Listeners are invited to engage in enriching discussions about the true nature of the church as the body of Christ and the importance of fellowship. Throughout the episode, Bob George answers passionate calls, discussing salvation by grace, and the political and societal pressures that believers face today. An exploration of works versus grace provides clarity for living a Christ-centered life, reinforced by encouraging believers to participate actively in their communities.
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 03 :
We’re going to go to Bill from Albany, New York, listening on WJIV. Bill, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 02 :
Hi, thank you for having my call. I would like to know about 1 Corinthians 6, verse 9 and on, where if you’re a dunker and didn’t yell the other day, you will not enter into heaven. I’d like to know what would that piece of scripture do with being saved once and for all? and you fall back into one of those sins or are in the one, if we’re not to do nothing that’s free, we’re just kept there to play. Bob, I would like to go back to my radio to hear you. I can hear you better. Okay?
SPEAKER 03 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 02 :
Thank you, sir.
SPEAKER 03 :
That sounds good, Bill. Thank you, brother. Well, Bill, what this is saying is, let’s just start in verse 9. Don’t you know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Now, what is the wicked? The lost. The lost is called the wicked. They will not inherit the kingdom of God. So you’re talking about the reason that they will not inherit the kingdom of God is because of their wickedness and their unrepentant hearts. They’ve never been saved by Christ Jesus. Don’t be deceived. Now he’s just going to say neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters or adulterers nor male prostitutes, effeminates, nor homosexual offenders, that would be either male or female, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, people don’t like to read that one, or swindlers, will not inherit the kingdom of God. Why? Well, because they’re wicked. And this is the lifestyle of a wicked, unrepentant heart. These are just some of them, not all of them, but just some of them. And in the book of Corinthians, these were the main ones that were being manifested in that part of the world. They were known for those sins, and that’s why they are listed here. is because this was what they were known for. In other words, it is saying really to the Corinthians that you Corinthians who are lost, who are wicked, and here’s an indicator. This shows you why you’re lost is because and how I know you’re lost is because these are the things that you’re involved in. And they’ll never enter the kingdom of God. But it says that’s what some of you were. What do you mean that’s what some of you were? Well, that’s what you were. You were wicked. You were an unbeliever. You were engaged in all of these different kinds of activities. But what’s the problem? The activities or the wicked heart of an unbeliever? Obviously, it’s the latter. That’s what some of you were. But you were washed and you were sanctified. You’ve been saved, in other words. You’ve been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. You’ve been set apart. not to go back to those activities. And it says you’re a new creature in Christ. It’s another way of saying if any man be in Christ, he’s a new creation. Old things have passed away and old things become new. So it’s saying that’s what you were. You were a wicked, an unrepentant, a lost person. which could never inherit the kingdom of God. But now you’re not. You’re a new creature in Christ. You’ve been washed. You’ve been sanctified. You’ve been set apart for the Lord Jesus Christ. And you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our Lord. Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial. everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. And so what he’s saying here is now you’ve got a totally different way of determining my behavior as a person who has now been washed by the blood of the Lamb, set apart by God for the divine service for which God created me, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. Now, as a born-again believer, a new creature in Christ, everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Well, why would everything be permissible? Well, if it wasn’t, then it would be a law. And we’re no longer under the law. We’re under the grace of God. So is it permissible to do these things that he’s talking about as a born-again believer? Yeah, but is it beneficial? No, it’s absolutely stupid. has no meaning to it at all. It’s a totally different lifestyle. It’s kind of like the person that’s been living out of a garbage bale and living out of there and eating out of there, getting his food out of one of those big old garbage pails out there. And all of a sudden you come along to him and say, son, My heart reaches out to you, and I’m going to hand you a free pass to this cafeteria that you can go in for the rest of your life anytime you want to and eat anything that you want in the cafeteria. And the guy goes in, looks at all the food in the cafeteria, and he says, you mean anytime? Anytime. For as long as I live? For as long as I live. And then say, is it okay if I still eat out of the garbage can? Well, you’d feel like knocking him upside the head. You’d say, what planet have you come from? Why would you want to be eating garbage when I’ve offered you all of the food that you can eat in a cafeteria? So is it permissible to go eat out of the garbage pail? Yeah. Is it beneficial? No. It’d be the dumbest, idiotic, most idiotic thing that you could engage in. And so that’s what he’s saying here. That’s our reasoning process today, Bob, as born-again believers. Is it permissible? Yeah. Is it profitable? No. Everything’s permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. And whatever you yield your flesh to, it says, you’ll be mastered by it. So I don’t want to yield my flesh to Satan because if I do, I’ll be mastered by Satan. And so that’s what that’s talking about. So it goes down, flee sexual immorality, all of these different things. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit of God who is in you, who you have received from God. I’m not your own. You’re bought with a price. Therefore, honor God with your body. There again is not to abuse your body. Your body has been given to you by God as a temple of the Holy Spirit of God. We’re not to be sticking drugs into it. I don’t think it’s very beneficial to be putting smoke into it and nicotine. I don’t think it’s beneficial to be putting a bunch of booze into your body, drugs into your body. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit of God. And it says to treat it as such. God has given you this. Now treat it as such. So that’s basically what these passages are talking about. And I hope that helps. J.D. in Lubbock, Texas, listening on KJAC. J.D., you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yes, Brother Bob. Nice to talk to you again. I’ve been listening to your program for over 15 years now, and I’ve been blessed by a lot of your teachings. I’ve got, I guess, a comment and a question at the same time. And I know this is not new to you, but I want to hear your say on this, you know. in regards to all this denomination of groups, you know, most of them build a building, paint the windows, put a stipple on it, and call it a church or a temple, you know, that I disagree with, you know, but they make it a practice, and they psychologically believe that they’re making people believe that if they’re not there, they’re out of God, fallen of grace, or insecure, you know, and… Nobody’s perfect, I know. I’m not perfect, but my faults or what I consider fleshly, you know, I don’t justify them in a battle, a fight, and ask for grace and strength, you know, that I can overcome those weaknesses. But most of these people make a practice of those things that I believe that I’m not condemning them, but, you know, I just pray to God that help them also because… For example, they say, come up to the altar, you know, and I believe that our altar is in heaven, you know, that Christ opened the door for us to, and it’s a spiritual thing. I’m secured no matter where I’m at, here at the house, out in the country, wherever. I am the temple, as you’ve been teaching, you know. And Bettina said, boy, you know, these people practice this, and when the Lord said, come out from amongst them, you know, I believe that all of that, is yeast that they brought from, you know, that the Lord wants us about. And there’s an expression or saying or aphorism, whatever, you know, says if you can’t beat them, join them. I said, I cannot do it. So, but no matter where I go, it seems that that’s the same practice. So I just concluded, I said, Father, forgive me. You know how I feel, but I need to have fellowship with my brothers, you know, and sisters, you know, they mean well. But help me, you know, I know that my throne, I’m not, you know, discrediting not one iota, you know, for Christ done for me, you know. And so what can you tell me in regards to that? Because if I just separate myself and try to teach the way I believe in the scriptures, man, you know, that everything in regards to the way the Jewish people in Israel speak, God’s nation considered, even though they were not a nation until 1940.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, J.D., I think what you’re asking is whether or not you need to be fellowshipping with other believers. The answer to that is for your benefit. The answer is yes.
SPEAKER 08 :
Amen.
SPEAKER 03 :
That church with bricks and mortar is not the church, nor is it a temple. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit of God, not a building. And so you are the church. You are a part of the body of Christ Jesus if you’re in Christ Jesus. So as a part of the body, it’s beneficial to interact with other parts of the body. If you’re a nose, you don’t want to be out there hanging around by yourself. You need the rest of the body. Amen. And so if you’re looking for a place to fellowship there in Lubbock, we can certainly recommend a good church out of that area. with the Pete Pastor that we know teaches this wonderful message of grace. But, yeah, fellowship with other people, J.D., it’s like the logs on the fire. One log sizzles out, and you put them together, and it burns. So we’ll put you on hold and get that information to you, and you just enjoy life and get to know some other believers.
SPEAKER 01 :
Classic Christianity Radio is a listener-funded program, and because of your generous donations, we are able to be on the air. Go to bobgeorge.net to order the life-changing audio CD series, The New Covenant, Law and Grace, and How to Have a Proper Self-Image. These series are essential to understanding our inheritance in Christ, what it means to experience freedom and the abundant life in Christ, living under grace, not under the law, and to see ourselves as God sees us, as a completely forgiven person, loved perfectly and righteous in his sight. Please visit bobgeorge.net for additional information on how you can join us financially and help support the radio ministry. With your prayers and support, we can continue to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Let’s continue now with our classic Christianity radio program.
SPEAKER 03 :
We’re going to go to Howard in what appears to be Tukwila, Washington, listening on the internet. Howard, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yes, Bob, how are you today?
SPEAKER 03 :
I’m doing fine, thank you.
SPEAKER 07 :
That’s good. I talked to you, I think, a couple of weeks ago, and I couldn’t hold my emotion back. I’m moving to Las Vegas, Nevada at the end of January, and my wife’s already there. And I was going to a church to pass on the gospel. But in the meantime, I passed on the gospel. It hit. They saw the Hebrews 9, 16, and 17 and saw the new covenant put in place. They were studying Luke around Chapter 5 and 6. But they did see through to that, how the new covenant got in place. Now they’re rethinking things, and I’m just really glad that came through.
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s great. Yeah, great.
SPEAKER 07 :
Oh, just absolutely beautiful. But in the meantime here today, my dog got sick. I’ve had my dog, Simon Peter is his name. I’ve had my dog for 12 years. And he got sick. I had to take him to the vet, but he had to be put to sleep. You know, and I always think of my animals, you know, as being really close to them, you know, where God’s going to take them and they’re going to go and there’s a glory. And well, it talks about that in verse 15, 39 and 40 and on down. And I’ve kind of read through that. I just want to know what your take was on that when our best friend animal of a dog that’s been with us for so long finally leaves here.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, there are many things in the scriptures at all, Howard. It talks about what happens to animals. Inflation blood is not going to inherit the kingdom of God. So we don’t know. And in as much as the Bible doesn’t speak to it, why, we can’t really speak to it either. We can have our wishful thinking and all that type of thing. But in the final analysis, when we get to heaven, we’re going to care less whether we Our animals are there. We’ll be any more than we will be concerned about what people are not there. We’ll be in the presence of God and in a totally different realm altogether and how God has prepared heaven and who he has in it and what he has in it. his business, not ours. And one thing we do know is that we will be in a total state of peace. We’ll be in the presence of Christ Jesus at all times. And there’ll be no sickness. There’ll be no illness of any kind. There’ll be no death, be no wars. We will be living in a state of peace. And that’s that is a wonderful thing to know. Okay, Howard, yeah. So, Howard, that’s the best I could do on that is the fact that we don’t know. I doubt it, but we don’t know. I think that if that was the case, it would be spelled out somewhat in the Scripture, but I don’t think it is. And so, but again, like I say, the issue is we miss animals because we love them. They’re like part of our family. But the fact is that when they’re gone, I think they’re gone. And we’ve got more important things to think about. And that’s what you’re doing right now. And that’s thinking about leading people who are dead. And whether you’re an animal or a lost person, when you’re dead, you’re dead. And we’ve got a lot of people out there to hear the gospel and hopefully to get them into the kingdom of God. So that’s what our main deal is.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, that’s for sure. And Simon Peter was a great leader because people asked his name and told him Simon Peter and they’d recognize Simon Peter out of the Bible. He was always a great stutterer.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, great stutterer, yeah.
SPEAKER 07 :
And same with Bartholomew. He was just always a great stutterer.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER 07 :
And it just always helped out. Now, I’ve got one other thing, and just something I put together on a piece of paper, and I want to see if I’m pretty much on the mark of what I’ve got out of the Bible from listening to you and studying it. And I kind of put it down in, I guess, a short form here. I wrote, the purpose of Jesus was to come and fulfill the law and the prophets so that at his death on the cross, a new covenant could be ushered in. where sin and death was separated so that God the Father could deal with us on the basis of a new nature. So once I believe, I can approach the throne of grace with confidence at any time of day or night, Jesus and the Father loving me unconditionally. This is good news. I want to stay at the throne of grace thanking him and crying, Abba, Father, being taught to trust him in all things. this kind of trust cannot be found in any other person.
SPEAKER 03 :
Very good. Very good, Howard. It sounds great. You’ve got some writing skills there that you need to keep working on.
SPEAKER 07 :
I just want to pass them on to other people, trying to get them to realize it, but trying to see the new covenant in place. Hebrews 9 and 16 just really, boy, I’m trying to help let people know that, and they’re starting to see, so…
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, that’s phenomenal, brother. Will you keep it up and keep writing? You’ve got some talent there.
SPEAKER 07 :
Thank you. And I will keep calling at different times and let you know what’s going on. Like I said, when I get to Las Vegas, I’ll definitely call you to find out other people that are like-minded.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thanks, brother. I appreciate that. And Merry Christmas to you, Howard.
SPEAKER 07 :
Merry Christmas to you, too.
SPEAKER 03 :
God bless you.
SPEAKER 07 :
You bet. Thank you. Bye-bye.
SPEAKER 03 :
Let’s go to Los Angeles, California. Let’s go on Kay Bright. John, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 05 :
Hello, can you hear me, sir?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, I can, John. Thank you.
SPEAKER 05 :
Oh, great, great. I just, you know, I see what’s going on in the world, and from what I’m seeing, I see our country falling apart, and all of the quote-unquote experts asking for a global government. Well, that’s, I mean, when I read my Bible, that tells me this is the Antichrist’s one world government. And I’m just curious. Are people supposed to speak out and stop this, or should we just allow it to happen? I would think, in my spirit, is very troubled by this. I think every pastor should be found in the pulpit and tell people they’ve got to put a stop to this.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, I agree with what you’re saying, but I don’t agree that every pastor should be. We’re not called to do that. We are called to proclaim the good news of the gospel. Like you said, you have been made competent as a minister of a new covenant, not of the letter that kills, but of the spirit that gives life. Whenever we start getting into political things, we get off of the things God called us to. It would not make any difference to me what kind of government we had if people were all lost. In other words, it’s a lot more important to go get people saved than it is get them politically correct. Now, that does not mean that as a citizen of the United States that we should not be exercising our voting rights and getting rid of these people who are trying to change this world into a one-world government. Because, again, if that was biblical, why did God do what he did to the Tower of Babel? never intended to one world government. He never intended one people to all be speaking the same language or anything else. And so the issue is, it looks like those things are certainly evident of what it talks about as some of the signs of the end times. But as I’ve said before, John, regardless of what happens to us politically in this country or any other country, you and I could have been raised in communist Russia when I went back over to Russia and looked at the way people were living, looked at the way my wife was born there, and I thought, my God, she could still be there, you know, had it not been for the Germans taking her in as slave labor. She’d still be living there, existing, instead of living today. So wherever we are, if we’re in Christ, we have the privilege of presenting peace in the midst of turmoil and presenting goodness in the midst of evil. And that’s what our job should be. But again, we should absolutely be encouraging people to be out into the voting booths and getting these nitwits out of office. Because we are on dangerous grounds right now, unbelievably dangerous grounds. And we’re not heading in a good direction. And everybody who has a brain recognizes that. So I think these next elections are going to be vitally important for Christians to get off of their dairy air and get to the voting box.
SPEAKER 05 :
Thank you.
SPEAKER 03 :
All right, John.
SPEAKER 05 :
Thank you so much.
SPEAKER 03 :
You’re welcome, my brother. Have a good day. Bye-bye, you as well. Let’s go to George in Denver, Colorado, listening on KLT. George, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 06 :
Hey, how you doing?
SPEAKER 03 :
Doing good, George. Thank you.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay, well, I have a question for you, but before I just want to point to the scene, I’m from the Ivory Coast, which is a western country, which is a country in West Africa. English is not my first language, so I’m sorry if some of your listeners do not understand me correctly, but I have a little confusion here between the fact that we are saved by grace and not by works. Right?
SPEAKER 03 :
Exactly. Yeah, exactly. See, again, everything, salvation comes only from God. Works come from us. So all we can do is to be the receiver of the offer. He is the initiator. We are the responder. And that is to respond to the offer of God’s love and grace that is given to us through Christ Jesus our Lord. So you’re saved by grace and by grace alone. Now, as a saved person, then God wants us to walk in dependency upon the Lord Jesus Christ for him to produce his works in and through us. And therefore, as an example, our works at the rapture, we go to the bema seat, and our works will be not judged as it is translated, but appraised, which is a different word altogether. And our works will be appraised as to whether we did what we did in the energy of the flesh, in order to bring glory to ourselves, or these works were as a result of abiding in Christ Jesus and allowing him to produce them in and through us. And so those works will be appraised in accordance with the motives of our works. And they will be rewarded. Those things that we’ve allowed Christ Jesus to do in and through us might be nothing more, George, than giving a cup of water to someone in the name of Christ. I have a feeling you’re going to have a bunch of these people building these big megachurches around there that are going to get up for their rewards, and it’s all been done in the energy of the flesh, and those works are going to be burnt, and they’re going to have a pretty good-sized ash pile.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, that’s exactly where I was going with my question. Since we are saved by grace and not by work, how do we contrast that with, We have a concept that says that at the end of time, on Judgment Day, we will be judged according to our works.
SPEAKER 03 :
No, no. It talks about that’s at the Bema seat that we’ll be judged for our works. Not in the final. No, that’s at Bema seat, and that happens at the rapture. And there again, I just explained that. Those will be the works that will be appraised as to the things that we’ve allowed, that came about as a result of abiding in the vine in comparison to those things we’ve tried to grunt and groan out in the energy of our own flesh.
SPEAKER 04 :
Right, right.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, so those works will be appraised. Basically, your motives for what has been done will actually be the thing that will be appraised there.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay. Thank you so kindly.
SPEAKER 03 :
You’re sure welcome, George. And listen, brother, I wish that I could speak your language as clearly as you speak ours. You don’t have to worry about being understood. You’re doing great.
SPEAKER 06 :
Thank you so kindly.
SPEAKER 03 :
You’re welcome, pal. You call any time, George. God bless you. Bye-bye. Thank you.
SPEAKER 01 :
Until next time, walk in faith, be good to one another, and praise the Lord. Amen.
