In this insightful episode of Classic Christianity Radio, Bob George provides listeners with profound answers to complex spiritual questions. Join April from California as she candidly shares her struggles with understanding forgiveness and living a victorious Christian life. Through their conversation, listeners are enlightened about the significance of the resurrection in the journey of salvation, emphasizing the freedom that comes from knowing the complete work of Christ.
Welcome to Classic Christianity Radio with Bob George. Today we are pleased to present a special radio show featuring call-in listeners from Bob’s original people-to-people daily radio program that was on the air for over 30 years, offering real answers for real-life problems as he addresses common questions as well as the tough issues of today, directing callers to the centrality of Christ in you, your only hope of glory. We want to remind our listeners that Bob George Ministries needs your financial support to continue to have Classic Christianity Radio on the air. Please visit BobGeorge.net to find out how you can help support us financially. Let’s now join Bob as he presents practical biblical insights as he helps people experience a life of faith, hope, and love in Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER 02 :
Let’s go to Temecula, California. Let’s go on Cape Ride. April, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 01 :
Hi, nice to talk to you guys.
SPEAKER 02 :
Thanks, April.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, I just want to start by saying I really enjoy your program, and I am just now starting to listen. In the last couple of weeks or so, I had your ministry send me a little bit of information. I don’t know a lot about what you teach besides, of course, the Bible, but every time I listen, I feel like I’m missing something. It’s like, okay, I just feel like maybe I’m not understanding just with the way that I’ve been brought up in the church, and I think I might… I feel like sometimes maybe I don’t understand forgiveness. I struggle. I’ve been a Christian about 15 years, but I struggle with my… You know, you were just talking about the fruits of the Spirit, and I struggle with that in my life, you know, love, joy, peace, patience, really knowing the voice of God in my life and kind of just doubting whether I am saved at all because I’m just so miserable a lot of the time. So I just feel like maybe I’m missing something. You know, when I’m at church on a weekly basis… you know, maybe I’m wrong, but I feel like maybe the call is so much to the cross. And I know that that’s our call, but I mean, maybe you can explain to me a little bit about the call to the cross versus the call to the resurrected life. I feel like a lot of the times we’re so bombarded with how much sin we’re in and how we need to make this altar call and we need to do this and this and this. And I’m the type of person that instead of, you know, being victorious through it, I just kind of get under it and I just, I just need a little bit of help.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, April, I appreciate your honesty and what you’ve formed there and been able to communicate is, quite frankly, the condition of many, many, many people in the Christian world today. As far as you’ve heard enough of what we were talking about where the Scripture says that while we were yet enemies, and that means when you were lost, before you were saved, You were reconciled to God through the death of his son. So you were reconciled to God through the death of his son when you were born, when you were lost. But then it goes ahead to say how much more, having been reconciled, shall you be saved by his life? That’s Romans 5.8. So you’re not saved by the death of Christ. You’re saved by the life of Christ. And that’s why Paul said, without the resurrection, we’re to be pitied of all people and are still in our sins, knowing full well that a cross had occurred where he took away the sins of the world. but also knowing that that was not salvation, but that was what prepared man for salvation, that God’s taking away the sins of the world was a necessity to do in order to offer us life eternal, because sin is what caused life to depart from Adam, sin is what caused life to depart from Jesus, and sin would be the thing that would cause the life of God to depart from you and me. And that’s why in order to know that I have eternal life is to know that he took away my sins. Because had he not taken away them all eternally, the next time I sin, after he gave me life, I’d be dead again. And so in order to give you eternal life, he had to eternally deal with what caused spiritual death. And that was sin. And that’s what he did at the cross. And so that’s where there’s no more forgiveness of sin. to be executed on our behalf. If there was, he’d have to come and die again. And Hebrews talks about that, that day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties over and over and over again, which can never what? Take away sin. Cover sin? Yeah. Take it away? No way. And so Christ’s sacrifice at the cross, April, was such a… I guess the only word I can use is just unbelievable event. where there he who knew no sin became sin for you and me, so that in his resurrection we could become the righteousness of God in him. But what we’ve done is concentrate on the cross at the exclusion of the resurrection. We’ve made the cross salvation instead of preparatory to salvation. It’s interesting that Jesus died on the day of preparation, the Jewish holiday of the day of preparation. That’s interesting, isn’t it? And that’s stated in John numerous times. It’s the day of preparation. Well, that’s what the cross was, was the day of preparation. when he prepared us for salvation. Having taken away eternally the cause of spiritual death, he’s now ready to give you life eternal. And so when you’ve come to him, not just for his death for you, but his life in you, and to realize that the living Christ lives in you, the Holy Spirit of God came to bring Christ to you, and that you have the mind of Christ, and you have the divine nature living in you, and said that when we’re told that we now have the ability to participate in the divine nature that lives in us. Now, what is participating in that? Well, you’ve got someone to connect into that you didn’t have before. You’ve got a plug in you that you didn’t have before. That when you plug into that, that’s where you receive all of the information and the knowledge and the wisdom and the fruit of God. But if you don’t plug into it, you’re just back into the things of the flesh. So what faith says is to relax. Faith says take a deep breath and say, thank you, Lord Jesus. Thank you. And from that moment on, you’re going to be thanking God for the rest of your life. For the fact that he took away your sins and there’s no sin or guilt for us. There’s no condemnation awaiting us who belong to Christ Jesus. The law of the spirit of life has set us free from the law of sin and death. Totally free. Now, when I put that to rest, April, something happens to you. Because if I can’t walk by faith in what I could have stood at the foot of the cross and seen Jesus do… How am I going to walk by faith in the invisible spirit that lives in me? It’s just talk. You’re not going to. And so until I finalize the cross, I’m never going to realize the resurrection. I’ll never realize the dynamic of the resurrection until I realize the effect of the cross. And so that’s where we come to a point and say, Lord, that’s it. It’s the last time you’re going to hear me ever ask you to do anything What you died to accomplish for me. I’ll spend the rest of my life thanking you for my forgiveness. But I’m not going to ever ask you to forgive me again. Because if you would answer that prayer, you would have to go die again. And I don’t want you to go die again. You did it once. And you did it for all. And that’s good enough for me. That I’m going to thank you that I am a forgiven person. And now as a forgiven person. I thank you that you live in me and that I have the ability now to participate in your divine nature and to learn from you every day of my life, to be a student and a disciple, and to learn what righteousness really is from your mouth. Direct God to me. It’s the most exciting thing on the face of the earth. Does that help, April?
SPEAKER 01 :
It does. It does. I don’t… I feel like I totally understand it, but what you’re saying just rings so true in my spirit, and I’ve just never heard it before.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah. Well, that’s one of the things I’ve said before, April, and kind of an illustration that if all your life you’d been taught that 2 plus 2 equals 5 and 4 plus 4 equals 7 and 3 plus 3 equals 9, And you never could balance your checkbook, never could seem to get change right, but that’s what you had learned. And then all of a sudden you come along and somebody says, no, no, 2 plus 2 is 4, and 3 plus 3 is 6, and 4 plus 4 is 8. And you say, praise God, I’m balancing my checkbook and I’m getting changed, correct? But it’s all on the same blackboard. And so you’ve not erased the other. And so Satan comes along and says, April, don’t you remember how much fun it was when 3 plus 3 equaled 9? And with 2 plus 2 equaled 5, don’t you remember how much fun that was? And next thing you know, we’re vacillating back and forth. And I’ve said, erase the blackboard. I had to do that in my own life. I had to say, God, I don’t care what Campus Crusade taught me. I don’t care what my church has taught me. I don’t care what anybody else has taught me. I want to start over, and I’m going to start over, and I want you to teach me afresh the grace of God. And that’s why I teach what I need today. It was a result of erasing the blackboard and letting God start afresh and teach me truth. because there’s a lot of error that we get in the Scripture. I hope that that dear girl is growing, and I believe she will, and we’ll be praying for her for sure. Sterling Heights, Michigan, listening on WRDT. Darrell, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 04 :
Hi, good afternoon, Bob. How are you, sir?
SPEAKER 02 :
I’m doing fine. Thank you, Darrell.
SPEAKER 04 :
Great. It’s a pleasure to talk to you and an honor. I just could use a little help understanding the verses where in Matthew 5, 17-20 where Jesus is talking about not come to change the law to some degree in Matthew. not one jot or one jittle. I’m just wondering, I’m having a hard time understanding the context of that.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, you left out the reason. He said, I didn’t come to abolish the law or the prophets. I haven’t come to abolish them but to fulfill them. And Christ was the fulfillment of all of the law and the prophets. He already fulfilled them. So he didn’t come to do away with them. He came to fulfill them. And in fulfilling them, he was able then to assure in a covenant of grace, and it says now that we’re in Christ, we are no longer under the law. And so why aren’t we under the law? The law has been fulfilled and therefore done away with to the believer. The law is still in effect, Darrell, for a lost person. Lost people are still under the law of sin and death. When we’re born again, we’re freed from the law of sin and death, aren’t we? Remember where it says there’s no condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus because the law, the spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death, which means before I came to Christ, I’m under the law of sin and death. But when I come to Christ, I’ve been freed from that law by the law of life. So to the lost person, they are still under the law and the consequence of the law, which is death.
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, I see. Okay. I appreciate your help on that. That helps me a lot. And I was also wondering if I could get some information after we get off the air, somebody in the Michigan area, because I’m looking for a church or somebody to learn more with, to get some help from and some better understanding. And to be honest with you, there’s so many different denominations and religions over the years that it seems like everybody that you listen to always has a comment about somebody else. But at any rate, I could use some help. And I heard a caller yesterday from Michigan. You said you had some people here.
SPEAKER 02 :
Are you close to Detroit, Darrell? Yeah. Okay, yeah, we do. Well, one of our board members is there in Detroit and holds Bible studies, and they’re really great studies. So I’ll put you on hold in a minute and let you get in touch with him because you’ll thoroughly enjoy the time together there. Well, I appreciate it. I would also recommend that you get a hold of our booklet called A Spiritual Journey to Discover the Grace of God. It’s got all the passages that we use in our seminars. There’s no commentary at all. It’s just Bible passages. And what it enables you to do, as an example, if you have a question on law and grace, you go to that seminar on law and grace. It gives you every passage that we use that is dealing with the fact that we’re no longer under the law. I don’t set aside the grace of God. If righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing. all of the thing what the law can’t do. And it just really explains just through the scripture that we have been freed from the law so that we can walk in the newness of life in the grace of God. So that’s with deity of Christ. All the major subjects are foundational subjects. this little book to me is absolutely invaluable. I quite frankly think that every Christian on the face of the earth ought to have one of these in their hands and use it. But I would definitely get a hold of that if I were you.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, I definitely will, and I appreciate it. I’ve been listening to you about three months, and at first I have to say that I was looking like the rca dog at the radio at first but i i have to tell you i’ve listened to you talk to a lot of people and uh tell you what i mean you sound like a very sweet and loving man and uh a lot of times i know a lot of people are messed up in their minds and are confused of what to believe and uh i mean i rely and pray every time i read the bible for for god to get the scales off my eyes and give me understanding. And it’s a wonderful thing. He’s opened them up quite a bit, but still there’s so much to learn and understand. And I don’t think we’ll understand it all until we’re in his presence. But God bless you, and thank you on all holds for that information. I really appreciate it.
SPEAKER 02 :
You’re sure welcome, Darrell. And thanks so much for the call. If we can be of any help, don’t ever hesitate to call us, okay?
SPEAKER 06 :
Are you looking for encouragement and deeper understanding of God’s word? Head over to BobGeorge.net where you’ll find books, CDs, and study guides created to help you grow in your faith. And when you order or donate, you’re also helping Bob George Ministries continue sharing the good news with listeners across the country. Your donation, large or small, makes a lasting impact. Visit BobGeorge.net today to explore helpful resources and partner with us in spreading God’s truth. That’s BobGeorge.net. Together, let’s keep this ministry moving forward.
SPEAKER 02 :
Let’s go to Santa Cruz, California. Let’s go on KKMC. Michael, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 03 :
Hi there, Bob.
SPEAKER 02 :
How are you doing, brother?
SPEAKER 03 :
I’m doing pretty good, pretty good. I had two kind of short questions for you. One, have you ever considered going on Zola Levitt Presents to share your understanding of the finished work of Christ? And the reason why I ask that is in some of my experiences in attending services, messianic congregations, there seems to be some confusion about mixing new wine and old wine skins, old wine and new wine skins. And I’m wondering, you know, in your opinion, that movement seems to be growing. Where do you think that fits into where we’re at in this, you know, in this particular generation? Yeah.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, I, before his death, knew Zola. And, in fact, we were friends. And we’ve had numerous conversations on different things. But as far as I’m concerned, Paul, I believe, explained it quite clearly that in Christ there is no Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, which means he wants us to fellowship together. I don’t think God ever meant for us to have a Jewish Messianic congregation and then a Gentile messianic congregation. He wants us to have one congregation made up of both Jew and Gentile, slave and free, not a messianic that is commingling law and grace, but a congregation that is excelling in the grace of God and growing in grace, not growing in your knowledge of the law. We’re not supposed to even go to Mount Sinai, according to the book of Hebrews. We’re supposed to go to the empty tomb. And so this commingling of law and grace and commingling of tradition into Christian faith is nonsense to me. And yet you have many Christians I know, they call themselves Christians, that quite frankly would rather be a Jew than they would be a Christian. Uh-huh. And they had rather say, oh, they come back from Israel, and they speak Hebrew all of a sudden. One word, but they speak Hebrew. Uh-huh. And they’re just so proud of that. And I just say, guys, what in the world is wrong with you? I think God knows who you’re talking about when you say Jesus. or whatever language that you’d be speaking in. And I don’t think that he hears you more because you pronounce Jesus’ name in Hebrew than you would pronouncing it in English. But there’s a lot of that kind of arrogance that goes on, and I don’t approve of it at all. I don’t think God ever intended for that to be. I think he said, if any man’s in Christ, he’s a new creation. That means leave your traditions. If you want to practice a tradition, fine, but let’s not try to exploit other people with it. But why would you want to practice that when you’re a new creation? That’s what gets me, is why would I want to hang on to my Gentile tradition when I’m a new creation?
SPEAKER 03 :
I agree. Well, maybe perhaps if the Lord opens the way, you could be a guest on that program sometime, because I think that a number of people in the audience that watch that, it might clarify and set a priest on some confusion.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, either that, I’d get crucified, so you don’t know for sure which one it would be. Well, yeah, thank you so much, Michael, and I appreciate your call. Thanks, Michael. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Detroit, Michigan. Let’s go on WRDT. Ted, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 05 :
Hi, how are you guys today?
SPEAKER 02 :
Doing good, Ted. Thank you.
SPEAKER 05 :
I have basically like a two-part question. I was saved back in 82 and went to the Baptist church. Didn’t get any spiritual growth in the church. I left there and skip ahead. I came to Detroit and I found your radio station and I, I’ve been listening to you for quite a while now and received some of your tapes and your books and read them. And, and, uh, I can just say that what I’ve read and what I’ve been listening to is the truth. And just the other day I was speaking with a friend of mine and he started, we started talking about church and he said something like, you know, there’s no reason to go to church because Jesus says, come on to me. And, um, I was just wondering if there is any place in the Bible where it talks about getting together with other people, believers, and going to so-called church. My ministry is listening to the radio program, and I try to get all of your Sunday broadcasts, and I read the Bible on a daily basis. And I was just… Didn’t have anything to say to my friend when he said to me, you know, there’s more to being a Christian than what Bob George teaches. There’s more and there’s more. And I’m thinking to myself, what more can there be except living day to day and trying to let the Lord work through you? I mean, and growing in grace and in your knowledge of the word. But maybe I’m missing something here.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, Ted, you know, it’s like somebody saying to the branch, there’s more to this life than abiding in the vine. Oh, really? What is it? Because apart from abiding in the vine, you can do nothing. So just what is it that there is out there that is the Christian life is abiding in the vine of Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER 05 :
We spoke about work.
SPEAKER 02 :
I’m sorry, go ahead. He said, I don’t do anything unless the Father tells me to do it. I don’t say anything unless he tells me to say it. He showed us how to live in total dependency upon the Father and gave the illustration of himself with the vine and branch and then went ahead to explain the vine and branch in great detail to us. which is what the Christian life is, is living in total dependence upon the Father, not saying what the thoughts of the world or the attitudes of the world, but saying what God tells you to say and doing what God tells you to do, not what the pastor tells you or what somebody else tells you, but what God tells you to do. And if we would all just relax on that and trust people with that, Maybe the reason we don’t see more of it is because we don’t trust people to be led by the Spirit, so we have to organize them. And that’s what you have today is what they call the organized church. And that means we’re organizing people to do what we have decided you ought to be doing. Now, that takes away the individuality of the Holy Spirit of God living individually in you and me and guiding us individually into all truth. And you cannot be led by both. You’re going to have to decide whether you want to be led by the group or whether you’re going to be led by the Spirit.
SPEAKER 05 :
And that was his point. He said that I’m doing the same thing as like somebody else going to, you know, Baptist church five days a week and, you know, doing what the pastor tells them to do. and only speaking about the church every chance I get.
SPEAKER 02 :
That’s all they talk about, incidentally, too, is the church.
SPEAKER 05 :
Exactly.
SPEAKER 02 :
They talk about Jesus, the church, church, church, church, church, church, church. And when they’re talking about the church, they’re talking about the activities. Here’s what we do. Well, again, Ted, I think you’ve got to grasp on the thing. It’s not what we do for God. It’s what we allow God to do in and through us. That is the only thing that’s ever going to be rewarded by him. And it’s the only thing that he’s interested in is us learning how to walk by faith. Without faith, it’s impossible to please God. And you’re not walking by faith unless you’re listening to what God tells you to do and respond to it. Every example we have in the scripture in the Old Testament was individual, whether it be Abraham or Moses, listening to what God told them to do and then go do it. Noah, Jonah, every one of those, God told them to do something and they went and did it. And that’s what God is looking for, not a group mentality, but an individual mentality. He said, I saved you individually. And I want to guide you individually. And so trust me with that. I will lead you and guide you into all truth. I am the truth. I will be continually guiding you back to my mind and teaching you the attitudes of Christ Jesus so that your attitude will ultimately become like that of Christ Jesus. And that is the Christian life. So somebody say there’s more to the life than this. If there is, I don’t know what it is. Because to me, what the Christian life is, is the exciting adventure of listening to what God is saying to us and acting upon it. I can’t think of anything more exciting than that in life.
SPEAKER 05 :
Could you explain faith without works is dead?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, if you’ve got true faith, it would be like saying to a branch that abiding without bearing fruit is dead. You’re not abiding. It’s the talk of abiding, but it’s not the action of abiding. Because if you are plugged into the vine and the vine is plugged into you, you are going to be bearing fruit.
SPEAKER 05 :
But Jesus is going to be correct. I mean, the fruit is what Christ does, again, correct?
SPEAKER 02 :
It’s what he does in and through you. And that’s impossible unless you’re abiding with him. So that’s where true faith in a true Jesus produces Jesus’ works.
SPEAKER 05 :
And the works is like sharing the gospel and just finding it.
SPEAKER 02 :
It’s the fruit of the Spirit, Ted. Okay. Look, here’s works. Remember the apostles came to Jesus and said, what is the work of the ministry? He said, to believe in me. You can almost hear him. You didn’t understand my question, Lord. I said, what’s the work of the ministry? No, I understood your question. The work of the ministry is to believe in me. And so when you’re talking about faith without works, true faith in a true Jesus is going to produce Jesus’ works in and through you and me, and we’ll get to bear the fruit of it. And what Jesus is interested in is bearing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Anybody can go out and do deeds for God. But can you produce joy and love and patience and kindness and goodness and long-suffering? No way. That has to come from God.
SPEAKER 05 :
Makes sense.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 05 :
Thank you very much for clarifying that.
SPEAKER 02 :
You’re sure welcome, Ted. Appreciate your call, my friend. God bless you. Bye-bye, man.
SPEAKER 06 :
Until next time, walk in faith, be good to one another, and praise the Lord. Amen.
