Taco Box, September 2023: Week 3

Introduction

Hello Everyone!

As you know, we are doing the “Taco Box” this month.

Where I have collected your questions and am answering them week by week.

I have three questions for us tonight!

So, lets begin!

Is it a sin for me to listen to artists who don't support Christianity or support anti-Christianity?

I wouldn't say that simply listening to a song is innately sinful in any way.

However, that doesn't mean you should just listen to everything.

1 Corinthians 6:12 rings true here.

Paul is quoting a phrase he has heard, and then giving his response to it.

He writes:

The NET Bible (Second Edition) Chapter 6

12 “All things are lawful for me”—but not everything is beneficial. “All things are lawful for me”—but I will not be controlled by anything.

Just because something isn't necessarily a sin, doesn't mean its something that we should do.

Let me give you an example:

When I worked in EMS, there were situations where I would see people naked.

Even situations where I had to take peoples clothes off.

Sometimes those people happened to be very attractive individuals.

Now, was I committing a sin because I was seeing someone who I wasn't married to, and who I thought was attractive naked?

No, I wasn't committing a sin.

I was doing what I had to do in order to protect this person.

Usually it was checking for crowning on a pregnant woman, or applying an EKG on someone.

However, if I were to start taking advantage of my position in health care...

Or was to dwell on or fantasize about certain individuals who I had seen...

That would be sinful.

So, If at all possible, I would try to avoid seeing an attractive woman who isn't my wife naked.

If there was a woman on the ambulance with us, I would have her do the assessment on the patient.

If I had to view a patient naked, I would cover them up as soon as the job is done.

Because, even though just seeing them naked wasn't a sin, it had the chance of leading me to something that was sinful.

We should take that same approach when it comes to music.

There are certain things that God leaves up to conviction.

I would say that music is one of those things.

I listen to plenty of secular artists.

But there are also songs and musicians that I refuse to listen to.

Not because its sinful to listen to them, or because they don't share my same faith...

But because I know the things they are singing, and the values they represent stand in direct opposition to my God and His law.

There is a band that some of my friends love called “ghost”.

They have publically stated that they stand in defiance to Christianity.

They have said outright that their stage dress is intended as a mockery of Christians.

And some of their songs literally praise the coming of the anti-christ.

I refuse to listen to their music.

Sam Smith is another artist who is outright against the Faith.

As catchy as the song “Unholy” is, the song straight up glorifies adultery.

No, its not sinful for me to hear the song, but I don't want to be constantly singing “mommy don't know daddy's getting hot at the body shop...” until some day, after years of repetition, I decide maybe its not that bad.

I cant make these decisions for you.

I'm not the giver of convictions.

But I will leave you with this:

My dad had an affair years ago when I was younger.

My parents stayed together and worked through the trauma.

But one day I asked my dad about it, and why he did it.

He told me that it didn't start with meeting the woman he had the affair with.

It started with a catchy song that he sang to himself over, and over, and over again.

That’s what he said opened the door for the sin.

Be careful little ears what you hear.

Be careful little lips what you say.

That journey from your mind into your hands is shorter than you think.

If you don't believe in Christianity but believe in Catholicism and Mormonism, when you die, will you join the Lord in the heavenly realm? Or do you have to follow Christianity?

This is a pretty deep question.

Mormons and Catholics both would consider themselves Christians.

The Latter Day Saints have been trying to call themselves Christians for years.

And Catholicism is very old, even predating Protestantism.

Both of them are very similar to what I believe, what you would call “Christianity.

So, let me say this the best way I can.

I believe that that there are several Catholics and Mormons that are in fact saved, in spite of the teachings from the Catholic and LDS church.

Most people involved in these groups probably believe much more like I believe. However, there are serious doctrinal problems within these two groups.

Doctrinal issues that, if actually adhered to, would not result in salvation.

Ill start with Mormonism.

The Identity of Jesus

Most people that call themselves Mormon probably don't understand this.

But LDS doctrine denies Deity of Christ.

LDS doctrine denies Jesus as God.

And instead it teaches that Jesus was just a normal human like the rest of us.

There are doctrines that I can agree to disagree on.

Like New Earth or Old Earth.

Global flood or local flood.

Things like that.

But the Deity of Christ is what we call a core doctrine.

Its something that is essential to salvation.

If you deny the Deity of Christ, you are not worshiping the same Jesus that I worship.

Another problem with LDS doctrine is that its works based.

They teach that you have to work, at least some, in order to gain salvation.

Again, this is a core doctrine.

Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us:

The NET Bible (Second Edition) Chapter 2

8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God;

9 it is not from works, so that no one can boast.

It is the grace of God that saves us.

And we receive that Grace through faith (trust) in Jesus.

His Identity.

His promises.

And His sacrifice on the cross.

Works cannot ever add to your salvation.

But the minute you think that your works can save you, you are detracting from the work that Christ did.

Like I said, most Mormons probably don't realize that this is what the LDS church teaches.

Which means, a lot of them believe just as we do, that Jesus is God, and that we are saved by His grace through our faith in him.

But if they truly adhere to those doctrines, then no, they would not be saved.

which leads me to Catholicism.

NOT WORKS!!

Catholicism teaches the Deity of Christ.

But, they also teach a works based salvation.

Its way more complicated than the way that Mormons teach it, but its still works based.

For example, the Catholic church teaches that if you miss mass on Sunday, then you have just commited a mortal sin.

Mortal sins remove your salvation.

So, for example, you can believe everything the Bible teaches as necessary for salvation, but if you missed mass for the week, and then die. They believe that you will be sent to hell.

This isnt Biblical.

Nothing in scripture alludes to it.

and again, we have the problem of equating any work to the sacrifice of Christ.

That’s not trusting in Jesus, its trusting in your own works.

So, are Catholics saved?

Most of them, probably yes.

But if you really hold to Catholic doctrine, then you arent placing your faith in Jesus, which means you dont have a saving faith.

In Matthew 7:21 Jesus tells us:

The NET Bible (Second Edition) Chapter 7

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven—only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

22 On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many powerful deeds in your name?’

23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!’

Jesus himself told us that not everyone who worships Him will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Only the one who does the will of the Father.

What is the Fathers will?

In John 6 Jesus tells us:

The NET Bible (Second Edition) Chapter 6

38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.

39 Now this is the will of the one who sent me—that I should not lose one person of every one he has given me, but raise them all up at the last day.

40 For this is the will of my Father—for everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him to have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

The will of God is belief in His Son.

Not just that Jesus exists.

Not just that Jesus is God.

But belief in what He did.

That Jesus sacrifice is Sufficient for your failures.

All of those things together constitute belief in the Son.

And that is the will of God which culminates in salvation.

How am I supposed to read a Bible?

You know, Getting a Bible and deciding to read it can be a daunting task.

Personally, I recommend starting off by reading it the same way you would any other book.

Pick it up, start at the beginning, and read till the end.

But there is a difference between reading the Bible and studying the Bible.

As Christians, we should do both.

We all know how to read, and sometimes thats the best way to start.

Just pick it up and start reading.

But if you want to really understand the Scriptures, then you need to study them.

So, Ill give you some tips on how to study the Bible.

1. Read the Bible in context.

The Bible is not a scientific textbook.

Neither is it a way for you to confirm things you already want to believe.

The Bible isn't a single book, but a collection of books.

And the Bible isn't modern, its ancient.

This is the context for the Bible.

It was written by ancient people who were inspired by the acts of God that they saw personally.

God preserved these writings so we may have an accurate record of Gods relationship with Mankind.

Understand Scripture by its context.

2. Use Scripture to interpret scripture.

At some point you will come across a passage from the Bible that confuses you.

When this happens, use other passages from the Bible to help you understand what is being said.

If you think something from the Bible means one thing, then you read another verse that seems to disagree with what you think, then its your interpretation that is wrong, not the Biblical text.

The Bible never contradicts itself, but sometimes we can read extra things into it, without even realizing it.

3. Take your time

Studying the Bible isn't a race.

Take your time as you read.

focus on individual words, and contemplate what you read after you have read it.

If you find yourself zoning out, then refocus, go back, and read it again.

4. Ask the hard questions

We shouldn't be afraid to ask the hard questions.

I promise you, the Bible can handle anything that you throw at it.

So, put it to the test.

Ask the questions that are difficult, and don't be afraid if the answers you get aren't what you were wanting.

That just means that you are growing in your relationship.

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