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Christian Apologetic
Infant Baptism
Resurrection
Messianic Prophesies
Assurance of Salvation
Christology
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Non-Negotiable Gospel
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Anthropic
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[The Gospel of
God] [Gospel's Three Elements] [The
Difficult Part]
[Mercy and Works] [Faith
and Power]
Christian churches differ among themselves
on many issues such as the proper mode of baptism, the true meaning of
Communion, facts regarding the Second Coming of Christ, and the role of women in
the Church. These issues are
important in the sense that belief in one way or another does not affect one’s
eternal destiny. It will not affect
your destiny, I believe, if one is baptized by immersion or by another means,
for example. However, there are
certain nonnegotiable tenants of the Christian Gospel – so nonnegotiable in
fact that failure of a church group to hold to these tenants properly defines
them as non-Christian by definition. These
beliefs are so fundamental to the Christian religion that failure to understand
them properly illustrates such an ignorance of basic Christian doctrine so as to
place in question the eternal destiny of those so deluded.
The nonnegotiable portions of the Gospel of Christ are discussed below.
Man’s place with respect to God begins in
the Garden of Eden. The Garden was
the most perfect environment that could be created for man, and it was there
that God could teach man about Himself personally.
It was a perfect environment in which sin did not exist.
Everything created in that Garden had a purpose, and everything fulfilled
that purpose. Man enjoyed the
fellowship of his Creator in a personal and very real way.
At first, man followed God as an exercise of his free will; fur it was
through the exercise of this will that man first sinned.
He listed to the seductive lies of the Serpent, “Ye shall be as gods”
was the great lie of the Serpent, and it is this lie that has been used by Satan
down to this day. When Adam and eve
through exercise of their free will decided to sin against God, sin entered into
the world, and “death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all
have sinned.” (Romans 5:12).
Death not only ends our short life, but it
also separates us form God. Ordinarily,
sin would eternally separate man from God, for God being perfect, cannot permit
any form or sin to pollute His presence. However,
God planned how He would reunite mankind to Himself.
Without ceasing to be God, He would become a man through a virgin birth.
Only God could be the Savior (Isaiah 43:11, 45:21), thus the Messiah had
to be God (Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah 45:15, Titus 1:3-4, etc.).
He would die for our sins to pay the penalty demanded by His justice.
Then, He would rise from the dead to live in those who would believe in and
receive Him as their Lord and Savior. Forgiveness
of sins and eternal life would be the believer’s gift – a free gift of His
grace.
Centuries before the Incarnation, God
inspired the Old Testament prophets to declare His eternal and unchangeable plan
of salvation. Definitive criteria
were provided by which the coming Savior would be identified.
Jesus and His apostles did not invent a “new religion.”
Christianity fulfills scores of specific prophecies and is therefore
provable from Scripture!
So it was not a new gospel which Paul the
apostle preached, but “the gospel of God (which He had promised afore by His
prophets in the Holy Scriptures) concerning his Son Jesus Christ…” (Romans
1;1-3). Thus, the Bereans could
check Paul’s message against the Old Testament (Acts 17:11); and he could use
the Hebrew prophets which were read in the synagogue every Sabbath, to show that
Jesus was the promised Messiah. Not
Buddha, not Muhammad, not anybody else could show these credentials.
The fulfillment of scores of prophecies and specific requirements as set
forth in Scripture written hundreds of years previously would be absolute proof
that Christ was the Messiah.
In Hebrews 2:3, the question is asked,
“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?”
The answer is equally as plain – there is no escape.
The Bible makes this very clear. To
add to, reject, take from, or otherwise change “the gospel of God” is to
perpetuate the rebellion begun by Adam and Eve and to leave one eternal
separated from God and His salvation. We
can try to “do it my way” without God, effectually denying His existence and
refusing His grace. We would then
suffer the eternal consequences of this act, whereby we become eternally
separated from God and suffer the eternal consequences earned by our refusal of
His grace.
The Gospel of Christ is not difficult, but
is simple and precise leaving no room for interpretation or negotiation: “that
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried,
and that He rose again the third day…” (1 Cor 15:3-4).
This “everlasting gospel” (Rev. 14:6) was promised “before the
world began” (2 Tim 1:9; Titus 1:2) and cannot change with time or culture.
There is no other hope for mankind; no other way to be forgiven and be
brought back into communion with God except through this “straight and narrow
way” (Matt. &:13). Any other
way leads to destruction.
The
Gospel's Three Elements
The one true “gospel of God’s grace”
which God offers is the only way – the only salvation.
It has three basic elements,
- Who
Christ is – full God and perfect, sinless man in one person (were He less
he could not then be our Savior),
- Who
man is – hopeless sinners already condemned to eternal death, and
- What
Christ’s death accomplished – the payment in full for our sins (any
attempt at all for man to in some measure pay for or influence his salvation
denies and rejects the efficacy of the Cross).
Christ has commanded us to “preach the
gospel (good news!) to every creature (person)” (Mark 16:15).
When man is preached to, what response is then required from that man?
“What must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved” (Acts 16:30-31). Nor
religion, ritual, nor good works will have any influence upon our eternal
destiny; we are not saved by what church we might belong to.
Rather, we are saved by our belief – faith – in Christ.
God calls us to believe, “For by grace are ye saved through faith”
(Eph. 2:8) that “whosoever believes in him will not perish, but has
eternal life (John 3:16).
It is the gospel alone that will save those
who believe in it. Nothing else
will save. Therefore, we must
preach the gospel, “Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel” (1 Cor.
9:16). Sentimental appeals to
“come to Jesus” or “make a decision for Christ” will not avail anything
if the gospel is not clearly explained and believed.
Many are attracted to the figure of Christ
because of his admirable character, his noble martyrdom, or because believe in
Him is known to change lives. However,
such converts have not truly believed in the gospel and hence are not saved
(John 3:36). Furthermore, salvation
comes on God’s terms and by His grace. We
cannot negotiate the gospel either with God or with one another.
Salvation is a work of God and His Son; we either believe it or reject
it. We can’t accept one portion
and not the other.
Paul sums up the simple truth of the Gospel,
“that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was
buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures (1 Cor.
15:3-4). “I am the door”, said
Christ: “by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.” (John 10;9).
Note that the gospel does not contain anything about baptism, church
membership, or even attendance, tithing, sacraments or rituals, diet or
clothing. If we add anything to the
gospel – the means whereby men are saved – then we have perverted it and
thus come under Paul’s anathema in Gal. 1:8-9.
The Galatian heresy that caused Paul to become so upset was the addition
or other requirements for salvation in addition to belief in Christ.
Specifically, in that day, there were Jews who had become Christians, but
who were insisting that Christian obey old Mosaic laws including circumcision.
Paul vehemently informs the Corinthians that such was not the will of
God; that the only requirement for salvation was belief in God – and nothing
else. To add any more would
indicate that man would have some influence upon his own salvation and thereby
diminish the work of the Cross. When
Christ died, his last words were, “It is finished!’.
Furthermore, after ascension to Heaven, Christ “sat down” at the
right hand of the Father furthermore indicating that our salvation is a done
deal and does not depend upon anything we could do because we could add nothing.
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his
mercy he saved us” (Titus 3:5); “for by grace are ye saved, through faith
… the gift of God 9is0 not of works, lest any man should boast …’ (Eph.
2:8-9).
Instead of works, the gospel merely requires
faith. It is the power of God unto
salvation to those who believe. “Now to him that worketh not, but believeth on
him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
(Romans 4:5). The gospel of Christ
is like a two-edged sword in that it declares, “He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life.” But, the
same verse also notes, “and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life;
but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).
Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of
the gospel to accept is that those who do not accept it are eternally lost –
no matter what good works they might have done.
The reasons for that fact are grounded in
both God’s love and His justice. God’s
justice requires that the infinite penalty for sin must be paid.
In payment we would be separated from God forever, so He became a man
through the virgin birth to pay the penalty for us.
No one can complain against God. He
has proved His love by doing all that He could for our salvation.
He has himself paid the penalty and on that basis can be both “just,
and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus”. (Romans 3:26).
Jesus said, “…Ye are from beneath; I am from above…if ye believe
that I AM (this is God’s name, Yahweh), ye shall die in your sins” (John
8:23-24). Jesus says we must
believe that He is God, for He is; and no one less than God could save us.
We must believe that the sinless One “died for our sins,” and was
buried; and that He rose bodily from the grave.
Only by believing this Gospel are we saved.
This means that even someone as virtuous as
Mother Teresa cannot be saved unless that person also believes.
Because we are all sinners; and because one we have broken one of God’s
commandments we “[are] guilty of all” (James 2:10); and “by the deeds of
the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight” (Romans 3:20).
Keeping the law perfectly from now on could never make up for having
already broken just one.
For God to grant salvation by any other
means than faith in Christ alone would be an insult to the One whom the Father
insisted had to endure His wrath as the sacrifice for sin.
Furthermore, God would be breaking His own code of justice and going back
on His Word. No, even God himself
could not save one of Earth’s most notable saint – Mother Teresa – unless
she too gave her live to Christ, and did not rely upon her good works for her
salvation.
There is a real danger that in our zeal to
get people to accept the gospel of Christ, we manufacture a gospel acceptable to
people and produce converts to something else other than the Gospel of Christ.
Today’s most notable examples of this tendency include the
“positive” gospel that is intended not to offend.
One of the most popular televangelists, for example, has said that it is
demeaning to call anyone a sinner and that Christ died to restore human dignity
and self-esteem. He claims to win
many to Christ with that seductive message – but such a gospel is a farce –
it is not the Gospel of Christ.
Evangelistic appeals are often made to
“come to Christ” for the wrong reasons.
Some of these wrong reasons might include being healthy, happy,
successful, to restore a marriage or to handle stress.
Others preach a gospel that is so diluted or perverted that it deceives
many into thinking they are saved.
Religion – not atheism - is Satan’s main
weapon. “The god of this world
hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the lights of the
glorious gospel of Christ ..should shine unto them” (2 Cor. 4:4).
To combat “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24), the great
deceiver has many false gospels, but they all have two subtle rejections of
grace in common: ritual and/or self-effort.
Ritual makes redemption an ongoing process
performed by a special priesthood; and self-effort gives man a part to play in
earning his salvation. The one
denies the finality of the Cross. The
other denies its sufficiency. Either
one robs God of the uniqueness of the gift He wishes to give fallen man: “For
the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
“An altar of earth thou shalt make
unto me … And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build
it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.
Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness
be not discovered thereon.” (Exodus 20_24-26)
“…[L]et us build us a city and a
tower [of Babel], whose top may reach unto heaven …” (Genesis 11:4)
These two versus illustrate one of the
primary difficulties man has in his relationship with God; that of man’s
pride. We are always, it seems,
trying to make God’s religion a work’s based religion so that we will have
some input into our own salvation. However,
Scripture is very, very clear that God alone draws man to Himself, for man is
dead unto sin, and dead people cannot make any movement.
But, these two verses also illustrate that this point was well
illustrated not only in the New Testament, but also in the Old Testament as
well.
God’s instruction to the ancient
Israelites was clear. If the ground
was too rocky to gather up a mount of earth for an altar, stones could be heaped
together – but they could not be cut or fashioned in any way for to do so
would pollute them. Nor could the
altar be elevated. Not one step
could be climbed to reach the altar. There
must be no illusion that man could contribute anything through his own efforts
to his salvation. God himself is
the only One who can save man, and salvation must be a gift of His grace.
Such is the gospel consistently presented from Genesis to Revelation.
Consider the following verses,
“I, even I, am
the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour (Isaiah 43:11).
[He is] The
mighty God, The everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6)
…thou shalt
call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21)
For by grace are
ye saved … not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us (Titus
3:5).
Being justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24)
And if by grace,
then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace.
But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no
more work. (Romans 11:6).
Babel may be traced from ancient paganism to
the “high places” of ancient Israel (1 Kings 11:7, 2 Kings 23:15, Ezekiel
16:24-39, etc), and on to every religion on earth today.
The ornate temples or mosques and elaborate ceremonies found in Islam,
Hinduism, Buddhism, Mormonism, and other cults and the occult are obvious
continuations of this Tower of Babel. But,
so are the magnificent cathedrals, lofty steeples, exalted and gilded altars,
luxurious vestments and impressive rituals of today’s “high church”
denominations. God is not
influenced by such enhancements. Solomon’s
Temple was certainly magnificent; but it was uniquely designed and commanded by
God. Both the tabernacle in the
wilderness and the temple, which succeeded it, were “a figure … of good
things to come [i.e., of Christ and heaven]” (Hebrews 9:9-11).
God told Moses, “See to it that thou make all things according to the
pattern which I showed to thee on the mount” (Hebrews 8:5).
God gives no such pattern or approval for
any other religious structure. God
does not live in the modern “sanctuaries” of churches; rather, God lives in
every believer’s body (“your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit” (`1
Cor. 3:17). Paul reminded the
Athenians,
“God that made the world and all
things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in
temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he
needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; …
(Acts 17:24-25).
Jesus explained that God does indeed wish
our worship – but it must be “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-240.
Affectations, whether in physical adornments, props, or ceremonies,
appeal to the flesh and far from enhancing worship, effectively deny both the
truth and the Spirit, by which it alone can be offered to God who created and
redeemed us. Sacramentalism – the
belief that liturgy’s form and formulas transmit spiritual power and that
salvation comes through the sacraments, too readily creeps into even Protestant
thinking.
All of us are the children of the first
parents who first sinned and fell from grace.
Every place of worship, which has been adorned for the purpose of
hallowing it or gaining some special favor from God violates Exodus 20:24-26 as
well as the rest of Scripture. All
such “sanctuaries” are monuments to man’s rebellion and his proud and
perverted religion of self-effort. It
is all too easy to fall into the comforting belief that belonging to a church
and periodically “worshiping” in its “sanctuary” makes one a Christian
and compensates for one’s lack of consistent, personal holiness.
Billions continue today in the same spirit as the Tower of Babel, to
pursue self-oriented religious programs to earn their way to heaven.
In the process, truth and doctrine are relegated to a secondary role, or
indeed none.
It is important to recognize the
relationship between God and man when dealing with faith issues.
One must never lose sight of the fact that God is forever sovereign, and
that man is forever subject to God. Too many view this relationship in
completely the opposite terms, that is, if you have enough faith, then God will
do whatever you want. One such
person noted, “Prayer is communicating with the deep unconscious … Your
unconscious mine … [has a] power that turns wishes into realities.
You don’t know the power you have within you!…You make the world into
anything you choose.” Again, this
is Tower of Babel thinking whereby the power of “thinking” becomes the
stairway that leads to heaven where all wishes can be fulfilled.
For others, faith is a mind power that even
God uses when one speaks from “the word of faith.”
Many Christians believe that the exercise of faith causes what they are
praying for will happen. Of course,
if believing something will happen actually causes it to happen, then who needs
God? Again, man’s faith then
becomes the stairway in the Tower of Babel and again man becomes the god and God
becomes subject to man’s faith. We
must always remember that God is not subject to man, and that everything will be
the will of God. Faith is not a
magic power to get God to bless our plans, the “the obedience of faith (Acts
6;7, Romans 1:5, 2 Thess. 1:8) brings us into submission to Him as the
instruments of His will.
But the exercise of faith is not limited to
those of us who believe in God. Indeed,
humanists also have their own brand of faith – faith in mankind.
They believe that through the ever improving power of the mind of man,
and his self improvement through the application of science, modern man will
conquer space, time, and all disease to eventually become the immortal master of
the universe. The humanist’s
heaven is a peaceful cosmos populated by highly intelligent, “evolved” space
traveling creatures that have restored paradise through the application of
technology.
One of Christian psychology’s major
appeals is its false claim to being scientific.
Religious science is a major element in the environmental movement, where
the earth is increasingly viewed as sacred.
Ecotheology, says a Georgetown University professor, “starts with the
premise that the Universe is God.” Carl
Sagan exemplified this philosophy by noting, “If we must worship a power
greater than ourselves, does it not make sense to revere the Sun and stars?”
The environmental movement is a humanistic attempt to restore the Earth
without repenting of humanity’s rebellion against God.
New Age is being purposefully being promoted
in the public schools through such programs as America 2000.
Bill Clinton, while governor of Arkansas, initiated a school “reform”
which had as one of its principle aims the remolding of students into planetary
citizens separated from their parents, including the worship of self and the
universe as god.
Exodus 20:24-26 is a foundational passage
that indicates to the believer that the earth is not to be worshipped or
honored, but to be used as an altar. Sin
brought a curse upon the earth, a curse that could only be removed through the
shedding of blood (Leviticus 17:11). Animals
were sacrificed upon an altar of earth in anticipation of the Lam of God who
would, “by the sacrifice of himself” (Heb. 9:26) once and for all obtain
“eternal redemption for us.”
There are peripheral issues on which
Christians may differ such as diet, dress, mode of baptism, honoring certain
days, how and how often to keep the Lord’s Supper, etc.
Salvation, however, is the central issue on which all must agree.
Paul cursed those who taught the one must believe the gospel and keep
the law in order to be saved (Galatians 1:6-12).
No one believing that message could be saved because they then are
relying upon their own good works for their own righteousness.
This practice would lead to our destruction since all our works are as
filthy rags before God, and there is not a single person upon the earth that is
righteous! The “gospel of God”
is very specific and must be believed for one to be saved.
“[S]trait is the gat, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life,
and few there be that find it” (Matt. 7:14).
That “narrowminded” statement was not the invention of some dogmatic
preacher fundamentalist, but rather came from our Lord Himself!
“The faith” for which we must
“earnestly content” (Jude 3) has definite moral and doctrinal content and
must be believed for salvation – all else is Babel and condemned by God.
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