Bible Q&A • Episode 59

As a pastor, am I going to tell people, hey, listen, if you don't do this the right way, you're going to get sick? No, I'm not going to say that because I think, again, I think that's overstepping. I think there's a warning that when we take communion, we should check our hearts. I don't think there's a promise in God's Word that you're going to be sick or possibly die if your heart isn't completely right before the Lord. Hi everybody, we're back with some more of your Bible questions. You sent 'em in, so we're gonna tackle 'em this time. And I looked 'em over here and it's, I think we've got some good ones.

I like how you say that. It's like you were a radio announcer once or something. Oh gosh.

And I have my Pizza Planet shirt on.

Representing.

Yeah, we're representing, representing the original Toy Story and Pizza Planet. So anyway.

Good for you.

Yeah.

Okay, number 1 question comes from Sandy. I love your Q&A sessions and gain much insight from both you, I would love to know how to pronounce your last name.

So would I. Yeah, that's been a real issue for a long time. No, we— there are— there's an Americanized version of our last name, which I grew up with, frankly, and then there is the more correct French. It's French-Canadian, but French pronunciation, and we say Leboutier. Which was crazy because there's all kinds of silent letters in there.

Yeah. When you and I probably encourage people different ways of memorizing it.

Yeah.

But when I want to tell people, I just say there's 4 things. La, like a musical note. Boot, like the boot.

The boot. Yeah.

And then 2 vowels. E-A.

La Boutillère. But you got to kind of make it flow.

Yeah.

La Boutillère. Yeah.

The fancier the better.

Yeah.

Okay. Michelle says, when a pastor says if you take communion without your heart in the right place, you will bring sickness upon yourself, and he referenced 1 Corinthians 11. Is this biblical?

Well, you know, is this biblical? It is biblical that the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians and said because of their lack of love for one another, their lack of concern for one another, and their outright attitudes of disregard, frankly, for one another, He said that that was the reason why some of them were sick and some had even passed away. Now, to conclude based on that, that anybody who takes communion with the wrong attitude is going to be sick or die, I think is overstepping the context of the passage in which it was originally given. I, you know, you hear a lot of pastors say when they're serving communion that we need to check our hearts, we need to make sure our hearts are right before the Lord. And that's a good thing to say all the time.

Yeah.

I mean, we should always check our hearts. We should always make sure our hearts are right before the Lord, and particularly during communion. And here's why. We're celebrating the sacrificial suffering that Jesus accomplished for us on the cross, which of course brought about our forgiveness. And so if I'm harboring ill will or unforgiveness toward a brother or sister in the Lord or whatever, and I'm yet— I'm celebrating what Jesus did while at the same time kind of almost mocking what he did, I— that's a serious matter.

Right.

Now, As a pastor, am I going to tell people, hey, listen, if you don't do this the right way, you're going to get sick? No, I'm not going to say that because I think that— again, I think that's overstepping. I think there's a warning that when we take communion, we should check our hearts.

Yeah.

I don't think there's a promise in God's word that you're going to be sick or possibly die if your heart isn't completely right before the Lord. But that being said, Let's make sure we— and here's what Paul says. The Apostle Paul says, if we judged ourselves, we wouldn't come under judgment.

Yeah.

And that is— that's wisdom, but that's wisdom for all times.

Yeah.

And I don't think it applies just for communion, frankly.

Okay, well, that's good. The next question is from a YouTube viewer who said, hello, Pastor Paul, thank you for your faithfulness in teaching the word. I have a question while reading 1 Samuel. Why did God lead the Israelites to a promised land that was corrupted with witchcraft? Why Canaan and not pick a new location that was less evil and make the prom— and make that the promised land? What is the significance of that land?

What's the significance of that land? It's just the land God chose. Um, it is first of all an assumption to say that there was some other place that was less evil.

Right.

That's an assumption. Okay. But there's something else that needs to be recognized. The nation of Israel coming into the land of Canaan to take over the land and so forth is a picture of our Christian walk.

Yeah.

Crossing the Jordan is a picture, a spiritual kind of a metaphor, if you will, of coming to that place of coming out of the wilderness and beginning to lay hold of the promises of God. Any Christian who has walked with God for any period of time knows that when we begin to walk with God, that's when the battles begin. And there are sin issues and there are— there's darkness and there is evil that we must overcome. And so, you know, God didn't tell the Jews it was going to be easy. He didn't tell the people of Israel, hey, it's going to be a cakewalk. Just walk in there and it'll be great. You know? said, no, you're going to have enemies. And we have enemies. Um, it is an example for us of how we ought to live our Christian lives, how we need to walk in faith, take, take control, you know, over the demonic and the worldly and all the other things that we face on a day-to-day basis. It is truly a picture of the Christian life. And so that's why. Yeah, that's why.

Randall from Oregon says, why did God refer to the Promised Land as flowing with all this wonderful stuff?

Milk and honey.

Flowing with milk and honey.

And that was a metaphor as well.

Yeah, the only pictures and videos I've ever seen look like a wasteland, all dry and dusty and full of boulders and brown water rivers.

Yeah, well, you know, there are a lot of desert regions in that land, today, and there were some back then as well. There were desert wilderness areas, but, you know, you have to remember that what you often see in pictures and what you may know of the land isn't the whole story. There are very, very fertile areas in the nation of Israel, and probably more so back when God brought them initially into the land. It truly was a land flowing with milk and honey. You know, when the spies came back to Moses after going into the land and spying out the land, they came back and they had an absolutely fantastic report of the land itself, right? They said, oh, it's everything God promised.

Yeah.

It— and so, you know, at that time, uh, it was probably, you know, far more fertile than it is today. But, you know, it was, it was a beautiful land. Yeah, I think it lived up to God's promises. Okay.

Well, Sue says there has been talk lately that Nephilim giants have been spotted in different areas. Is this possible or just fiction?

It's fiction, I'm afraid. It's definitely fiction. And here's why. The Nephilim first appear in the Bible very early on before the global flood. Okay, so if only Noah and his family were saved in the flood, that means the Nephilim had to be killed.

Right.

Right? Now, somebody might take issue with that and say, oh, wait a minute, Pastor Paul, the word Nephilim appears after the flood as well. And that is correct. Here's why. The word Nephilim became synonymous with Tall person or tall people. And there were tall people even after the flood. They weren't the Nephilim that we read about earlier in the Book of Genesis. They were just tall people. And so the Nephilim, the literally the group of people that, that were by that name, were destroyed in the global flood.

Right. And even among the Philistines at David's time.

Yeah.

There were very tall—

Very, very tall people. And people would even say they were the descendants of the Nephilim. But they couldn't be, right? They were just tall people.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Good. Okay, well, uh, Tristan says, in Luke 22, Jesus knows that Peter is going to deny him.

Yeah.

Yet he tells him he will pray for him. Why does Jesus pray for Peter when he knows that he's going to deny him?

Well, you know, Jesus explains in that passage why he's praying for Peter. He said, I pray for you that when you return, you'll strengthen your brothers. Jesus prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail. And, you know, what Peter went through was an enormous temptation. It was also a reckoning of sorts, in the sense that Peter came to terms with kind of who he really was.

Sure.

I mean, he saw his true colors. He was the kind of guy who was fairly, you know, quick to brag about how all these other guys might, you know...

Fall away.

Fall away, but not, not this guy, uh, this is the rock here, and, and I'm not going anywhere, and, and that's when Jesus said, you know, Pete, dude, you know, first of all, you're all going to fall away, but you're even going to go even a little further, and I'm paraphrasing here, but Jesus told him, this very night you're going to deny that you even know me, and, um, And of course, Peter was like, no way. No, I'm ready to die. Well, he wasn't, but he didn't know himself very well. And that failure that night brought Peter face to face with who he really was. He, he wept bitterly after realizing that the Lord was in fact right and that he wasn't the strong, brave man that he thought himself to be, and that he needed Jesus to be the person that God called him to be. And that is in fact what we see, you know, some 50 days later on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fell upon the church and Peter was empowered by the Spirit now, no longer empowered by Peter, but now he was empowered by the Holy Spirit. He stood up and he confronted the people of Israel and he said, you crucified the Lord of glory.

Yeah.

And so we see that, that failure in Peter's life had an incredible impact in causing him to realize who he really was. And I believe that Jesus knew that this was going to be a watershed event in Peter's life.

Right.

And so he says, I've prayed for you, Peter, because down the road, you know, you're gonna, you're gonna learn some important things, and you're gonna realize that you're not strong in and of yourself. You will be strong one day, But you won't be strong in Peter, you'll be strong in me. And so he prayed for Peter accordingly. Yeah.

Awesome. Uh, Gene says, we know that believers are immediately in the presence of God when we die.

Yeah.

What happens to the souls of unbelievers at death? Where do they go?

Unbelievers. Um, we get this question a lot. A lot of times people ask it, uh, as far as, you know, where did people in the Old Testament Well, it's really kind of the same. You know, in the Old Testament, in the Hebrew Scriptures, the word for this place of the dead was Sheol.

Yeah.

And then when it was translated into Greek, that, that word Sheol was translated as Hades, which frankly is kind of a Grecian mythological place of the dead. But the Bible tells us, and Jesus explained, in Luke chapter 16, that, that when people die— and this was previous, by the way, to him dying on the cross—

Right.

But people went to this place which he referred to as Abraham's bosom, also the place of the righteous dead. But there was, there was a place where those who died in faith went to await the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and those who died in unbelief entered a place of suffering awaiting judgment. And we can only assume that after Jesus paid the penalty of our sin and those people were taken into the presence of the Lord, that that place that was once where all people went now became simply that place for unbelievers, those who die in unbelief and rejection of God. And so they're in some kind of a holding place. We really don't understand much about it at all. I don't, you know, I don't believe that it's in the netherworld, as in like under the surface of the ground.

Right.

That was what they originally believed about Sheol and even Hades, that, you know, you dig deep enough, you'll get down there sort of a thing. I don't believe that. I think it's more of a spiritual location because remember, the people that are there are, are incorporeal, meaning they don't have a physical body. They're there in soul and spirit. So I believe it's a spiritual place, but it's a holding place, uh, for, for people awaiting judgment.

All right.

Yeah.

All right, the next question is from Gloria. She says, hello, Pastor Paul and Sue. If salvation is the work of God and someone can only be saved by God giving them a new heart, and knowing that God can do this and everyone can come to him, why doesn't he? Why couldn't he have saved them all? How can this be reconciled?

Well, she starts off by saying, knowing that— read the first part again.

She says, knowing that salvation is the work of God.

Okay, stop there. Yes, salvation is the work of God, but it's not just the work of God. We also have to receive it. And that's why God doesn't do it to everyone, because he isn't— he didn't create us to be automatons. He didn't create us to be unthinking people. He created us with the ability to rationally, reasonably see the path of salvation that is available to all mankind and to choose it. And God wants us to want Him. He wants us to choose that way of life. You see it in the Old Testament where people are confronted with life and death, and God will say, choose life.

Sure.

Choose life. So, you know, what she's kind of asking here is, you know, since salvation is the work of God, why doesn't he do that work in all people?

Yeah.

I mean, why, why judge some people? Well, people are judged because they refuse, they reject God's plan of salvation, which is a free gift through Jesus Christ. They reject it. They choose to say, I don't want you, God. I don't want you in my life. I don't want your salvation. I don't want your forgiveness. I want to be separated from you. And that's what they end up getting. Now, while they're here on this earth, I believe God doesn't leave anybody alone.

Yeah.

I believe he's constantly drawing, constantly articulating through however means he may do it, that salvation is necessary, that sin must be turned away from, it must be repented from, and we must turn to the Lord. I don't believe he gives up on anybody until they've breathed their last. But once they breathe their last, their time is up. And unfortunately— and, and I say this with a sincere heart— unfortunately, not everybody chooses life. I wish they did.

Yeah.

God does too. The Bible says very clearly that he's not willing that any should be lost. But that all would come to repentance. But notice that they have to come to repentance. They have to receive Jesus Christ. That's the missing element of her question.

You know, in this question, it is true that salvation is the work of God in contrast to it being the work of man.

Yes.

But maybe it would be a little bit more clear in this context to say salvation is the offer of God.

Yeah, that's right. He did all the work and then he offers it to us.

It is the offer.

Yeah, that's right. And we have to receive it. The Bible says, to all who received him, to those who believed on his name, which is to believe everything about him, he gave the right to become children of God. And so there is that element of responsibility that we have to simply receive the free gift of salvation.

Yeah. Yeah. And so that answers the question why he didn't.

That's right.

Okay, Jennifer says, was David's bloodline cursed? Why has no one in his bloodline ever lived past 70 years? I read about prophets living to be 120 years, but all David's descendants barely made it to 70.

You know, it's fairly true. Uh, you know, 70 was considered to be a good old age. You know, the Bible says David, David died at a good old age.

Full of years.

And full of years, and he was 70 years old. And there, there's some disagreement on how old some of the sons of David were. For example, the historian Josephus says that Solomon was in his 90s.

Oh.

The Bible doesn't agree. But the Bible seems to suggest he was, he was under 70. But, you know, there is nothing in the Bible that says David's bloodline was cursed. That's, that's the answer to the question. The answer is no. There's nothing in the Bible that says that. And so if it doesn't say it, I wouldn't personally accept it or believe it just because people didn't live past 70.

Sure.

Yeah.

Yeah. And also just because a lineage of people, say, you know, 2 or 3 or 4 generations, all die at age 70, in modern terms, we wouldn't say they're cursed. We nowadays, we would just say, you know, his family, they never— none of them lived very long.

Yeah.

And but it's interesting with Bible people, we have more—

We bring a curse into it.

We do.

Yeah, yeah, that's true.

Yeah. Okay, and our last question is from Monica, who says, I know that God makes provisions for Gentiles, but why did he pick Israel to be his chosen? Why not treat everyone the same?

Why not treat everyone the same? That's a very modern sentiment.

Yeah.

But first of all, I will say this: God's sovereign choosing of Israel is one of the most difficult things for people to understand. Why Israel? Well, you know, even they wondered that, and God answered it in the Old Testament. He said, you know, I just wanted you to know it's not because you're bigger, better, more populous, uh, or more handsome, or—

That's right.

You're not— you, you haven't won any, you know, beauty contests. I chose you because I chose you. That's what he told Israel. I chose you because I'm a merciful God. Now what's really more at the root of her question is, isn't that unfair? That's why she asks the last part. Why not be the same? Why not reveal himself to all people the same? Well, it— God, first of all, is not unfair. Okay? Anyone who wants to come to God, and, and I'm even talking before the time of Christ.

Yeah.

Anyone who looks up to heaven, and says, this just couldn't have happened, right? There's got to be a designer, right, behind all of this. That person will know God.

Yeah, the Bible often talks about them as being God-fearers.

Yeah, exactly. That's what Gentiles were referred as, even by the Jews. Yes, because they had come to a place of fearing God, understanding. So, it is— it's never been like Israel had all the opportunity and no one else did.

Right.

Israel had a very prominent and privileged position to receive the oracles of God, the revelation of God's law, his moral commands, and all those sorts of things. But that's not to say that other people were on the out and there's no way they could know God. You can't say that. You know, we've got characters in the Bible like Melchizedek who I happen to believe was just a guy, you know, and he was not Jewish. And yet he was a priest of God Most High.

Sure.

He was a man who knew the Lord. And I believe he was a Gentile. Well, he was in the time of Abraham. So, I mean, there really weren't any Jews except for Abraham and his family in that strict sense of the understanding. But so we even have biblical examples of of people having faith and Gentiles. And so just because God gave a special place to Israel to receive his word and a revelation of himself, that doesn't mean the Gentiles got nothing, right?

Right.

Or that they were just like, well, I'm sorry, you guys are just destined to hell because I've only— I only love the Jews. That's all. The only ones I love. Now when Jesus comes along, maybe he'll change his mind and he'll love all of you, right? No, no, no, no, no, that's not the way it goes. God— the Bible says God is no respecter of persons, and that includes Jew and Gentile. Now that phrase, God is no respecter of persons, is a simple way of saying God doesn't treat one person differently than another. He sees mankind all the same.

Right.

And he treats them the same. There are different— yes, there are different privileges that may come into the life of a person, but you know what? With the privileges that Israel got, there was far more responsibility that went with it. They were more accountable because of their knowledge and insight into the things of the Lord. So here's the thing that's at the root of this question: Is God unfair? And the answer to that question is no, God is not unfair. The Bible declares him to be perfectly just, and that word means completely fair.

Yeah.

So there you go.

Good. Well, there you go. And that's the last question.

Okay, well, that's all the questions that we're going to put in this episode, but I happen to know that we've got some set aside for next time. So we hope you'll join us when we do that. If you have a question, shoot it to us, would you? Just send us an email. Address your email to questions@lifebibleministry.com. We'll get to it as soon as we can. And until we do, God bless you. Have a good rest of your day.

Bye-bye.