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Nick.
Your gospel puzzels me. What did Christ die for, if you are going to “earn” your way to salvation by repenting. Repenting of what?Blessings.
Hi CO,
Men need to repent, at least, of godlessness and idolatry for no man can know God and all put things in the place where God should be in their hearts. Some are openly rebellious and every manner of sin abounds. It should never be hard to find why God wants us all to repentNick.
You keep telling me the need to repent. I need to know what we need to repent of? You keep evading the question, is it that you don't know? If you do, just give the answer. Scripture please.Nick.
You make statements that you won't answer questions about, because my guess is you don't know the answer. Again, will you just answer the question I keep asking you; What do we need to repent of? If you don't know thw answer, please just say so, don't reply with jibberish as you usually do.Hi CO,
Ps 19
” 12Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.”
Ps 139
” 23Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:24And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
THE GOOD NEWS GOSPEL
by Joseph E Kirk
WHAT IS THIS GOSPEL?
Consider carefully some facts stated about this gospel. “It is the gospel of God concerning His Son” (Romans 1:1, 2). It was made known to the Apostle Paul through a revelation of Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:6-12). “In it the righteousness of God is revealed” (Rom. 1:17). “It is the POWER of God unto SALVATION” (Rom. 1:16); the POWER that saves the irreverent and unrighteousness from the condemnation and wrath of God (Rom. 3:21-5:19); the POWER that saves true believers from the reign of Sin in their lives (Rom. 6:1-23). But specifically, what is this gospel about which so many wonderful things are declared?The word “gospel” means simply “good news.” What good news concerning God's Son reveals the righteousness of God and is the power of God unto salvation?
In its simplest form this gospel is stated in 1 Corinthians 15:1-7 as follows: “Now I AM MAKING KNOWN to you, brethren, THE GOSPEL which I bring to you, which YOU ACCEPTED also, in which YOU STAND also, through which YOU ARE SAVED…that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was entombed, and that He has been raised the third day…and that He was seen by Cephas, thereupon by the Twelve, thereupon He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once.”
This gospel is the Good News that Christ died for our sins, was entombed, and has been raised from among the dead. This gospel is not one fact, but three. It is not only that Christ died for our sins; it is also that He was entombed, AND that He has been raised. The resurrection is indispensible! Apart from His resurrection, His death would have no saving value. “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain–you are still in your sins” is the inspired statement found in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. His resurrection distinguishes Him from all other spiritual leaders. Others have lived, taught, performed miracles and died. Jesus Christ is the only One Who died for our sins, has been raised, and now lives as the Saviour of the world.
In its fullest sense this gospel includes the meaning of the death, the meaning of the entombment, and the meaning of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This includes all that the Son of God accomplishes for the entire creation in His death, in His entombment, and in His resurrection life. To grasp the meaning of this gospel in its fullest sense, it is necessary that we understand the revelation God has given through the Apostle Paul as set forth in the Sacred Scriptures.
THE GOSPEL REVEALS GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS
First, it is revealed in the way God dealt with Jesus Christ when He became sin for us. In the death of Christ on the cross we see God dealing righteously with sin. What a dreadful thing sin is to call forth such a severe penalty! What great sinners we are that we should justly deserve all that Jesus Christ endured! He did not die because of any wrong He had done. “He knew no sin” (2 Cor. 5:21). He did not submit to death because He could not help Himself. “No one is taking my soul from me, but I am laying it down of Myself” (John 10:17, 18). “Christ died for the sake of the irreverent” (Rom 5:6-9). “He was given up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justifying” (Rom. 4:25).Whatever the penalty of sin is, Jesus Christ endured it to the full in order to become our Saviour. If the penalty of sin is either annihilation or endless punishment, Jesus Christ could not be the Saviour of anyone for He was neither annihilated nor endlessly tormented. “Christ DIED for our sins!” If it were not for the death, the resurrection, and the present life of Jesus Christ, the final end of every human being would be death.
Second, the gospel reveals the righteousness which God Himself provides for mankind. Man cannot attain to righteousness by his own efforts because of the devitalizing power of the mortality, or death, which is operating in him. Note carefully the positive and clear statement of Scripture: “Through one man sin entered into the world, and through sin DEATH, and thus DEATH passed through into all mankind, ON WHICH all sinned…Sin reigns in DEATH” (Rom. 5:12-21). Because sin “reigns in death,” man is as helpless to cure himself of his sinfulness as he is to cure himself of the death that is working in him.
God's cure for death and His remedy for unrighteousness is the life and the righteousness of Jesus Christ. “For if, by the offense of the one, DEATH REIGNS through the one, MUCH RATHER, those obtaining the superabundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall be reigning IN LIFE through the One, Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:16, 17; 6:1-23). “A righteousness of God is manifest…through the faith of Jesus Christ, for all, and on all who are believing, for there is no distinction, for all sinned and are wanting of the glory of God. Being justified gratuitously by His grace, through the deliverance which is in Christ Jesus…toward the display of His righteousness in the present season, for Him to be just and a Justifier of the one who is of the faith of Jesus” (See Rom. 3:19-28). “Now to the worker, the wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as a debt. Yet to him who is not working, yet is believing on Him who is JUSTIFYING THE IRREVERENT, his faith is reckoned for righteousness” (Rom. 4:4, 5). “Having been now justified in His blood, we shall be saved from indignation through Him. For if, being enemies, we were conciliated to God through the death of His Son, much more, being conciliated, we shall be saved in His life” (Rom. 5:9-11).
To those who believe in what Jesus Christ has accomplished in their behalf, the Scriptures declare: “Yet you, OF GOD, are in Christ Jesus, Who became to us wisdom from God, besides righteousness and holiness and deliverance, that, according as it is written, He who is boasting, let him be boasting in the Lord” (See 1 Cor. 1:18-31).
Third, the gospel reveals the righteous basis upon which God assures the ultimate salvation of all mankind. (See 1 Tim. 4:9-11 and 2:3-7; Rom. 5:12-19; 1 Cor 15:20-28; Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:15-20).
Because of what Jesus Christ has done, and will yet do in behalf of all mankind, the righteousness of God assures the salvation of all in due time. The “sacrificial work” of the Son of God has been finished on the cross (John19:28-30). The “saving work” of the risen Son of God has only just begun and will continue until ALL have been delivered from sin and death. Note carefully the clear statements of Scripture: “Christ died for the sake of all, consequently all died…God was in Christ, conciliating the world to Himself, not reckoning their offenses to them” (2 Cor. 5:14-21). “Who gave Himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time” (1 Tim. 2:1-7). “For even as in Adam, all are dying also, in Christ, shall all be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:20-28). “For even as, through the disobedience of the one man, the many were constituted sinners, thus also, through the obedience of the One, the many shall be constituted righteous” (See Rom. 5:18, 19).
Those who believe the gospel in this life, are saved for the eons or ages. They are justified by God's grace (Rom. 3:24). They are reconciled to God (Col. 1:21). They receive the Spirit of God, and are set free from the dominion of sin in their lives (Rom. 8:9-11 and 6:1-23). They will experience the deliverance of their bodies when Jesus Christ returns (1 Cor. 15:50-58). They will share the glory and the labor of their Saviour during the coming eons (Eph. 2:1-10 and 3:8-11).
Those who do not believe in this life will be resurrected and judged at the time of the great white throne (Rev. 20:11-15). God will deal with them justly according to their deeds (Rom. 2:1-16). Then those whose names are not in the book of life will suffer the second death (Rev. 20:15). This, however, is not their final end, for they will be MADE ALIVE at the conclusion of the eons when Jesus Christ abolishes the LAST ENEMY WHICH IS DEATH (1 Cor. 15:25,
26). Then, they too will be justified (Rom. 5:18, 19), reconciled to God (Col. 1:13-20), and be made immortal (1 Cor. 15:22; Rom. 8:18-23; 2 Tim. 1:9-11). Then ALL will be subjected to God the Father and God will be ALL IN ALL (1 Cor. 15:27, 28).Some believe and teach that Jesus Christ either cannot or will not save all. It is a source of sadness that so many who profess to know Him and to love Him should slander Him in this manner. Surely He does not lack the ability; He has already saved the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). Neither does He lack the love; “He died for all.” What He has promised in His Word He will certainly do. “Faithful is the saying and worthy of all welcome (for for this are we toiling and being reproached), that we rely on the living God, Who is the Saviour of all mankind, especially of believers. THESE THINGS BE CHARGING AND TEACHING” (1 Tim. 4:9-11).
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Hi Co,
If God calls all to repentance is that an added extra?Lk 24
” 46And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:47And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48And ye are witnesses of these things. “
“All is of God” (Ro..11″36)
RESTORED:
– IN THE POTTER'S HAND!“I went down to the potter's house. Behold! He wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that was made of clay was marred in the hands of the potter. So he made it again, another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make.” (Jeremiah 18:1-4.)
The God Who formed the old creation will also fashion the new. The Potter's prerequisite to remake an unsatisfactory vessel into a useful utensil is recognized by all. The same clay that went into the imperfect piece can be re-worked and molded into a fresh form which will reflect His highest craftsmanship and add to His renown.
What is true among mortals also holds true of the marvelous Master Potter of the universe, to Whom the wiliest rebel is actually only “putty in His hands.” God never “gives up.” He will finish everything He has begun. There is no “waste-basket” in His pottery shop. Nothing needs to be discarded, for His skill at re-working is infinite. While some vessels now are needed to display His displeasure and are suited for destruction (Rom. 9:20-22), it is wise to remember that “destruction” is the same word as “lost” in Greek, and the Shepherd never sleeps while there are yet any “lost” sheep.
“No matter how much reforming
and refining are necessary, the Potter
never takes His hand from the clay.”He never throws any lump away, for He knows that its essential elements are most costly, and He believes in “thrift.” Did our Lord just litter the landscape with the surplus fragments when He fed the five thousand? No, every scrap was gathered up! (John 6:11-14).
The current delusion that the Scriptures teach endless eternity of agony for the unbeliever — the unsuitable vessel — is a dishonor and a disgrace to the name and reputation of the greatest Artisan of all time. God knows what He is doing, and He understands what He is forming. Nothing comes as a surprise to Him, although our sins do bring sorrow to His heart. He recognizes what is best for every one of His creatures, and long ago determined the best method by which to bring each vessel to acknowledge that His way is always wiser.
Men theorize and reason wrongly. Yet, because He knows that they will benefit by swallowing the bitter fruits of their own belligerent behavior, He allows them to acquire nicks and scratches and be disfigured and deformed while following after the follies of their flesh.
But God never gave His creatures legs nimble enough to outdistance Him. God's patient pursuit of His wayward prodigals is the longest love story of them all. When Paul asked Timothy to offer prayer for all the sons and daughters of our ancient ancestor, Adam, he says that this will be welcome in the sight of our Savior, God, Who wills that all mankind be saved and come into a realization of the truth (1 Tim. 2:3,4). Again, in this same letter, Paul says that we rely on the living God, Who is the Savior of all mankind, especially of those who believe (1 Tim. 4:10). After death, the last enemy, has been abolished (1 Cor. 15:26), Christ will turn all things over to His Father, in order that God may become All in all (1 Cor. 15:26). This is the ultimate outcome of God's infinite grace. This was the purpose for which He brought the universe into being. Vessels filled to overflowing with God's spirit, prepared for His praise and glory and honor; these were all seen in the potential progeny of Adam. Nothing needs to be thrown away, for the Potter would not rest until every shard has been re-formed into the image of His Son. All this lies out there before us. Living in expectation, we anxiously await our new spiritual bodies which will be suited to the celestials. We were not chosen to be the few fragments salvaged from a devastated china shop; rather were we selected to be the chosen channels to carry the Creator's love and graciousness to every piece of “unfit earthenware” in the universe.
“From beginning to end,
from start to finish, the clay
never left the hand of the Potter!”——————————————————————————–
Hi CO,
What use is faith?
God loves men of faith as Heb 11 shows.
It too is grace so it must be for a purpose and not be a useless ornament??LAW OR GRACE, WHICH?
Is the Fourth Commandment and are the remaining nine of
the Ten Commandments binding upon the Church?
If so, to what extent?THE very First Commandment is evidence that the law was given only to the nation of Israel, for they only were brought up out of the land of Egypt (Ex. 20:2; Deut. 5:6) The Fourth Commandment, concerning the Sabbath Day, likewise is restricted to that nation, for it is written: “Remember that thou hast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that Jehovah, thy Elohim, brought thee out hence by a mighty hand and a stretched out arm: therefore, Jehovah, thy Elohim, commanded thee to keep the Sabbath Day (Deut. 5:15).
Israel's greatness consisted partly in this, for “what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this, which I set before you this day?” (Duet. 4: 8). It was one of their special prerogatives (Rom. 3:1, 9:4, not the giving of the law, but the legislation) in which they boasted (Rom.2:23), and a part of the oracles of God, which were their chief advantage over the other nations. Negatively, we are told that the nations, who have not law shall perish without law and be judged by their conscience (Rom. 2:12-16).
Some are inclined to repudiate these passages because of Romans 3:19, which sums up the two lines of argument the apostle has been pursuing. First he indicts the nations (Rom. 1:18 to 2:16), without a single appeal to the Scriptures. Then he turns to the Jew (Rom.2:17 to 3:19) and quotes their own Scriptures to show their guilt. Then, having previously indicted Jews as well as Greeks to be all under sin, he quotes what the law says, which can only apply to those under the law, to prove Israel's guilt and thus stop every mouth, making the entire world subject to the just judgment of God.
It is foolish to insist that “whatever the law is saying it is speaking to those under the law” (Rom. 3:19) and then immediately retract it and assert that the law is speaking to the whole world, whether under its jurisdiction or not. The Greek conjunction used here (hina, in order that) introduces a logical deduction which must be traced back to its sources. It must not be used to distort one of its premises because the other has been lost sight of.
There are two classes among those who believe, so far as their previous place in the world is concerned-those who were Jews and those who were of the other nations. Before faith comes (Gal. 3:23) the former are guarded under law, but after faith is come (Gal. 3:25) they are no longer under law. They are now exempted from the law, having died to that which was holding them fast (Rom. 7:6). The spirit's law, giving life by Christ Jesus, frees them from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2).
Soon after some of the nations believed, the sect of the Pharisees insisted that it was needful to command them to keep the law of Moses (Acts 15:15). At the conference called to consider this matter, Peter declared that God had purified their hearts by faith. “Why then, are you now trying God, by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we are strong enough to bear? But through the grace of the Lord Jesus we are believing, to be saved in a manner even as they” (Acts 15:6-12). And even James gave it as his judgment that “I decide not to be harassing those from the nations who are turning back to God” (Acts 15:19). Yet they made decrees for them to keep, which were binding on those among the nations who believed until Jew and Gentile are reconciled through the cross, and are created into one new humanity, and the law, of precepts in these decrees are repealed (Eph. 2:15, 16).
The period from the council at Jerusalem until Paul's imprisonment is the only one during which the nations were under any law, yet these decrees were in no sense a repetition of the ten commandments. They made no reference at all to the Sabbath.
It should be freely and fully acknowledged that our Sunday is a purely heathen holiday. It is not even referred to in the Scriptures. While the first day of the week may be mentioned in most of our versions, it has no place in the Original. We know that it was not a Sabbath, or day of cessation from labor, or it would assuredly have been so designated We need hardly say that “the Lord's day” is a modern misuse of a term which should be applied only to the day of the Lord spoken of by prophets. The observance of Sunday was probably unknown until the time of Constantine- a name associated with much which is prized by men, but an abomination by God.
What then, is our attitude towards the law? If the reader is a Jew, let him reckon himself as dead to it and beyond its jurisdiction. He will not keep Saturday as the Sabbath, for that is the letter of the law whose infringement would bring him into bondage, but, knowing Christ as the consummation of the law (Rom. 10:4), in spirit he enjoys all that the keeping of the law could bring and far more. His Sabbath consists, not in cessation from physical labor each seventh day, but complete rest from his own efforts to attain righteousness. Christ has become this to him. The Sabbath was but a shadow of this real rest.
The danger in falling out of grace (Gal. 5:4), even so little as going back to the literal observance of the Sabbath lies in the fact that the slightest infringement of the law of Sabbath carries a curse with it. “Accursed is everyone who is not remaining in all things written in the scroll of the law to do them” (Gal. 3:10).
The first sign that it has become a legal observance is the repudiation of Sunday for Saturday, -the seventh day which was the day God sanctified. This is but a step to the deadly bondage of law. For if it is necessary to observe the right day it is also necessary to keep every jot and title of the commands concerning that day. And the slightest failure here brings condemnation. Grace brings us beyond condemnation: law puts us under it. The law says do or die; grace says believe and live.
But if the reader is not a Jew(as the writer of these lines) let us exult in the transcendent grace which has become ours in Christ Jesus, so that, though never under the jurisdiction of the law before faith came, we are not bound by its chains after we have believed, but are free in Him. Our incentive to good deeds is not the laws loud thunders, but the gentle, but far more potent call of love-the love of Christ constraineth us.
The law has its place and function. It came in by the way in order to increase offense. Sins of ignorance are no offense to God. It is when sin is committed against His express commands that God is offended. And this was needed in order to magnify the grace which was about to be revealed. Yet where sin increases, grace superabounds. Thus it is with us quite the opposite of being under law. Condemnation increases as sin increases under law: grace increases as sin increases for those in Christ Jesus (Rom. 5:20-6:1).
In conclusion, the law was a wise provision for God's earthly people and many of its enactments are fraught with physical and moral benefits which may profit us. To rest one day in seven is undoubtedly a good plan and well worth observing as a rule of health, provided it be kept out of the domain of law keeping. It is the motive that matters. To do aught to justify ourselves strikes at the heart of God's purpose to lock up all in stubbornness, that He should be merciful to all. To keep the law after faith has come defeats His purpose to draw us close to His heart in reconciliation. It denies the gift of the spirit. It recalls the dispensation of death, which has been eclipsed by the dispensation of righteousness and life and love
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Hi CO,
Christ brought some new commands in his gospel first given to the Jews.Jn3
7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again .Repentance is demanded of ALL.
Acts 17
“30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”
Nick.
You give Acts.17:30 as scripture for the requirment of repentance. I assume then that also as in Acts.7:8, You are also cicumcised?
Acts.7:8 “And He gives him the covenant of circumcision. And thus he begets Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac Jacob, and Jacob the twelve patriarchs.
Now if you are not cicumcised, how do you choose which commands to obey, and which not to obey?Blessings.
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