Jeff the Ninja (17:24)
I agree. He said enough in terms of Christ as Lord and Christ is king and all those. All those things. And he's been a great blessing to the church in terms of supporting the Christian church and things like that. So I think he would say, I believe in Jesus. I have faith in Jesus. But then he says here, when he's asked the question about heaven, well, are you going to get to heaven? And it was a revelation of what President Trump believes about how a person gets to heaven. He thinks they get to heaven through their good deeds, through their works, through the level of righteousness that they have. That's what President Trump believes. But what is the. It's the. It's the scriptural question. What do the scriptures say? That's the question. How is a person reconciled to God? How does a person have peace with God? And that's what we want. By the way, for President Trump, this isn't in any way to diminish. Diminish his. Or bring down his dignity in a way, take down the position of president and just sort of talk down to him. It's really a plea. I mean, get this to President Trump. We love and respect you and want you to know Jesus. We want you to know that you have eternal life. And that's what, by the way, the Apostle John says to the Christian church and Roman Catholics would call this the sin of presumption. Well, apparently the Apostle John's guilty of it, and he wants you to be guilty of it, too. And this is where John says, and it's beautiful. One of my favorite things. These things have I written unto you that believe in the name of the Son of God, that you might know that you have everlasting life. So those who believe have eternal life, and God wants you to know that you do. And so that's what we want for President Trump. We want him to know. We want him to know that he has eternal life through Jesus and the perfect work of Jesus Christ for sinners like Trump and us. And so we need to be able to address that and just get into the particulars of the gospel, because, again, someone could say, oh, I have faith in Jesus, but, okay, what kind of faith? What are you having faith in? What's the substance of that faith? And what are you believing about Jesus? What, that he was an historical figure, that he was real and walked among us? And it's like, is that enough content for faith? Or is there something about Jesus that you're supposed to believe in and trust in? And we can, of course, bring up what James says in James, Chapter two, when he's talking to people who are merely professing faith, and there's no real living faith there. It's not a real faith. He says, you know, you say you believe, even the demons believe, and they tremble. They're not saved. Like, they know all this is true. They have an intellectual ascent, like. Or aqua. I. I see that that's true. Absolutely. I think. I think every demon could. Could defeat even the greatest theologian on earth when it comes to, like, a theological exam, because they've been there and done that, and so they know they've got the content down, but they have no faith in Jesus. And so here we go. So how do we explain the gospel to somebody who says, well, I think I've done enough good things. Maybe not enough good things. You know, this. I could have saved the people from the war. And, you know, I'm not sure if I'm going to heaven, but I believe in Jesus. We would say, okay, let's talk about that, because that's. That's a question that's repeatedly asked in Scripture. And that's something that Jesus explicitly speaks to constantly in his ministry, how a person has peace with God and they're not condemned, and what does it mean to be saved in Jesus? And so the Apostle Paul spends the first couple of chapters in the book of Romans unpacking the gospel to this point, explaining the plight, the human condition of all of us. And he explains it first by going after the fact that everybody knows God. Romans chapter one. It's not a problem that they don't know him, that they're not sure that he's there or there's not enough light to understand. We're just sort of clamoring around in the darkness. We just don't really know. No. Paul actually explains in Romans chapter one that everybody does know God, but they don't want to know Him. They don't want him in their head. They didn't want him in their knowledge. They would rather have something else in his place. And so we're going to go to a quick break and unpack some more of the gospel for President Donald Trump and everybody else listening to understand the great glory of this magnificent, marvelous gospel that God has given to us in Jesus Christ. So quick commercial break and then we're going to come right back. This episode is brought to you by ion layer@ionlayer.com Go and check out the health benefits, the wellness benefits and longevity benefits of NAD treatments. NAD is nicknamed the fountain of youth for a reason. You have an abundance of this in your system when you're young. As you get older it drops off. And now we found a way to get NAD into our systems. They do it through IV treatments, but they're very expensive and it's also extremely painful and difficult. However, Ion Layer found a way to get a high dose of NAD into your system through a medical patch you wear on your arm. You wear it for about 14 hours, you get a high dose of NAD treatment into your system and no pain at all. And it is a fraction of the cost of what you would pay through for an IV treatment. In the coupon code, type in Apologia in all caps. They're going to hook you up with a great discount for an already amazingly cost effective product. And they bless Apologia Studios and help us to stay on the air and do all these programs with you. Don't forget. Also, Ion Layer has added a glutathione patch as well. Glutathione, the master antioxidant. Go check out the health benefits of glutathione. I'm doing this stuff anyways. It's blessed my life in tremendous ways. And so if you want to focus on your health, wellness and longevity, nothing better in my mind than ionlayer.com for your NAD and Glutathione treatments. Ionlayer.com don't forget to put apologia in all caps in the coupon code. Welcome back, everybody. So speaking on the Gospel According to St. Paul, Paul in Romans chapter one again says that everyone knows God, they just switch God for idols and they do all kinds of evil things and they don't, they don't just do them, they applaud everybody else who does them. And so then the Jew comes into the conversation for the Apostle Paul where Paul begins to deal with them and they think that they're right and good as far as it goes because they've got the law, right? And so Paul indicts them and he says, you've got it, you've got the scriptures, but that's, that's, that's not getting you right with God because you teach people not to do these things and you do them yourself. And so you, you hold the scriptures, but you don't even do the things that are in the scriptures. And so you're not, you're not good before God or any better off ultimately in terms of your condition. And then In Romans chapter 3, the apostle Paul just brings it down to say, everybody, all right, you're all under sin, every single one of you, Jew and gentile, you're in the same spot. And so we, what is that position? And this is what President Trump and every person who is a part of any man made religion needs to hear or any counterfeit version of Christianity. Romans, chapter 3. The apostle Paul starts grabbing all these verses from the Old Testament, in other words, showing this isn't, this isn't a theological or soteriological novum for Paul, like, this is a new story now there's a new way to heaven, a new way to God. He makes the point, this has always been God's testimony about the condition of mankind mind. And so he says what Trump needs to hear in terms of if Trump is thinking that, okay, I'm not sure if I've done enough good things or maybe I've done too many bad things. And so, like, I'm not sure how the scales are working out for me. I don't know if I'm gonna make it to heaven. And by the way, that's probably what, what, you know, in terms of man made religion, what 99 would say, 100 would say, is, I'm not sure I've done good enough things. Even counterfeit versions of Christianity, religions that ape Christianity and distort the message, same problem. They're like, I'm not sure, you know, Jesus did his thing, but I'm still not sure if I have enough righteousness, if I'm righteous enough. And so Paul says, here it is, you're all under sin. And this is the true story. There is none righteous. No, not one. No one. And so Trump needs to hear that. President Trump, sir, there's some good news, but it starts with the very bad news, and that is that this, you're not righteous. Even the good things that you've done as president that have blessed people's lives and the stands that you've taken and the great things that you've done before God, it doesn't make you righteous or sort of righteous or kind of righteous. There's the. The scale is. Is dropped towards the other direction. It is all bad. There's none righteous. No, not one. None who seeks for God. None who does good. None who does good. And so we have to grab hold of that and understand that. That we can't really understand the good news until we understand our condition, that we are absolutely, undeniably, broken, separated from God, each and every single one of us. No matter how many good deeds you think that you've done, all of our right, it has been said in Scripture, are as filthy rags before God. Even the good things that those covenant people thought that they were doing before God, all their righteousnesses before God because of their sin, were as filthy rags before God. And that word, filthy rag, go look it up. It is not a pretty portrayal of our sin. And so then Paul goes on to make the point in Romans, chapter three. And this is key right here. This is what everyone needs to hear. If the condition is totally lost, if the condition is not righteous, if the condition is not good, this is the key. Now, 319 Romans. Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law, no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes the knowledge of sin. In other words, the law is going to be used to shut everybody up on the last day. Everybody, you're all shut up. And the law is going to condemn everybody. And by the way, it's really important. People have tried to get around the strength and the weight of that witness from Scripture there in terms of the law. And they're like, well, no, but Paul is referring to. There are like ceremonial aspects of the law that's not going to get you to heaven. And like things like circumcision and various sundry other laws like that. It's, it's that kind of stuff that Paul's referring to won't justify you before God. God, you're gonna have a hard time proving that point because Paul says there that the whole world is going to have their mouth shut because of God's law. And it will not justify anybody because they're not righteous, they're not good, and the whole world will be. In other words, all the pagans are going to be shut up by God's law. And that ain't circumcision. All right? It's like, is God on the last day going to shut the pagan's mouth because of circumcision? No. It's clear that Paul's context for works of the law is much broader than. But then Paul goes on to explain in Romans, chapter 3 that the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law through the law and the Though the law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who what believe for there's no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That's everybody. That's trump, that's me, that's Luke, that's everybody listening to this. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are are justified, that is declared righteous by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. So that's how God does it. It is a gift. It is by grace. So, and Paul's going to make this point a number of times throughout his letters. Salvation is either a gift or it is a wage. It is a gift or it is something else. And Paul makes the whole point that if you're trying to work for this, then that's a wage and that's not a gift. And that's not the gospel I'm talking about. So his gospel, he makes a distinction between a grace gift gospel and a works gospel. And he's making the point that if you think it's through your works in some way, then it's no longer a gift. And that's not the kind of thing I'm talking about. I'm talking about a whole different category, grace. And so if you're adding to this through works of the law and your Obedience and all the rest. He says that's a wage and that ain't a gift. So it's not even in the category of gospel. That's Paul's point. It's by the way, one of the most significant points he can make about the gospel is that right there, like the measure of whether or not you are talking about the thing that I'm talking about, the biblical gospel, God's gospel, the measure is whether or not it's a gift or it's a wage. And if you're, if you say in any way that you're working for it, then that's a wage, congratulations, you're working for heaven. And that ain't the gospel. That's not, not gift and grace. So then Paul goes on to say that God put forward Jesus Christ as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith. A, a full diversion of God's wrath, a full satisfaction of God's wrath over sin. And that's why God placed Jesus there, was to do what he says. This, this was to show God's righteous or divine forbearance because he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Here's the key issue with the death of the Son of Man on that tree. Here is the key issue. Paul's making the point that we're all under sin, we've all fallen short. This is a gift. Redemption's in Christ Jesus. And this is why God did it this way. Because God must remain just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. In other words, this is key. I've always tried to make a point when I'm teaching on this, to make this point as clear as possible. When you look at the various different man made religious systems and whatever kind of God or gods or goddesses and the system of works and ritual and all the rest, best they have, you know, an understanding. Every one of us do as image bearers of God, that we're sinners, we've fallen short in some way and we're not good. Like I'm not the best, I'm not perfect. You know, I'm not, I'm not at this point ready for nirvana, right, to enter into the vast sea of oneness, which is nirvana. I might come back as an aardvark because I really, you know, I really blew it a lot. And so I'll just, I'll reset and try this again. And so, you know, even Islam, you know, they know their sin because they borrow capital from the Bible. So they know, like, okay, God is holy and we're sinners and all the rest. And Islam comes later and says, okay, well, it's this way. This is how you get to heaven and fix this. But all those systems, their gods are just capricious and their gods are sort of. It's arbitrary. I mean, whether or not the God likes you. I mean, just. All right, oh, yeah, I know you've sinned and you've fallen short and you've harmed people and you've. You've perpetrated injustices. But you know what I really like, you're a choice meat or you're, you know, a good pick or something. And so though you have harmed and perpetrate injustices and vile sins, Allah can just determine, I'm going to let you go. I'm going to let you go and just abandon justice while I do it on behalf of all your victims and also your sins against me. It just becomes this arbitrary thing, not justice. Whereas what we have here, testimony in Scripture, here, just get this in terms of the glory of the Christian worldview, isn't the indication that it is in fact divine, that this revelation is divine. Because there's no ignoring of justice in Scripture. No ignoring, no lying about your condition, no softening the edges. It's telling the truth. And it says, and the only way that God can do this, save you, forgive you, declare you righteous, is if there's a substitute that actually receives the justice that was due to you in himself. And that's so that God can remain just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. In other words, God doesn't in the gospel ignore the fact that you, you are a wretch, that you're awful. He doesn't ignore the fact that you really are guilty. It's just that there's a substitute who comes in and says, I love you so very much. I will represent you. I will live the life you failed. I will die the death that you actually do deserve. And then I'm going to conquer that death and I'm going to intercede for you forever. And you will be in me. You will be given my righteousness as a gift. And I took your sin on that cross. So God is just, because he's not ignoring your sin, it's paid in full, and he declares you righteous as a gift through faith, not earned. And so that's, that's the beauty of the Gospel right there. Luke, you want to jump in on any of this?
