Philippians 3:17-18,
17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
We are inward believer's not outward actor's, we have believed (in whom) and so are we. Paul address's a very stern fact that there are Christian's with Christ in them and they are still enemies of the cross. What makes an enemy of the cross? Your inward believing, what you believe about something, we put alot of stock in what we believe! if you are an outer believer you will have to act out your Christianity. Your believing apart from the death, burial, and resurrection you are a religious person, trying to live a Christian Life according to how you feel. Sad fact is when we do that (we all have done or are doing it) you will be slow to admit your inner knowledge does not line up with the scriptures. No body likes to be wrong but at least in our age we live in we can repent and change our minds. We see this in Christianity all the time, believers who go the way of self effort to please God.
An enemy of the cross does not believe they have been crucified with Christ, in essence they are still their own god. This is a hard pill to swallow but the very thing they are trying to avoid they do. We have a hard time understanding that "what we believe and whom we have believed" are two direct opposites. You get 1000 and 1 denominations, and off shoots and splits from those based on what people believe. Yet we will still die for what we believe, strange people we are to say the least. So from an outer standpoint you can see what a person believes holds no water. It's very easy to become a laughing stock when what you believe is put on display. What you believe was never intended to be a gospel, man has made it a gospel, not the scriptures. The scriptures are loud and long on the gospel being a person and that person revealed in you.
So to make a gospel you will have to go outside of the scriptures and yourself. All of the scriptures point to an inward gospel. Paul gives the answer in the term he uses "follow me" as he gives us "Christ in you revealed" as the answer. Those that were walking (following) the self effort gospel" he says to follow him. Why him? Because you get nothing from Paul but an understanding of Christ in you the hope of glory. That is all you need, everything in life pertaining "to life and godliness" will come from Paul he never separates you from who you are, quite the opposite, he tells you who you are. Hallelujah! the good news is not hidden saints.
17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
We are inward believer's not outward actor's, we have believed (in whom) and so are we. Paul address's a very stern fact that there are Christian's with Christ in them and they are still enemies of the cross. What makes an enemy of the cross? Your inward believing, what you believe about something, we put alot of stock in what we believe! if you are an outer believer you will have to act out your Christianity. Your believing apart from the death, burial, and resurrection you are a religious person, trying to live a Christian Life according to how you feel. Sad fact is when we do that (we all have done or are doing it) you will be slow to admit your inner knowledge does not line up with the scriptures. No body likes to be wrong but at least in our age we live in we can repent and change our minds. We see this in Christianity all the time, believers who go the way of self effort to please God.
An enemy of the cross does not believe they have been crucified with Christ, in essence they are still their own god. This is a hard pill to swallow but the very thing they are trying to avoid they do. We have a hard time understanding that "what we believe and whom we have believed" are two direct opposites. You get 1000 and 1 denominations, and off shoots and splits from those based on what people believe. Yet we will still die for what we believe, strange people we are to say the least. So from an outer standpoint you can see what a person believes holds no water. It's very easy to become a laughing stock when what you believe is put on display. What you believe was never intended to be a gospel, man has made it a gospel, not the scriptures. The scriptures are loud and long on the gospel being a person and that person revealed in you.
So to make a gospel you will have to go outside of the scriptures and yourself. All of the scriptures point to an inward gospel. Paul gives the answer in the term he uses "follow me" as he gives us "Christ in you revealed" as the answer. Those that were walking (following) the self effort gospel" he says to follow him. Why him? Because you get nothing from Paul but an understanding of Christ in you the hope of glory. That is all you need, everything in life pertaining "to life and godliness" will come from Paul he never separates you from who you are, quite the opposite, he tells you who you are. Hallelujah! the good news is not hidden saints.
