The Berean Call Podcast

My guest for today’s program and next week is Gaylene Goodroad, and our subject is the martial arts. Gaylene is the author of an excellent little book titled My Life in “The Way,” which gives insights into the practices of nearly all the martial arts including karate, kung fu, tae kwon do, aikido, judo, tai chi, and kendo, to name just a few.

Question: Why do Christians worship on Sunday? I see no biblical basis to omit one commandment. I must settle this, because I want to obey the Lord.

Response: We addressed this in the May ’99 TBC (see—https://bit.ly/3Xv5AOR). Critics claim that Constantine (or the Roman Catholic Church) changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. Who cares? No one has the power to change the Sabbath. It was and always will be Saturday. But Christians do not worship on the Sabbath, the day in which God rested from His work of the first creation. We are not part of that old creation, but each Christian is “in Christ…a new creature: old things are passed away…all things are become new” (2 Cor 5:17). Christ rose from the dead on Sunday, the first day of a new week, the “firstborn from the dead” (Col 1:18), the progenitor of a new race of born-again men and women. That is why we meet together to worship the Lord on Sunday, “the first day of the week” (Acts 20:7).

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This is number 242 in our series of “Get Biblical Understanding.” In this session we’re reading many but certainly not all of the biblical verses that have to do with a Deterrent.

Webster’s dictionary of 1828 (which many of its definitions are taken from the Scriptures) records the act of deterring as discouraging or stopping by fear; to stop or prevent from proceeding, by danger, difficulty or other consideration which disheartens, or countervails the motive for an act.

We are often deterred from our duty by trivial difficulties.

MATTHEW 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

MATTHEW 24:45-47 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.

MARK 13:13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

ACTS 5:40-42 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

ACTS 14:21-22 And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

ROMANS 2:7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

Thanks for listening and we hope you’ll join us again as we search the Scriptures in order to “Get Biblical Understanding.”

The message of this treasured epistle is just as clear and convicting today as it was to the early churches of Galatia: We are justified by grace through faith alone - not by works of the law.

Join T. A. McMahon and radio guests (Greg Durel, Mike Gendron, and Jim McCarthy) as they discuss this powerful Pauline epistle and its relevance to your daily walk.

View the full series: https://www.thebereancall.org/galatians

More about the Bible: https://www.thebereancall.org/topic/bible

Our website: https://www.reachingcatholics.org

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My guest for this series is Paul Wilkinson, the author of Understanding Christian Zionism, and the DVD titled Christian Palestinianism. If you’ve just joined us in this series, this is program #5 in which we’ve been evaluating an interview between Hank Hanegraaff and Gary Burge, the author of Whose Land? Whose Promise? What Christians Are Not Being Told about Israel and the Palestinians. Burge is also featured in the DVD documentary With God on Our Side. Since Hanegraaff’s program is titled the Bible Answer Man, and what he says implies that he’s teaching what the Bible teaches and influencing multitudes of listeners in the process, we felt what he and Burge have presented does indeed need to be challenged to see if they are speaking according to the Scriptures. We pick up with Hank Hanegraaff speaking.

Join Dave and Tom as they engage in an in-depth, verse-by-verse examination of the Gospel of John. We hope you will be challenged and convicted as you listen to these insightful, exegetical discussions compiled from nearly four years of Search the Scriptures Daily radio programs. Open your Bible and get ready for an edifying pilgrimage into God's Word.

Join Dave and Tom as they engage in an in-depth, verse-by-verse examination of the Gospel of John. We hope you will be challenged and convicted as you listen to these insightful, exegetical discussions compiled from nearly four years of Search the Scriptures Daily radio programs. Open your Bible and get ready for an edifying pilgrimage into God's Word.

Question (From three Muslims): In Christianity, it is taught that everyone is born a sinner. If that is true, then how can God accept us in heaven [since] that is a sinless place? According to what standard are we judged worthy or unworthy to enter paradise/heaven? What is good enough? God requires sinless perfection, which we can never attain to by our works. Will He accept something less? How can He?

Response: Your question goes to the very heart of the difference between true biblical Christianity and Islam (and all other religions). The issue is God’s infinite justice in relation to man’s undeniable sin and outright rebellion against God. As the Bible says, “All have sinned [and] the wages of sin is death” (Rom 3:23; 6:23). Even if it were possible, living a perfect, sinless life in the future could never pay the penalty for sins of the past. Justice does not work that way.

Islam (like every other world religion, and much that calls itself Christianity) urges its followers to do good (the greatest “good” is to die in jihad) in the hope that their good deeds will outweigh their bad ones in the “last day” judgment. Of course, there is no court of law on earth that would release anyone from the penalty prescribed by the law because they had done “more good than evil.” Nor will God accept such a plea from anyone, including Muhammad. As for suicide bombers, they cannot pay for their sins by committing suicide, and especially not by killing innocent people in the process. It does not speak well for either Muhammad or Allah to make Paradise the reward for committing murder!

Jesus Christ, who is God, became a man through a virgin birth, lived a perfect sinless life (in contrast to Muhammad whom the Qur’an commands to confess his sins), and died for our sins on the cross, paying the penalty that God’s infinite justice demanded for the sins of all mankind, and resurrected from the dead. On this righteous basis, God offers a just pardon of all sins for those who believe that Christ paid that penalty and rose from the grave.

This is number 241 in our series of “Get Biblical Understanding.” In this session we’re reading many but certainly not all of the biblical verses that have to do with a Deterrent.

Webster’s dictionary of 1828 (which many of its definitions are taken from the Scriptures) records the act of deterring as discouraging or stopping by fear; to stop or prevent from proceeding, by danger, difficulty or other consideration which disheartens, or countervails the motive for an act.

We are often deterred from our duty by trivial difficulties.

HEBREWS 12:26-29 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.

JAMES 5:9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

2 PETER 2:5-6 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

REVELATION 2:21-23 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

REVELATION 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

REVELATION 14:9-11 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. 

Thanks for listening and we hope you’ll join us again as we search the Scriptures in order to “Get Biblical Understanding.”

The message of this treasured epistle is just as clear and convicting today as it was to the early churches of Galatia: We are justified by grace through faith alone - not by works of the law.

Join T. A. McMahon and radio guests (Greg Durel, Mike Gendron, and Jim McCarthy) as they discuss this powerful Pauline epistle and its relevance to your daily walk.

View the full series: https://www.thebereancall.org/galatians

More about the Bible: https://www.thebereancall.org/topic/bible

Our website: https://www.reachingcatholics.org

Our main website: www.thebereancall.org

Store: store.thebereancall.org

Download our app: www.thebereancall.org/app

Sign up for our email updates: https://www.thebereancall.org/subscribe