January 22, 2026 • 28 mins
Romans 11 and the salvation of Jews? Clarify the common Olive Tree? Explain all Israel will be saved? Brian - Charlotte, NC (0:49)
How to reconcile turning the other cheek and self-defense? John (15:13)
My Primitive Baptist friends say that God has prechosen the elect, and the non-elect are lost regardless of their choice. What is your insight on this? How do I find a good church? David - Houston, TX (18:41)
How to reconcile turning the other cheek and self-defense? John (15:13)
My Primitive Baptist friends say that God has prechosen the elect, and the non-elect are lost regardless of their choice. What is your insight on this? How do I find a good church? David - Houston, TX (18:41)
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Broadcasting across the United States, Canada, and around the world.
This is the Bible answer Man Broadcast. Your host for
the program is Hank Canagraph, president of the Christian Research Institute.
We're on the air because life and truth Matter. For
more information resources or to donate to CRI, call eight
(00:29):
eight eight seven thousand CRI, or go online to equip
dot org. That's equip dot org. The following program was
pre recorded to start today's Bible answer Man Broadcast. Here's
your host, Hank Canagraph.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Thank you very much for Randy, a lot of you
hanging on. We'll go right to the phone calls. First
up Brian listening in Charlotte, North Carolina. Hi, Brian, Hey, Hey,
how are you doing. I'm good. How are you?
Speaker 3 (00:56):
I'm doing well. Thanks, And first let me just say
I really appreciate your scripturally based approach to this ministry.
I'm actually relaying a question that came to me, as
all hard questions sometimes do, from an innocent ten year
old child who was coming to know Christ. It was
my son and he has a number of Jewish friends
and very genuinely asked me one day, so help me
(01:17):
reconcile my understanding of God's Old Testament covenant with the
Jews and the need to believe in Christ and what
basically is going to happen to my buddies. Are they
going to go to heaven? Are they going to go
to hell? And I've heard you in the past referent
Romans eleven with a very extended metaphor their beautiful section
of scripture talking about a metaphor where we're all considered
(01:41):
a part of a common olive tree, where the Jews
were the original branches and where the gendles have been
grafted in. And in particular, as I read from Romans
eleven eleven through basically the remainder of that chapter, for me,
what I take away is a message that says that
God still has a covenant with the Jewish people and
(02:03):
we don't need to worry too much about that as Christians.
That basically God has a deal with them and still
reconcile it in the end, and we don't need to
worry too much about exactly how, and in fact, if anything,
we need to be careful not to boast because we
weren't the natural branches there, and specifically says that this
was His covenant with them and that all of Israel
will ultimately be safe. And I'm struggling with that a
(02:26):
little bit, given you know, other statements from Christ that
folks will only go to Heaven through Him, and would
love to get your exposition around Roman's eleven because, frankly,
I've just not seen much commentary out there about it
at all.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah. Well, again, going back to this cultivated olive tree
in Romans chapter eleven, the tree symbolizes national Israel, the
branches symbolize those who believe, and its roots symbolizes Jesus Christ,
the root and the offspring of David. So the natural
branch is broken off present Jews who reject Jesus. The
(03:03):
wild branches grafted in represent Gentiles who receive Jesus. And
that's why Paul says, and I think this is a
very important passage, going back just a couple of chapters
to Romans chapter nine, not all who are descendant from
(03:24):
Israel are Israel, nor because they are his descendants, are
they all Abraham's children. In other words, it's not the
natural children who are God's children, but it is the
children of the Promise who are regarded as the offspring
of Abraham. So what do you have here, you have
(03:46):
Jesus is the one genuine seed of Abraham, and all
clothed in Christ constitute one congruent, chosen, covenant community, and
that community connected by a cross. And here's the Silian point.
(04:07):
There is neither Jew nor Greek. There's not American or African,
or Australian or Asian. There's not slave or free. There's
not male or female. We are all one in Jesus Christ,
because if we belong to Christ, then we are abraham Seed,
(04:31):
and we are heirs according to the promise. So all
Israel is the full complement of God's people, from every
tongue and tribe and language and people and nation, Israel
is true Israel. There are lots of Jews who called
themselves Jews, we read in Revelation, who are not Jews,
(04:56):
but rather they are a synagogue of Satan. The same
thing could be said with respect to Gentiles. And what
is the mystery of the Gospel. The mystery of the
Gospel is the two have become one. True Israel is
true Israel. From every nation. Abraham's name is not Abram anymore.
(05:19):
It's Abraham because he is the father of many nations.
And again he only had one seed. It's Jesus Christ.
If you're in Jesus Christ, you are true Israel. You
are an air according to the promise. That's the point.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
So it's your understanding then that not all Jews who
are descended from Abraham are true Israel.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
No, absolutely not. In fact, the Bible explicitly tells us that.
The Bible explicitly tells us that there are Jews who
say Abraham is our father, but yet are a synagogue
of Satan because they reject the Messiah of true Israel.
(06:01):
On the other hand, you have people who are not
in any way related to a people by generation or
by ethnicity. They're not even Semitic in any sense. But
they are true Israel. Why Because they are God's chosen people.
(06:22):
They are God's royal nation, they are a priesthood. They're
called out for the purposes of God. Peter makes that plane.
He uses the language attributed to ethnic Israel and applies
it to everyone who is in Christ.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
That's interesting. I'm having trouble reconciling myself as you say it.
I'm interested to go back to Romans non and read
through that. You know, as I read through Romans eleven,
it seems pretty straightforward that he's referring to all Jews.
So I'll have to go back and reconcile that for myself,
you know. In particular, in eleven Romans eleven twenty eight,
he says, concerning the Gospel, they are enemies for your sake,
(07:00):
touching election, they're beloved for the father's sake. That seems
to suggest that the Israelites to whom he's referring are
in fact the folks.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Who have rejected. But who is the elect one? The
elect one is Jesus Christ. And if you are in
Jesus Christ, you are elect by virtue of being in
Jesus Christ. Again, I think the point in a very
helpful passage to read is Galatians chapter three, where Paul
(07:29):
delineates the fact that Abraham only has a seed. In fact,
the parenthetical comment is not seeds plural, but seed singular,
So there's only one royal seed. He is the elect one,
and we are elect by virtue of being in Jesus Christ.
And again Paul goes on to solve the conundrum by
(07:53):
pointing out that whether you are Jew or Greek, whether
you're slave or free, may female. If you are in Christ.
You are the seed of Abraham. You are an heir
according to the promise. And I think again, we have
to go back to the fact that Abraham only had
(08:14):
one seed. He was the father of many nations, but
only had one seed. That seed of Abraham includes everyone
who is in Christ. Now that goes back to Rahab,
who is a Canaanite, It goes back to Ruth, who
is a Moabite. It goes back to Esther, who is
(08:36):
raised sovereignly by God to free ethnic Israel from certain
destruction under Hayman. And in the text of I believe
it's Esther chapter eight. I think it's the last verse.
Many people look on and they see God sovereignly save
his people. And on that day many people, people from
(09:00):
many different nations, become Jews. Now how do they do that.
They don't change their birth mother. But what they do
is they embrace Yahweh, the God of Israel, and then
are brought into all the types and shadows pointing forward
to Jesus Christ. We also know that when the Jews
(09:22):
left bondage in Egypt, Egyptians went with them. They were
also part of the Covenant community. They were ultimately brought
into the Tabernacle and the Temple, and all the types
and shadows that pointed forward to Messiah. So God has
(09:44):
always only had one chosen people, made up of Ruth
and Rahab, made up of Adam and Abraham. One chosen people,
one covenant community, beautifully connected by the Cross, and as
(10:05):
we talked about in Romans chapter eleven, beautifully illustrated by
a cultivated olive tree. All who are in Christ are
the seat of Abraham and an air according to the promise.
I've written about this in detail. If you want to
cogitate on this in a book called The Apocalypse Code,
find out what the Bible really says about the end
(10:25):
times and why it matters today. At the end of
the day, reading this book will help in a lot
of ways because its primary point is the art and
science of Biblical interpretation. It's a science and that rules apply.
It's an art, and that the more you apply the rules,
the better you.
Speaker 4 (10:45):
Get at it.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
While we could debate these things vigorously, we ultimately don't
have to divide over them. But it is important that
we know how to read the world to God. For
all it's worth. We'll be write back more of your questions.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Every Bible answer Man broadcast, such as the one you're
listening to right now, is made possible through the financial
support of friends like you. Each month, we depend entirely
on God's provision through his people to bring you more
of the broadcast, podcasts, and other resources you rely on.
If you want a sound proclamation and defense of the
(11:23):
Gospel of Jesus Christ to continue to be heard through
the outreaches of the Christian Research Institute, become a member
of crii's support team today. Call eight eight eight seven
thousand CRI and stand with CRII daily in the battle
for life and truth. That's eight eight eight seven thousand CRI.
(11:46):
Or visit our website at equip dot org. We'll return
shortly with more from Hank hanagraph. The number of wolves
surrounding the Christian flock is growing, and they relish nothing
more than docile's sheep, Utterly incapable of defending themselves from
(12:10):
militant secularists at home to militant Islamists abroad. The assaults
on biblical Christianity are growing dangerously, but Christian Research Institutes
Support Team members aren't in favor of feeding these wolves. Instead,
each day. They're making possible an array of outreaches that
defang these wolfpacks with solid arguments and evidence that have
(12:32):
stood the test of time. What's more, support team members
are equipping themselves with criis equipping essentials, a handpicked collection
of the best apologetics tools around. Your selection of resources
are just our way of saying thanks. To learn more
about the benefits of membership, simply visit equip dot org.
(12:52):
Once again, that's equip dot org.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
Hank Hanigraph has dedicated his life to defending truth because
truth matters. However, his life and ministry were radically transformed
by another three word phrase, Life matters more. Truth matters
because Christianity is rooted in history and evidence. Life matters
more because it is the experience of union with God.
The goal of Christian life is union with God. All
(13:24):
attempts to understand Christianity from a solely rational perspective put
us in danger of devolving into a transactional rather than
transformational relationship with God. Truth matters, Life matters more will
equip you to move beyond intellectually knowing about God to
experientially knowing Him in Christ. To receive your copy of
truth matters Life matters more. Called eight eight eight seven
(13:47):
thousand CRI and make a gift to support the Christian
Research Institute's life changing outreaches eight eight eight seven thousand
CRI or visit us online at equipp dot org.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Breaking the Code. If the Book of Revelation has become
an international obsession, the result has been rampant misreading of scripture,
bad theology, and even bad politics and foreign policy. In
the Apocalypse Code, find out what the Bible really says
about the end times and why it matters today. Hank
Canagraph argues that the key to understanding the Last Book
(14:24):
of the Bible is the other sixty five books of
the Bible, not current events or recent history. The Apocalypse
Code offers sane answers to some very controversial questions, such
as what does it mean to take the Book of
Revelation literally? Who are the Antichrist and the Great Horror
of Babylon? And what is the real meaning of six
hundred and sixty six? Order The Apocalypse Code by Hank
(14:47):
Cantigraph today, available in softcover, MP three, CD or MP
three download from equip dot org or call eight eight
eight seven thousand CRI. Once again, here is hand catagraph.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Thank very much, Randy. Let's go back to the phone line.
We'll talk next to John. Hi.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
John, Hey, Hey, I appreciate to you. My question is
how the Christians reconcile turning the other teat in Matthew
five with defending yourself against injustice.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Well, I think you have to read Matthew chapter five
in the sense in which it is intended. You have
Jesus Christ using hyperbolic language throughout the Sermon on the Mount.
If your eye offends you, gouge it out. Is better
for you to lose one part of your body than
(15:54):
for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If
your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off,
throw it away, It's better for you to lose one
part of your body than for your whole body to
go into Hell. Now, Jesus is not suggesting there that
we cut off our hands or poke out our eyes.
Its hyperbolic language meant to communicate just how serious it
(16:20):
would be to enter eternity without a relationship with God.
And I think this is the same thing that's going
on when Jesus Christ speaks about an eye for an
eye and a tooth for a tooth. And not resisting
an evil person. But if anyone strikes you on the
right cheek, turned to him the other also, which is
(16:44):
a way of saying that the supremacy of relationship should
always trump goods material goods. So Jesus again is using
hyperbole in order to point out something that he is
communicating as a principle of the kingdom.
Speaker 5 (17:05):
So we can't use that scripture to justify not resisting
or battling evil.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
No, absolutely not. In fact, I think that would be
asking the text to answer a question that the text
is not designed to answer. And certainly from the standpoint
of what you have in the pentople of scripture, there
is a precedent for resisting evil, and therefore there's a
(17:35):
precedent for both police force within a country as well
as military force that resists the evil of one country
being exacted in other countries, as what happened in World
War Two. If military action is not allowed in order
to maintain order among nations, then police action should not
(17:59):
be permitted in order to maintain the order of a nation.
So it is a leap of logic to allow the
police to resist a murderer and at the same time
not let the military resist a murderous nation.
Speaker 5 (18:14):
Okay, I appreciate that. Hang at Hills, thank.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
You, you got it. And again, the aggressive use of
weapons is something that Jesus Christ condemns. The defensive use
of weapons is something that Jesus Christ commends. And again
you see that in passages like Luke twenty two. So
again this is part and partially of the process we
(18:37):
call reading the Bible for all it's worth. Let's go
back to the phone lines. We'll talk next to David.
He's listening to Houston, Texas.
Speaker 6 (18:44):
Hi David, Hi, Hey, thanks for taking my call. Really,
I've got a two part question, and you personally answered
it in a previous call. But I have a friend
whose dad is a pastor, and they announced themselves as
primitive Baptists, and they claim that God has pre chosen
(19:04):
his elect before the world began. And so basically what
he's telling me is that there are, you know, millions,
if not billions of people that God created who are
not part of his elect So even if they accept
Christ as their savior, they're still not going to heaven
(19:27):
because they weren't part of the chosen elect. And I
don't know how to combat that. First of all, you
know I've found scripture to in my opinion, you know,
John three to sixteen, But I would like your insight
on that first of all. Second of all, I was
wondering if you had any resource on finding a good
(19:51):
church that preaches the God of the Bible. I find
myself really almost looking for somebody to slip up, if
that makes any sense.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Yeah, well, a couple of things, I think. As far
as the latter part, I point you to resources that
we have that give you the information on how to
find a healthy, well balanced church. And of course part
of that process is knowing what you're looking for. So
you want to find out what are the tenets of
a healthy, well balanced church. So we do have that
information for you. With respect to the Calvinist non Calvinist debate,
(20:25):
we have a great resource that was first published in
the Christian Research Institute that I can make available to you.
And the value of the resources you have a Calvinist
debating their position and a non Calvinist countering with their position,
and the debate goes back and forth. And the advantage
you have because it's in print is you can go
(20:48):
back to the scriptures and look up the texts and
see if the texts that are used are being used
in an appropriate sense. But here's the thing, just to
give you the idea of the person perspective, that's called
circumstantial or compatibilistic freedom. The idea behind this is that
God creates everyone in such a way that they cannot
(21:11):
respond to the Gospel. So every human being is created
in that way. But God regenerates the elect and through
regeneration they now can respond in faith to the Gospel.
But those that are not regenerated, they cannot respond to
(21:35):
the Gospel because they simply do not have ears to hear.
So just as a cow can't fly, they can't respond
to the Gospel. Now, the other position, the non Calvinist position,
is libertarian freedom, and the idea there is that God
creates everyone in such a way that they can act
(21:55):
or act otherwise, all can respond to the wooing of
the Holy Spirit through faith. Therefore, from the libertarian perspective,
the balance is always maintained with respect to three things,
an emphasis on the sovereignty of God, the justice of God,
(22:17):
and genuine human culpability. But I would say that in
this debate and the reason we've put it in a
literary form. In this debate, we need to recognize that
the debate is still an in house debate. We might
feel strongly about it, but it's an in house debate.
And I can tell you we have people on staff
(22:38):
at the Christian Research Institute who are strongly adhered to
the Calvinist position. I myself grew up in a context
I don't happen to hold that position. But we have
a collegial debate at the Christian Research Institute, iron sharpening iron,
But we consider it an in house matter that we
(23:00):
can debate vigorously without dividing over it. Do I think
it's an important debate, Absolutely, I think it is a
very important debate. I think it really makes a difference
in terms of how you read the Bible. For example,
when you get to Romans nine through eleven, how do
(23:21):
you read it? You have to ask the question, what
issue is Paul ultimately addressing? And if you got the
issue wrong, you canna get the answer wrong. And so
this is a matter of hermeneutics, the art, and science
a biblical interpretation. But I want to emphasize again it
is after all an in house debate.
Speaker 6 (23:43):
Okay, But I mean, how would you know. I mean,
I believe that I am saved. Christ is my savior.
I live my life in obedience to him, and I
try to keep his commandments. You know, so on and
so forth. But how would you identify one of these
people that cannot respond to the wooing of the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Well, here's the thing. If you have recognize that you
are a sinner, if you have repented of your sin,
which is a you turn on the road of life,
a change of heart, a change of mind, a change
of the will, and embrace Jesus Christ as savior and
Lord of your life, you can know that you have
(24:26):
eternal life. The Bible says, these things are written that
you may know you have eternal life. Those who do
not have eternal life are those who do not want
a relationship with Jesus Christ. All who desire a relationship
with Jesus Christ, he will not turn away. In John nine,
(24:51):
we read, if you were blind, you would not be
guilty of sin. But now that you claim you can see,
your guilt remains. Where I think of what happened with
respect to the Pharisees and the experts in the law
who rejected God's purpose for themselves. They rejected what could
(25:16):
have been theirs, and they were not as a result,
baptized by John for the remission of your sins. Or
I think of what Stephen said in Acts seven, you
stiff necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears. You are
just like your father's You always resist the Holy Spirit
(25:43):
again a debate. I think what would help you the most, David,
is to get the article that I refer to. If
you hang on, we can put that article into your hands.
For anybody else that wants it, check it out on
the webtygwip dot org. We exist equip God's people for
works of surface, so that the Body of Christ might
(26:05):
be built up in strength that we are at a
time for this edition of the Bible answer Man Broadcast.
Thanks for tuning in. We'll see you next time with
more of the broadcast.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
Thanks for tuning into the Bible answer Man Broadcast. Our
website equip dot org has an abundance of resources to
sharpen your discernment skills and help you grow in life
and truth. We provide books, videos, and informative articles. You
can also listen to the broadcast, download archived programs, get
answers to pressing Bible questions, or connect with us via
(26:38):
social media. All this and more at equip dot org. Again,
the address is equip dot org. The Bible answer Man
broadcast is supported by listeners like you. We're on the
air because life and truth matter. Anyone who's been paying
(27:02):
attention knows there's a war going on, not just on
traditional morality, civility, and decency, but even more fundamentally on
historic notions of truth. And the enemy isn't just the
onslaught of fake news, facilitated by a post truth culture
and turbocharged by growing legions of ideological spinductors. Note the
real enemies of truth range from postmodernist convictions that there
(27:26):
is no objective truth to militant scientism that claims that
only science can determine truth and religion is little more
than primitive superstitions. But CRI Support Team members are not
waving a white flag of surrender. They're holding the fort
by undergirding everyone of Christian Research Institute's mind shaping and
life changing outreaches twenty four to seven. To learn how
(27:49):
you can make a difference and enjoy all the benefits
of Support Team membership, simply visit equip dot org.
Broadcasting across the United States, Canada, and around the world.
This is the Bible answer Man Broadcast. Your host for
the program is Hank Canagraph, president of the Christian Research Institute.
We're on the air because life and truth Matter. For
more information resources or to donate to CRI, call eight
(00:29):
eight eight seven thousand CRI, or go online to equip
dot org. That's equip dot org. The following program was
pre recorded to start today's Bible answer Man Broadcast. Here's
your host, Hank Canagraph.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Thank you very much for Randy, a lot of you
hanging on. We'll go right to the phone calls. First
up Brian listening in Charlotte, North Carolina. Hi, Brian, Hey, Hey,
how are you doing. I'm good. How are you?
Speaker 3 (00:56):
I'm doing well. Thanks, And first let me just say
I really appreciate your scripturally based approach to this ministry.
I'm actually relaying a question that came to me, as
all hard questions sometimes do, from an innocent ten year
old child who was coming to know Christ. It was
my son and he has a number of Jewish friends
and very genuinely asked me one day, so help me
(01:17):
reconcile my understanding of God's Old Testament covenant with the
Jews and the need to believe in Christ and what
basically is going to happen to my buddies. Are they
going to go to heaven? Are they going to go
to hell? And I've heard you in the past referent
Romans eleven with a very extended metaphor their beautiful section
of scripture talking about a metaphor where we're all considered
(01:41):
a part of a common olive tree, where the Jews
were the original branches and where the gendles have been
grafted in. And in particular, as I read from Romans
eleven eleven through basically the remainder of that chapter, for me,
what I take away is a message that says that
God still has a covenant with the Jewish people and
(02:03):
we don't need to worry too much about that as Christians.
That basically God has a deal with them and still
reconcile it in the end, and we don't need to
worry too much about exactly how, and in fact, if anything,
we need to be careful not to boast because we
weren't the natural branches there, and specifically says that this
was His covenant with them and that all of Israel
will ultimately be safe. And I'm struggling with that a
(02:26):
little bit, given you know, other statements from Christ that
folks will only go to Heaven through Him, and would
love to get your exposition around Roman's eleven because, frankly,
I've just not seen much commentary out there about it
at all.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah. Well, again, going back to this cultivated olive tree
in Romans chapter eleven, the tree symbolizes national Israel, the
branches symbolize those who believe, and its roots symbolizes Jesus Christ,
the root and the offspring of David. So the natural
branch is broken off present Jews who reject Jesus. The
(03:03):
wild branches grafted in represent Gentiles who receive Jesus. And
that's why Paul says, and I think this is a
very important passage, going back just a couple of chapters
to Romans chapter nine, not all who are descendant from
(03:24):
Israel are Israel, nor because they are his descendants, are
they all Abraham's children. In other words, it's not the
natural children who are God's children, but it is the
children of the Promise who are regarded as the offspring
of Abraham. So what do you have here, you have
(03:46):
Jesus is the one genuine seed of Abraham, and all
clothed in Christ constitute one congruent, chosen, covenant community, and
that community connected by a cross. And here's the Silian point.
(04:07):
There is neither Jew nor Greek. There's not American or African,
or Australian or Asian. There's not slave or free. There's
not male or female. We are all one in Jesus Christ,
because if we belong to Christ, then we are abraham Seed,
(04:31):
and we are heirs according to the promise. So all
Israel is the full complement of God's people, from every
tongue and tribe and language and people and nation, Israel
is true Israel. There are lots of Jews who called
themselves Jews, we read in Revelation, who are not Jews,
(04:56):
but rather they are a synagogue of Satan. The same
thing could be said with respect to Gentiles. And what
is the mystery of the Gospel. The mystery of the
Gospel is the two have become one. True Israel is
true Israel. From every nation. Abraham's name is not Abram anymore.
(05:19):
It's Abraham because he is the father of many nations.
And again he only had one seed. It's Jesus Christ.
If you're in Jesus Christ, you are true Israel. You
are an air according to the promise. That's the point.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
So it's your understanding then that not all Jews who
are descended from Abraham are true Israel.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
No, absolutely not. In fact, the Bible explicitly tells us that.
The Bible explicitly tells us that there are Jews who
say Abraham is our father, but yet are a synagogue
of Satan because they reject the Messiah of true Israel.
(06:01):
On the other hand, you have people who are not
in any way related to a people by generation or
by ethnicity. They're not even Semitic in any sense. But
they are true Israel. Why Because they are God's chosen people.
(06:22):
They are God's royal nation, they are a priesthood. They're
called out for the purposes of God. Peter makes that plane.
He uses the language attributed to ethnic Israel and applies
it to everyone who is in Christ.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
That's interesting. I'm having trouble reconciling myself as you say it.
I'm interested to go back to Romans non and read
through that. You know, as I read through Romans eleven,
it seems pretty straightforward that he's referring to all Jews.
So I'll have to go back and reconcile that for myself,
you know. In particular, in eleven Romans eleven twenty eight,
he says, concerning the Gospel, they are enemies for your sake,
(07:00):
touching election, they're beloved for the father's sake. That seems
to suggest that the Israelites to whom he's referring are
in fact the folks.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Who have rejected. But who is the elect one? The
elect one is Jesus Christ. And if you are in
Jesus Christ, you are elect by virtue of being in
Jesus Christ. Again, I think the point in a very
helpful passage to read is Galatians chapter three, where Paul
(07:29):
delineates the fact that Abraham only has a seed. In fact,
the parenthetical comment is not seeds plural, but seed singular,
So there's only one royal seed. He is the elect one,
and we are elect by virtue of being in Jesus Christ.
And again Paul goes on to solve the conundrum by
(07:53):
pointing out that whether you are Jew or Greek, whether
you're slave or free, may female. If you are in Christ.
You are the seed of Abraham. You are an heir
according to the promise. And I think again, we have
to go back to the fact that Abraham only had
(08:14):
one seed. He was the father of many nations, but
only had one seed. That seed of Abraham includes everyone
who is in Christ. Now that goes back to Rahab,
who is a Canaanite, It goes back to Ruth, who
is a Moabite. It goes back to Esther, who is
(08:36):
raised sovereignly by God to free ethnic Israel from certain
destruction under Hayman. And in the text of I believe
it's Esther chapter eight. I think it's the last verse.
Many people look on and they see God sovereignly save
his people. And on that day many people, people from
(09:00):
many different nations, become Jews. Now how do they do that.
They don't change their birth mother. But what they do
is they embrace Yahweh, the God of Israel, and then
are brought into all the types and shadows pointing forward
to Jesus Christ. We also know that when the Jews
(09:22):
left bondage in Egypt, Egyptians went with them. They were
also part of the Covenant community. They were ultimately brought
into the Tabernacle and the Temple, and all the types
and shadows that pointed forward to Messiah. So God has
(09:44):
always only had one chosen people, made up of Ruth
and Rahab, made up of Adam and Abraham. One chosen people,
one covenant community, beautifully connected by the Cross, and as
(10:05):
we talked about in Romans chapter eleven, beautifully illustrated by
a cultivated olive tree. All who are in Christ are
the seat of Abraham and an air according to the promise.
I've written about this in detail. If you want to
cogitate on this in a book called The Apocalypse Code,
find out what the Bible really says about the end
(10:25):
times and why it matters today. At the end of
the day, reading this book will help in a lot
of ways because its primary point is the art and
science of Biblical interpretation. It's a science and that rules apply.
It's an art, and that the more you apply the rules,
the better you.
Speaker 4 (10:45):
Get at it.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
While we could debate these things vigorously, we ultimately don't
have to divide over them. But it is important that
we know how to read the world to God. For
all it's worth. We'll be write back more of your questions.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Every Bible answer Man broadcast, such as the one you're
listening to right now, is made possible through the financial
support of friends like you. Each month, we depend entirely
on God's provision through his people to bring you more
of the broadcast, podcasts, and other resources you rely on.
If you want a sound proclamation and defense of the
(11:23):
Gospel of Jesus Christ to continue to be heard through
the outreaches of the Christian Research Institute, become a member
of crii's support team today. Call eight eight eight seven
thousand CRI and stand with CRII daily in the battle
for life and truth. That's eight eight eight seven thousand CRI.
(11:46):
Or visit our website at equip dot org. We'll return
shortly with more from Hank hanagraph. The number of wolves
surrounding the Christian flock is growing, and they relish nothing
more than docile's sheep, Utterly incapable of defending themselves from
(12:10):
militant secularists at home to militant Islamists abroad. The assaults
on biblical Christianity are growing dangerously, but Christian Research Institutes
Support Team members aren't in favor of feeding these wolves. Instead,
each day. They're making possible an array of outreaches that
defang these wolfpacks with solid arguments and evidence that have
(12:32):
stood the test of time. What's more, support team members
are equipping themselves with criis equipping essentials, a handpicked collection
of the best apologetics tools around. Your selection of resources
are just our way of saying thanks. To learn more
about the benefits of membership, simply visit equip dot org.
(12:52):
Once again, that's equip dot org.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
Hank Hanigraph has dedicated his life to defending truth because
truth matters. However, his life and ministry were radically transformed
by another three word phrase, Life matters more. Truth matters
because Christianity is rooted in history and evidence. Life matters
more because it is the experience of union with God.
The goal of Christian life is union with God. All
(13:24):
attempts to understand Christianity from a solely rational perspective put
us in danger of devolving into a transactional rather than
transformational relationship with God. Truth matters, Life matters more will
equip you to move beyond intellectually knowing about God to
experientially knowing Him in Christ. To receive your copy of
truth matters Life matters more. Called eight eight eight seven
(13:47):
thousand CRI and make a gift to support the Christian
Research Institute's life changing outreaches eight eight eight seven thousand
CRI or visit us online at equipp dot org.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Breaking the Code. If the Book of Revelation has become
an international obsession, the result has been rampant misreading of scripture,
bad theology, and even bad politics and foreign policy. In
the Apocalypse Code, find out what the Bible really says
about the end times and why it matters today. Hank
Canagraph argues that the key to understanding the Last Book
(14:24):
of the Bible is the other sixty five books of
the Bible, not current events or recent history. The Apocalypse
Code offers sane answers to some very controversial questions, such
as what does it mean to take the Book of
Revelation literally? Who are the Antichrist and the Great Horror
of Babylon? And what is the real meaning of six
hundred and sixty six? Order The Apocalypse Code by Hank
(14:47):
Cantigraph today, available in softcover, MP three, CD or MP
three download from equip dot org or call eight eight
eight seven thousand CRI. Once again, here is hand catagraph.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Thank very much, Randy. Let's go back to the phone line.
We'll talk next to John. Hi.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
John, Hey, Hey, I appreciate to you. My question is
how the Christians reconcile turning the other teat in Matthew
five with defending yourself against injustice.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Well, I think you have to read Matthew chapter five
in the sense in which it is intended. You have
Jesus Christ using hyperbolic language throughout the Sermon on the Mount.
If your eye offends you, gouge it out. Is better
for you to lose one part of your body than
(15:54):
for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If
your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off,
throw it away, It's better for you to lose one
part of your body than for your whole body to
go into Hell. Now, Jesus is not suggesting there that
we cut off our hands or poke out our eyes.
Its hyperbolic language meant to communicate just how serious it
(16:20):
would be to enter eternity without a relationship with God.
And I think this is the same thing that's going
on when Jesus Christ speaks about an eye for an
eye and a tooth for a tooth. And not resisting
an evil person. But if anyone strikes you on the
right cheek, turned to him the other also, which is
(16:44):
a way of saying that the supremacy of relationship should
always trump goods material goods. So Jesus again is using
hyperbole in order to point out something that he is
communicating as a principle of the kingdom.
Speaker 5 (17:05):
So we can't use that scripture to justify not resisting
or battling evil.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
No, absolutely not. In fact, I think that would be
asking the text to answer a question that the text
is not designed to answer. And certainly from the standpoint
of what you have in the pentople of scripture, there
is a precedent for resisting evil, and therefore there's a
(17:35):
precedent for both police force within a country as well
as military force that resists the evil of one country
being exacted in other countries, as what happened in World
War Two. If military action is not allowed in order
to maintain order among nations, then police action should not
(17:59):
be permitted in order to maintain the order of a nation.
So it is a leap of logic to allow the
police to resist a murderer and at the same time
not let the military resist a murderous nation.
Speaker 5 (18:14):
Okay, I appreciate that. Hang at Hills, thank.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
You, you got it. And again, the aggressive use of
weapons is something that Jesus Christ condemns. The defensive use
of weapons is something that Jesus Christ commends. And again
you see that in passages like Luke twenty two. So
again this is part and partially of the process we
(18:37):
call reading the Bible for all it's worth. Let's go
back to the phone lines. We'll talk next to David.
He's listening to Houston, Texas.
Speaker 6 (18:44):
Hi David, Hi, Hey, thanks for taking my call. Really,
I've got a two part question, and you personally answered
it in a previous call. But I have a friend
whose dad is a pastor, and they announced themselves as
primitive Baptists, and they claim that God has pre chosen
(19:04):
his elect before the world began. And so basically what
he's telling me is that there are, you know, millions,
if not billions of people that God created who are
not part of his elect So even if they accept
Christ as their savior, they're still not going to heaven
(19:27):
because they weren't part of the chosen elect. And I
don't know how to combat that. First of all, you
know I've found scripture to in my opinion, you know,
John three to sixteen, But I would like your insight
on that first of all. Second of all, I was
wondering if you had any resource on finding a good
(19:51):
church that preaches the God of the Bible. I find
myself really almost looking for somebody to slip up, if
that makes any sense.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Yeah, well, a couple of things, I think. As far
as the latter part, I point you to resources that
we have that give you the information on how to
find a healthy, well balanced church. And of course part
of that process is knowing what you're looking for. So
you want to find out what are the tenets of
a healthy, well balanced church. So we do have that
information for you. With respect to the Calvinist non Calvinist debate,
(20:25):
we have a great resource that was first published in
the Christian Research Institute that I can make available to you.
And the value of the resources you have a Calvinist
debating their position and a non Calvinist countering with their position,
and the debate goes back and forth. And the advantage
you have because it's in print is you can go
(20:48):
back to the scriptures and look up the texts and
see if the texts that are used are being used
in an appropriate sense. But here's the thing, just to
give you the idea of the person perspective, that's called
circumstantial or compatibilistic freedom. The idea behind this is that
God creates everyone in such a way that they cannot
(21:11):
respond to the Gospel. So every human being is created
in that way. But God regenerates the elect and through
regeneration they now can respond in faith to the Gospel.
But those that are not regenerated, they cannot respond to
(21:35):
the Gospel because they simply do not have ears to hear.
So just as a cow can't fly, they can't respond
to the Gospel. Now, the other position, the non Calvinist position,
is libertarian freedom, and the idea there is that God
creates everyone in such a way that they can act
(21:55):
or act otherwise, all can respond to the wooing of
the Holy Spirit through faith. Therefore, from the libertarian perspective,
the balance is always maintained with respect to three things,
an emphasis on the sovereignty of God, the justice of God,
(22:17):
and genuine human culpability. But I would say that in
this debate and the reason we've put it in a
literary form. In this debate, we need to recognize that
the debate is still an in house debate. We might
feel strongly about it, but it's an in house debate.
And I can tell you we have people on staff
(22:38):
at the Christian Research Institute who are strongly adhered to
the Calvinist position. I myself grew up in a context
I don't happen to hold that position. But we have
a collegial debate at the Christian Research Institute, iron sharpening iron,
But we consider it an in house matter that we
(23:00):
can debate vigorously without dividing over it. Do I think
it's an important debate, Absolutely, I think it is a
very important debate. I think it really makes a difference
in terms of how you read the Bible. For example,
when you get to Romans nine through eleven, how do
(23:21):
you read it? You have to ask the question, what
issue is Paul ultimately addressing? And if you got the
issue wrong, you canna get the answer wrong. And so
this is a matter of hermeneutics, the art, and science
a biblical interpretation. But I want to emphasize again it
is after all an in house debate.
Speaker 6 (23:43):
Okay, But I mean, how would you know. I mean,
I believe that I am saved. Christ is my savior.
I live my life in obedience to him, and I
try to keep his commandments. You know, so on and
so forth. But how would you identify one of these
people that cannot respond to the wooing of the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Well, here's the thing. If you have recognize that you
are a sinner, if you have repented of your sin,
which is a you turn on the road of life,
a change of heart, a change of mind, a change
of the will, and embrace Jesus Christ as savior and
Lord of your life, you can know that you have
(24:26):
eternal life. The Bible says, these things are written that
you may know you have eternal life. Those who do
not have eternal life are those who do not want
a relationship with Jesus Christ. All who desire a relationship
with Jesus Christ, he will not turn away. In John nine,
(24:51):
we read, if you were blind, you would not be
guilty of sin. But now that you claim you can see,
your guilt remains. Where I think of what happened with
respect to the Pharisees and the experts in the law
who rejected God's purpose for themselves. They rejected what could
(25:16):
have been theirs, and they were not as a result,
baptized by John for the remission of your sins. Or
I think of what Stephen said in Acts seven, you
stiff necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears. You are
just like your father's You always resist the Holy Spirit
(25:43):
again a debate. I think what would help you the most, David,
is to get the article that I refer to. If
you hang on, we can put that article into your hands.
For anybody else that wants it, check it out on
the webtygwip dot org. We exist equip God's people for
works of surface, so that the Body of Christ might
(26:05):
be built up in strength that we are at a
time for this edition of the Bible answer Man Broadcast.
Thanks for tuning in. We'll see you next time with
more of the broadcast.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
Thanks for tuning into the Bible answer Man Broadcast. Our
website equip dot org has an abundance of resources to
sharpen your discernment skills and help you grow in life
and truth. We provide books, videos, and informative articles. You
can also listen to the broadcast, download archived programs, get
answers to pressing Bible questions, or connect with us via
(26:38):
social media. All this and more at equip dot org. Again,
the address is equip dot org. The Bible answer Man
broadcast is supported by listeners like you. We're on the
air because life and truth matter. Anyone who's been paying
(27:02):
attention knows there's a war going on, not just on
traditional morality, civility, and decency, but even more fundamentally on
historic notions of truth. And the enemy isn't just the
onslaught of fake news, facilitated by a post truth culture
and turbocharged by growing legions of ideological spinductors. Note the
real enemies of truth range from postmodernist convictions that there
(27:26):
is no objective truth to militant scientism that claims that
only science can determine truth and religion is little more
than primitive superstitions. But CRI Support Team members are not
waving a white flag of surrender. They're holding the fort
by undergirding everyone of Christian Research Institute's mind shaping and
life changing outreaches twenty four to seven. To learn how
(27:49):
you can make a difference and enjoy all the benefits
of Support Team membership, simply visit equip dot org.
Popular Podcasts
Two Guys, Five Rings: Matt, Bowen & The Olympics
Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.
iHeartOlympics: The Latest
Listen to the latest news from the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Milan Cortina Winter Olympics
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina are here and have everyone talking. iHeartPodcasts is buzzing with content in honor of the XXV Winter Olympics We’re bringing you episodes from a variety of iHeartPodcast shows to help you keep up with the action. Follow Milan Cortina Winter Olympics so you don’t miss any coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics, and if you like what you hear, be sure to follow each Podcast in the feed for more great content from iHeartPodcasts.