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Responding to questions from listenres about the gap theory, Judas Iscariot, music theology, and responding to false teachers. Visit wwutt.com for all of our videos!
What is the gap theory and is it biblical? Was Judas ever a Christian? How do we develop a consistent theology of worship when it comes to the songs we sing in church? The answers to these questions and others when we understand the text.
Many of the Bible stories and verses we think we know, we don't. When we understand the text as an online ministry committed to teaching sound doctrine and exposing the faulty, visit our website at www .utt .com.
Now here's our host, Pastor Gabe Hughes. Thank you, Becky. And greetings, everybody.
It is Friday. And on the Friday edition of the broadcast, we take questions from the listeners. So if you'd like to submit a question, our email address is whenweunderstandthetextatgmail .com. This past week, we were studying in 2 Peter 3, and in verse 8, we read, but do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord, one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.
And there are those who will take this verse out of context and apply it to Genesis 1, where we read the six-day account of creation. And they'll say, well, each one of these days must actually be a longer period of time based on what Peter says in 2 Peter 3, 8.
But that's not what Peter's talking about. He's saying that the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promises as we would count slowness. But he is patient, not wishing that any would perish, but that all would reach repentance.
So while we're counting down the days and we're going, hey, what's taking the Lord so long? Well, he's not slow because a day for him is a different period of time than it is for us. And he is being patient so that the full plan of all those who are going to come to Christ and be saved will come to fulfillment.
So that's what it is that the Lord is waiting for. And we should not think of God as being slow. He is loving, he is merciful, and he is patient. That's specifically what Peter is talking about. We don't take this verse and apply it to creation theory.
Peter was not presenting an apologetic for theistic evolution. And there is no need for any Christian to ever believe that God created all things over a period of millions and millions of years. In fact, if you believe that, you come up with a pretty inconsistent theology trying to apply it to other things that are taught to us in the scriptures.
So I mentioned as we were talking about that, that the way that we're supposed to understand the creation account is exactly as it's given in Genesis chapter one, a literal six day creation. I mentioned that again, because the first question that I have to answer has to do with what we just talked about earlier this week.
This comes from Henry, and he said, Dear Pastor Gabe, I was listening to the podcast and you were talking about creation. And I was wondering what your view is on the gap theory. Personally, I would lean towards believing in the gap theory.
What are your thoughts? Well, to just kind of summarize the gap theory, Genesis one, one and two says, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and the earth was formless and void. Darkness was over the surface of the deep and the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Then God said, let there be light. And there was light. Okay, that's verse three. So the gap theory then is the idea that God created a fully functional earth. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
But then something happened and then God made the earth formless and empty. So the theory then, according to the gap theory, is that it was it was in between Genesis one, one and Genesis one, two, where Satan and the angels fell and God cast them out of heaven and he made earth formless and void is as kind of part of that judgment.
So that's all part of the gap theory. Well, this goes with the same thing as theistic evolution. If you're going to believe that, then you're going to run into some inconsistencies. Because as as Roger Patterson had written in from answers in Genesis a couple of weeks ago, and I read his email on the broadcast, he talked about how when God created all things, he said it was very good.
And you get to the end of the six day creation and he's declaring all things as good. Well, it couldn't be good if there was yet this fallen aspect of creation with the devil and his angels having been cast out of heaven.
That would not be good. And so the fall of the devil and the third of the angels that went with him likely did not happen until after day six of creation. You also have an Ezekiel 28, a reference to the devil prior to his fall, where it says you were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God. This was before the devil fell. So again, the gap theory is inconsistent with what we find in the rest of scripture. And again, I think it's just another excuse to not have to accept a literal six day creation.
It's full of gaps and it's also a theory and not that I think it's heretical, but it's theologically inconsistent with what we find in the scriptures. Thank you for your question, Henry. This next one comes from Joey.
He says, I'm really struggling with this and appears to be a hot topic. Was Judas saved before he betrayed Jesus? Thanks and God bless your ministry. Well, in short, no, he was not. Jesus said in John 10, beginning at about verse 27, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.
I give them eternal life and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of my father's hand.
I and the father are one. We also have something that Jesus said at the end of chapter six, few chapters before that. After Jesus had said to the disciples who were following him, if you want to enter the kingdom of heaven, you must eat of my flesh and drink of my blood.
And many of those disciples are looking at one another and going, this is a hard teaching. Who can accept this? And so then they turned and walked away. Many of them stopped following him. So Jesus then turns to the 12 and he says, do you want to go away as well?
And Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life and we have believed and have come to know that you are the holy one of God. And Jesus responded, did I not choose you the 12 and yet one of you is a devil.
He spoke of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the 12 was going to betray him. So Judas was not ever a Christian and Jesus chose him to be one of the disciples to fulfill the prophecies that were made in the Old Testament, that he was going to be betrayed by someone for 30 pieces of silver.
And this was to bring about the crucifixion of the son of God, his resurrection from the grave for the sin of the world so that we might be saved. And this is talked about as being the foreordained plan of God from before the foundation of the world in Acts chapter two and in chapter four.
All right. This next question comes from Taylor from right here in the state of Kansas. He says, hey, Pastor Gabe, I have enjoyed keeping up with your ministry through your what site. I've been on staff at my church for almost three years now, and one of my main objectives is to develop a theology of worship for our congregation so that when we come to a service, our practice will be consistent with our theology.
I have recently been evaluating a certain aspect of our worship and was wondering if you have any thoughts on the subject. Many of the songs we sing are sung as if the singers have been redeemed or saved.
Yet, there are those in our service who are not saved. For example, I'm forgiven because you were forsaken that song. You are my king. Amazing love. It's sung by those who haven't been forgiven. Is this something that you have addressed?
I am trying to be aware of these things. I have worked hard on selecting music that points to who God is and what he has done. The pattern that is seen in the worship of revelation, rather than who we are or what we are going to do.
But even many hymns talk about who we are in Christ. I once was lost, but now am found, a line from Amazing Grace. Let me know if you have any thoughts on this. Well, I think it's a great task to be given the responsibility to develop a theology of worship.
Before I became a senior teaching pastor, I was an associate pastor, and the emphasis that I had in the role that I played in the church was leading the worship. I really was not a fan of the title worship pastor, and so I tried to stay away from it.
Because all things considered, even the head pastor is a worship pastor. Worship is in teaching as well as in singing. So I was an associate pastor, and my emphasis was leading the music in the church.
When it comes to evaluating modern lyrics in the songs that we sing, my recommendation would be to compare them with poetic scripture like you find in the Psalms or in Isaiah or something like that. You're not necessarily looking for a direct comparison like, oh, he's quoting Psalm 8 here or something like that.
You're testing the lyricist to see if his writing is consistent with how God has ordained praise in the Bible. Take for example, the song that you gave, I'm forgiven because you were forsaken. This is consistent with Isaiah 53 5, which says he was pierced for our transgressions.
He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and by his wounds we are healed. An approach to a theology of worship should be more about what God requires of our praise rather than what kind of praise we think that we're capable of offering.
So what does God require of his people, the church? True, there's going to be those in our midst who are not Christians, but they're not the church. They might be in church, but they're still outside the church.
This is a what video I just published today, as a matter of fact, talking about inviting unbelievers to church. We can have unbelievers in our midst, but they're not actually part of the church. In Romans 8 9, Paul wrote addressing the church.
You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the spirit. If, in fact, the spirit of God dwells in you, anyone who does not have the spirit of Christ does not belong to him. There were perhaps some in their midst there in the in the church in Rome who had not yet been saved.
And for them, Paul would make addresses like that. These kinds of things will be addressed in the preaching and the members of the true church should identify those who are not Christians, who are not part of the true church for the purpose of sharing the gospel with them and leading them to Christ.
That should not necessarily be the responsibility of the music leader. His responsibility is to lead the people of God in singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in our hearts to God.
Colossians 3 16. Only the people of God can do this in a right way. Those who are not in Christ, when they speak the name of God, it's blasphemy, whether they're singing about it or talking about it. Whatever is not done in faith is sin.
Romans 14 23. This should impose upon us an urgency to share the gospel with them so that they'll repent and by the righteousness of Christ be made holy to offer right worship. Examine the lyrics in the songs that you sing according to what God says is right worship in service to the saints of God in Christ Jesus who offer up right praises to his name.
So again, Taylor, I think it's a wonderful task to develop a theology of worship and may the spirit of the Lord be with you as you work. Thank you for your question. This next one comes from Darius, who says, Dear Pastor Gabe, I've been listening to your podcast for quite some time now and have really learned a lot.
Thank you for your service to the body of Christ. I was reflecting some of my past behavior, reflecting on some of my past behavior before I became a believer, and it got me to wondering, does God watch over us before we become believers?
I was thinking about times where I may have been drinking and driving and thinking that perhaps that was God protecting me. Even then, the closest scripture I could find that relates to this is Ephesians 1 4.
Does this mean that because God chose me, he watched over me even before I was saved? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you very much. Well, Darius, there's a yes and a no to this question. Yes, there is a sense that God has been watching over us even before we were born.
Paul mentions that in Galatians 1 15, that he was set apart before he was born. God has providentially orchestrated times and places and events to lead us to repentance. Paul preached about that in Acts chapter 17.
And the understanding is that when we come to faith in Christ, we praise him for his mercy and his grace that we were not destroyed when we deserved that. But God preserved us and led us to faith in Christ.
So there's a yes. That's the yes side to the question. But there's also a no to this question in the sense that God's eyes are against those who do unrighteousness. Psalm 34 16 Habakkuk 1 13. When we cherish sin in our hearts, God does not hear our prayers.
David talks about that in Psalm 66 18. And in John 14 6, Jesus says, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but by me. So any prayers that we might pray prior to coming to Christ are not received by God.
So until we come to Christ, we're not accepted by God. But in Christ, we are reconciled. Talks about that in Romans chapter 5 verses 8 through 10. In any case, God has called upon us to turn from sin and follow Christ.
And we have a responsibility to respond in genuine faith in studying the scriptures. We find that nothing is done. Nothing is done outside of God's sovereign plan. And salvation is from beginning to end the gracious work of God.
As we read in Romans 8 30, those whom he predestined, he also called those whom he called. He also justified and those whom he justified. He also glorified. And as I've studied with my congregation, as we've been going through first Corinthians together, first Corinthians 1 9, God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of his son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Last question here. This one comes from Christopher in Pennsylvania. He says, Dear Pastor Hughes, I'd like to start by saying I greatly enjoy reading your blogs and watching the what videos. Both are biblically based, encouraging and proclaim truth that we need to hear.
I recently engaged in commenting on John Pavlovitz's blogs. I hope I did so in a godly manner and was met with a lot of hostility and even coarse language. It appears calling out Mr. Pavlovitz for preaching a false gospel or questioning dislike towards theological or political conservatism invites a lot of hate.
I understand John Pavlovitz is not our enemy, and I pray he repents and truly to Jesus. However, do we have a responsibility to engage with those who are deceived? Or should we disengage if they will not listen and and they instead respond with hate?
Back in the early 2000s, when I was in my 20s, I was part of a young adult group that was heavily influenced by the teachings of Rob Bell and Brian McLaren. Many of the people involved then have have wandered due to not being strongly grounded.
It troubles me greatly to see people deceived, and I want them to truly know Jesus and his word. I am a father of a three-year-old and a one-year-old, and I and pray I disciple them so they can discern God's truth from falsehoods that may feel or sound good.
Thank you for your commitment to God's truth and loving the body through your blogs and videos. God bless. Well, I appreciate that very much, Christopher. Yes, I think we should engage with those like John Pavlovitz who are teaching a false gospel and warn them that if they do not repent, they will be judged for what it is that they teach.
Jesus did this with the Pharisees in Matthew chapter 23, and he did this in view of the people, the people that were that heard the seven woes that Jesus had issued against the Pharisees. Paul would specifically call out false teachers by name.
The apostle John does the same thing in 2 John. And so there are times and places in which we should engage with those false teachers and warn them that if they do not repent, they will be judged. But there's also a point where we need to back off because we realize that what we're saying is not having an effect.
They are hardening their hearts against the declaration of the gospel and the call to repentance. And Jesus talked about this, too, in Matthew chapter 7, where he said not to cast pearls before swine.
Do not give dogs what is holy and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. So we could end up wasting our time trying to share the gospel with somebody who doesn't want to receive it.
Instead, we need to go to these people over here who have hearts that desire the gospel so that they can hear the message of Christ. They can hear about their sin, the hope of the gospel that is in Christ Jesus and turn from their sin and be saved.
While we're wasting our time with people who do not want to hear that message, we are missing out on the chance to share it with those who do want to receive that message. So we should call sin, sin. And we should call to repentance when necessary, but also know when it would be appropriate to back away from that and take the gospel to those who truly need it and will listen to it.
Rob Bell and Brian McLaren and John Pavlovitz, these are all men who encourage people to pursue their sinful passions. Bell and McLaren and Pavlovitz may not be engaged in any kind of sexual immorality themselves, but all three of those men affirm the gay lifestyle and encourage gay men to be gay.
And we were talking about this last week when we were in 2 Peter 2, for speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh, those who are barely escaping from those who live in error.
And so you'll have people who proclaim to be Christians who will listen to men like Bell and McLaren and Pavlovitz and fall right back into the sinful nature that they were in prior to claiming to have repented and come to be a follower in Christ.
These are dangerous, dangerous men, and they are leading people to hell. And so I pray that they would repent before they are judged for the false teaching that they have been spreading in their false ministries.
We have it said to us in Romans 16 verses 17 through 20. I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught. Avoid them.
For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. And by smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the hearts of the naive. For your obedience is known to all so that I rejoice over you.
But I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. And so as we conclude, Christopher, I want to pray for you that God would give you wisdom in how to handle these situations and also when it comes to training up your children in an understanding of the truth of God's word.
Our Lord God, we thank you so much for the salvation that has been given to us through Jesus Christ. Though we were once dead in our sins and our trespasses, we were following the course of this world, the prince of the power of the air.
All of us at one point were walking in false teaching. You saved us by your mercy, drawing us out of darkness and into your marvelous light. So let this praise be on our lips every day when we wake up, thanking God for the salvation that has been given to us in Christ.
Lord, there are many others that we know of and we can see and observe that are walking in lies, that are in darkness, that are following the devil's schemes. And we must call out those false teachers and warn those who are being led astray by those false teachers, delivering the truth of the gospel so that they may know and repent and live.
Help us to do this with gentleness and respect, to do so patiently, knowing that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of darkness that we cannot see. And so help us to know the word of God soundly and be able to preach it gently and with love so that those who are in sin would repent and follow in the righteousness of Christ, just as you had done for us, so do also for them.
And I pray specifically for Christopher, that he would be given wisdom in how to engage in these situations and that you would also teach him how to train up his children in a right way, according to the truth of the word of God.
Lead us in paths of righteousness for your name's sake. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.
Gabriel Hughes is a pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Junction City, Kansas. For all of our podcasts, episodes, videos, books, and more, visit our website at www .utt .com and let your friends know about our ministry.
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