validity of the scriptures. And I work from that perspective.

So I'm a Christian.

Some people say they're Eastern Orthodox.

Some say they're Roman Catholic. And uh or We'll get atheists and agnostics in there, and we'll have some interesting discussions.

So it's been fun. And there we go.

Now let's see. Testing this. There, what are we testing? We're trying a little bit of something different in Rumble, just a little bit, a different setting that I found and added some stuff in there.

So hopefully it will work. And it seems to be working. Good, good, good, good, good. And uh let's see, test back. I don't think it's going to go back into Rumble, but we'll see what happens.

So, if you want to give me a call, like I said, 8772072276. It's good. It's working. I don't know if that's better. You can tell me, Laura, type it out in our private chat if that is working better with a new thing that I did.

We have nobody waiting right now. And if you want to email me, you can do that. That's. That's easy to do. Info at carm.org info at carm dot org.

Put in the subject line, radio comment, radio question. The emails should be working now. Everything should be back up, uh hopefully working properly. It took a little bit of a uh of a of an issue. See uh God made bad a genius.

I don't know about that. I don't even know what my IQ is. I don't know. I don't know, I think uh I don't know. I did take a test once online years ago.

You know how to have left-brained people and right-brained People and didn't they have these four personality major personality types and things like that?

So I took this these two tests And uh One I did online and one I did I did in college.

Well, I did online for a left-center or left or right brain, right? And mine was dead center. And uh That's, they say it was unusual, which I told my wife, she goes, that makes sense. And um in college I took one of those personality tests, and we were in the psychology class, and um.

So The teacher went through all the classes. I guess they mine for last. But of course, Bob, Frank, George, Susan, Karen, all, you know, you're this, you're that. And then she goes, okay, Matt. We've really not really had results like this before.

And I'm like, oh boy, here we go. And she says, you're even across all of the four personality types. I said, really? She goes, yeah, it's very unusual to find someone like that. And uh so I s uh is it good or bad?

Uh It wasn't really an answer to that question. I didn't I don't know what.

So it was interesting. Not a big deal, but it was interesting.

So apparently, I'm abnormally normal. I guess that's what it could say. I'm abnormally normal, kind of an abnormal thing. Uh that's you know, I don't know, we'll see.

So, like I said, if you want to give me a call, the number is 877-20722. seven, six. And those on Rumble are now happy. That it is working. You can check it out.

We've had some issues. We always have a little bit of not always, but we have some issues every now and then and work through them. I'm going to give kudos to Pete. Peter, he works with us. Um Man, he loves the Lord, and that's his best quality.

And he's really good at tech. I mean, I'm good at tech. He's really good at tech. And what I can't do, he fixes. He's great.

So he fixed our email stuff today. Um And stuff.

So, anyway, there you go.

Okay. I think I'm gonna do just get to some of the questions and emails because we don't have anybody calling right now.

So let's see, let's see, let's see. Uh I have someone trying to. I don't know if I read this one before. I have someone trying to tell me Calvinism requires obedience for salvation. What verses can I use to refute that?

Well, Ephesians 2:8 and 9, Romans 4:5, Romans 3:28. Philippians 3.9. Refute that.

So we don't say that obedience is necessary for salvation. Not to the law, we say that the faith that God grants to us. Which is Philippians 3, excuse me, Philippians 1:29, and that faith is in Jesus, that God grants us the work of God, that we believe in Jesus. John 6, 29. We see that that is what saves us.

He says, the email goes on, he's adamant that Calvinists are earning points. Through the obedience. And I have no idea where he got this idea. That's from the book of 2nd Colostomy.

So that's where that one is. Let's see, I suggested he go to Carmen read the articles. Yeah, and so yeah, it's just a lot of times, you know, it's really interesting because I do have a doctor, I mean, a doctor, a master's of divinity from a Calvinist seminary, okay? And I didn't go there because the Calvinist, I just wasn't a Calvinist when I graduated. I'm just saying I know what it teaches, and I say to people, No, that's not our position.

And they go, Yes, it is. I said, No, it's not. And so uh anyway Oh.

Okay, let's get done to it. Where's the biblical support for Catholics going to? Hell? Yeah. Oh okay.

Biblical support is that the Bible in You can go to Galatians 3 and Galatians 5. And it said in Galatians 3, who has bewitched you to think that that which is begun by the Spirit could be perfected in the flesh? And you go to Galatians 5, Paul talks about anybody receiving circumcision will Is fallen from grace. It doesn't mean they're not saved anymore. It means they never were saved because he says, You who are seeking to be justified by the law.

So, in paragraph 2068 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it says that you attain salvation through faith, baptism, and the observance of the commandments. And the Bible says in Romans 3:28, we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.

So, what they're doing is they are violating the doctrine of justification by faith alone, in Christ alone, and they're adding works to it, and that's condemned in Galatians 3 and Galatians 5.

Okay?

So anybody who would deny the true gospel is damned. That's just how it is. And the Roman Catholic Church does do that. Let's get to Jermaine from the People's Republic of California. Welcome, buddy.

You are on the air. Mm-hmm. Hey Matt, yeah, um.

Something that always kind of got my attention was the word pharmakeia and I've seen people use that for so many different things. What is the actual biblical definition of a pharmakea. And then I have a second part to say, well, I want to So the word occurs three times in the New Testament.

Now, don't think I'm doing this from memory. As you're talking, I know where to go to find a verse. I look at the word, put it into a search, and bang, I get it quickly. I'm good with tools.

Now it's in Galatians 5.20, and in the list of the fleshly things that the result of which you won't inherit the kingdom of God, it's sorcery is the word for pharmakia in Greek. Pharmakia is sorcery in English. Revelation 9:21, it says, and they did not repent of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor their immorality. And Revelation 18:23, and the light of the lamp will not shine. Oh, it doesn't have a whole let me get this open up.

There we go. The light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer. Uh, and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer, for your merchants. were the great men of earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.

Now what's interesting is the word, um it's a drug. And I'm looking at the concordance. It says Pharmicia. The drug which in the Greek writers is used both for the curative or medicinal drug and also as a poisonous one. Formakia means the occult, sorcery, witchcraft, illicit, pharmaceuticals, trance, magical incantations of drugs.

And uh let's see. There, there, and there. Ooh, and a Septuagint. It gives some uh references there in the Septuagint as well.

So it just uh It has to do with Illicit drug use. which was and has been used throughout centuries in different cultures to get into an altered state of mind in order to contact uh spirits and the other side. It's okay. Mm.

Okay. And the reason I ask that is because I've I've seen that used as a like a catch-on. to condemn a bunch of people just to hell for any kind of drug use, and some people went so far as pharmaceuticals. And I know that's wrong. Right.

And then also with the President's recent action on on marijuana Some people that may not like, and I'm not a connoisseur of the marijuana myself, but. If someone is dying or in extreme pain and there's a medicinal use, I don't see the problem with it.

So if you take out the psychoactive properties, I know it's associated with a certain like the street level of crime, but reality, who am I to tell somebody not to take something that that might alleviate their pain and and May them for them might do them better good than some pharmaceuticals, which I've seen harm people.

So that's why I was. Kind of want to dive into this subject because it just, to me, some of the arguments get ridiculous, and I think they're almost. You know, they're borderline like, I won't say pharasitical, but it's getting there. Legalistic, yeah. Yeah, I agree with you.

I've never done any drugs my whole life. I've done, you know, I've had morphine when I had a kidney stone, things like that, but. Um I've never, I just, I just know, I don't know, I just never got never got into any of it.

So, you brought up marijuana. I personally don't have any problem with someone using the aspect of it, just like you said, when the hallucinogenic stuff is removed, I forget the terms. And it's used medicinally. I don't have any problem with that any more than the Bible says in Proverbs 31:6: give strong drink to him who's perishing, and wine to him whose life is bitter.

So it's just saying, use what you have, herbs and stuff like that, for healing. And that's definitely in that category. I don't have any problem with that.

So if they were to say, well, all marijuana is just bad and sinful, you're going to hell for it, then what about the alcoholic? they're abusing uh that and they uh are d under its control. Yet the Bible says give strong drink to him who's perishing.

So the issue isn't that you can or can't use it, is it is it controlling you? And you should not use it for uh anything illicit and mind-altering.

Okay. Oops, there's a break. Can you hold on, buddy? I agree, yeah, thank you. Can you hold on, or you can hold it?

Okay, hold on.

Okay, hold on, man. Hey folks, we have two open lines. If you want to give me a call, 877-207. 2276, well that comes down to one line open. Be right back after these messages.

Please stay tuned. It's Matt Slick Live, taking a call at 877-207-2276. Here's Matt Slick. All right, I would welcome to the show. Welcome back.

I'd say if you want to call us, you can, but the lines are all I'll take it up right now.

So let's get back on with Jermaine.

Alright, Jermaine. Still there, buddy? All right, man, what do you got, buddy?

Well, you just wanted to have a distinction, a proper distinction on what exactly you know, Pharmakea was because I find way too many people Yeah. that term for something they personally may not like, but I um I just don't see someone who's medicinally using something That and I do think you should have it prescribed or have some kind of expertise, but I don't think that's the same Saying is someone selling a harmful street-level drug, that's all. Just I can't find a biblical justification to lump everybody together. I totally agree with you. You're you have a very um I think a very co coherent position.

And you're right. A lot of people what they'll do is emotionally react to something. And in fact, I honestly, I have an emotional reaction to the idea of anything to do with marijuana or anything like that. It's a very strong negative reaction. I did I've been geared that way my entire life.

I want nothing to do with it. But on the other hand, when my wife was still alive, if uh if one of those things could have helped her. because she was in such incredible pain for so long. then I would have had no problem at all uh with that, you know, to help her.

So You know? There you go. Yeah, 100% agree. And until someone's been in pain, they really can't speak. Yeah.

I think I would breathe a lot of empathy. There we go. Yeah, you know, there are people who just go through so much pain, like my wife did. And I mean it it was disturbingly bad. And I have a video of her, and the one person I showed was disturbed by it.

So, would something like whatever that's part of marijuana is? That helps with that stuff, it doesn't give you any mental, you know, it doesn't, you know, it's not that the high stuff gets you high. Um Then I don't have a problem with it.

Okay, I just don't.

So There you go. All right.

Well, thank you, Matt. I appreciate you. Have a good weekend. Talk to you next week.

Alright, brother, you too, man. God bless. All right.

Okay. All right, now let's see.

Next longest waiting is Steve. Moggin, you tossed it. You're in on the air. How you doing, Matt? Oh, I'm hanging in there, man.

Uh in there. Yep. What do you got, buddy?

Okay. Um well I hear you talk about the charismatic gifts all the time. And I'm not one hundred percent sure of a good example of what uh the charismatic issues. Or I can give you an example. Oh.

Okay. How about this one? How about this one? A guy is talking to a girl. and she tells him that she's going to go on a mission.

In two weeks. And he says No, you're not going to go. What's going to happen is you're going to stay. Because it was outside the United States. You're not going to do that, you're not going to do your mission.

and in five months you're going to meet a guy. And he is going to become your spiritual mentor. And then in 18 months, You and I mean you and this guy are gonna have a special bond. and do mission work together.

Now, what would you think of that?

Something like that. Um I can I don't like it.

Okay. And then it came to pass.

Now if it came to pass, what would you call it? Couch. divine intervention or there you go yeah that works Because that's what I did. That that's me telling that that girl that, and it was back in the day. And her name was Toni.

and I remember everything about it. And so it happened and it did come to pass. She didn't go on her mission, and five months later she met a guy, and eighteen months later, they became they got married and went to England and did mission work together.

So, you know, these things can happen. God can do things. And make a lot of noise behind you back back there, buddy. Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, but um there's a So, God can still do things.

I'm not convinced at all that the charismatic gifts have ceased. But it doesn't mean. That everybody goes around, hey, look, I got a word from God. Let me tell it to you. No, I don't believe it works like that.

I believe it's something that is quite different. And that a lot of charlatans are out there. But can God still give someone a prophecy? Of course. Can He give them knowledge about a situation or a person?

Of course he can. Yeah. So having having something like like the example you gave me, come to pass. Yeah. That is a charismatic gift.

That would be a prophecy. Yep. And it came to pass. It's the only time I'd ever done it in my entire life. Just at once, and I remember very clearly.

And then another time I had what I I can only call a word of knowledge about someone. And um And I remember that very clearly. And my roommate was with me at the time when it occurred. We were doing ministry work. And when it happened, there was this period of 30 seconds or so where I knew.

I absolutely knew about this guy and I still remember it. and I told him things that only he he and God knew. And um He was visibly shaken. I mean, visibly shaken by it. And when he walked away, he didn't even talk.

He just, he stumbled, literally stumbled and walked. He was visibly shaken. And my roommate said he saw a shimmering around me when that happened.

So I mean that's what he said.

So what do you do? You know? That is divine. There's there's no doubt about that.

So And then And then what about a pastor up in in the pulpit? And the pastor is going through scripture, and I've preached many, many, many times. I did pulpit supply for years. And you're up there, and I know this happens with pastors, and I've talked to pastors where it's happened to them. They're sitting there talking about something, and all of a sudden, in their minds, they just know they've got to say it this way.

It's different. And I call it the unction of the Spirit of God to move that person to say something a certain way. And during those moments, they just know. That's what they're supposed to say. I've had many pastors tell me that over the years.

That this kind of stuff happens.

So what do you do with that, you know?

Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Don't buy into this charismatic wacko crud.

Guys standing up in front of cameras, speaking tongues of jokes to each other, or the Lord told me this and that. Give me a break. Yeah. I got it.

Okay. Well, that that helps define it for me. I I just Always hear you talk about it and I've just really never quite grasped what it meant. Yeah, it happens. And it didn't work with my wife before she passed away, but it didn't work with my wife when we got married because you'd think she'd had a word of knowledge to get better judgment about who to marry.

But hey, she stuck. Yeah, and I I heard your life passed, and I'm so sorry about that. Yeah, thank you. It was just a couple of it was back in November and We can talk about it from a distance, but yeah, so she's with the Lord, and praise God. Right, right.

You know, she's out of her pain. Oh, man, that is so good. She was in such pain. She really was.

So there's a break. You okay, Brother? All right.

Okay, well, thank you, Matt.

Alright, yeah, God bless. But the name. Hey folks, bottom of the hour. If you want to give me a call, one open line, 877207. Two, two, seven, six.

We'll be right back. It's Matt Slick Live, taking your calls at 877-207-2276. Here's Matt Slick. All right, well, welcome back to the show. Let's see, the next longest waiting person is...

That would be David from Dayton, Ohio. Dave, welcome. you're on the air. Hey, thank you, Matt. How's everything going tonight?

To night it's going well, by God's grace. Hanging in there. What do you got?

Well, my name's Dave. I'm calling you from Dayton, Ohio. I have a question. If you could. Lose the Holy Spirit.

Let me give you a real quick rendition of my life at. The first grade. I still remember, like it was yesterday. I'm sitting in class, and something came over me and told me. that I need to get up.

Go be alone. And give my life to Christ.

Now, I was born and raised in a church. I've got a lot of preachers in my family. Um. Raised my hand, asked if I go to the bathroom, went to the bathroom and, as a first grader, gave my life to Christ. I didn't know a whole lot, and I said, Lord, I don't know if you've forgiven me or not, so I'm just going to assume that you are.

Okay, fast forward, I'm sixty one now, and I didn't realize it at the time, Matt, but that was the Holy Spirit that came upon me, and that was my first act of faith. There you go. telling God, you know, I'm I'm just going to trust you and believe in you. But man, Everything was pretty normal until I was about 14 years old. I got baptized.

take my Bible to church, I was just on fire for Christ. And we moved to California from Oregon, and I was the new guy, and I made a one hundred eighty, and I turned to drugs. And I've battled drug addiction my entire life. I'm fortunate to be married to the same woman for 40 years that has put up with quite a bit. I have four beautiful children, eight beautiful grandchildren.

I go back and forth, Matt, just like Dio Cliche. I got the devil on one shoulder and and Christ on the other, like a head spinning like the Folter guys movie or whatever that movie was. But I know Christ gave me the Holy Spirit. And I just wonder In a relapse. If he comes back, am I going to heaven?

Our salvation is not dependent on how good we are. When you have truly and sincerely trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, it is because He has granted that you have that faith. Philippians 1.29. When God grants that to you, that is sufficient to justify you. Many people will fall into varying degrees of sin.

Some of it's pretty severe, some of it's not.

Now, I'm not saying it's okay to sin. If you're truly born again, you're not going to lose your salvation. Because Jesus says, All that the Father has given me I will lose none. That's the will of the Father, that Jesus not lose any. If you have been bound up with stuff like that.

then you will suffer loss of reward. and loss of usage. Uh from what God has had for you now. And this is something that it will fill with regret. I've got mine.

That I wish I hadn't done this or that, etc. But the thing is, Yeah. we can always understand and trust that where we are at That the Lord can pick us up right there. and then use us for his glory. What we need to do, no matter where we are, what our history has been, say, Lord, from this moment on.

Please use me according to your will, according to your grace, and bring glory to your name. And you move forward.

Now, I have a friend, he's a pastor, and I won't say his name, but he did federal prison time. And one day I asked him, Just once? I asked him. What did you do to get in prison? He looked at me and he said, That man's dead.

I don't talk about him. And I said, Okay. Good for good enough. That was good. That's the truth, man.

Yeah. And so he just considered all that gone. And fine. He's a good man of God. He's a good, godly man.

And that's what. you need to do. We have regrets. That's what I need to do. Absolutely.

Now here's a selling knife. It's a real simple saying, what if will kill you? What if I'd have done this or that? They'll kill you. They'll kill you.

Absolutely.

That makes a lot of sense. I've never accepted it in all my sins of drug abuse. I never felt good about it. It just, even though I did it, it just bothered me and bothered me.

So here's what I'm going to do, Matt. I got about two more days, and I'm taking three days off, and I'm going to go out in the woods with a tent and some firewood. And I'm going to rededicate my life to Christ, and I'm going to pray like I've never prayed before. And I'm just going to start all over again. We can we can't look back.

But it's been an honor talking to you, Matt. My condolences on your wife. You know as well as I do if she if you gave her the choice to come back right now, she'd say no. I mean, there's a lot of reasons. I mean, she wouldn't come back to me.

Come on. You know, she'd rub her forehead. I don't believe that. Oh, man. I don't believe that for a minute, Matt.

Yeah. God bless you, brother. Hey, one quick thing, though. Does your wife know you want to do this, and is she okay with it? Because she's one flesh with you.

All right, that's good. She's a born again Christian, all my all my children are, and She could have thrown me to the curb too many times. She hasn't given up on me because of the love of Christ. Oh, she's a good woman then. And the second thing is that's right.

Now the second thing is when you're out there, just watch out for Bigfoot, okay? Just what I'm saying. I keep looking, Matt. I'm gonna I'm gonna see him some day or find out about them.

Okay, brother. When you do, let me know. All right.

I will, Matt. And I'll be talking to you again. Thank you. All right, man. God bless.

Okay. Bye-bye. All right.

Hey, if you want to give me a call. eight seven seven two zero seven two two 7-6. Let's go to Jacob from Dayton, Ohio. Jacob, welcome. You're on the air.

Not gonna lie, I thought they got my name wrong. I said hello when you said Dave from Dayton, Ohio. Oh, there's another one. Yeah, we had there's a radio station out there on the network I'm on.

So that's why, yeah. That guy got me thinking also.

Well, for one, how you doing? Doing all right by God's grace. That's all I can say. That's great. That guy got me thinking, I'm the same way.

Like, I struggle with pornography and. you know, when I'm scrolling on Facebook or something and I slip up, you know, that conviction is there. And I don't you don't have the spirit if you're not convicted. If you still do whatever you want to do and there's no guilt behind it, then That's when you question it. But um the thing to do about that, let's talk about that.

I don't know if you're married, but you I got advice I could give you and your wife. But I've counseled couples on this and uh what you know, we could talk, but You need to go to make sure you always go to the cross. Always. Not in usury and taking advantage and just being abusive of God's grace. But always trust in Him no matter what and continue to war against it.

And if you're married, your wife needs to know about this, etc., etc. But yeah, I've done a lot of counseling on it. Yeah, she knows. And I'll tell you, one of the hardest things was confessing to her one time when it happened. And so I was like, hey, I slipped up.

I'm sorry. You know, it's adultery. And you know, she's she's a follower too and She forgave me, and it actually helps a lot. And you know, your wife's supposed to be there for you, and the husband for the wife. And if I'm if I'm about to stumble, I just tell her and You know, wifely duties.

Exactly. That's what I was going to say. And also, there's a phrase. Don't abuse it, but yeah. Yes.

That's right. A phrase, we men sometimes would struggle. I get it, trust me. The phrase is, Lord, let my eyes be for my wife. And pray that and look at her that way and tell her to watch out and be careful because.

It's okay. You know what I mean? That that reminded me of that, and then uh I've been trying to call for weeks, so I stack the questions and I already remember about three I got one on your favorite subject, the Catholic Church. Long story short, there was a guy advertising that. Don't send your kids to public school, send your kids to Catholic school.

And longer story short, with the discussion, was I said, I know multiple people that's been to Catholic school and grew up in Catholic school, and they all regret it. And his reply is, well, the Catholic Church is stern and strict on the rules and laws and blah, blah, blah. And I said, and this is my only experience. I don't look, I just know what I've seen. My problem with it is it all takes the glory from Christ.

I've seen Catholic stands at like festivals and fairs and And county fairs and all that. And the only thing I ever see is things about saints, a rosary, Mary necklaces, Mary pamphlets. And I'm like, where's Jesus? Where's Jesus at? It is.

Yeah, and my and he he threw Ephesians six, eighteen to nineteen at me, which deals with praying to saints and supplication. And what I did was I looked up the definition of what saint is and supplication, which I'll let you Okay. Go back. I looked up a saint as someone that you know is a believer, that you know is with God. And supplication is like, you know, Praying on somebody's behalf or or whatever.

And I'm just curious where the Catholic Church just gives them all this fame. instead of the one that Besides Ephesians six. I think it's 1819, 17, 18. Yeah, they're they're idolaters.

So Do you have a question about you? Is there any other verses that someone might use or like just what why why is that so famous? Like why is it pray to the saints? Like why because the Catholic Church is a false church and it promotes idolatry. It's just that simple.

And so they do it because they're not submitting themselves to the Word of God. Whenever you take the authority upon yourself, as the Catholic Church has done, the authority of the Church tells you what the Bible is, the authority of the church tells you what salvation is. You've taken your eyes off of Christ, you lifted up something else instead of the Word of God, and you're going to end up in error. And that's exactly what the Catholic Church did. It's false.

Yeah, that's just like Mary. We're going to break. Hold on. We've got to break. We've got to break.

Hold on, and we'll get back to you after the break, okay, brother? on them. Hey folks, there is a break right there. Do you want to give me a call? You got to wait.

We open lines. Be right back after these messages. Please stay tuned. It's Matt Slick live, taking a call at 877-207-2276. Here's Matt Slick.

All right, everybody, welcome back to the show. Let's get back on with Jacob and see if we can get to the rest of the callers before the end of the show, Jake. You're back on, buddy. Yeah, I that's just I was just wondering where that just habit or that procedure came in. Which one?

So just praying to saints in general, like why? Like I just I was Uh I d I don't know. Um But it's definitely heretical and it's idolatrous. And I I debate it regularly with Catholics and warn them that they're committing idolatry and they don't care. because they trust their church more than Jesus.

That's just ridiculous. They trust your church more than Jesus. And then I'll just do one more. A fun curious thing. Do you?

think Jesus appears in the Bible before the New Testament. Technically, yes, technically, no, depending on how you define Jesus. Jesus, by definition, did not come into existence. Let me explain. Jesus did not come into existence until 2,000 years ago with the union of the divine and the human nature.

By definition, that's who Jesus is. He has two natures.

So that did not occur until 2,000 years ago.

However, the pre-incarnate Christ, second person of the Trinity, was appearing in the Old Testament. I give you many verses where that is the case. That's how I should have worded it, but yeah. That's all right. I think like after Adam and Eve bite the fruit, it says God was walking through the garden looking for them.

I think that's one time. Daniel in the furnace. Joseph wrestling on the shore, or not just Jacob wrestling on the shore. Right. I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but there's many, but it's just a God in flesh.

Like, yeah. It's not God in flesh. It's a manifestation, not an incarnation. and they're different. Jesus is an incarnation, but the Old Testament was a manifestation.

Okay?

They're different.

Well, Mamie, thanks. We got to move along because we've got other callers waiting at the end of the show. But we're going to move along, all right?

Okay, buddy?

Okay, man. Call back again. Call back again. Okay, we got some good stuff there. All right.

Okay, let's see. Let's get to Sonji from Dayton, Ohio again. Hey, another one. Hey, Sonji, welcome. You're on the air.

Hi, Matt. Hi, how are you doing? Doing all right, hanging in there.

So, what do you got?

Okay, well, that's good. First of all, I just wanted to know: you know, you truly have been a blessing to me and my grandson because we listen to your show. You know, most of the time when we're in a car riding together, if we like in the evening time, we'll be listening to your show. We've called in, you know, a couple of times. I know my grandson since here, he called in about a couple nights, had a couple of questions.

But anyway, my question tonight for you is: okay, so he had gone to Bible study this past Wednesday night, and which I no longer belong to I don't go to the church anymore anyway, but Anyway, he had he had um at the at the Bible said he had asked a couple of the members, you know. a lady and and her son, you know, pray for him and uh 'cause he was just he I guess he was feeling like Just feeling like convicted because he hadn't been like reading his Bible because he's a Christian and he hadn't been reading his Bible here lately. And I know my grandson, he be on it because he got. He got saved at the age of, what, nine or ten, you know, 'cause my my son, which is his dad, uh, is in the military and I I keep him like off I've been been keeping him off and on, but he's been with me for these past couple of years now 'cause he graduated high school and uh he's been with me ever since.

So but uh But anyway, he had asked him to pray for him, and so he had explained, oh, let me cut. I'm sorry, cut this off. But he had asked him to pray for him. And like I said, he was feeling, I guess, convicted in his spirit about not reading his Bible here lately and praying.

So the one lady told him that that was a spirit of a crocodile spirit. And so.

So once he came home and shared it with me, and I talked to him, I was like, What's this here? I said, Well, you know. Out of all the years that I've been going to church and been in ministry in different ministries, I've never heard of a crocodile spirit. I said, so, you know, you just got to be careful of people like. Speaking things, you know, like to you, saying things to you, or so you have a what would be your question then?

You have a question, or yeah, the question is: have you ever heard of a crocodile spirit? That's my question. Not. No, I haven't. That's what I'm saying, because But I was looking it up and so It looks like it has different kinds of meanings and different contexts.

So, what some needs to do with this woman who said this is say, Show that to me in Scripture. Right. That's what I told him. I said, W if that's not scriptural, then and and I know he knows his Bible, so I don't see how he, you know, let that lady like deceive him like that, to tell him something like that, and and he, you know, accepted it, you know, but like I said, I know he's This past year, he just really became actually walking with God and allowing God to use him.

Okay, so have him have her verify it in Scripture. and see what she exactly means, not just to say something like that. Because uh those kinds of comments in those kinds of contexts often are from people, in my opinion, who are spiritually prideful. and they say things that they don't understand.

Okay. Mm-mm. And this woman is supposed to be a CE year also. She she's supposedly can see spirits on people and things like this. Because another thing I I share this with you, he had went to a deliverance, I guess, like service wi with him, I mean with her and and and another guy.

He had went out of town w and and went to the the guy's house and went to a deliverance. And and and and I felt uneasy about that all the time that he was gone, you know, 'cause I'd been praying for him, you know. But supposedly she w ch had took him through this deliverance session or whatever and and delivered him or whatever.

So You know, that's just something else I just don't feel uneasy. And so I told her.

So once that had happened, and so I.

So deliverance ministries are often very harmful and dangerous. They're often worked by individuals who claim spiritual authority, spiritual ability, spiritual power. Then they want to know more about you. Then they'll say, This is a result of this spirit. Then you're under their thumb, under their control.

So I would just be very careful of stuff like that, okay? Properly, this should be done. by talking to the elders of your church, okay? Mm-hmm. Okay.

Okay. All right.

We're good. All right.

Okay. All right.

Well, thank you for that, you know, that information. And I'll have a talk with him when he gets home.

Okay. Thank you. All right, well God bless. Have a blessed night. Uh-huh.

Bye-bye. Expire. All right, now let's get to Joe from North Carolina. Joe, welcome. You're on the air.

Yes. Had a couple of comments, one on a Pharmakea. Uh the reason I don't Believe in drugs, be it psychiatric or otherwise, is because they can open up your mind for uh demonic influence or oppression or whatever. And also spiritual whatever with Indians in the past and witch doctors. uh the main part of them getting into their Yes.

Ceremony it involves drugs. Yeah, but we've got to be careful of what's called the genetic fallacy or guilt by association. But still, um.

So what what you got a question or anything? The other thing I've had on my mind for at least a month or so. is uh the concept of your wife dying. I had a very close friend of mine die about two years ago. And uh And then I'm And then another person I know, her husband died You know, about three years ago, and she went through the same stuff.

But anyway, this is for your sake and those, of course, listening. But, uh, I was uh What's the word? Uh num. we were both numb. I was numb for two months.

This other person I know was numb for a year.

So that's kind of the first thing that happens. Is your nom. And then after that, It's kind of hard to function, you know, doing your normal routine of life, it's can be kind of hard. Then the third thing that happens is uh is just adjusting to the new normal, which I'm going through that at the moment, so I Can't figure that out. But I'm not a big fan of psychology and all, but there is a preacher on the radio from Texas.

He's a, I guess, a well-known preacher out of Dallas. I don't know the guy, but anyway, he happened to mention. everything I just said after I was already halfway through this about Nam, he uses that exact word. And then um uh You know, hard to function as whatever that is, difficult in doing whatever. And then he talked about the adjustment.

So so he confirmed what I already kind of already knew. And I just wanted you to know that because you lost your wife and it's uh extremely or for someone you're close to, it's an extremely hard. Hard Tom. Yes, it is. And I have my ways of coping, and I've been doing that.

So, back on the radio, and that's one of the ways to cope: getting back into a life of normalcy because I love teaching, answering questions, and it's medicine to me.

So, there you go. All right.

But appreciate that. All right.

We got other cars going, so I'm going to do it on my mind. You were on my mind for a month or two, so I wanted to say that. Oh, well, that's nice. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

Yeah, I do. All right.

Okay, well God bless. Take care. And, real quick, before we get to the next caller, thank you for all of you who've been praying for me in this situation. Really appreciate it. For those who don't know, I lost my wife about six weeks ago, six or seven weeks ago.

And. There you go. Ticket to Carl from South Carolina. Carl, welcome. You're on the air.

Hey, Matt. Hey, I have a question on On faith. You know, to the Father delivers you to Jesus. You can't get to Jesus unless the Father delivers you and gives you that faith. when you're saved afterwards, Is faith still basically granted through God?

Or is it something that is Somewhat. you know, broader than in in within your ability or he has a believer ability.

So Ephilians 1:29 says, To you it has been granted. And in the Greek, has been granted is what's called the aorist passive indicative. In aoris is past tense, passive means it happens to you, and indicative means it's just an actuality of fact.

Now notice what the wording is. To you it has been granted to believe. God grants that you do the believing. You do the believing because God grants you that. And so that's what it says.

That's all we can go with. It's not like it's a participial form, where as an ing, you know, walking, talking. It's uh Aorist. And so, what we want to say is that God grants you that belief, and then once we believe, because we're also regenerate, it looks as though we continue actively to work and walk in the belief that we actually are doing. in our whole lives as we continue to believe.

God grants it to us. Like he grants the start of the engine. And once it's running, you can drive the car anywhere you want. But he has to get that engine started.

Okay. So let me just ask, Cope, in prayer, like, is me sitting there saying, Hey, Lord, give me more faith.

Someone like that guy said, Hey, make me believer more. Yes. In a sense, a prayer that is just kind of a directed that you want more faith Instead of saying, well, I'm going to grant myself more faith. I'm going to just surrender more to the Lord. I'm going to be more obedient.

Well, see, this is a complicated thing because I got to speak quickly here. It's Mark 924. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.

So we struggle with our own belief, okay? But if you go to James 2, 14 through 26, it talks about how Abraham, his faith, was tested and his faith was increased.

So believing, I I I call it sometimes faithing. Faithing, the continued action of believing that then is modified and strengthened through your experiences. And we're right of time, brother. The music is going to start in five seconds.

So I've got to get going, okay? All right, brother. I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you, brother.

All right, we can talk some more. Bye-bye. All right, and sorry about that, we're out of time. Dave from North Carolina, I know you waited six minutes. Nephilim question.

Call back Monday. Because I love talking about the Nephilim, also. There's interesting stuff about that. May the Lord bless you. By His grace, everybody, we'll be back on the air on Monday.

I hope you have a good. weekend so uh praise god And we'll talk to you then.

Soon, God bless. Another program powered by the Truth Network.