Episode 121 | Dr. Michael Horton and Adriel Sanchez answer caller questions. Show Notes CoreChristianity.com Key questions answered in today’s show: 1. Is it Biblical to say that we are saved by love and not by law? 2. How do you maintain hope in the face of all the confusion in the church today? 3. Is Romans 8 talking about the salvation of the natural world? 4. Does union with Christ mean that we eventually become absorbed into God?

Episode 120 | Dr. Michael Horton and Adriel Sanchez answer caller questions. Show Notes CoreChristianity.com Key questions answered in today’s show: 1. How should we think about pluralism? In what ways is this bad and in what ways is pluralism good?​ 2. How should we practice the Lord’s Supper? Is it okay for people to administer the Supper to themselves? 3. How should I understand God’s wrath and judgment? 4. What is the balance in being grace-centered and letting people get away with sin? Where does repentance fit with grace?​ 5. The Bible teaches that there will come a time where people will practice a form of godliness but deny its power. What do you think that means?

Episode 119 | Dr. Michael Horton and Adriel Sanchez answer caller questions. Show Notes CoreChristianity.com Key questions answered in today’s show: 1. What do you wished people understood about the Bible? 2. I grew up thinking that if I was faithful God would provide me with a good life. Yet, I know of so many Christians who are not blessed, and especially when I think of Christians in poor countries that are faithfully enduring persecution it seems like being faithful to God doesn’t lead to a more blessed life. And as I read the Bible, especially the psalms it seems like even the wicked prosper. Can you explain this? 3. My question is Jesus says if you ask me anything in my name, I will do it and there are other similar quotes that come from him. But what’s very difficult is even things that seem to be God’s will: asking for people’s salvation, asking for people will severe illnesses to be healed aren’t answered. God does not answer those prayers on many occasions. So I’d love to hear your encouraging thoughts on how Christians can take hold of promises such as these without being discouraged when prayers aren’t answered. Thank you and God bless you.  4. Why does the Bible call the church the bride of Christ? 5. Science teaches us that God doesn’t exist. How should Christians respond to this? What evidence do we need to prove otherwise?

Episode 118 | Dr. Michael Horton and Adriel Sanchez answer caller questions. Show Notes CoreChristianity.com Key questions answered in today’s show: 1. Why is it important to believe in justification by faith and have assurance? Doesn’t a lack of having assurance help us to sate motivated to do good works? 2. In John 14:27 Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” But in Matthew 10:34 Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” How do these two fit together? 3. In Matthew 5:44 Jesus says that we should love our enemies. I don’t know how to do this. Does Jesus really want us to love people who hate us? How is this even possible?

Episode 117 | Dr. Michael Horton and Adriel Sanchez answer caller questions. Show Notes CoreChristianity.com Key questions answered in today’s show: 1. How can I prevent my personal Christian growth from becoming stagnant? 2. Can a person make Jesus their personal savior without making him Lord? 3. Why does the God of the Old Testament seem so different then the God of love in the New Testament? I understand that God is unchanging and that the Old Testament God had to be loving but why didn’t the Old Testament reveal God as a God of love? 4. I’m a Religious Studies major at Texas A&M, and I recently became a Christian. I’m taking a class on Islam for my major. Is it okay for Christians to read other holy books? 5. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” I know that this is true but my life doesn’t seem to be blessed. Maybe I don’t have enough faith. How should I understand God’s plan for my life? 6. Since Jesus hung out with sinners, does that mean we should too? Where do we draw the line?

Episode 116 | Dr. Michael Horton and Adriel Sanchez answer caller questions. Show Notes CoreChristianity.com Key questions answered in today’s show: 1. In the book of Philippians Paul says that he came to consider everything as a loss for the sake of Christ. How can we come to that same conclusion? 2. Can a Christian in this life have assurance of salvation and can he have full assurance of salvation in this life? 3. Is it possible to be saved by following our conscience or the light that is within us, that God has given to each one of us in knowing right from wrong? Are there other religious paths to salvation or do we need to become Christians to be saved? 4. In Ephesians 4:29 it says, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” What does this mean? 5. Dr. Horton, I have a question about how grace alone salvation squares away with passages about discipleship? I’m thinking of passages like Matt. 10:38; Rev. 3:5; Rev 21:7-8; Eph. 5:5.  6. If we are saved by grace, why does Matthew 24 indicate that our salvation is based on works of mercy that we did in our lifetime?

Episode 115 | Dr. Michael Horton and Adriel Sanchez answer caller questions. Show Notes CoreChristianity.com Key questions answered in today’s show: 1. What do you think is one of the big challenges facing the church? 2. I was a biker and have a pretty bad background. I know that when I became a Christian that I was forgiven but I still can’t help thinking about the past. How can I stop thinking about the past and letting it bother me? 3. I haven’t always been the best Christian. It’s been a while since I’ve been to church. How do I know if I’ve committed the unpardonable sin? 4. How do we communicate the real gospel to Mormons in a loving and understanding way? 5. The prodigal Son a Christian who lost his way or is this a story about a person who becomes a Christian? 6. What does Hebrews 11:3 mean when it says, “By faith, we understand that the universe was created by the word of God so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible”?

Episode 114 | Dr. Michael Horton and Adriel Sanchez answer caller questions. Show Notes CoreChristianity.com Key questions answered in today’s show: 1. Jessica writes, “I have heard people talk about salvation as having a past, present, and future aspects so that we could say that a person has been saved in the past, is being saved in the moment, and will be saved in the future. I feel like I don’t really have a grasp on what this means. Can you explain it?” 2. What would Jesus think of the Multisite church model? In our area it seems like there is a growing number of churches that are expanding and planting new churches and in doing so they maintain one teaching pastor and meet at multi-sites that meet across the city. I wonder if there are any downsides to this. What are the perks to that and what are some of the downsides to that could come with that kind of model? 3. Is original sin biblical? 4. How and when was it decided which books ended up in the Bible?

Episode 113 | Dr. Michael Horton and Adriel Sanchez answer caller questions. Show Notes CoreChristianity.com Key questions answered in today’s show: 1. What does Paul mean in 1 Corinthians 1:18 when he says that the gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing? 2. My husband and I just found out we are pregnant (praise God!). There are other young mothers in the office where I work that continue to work while raising a family. In our church, however, there are very few, if any, working mothers. My husband and I have decided that I will not continue with my outside job once the baby comes, but because it is not the “social norm” in my office, I already know my boss will not be understanding when I break the news. Could you provide some Biblical references on what God says should be the right reaction to this decision and how to have that tough conversation with my employer (a devout Catholic) when the time comes? 3. I have been through two church splits over doctrine. John 17 seems to make unity really important. What do you think about this? 4. Can you explain the parable of the 10 virgins? I have heard it taught as the difference being works or love or Holy Spirit. 5. If all humans are born with original sin, and Jesus was fully human, then wouldn’t he also have original sin? 6. Is it possible to focus on the gospel too much and leave out the importance of obedience or worship?

Episode 112 | Dr. Michael Horton and Adriel Sanchez answer caller questions. Show Notes CoreChristianity.com Key questions answered in today’s show: 1. In Matthew 28:18–20, the passage on the Great Commission, Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” I have heard a lot about how Jesus commands us to go into all the world but I haven’t heard much taught about what it means that Jesus is with us until the end of the age. What does this mean? 2. Why does Jesus call himself the Son of Man? Is it just a weird way of saying he is human? If so why don’t the Bible translators translate it as just ‘man’ or ‘human’? 3. Why does God punish children for the sins of their fathers in the Old Testament, even though he says he won’t in Ezekiel 18:4? 4. Every year, there are predictions of the end of the world, and so far they turned out to be false, but shouldn’t we be reading the signs of the times? Jesus could come back at any moment. How should we prepare?  5. Do backslidden Christians go to the white throne of judgment?