Spiritual Gifts? Your First Love? Sinners or Saints?

Hi, I'm Dr. Andrew Farley, host of The Grace Message. Got a Bible question, struggling with a personal issue, wondering about a tricky verse? At BibleQuestions.com, you'll get clear, grace-based answers in 10 seconds or less. No fluff, no confusion, just practical, biblical truth. Ask anything, anytime, and experience the power of God's love. Visit BibleQuestions.com. That's BibleQuestions.com, your go-to for biblical clarity. Jesus plus nothing, 100% natural, no additives. Andrew Farley is celebrating your freedom in Christ. Call in and ask your questions at 877-956-9566. That's toll-free at 877-956-9566. Via satellite from Texas, it's The Grace Message with Dr. Andrew Farley. Hello, everyone. Welcome to The Grace Message. I'm Andrew Farley. So glad you're joining us this Sunday afternoon. We are live across the United States and Canada on SiriusXM Family Talk and also all kinds of FM and AM stations. And of course, we're live streaming on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, X, our mobile app, our website. Doesn't matter how you're listening, how you're watching, you can simply call in and be a part of today's conversation. We'd love to have you. We got four open lines right now. That means you're next. You're the first to get in if you call right away, 877-956-9566. That's the number. Again, we got open lines, room for you today. Maybe, I don't know. Maybe you heard something this morning in church, you're not sure about it.

Maybe you've been chatting with a friend in a coffee shop recently or online, scrolling through social media, something pops up. You got questions, you got doubts, you're not sure, or even the opposite. Maybe God's teaching you something recently and you're excited about it. You want to celebrate it with us. You want to comment on it, whatever it is. We want to hear from you because you always make the program so much better, 877-956-9566. That's the number. Open lines, room for you right now. Maybe it's something about your relationship with God. You're just not sure where you stand. You need some clarity. You need some assurance. Go for it. Give us a call right now. Whatever it is, we want to hear from you. Well, while we're waiting for those calls to trickle in, I want to remind you of a resource we're giving away to each and every donor this month. It's called Gospel Zero. I'm sure you've heard about it on the broadcast if you've been hanging out with us this last year. Well, now we're giving away copies. It's our way to say thank you. And so if you want to request a copy, request it. When you give your gift this month, make sure you check that box. Request your copy of Gospel Zero. We want to put it in your hands. And speaking of Gospel Zero, here's a little bit about it. What if the apostles were alive today? And what if they wrote letters to the church of today?

What would they say about us, our beliefs, the way we relate to God, the way we do church? Well, that's exactly the question I'm asking in the book Gospel Zero. And this month, we're giving away copies of Gospel Zero to each and every donor as our way of saying thank you for your support. This book is a lot of fun. It's going to be encouraging, but also clarifying. It's witty and powerful. I wrote it together with my great friend, John Lynch. We had a blast. You're going to love it. So make sure to request your copy of Gospel Zero. It's all about reclaiming the radical message of God's grace in today's world of churchianity. What would the apostles say to us today if they were writing us now? Find out in Gospel Zero. And thank you so much for your support. Yes, thank you for your support. We can't do it without you. We love doing it with you as you are part of our support team, praying for us, giving, helping us open new doors and say yes. By the way, I've been sharing. I mean, we've got this new ministry to prisoners, inmates, those who are incarcerated in jails and prisons. We've already had thousands and thousands of downloads of our content in prisons and jails the last four weeks. We've had a dozen people. that have told us that they have come to Christ, they have given their lives to Jesus, they've said yes to the gospel, they have believed for forgiveness and righteousness as a free gift. They've called upon the Lord to be saved and they let us know that and that's super cool to see what God is doing through this ministry in jails and prisons and again, you know,

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Is it an elite group of believers? Well we have to be careful when we go down that road, because then we start creating tiers or levels, you got your special Christians who can really hear, and then your average Christians who got, I don't know, sin in their ears, their ears are all stopped up because of all the sin in their life, and then you got people who can't hear at all, maybe, and all that stuff. So we got to be careful when we start thinking that way. First of all, God's Word is for anybody and everybody, I mean, let's make no mistake. God wants none to perish, he wants all to believe, he wants everybody to come to repentance, that's the truth of the Gospel. Second, it's not rocket science. You got to receive it like a little child, you, I mean, we're sheep. We are sheep. Not the smartest animal in the kingdom, we are called sheep, and we're children, children of God. So we got to receive it in a simple, straightforward fashion. Jesus did it all, we couldn't do any of it, thank you Jesus for what you did. And that is basically what faith in the Gospel is. Jesus, you did it all, we couldn't do it, thank you for everything you've done. And so we begin believing and thanking him for the finished work of Christ. So, you know, when Romans 10 says everyone, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, then that tells you, first of all, God's not interested in favoritism. He doesn't have favorites that he allows to believe. I know there's a teaching out there that God allows, allows some people or causes some people to believe, and others have no chance. Well that is false teaching, that is not the Gospel. Romans 10 goes on to say faith comes from hearing. So you hear it, you believe it, you put your faith in it, and there you have it. So anybody can call upon the Lord. Even in Ephesians, where we see this idea of predestined, we figure out really quickly

that he chose Gentiles and he chose Jews, and that means Jews can believe. Gentiles can believe. This was about this secret plan that God had. He had a secret plan to unleash the gospel on the whole world, and he used the Apostle Paul to reach people who were not Jewish. So the invitation is wide open to all nations and all people. So we don't have to worry. I mean, every single believer has the Holy Spirit. Every single believer has ears to hear. Every single believer is sealed with the Spirit. We are forgiven, cleansed, our sins are taken away, the idea that you got sin stopping up your ears or something, or there's a wall or a blockade, nonsense. Every believer can continue to grow in God's grace by listening to the truth, believing the truth. It's not for a special group, and so you have ears. That's the bottom line. If you're in Christ, you have ears to hear. If you're in Christ, you can understand spiritual things that are spiritually discerned. If you are a new creature, a child of God, born again, then you are now designed with ears to hear. So when Jesus says all of this back in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, as we mentioned, that is before the cross, before the resurrection, before Pentecost, before the born-again experience, and now you, Chester, sitting there in Maryland, you are after the cross, after the resurrection, after Pentecost. If you have received Christ, you're born again, your spirit is alive because of righteousness, and you have ears to hear the truth. So you don't have to worry. You're in. You're in the family. You got the right ears. You got the right discernment. You got the right wisdom, because Jesus lives in you, and the Holy Spirit will reveal truth to you. It says when He, the Spirit, comes, He will guide you. He will guide you into all truth, and that's His promise. He began a good work. He's gonna finish it. So you are being led. You are being led by the Spirit. You're being taught by the Spirit. He's your counselor, and He has given you the mind of Christ, Paul says. We have the mind of Christ. Who can understand the things of God? We have the mind of Christ. So that's the ears to hear, and Chester, I'll put you back on and see. Does that make sense? Does that help, my friend? Well, we don't have Chester anymore. I don't know. Oh, there he is. Hey, Chester, does that help, my friend? Yes, sir. Thank you very much. I'm

grateful for what you responded on, and I'll continue to stay in the Word, and thank you very much again. You bet. Well, as you continue to stay in the Word, talking about studying, remember the living Word is inside of you, and so what an incredible combination. The living Word inside of you, as you inquire of the written Word, and so the written Word as drafted by the Apostles, written by the Holy Spirit, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wow, that's coming at your eyeballs. And then you have the living Word who lives in your heart, and so that's an incredible one-two punch right there. But yes, rest assured, every hour, every second that you are studying God's Word, you have the Word implanted, and you have the ears to hear, and his name is Jesus. So, thanks, Chester. Call us back anytime. Great to hear from you. All right, we're going to Washington, DC, soon, but first it's Ontario, Canada. Hi, Kat, what you got for us today? Hey, Andrew, can you hear me? Yes. Okay, good. I'm using speakerphone right now. Okay, it's working. Yeah, oh good. I'm just wondering, I hear sometimes about being a lone Christian. It's not that I'm a lone Christian, but I haven't been to church in over a year, partly because of my health, and partly because of the facility that they're in, it's just way too hot, and I have been disturbed a lot by the heat where I am here in Canada right now. It's been crazy hot, and I haven't been well, so I haven't really been able to get out at all, but I know that I'm learning to trust the Lord. I'm never alone. It's just that when I try to get out, I try to mingle and associate and do all that sort of thing, so yeah, I've been struggling with loneliness too. Okay, all right, well let's talk about it. Well, first of all, I said that in my... sermon this morning, Lone Ranger Christian. So I imagine you were listening along and now you're asking about what is that? What is a Lone Ranger Christian? Well, I was just mentioning in passing as I talked about Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10, verse 24, it says, Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Now does it say put your health in jeopardy when it's too hot and there's people dying from the heat exhaustion or lack of air conditioning or some people live in this world right now with heat waves and temperatures in the 110s and 120s and they gather together in some sort of hot room. Some places in the world, they have no relief at all. And does God say, well, you better meet together. You got to. You got to meet together or else you're in trouble. I'm disappointed. I'm frowning. I'm disgusted. No, no, no, no. So that's just that legalistic mindset, that filter that you sometimes put on when you hear something. Now I know that you live in Canada and I'm headed there myself here real soon. Have a little family vacation there with my wife's family in Ontario. And I know it's going to be hot, but it's not as hot as Texas. And also I know it's going to be one degree there in just a few months, right? It's going to be so cold you won't know what to do with yourself. So your question is seasonal. Your question and your concern is seasonal. And so God doesn't have out a thermometer and a guilt trip for you. So you're just going to have to see that God is good and that he's not measuring your church attendance and that he's not taking the temperature of the zip code you're in and he's not needing your excuses listed off for him. You know, you gather online, you watch church services from home, you interact with others, you call into this program. I mean, all of that is fellowship as well. So God doesn't have tablets of stone for Cat in Ontario with a little attendance checklist. God doesn't have tablets of stone making sure that you're in a building for an hour

a week or else he's frustrated. So you know that at a heart level and you're just going to have to apply it at a head level. And so Lone Ranger Christian refers to somebody that's gone Lone Ranger, like for a lifetime, like for years and decades, like we're not talking about at the micro level, getting out a clipboard and seeing who's been in church lately. We're talking about the whole attitude of going independent and never fellowshipping and never checking in. You know, there are people that do that. They reject the church as a body. They reject any sort of messages or pastors or leaders or whatever. Next thing you know, they're Lone Ranger Christians. Next thing you know, the enemy's condemning them in their conscience and they believe in lies or they're teaching lies or they're discouraged instead of encouraged. So the only purpose of this verse is so that we can, quote, encourage one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near. So I'm not, there's no guilt trip for you, Kat. All we're going to do today is encourage you. Hey, get together with some other Christians when you can. And the key phrase there is when you can, when you're able. If you're not able, you're free. If you're not able, you're the righteousness of God. If you're not able, Christ lives in you and you live in him. But if you're able, whoa, isn't it fun to be encouraged? Go have some fun when you can. And that is key. Kat, thanks for your call. Reach out again anytime. All right. We're going next to Washington, D.C. and we'll talk with Walter. Hi, Walter.

What's on your mind today? Well, I'm doing pretty good. I go to a church and I kind of like the church, but some people in the church, they speak in these unknown tongues and the pastor will get up and say, well, if you don't speak in unknown tongues, then you haven't received the Holy Ghost and if you haven't received the Holy Ghost, then you can't be saved. And it kind of makes me a little bit uncomfortable. And I just was trying to get some, you know, a little, you a man of God, been a man of God, a little piece of wisdom or direction, what I should say and the way I should go. Yeah, the way you should go is to another church. I hate to say that, but that's just the reality there. You cannot sit in a church where they're going to tell you you're not saved because you don't have a certain gift. That would be like me telling you, Walter, you're not saved unless you're a prophet. You're not saved unless you have the gift of hospitality. You're not saved unless you have the gift of administration. You're not saved unless you have the gift of helps. I mean, that's absurd. It's ludicrous. I'm telling you, you're saved when you have the gift of Jesus. You're saved when you have the gift of the cross and the gift of the resurrection. It is Jesus, his blood, and his life that save you, not the gift of tongues. So the gift of tongues, first of all, they're doing it wrong. I'm guessing they're doing it wrong because the folks that are teaching this, this you got to have tongues type doctrine, they are the same ones that are babbling away in an unknown language. There's not an interpreter in sight. There's nobody to say amen. There's nobody to make sense of it. Nobody understands it.

That is not what real tongues is. Real tongues in the Bible, in the second chapter of Acts, is when those who were present were divinely gifted with the ability to speak in human languages, human languages. And there's even a list of them in Acts chapter two, the Persians and the Medes and the Syrians and all these people, they were all all over the place and they were hearing all of these human languages and they could hear the gospel finally. They could hear the gospel in their own language to which they were born. And so God miraculously used the gift of tongues to get the gospel out there in many human languages. Well, fast forward 2,000 years later, what do we see today? It's not human languages in many churches. It's not human languages. It's this babble, this nonsensical babble. And next thing you know, they're disobeying Paul because there's no interpreter. They're disobeying Paul because it's being done by more than two or three people. They're disobeying Paul in first Corinthians because Paul gave strict instructions by two people or three people at most. And he says, if there's no interpreter, don't do it at all. So what you're witnessing is false teaching. It is a false gift and they are disobeying scripture. And on top of that, they're telling you you're not saved because you're not doing the same thing they are. Well, that's nonsense. There is a variety and diversity in the body of Christ. And there are many different gifts, many different spiritual gifts. Some people have the gift of helps or service. Other people have the gift of hospitality. Others have the gift of love. Others have the gift of faith. The body of Christ is beautiful and there's a variety and diversity in the church.

And so if I were to get on this radio station and say, you know, there's radio broadcasts and say, everybody's got to have the same gift I got. Everybody's got to have the same spiritual gift or you're not saved. See, that's what you're hearing there in your church in Washington, D.C. So you said, where should I go with this? How about go out the door, leave the door of that church and don't come back because you are not saved by the gift of tongues. You are saved by the gift of Jesus. And they're not teaching the gospel clearly when it comes to salvation. So tongues is not a heavenly language. Tongues is not an angel language. Tongues is human languages for the purpose of evangelism. Now Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12, I'm quoting, he says, all are not apostles, are they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not prophesy, do they? All do not interpret, do they? Paul is recognizing in 1 Corinthians 12, he's recognizing everybody's different. But see, that's not what you're hearing in that church. You're hearing everybody needs to be the same. And Paul is saying, no, everybody's different. So they are preaching and proclaiming right there in D.C. They are proclaiming cookie-cutter Christianity, where everybody's the same way. And if you don't have the same gift as the pastor, then you're not saved. Well, let me tell you this, I don't believe for a second, I don't believe for one second that they have a special language with God. You know why? Because they're not teaching the gospel clearly. They're not teaching salvation clearly. and then, had a secret language with God, you would think they'd get the number one thing right.

and then, and then, and then, until, until, The number one thing God is telling them is, how are people saved? until, until, until, until, How can you be saved? until, What saves you? until, What is evidence of salvation? until, until, And the answers to those questions are, Jesus saves. until, until, until, until, until, Through the cross and resurrection, he saves. until, until. And you're saved forever. Until then, until, And he never leaves you.

until, And he never forsakes you. until, until, And the evidence of that salvation is the fact that you believe, whether it's for ten until, until, until, seconds like the thief on the cross, you believe. And then over a lifetime, he causes you to bear fruit. And that's the evidence. It is not tongues. It is the fruit of the Spirit. Not tongues. The fruit of the Spirit. And so, anybody who had a secret language with God and a secret pipeline to God, you would think they'd get the number one thing right. But they're getting it wrong. So that shows me right there, that is a fabrication. It is a fake language. I could point you to a dissertation where they studied it. There's a researcher out of Canada who followed churches all over the U.S., all over South America, and all over Europe. And at the end of the study, they concluded that everybody was faking. When you analyze the audio of the tongues in those churches, at least, what was happening was they were producing only sounds, only sounds that they knew from their first language. So if it were truly a heavenly language, if it were truly an angel language, the sounds would be different. But it just so happened that tongues in Italy, they only produced Italian sounds in tongues. In church in the United States, they only produced tongues with sounds from English.

In South America, they only produced tongues with sounds from Spanish. Now if that were an angelic language, why would all that line up perfectly? Why would all the sounds be the same? It's because they're fabricating. Now some of them, they're not doing it on purpose. But they have played the game of repeat after me. They have classes on that. They tell you to come up after the service and babble together with them until you get it. It is delusion. And I'm telling you, what you need to focus on is not speaking in tongues, but speaking in love. And you need to find a church where they are not telling you that tongues is the requirement for salvation. That is absurd. And it is the number one evidence that they don't have a clue about the gospel. And they certainly don't have a pipeline to God because they're getting the number one thing about the gospel wrong. And these same people, some of them at least, many of them, they are teaching that you're not secure in Christ, that you can lose your salvation. Well Jesus says the opposite. He'll say it to you in English. He'll say it to you in Hebrew. He'll say it to you in any language of the world that you want. But he says, I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. Nobody can snatch you out of my hand. And then these other folks who say, we've got a secret babbling language with God. They say, oh no, you can lose your salvation, yeah, God will ditch you, God will abandon you. They're saying the opposite of Jesus.

And that is another evidence they have no real language with God and they have no secret pipeline with him and they need to stop it. They need to stop telling other people that tongues is the evidence of salvation because it is not a one size fits all. Every Christian is unique. Every believer is different. Every child of God is special. And we all, there is a diversity and a variety in the body of Christ. So Walter, I want to put you back on and see, does that help some, my friend? Yeah, that helps very, very clear and I understand and plus you gave me scripture to back it up. I'm so comfortable now just hearing that word because I listen to you now that I didn't on the radio, but I'm going to be listening to you at all times now because you help me out a lot and clear my mind and the direction I should go. I thank you so, so much. Yes, you are welcome, Walter. And I tell you what, just so you know, we got new content every day, seven days a week we're on the radio, seven days a week, every week night as well on Saturdays as well. But if you have a device you enjoy that you go to websites with, well, go to our website at andrewfarley.org. You can download our app on your phone, whatever you want to do, but we have lots of free resources where you can get more teaching. You're right. I'll just be candid with you, it's no fun to be confused, it's discouraging, and it's no fun to have people tell you, you know, have a bunch of church people tell you that number one, you're not saved, or number two, you're saved but somehow you're missing the Holy Spirit. Well, that's a lie. The Book of Romans says whoever does not have the Spirit does not belong to God. So you either are saved and you have the Spirit and you belong to Him, or you're not saved

and you don't have the Spirit and you don't belong to Him. But what you're hearing is a confusing mess. You're hearing, well, you might be saved but you don't have the Spirit. Well, you might not be saved at all because you don't have tongues. And so they're telling you a person can be saved without the Spirit, which is a lie, and then they're telling you you've got to have tongues to be saved, which is a lie. So hit the door, find any new place where they're teaching verse-by-verse through the Scriptures. Hang out with us in the middle of the week. We'd love to have you tuning in, and call back any time, Walter. We care about you, and anything new comes up, we want to be here for you. Thanks again. Well, you're listening to The Grace Message. I'm Andrew Farley. Thanks for being a part of this Sunday afternoon broadcast. That number to call, 877-956-9566. We got room for you right now. And just a quick word, don't forget, when you support The Grace Message, we want to put this in your hands, Gospel Zero. And Gospel Zero's a lot of fun. It's a great read. You're going to love it. It takes two minutes to give your gift at the website there, at andrewfarley.org. And when you do, don't forget, there's a tiny little box that you want to put a checkmark in, and it says, basically, send me Gospel Zero. And that's the box you want to check, because I want to put this in your hands. It's our way of saying thank you for your love, your prayers, your support of The Grace Message. We can't do it without you. So go to andrewfarley.org.

All right, let's go to Canada once again. This time, we'll talk with Dale. Hi, Dale. What you got for us today? Hi, Andrew. Revelation 2 verses 1 to 4, the angel of the church in Ephesus, the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, and the one who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this, I know your deeds, and your toil, and your perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false, and you have persevered, and have endured for my name's sake, and have not grown weary, but I have this against you, that you have left your first love, okay, what's he saying, well, boy, you as a church there, Ephesus, look at you, you're real good at knowledge, and you're real good at stomping out heresy, and you're real good at knowing right from wrong, morality and ethics, and telling false prophets to hit the road, you're real good at discernment, you're real good at wisdom, you're real good at information and truth, you're real good at all of that stuff, you're real good at being the police of everything, but look at you, you lost your focus, you don't have your eyes fixed on Jesus very often, what about love, what about Christ, what about his life expressed through you, so this is not about losing your salvation, it's about losing your focus, your focus on Jesus, how do we know they're saved, well, he's already praised them, he's praised their deeds, I know your deeds, I know your toil, I know your perseverance, Jesus is not going to praise those things in the lives of unbelievers, Jesus would have said those are filthy rags, but that's not what he said, he's praising them, I know your deeds, I've seen what you're about, I understand that you have endured for my name's sake, so he's telling them, look, you're saved, you're in, you're expressing me to some degree, you are learning and growing and you're standing up for good doctrine and you're stomping out heresy and you're calling out false prophets and you're, yeah, you're doing good with the facts and the figures and the basics and all that, but hey, hello, look over here, fix your eyes, fix your eyes on me. me. I'm your first love. How about you live from the heart and operate from the heart? How about

you get your focus back? You know, it's not just all about information. It's about people. It's about loving people. It's about letting me live my life through you. And so, in summary here, Dale, this is not about losing a salvation, which is an impossibility. You can't lose your salvation. It's eternal life, not temporary. It's total forgiveness, not partial forgiveness. You can't lose your salvation. Jesus said, I'll never leave you. But you can lose your focus. You can lose sight of what is most important. And that is what's happening here. So, Dale, I'll put you back on and see. Does that help with this passage? It sure does. Thank you so much. Good. All right. Right. People twist it. They turn it around on you. They try to make it into a scary passage. The truth will always set you free. Can Christians get distracted? Yes. Can Christians lose their salvation? Never. So, thanks for your call. Reach out again anytime. All right. Let's go now to Michigan, and we'll talk with Andy. Hi, Andy. What's on your heart today, my friend? Hi, Andrew. I was wondering if you could give me your thoughts on this subject. Uh, you know, my whole life, uh, growing up and after I became saved, uh, always was titled a sinner in need of a savior, even after I'm saved. And you hear it. Put him back on there if you could. He flipped off for us. We'll get you back, Andy. Hang on just a second, Andy. Uh, no, we don't need James yet. We're going to James next. Let's go to Andy. There we are. We got him. Go ahead. Okay. Sorry about that. That's okay. Thank you. Uh, so growing up, uh, before I was saved, even after I was saved, always was titled a sinner, a sinner in need of a savior. And, um, even in the church, right? A lot of times it's just, uh, we're all sinners. We ought to love one another and, and that sort of thing. But once I began to understand my title is no longer sinner, I'm a Christian. I'm a child of God that in the Bible, the way I understand it, sinner is a non-believer, uh, under God's wrath. And once I start reading the passages that way, it makes a lot more sense. It used to be so confusing, um, reading, hearing that I'm a sinner and then reading in the Bible, how sinners are, uh, going to hell. And it's interesting that we're not taught that that word sinner doesn't apply to us anymore. We're not under the law. Right. Okay. So let's talk about it. Andy, first of all, you're a hundred percent correct. So if there's any pastors, leaders, teachers out there who just heard what you said, uh, you have issued a call, a call to accuracy. Let's stop telling Christians that they're sinners. Uh, the new Testament doesn't do that. And if you don't believe me, well, hang on for three minutes.

I'll prove it. Romans chapter one, to all those who are beloved of God called as saints. That's what we're called. We're called saints. Uh, first Corinthians chapter one, to the church of God, to those who've been sanctified or sanctified, made holy. So far we've done Romans and Corinthians. How about Ephesians? Paul, an apostle to the saints who are in Ephesus. Uh, Philippians 1.1, Paul and Timothy to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi. Uh, Colossians chapter one as well, not just Philippians, but Colossians to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae. Uh, we could go on and on, but I mean, you're a new creature. You're a new creation. You're a child of God. You're a saint. Now I know, I know somebody's going to say, well, you know, James, for example, said, cleanse your hands. You sinner. Yeah, he did. But he wasn't talking to saints. That's the whole point. He was talking to sinners who need cleansing. We have been cleansed. We have been forgiven. Our sins have been taken away. So Andy, you're a hundred percent, right? We got to. start referring to believers as saints, not sinners. Do we sometimes sin? Yes. Do we have perfect performance? No, but we're saints. We're saints by new birth, and we are always called saints in the scriptures. Now, somebody says, no, no, you're wrong, you're wrong. Paul called himself the chief of sinners. Yes, he did, but he was referring to his former life as an assassin of the church. When you look up Paul's words, he says, yes, I'm the chief of sinners. I set the record, I set the bar. Look at me, I killed Christians. I was a persecutor of the church. That's the context. It would be like Jack Nicklaus.

You know Jack Nicklaus? He's still alive today. Well, Jack Nicklaus, according to all the trophies, Jack Nicklaus is the greatest golf player of all time, and yet he doesn't play anymore. So Jack Nicklaus could say, I'm the chief golfer. I'm the chief golfer of the PGA, and he would be right, but he doesn't play anymore. Why would he say I'm the chief? Because he set the most records, and that's exactly what Paul is saying when he says I'm the chief of sinners. I set the record, I killed God's own people, I'm a murderer and an assassin in my former life, but now. But now I've been washed, I've been justified, I've been sanctified, I've been crucified with Christ, buried, there's no condemnation for me now. I'm raised and seated with Christ. I'm in him, I'm born of God, I'm alive to God. The truth matters, and what we call ourselves matters, and you are right. When you start to notice, Andy, when you start to notice the difference between sinner and saint, then the whole Bible just sort of opens up to you in a much clearer way. So I hope that helps, my friend. It's a great question and a great thing to point out, and reach out to us again any time. We wanna hear from you, because you got great questions.

All right, we're going to Maryland next, and we'll talk with David. Hi, David, what you got for us today? Good afternoon, Dr. Farley. Thank you for taking my question. Yes. So my question is in relation to children inheriting the result of the sin of their parents, because someone cited the verse in Revelation 2, 22 and 23, specifically 23, where he says, and I will strike her children dead. So the person said the children are inheriting what the mother has done. Would you please explain that to me? Okay, sure. Well, first of all, I mean, there is original sin. I know some people don't teach original sin, but I think that's absolutely wrong. We read all over the New Testament that there is original sin. Now, let's be clear. What I'm saying is, is that we inherit a condition. We see that in Romans chapter five, verse 12. It says, sin through one man, sin entered the world. Well, what does that tell you? Through one man, sin entered the world. What's the next phrase? And death, and death through sin. So if sin entered the world through Adam, and if death entered the world through Adam,

what do we think the world means? Are we just talking about plants and animals? No, we're talking about the world. The whole cosmos, the whole world, the creation, is fallen because of one man. Through one man, sin entered, and death through sin. And so it goes on. It says, because all sinned. Now, that's curious, because some people haven't even been born yet. And yet Paul says in Romans 5, 12, all sinned, past tense, because we were in Adam when he sinned. Just like we are now in Christ when he was crucified. We are in Christ when he was buried. We are in Christ when he was raised and seated. That's what makes us saved. Well, guess what makes us sinners? We were in Adam when he sinned. And so that's what Romans 5 is teaching right there in verse 12. Sin and death enter through one man. It goes on. I mean, Romans 5 continues. Through one transgression, there resulted condemnation to all men. So also through one act of righteousness, there resulted justification of life to all men. Through one man's disobedience, the many were made sinners. When? Does it say through one man's disobedience?

plus your first mess-up? Does it say through Adam's disobedience plus what you do at age six that that's how you're made a sinner? No, it says through one man's disobedience the many were made sinners. Now, if we water this down, then really we don't realize it, but we're watering down the righteousness. Because there's a parallel. It's like looking in a mirror. It's two truths that reflect each other, and here they are. Through one man's sin, many were made sinners. Through one man's obedience, that's Jesus. Through one man's obedience, the many are made righteous. So they are parallel truths. You are sinful and dead through Adam. You are righteous and holy through Christ. Those are parallel truths, and when someone comes along and says, oh well you know that Adam thing, we made that up, or you know that came in hundreds of years later, or that was brought up by so-and-so, and therefore that's just a distortion. No, Romans 5. Not later, Romans 5. Not later, the Apostle Paul. And he literally says, through one man's disobedience, the many were made sinners. And he doesn't say at age six. He doesn't say at age nine when you say your first cuss word. He says that through Adam's action, through Adam's disobedience, through his death, everybody's made sinners, because we're born in him. And the parallel truth is that when we're reborn in Christ, that's how we're made righteous. So we're sinners by birth. We're righteous by rebirth. Let me put it this way. How many sins does it take to be a sinner? Somebody says, oh it only takes one. No, the answer is zero. It takes zero sins to be a sinner, because you're born that way. And when we realize that, we can also realize it takes zero righteous actions to be righteous. Why? Because you're reborn that way. You are who you are by birth, not by what you do. So when we start trying to tweak and twist original sin, we are now bringing action into it. And we are saying that an action makes us sinful. And then we got to be careful, because then are we gonna say an action makes us righteous? Watch it, because it is the action of another that makes us sinful, the action of Adam. And it is the action of another, the action of Jesus on that cross and in that tomb. His action makes us righteous. So it's really important, I mean, Jesus says that which is born of flesh is flesh, and that

which is born of spirit is spirit. So the people who were born of flesh are fleshly, and they're still in Adam. They're still dead in their sins. And that's why we need to get the message out, so people can be born of the Spirit. So, you know, the bottom line is, look, I understand it's controversial for some people, but why in the world are we going to read the New Testament? 99% of it we say, all right, I'll nod my head at that. And then 1% of it we start arguing and making up our own doctrines. No, we are dead in Adam, we are dead in our sins, and we are only righteous by a rebirth. Not by the first birth, but by the second birth. So condemnation spreads to everybody, Romans 5 18. Everybody becomes a sinner through Adam, Romans 5 19. And death reigns all across the planet, death reigns even over those who did not sin like Adam did. So even if you never eat an apple against God's will, even if you never eat an apple when God told you not to, guess what? You're born a sinner, you're born in death, you're born condemned, and you need Christ Jesus. So, you know, you mentioned Revelation chapter 2, and you see all of this about the prophetess Jezebel and all of that, and she doesn't want to repent, and I will throw her on a bed of sickness, I will kill her children with pestilence. I mean, that verse is like out of left field, if people are going to use that verse for this discussion of original sin. This is about punishment of evil, and everybody who's not in Christ, you know, there's a judgment and a punishment for them at the end of the age. age, but I don't need to be grabbing Revelation 2 and justifying some weird doctrine there. I would just say, look, go back to Romans 5. Do we show up dead in our sins? Yes. Do we show up in need of a gospel, in need of a Savior? Yes. Does God say we're perfect and don't need anything until we steal our first gumball? No. There's no shred of evidence that says that. So we're born in Adam, we're reborn in Christ, and there you have it.

So David, I'll put you back on and see. Does that help some with the passage, my friend? Yes. Thank you very much, Dr. Feiler, yes. Thank you so much. All right. You're welcome. Well, reach out to us again any time. Great to hear from you. All right. Well, we're almost out of time. I'm tempted. I'm going to go ahead and sneak it in. We're going to Virginia, and we'll talk with David about Acts chapter 13. Hey, David, what you got for us? Hi, Dr. Andrew. How are you doing? Hey, good. We got just a minute. Go for it. Yeah. So it's a little bit of piggybacking on an earlier caller that was talking about the Word of God, reading the Word of God, and then you were also talking about the living Word. And then here I'm reading in Acts 13, 44, where it's saying the next Sabbath, almost the whole city was gathered together to hear the Word of God. And I know that the Bible, or the New Testament, had not yet been written, and yet here they are, gathered together to hear the Word of God. Is that talking about the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Is that the Word of God? Yeah, I hear what you're saying, and I hear the implications of my answer. It sounds like you want to corner me. So I'm wise to what you're doing, but obviously the word Word in the Old Testament is going to be something different than the word Word in the New Testament. And so in the Old Testament, there was some revelation of what God had planned. In the Old Testament, people are saved by faith. In the Old Testament, you have, oh my goodness, a revelation of God's Word, and the Jews were saved by faith, people like Rahab, Gentiles were saved by faith. What saved them? Well, the message of God. You can call it the Word of God, the message of God, or whatever. But the bottom line is, the word Word is used differently throughout all of the Bible. You're going to find lots of meanings for Word. But if you're asking me about the Gospel, the letter of James, which I think you're ultimately referring to, remember, there's a context for the use of the word Word. And it's the Word implanted. It's the Word that saves your soul. That's Jesus. For more information on the broadcast ministry of Dr. Andrew Farley, please visit andrewfarley.org. That's andrewfarley.org. Join us next time as we invite you to celebrate the grace message with Dr. Andrew Farley. This program is sponsored by your generous financial support. Hi, I'm Andrew Farley. I hope you enjoyed today's program. And if you have more questions, whether it's about a Bible verse, a personal struggle, or anything on your heart, biblequestions.com is here for you. You'll get clear, grace-based answers in 10 seconds or less. No confusion, no judgment, just practical truth that meets you right where you are. Whatever's on your mind, you'll find real answers rooted in God's love.

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