The Blended Gospel of today

RichardBurger said:

Blended Gospel:

The religious Christian Church is (and has been since the RCC came into existence) teaching a blended, harmonized gospel that takes what Jesus and His Apostles preached to the Jews which included the Law and what Paul preached for the grace Church that excluded the Law and mixes them together. These teachings were never meant to be blended, harmonized together. When you do it you destroy both messages. The scriptures teach we are to “rightly divide the word of truth,” not blend it together.

Galatians 2:3-5
3 Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.
4 And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage),
5 to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
NKJV note: “bring us into bondage.”

　
Let me make it clear that all the scriptures are written FOR US, but not all are written TO US. --- Jesus’ message was to the Jews, not the grace Church. Paul’s message was to the grace Church.

I get depressed when I hear the blended gospel being taught. It is a gospel fostered by the devil. I have opposed it on forums for years and have been asked to leave because of my objections to it. Let me make it clear that Jesus Christ did not come to minister to the Gentiles, nor was His message "the kingdom gospel" sent to the Gentiles. He did not offer the "kingdom of heaven" to the Gentiles because the Gentiles were never promised a kingdom on this earth. The following scriptures support my view.

Matt 10:5-7 (NKJ)
5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.
6 "But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'

Matt 15:23-24 (NKJ)
23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."
24 But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

Rom 15:8 (NKJ)
8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:
Note that in Matt 10:5-7 and Matt 15:23-24 Jesus said He did not come EXCEPT to the house of Israel. Jesus came to confirm/fulfill all that was written of Him in the O.T. His mission was to the Jews, not to the Gentiles. This is what Paul meant in Rom 15:8.

HOWEVER; This is not to say that God did not have another purpose for Jesus' death on the cross.
But that purpose was “hidden in God” and not revealed until it was revealed to Paul on the road to Damascus by Jesus. The grace gospel was not in existence until Paul taught it. See Eph. 3:9 and Col. 1:26.

The Parable of the Wedding Feast; (Matt. 22: 1-10)
1 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:
2 "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son,
3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.
4 Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding."'
5 But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.
6 And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.
7 But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
8 Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
9 Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'
10 So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.
NKJV

We, today, are only invited because the Jews rejected Jesus as their king. God will not let what His Son did on the cross go without results.

This is what I believe.

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This is true! If the ONLY reason we are given a chance by God is because the Jews rejected Jesus...then why not continuw with the law but with new people? Why the diccrepency?

The truth is that the Jews rejected Jesus Christ as the means of accomplishing the law. Jesus did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill the law IN US!!!!!! So few can see this.

Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

In US!!! Most believers misunderstand the gospel as something Jesus did FOR us rather than something that Jesus is doing IN us. WE accomplish the perfect law by walking in a perfect Saviour. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2Co 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The church fathers taught that Jesus became a participant in the human condition so we could participate in the divine one.

That's not what those like Richard mean with the idea of a "blended gospel" though.

The idea from men that he follows is that the NT phrase "gospel of the kingdom" our Lord Jesus used was ONLY meant for Israel, and not for Gentiles. And that kind of idea is a falsehood...


Acts 28:28-31
28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.
29 And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.
30 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,
31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.
(KJV)


He further goes on to say that there is not just One Gospel of Jesus Christ, but TWO different Gospels of Jesus Christ, one for Israel and another for Gentiles. That's not true either, especially per Apostle Paul's own Epistles.

The result??? Richard follows a different Bible than the rest of us.

The Bible prophesies the final regathering of Israel, believing, saved, when Jesus returns, to their Covenant Land:

Isaiah 59:20-21 Complete Apostles' Bible
(20) And the deliverer shall come for Zion's sake, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
(21) And this shall be My covenant with them, said the Lord; My Spirit which is upon you, and the words which I have put in your mouth, shall never fail from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your seed, for the Lord has spoken it, henceforth and forever!

Paul quotes this:

Romans 11:25-27 Complete Apostles' Bible
(25) For I do not desire you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
(26) And so all Israel shall be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer shall come out of Zion, and He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
(27) For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins."

God has a covenant with the nation of Israel which has not yet been fulfilled.

Zechariah 12:8-10 Complete Apostles' Bible
(8) And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the weak one among them in that day shall be as David, and the house of David as the house of God, as the Angel of the Lord before them.
(9) And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
(10) And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and compassion: and they shall look upon Me, because they have mocked Me, and they shall make lamentation for Him, as for a beloved friend, and they shall grieve intensely, as for a firstborn son.

Zechariah tells us about that day, and when that day will be:

Zechariah 14:3-4 Complete Apostles' Bible
(3) And the Lord shall go forth, and fight with those Gentiles as when He fought in the day of war.
(4) And His feet shall stand in that day on the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, a very great division; half the mountain shall lean to the north, and half of it to the south.

Israel will be regathered to their Covenant Land.

Ezekiel 39:21-29 Complete Apostles' Bible
(21) And I will set My glory among you, and all the nations shall see My judgment which I have wrought, and My hand which I have brought upon them.
(22) And the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God, from this day and forward.
(23) And all the nations shall know that the house of Israel was led captive because of their sins, because they rebelled against Me, and I turned away My face from them, and delivered them into the hands of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword.
(24) According to their uncleannesses and according to their transgressions did I deal with them, and I turned away My face from them.
(25) Therefore thus says the Lord God: Now will I turn back captivity in Jacob, and will have mercy on the house of Israel, and will be jealous for the sake of My holy name.
(26) And they shall bear their reproach, and the iniquity which they committed when they dwelt upon their land in peace. Yet there shall be none to terrify them
(27) when I have brought them back from the nations, and gathered them out of the countries of the nations; and I will be sanctified among them in the presence of the nations.
(28) And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, when I have been manifested to them among the nations.
(29) And I will no more turn away My face from them, because I have poured out My wrath upon the house of Israel, says the Lord God.

Joel 3 tells us about this time also.

Jesus made a promise to the Apostles, the 12:

Matthew 19:27-29 LITV
(27) Then answering, Peter said to Him, Behold, we left all things and followed You. What then shall be to us?
(28) And Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, You who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
(29) And everyone who left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for the sake of My name, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

God has a covenant to keep with Israel.

Acts 3:19-23 LITV
(19) Therefore, repent, and convert, for the blotting out of your sins, so that times of refreshing may come from the face of the Lord,
(20) and that He may send forth the One before proclaimed to you, Jesus Christ,
(21) whom Heaven truly needs to receive until the times of restoration of all things, of which God spoke through the mouth of all His holy prophets from the age past.
(22) For Moses indeed said to the fathers, "The Lord your God will raise up to you a Prophet from among your brothers, One like me; you shall hear Him according to all things," whatever He may speak to you. See Deut. 18:15-16, 19
(23) And it shall be that of every soul, whoever should not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.

Notice the Apostle says, Whoever should not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.

Again to Paul, And so all Israel shall be saved.

All Israel.

When the deliverer comes, He will turn away the ungodliness from Jacob, and all Israel shall be saved, finally, as a people, hearing that Prophet.

The Covenant was fulfilled by Jesus, the Law kept perfectly, with the righteousness of Christ having kept the Law ready to be imputed to all who would believe.

When we gentiles believe, we receive the benefit of the covenant offered to us, peace with God, a new creation, eternal life, knowing the Father, and His Who was sent, Jesus Christ our Lord.

When individual Jews believe, this is presently the same as when gentiles believe, they receive the benefit of the New Covenant.

But when the nation believes, and is imputed the righteousness of Christ having kept the Law, on a national level:

Ezekiel 37:21-28 LITV
(21) And say to them, So says the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations, there where they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and will bring them into their own land.
(22) And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one King shall be for a king to all of them. And they shall not be two nations still. And they will not be split into two kingdoms any more.
(23) And they will not still be defiled with their idols, even with their filthy idols, nor with all of their transgressions. But I will save them out of all their dwelling places where they have sinned in them, and I will cleanse them. So they shall be for a people to Me and I will be for God to them.
(24) And My Servant, David, shall be King over them. And there shall be one Shepherd to all of them. And they shall walk in My judgments and keep My statutes, and do them.
(25) And they shall dwell on the land that I have given to my servant, to Jacob, there where your fathers dwelt in it. And they shall dwell on it, they and their sons, and the sons of their sons, forever. And My Servant David shall be a ruler to them forever.
(26) And I will cut a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant it shall be with them, And I will place them and multiply them, and I will put My sanctuary in their midst forever.
(27) And My tabernacle shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
(28) And when My sanctuary shall be in their midst forever, the nations shall know that I, Jehovah, sanctify Israel.

Isaiah 59
(20) And the deliverer shall come for Zion's sake, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
(21) And this shall be My covenant with them, said the Lord; My Spirit which is upon you, and the words which I have put in your mouth, shall never fail from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your seed, for the Lord has spoken it, henceforth and forever!


Deuteronomy 4:26-40 NKJV
(26) I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess; you will not prolong your days in it, but will be utterly destroyed.
(27) And the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD will drive you.
(28) And there you will serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.
(29) But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
(30) When you are in distress (tribulaton), and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice
(31) (for the LORD your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.
(32) "For ask now concerning the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether any great thing like this has happened, or anything like it has been heard.
(33) Did any people ever hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live?
(34) Or did God ever try to go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
(35) To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD Himself is God; there is none other besides Him.
(36) Out of heaven He let you hear His voice, that He might instruct you; on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire.
(37) And because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them; and He brought you out of Egypt with His Presence, with His mighty power,
(38) driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land as an inheritance, as it is this day.
(39) Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the LORD Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.
(40) You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the LORD your God is giving you for all time."

God has a covenant, has prophesied things for Israel that have not been fulfilled yet, but will be, things that do not apply to Gentiles.

The Gospel is the same for all people, that according to the Scritpures, Jesus died, was buried, and raised back to life. Whosoever believes in Him will not perish.

And yet, there are promises for God to keep.

Love in Christ,
Mark

HammerStone said:

I just finished talking about this at our church this past Wednesday. I taught on a scripture which completely contradicts what you're trying to say:

Romans 4:16-17a HCSB
This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace, to guarantee it to all the descendants-not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of Abraham's faith. He is the father of us all in God's sight.

Grace comes to both, to all. It's clearly stated in Romans 4, using Abraham.

Click to expand...

Amen!

The Gospel is the same for all, demonstrated in Romans, and in Galatians, as Paul compares his gospel with the Apostles in Jerusalem.

I think the confusion comes in with the promises God has made to Israel, but these are not about a different Gospel.

Love in Christ,
Mark

Watching a wedding is not the same as being yourself IN the wedding.

HammerStone said:

I just finished talking about this at our church this past Wednesday. I taught on a scripture which completely contradicts what you're trying to say:

Romans 4:16-17a HCSB
This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace, to guarantee it to all the descendants-not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of Abraham's faith. He is the father of us all in God's sight.

Grace comes to both, to all. It's clearly stated in Romans 4, using Abraham.

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Correct!

But the false doctrine of men that Richard's on is trying to do just the opposite, take away... that Grace which was first preached to Israel, of which God preserved a believing remnant from.

Let's see what Richard LEFT OUT of the flow of those Scriptures he quotes...

Matt 21:45-46
45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard His parables, they perceived that He spake of them.
46 But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitude, because they took Him for a prophet.
(KJV)

Just prior to Christ giving the parables in Matthew 22, the chief priests, Pharisees, and scribes were present, and they understood He was speaking ABOUT them in those parables. That's got to be understood before going on into the Matt.22 chapter. Thus our Lord Jesus was NOT directing all that to the whole nation of Israel, like Richard is TRYING... to show.

RichardBurger said:

The Parable of the Wedding Feast; (Matt. 22: 1-10)
1 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:
2 "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son,
3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.
4 Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding."'
5 But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.
6 And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.
7 But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
8 Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
9 Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'
10 So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.
NKJV

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NOTE especially what Jesus said in the Matthew 22:6 verse...

Matt.22:6 And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.

Anyone read our Lord Jesus talking about those in another chapter? If you continue to the Matthew 23 chapter, you will find out...


Matt 23:29-35
29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
30 And say, 'If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'
31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
(KJV)

Our Lord Jesus was specifically... talking about those scribes, chief priests, and Pharisees back in the Matt.22:6 verse; that's who were responsible for the killing of God's OT prophets. And did you CATCH what our Lord Jesus in that Matt.23:35 verse above said... about them??? He even put the guilt blood of ABEL upon them! Who slew Abel back per Genesis? CAIN did.


1 Chr 2:55
55 And the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab.
(KJV)

Did you not know that the "scribes" Jesus was pointing to were not of the children of Israel at all? They were FOREIGNERS of nations that lived in Canaan before God led the children of Israel into the holy lands of promise (see Genesis 15 about the Kenites). Dr. James Strong defined the 'Kenites' as being from the first child, i.e. CAIN. That's why our Lord Jesus put the blood guilt of Abel upon them, for He was talking about the "synagogue of Satan" (Rev.2:9; 3:9) there, those of the Canaanites that had crept in among Israel back in Old Testament history.

Thus our Lord Jesus was NOT... speaking of all the people of Israel as being guilty of His crucifixion! The ten tribes of Israel were not even present... in the holy land at Jesus' first coming! Obviously, Richard doesn't know that, nor do those he listens to.

What God's Word actually reveals comes forth when you stay with Its flow, doesn't it? Richard didn't do that. He didn't do it with the below Scripture example either...

Romans 11:19-21
19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in."
20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear.
21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.
NKJV

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If you read ONLY... those 3 verses from Rom.11 that Richard posted, it can lead you to a wrong view that ALL the branches of original Israel have been broken off, and no longer exist in God's Plan of Salvation through His Son. Include what else Paul said there, and that whole... picture changes!!!


Rom 11:14-18
14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
(KJV)

That Rom.11:17 verse changes everything, doesn't it? Yes. Paul clearly stated there that Gentiles as a wild olive tree is graffed "in among them" (Israel). And only SOME of the original branches were broken off, not all the original branches of Israel. We see Richard wants to just totally dump... Israel altogether away from The Gospel. Too bad, he cannot.

Paul doesn't stop there about the original branches of Israel though. He continues to show what is promised about 'some' of the original branches that were broken off...


Rom 11:23-29
23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.
24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, 'There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
27 For this is My covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.'
28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.
29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
(KJV)

The gospel is a proclamation of an empowerment to become sons of God...and be like GOD. The works of the Christian are wrought IN God.

Eze 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Eze 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Clearly faith without these works is dead.

veteran said:

I wouldn't go so far as to say 'be like GOD', but as the 'children of God', 'sons of God.'

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In regards to holiness!!

Why argue about such things,God help us all if simple faith in Jesus's work on the cross isn't enough,why the constant dbating over every detail ? being armed with the God given knowledge that one is a sinner and needs a saviour and that Jesus is that saviour is enough....the constant contention over every word,sentence and paragraph is very discouraging to see.The Jews are God's chosen people...settled ! we recived the gift of Jesus and the gospel through the Jews....settled ! the jews rejected Jesus...settled ! God is not willing that any should perish but that ALL should come to repentence....settled!!!!!

Strat said:

Why argue about such things,God help us all if simple faith in Jesus's work on the cross isn't enough,why the constant dbating over every detail ? being armed with the God given knowledge that one is a sinner and needs a saviour and that Jesus is that saviour is enough....the constant contention over every word,sentence and paragraph is very discouraging to see.The Jews are God's chosen people...settled ! we recived the gift of Jesus and the gospel through the Jews....settled ! the jews rejected Jesus...settled ! God is not willing that any should perish but that ALL should come to repentence....settled!!!!!

Click to expand...

An accurate understanding is crucial for something as important as the direction of your life. You should wish a person operating on you for your life is given to understanding details in his procedure. It is the absence of such understanding and knowledge that destroys men. What does the word say about the lack of knowledge?

....it says people are destroyed from the lack of knowledge.

Out of all the topics discussed on this forum, this is an OP that needs to be discredited! There is only one gospel, God gave His Word to us so that we would read it, learn it and obey it.

Even though the Bible tells us to "be holy as your Father in Heaven is holy", the OP tells us to be something different. This belief system lacks the importance of obedience to our Master, it disregards sin as a stumbling block to living in Holiness and sets the believers of this doctrine up that in no way will they conform to Christ - all of which is repeatedly discussed in the Word.

It lacks a true understanding of what grace is and the truth of the gospel is completely lost, leading many people astray.

Jake said:

....it says people are destroyed from the lack of knowledge.

Out of all the topics discussed on this forum, this is an OP that needs to be discredited! There is only one gospel, God gave His Word to us so that we would read it, learn it and obey it.

Even though the Bible tells us to "be holy as your Father in Heaven is holy", the OP tells us to be something different. This belief system lacks the importance of obedience to our Master, it disregards sin as a stumbling block to living in Holiness and sets the believers of this doctrine up that in no way will they conform to Christ - all of which is repeatedly discussed in the Word.

It lacks a true understanding of what grace is and the truth of the gospel is completely lost, leading many people astray.

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A big AMEN!!!

Episkopos said:

An accurate understanding is crucial for something as important as the direction of your life. You should wish a person operating on you for your life is given to understanding details in his procedure. It is the absence of such understanding and knowledge that destroys men. What does the word say about the lack of knowledge?

Click to expand...

An accurate understanding is that Jesus died for our sins,that none of us are perfect...even here in cyberspace where it appears to be easy to think you are,alot of what is said here is just complexity for complexity's sake and people whio like to see their words in text....the true gospel is simple.I will take the gospel of the peasnat over the gospel of the so called and often self appointed Bible scholar any day,those who are always saying things like"this is what it REALY means" and tell people they need to be Greek scholars and Hebrew scholars in order to be saved as if nothing in God's word can be taken at face value...the same people who have nothing to offer people in times of need or distress but worn out piuos platitudes and lofty high sounding words that they puff themselves up with.

The word"knowledge" simply means to know something,the Bible is knowledge both upfront and direct and that which the holy spirit teaches us and the countless millions of books written by men over the centuries has resulted in denominations which are not Biblical,divisions which are not Biblical and radical interpertations which lead millions to Hell....yes i know what the Bible says about knowledge,i also know what it says about men and their vain imaginations.

Strat said:

An accurate understanding is that Jesus died for our sins,that none of us are perfect...even here in cyberspace where it appears to be easy to think you are,alot of what is said here is just complexity for complexity's sake and people whio like to see their words in text....the true gospel is simple.I will take the gospel of the peasnat over the gospel of the so called and often self appointed Bible scholar any day,those who are always saying things like"this is what it REALY means" and tell people they need to be Greek scholars and Hebrew scholars in order to be saved as if nothing in God's word can be taken at face value...the same people who have nothing to offer people in times of need or distress but worn out piuos platitudes and lofty high sounding words that they puff themselves up with.

The word"knowledge" simply means to know something,the Bible is knowledge both upfront and direct and that which the holy spirit teaches us and the countless millions of books written by men over the centuries has resulted in denominations which are not Biblical,divisions which are not Biblical and radical interpertations which lead millions to Hell....yes i know what the Bible says about knowledge,i also know what it says about men and their vain imaginations.

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Does your simple doctrine give you the simple power to walk like Christ?

It's a matter of milk vs. meat. A new believer is given milk, it's easy and comfortable, it's acceptable, it's the first level of our Christian walk. As we progress in our walk, we then begin to learn the meat of the Word. Through our obedience to what we learn, we progress even further, we obtain more meat. This growth will bring about fully mature believers.

If we want to become fully mature believers, we need to move on to the meat of the Word. This is exactly what Paul was talking about, he wanted to give them solid food, but they were not ready, so he kept giving them milk.

It's easy to believe Jesus was a perfect man, but it's not so easy when we are held accountable for all of our actions, thoughts and desires. It's easy to believe God is holy, but not so easy when we're told to be Holy like Him.

I gotta say . . . the deeper I study the Word . . . the more complex it becomes for me as it all ties together . . . the more I learn about so many topics covered in Scripture . . . the simpler it gets.

Everything I really needed to know I learned in Sunday School when I was 3 years old. But oh what a task to pound it through this 50 year old brain!

Love in Christ,
mark

Episkopos said:

Does your simple doctrine give you the simple power to walk like Christ?

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Yes it does,because it takes me and my vanity out of the way and allows God to do what only he can do.....does it make me perfect in the sense that i never sin in thought word or deed by commision or omission,no it doesn't,no more so than many words,philosophies and interpretations make others perfect....but my sins are forgiven and i am cleansed from all unrightousness