QnA: Can the Christian keep the Law? What about "manifesting"? Is is a sin to not want children?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.ค. 2024
- Pastors Bryan Wolfmueller and Andrew Packer answer your theological and Biblical questions. In this episode we take up questions about:
* Can the Christian keep the Law?
* What about "manifesting"?
* Is is a sin to not want children?
Submit your questions here: www.wolfmueller.co/contact.
Also, don’t forget to sign up for the free weekly email, Wednesday What-Not, www.wolfmueller.co/wednesday
Pastor Wolfmueller serves St Paul and Jesus Deaf Lutheran Churches in Austin, TX.
Pastor Packer serves Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Collinsville, IL.
Upcoming events: www.wolfmueller.co/events
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"God doesn't need your good works, your neighbor does"....my favorite quote of Martin Luther!
"You live by the feelings, you die by the feelings."
Jesus never said “how do you feel?”
@@fredr7217 It's a joke from the video
It is so refreshing to hear someone say, "What you want most of the time does not matter."
I now keep the law due to the fact that Christ fulfilled the law and I am now in Christ. Romans 7:18
Thanks for another great episode. I liked the part about life becoming easier when we get rid of chasing wants. I have seen it happen in my own life over the past few years. Once I stopped trying to make my life into something other than what it is, I found that life was easier and more joyful.
"If you love me you will keep my commandments." - John 14:15
Amen! Deceivers all around us.
Excellent episode!!!! I love the clarity at the very end of the episode about the purpose of all of our lives is to serve God and serve the neighbor. And The clarity about getting away from what we want and thinking in terms of what we are called to do. That is very countercultural in the world today where people are always asking other people to make vision boards about what they want!!!
These are all good. Thank you pastors
So many great topics today. Thank you for tackling these and sharing the knowledge.
Really great discussion. Thank you for sharing.
Gods peace!
You two are the best!
To have kids is to open us up to seeing ourselves in our kids and the infinite grace, mercy, and patience Christ has in our fallen nature.
I struggle with the last question. My wife and I have a son, but my wife has a major mental illness (as in, but for modern medicine, she would be in an asylum) that the hormonal changes in pregnancy caused to become very unstable. Add to this the fact that I have an illness that is likely to be terminal and, despite desiring another child, it is very difficult for us to believe that this would be wise.
In my opinion you and your wife are not sinning by limiting your child bearing. You are using wisdom and discernment given by God. You are not refusing to have children out of selfishness but out of love for your wife and children.
Don’t forget “being in/going through a valley” for evangelical terms.
Such a good episode. I wish the sound was better. Brian’s sound is good but the other guy has a problem.
The power of positive thinking, in looking back at my own life (62 y/o baptized at 50) Satan is a deceiver I use to call it "good vibes" and to this day because of the way the enemy is portrayed in cinema and the world (scary, all bad things) why wouldn't an ignorant person equate "good vibes" or good feelings with God I still have a difficult time believing that my "good vibes" and "deep peace" wasn't God. After my baptism, I had 14 months of calm and level of taking in scripture that could only be described as filled with the Holy Spirit but then warfare started and my whole life became a struggle, I've spent the past 10 years in warfare and I am tired. So I would hope you would keep this in mind when recommending to someone about evangelizing a friend or family member, that the person your evangelizing may experience levels of warfare unprecedented in that person's life. From my perspective it almost seems like people who have been Christians since their youth (baptized early) don't experience this level of warfare, at least no one is really talking about it.
If Scripture is our Authority, then We MUST keep the law [Galatians 5:14], which is done through loving God first with all your Being!
But I can’t do that (though I want to) and so I trust in the merits of Christ, whose perfection is credited to my account.
I was wondering what you think about birth control...have we just been following the world? Your arguments for saying that not wanting children probably is a sin could be applied to wanting to limit the number of children. I am too old to be able to have children so for me it is a moot point, but it is something I have been thinking about.
It's a sorry state of affairs when you need to explain why Christians don't practice
" manifesting" 😬😑
Merry Christmas Eve to you both and your families thanks for all you do to bring God's truth to His people 🙏
Uh oh, pastor Packer denies the Biblical basis for Semper Virgo at 30:55, time to start the drama!
Well, not necessarily since we did say there could be “exceptions.”
@@andrewpacker2592 Oh, it sounded to me like you were allowing for possible exceptions in terms of practicality, health, etc. If two paraplegics were married, for example, you wouldn't expect the same degree of physical intimacy. Or perhaps if there was a medical condition in which it would be deadly for the woman to become pregnant.
But since I mentioned the topic, maybe a question for your next episode: Since the Bible both prescriptively and descriptively has marriage as a "marrying" of the flesh, a one flesh union, a representation of the intimacy between Christ and the Church. Because husbands and wives are commanded not to abstain from union except for a time for prayer and fasting, and then quickly return together.
Since this is the consistent Biblical idea for marriage and never once in all of Scripture does God present an alternative marriage (like nuns being "married to Christ", or "josephite marriages" where a person marries for the goal of being celibate). On what grounds can we say that an idea like Semper Virgo is compatible with God's consistent prescription and description of marriage? Without direct teaching from God that such an alternative exists, how can we as Lutherans find it acceptable?
(If Scripture was silent or neutral on what marriage is, saying "Luther and church fathers believed it, so I do too" or "This was a common belief for 1800 years" might be compelling, but not if it offers a contradictory definition of marriage to Scripture.)
Thank you both for this series, I love the other stuff on this channel, but this series has quickly become one of my favorites.
@@ChristianCombatives I think you raise a lot of great questions.
Did the Wednesday morning Bible studies end for Advent /Christmas time?
Regarding the “Law of Attraction” question, how would you respond if a Christians stated it like this: “I’m just trying to conform my life to the created order, and it can be empirically demonstrated that things like positive thinking can be beneficial?”
This seems to be the attraction that modern people, including Christians, have for Stoicism. There seems to be a very dispassionate submission to the created order, I.e., “This is just how it is,” and then a resolve to act within those parameters, with the idea that only action on one’s part will effect change.
I know Stoicism per se isn’t compatible with the Christian faith. But is it wrong to share with the Stoics a sort of practical knowledge of how things work, while not forsaking the Gospel, prayer, etc.?
In this video and others, I keep hearing there being a distinction in a Lutheran view of sanctification vs a reformed view. But in explaining it you say the same as the reformed. What’s the difference?
Never to be perfect but can be holy however only by Jesus blood and the Spirit's power.
”For not the hearers of the Torah (Law of YHWH) are righteous in the sight of Elohim, but the DOERS of the Torah (Law of YHWH) shall be declared right.“
Romiyim (Romans) 2:13 TS2009
Do NOT BE DECEIVED.
What about a person like me, who has trouble socially and can't even get find a wife, much less get married and have children? Is that sinful?
The apostle Paul encourages Christians who are not married to stay single. Not seeking marriage isn’t a sin. I’d actually encourage anybody to think seriously and carefully about marriage before they take an oath to stay with someone else for the rest of their lives. It’s a big decision, and you won’t always have good feelings towards the person that you marry. You will discover who they really are when they’re not on their best behavior, and you won’t always mesh with that person.
Being single isn't sinful in and of itself. If you desire to be married, then there are steps you could take to get to the point where you could start to begin the search for a wife.
What do you think about the power of positive or negative thought? On one hand positive thought didn't heal anyone. Jesus never congratulated anyone on their positive thought when they needed healing. He congratulated them on their faith. their firm belief.
On the other hand, Jesus warned us about the power of thoughts. Why else would he say that even thinking about doing wrong is wrong? I am not agreeing with Oprah at all but I do think there is some blessing and cursing with thoughts.
“Power of thoughts” is a bit excessive..
Even from a secular perspective, there are philosophers that have wrestled with the issue of how much attention we pay to our thoughts.. Take stoicism for example.
The Christian especially is encouraged to be disciplined.
You do NOT complete your sentences. Many times when you are not quoting. It seems like you have a new idea or thought which has to be said before you complete the one you are saying. I find it confusing.
I liked Pastor Wolfmueller's explanation of keeping the law better than Pastor Packer. Pastor Packer apparently thinks you can determine who is and who is not a Christian by their outward works. I do not think this is the position of Confessional Lutheranism or of the Scriptures. If this were the case I would not be a Christian. Name a work (other than confessing Christ as Savior) and I can point to an unbeliever who does it more or better than most Christians. The Pharisees did many marvelous works, but they were not Christians. In the official documents of our Church body we confess that the Church is invisible or hidden. Only God knows for certain who is and who is not a Christian because being a Christian is first and foremost a matter of faith in the heart. The church in the proper sense consists of all those who believe the Gospel. Jesus tells the parable of the tares and the wheat which teaches us that. Even in the visible church there are people who look and act like Christians, but they do not believe and so they are not. Also, while the law reveals to us what sin is and what a good work is, it gives us no ability to do them. Good works in God's sight are always done in response to the Gospel. The Confessions make an important distinction between the works of the law and the fruits of faith. Works of the law do not avail before God. Sanctification flows from Justification. You guys glossed over that in your answer. As far as the war raging in our hearts, those who experience it most vividly have a hunger and thirst not for the law which has no ability to help them, but for the Gospel, the good news that we are forgiven and free on account of Christ alone who died and rose for us. While it is true that we uphold the law, we at the same time daily confess that we, as the Cofessions say, "fall far short of the perfection of God's Law". The catechism teaches that "we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment." St. Paul says "the good that I want to do I do not do, but the evil I do not want to do, this I keep on doing. Wretched man that I am. Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Luther puts this well In A Mighty Fortress is our God. "With might of ours can naught be done, soon were our loss effected. But for us fights the Valiant One whom God Himself elected. Ask ye who is this? Jesus Christ it is! Of Sabaoth Lord, and there's none other God. He holds the field forever." I'd refer you the LCMS Brief Statement sections on Good Works and on the Church. Pastor Senkbeil has also written an excellent book on this called Sanctification: Christ in Action. If you'd like more quotations from the Scriptures and the Confessions that clearly teach this, I'd be happy to send them your way. We do have a doctrine of Sanctification and it is not a self improvement project. Also if you are going to talk about good works as Lutherans understand them, you need to talk about the Lutheran doctrine of vocation. Sorry for the long response. You touched a nerve with me.
I did not say you could determine who was and wasn’t a Christian merely by outward works.
Please acknowledge that you do NOT keep the 10 commandments.
You only keep 9!
God never commanded to IGNORE THE 7TH DAY SABBATH, and try to hold sacred/special the first day of the week instead.
At Jesus baptism the Spirit said HEAR YE HIM.
When did Jesus tell His disciples to honor another day, and IGNORE the 7th Day, the Sabbath written on the Two Tables of Stone on Mt Sinai, kept byJesus and His apostles and the early church.
Yeah yeah, you will claim there is evidence for honoring Sunday, but the word behind EACH OF THOSE TEXT is Sabbath, not first day of the week.
One the day of Pentecost the new believers were NEVER told to disregard Sabbath.
So the Jews came to Pentecost Sabbath keeping Jews and left as converted but still keeping the 7th Day Sabbath.
Not one convert in the book of Acts was told to FORGET SABBATH and KEEP SUNDAY.
I grew up a Lutheran, it is in Lutheran school that I learned the 10 Commandments and how to read the bible for myself. After asking my parents and elders about why we don't keep the 7th Day Sabbath they were STUMPED and could not give me an honest answer.
Jesus did not come and live 3 1/2 years showing us how to keep God's Sabbath commandent and die, thereby giving us freedom to break the ones of our choice.
Sabbath is His Holy Day.
By breaking you cannot make it any less holy, you just become guilty of breaking God's regarding the Sabbath, and following another god, who told you to do so. Kinda like listening to the serpent in the garden...
So sorry that the adults in your life were unable to answer your question. Here is my attempt which you may reject. We as believers in Christ are free from that law by Christ who kept it perfectly. We who are in Christ have entered the Sabbath rest which Israel was never able to enter. Read Hebrews chapters 3&4. And Isaiah 56. “The promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it… Now we who have believe enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger, “They shall never enter my rest.”.. For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us make every effort to enter that rest.” Why was Christ in the tomb on the Sabbath? He was resting. He had finished the work of salvation. We enter that rest by faith in him. Christ is our Sabbath rest. When was Christ resurrected? On the first day of the week. The greatest event the world has ever known. What came to be known as the Lord’s Day. The early church gathered on the first day of the week to remember Christ. John writes in Revelation 1, “On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet…” One the First Day of the week, Sunday Paul instructs Christian’s to set aside a sum of money to give. 1 Corinthians 16:1-2. Every one of the 10 commandments are repeated in some form in the NT letters to the churches, except for keeping the Sabbath day. Read Galatians. Colossians 2:16. I’ll leave it at that.
If being fruitful and multiplying were so important to Christians then why did Paul say so many positive things about being single? Why did Jesus too and talking about leaving our spouse and family to follow Jesus?
I think that a person having children just because they think God told them to is selfish. You men talk about it in the opposite way though. You say that having kids stops us from being selfish. No it doesn't. You sound like Oprah talking that way. Having kids forces you to change diapers but you can still have selfish thoughts and desires.
The act of wanting children because God supposedly told you to. Is selfish. Children deserve to be born from love. Not out of some misguided duty to the Old Testament. Some work. The work of producing offspring because you think God told you to.
Then aren't you calling Jesus a sinner because he did not go forth and multiply? Then Jesus tried to trick us all in to sinning too? Telling us to leave family, land, everything. Paul too.
What if two asexual people get married and never want to copulate? You are saying they need to force themselves to? Even take the blue pill? To perform the obligatory good work, to please God and get their rewards? Like Oprah handing out prizes now? Maybe we better discuss this a little more thoroughly.
I fear that having kids just to please God will only fail like Cain going through the motions but with no true heart in it.
Jesus created marriage and blessed it. This is true in the NT as well - see the wedding at Cana. Neither Jesus nor Paul denigrate marriage and family the way you seem to think they did. Understanding the purpose of marriage is important before getting married. Jesus never told us we had to ditch our wife or kids to follow Him. He said He is the most important thing for us and our families. And that He and His Word must come first - even if that causes issues in our families.
It seems like you are throwing out a lot of random arguments based on things you have heard about what Christians believe.
We were told to be fruitful and multiply. But, I'm almost positive God doesn't want you to have children that you'll despise or regret having who you will be a stumbling block to. Don't have children if you don't want them. It's not a requirement for salvation.
@@SolSkinn How often does the Bible say be fruitful and multiply?
Is it just in Genesis? Back in the garden, in Eden, before the fall of Adam?
Before we were condemned to death in a broken world?
@@andrewpacker2592 Hello, I have reviewed my comment. It is a bit long. I prefer to keep my comments short like 1 sentence. I guess it was ok, and I broke it in to paragraphs so that's not too bad.
I think there are some valid points that I made.
The men in this video do seem to be singing a different tune than Jesus and Paul sang.
Especially their idea that having kids stops us from being selfish. No, it does not. Not at all. In fact that itself is just a selfish reason to have kids.
Besides, God told pre-fall Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. That is like the old, old, old, old covenant.
Jesus' new covenant was in part "leave it all and follow me". Christians are born of spirit, not flesh.
Don't you think others interpreted it my way too? Why else would Paul be addressing the topic, if it was a non-topic?
People must have understood Jesus the same way I do. Then finding it too hard to be single, they may be concerned.
That should explain why Paul had to coddle them, saying it is OK to get married, if you can't control your desires. Then you should get married, because it's better than trying to be single but ending up a catholic priest peddler. Who acts on the surface like a white washed tomb, to be chaste, but behind closed doors is sick.
So unfortunately my understanding hasn't changed.
I still think be fruitful and multiply was given to pre-fall Adam. And Jesus can multiply by raising rock hearted people like me as children.
We are called to be like Jesus. Even though that's impossible, we are called to do the best we can.
I am not trying to put myself above people who have to get married and have sex. Neither was Paul. But, if possible then yes.
So my conclusion is still the same. These men are approaching the topic the wrong way. For non-Biblical, non-Christian reasons.
They should be more neutral. Instead they are pro-reproduction. Jesus never taught that. We are not in the Garden of Eden anymore. God can raise children for Abraham from stones, etc...
@@br.m You continue to read things into what was said. For example - we didn't say that having kids stopped you from being selfish. We said it shows you how selfish you are and can be a help against selfish tendencies.
The Bible from beginning to end is pro-baby and pro-family. That doesn't mean there is no value in being single if one is able to live chastely. It doesn't mean there aren't other things the Bible teaches or says about these things.