Join Bob George on Classic Christianity Radio as he fields calls from listeners seeking clarity on complex theological issues. From the question of messianic congregations to discussions about Bible translations, Bob offers insightful, scripturally-grounded guidance. Listen as callers grapple with blending law and grace, the role of predestination for Jews and Gentiles, and the true authority of the Scripture over man-made tradition. This episode will enrich your understanding of faith and encourage you to walk confidently in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
00:13:31 Call from Glenn on Authority of the Bible
00:21:41 Call from David on Personal Transformation and Gratitude
SPEAKER 01 :
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 Santa Cruz, California. Let’s go on KKMC. Michael, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 03 :
Hi there, Bob.
SPEAKER 02 :
How 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 conferences, 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, in your opinion, that movement seems to be growing. Where do you think that fits into where we’re at in this particular generation?
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 together. 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 in the 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’d 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 them free from some confusion.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, either that or 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. Yeah, let’s go to Indianapolis. Let’s go on WBRI. Jerry, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 07 :
Hi, Bob. I appreciate you taking my call. And I want to tell you that you guys’ ministry has straightened me out on a lot of things and assured me of my salvation where I was kind of in doubt at one time.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, wonderful.
SPEAKER 07 :
Are you familiar with the Bible in contemporary language called The Message by Eugene Peterson?
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 07 :
You are. Well, that’s just about exclusively what I read. And my pastor said I shouldn’t do that because it’s a paraphrase.
SPEAKER 02 :
and I’ve got, well, it, it, it is a paraphrase. And from some of the things I’ve read, it even a very good one. I, I would not, I wouldn’t recommend it to somebody. Uh, but again, uh, you know, the living Bible was a paraphrase and I was weaned on that.
SPEAKER 07 :
Um, I think you have to have some knowledge of the Bible, reading it. Uh, what I found that I’ve been reading off and on for about three or four years. And it’s, uh, it simplifies some things for me, you know, just like you guys, a program does, you know, it simplifies things. And, uh, Anyway, I appreciate your opinions why I called.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, you’re sure welcome, Jerry, and I appreciate your call and inquiring.
SPEAKER 07 :
Thank you very much.
SPEAKER 02 :
Let’s go to Thompson, Georgia, listening on WFAM. Roger, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yes, Bob, my question is, I think I heard it said that predestination or foreordaining It was not just for the saints only. And when Jesus said, many are called but few are chosen.
SPEAKER 02 :
Predestination is Jew and Gentile, Roger. If you’ll read the book of Ephesians and see that the mystery that Jesus revealed to Paul in his timing was that the Gentile, along with the Jew, would receive salvation in identically the same way, and that the Gentile was predestined for salvation the same way that the Jew was predestined. It has nothing to do with yous and mes, as is taught in Ephesians, In some theology, it was doing with the Jews and with the Gentiles. And if you read the book of Ephesians, with that in mind, it will be as clear as a nose on your face, and you also will be able to understand that subject as it’s related in the book of Romans. I would go to Ephesians first because it spells it out more clearly, but it does spell it out. It’s very, very clear that the Gentiles… have now been able to receive salvation identically the same way as the Jew, and that is by faith in Christ Jesus and him alone. He predestined us to be conformed into the image of Christ.
SPEAKER 05 :
But he told, God told Rebecca she had two nations.
SPEAKER 02 :
No, Roger, there’s no but to that. And don’t bring up the Old Testament because you’re not going to get theology out of the Old Testament. You’re going to have to go to the New. And the New Testament is what was revealed through Jesus Christ and through the apostles. And then it’s as clear as a bell what predestination is. It is predestined that the Gentiles were predestined to be saved the same way as the Jew. Roger, I hope that helps, my brother. It’s as good as I can do for you, my friend. Let’s go to Huntington Beach, California. Let’s go on Kaybright. Andrew, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 04 :
Hi there.
SPEAKER 02 :
Hi, Andrew.
SPEAKER 04 :
I had a quick question. Is it possible for a person to be involved in secular work but also have part-time ministries?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, of course, yeah, it happens all the time, like the apostles. No, as a matter of fact, Andrew, I think that so many times people think, well, I’m going to go into full-time work and – But they don’t realize that if they’re in business and they’re able to have the time to reach out to people, why they’re doing exactly what God wants them to do. In my early years as being a Christian, I led many more people to Christ as a layman than uh as a businessman than i did when i went into full-time christian work now that would not be the case today or through the years because god had in mind something else for me but i’m just saying that uh the first couple years that i was in full-time work i said what in the world am i doing here i was leading more people to christ and out in the out in the out in the harvest fields and now i’m all sitting in here with a bunch of christians and i i And I was really doubting whether I’d made the right choice or not. But, obviously, I did not know what God had for me. But, yeah, I believe that if you want to go into the ministry, go and have a ministry. Don’t go into the ministry. Go have one. Go get some Bible study started and start reaching out to people and teaching them truth and then see where God leads that. Don’t go for something. Let it evolve.
SPEAKER 04 :
Right. Okay, that makes sense to me because I feel like God has definitely called me into the corporate world as a full-time occupation. But to your point, I feel like maybe there’s some Bible studies out there that he’s kind of calling me to start, get involved with, et cetera.
SPEAKER 02 :
Absolutely. Well, you don’t go into the ministry. You’re in the ministry and just go have one.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thank you.
SPEAKER 02 :
All right, Andrew. Good to talk to you. Let’s go to Eugene, Oregon, listening on KORE. Lottie, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 09 :
Hello, brother. Hey, I was looking at a passage just recently. It’s 2 Corinthians 4, verse 2, and this is a new King James Bible. It says, But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth, committing ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. I was interested to know what you thought about that passage.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, I don’t know what you mean by what I think about a passage of Scripture. I don’t have any question about what it says or means to you.
SPEAKER 09 :
How would we know if someone’s doing that or not?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, it isn’t written to someone. It’s written to you, and it’s written to me. So I would have to read that from that standpoint. Therefore, since God’s mercy, we have this ministry, we don’t lose heart. In other words, it’s been talking about the fact this is of the new covenant. uh that this is a ministry that brought death that was the law which was engraved in letters on stone came with glory so that the israelites couldn’t look steadily into the face of moses because of its glory fading though it was will not the ministry of the spirit be even more glorious you’re going to basically is talking about the opposition that any one of us are going to experience from a person who wants to hang on to the law so he’s saying don’t lose heart when you’re when you’re communicating these things and people aren’t jumping up and down with excitement i rather we have renounced secret and shameful ways which we do not use deception in other words we don’t go out and use deception to teach people such as the deception is used in teaching tithing People that teach tithing are involved in deception because tithing is not a new covenant form of giving. And that’s as clear as the nose on our face because tithing isn’t mentioned in the new covenant, but free will giving is. So when people do that, they are using deception. And it says we don’t do that, nor do we distort the word of God. Well, there’s a lot of people distorting the word of God. And on the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly, not complicating the truth, Lati, but set it forth plainly. As Paul said in another place, I fear that just as Eve was deceived, that we’ve fallen away from the simplicity that’s found in Christ. And that gets distorted by many, many teachers. So it says, we setting forth the truth plainly, we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. I think those were the passages you were talking about, and to me it’s very clear.
SPEAKER 09 :
Okay, thank you. I love you, brother. Take care and enjoy the rest of the week.
SPEAKER 02 :
Thank you so much, my friend.
SPEAKER 01 :
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SPEAKER 02 :
We’re going to go to Detroit, Michigan, listening on WRDT. Glenn, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 08 :
Hello, fellas. How are you doing?
SPEAKER 02 :
Doing good, Glenn. Thank you.
SPEAKER 08 :
Hi. I’m having an ongoing debate with a Catholic friend of mine about the Bible. My position is that the Bible is our final authority when it comes to doctrine. But, of course, he says the Bible isn’t the final authority on doctrine, and it never says it is. He says that the Pope has the same authority as the Bible to create doctrine. Are there any verses that can prove the scriptures are our final authority?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, I wouldn’t mess around with that. That isn’t even an intelligent question that the Bible has to say that this is the final authority. It does say that anyone who tries to add to what is being printed here in the book of Revelation or add or subtract from, let them forever be accursed. So that certainly would give me an indicator that we’re not to add or subtract from the Bible. I would ask them, where in the world do you find in the Bible where the Pope has the authority to determine doctrine? There isn’t anything in the Bible that determines anything at all about their pope. As a matter of fact, there isn’t anything in the Bible about a pope. You have to understand that there is nothing to solidify the fact that Peter was a pope in any way, shape, or form. He was an apostle. He wasn’t a pope. He was an apostle of Christ Jesus. And so all of those things are man-made things. And the papal… continuation. There is nothing to even solidify something like that. But what it has done is taken away by saying that there is someone else. It takes away the authority of the Scripture because it’s changed. Where do you find anything in the Bible that you can’t eat meat on Friday? I mean, that came from the Pope. It certainly didn’t come from Corinthians. Where did it come in the Bible that priests can’t get married, that people who are in Christian work can’t get married? Is there anything in there about that at all? That’s all tradition, where you come up with the fact that Mary is to be honored on the same level as that of Christ Jesus. You’re certainly not going to find that in the Scripture. but you find it in Catholic teaching. Now, in saying what I’m saying, Glenn, I know what people sitting there who are Catholic and the hairs on the back of their neck and they’re mad as a wet hen, but they shouldn’t be mad as a wet hen at me. They should be mad at who’s been teaching them error. Because in the final analysis, if you’ll just give some thought to this type of thing, how could you think the Bible that had to be written, it had to be written not by a pope, but by the apostles. The apostles is who Jesus named to carry on the work of the ministry. The apostles, 12 of them. And of the scripture, which is a continuation of the teaching of Christ and the teaching of the apostles. And the teaching of the apostles was nothing more or less than the teaching of Christ. So the Bible is merely recording for us what had been verbally taught to them. With the promise from Jesus that I will cause all things to come back to your memory that I’ve taught to you. So how did they remember everything? Jesus said, I’ll cause that to take place. So the Bible could not have been written. Apart from being an apostle, an apostle is a person who had been with Christ Jesus from the beginning and witnessing his death, burial and resurrection, his baptism, and had been with him from the beginning. Otherwise, you couldn’t be in the scripture. You couldn’t have a book written in the scripture. It couldn’t have been put in the so-called canon unless it was written by an apostle or an amanuensis of an apostle. And an amanuensis was a scribe. Paul used an amanuensis to write down what he had dictated. Now, that was God’s way of preserving truth. And that truth has been preserved down through the ages. Not the truth of tradition, but the truth that these apostles who had been with Jesus and who had received the promise from Jesus said, that everything that I’ve ever said to you, I will cause to be brought back to your memory so that you can write it down for all eternity. And that’s what we have in our hand. That book is what we have in our hand. The translation is not inerrant, but the original manuscripts were inerrant and are inerrant. And we have numerous copies that were done diligently of the original manuscripts. And so to go beyond that, at the very beginning, to go beyond that is ludicrous. There is nothing that the Catholics can tell me or the Protestants that is going to be of more importance than what the Bible tells me. And so the very foundation that they have their faith on is in the wrong place. I’m sorry to say, but that’s just true. Now, in order to get out of that, for you to get out of that deal, because obviously I don’t think you have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that’s something you need to get out of. and that is someone telling you that I’ve had some kind of special visions from God or I’ve got a special hotline to God, that person you need to stay away from. I don’t care who they are. There is none of us that have hotlines to God. God has put his Holy Spirit into each and every one of us, and we are all equal in regard to capability of understanding the meaning of the word of God. If you’re believing what you believe because of what you’ve been told instead of what the Bible has taught you, you’re on some unbelievably shallow, dangerous ground. You’re not on a good foundation. I don’t want to believe what I believe because the Presbyterians believe it or because the Baptists believe it or because the Methodists believe it or the Seventh-day Adventists believe it or the Catholics believe it. I want to find out what God wants me to believe. If it ties into what they believe, fine. But if it doesn’t, I’m going to go with what God has taught me to believe. The Spirit of God who lives in you will lead you to truth, to all of it, not some of it, all of it. And you trusted him with that, and he did it. We’re putting everyone in the same category, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Mohammed, it makes no difference. Everyone is in the same category. What is your standard of truth? Are you going to believe what Mohammed told you? Are you going to believe what the Seventh-day Adventist told you? Are you going to believe what the Jehovah’s Witness told you? Are you going to believe what the Protestants taught you? Are you going to believe what the Catholics taught you? Because none of them are teaching the same thing. So how in the world are you going to know what truth is? Unless you come to the same point that Richard and the rest of us ultimately in our lives came to, Lord Jesus, if you don’t teach me what truth is, I’m not going to know. And I am born again. That’s a first. Otherwise, brother, you’re going to be all over the place. I am born again. And I do have the Spirit of God living in me. And because of that, your teacher, your teacher, God, living in me, he’s promised to teach me and to lead me into all truth. And by golly, I’m going to put aside what I’ve been taught by man. I’m going to let you teach me, period. And you’re going to come out with truth. And you know what that truth will do? Set you free. Bob, let’s go to David in Kansas City, Kansas. This is on KCNW. David, you’re on the air, brother.
SPEAKER 06 :
Hi, Bob.
SPEAKER 02 :
How are you doing, pal?
SPEAKER 06 :
I just want to call and say thanks. About a little over 12 years ago, while I was throwing out on crack cocaine, I ran into a house and stole a purse. And I served over 12 years in prison for that. While I was incarcerated, your ministry and your supporters said, sent me books and literature to help me, and really helped a lot because it got me off of the religious treadmill and the works into a relationship. And I’m out of prison now. I got out last week, or two weeks ago, and I just had to call and say thanks. I was flipping through the dials there, and sure enough, you were on in this area.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, that’s phenomenal, David. I’m so glad to hear that and that we could be a benefit to you. You’re out now, and you had 14 years for the stealing of a pocketbook.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, I served a little over 12.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, brother, that crack, from what I understand, is one of the most addicting drugs that’s in existence today. And from my understanding on that, you don’t have to do it twice. Once takes care of it.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, well, I guess the thing was as I was going to church and I just felt like that I didn’t meet up to the standards. Sure. I still smoked cigarettes and I was kind of depressed and kind of just gave up on it, you know, and just kind of ran from God and ended up getting on alcohol and strung out and And I’m divorced now, and, you know, I’m starting anew. And things are looking up. It’s not easy by any means.
SPEAKER 02 :
No, it isn’t.
SPEAKER 06 :
I really appreciated your ministry because when I didn’t have any money, sitting in a lonely prison cell facing a lot of years, your ministry came through and sent me books and literature and which really encouraged me and helped me not to give up because I really felt like giving up. But I found out that, you know, there is a relationship for those who are less than perfect, who don’t have it all together, and that God’s love is there for all of us no matter how badly we fail. And today I don’t have to run from God thinking that he’s angry, going to strike me with a tornado or a lightning bolt or a car wreck or something. And I’ve learned that it’s a relationship based on the grace of God through faith in Christ and his resurrected life. And it’s just made a lot of difference. And I really want you to know and your supporters to know that there’s not a lot of people that will reach out to help you when you’re down flat on your back But I appreciate it. And as soon as I get on my feet and get some finances coming in, I’d like to be able to send you some support.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, David, thank you, brother. And that’s, you know, I think what you were saying there is so true that you have people don’t realize that when they give to a ministry like that, they’re not really giving to the ministry. They’re giving through the ministry because the money comes in and then goes back out in order to to help people such as yourself. Uh, most people don’t have, fortunately haven’t had the experience of being, uh, in a cell by yourself. You can relate a lot more to the apostle Paul in, uh, in, in part of his life than, than we can. Uh, but it’s lonely. And, uh, to, to be able to reach out to you like that was a privilege for us, David. And, uh, It’s what God has called us to do and is to reach out to all people. And our whole ministry, you know, Jesus said, I didn’t come for the well but for the sick. And our whole ministry has not reached out to the people who supposedly have it all together because, quite frankly, nobody has it all together. But we’ve reached out to people in all walks of life and have been able to touch lives in every realm of society. And we’ve done a lot into the prison ministries, and we’re grateful for that opportunity. So, brother, we just love you. And thank God we were able to be there for you, and we still are. And I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your call, David. Well, thanks a lot. God bless you, David.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you so much for tuning in to Classic Christianity with Bob George. We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s program. We truly hope that today’s message has inspired you to walk a life of faith in the Lord. Find more information online at bobgeorge.net. There you’ll also find available CDs, DVDs and Bible studies available for purchase. It’s through your help that we are able to spread the good word of Jesus Christ. Until next time, walk in faith, be good to one another and praise the Lord. Amen.
