This call-in episode of Classic Christianity Radio features Bob George answering a wide range of real-world spiritual questions from listeners across the country.
The hour begins with a deep theological question about the death of Jesus—clarifying what actually happened at the cross and what it means for eternal life. From there, the conversation shifts into practical Christian living, including a caller wrestling with pride and motives while sharing their faith, and how to trust God with the results.
Other callers bring urgent and personal concerns, including spiritual warfare, fear of demonic oppression, and how to truly experience salvation. One of the
00:00:04 Introduction to Classic Christianity Radio
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 08 :
Dundee, Michigan, listening on WRDT. Barney, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes, I have a question for you that I’ve been questioning. pondering. When Jesus died on the cross, we say that he was deity, he is deity, he is God. Did he cease to exist for a short time?
SPEAKER 08 :
No, Barney, any more than when you die, you’ll cease to exist. All you’ll do is the real you will leave the body. The body is a house that we live in. The real you is your soul and your spirit. And so that will never die. You just change locations. And so it’s like when you see a corpse. I remember seeing my dad in the coffin, and I was just a brand-new Christian, but I remember looking at dad and saying to myself, Dad isn’t there. This is his body, but he isn’t there. He’s gone.
SPEAKER 06 :
So deity didn’t actually die.
SPEAKER 08 :
No, absolutely not. To Christ, as a matter of fact, it says that when he left his body that he went back to the Father. Well, not initially. He went into the lower regions of the earth and announced to the people who were in prison, in other words, the Old Testament saints that were waiting on the fulfillment of the cross, and announced that it was finished and then led them into paradise. And then three days later came and entered back into his body, and the body was raised from the dead. And so the body was dead, but Jesus wasn’t. Absolutely.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay, that’s what I thought. He was always in control.
SPEAKER 08 :
Always was there, absolutely. Just like, Barney, when you die and you leave your body, your body is just a house, and it’s like walking out of your house. You know, the house is there, but you’re not in it. No one’s home.
SPEAKER 06 :
No one ceased to exist then.
SPEAKER 08 :
That’s exactly correct, yes.
SPEAKER 06 :
Everybody’s eternal, and when we die, we just move to a new place.
SPEAKER 08 :
You’re going to either move to hell or you’re going to move to heaven. Those are the only two options the Bible’s given to us.
SPEAKER 06 :
Hey, praise the Lord. Yeah. Thank you.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right, Barney.
SPEAKER 06 :
Nice talking to you.
SPEAKER 08 :
You too, my friend. Bye-bye now. Let’s go to Steve in Riverside, California, listening on KBRIGHT. Steve, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 07 :
How are you doing, sir?
SPEAKER 08 :
Doing good. Thank you, Steve.
SPEAKER 07 :
I’m actually a truck driver, and so I have a lot of opportunities to witness to people out here. And I want to make sure that I’m not stealing God’s glory, because there’s times that I tend to walk away, and I feel, or even in my thoughts, I say things like, well, they were really looking at you when you were talking, and you really had their attention. And I’m wondering if that’s, is that normal? And I always tell the Lord, Lord, if I’m still in your glory, forgive me. That’s not my intention, but there’s there’s those thoughts that come through my mind.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, Steve, you couldn’t steal God’s glory if you wanted to. God’s glory is a lot bigger and wider and broader than everything else and what we could ever do. No, the only thing is, you say, can you witness in the flesh, you know, hoping people are watching it? Yeah, I did that many times in my early Christian experience. Basically, it is very natural for the flesh to want to draw attention to itself. There comes a point, Steve, through growth and through maturity where you realize that that just isn’t the case, that you’re a branch. You’re not the vine. You’re not the producer of anything. You’re the bearer of the producer, but you do not produce anything. That’s why I tell people you witness in the power of the Holy Spirit and then you leave the results to God. You present the message, but the results of that presentation are totally in the hands of God. You have nothing at all to do with it. And that’s why, you know, sometimes people will say, well, you know, Bob, I can’t give the presentation as good as you can. And I said, well, that’s not the issue because my presentation of the gospel doesn’t save anybody. God has to save you. We do the watering. We do the sowing of the seed. But we have absolutely no responsibility at all in the results, totally in the hands of God.
SPEAKER 07 :
And is there any practice that you can suggest that would help me to – Because when I walk away, even throughout the day, sometimes I worry that I’m doing it for my own glory rather than God’s. And I continue to ask the Lord, I go, Lord, thank you for that opportunity. But this is what’s within my heart right now, and I don’t want to feel like so.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, I think you’re spending too much time thinking about yourself on that, Steve, because, again, you know, God can use even stones. And, you know, if your motive – if God had to wait on the pure motive of everybody who witnessed to somebody, he wouldn’t have anybody saved. So you have to do – if that is the case, God will point out to you that, Steve, hey, you’re – And I think a lot of that has to do with what do you do with it after you’ve shared with somebody? Do you brag about it? There’s nothing wrong with telling people about it, but some people can’t wait to tell people about how they shared Christ with somebody. I have found that in my life that the least said about things, unless there’s a purpose for it, the better. And I think that happens from growth, Steve. You just grow into the point where you realize, hey, If God used me to go share the Lord with somebody, praise God for that. I didn’t deserve it, didn’t earn it. I just praise God for the opportunity that he gave me and move on.
SPEAKER 07 :
All right. Thank you very much for the advice, sir.
SPEAKER 08 :
You’re welcome, Steve. God bless you. Keep sharing. God bless you, too. Thank you. All right. Bye-bye. Let’s go to Detroit, Michigan, listening on WRDT. George, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes. My name is George. I don’t know what chapter in the Bible do I read to get rid of Satan and Beelzebub and foot in the face. Like, I’ve been attacked many times in my sleep. I’ve been attacked by Satan, and I believe that I have a walking entity inside me, and I want to get rid of it. And I haven’t been concentrating on scriptures much.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, you’re not going to get rid of it until you know the scriptures, George, because it says to resist the devil and he’ll flee from you. You have to, first of all, acknowledge that, number one, I’m a child of God and I have no business listening to Satan. I’m going to resist him, and I’m going to use the word of God in opposition to what he’s saying to me, and he will flee from you. And I’ll guarantee you that will take place. I don’t remember exactly where that is in the Scripture, but we’ll find that in a minute. But it’s resist the devil, and he will flee from you. So, George, we’re not strong enough for the devil. We have to realize the truth of that, that that’s why it says to put on the armor of God. If we didn’t need armor, why he wouldn’t say to put it on. And if we didn’t need it. So we we must put on the armor of God if we’re going to be in a position in warfare with with Satan. And we are in warfare with Satan. And so you do put on the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of your salvation, uh, and all of the other weapons that is used in, in, in the scripture. And that’s to resist, uh, resist the devil. James four, seven is the passage of scripture that I was referring to. I would definitely look that up and, uh, and grab a hold of it because it, uh, It will save your life on that. It says, Submit yourself then to God. So first of all is submitting yourself to God, recognizing that you are a child of God. You are born again. Is that correct, George?
SPEAKER 04 :
I’d like to be born again.
SPEAKER 08 :
So you don’t think you are born again? Well, I can tell because of your answer that you don’t. So if you’re not born again, George, the issue is do you want to be?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes, I do want to be born again.
SPEAKER 08 :
Okay. And, George, God wants you to be. It’s God’s will that none would perish, but all would come into a saving knowledge of Christ Jesus. And so that is God’s will. And what Jesus had to do for you that you could not do for yourself was to take care of the problem of sin. And the way that he did that was he took away your sin from the eyes of God never to see it again. That’s what he did at the cross. Jesus Christ went to a cross and died for the sins of the entire world. In other words, all the sins of the entire world were placed upon Christ Jesus at the cross. And there he who knew no sin became sin for us so that we could become the righteousness of God in him. Now, all of us are born into this world under the consequence of sin. There’s a difference between a consequence of sin and sin. The consequence of sin is death. We’re all born into that condition of spiritual death at the time that we’re born into this world. But our sins were never taken care of, were never taken away, so that in the event that you were able to get eternal life again, that those sins could not take it away from you. And so we transferred, in essence, our sins onto Christ Jesus at the cross. And there he took away the sins of the world, never to see them again from the eyes of God, never to see them again. That’s good news, isn’t it? Yes. Now we’re left with the consequence of sin, which is death. And so Jesus entered into our death with us. In other words, he died at the cross. And there, as I said, he who knew no sin became sin for us. He took upon himself the sins of the world, died for us, died because of taking those sins upon himself, entered into our death with us so that we could enter into his resurrection with him. And when we are born again, it’s when we, by faith, put our faith in that truth and saying, Lord Jesus, my condition according to you is I’m a sinner. Your provision was you took away my sin from the eyes of God never to see him again. You also, my condition was spiritual death. And the only solution to death is your resurrected life. And I therefore receive you, the resurrected Jesus, into my heart as my Lord and Savior. When that occurs, you have eternal life, George. And the reason you have eternal life is because of the eternal consequence of the cross. That’s why when you do this, you can rest assured on one thing. He who has the Son has life. And he who does not have the Son does not have life. The whole issue of salvation is coming alive in Christ. If you’re ready to do that tonight, I’d love the privilege of praying with you. And if that is your heart, is to accept the living Christ into your heart as your Lord and Savior. And that’s the only solution to demonic oppression is Jesus. You put the right man in and the wrong man goes out. And if you’re willing to do that tonight, I’d love to pray with you. Yes, I am willing. Okay. George, God sees your heart. What you’re going to express to him right now is what’s going on in your heart. So why don’t you just pray with me, and I’ll go ahead and pray, and you pray along with me. Lord Jesus, I need you. I need you. Thank you for taking away my sins at the cross.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thank you for taking away my sins from the cross.
SPEAKER 08 :
Never to see them again.
SPEAKER 04 :
Never to see them again.
SPEAKER 08 :
I now ask you to come into my heart.
SPEAKER 04 :
I now ask you to come into my heart.
SPEAKER 08 :
As my Lord and my Savior.
SPEAKER 04 :
As my Lord and my Savior.
SPEAKER 08 :
And my very best friend.
SPEAKER 04 :
And my very, very best friend.
SPEAKER 08 :
In Christ’s name, amen. In Christ’s name. Now, George, according to the word of God, It said, to as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become a child of God. Now, you just received him, didn’t you?
SPEAKER 05 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 08 :
What did you become? I. It said, to as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become a child of God. Yes, a child of God. Yeah, you’re a child of God. And I, too, am a child of God. So what’s that make us? That makes us brothers, doesn’t it? Brothers in Christ, yeah. And you’ve got a whole new family out there of people who are born again just like yourself. And you’ve got a whole new family that love you and will be praying for you and to help you in your growth in Christ Jesus. It says that all the angels in heaven rejoice over one sinner coming to repentance. So they’re all rejoicing. So you’ve got everybody rejoicing with you, brother. And I’m rejoicing with you as well, George. And God knows and only you and God know. How sincere those kind of commitments are. But I believe your heart was in the right place. And I think that that’s why you accepted Jesus today as your Lord and Savior. You’re starting on a brand new adventure. Now, George, do you have a Bible?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 08 :
Okay. I want to send you one of our Bible studies that just goes through what actually took place in your life today out of the Word of God, and you just work through that. It’ll say to look up this passage and this passage, and you just look those things up and let the Word of God speak to your heart and continue to grow in your knowledge of grace. And if you ever need any help, you just call. That’s what we’re here for is to help you in your growth period, and don’t hesitate to call us back.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right, my brother?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, God bless you, my friend. It’s good to have a new brother in Christ.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thank you.
SPEAKER 08 :
Okay. You hang on now. We want to get your address. Okay. And we’ll send that information to you, and anything else you need, you let us know.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right, George.
SPEAKER 01 :
You hang on now. 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 A Closer Look Bible Studies. A Closer Look Bible Studies features eight in-depth books that will take you through hundreds of Bible verses. as the Holy Spirit guides and teaches you while deepening your understanding of the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. These Bible study books are excellent tools for individual or group study sessions, perfect for small or large church groups, Sunday school classes, and at-home Bible studies. 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 08 :
Well, let’s go to Sandra in San Diego, California. Let’s go on Kay Bright. Sandra, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 02 :
Hi, Bob. Thanks for taking my call.
SPEAKER 08 :
You’re sure welcome.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, I’m just feeling in this area of bitterness. You know, I’ve walked with the Lord for over 20 years. And, you know, I’ve walked through several times of forgiveness. But it seems recently, and I’m trying to look up biblically again to stand on the word of God, like an arrow will come just hit me in the middle of the day or something over an issue. And it’s like a bitter root. is there, and I look at it, and it’s kind of like a battle goes on, because I know, you know, I’m not thinking bitter thoughts or trying to have this attitude, but when it comes, it’s like very, very strong. And then I’m like standing there almost looking at this thing thinking, okay, what do I do scripturally in the Word of God to come against that that’s almost like coming against me and looking at it and maybe allowing the Lord to show me again what it is. You know, I’m kind of like in this battlefield right now with this one little area.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, Sandra, again, you see the thing that something comes upon you. In other words, if bitterness wasn’t in you, it couldn’t get out of you. Circumstances don’t cause your nature. They reveal your nature. And so, again, it’s like you couldn’t stir up beans in a pot unless there’s beans in there.
SPEAKER 05 :
Got it.
SPEAKER 08 :
And so unless you had bitterness in you, you couldn’t get it out of you. And so the issue is the circumstances just reveal that. And you can have a spirit of bitterness because you’re bitter over something. And when you’re bitter over something, you’re hanging on to it too long. You know, somebody insults you. It’s only important as long as you continue to insist on remembering it. You have to let go of these things. They’re not important in light of eternity. Just how big of a deal is it if somebody insults you? You know, when you stop to think about it. So it’s putting everything in proper perspective and realizing that What happens if that bitterness is there, all it takes is just a little thought, and it’ll get triggered. And so just get rid of the bitterness. In other words, say, Lord, I’ve been bitter over this issue long enough, and it’s over as far as I’m concerned. It isn’t worth thinking about. And begin praying for the person that made you bitter.
SPEAKER 02 :
Okay, that’s it, because I just like, and I thought, oh, I thought I was over this. And then it’s like, boom, and I’m like, okay.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, you see, Satan, you may be over this. You know, Sandra, it’s like a forgiveness situation. I’ve had situations in my life where people have done things to me that are very, very difficult to forgive. And I couldn’t forgive them in my flesh. What I was trying to do was conjure up fleshly forgiveness. And the flesh never does want to forgive. And finally, what I had to do was to say, hold on a minute. I’m in the spirit. I’m a new creation. And I’m a spiritual being. And the spirit who lives in me has already forgiven them. So as far as I’m concerned, they’re forgiven. I don’t care what my flesh comes and says, no, no. I just get back to say, hold on a minute. This flesh isn’t going any place except to the grave. I’m in Christ Jesus, and Christ has forgiven that person. And so as far as I’m concerned, they’re forgiven. Whether my flesh wants to agree with that or not is irrelevant. So what’s coming back is Satan is activating those thoughts. When he does, just do just what I’m talking about. Satan, you may as well talk to somebody else. In Christ Jesus, I’ve already forgiven them. God forgave them, and so did I. So go talk to somebody else. I’m not interested in entertaining that thought anymore.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah. Okay. Well, I was just struggling. I thought, I need an answer that makes sense. And thank you so much, because I just don’t want this. Keep going on, you know.
SPEAKER 08 :
You just keep telling. It’s a waste of my time. Absolutely. And Satan wants to waste your time, and he’s the one who’s bringing those thoughts back.
SPEAKER 02 :
Right. Okay. Well, thank you so much, Bob, and God bless you, and I just love your ministry. Thank you very much.
SPEAKER 08 :
Thank you, Sandra.
SPEAKER 02 :
All right. Bye-bye.
SPEAKER 08 :
Bye-bye now. Well, let’s go to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Let’s go on WRDT. And, Michael, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 07 :
Hello?
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, Michael, you’re on the air, brother.
SPEAKER 07 :
Okay, okay, at WFUR. I wanted to get some advice on overcoming indecision and really having a problem with it in terms of getting established in a church. I was gone for about a year and I came back last year. Ever since I’ve been back, which was about 13 months ago… I can’t seem to get fully invested in one church, one ministry. It’s unbelievable.
SPEAKER 08 :
What do you mean totally invested?
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, my heart just seems like it’s divided into three or four different churches at one time. And because I’ve been involved with all of them to some degree or another, and therefore when I’m, you know, I just, it’s like my heart is in four different places. in terms of when I go to a particular house of worship.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, Michael, you know, people is the church. You’re going into buildings. That’s not the church. The church is people, and you can’t be at odds with the people of God. If I were you, what I would do, are you a relatively new Christian, Michael? No. Okay. Have you grown in your knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you studied the Bible? And I mean really studied it, not just going through it like a newspaper. Have you really studied the Scriptures?
SPEAKER 07 :
Yes, I’ve really studied the Scriptures.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, then your relationship, the church, you are the church. You’re the member of the church. That’s why in our church here in Dallas I don’t have a membership is because you’re already a member of the body of Christ if you’re in Christ. And if you’re not in Christ, why not? The only reason you need to be in our place is to get saved because, you know, we’re not going to be having a bunch of activities for you. We’re there to proclaim the good news of the gospel. And so if you’re saved, why, you’re going to get fed. And if you’re not saved, you’re going to get saved. And so if your heart is open to it. So the issue is, is if you know the word of God and have come to, I mean, firm convictions, not convictions of the denomination. If they happen to match up with what God has revealed to you, fine. But otherwise, that’s not the issue. The issue is, do you know what the Bible says? And has God revealed to you what it means? Because he’s promised to do that if you’ll depend upon him. The problem that we have is that man comes along and says, well, no, I can’t depend on that. I need to find out what does my denomination believe? Well, that’s intellectual suicide to me. To say, well, what did Luther believe? Well, then I’ll believe what Luther believed. Or what did Calvin believe? Well, that’s what I’ll believe in. What’s the Pope believe? Well, that’s what I’ll believe in. Well, that’s nonsense. I mean, that’s having somebody else’s faith. I don’t believe what I believe because of any denomination. I believe what I believe because the word of God has been studied and God has revealed to me what it means. Not all of it. There’s some things I’m not sure of. But those things I am sure of, I’m very sure of because it’s been revealed by God. And that’s where you want to come to, Michael. It’s not where you park your body on Sunday, but it’s where your mind is parked every day. And that’s on the truth of the Word of God. And that’s why it is so important to study the Word of God and to be taught by the Word of God and taught by the Holy Spirit who is going to reveal the meaning of the Word of God to you and to not depend upon someone else for your interpretation.
SPEAKER 07 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 08 :
I know that doesn’t help you with your church problem, but you really don’t have a church problem. You could sit at home and study the Bible. So what you want to do is to find a group of people, as it says, don’t forsake the assembling of yourselves together, to find a group of people who are obviously born again. Don’t go into just a ooshy-gooshy church.
SPEAKER 07 :
Oh, no, no. I don’t have a problem with that.
SPEAKER 08 :
Go with born-again people and have fellowship. What else do you need?
SPEAKER 07 :
Can I ask you one more just real quick question? It’s a certain type of theology that’s surfacing up here in Grand Rapids that It’s called, there’s an action that they use quite a bit. It’s called God of the Oppressed.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, no, I don’t know. That’s just somebody, you know, that’s somebody coming up with a title on something. We all get oppressed sooner or later. But the issue is that God is the God of the universe and God came to save, to meet people where they are. And so you’re always going to have a Christian hobby horse out there, Michael. It’s like, you know, it’s like to me in a medical profession. When I grew up, everybody had to have their tonsils taken out and their adenoids. Well, today you hardly ever hear that. What do we do? Grow better adenoids and grow better tonsils. Then we had to put earplugs in all kids’ ears, and you hardly hear about that anymore. So we kind of go in these cycles where there’s a new hobby horse that comes up, and everybody grabs a hold of it and gets excited. Then pretty soon that just dies out, and so you go to someplace else. Again, stick to the Word of God. When those things come up, just stick to the Word of God, brother, and do not get off of it. Be tenacious. Don’t be indecisive in regard to your tenacity to say, my plumb line is the word of God.
SPEAKER 07 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 08 :
Okay, my friend.
SPEAKER 07 :
All right. Thank you very much.
SPEAKER 08 :
God bless you, Michael. Bye-bye. Okay.
SPEAKER 01 :
For more information about how to purchase helpful books and Bible study materials to guide you as you grow in your relationship with Jesus, thank you again for listening. We look forward to our next classic Christianity radio broadcast with you. In the meantime, remember to always put Jesus first in your life.
SPEAKER 03 :
Put Jesus first in your life and turn your life around.
