Key Life Network

--Steve Brown-- What's the difference between the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New? The answer on Key Life.

This is Key Life, dedicated to the message that the only people who get any better are those who know that if they don't get any better, God will still love them anyway. That teaching raises a lot of questions. So, here's author and seminary professor Steve Brown, along with Pete Alwinson from Forge Truth, with answers from the Bible that will make you free.

--Guest (Male)-- Thank you, Matthew.

--Steve Brown-- Hey, Peter.

--Guest (Male)-- Steve, how the heck are you?

--Steve Brown-- I'm doing, I'm doing good.

You know, Malcolm Muggeridge, when he got really old, said he'd wake up in the morning, and he and he had one foot in Heaven and one foot in Earth, and he wasn't sure which one was where he was.

--Guest (Male)-- I'm not at that point.

--Steve Brown-- No, you're not. No, you're not. I can see it from here. Oh, man. No, doing good.

That's Pete Alwinson, and I've told you repeatedly and you don't listen to me. You got to go to forgetruth.com. So much is in that website. It's deep, great teaching, a wonderful podcast. Some dates you want to put down and you can go if you're a female, then you'll know what's going on in your husband or your boyfriend's mind.

And if you're a guy, that's life-changing stuff. So, check it out. It's forgetruth.com. And as you know, Pete comes in and we answer questions, and have for a very long time on Fridays. We we really love your questions.

You can dial 1-800-KEY LIFE, that's 1-800-539-5433. And follow instructions, and sometimes, not often, but sometimes, we'll put your voice on the air. Or you can send your question to Key Life Network in Florida, that's Post Office Box 5000, Maitland, Florida 32794.

In Canada, it's Key Life Canada, Post Office Box 28060, Waterloo, Ontario N2L6J8. And you can email your question too to Steve@keylife.org. If you can help us financially, please do and I promise we'll be as faithful with your gift as you were in giving it.

A lot of people aren't able to help us financially and this is an expensive ministry. And so when you when you help us, you help them. And if you can't, we understand. We know how things are, but if you can, do.

And I promise you three free cents. That's a joke. So, don't send me that. Pete, pray for us before this gets worse, and we'll turn to some questions.

--Guest (Male)-- That's great. Let's do it. Father, thank you today, at the end of this week, we come to you. We're so thankful that we belong to you and that we know that because you are the sovereign God of the universe, history's going someplace. Our life has meaning. We're forgiven. We're a part of your eternal plan.

And what a joy it is to know that we're your daughters and your sons forever, all because of you, our risen Savior, Jesus. And Holy Spirit, because you took the work of Christ and put it in our hearts. And so we glorify you and we ask that Lord, you would just encourage us even more now at the end of the week, as we look forward to being with your people in worship.

Be with our pastors and teachers and priests and worship directors, and all those that are working hard right now putting the final touches on leading us into the presence of the Triune God. Be with them, use them. Would you empower your church to bring the Gospel to so many? And Lord, thank you for Key Life and now a time of Q&A.

We lift up this time to you and pray that that your answers would help your people. For we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

--Steve Brown-- Amen. Pete, this is an email. What's the difference between the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament?

--Guest (Male)-- What's the down and dirty quick answer to that?

--Steve Brown-- No, there is no difference.

--Guest (Male)-- No.

--Steve Brown-- In fact, early heresies said there was a difference, and the church has defined that as a major heresy.

--Guest (Male)-- Right.

--Steve Brown-- So, but there are some differences, isn't there?

--Guest (Male)-- Yeah.

--Steve Brown-- I mean, we know more.

--Guest (Male)-- Right. This whole idea of progressive revelation that as the Old Testament unfolds into the new, we we gain more and more knowledge in the mystery of Christ. Yeah, it's wonderful.

--Steve Brown-- That's so true. Oh, it really is, but same God.

--Guest (Male)-- Same God.

--Steve Brown-- I think one of the big things is people say, and I I've heard this question so much that I can't but believe that it comes from those who are skeptics of the Bible in the first place.

--Guest (Male)-- Yeah.

--Steve Brown-- It's not people who read the Bible and accept it who say this, you know?

--Guest (Male)-- That's true.

--Steve Brown-- And so what they're doing is they're trying to create a problem where there really isn't one. For instance, they say the God of the Old Testament is angry and not gracious, but in the New Testament we've got a God of love and full of grace. Well, you can't read the history of the Israelites without seeing God's love and grace and mercy.

--Guest (Male)-- Amen.

--Steve Brown-- You go to a place, well, like the Psalms or like the 11th chapter of Hebrews, which is the of Hosea, I'm sorry. Those that's one of the most beautiful love passages in the Bible.

--Guest (Male)-- Absolutely. You're you're so right. So, I really think it's a non-issue and that there and people are trying to cause a controversy where there is none.

--Steve Brown-- Okay, I agree. That's settled.

--Guest (Male)-- There you go.

--Steve Brown-- And you were out of line for even ask. No, I'm kidding, you weren't at all. I've been working my way through Romans, and it seems like our salvation, faith, freedom from sin, et cetera, are all gifts from God. That in reality, all we have to do is receive the gift of grace. Is it really that simple?

--Guest (Male)-- It really is.

--Steve Brown-- Isn't it?

--Guest (Male)-- That simple. It really is.

--Steve Brown-- You know, sometimes, I get this question.

--Guest (Male)-- This is what Key Life is all about.

--Steve Brown-- I know, the reason we do Key Life is that I've got to keep reminding myself because I keep thinking it can't.

I remember when our oldest daughter, who's now on the staff at Key Life, was six years old. And Anna told me, she's ready to receive Christ. I said, "No, she's not. She's too little and it's more complicated than that." And Anna, who doesn't seem to be stubborn, but is very stubborn, kept pushing and I said, "All right."

And so we went into Robin's bedroom and I said, "Your your mom says that you you want to receive Jesus and be a Christian." She said, "Yes." I said, "Let me ask you questions." And she got every one of them right.

--Guest (Male)-- You you took her through the whole shorter catechism.

--Steve Brown-- Yeah, right. And the Graffell Housen documentary hypothesis and No, I just I didn't think she understood sin at six. I mean, how bad can you be at six years old?

--Guest (Male)-- I know, right?

--Steve Brown-- And but boy did she get And that reminded me and I and I've tried to remember, this the Christian faith is a little pool where children can swim, but it's a gigantic ocean where elephants can drown. It really is profound and deep and simple.

--Guest (Male)-- It is.

--Steve Brown-- You know what I did last week?

--Guest (Male)-- What'd you do?

--Steve Brown-- I baptized my great-grandson, Samuel.

--Guest (Male)-- Oh, wow. Wow.

--Steve Brown-- And he was wonderful. He he giggled when I put the water on his head. He was having a wonderful time. And this was in great-grandson. Oh, it was great. And and it was in Birmingham, Aldena Valley Presbyterian Church and after he was baptized, our granddaughter and her husband carried Samuel, the new baptized member of the family covenant, out into the congregation and walk. And you know what they did?

--Guest (Male)-- Mm-mm.

--Steve Brown-- While they were walking, they sang the congregation and it's a tradition, sang, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

--Guest (Male)-- Wow. Wow. That is precious.

--Steve Brown-- It really is.

--Guest (Male)-- You know, people criticize the church, but there's no community like us. And uh and that that believes together. We're not perfect, but Jesus has been perfect for us and it's all about his grace bestowed upon us.

--Steve Brown-- It really is.

--Guest (Male)-- And it makes us very happy.

--Steve Brown-- Oh, it does. Man, just talking about it makes me feel. Do you think the Bible, this is another email, teaches that people are healed physically today?

--Guest (Male)-- Hey, you know, God God healed in the Old Testament, God healed in the time of Christ. There were certainly times when God seems to have done more supernatural activity like healings. Yeah. Then at other times.

--Steve Brown-- Why?

--Guest (Male)-- Well, in the in the case of the founding of the church, uh, we see it was to make to make clear that the power of God was at work supporting the truth of salvation by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ, you know?

So, uh, it was to prove that the resurrection was real and the and the church was the real deal. So, it was a sign. But, um, but yes, God heals today. He just doesn't always heal in the same way that he did in in the past. And do Pete, some people have the gifts of healing? Well, perhaps so. But a lot of healing just comes through faith uh in the work of Christ.

--Steve Brown-- You know, I know at our creek where you were the pastor so long and in the churches where I've been a pastor, elders often anointed with oil,

--Guest (Male)-- That's right.

--Steve Brown-- And prayed for healing and there were times when something miraculous happened.

--Guest (Male)-- That's right. That's right. And I think in our family recently, my daughter Jesse is pregnant with her second, and she was starting to have premature labor and everybody started praying, she went into the hospital and came out and and and she's back in more of a normal pregnancy mode. God answers prayers.

--Steve Brown-- And it's dangerous and there are those who say he doesn't anymore heal that the gifts are no longer present. But, you know, we get a good model from the Apostle Paul when he's doing a discussion in First Corinthians about tongues. And he said, "I don't forbid the speaking in tongues."

In other words, I'm not telling God what to do. God does as he pleases and he does it right well. And if God wants to heal somebody, he will.

--Guest (Male)-- That's right. That's right.

--Steve Brown-- And if I guess, I haven't spoken in tongues, but if he wanted me to, I would. I guess. You you're kind of shaking your head.

--Guest (Male)-- No, I you know, I your analogy is right. God does whatever.

--Steve Brown-- He wants to do whenever he wants to do.

--Guest (Male)-- That's right. That's right.

--Steve Brown-- I've been working on some teaching on spiritual warfare and become impressed with the fact that the devil exists because God wants him to exist. And if God didn't, he wouldn't.

--Guest (Male)-- That's right. That's that's well said.

--Steve Brown-- Guys, we're out of here. Key Life is a listener supported production of Key Life Network.