Ask the Pastor
Gonna answer two questions today to relieve the backlog:
Q1: A CLC-Lisle leader asks about ’spiritual blindness’ in John 9:41. “Is this symbolic in saying that those who don’t know Jesus, will not be judged guilty?”
Let’s look at the passage. Jesus was addressing the Pharisees, who thought they knew it all, and basically telling them they needed to acknowledge how little they did know, so He could teach them. The specific statement about the blind not being guilty is difficult, but this much I know from the whole of Scripture: it does not mean that those who don’t know Jesus will not be judged. That’s a false teaching that’s been around for hundreds of years – usually called “universalism”.
Scripture is very clear that those who do not know must be reached with the Gospel, and that’s why the Church is still here – to bring the Good News to all, so that no one remains in darkness.
What is true in Scripture is that those of us who have received truth and light will be held to a stricter accountability than those who do not know. (see Luke 12:46-48; James 3:1)
Q2: A faithful CLC-Shorewood member writes, ”I am curious, with the new covenant of Jesus Christ… what is Israel’s future? Some say they are the chosen people and are saved without Christ… others they are lost and only saved if they know Christ. What is the truth and what is Israel’s future for salvation?”
GREAT question! Much misunderstanding about this! Let me try to make it simple: there is NO salvation outside of Jesus Christ. Period.
The Jewish people ARE God’s chosen people. Without them, we wouldn’t have a Bible, or most any of the revelation of God that we enjoy. But they, like us Gentiles, are lost without Christ (Rom. 3:23, Rom 6:23; Rom 5:8-11; Rom 10:1-4).
Yet God has not rejected them forever, and in these last days He has a plan to bring them back to Himself! (see Rom. 11:11-15) Too many of us believers, including CLC, have neglected the evangelism of Jewish people in the past, but God is turning our hearts toward His earthly people again, and I’m excited that Israel is becoming our first priority in world missions! In fact, our CLC trip to Israel this November 9-19 is more than a sightseeing tour of the Holy Land; it’s to connect us even more with the people and the land. (Get all the details here)
Hope those answers helped. Now, what would YOU like the Ask the Pastor?
Posted
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Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 5:00 am under
On Q1. Sometimes it sounds like Jesus gets a little sarcastic with his critics. He just use their own logic in reverse to make his point. The ESV says it like this:
Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt;* but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.
February 5th, 2010 at 11:57 amThanks, Ellis – I like that, and it is true that Jesus employed sarcasm with critics on occasion. Appreciate the added insights-
February 5th, 2010 at 12:04 pmPastor, how do you get over people-pleasing tendencies and the misuse of Scripture in your own mind? For example, my mom asked me to watch my brother for a prolonged period of time and I really didn’t want to do it and said no at first. Then I prayed about it and the Scripture came up to do unto others as I would have them do unto me. So I called her back and agreed to do it even though I still really don’t want to. Another reason I’m doing it is because I usually watch him during the week for her in place of the daycare he was going to because of a situation that arose and the agreement was for her to pay me $20/day over 2 week intervals. In these past two weeks she kept him home some days and said she would still pay me for the 2 weeks. But after I said no she said she wasn’t going to pay me the full amount, that she was going to deduct the days that she didn’t bring him. So I feel pressured to watch him so I’ll get paid the full amount along with feeling guilty about saying no. Help!
February 5th, 2010 at 1:51 pm(P.S.- the extended period of time is overnight, this whole Friday night and she would pick him up in the morning.)
February 5th, 2010 at 1:52 pmThis is such a hard truth that I think we just subconsciously reject it – people who never heard the gospel condemned, our kind, generous, upright morally and ethically friends, family and neighbors, also condemned. Without God’s grace and strength I could not get through a single hour with this realization. Never-the-less, God grant us a burden for souls, and a release from the bondage of self. (I say with fear and trembling!)
February 5th, 2010 at 1:55 pmSo glad to chat with the family.
Hi Pastor Jerry…
I actually have a question posed by a friend. She wants to know do animals have souls? She says when you look in their eyes they don’t seem souless. If you believe the “Darwin’s” theory (did I spell that right?), then how could you say Apes don’t have souls if we evolved from them. She is thinks there may be a reference in both the old and new testaments that states animals don’t have souls. I didn’t know what to say, so I will defer to you.
Thanks,
February 6th, 2010 at 12:20 amTracey