WWUTT 2310 Q&A Parenting, Grounding, Bonhoeffer, Mary, The Chosen

Christian Liberty, Proverbs 6, and Training Children in the Lord

Is Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book on discipleship any good? What is grounding and is it something Christians can partake in? And can we be entertained by Bible movies and shows even when they aren't accurate?

The answers to these questions, when we understand the text.

This is When We Understand The Text, a daily Bible commentary in the word of Christ. He who became sin, who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Tell your friends about our ministry at www .wutt .com.

And once again, it's Pastor Gabe.

Thank you, Becky.

You're welcome.

Merry Christmas. No, we got one more before Christmas.

We have one more.

Yep.

Wait, do we?

Yeah, this is the 13th. This is the episode for December 13th.

Yes, you're right.

So then 20th is next week and we'll take some Christmas questions from you.

Yes.

If you want to submit a question to whenweunderstandthetext at gmail .com or leave us a voicemail going to www .wutt .com and click on that voicemail tab, record us a message, tell us Merry Christmas.

Yeah.

Give us a favorite Christmas tradition or something.

Oh, that'd be awesome.

Yes.

If you can record that in a minute and a half.

What do you guys love to do every Christmas?

Yeah.

Yeah, that'd be awesome.

Favorite Christmas story, record it in two voicemails if it takes two.

We'll play them both.

To get it all, of course. I'll splice it together, make it sound all neat and everything. Well, let's get to our proverb here and then we'll get to some of those questions.

Awesome.

So this is Proverbs 6, verse 20. My son, keep your father's commandment and forsake not your mother's teaching. Bind them on your heart always. Tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you.

When you lie down, they will watch over you. And when you awake, they will talk with you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light. And the reproofs of discipline are the way of life. I'm going to stop there because then we jump back into warnings against adultery that we had read in chapter 5.

Right.

And we'll come back up in the rest of this chapter and on into chapter 7. So let me end it there and then we'll pick up the reading.

On the positive note.

Yeah.

We'll pick up the reading of Proverbs 6 at that point later.

Perfect.

But at least getting this word that the instructions that we receive are so important, it would be as though we wear them around with us.

Well, I mean, you do. People notice your way of life and like your deeds and how you react to things. So you really do wear them in a way.

And that's Jesus saying in Matthew chapter 5, let your light shine before men so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Yeah. And even children are known by their deeds.

Yes.

It's in the Bible too. It's a Bible verse that I've taught the kids.

Right.

I don't remember where it's at.

I'm terrible.

Are you talking about training in the discipline in the instruction of the Lord like Ephesians 6?

No, it says even a child makes himself known by his acts.

Okay. So that's Proverbs 20.

Yeah.

Even a child makes himself known by his acts by whether his conduct is pure and.

Upright.

Yeah, you're right.

Okay. Well done, babe. That was good. And you may feel like his parents. These disciplines aren't working. My children just go right back to the same behavior. I am a living example. Yes, I am a living example that it works.

Be diligent at it. It does work. I was quite a liar when I was a little kid and my parents disciplined and disciplined and disciplined. And I don't know that I ever really became an honest young man at home.

But then when I was finally out, yeah, I know, I know. But then when I was finally out and living on my own, those disciplines finally took and the convictions were there and I understood the value of honesty and and to tell the truth and to live in that truth that my parents had taught me and instilled in me.

Yeah, so it gets in there.

It does.

It may not happen in the timing in which you expect it to take place or hope it to take place, but continue in in what you as parents should do faithfully and let the Lord do that work in their hearts.

Yes, we remember the words that we have been built up in in the discipline of the instruction of the Lord, which is a fusion six. Yes, those things do become lifelong words, guiding words in the Lord in the lives of your children.

So be diligent in that. All right, let's get to some of these questions here. This one comes from, oh, no, I'm going to start. Let me start with a voicemail message here. So this has to do with as we've been talking about Christian Liberty and things like that.

James just had some thoughts to share. So this is from James.

Okay.

Hey Pastor Gabe, I have a comment more than a question concerning your most recent Q &A on Christian Liberty. So R .C. Sproul has a good sermon called the tyranny of the weaker brother and it's concerning Christian liberties and not offending our brothers.

I think it really does boil down to the communities that we're in because we all know those people in our church or extended families, what have you, that use Christianity more as a club to always be right and when they don't get their way, then these Bible verses come out.

But then we have the younger, weaker in the faith of brothers and sisters who ask questions about why we do what we do out of concern, out of concern for their growth and obedience to God. And they want to make sure that they're not not offending God in any way.

So sometimes I actually walk on eggshells because they're scared of doing the wrong thing and conduct will help them mature as well. But I really do think it just comes down to the close community that we're in and knowing the heart of the people who have issues with us because if we love them, then we will lay aside our desires for them.

Those are great thoughts. Yeah, and really kind of the outworking of that instruction in Romans 15, we who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves, but to please our neighbor for his good to build him up.

Thank you for that sermon reminder. I do remember listening to that, but I cannot remember how long ago it was. It was again, the sermon that was entitled, The Tyranny of the Weaker Brother by R .C. Sproul.

I'll have to go back and look for that one myself, but now everybody else has heard it. So you can look it up to look for the tyranny of the weaker brother. Some of the emails that I will get that push back on some of the things that we talk about on the program will be from somebody who was offended by a Liberty issue that we discussed.

I might share some of those things, not intending them to be conscience-binding and I certainly don't want to use language that might bind your conscience or make it sound like to you that I'm obligating you to have to do X, Y, or Z.

If we're talking about Christian Liberty things, it may not be that I'm saying to you, you have to do it this way. I may just be offering counsel or suggestion on here's what you could.

Do.

So that's as we've said many, many, many times and probably most every podcast that we've done the Q &A. Every situation is unique and different and case by case basis. It is. It's always a case by case.

And we only know like one small portion of the situation as a whole. And so we can only give what we know, advice on what we know. And even that is with caution. Definitely go seek counsel from those around you who know you best and your pastor.

Your pastor, especially.

Yeah.

Yeah, like accountability partners and mentors and the people that you have around you that can that can really help walk with you through.

That.

Yes, right.

So your advice and whenever I rarely give my advice or opinion is just.

Based off of like very, very small portion of the scenario scenario.

That's what I'm looking for.

Yes.

Yeah.

So thank you for your thoughts, James. Yeah, appreciate that. This next one has to do with the video that I did on Dietrich.

Bonhoeffer.

Okay.

This is a movie that's out now. And I did not pull this question up. Somebody had emailed me and said, did I see the movie? The answer is no. I didn't go see Bonhoeffer. I've been to the theater. When was the last time I went to the theater?

I took the kids to go see something. Oh, yeah, right. I remember which one it was now.

Yeah, like round Thanksgiving or something.

Yeah.

And then there's a movie that our theater, our local theater shows classic movies on Tuesdays.

Yes.

So Becky and I are already like laying out our schedule for date.

Night.

Yes, and we can go see some of these classic films that we've never seen in theaters, right? Maybe we were too young when they were out. Yeah, or something like that. So we're going to catch some of those.

But anyway, I did fun. I didn't go see Bonhoeffer. So I can't tell you about the film, but I did get a question about his really is most popular book that I in fact read a little over a decade ago. So before getting to that question, here's the video that I just did on Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran minister most known for his involvement in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler near the end of World War two for which Bonhoeffer was imprisoned and later executed.

This became the focus of a movie about his life that came out in 2024 entitled Bonhoeffer pastor spy assassin. His most famous work was the cost of discipleship published in 1937 examining what he called cheap grace versus costly grace.

Cheap grace would be like preaching forgiveness without repentance. Whereas costly grace is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him Bonhoeffer taught that Salvation should radically change a person's life for faith without obedience is no faith at all as said in James 217.

Unfortunately Bonhoeffer's theology was rather liberal in his book Christ the center. He cast doubt on the fact that Christ really existed. He wrote as a subject for historical investigation. Jesus Christ remains an uncertain phenomenon.

His historicity can neither be confirmed nor denied with the necessary absolute certainty Bonhoeffer said of Christ's resurrection from the grave empty or not empty. It remains a stumbling block. We cannot be sure of its historicity whereas the apostle Paul provided numerous proofs for the resurrection and said if Christ has not been raised your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

Bonhoeffer denied the inerrancy of Scripture calling the Bible flawed. He went as far as denying the power of the gospel itself saying we must finally break away from the idea that the gospel deals with the Salvation of an individual soul, but Romans 1 16 says I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for Salvation to all who believe though regarded as a courageous hero of the faith one should be very careful with the theology and life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer when we understand the text.

So there was the video and of course I've been getting numerous different responses to that because for some people it was like I never knew this about Bonhoeffer. Yeah, and it could have been that the only book that they read was the cost of discipleship, which is his most well-known book.

That was a book that I read. It was over 10 years ago. I don't remember exactly what year but another pastor friend of mine who very sadly is apostate now. He's not even a believer anymore. Yeah, but it was another pastor friend of mine that encouraged me to read it and we read it together and discussed it.

So there's not a whole lot. I remember about it. I will say this. I do not recall anything in the book popping out at me as being blatantly heretical and though I was much less mature at that time. I still would have picked up on something like that, right?

So I went back and looked for the cost of discipleship like a review somebody who was sound that reviewed the book and was looking for is there something in there that I might have missed there was a footnote apparently and I didn't start reading footnotes until maybe a dozen years ago, right?

So there there apparently was a footnote in the book where he said something to the effect of doubting the actual presence of Christ or no, no, it had to do with the resurrection. Okay, so the the authenticity the legitimacy the confidence that we can have in the resurrection is like in question basically so you can doubt the resurrection and it doesn't doesn't really cost you anything in your conviction and again, I don't remember that if that was a footnote, I certainly didn't pick that up in the book.

There was something that I do recall and again, I'm not even going to be able to say it right because I don't have any quotes in front of me or anything like that. There was something I remember it being fairly early on in the book where he said something to the effect of how difficult it is to follow Christ and it when I read it, I thought well, I understand that I yeah, you probably put it through your filter exactly, right?

You know, it's hard to follow Jesus. Yes, but then in light of things that I read later about his liberal German Lutheran theology that when I thought about that quote again that I remember catching my attention in the cost of discipleship.

I wonder if what he meant was we can't even really be certain of the person and work of Christ that the words were reading about in the Sermon on the Mount were really his words because that's what the cost of discipleship is.

It's about the Sermon on the Mount. Okay, it's notes and thoughts from the Sermon on from reading and studying the Sermon on the Mount. So it so it therefore it could have been that he meant the reason why you find it so difficult to follow Jesus is because we can doubt if any of this stuff was actually what he said.

Yeah, I and again, I didn't pick that up when I read the cost of discipleship. It is considered a classic Christian book interesting. Yeah, but anyway all that to say I don't think you're picking up something bad.

If you read the book, it's not really something that I recommend and haven't recommended it for years. Yeah, since I came to discover just how liberal Bonhoeffer was in his views. Yeah, I'm really answering the question here before I've even read the email.

Yep, but this is from this is from long in Minnesota. He said I pastor Gabe. I saw your recent what video on Dietrich Bonhoeffer couple of brothers in Christ and I are going through his book the cost of discipleship.

We've had our own personal concerns of his theology based on how he was arguing for his points in each chapter. Some paragraphs seem totally convoluted. We gave the benefit of the doubt. It was a translation issue from German to English.

I do remember that being an issue. Oh, yeah, so I remember reading certain things and wondering well, I wonder if I'm just not picking up what he means because it's a it's a translation problem.

Sure.

It is a difficult read. I did not think of it as being an easy read but long goes on. We only considered reading the book because of its high circulation and evangelical influence. I was never made aware.

He held on to some progressive and heretical doctrines. I was curious to know your review of the book and if there's time your opinion on why there isn't a wider and harsher critique on Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his theology.

The cost of discipleship is made out to appear as a modern Christian classic and you're right. It is and I think the reason why there's not as much pushback on Bonhoeffer. There's two reasons. Really one is the popularity of the book Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas.

Okay, and if you get a good honest review of that book, it really is taking Bonhoeffer and kind of Americanizing him for an evangelical audience. So Metaxas really does bolster Bonhoeffer.

Okay, like buffers all of those.

Yeah, kind of we're going to hide some of the skeletons.

Okay.

Okay.

It's a big book. I did not finish the whole thing.

Oh, okay.

I was going to say I have it over there, but I guess not. It's probably in my big book box, but anyway, it is a thick.

Book.

It's not a quick read at all. I was not really all that compelled by what I was reading. So I didn't ever finish the book. But again, if you get a good review of it, there will be people that will push back on.

This really is not a good take on Bonhoeffer and definitely doesn't expose some of his more liberal leanings. The movie itself as I understand it because the subtitle of the movie is passers-by assassin.

You know, they really do lean into the plot that he was involved in to assassinate Adolf Hitler. That's the reason why he was thrown in prison because he was part of that plot right? He was not thrown in prison because he was a heroic preacher.

Of the gospel. And didn't you tell me at one time that he's considered a martyr.

Yeah, right. He's considered a martyr. Yeah, because not what that means the perception or the perspective of that is Bonhoeffer was executed because he was a preacher of the gospel. So that therefore makes him a martyr.

But that wasn't the reason why he was executed right now. I'm not making some sort of moral claim as to whether or not anybody should be involved in such a plot as Bonhoeffer was. All I'm saying is that this is what he was executed for.

He did have a strong desire to protect and defend those people who are being executed by the Nazis.

That is that's honorable.

That's why he was involved in that plot. Yeah, you know, I'm not just saying he just wanted to off the leader of Germany right. The leader of the Nazi Party Adolf Hitler because we just didn't like him.

He was trying to protect he was defending those people that were being put to death by the Nazis.

Yeah.

So of course great heroic heart and put his life on the line for their sake. He knew the danger that he was entering into it's just not the same as saying that Dietrich was put to death for the faith.

Yes, there were a lot of people that were executed by the Nazis for helping Jews that had nothing to do with their theological convictions. What's another book that you could read other than the cost of discipleship?

Like I said, I don't really think you're going down any dangerous road by reading that book, but there are a couple of other books that I've read include spiritual disciplines for the Christian life by Donald Whitney.

There's disciplines for a godly man by our Kent Hughes and there's also though. I haven't read this one disciplines of a godly woman by his wife Barbara Hughes. Yeah, so you can check out those as well.

And if you have the monergism ebook library, we've plugged this a few times but the monergism ebook library you can download it from monergism .org. It's a free ebook library. I mean, it really is a library over a thousand books.

I think they have in this library now. Yeah, when we were first promoting it, it had 900. Yep, but now there's over a thousand added to it.

They've added.

Yeah, they add to every time I open it. It will say updating library and like here's what's new and it's got six or seven new books listed in it. So they're adding to it. Yeah, adding to it all the time, but there's a book from Horatius Bonner.

You were really want to go classic like Bonhoeffer would be considered classic. How about Horatius Bonner, not Bonhoeffer, but Bonner the hymn writer. He's got a book called follow the lamb. I've read portions of it and some of the chapters include be strong in the grace that is in Christ.

Jesus. Keep the conscience clean. Hold fast that which you have received. Deal honestly with yourselves. Keep company with God and with his people. Study the Bible. Take heed to your steps. Those are just a few chapter headings that you'll find in there in Bonner's book.

Follow the lamb.

Those are awesome.

Something to check out and it's free. Just download the modernism ebook library and you have all of that for you right there.

There you go.

All right. Last one comes from Paula. She says hey Pastor Gabe and Becky. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Merry Christmas praying this blessed season is finding you all well. I have a couple of quick questions question one.

We live about 50 miles from Tulsa, Oklahoma. We have a Christian College that each year puts on a beautiful light display. The problem is the college is Rima Bible College founded by Kenneth Hagen who's a heretic.

We've visited prior to knowing all this but now that we do know I'm not really sure if that's something that we should go to. They don't ask for donations or anything. So no money is ever given. Am I overthinking this my husband wasn't really concerned since we are not giving money.

Well since we're on the subject of Christian Liberty. Yeah, if you can keep your conscience clean and go I don't see why it's any big deal, right? I mean you're going to movies at the theater that are made by godless people.

Yeah, and we don't necessarily think so much about the movies that we watch but if we attend something that had been assembled by a Christian heretic then suddenly we're going. Oh, I don't know if I should participate in something like.

That.

Yeah.

So what you're pointing out is don't have a double standard.

I'm just saying like is it going to be a guilt on your conscience?

Oh, okay.

That's really all I'm coming at it from. Okay, if it is going.

To be then don't go to it.

The plane.

Yeah, just like we'll just get right to it dancing around.

Anything.

Okay.

Okay, if it doesn't bother you you can still enjoy the light show without thinking about who it was that was behind all of this. I mean Hagen is obviously not alive anymore, but his understudy Ken Copeland is certainly alive and well and doing his thing.

Well, I don't know about well, but he's alive and even that's a little debatable, but obviously it's not benefiting them.

In any way.

It might just be something that you're putting on. It does kind of seem to be PR oriented, you know, the name of the college gets out your attendance or not attendance. Does that really hurt or affect anything that's going on?

Does it affect you? It just depends. If you feel guilty about attending it, then don't go right. If you would have a guilty conscience by attending, but I don't see anything right up front that would make me go.

Yeah, I mean except at the name Kenneth Hagen.

There's because I think if you were having to pay, would you.

Go? No, I wouldn't.

Okay.

Yeah, but but not having to pay. Would you go?

Yeah, I might. Yeah, I might check it out. And if somebody says, hey, we're doing this light thing.

Do you want to go?

I'm sure. And I look it up and I find out that it has something to do with Kenneth Hagen. That's going to make an antenna go up.

Okay, I'll be a little right.

I'm going to be aware of some things that are going on now knowing that, but I don't know that it necessarily keep me from going. Now, if it's something like Transformation Church, which is a very charismatic church, very laser light show kind of church that's right there in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Okay, if somebody's inviting me to Transformation, I'm probably going to go. No, attending church where people are worshiping.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, that's a completely different matter.

Definitely.

But where this is for entertainment to enjoy some lights to kind of reflect on the season. In most cases, like you said, Paula, you didn't even know Kenneth Hagen had anything to do with it right for a while while you were attending.

But now you do know something about it. And that makes you doubt it a little bit more. It kind of goes into the principle that Paul lays out in Corinthians. If somebody lays meat in front of you, don't ask any questions.

About it.

Just eat the meat.

Right.

But now if somebody says, oh, this was offered by a false God. Well, don't eat the or offered to a false God. Don't eat the meat for the sake of conscience. Yours, not just yours, but the person who had offered it to.

You.

So, you know, those are things you have to think about when it comes to participating in these kinds of things. Am I communicating something with this?

Oh, yeah, sure.

Now, Paula's second question is, have you heard of, and if so, what are your thoughts on grounding? Not the punishment of children, but like the bare feet on the.

Ground.

Exactly.

And like, yeah, like the electric currents from the earth in your body. Yeah, stuff like that. So she says, my oldest stepdaughter is all hyped up about it and says she's getting benefits from it and feels like she's gaining more energy and less pain.

She is a Christian, but this all sounds kind of new age to.

Me.

She always seems to be swayed by the latest trend. Any info and wisdom would be appreciated. Have a wonderful holiday with your beautiful family. You are all in my prayers.

Thank you.

So appreciate it. Well, really, if going outside and laying in the grass makes you feel better, by all means, praise the Lord while you're.

Doing it.

Exactly.

I don't think you're doing anything pagan. It's almost like stuff that we enjoy that makes us feel good walking in the ground, barefoot, laying in shallow water, like the shallow end of a lake or pool or something like that.

That's also part of earthing or grounding.

Okay.

It's kind of like we enjoy these things because they feel good. And then you find out it's got some weird new agey thing attached.

To it.

Yeah.

And now suddenly it's like, I just like walking in the grass.

Barefoot.

Why does it have to be some sort of pagan-y connect with your roots sort of connect with the ground that you came from or.

Whatever?

I mean, the Lord has created things so beautifully that they're all interconnected. And really, there could be some beneficial things that the Lord has put in the ground for us to, like, you know, make us healthier.

Like the sun gives us vitamin D.

Exactly.

Go outside and enjoy the sun.

It's a good thing to go get vitamin D. Nobody does that anymore.

You're not a sun worshiper just because you went out and got your afternoon sun or go for a midnight stroll in a full moon or something like that.

But the wicked world just twists things and twists God's beauty of things and that it makes us as believers feel like what we're doing is sinful when we're enjoying something that God made for us to enjoy.

And so it's something that, you know, you're just going to have to keep her, let her do that, but keep her mind on God and be thankful to God for gifting us with things that make us feel better and not hurt as much or whatever her benefits are.

Yeah, it's a beautiful thing to appreciate God's creation, right?

It's like in first Corinthians 10, where it says, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it to the glory of God.

Amen.

So if you want to do whatever gets called earthing or grounding or whatever else, and it makes you feel good, fine, do it unto God's glory.

Right.

Don't do it.

Just make sure your her focus is there and doesn't isn't that part is not swayed to what's around her.

Exactly.

Yeah.

So good word and I appreciate your questions, Paula, and Merry Christmas to you and to your family as well. Enjoy some Christian lights, Christmas lights. We like going around and looking at Christmas lights.

We'll surely do that again this year. Now, if you're listening on the radio, we're coming to a close here. If you listen to the podcast, we're going to extend it to an hour. I'm going to respond to some questions to other what videos, including recent reviews of a sneak peek of season five of The Chosen and also the new Mary movie that came out on Netflix.

So I'm going to respond to comments to videos that I've made of both. I came to bed real late the other night and Becky goes, why are you coming to bed so late? And I said, well, I was watching The Chosen.