Are we really Christians?

[carlos123]

"Many in the churches of today are both deceived and/or ignorant.

Matthew 7:21-23

Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.

Many will say on the day that the Lord returns to seperate those destined for eternal life from those who are not..."Lord, Lord, did we not go to church faithfully every Sunday? And in your name give 10% of our money? And in your name do all these other wonderful things like have Christmas dinners for the poor and claim that we are Christians on our census forms?". And the Lord will rightly say to those who did all these things and more but who did not surrender their lives to Him that He might do what He wanted to do through them..."I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity".

To be a disciple does not mean being perfect. Disciples may still fall into sin. One only has to look at the twelve apostles to know that. They were weak in faith, they argued with each other over who was the greatest, they would have even called fire down from heaven to destroy others in selfishness had the Lord allowed them. But...their lives were given completely to Him. They were Christians." -Carlos

"But...their lives were given completely to Him."

Really? "completely"? 100%? Pretty "high bar", don't you think? Have you "given your life completely over to him"?

I have not. Has anyone on this board? You are confusing sanctification, our service, our

[carlos123]

"It is way past time for persons who profess to be Christians to become disciples or to give up calling themselves Christians. To not be a disciple and call ourselves Christians at the same time is to be a counterfeit Christian. A false Christian. Someone who is not really a Christian but just thinks they are.

Eternal life is a free gift from God. But it cost Jesus Christ everything to make that gift available to you. If you have not already done so and wish to accept the gift of God...count the cost...it will cost you nothing less than what Jesus gave for you. Your life for His life."-Carlos

There is that "but" condition. "count the cost"? I thought a gift, by definition, was free?

A gift is free but not neccessarily given without condition. If I, as a father, choose to give a son the gift of an automobile I may give him that gift on condition that he obeys me in the proper use of that car and in whatever way I designate. It is still a gift. Something my son did not have to work for. It is given freely by me as his father in the sense that he does not have to do anything to receive it other than submit to me as his father such that he will yield completely to my directions on it's proper use.

In receiving my gift, my son simply must consent to surrender his will to me with regard to how that car is to be used. Or he cannot receive my gift.

As a father I would not give such a gift to a son who is rebellious and unyielding to me as a matter of his will. To a son who does not trust me as his father to know what is best for him.

It is no different with the gift of salvation. We must trust God and yield to Him as God. That is what being reconciled to God means. Surrendering to Him as God. Coming into a right relationship with Him through Christ through an expression of faith that involves the surrender of our will. One cannot be in right relationship to God without the will being surrendered to Him as God. Our will and the will of God cannot co-exist. Either He is God and we must yield our will to Him as God or we remain unreconciled and in rebellion. We cannot have it both ways.

"it will cost you nothing less than what Jesus gave for you. Your life for His life."

This is a work-based performance statement, conditioning salvation/justification, on you "giving your life" in service as a prerequisite, an "upfront down payment"=your cost to receive a gift(which is self contradictory).

Justification has nothing to do with you giving God anything, including your life of "service"/sanctification--God gave you His life, as a gift, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, sacrificing His life in your place at Calvary, which you receiive by faith. You do not pay(whether it be in service, or otherwise) for a gift. You say "thank you", and do not insult the giver of the gift with "Now, How much do I owe you for this gift?"

The statement "Your life for His life." may indeed not reflect the truth of the Gospel John. I will have to see if I can rephrase that.

That is NOT to say that what I meant does not reflect the truth. I believe it does. Only that the phrase "Your life for His life" may not adequately represent what I meant to say.

What I meant was that unless we are willing to give Him our lives through a surrender of our wills as an expression of saving faith (i.e. unless we are willing to become His disciples) that His life...that is His righteousness...will not be credited to us as our righteousness resulting in justification or salvation. Our life for His life. That is what I meant and I believe as I have been saying that what I meant to say is correct.

But I am not entirely comfortable with the phrase I used. If you understand and agree with what I meant to say John perhaps you can help me find a phrase what will more accurately and succintly express what I meant to say.

More of my response will follow in another post....

Carlos

[carlos123]

I can see that my article may need some major revision so as to make clearer what I mean to say. I don't know. I will have to pray about this some. I can see where it can be misunderstood and that is not good.

Perhaps I will have to write a companion article on justification and sanctification. I sort of hate getting so theological in things but then again the theology behind the words justification and sanctification are very important to understand. Indeed I would go so far as to say that the theology behind these words is absolutely crucial to understand but I would not want to try and explain the theology in such a way that what I write ends up being little more than a dry theological treatise more akin to being like a boring college thesis paper than an expression of truth from God that He wants us to pay attention to.

Carlos

[Guest]

I can see that my article may need some major revision so as to make clearer what I mean to say. I don't know. I will have to pray about this some. I can see where it can be misunderstood and that is not good.

Perhaps I will have to write a companion article on justification and sanctification. I sort of hate getting so theological in things but then again the theology behind the words justification and sanctification are very important to understand. Indeed I would go so far as to say that the theology behind these words is absolutely crucial to understand but I would not want to try and explain the theology in such a way that what I write ends up being little more than a dry theological treatise more akin to being like a boring college thesis paper than an expression of truth from God that He wants us to pay attention to.

Carlos

God Says It Best......

And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. Matthew 10:38

Or

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Mark 8:34

Or

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23

Or

And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:27

Or

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Philippians 2:5-15

Dear Brother I Think You May Just Need To "Tweak" A Few Thoughts So They Simply And Totally Point To Jesus Christ And To The Need For His Lordship Over Each Believer's Life And You'll Be Spot On!

Write Early, Write Often

Keep On Keep'n On

Be Blessed Beloved Of The KING

Love, Your Brother Joe

[jmwhalen]

Responding a few points at a time:

[jmwhalen]

"A gift is free but not neccessarily given without condition. If I, as a father, choose to give a son the gift of an automobile I may give him that gift on condition that he obeys me in the proper use of that car and in whatever way I designate. It is still a gift. Something my son did not have to work for. It is given freely by me as his father in the sense that he does not have to do anything to receive it other than submit to me as his father such that he will yield completely to my directions on it's proper use.

In receiving my gift, my son simply must consent to surrender his will to me with regard to how that car is to be used. Or he cannot receive my gift.

As a father I would not give such a gift to a son who is rebellious and unyielding to me as a matter of his will. To a son who does not trust me as his father to know what is best for him."-Carlos

That is your definition of a gift, but not scripture's definition.

"that he does not have to do anything to receive it other than submit to me as his father such that he will yield completely to my directions on it's proper use."-Carlos

How much "submission" is required for justification to be considered a gift? Specifics, please, from scripture. "Completely"? Have you "completely" "submitted"? No, you have not, despite your contention-no one has including me. Only one has. Who?

(continued)

In Christ,

JW

[jmwhalen]

Sincerity does not determine truth-God judges based on "the word

of truth", not opinions

By John Whalen

________________________________________________________

"To employ soft words and honeyed phrases in discussing questions of

everlasting importance; to deal with errors that strike at the foundations

of all human hope as if they were harmless and venial mistakes; to bless

where God disapproves, and to make apologies where He calls us to stand up

like men and assert, though it may be the aptest method of securing popular

applause in a sophistical age, is cruelty to man and treachery to heaven.

Those who on such subjects attach more importance to the rules of courtesy

than they do the measure of truth do not defend the citadel but betray it

into the hands of its' enemies. Love for Christ, and for the souls for

whom he died, will be the exact measure of our zeal in exposing the dangers

by which men's souls are ensnared". (from a Christian writer whose name I

cannot cite)

Please reflect on the following from "...the scripture of

truth...."(Daniel 10:21), which "...is true from the beginning...."(Psalms

119:160), for the LORD "...hast magnified thy word above all thy

name"(Psalms 138:2). Those who deny the inspiration and truth of God's

word are thus partaking in the first lie of the Bible, when Satan(the

serpent) asked the woman:

"...Yea, hath God said...."?(Genesis 3:1)

Hopefully, I love people enough to give them the truth, whether they asked for it or not. The only time the truth hurts is when you do not tell it. And just as important as you knowing the truth as contained in the Bible, since "...thy word is truth...."(John 17:17), is the truth "holding on to you". I pray that those reading this do not "...cast down the truth to the ground...."(Daniel 8:12).

1. To be saved from the just penalty of sin, which is eternal separation

from the LORD God("death"-Romans 6:23), you must know and acknowledge this

truth: There is one thing that the LORD God, the Judge of all and the Jury

of all expects from you. He expects you to stop saying things in your own

defense. It is not sin that ultimately keeps men from the presence of the

LORD and eternal life. The sin issue was settled by the death, burial, and

resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ("the gospel"-1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

nearly 2000 years ago. It is the sin of unbelief of this gospel, the root

of this unbelief being pride, that shuts out heaven.

The LORD in His infinite love for you has made full provision for the sin

problem. He paid for it in full(John 19:30). But He has made no provision

for a self righteous attitude. Scripture pleads with you, as an attorney

would advise an accused criminal: "It would be to your advantage to plead

guilty and throw yourself upon the mercy of the court. Keep defending

yourself and you will never be saved; but throw yourself upon the mercy

and grace of God and He will graciously, with open arms, both forgive and

justify you through the Lord Jesus Christ", as it is written:

" Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man

is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that

believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified

by the law of Moses". Acts 13:38,39

" Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in

his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." Romans 3:20

"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds

of the law". Romans 3:28

" But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the

ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness". Romans 4:5

" Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the

faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might

be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for

by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified". Galatians 2:16

" I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the

law, then Christ is dead in vain". Galatians 2:21

.

2. Regarding God's purpose concerning human beings(notice "beings', not

"doings"):

God is not making angels of human beings. God can create in holiness and

sustain in holiness millions of angels, and He has done so(Psalms 68:17,

Deuteronomy 33:2, Daniel 7:10, Hebrews 12:22, Revelation 5:11)- creatures

who have never sinned. He calls them His "holy angels"(Mt. 25:31,Mark

8:38, Luke 9:26, Revelation 14:10), and His "mighty angels"(2 Thessalonians

1:7).

But God never speaks of grace in connection with angels. Grace is a

loving pardon and favor shown to lost, guilty, law-breakers, wretches and

helpless criminals. Grace can never be anything else.

The reason most will miss heaven is that they want to be angels instead

of saved sinners. God has already declared this race("in Adam"-1

Corinthians 15:22) to be lost("guilty"-Romans 3:19), and that all are

sinners(no exceptions-Romans 3:23); that there "is no

difference"((Romans3:22), that there "is none that are righteous"(Romans

3:10), but He has purposes of grace toward us, i.e., although utterly

undeserving of any favor from Him and being guilty, yet He will freely

pardon, justify, and give eternal life to any member of this lost race who

is willing to be made the object of His charity as an utter beggar and

criminal.

For God desires to display His own attributes of grace-His ability and

nature to forgive offenses, pardon insults, pity misery, cleanse impurity,

save sinners, redeem outcasts, crown beggars, glorify wretches, bestow

blessing where cursing and wrath would be the necessary, deserved, and the

expected outcome!

However, men rebel at this treatment-scripture calls this "...the way of

Cain...."(Jude 11)- the modern term for this is "religion"-man presenting

his works as his basis for his acceptance with God. They refuse charity,

forgiveness, mercy, and grace because, although sinners, they wish to go to

heaven as angels. Man's pride resists admission that they are fallen,

degraded, guilty, filthy, rag-covered, lost, and wretched. Man refuses to

admit that the human race is a ruined race-irreparably, un retrievably

ruined, and under judgement; exposed to the wrath of God, "...by nature the

children of wrath...."(Ephesians 2:3); and travelling to doom. And unless

by absolute sovereign, divine intervention, no one would be saved. Notice

the question that every person should ask themselves:

"...Who then can be saved"?

And recall the answer the Lord Jesus Christ gave:

"...With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all

things are possible"(Mark 10:26,27).

The gospel of the grace of God is the end of religion-the final posting

of the "closed" sign on the "sweatshop" of the human races' never ending

struggle to think well of itself(pride). For that, at bottom, is what

religion is: man's(often well intentioned) dim-witted attempt to approve

of his unapprovable condition by doing odd jobs he thinks "some important

Something"("THE UNKNOWN GOD"-Acts 17:23) will thank him for. Religion is

thus a loser- a strictly fallen activity. Religion has a failed past and a

bankrupt future. There was no religion in Eden and there won't be any in

heaven. And in the meantime, the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins, was

buried, and rose again the third day(1 Cor. 15:1-4-the "good news"), and is

telling you to "knock it off right now"("...every mouth be stopped...."-Romans 3:19)=SHUT UP.

The question is, will you present the sacrifice of a sincere effort to be

moral and religious(just as Cain did), or accept the God-provided sacrifice

for all sin in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, as Abel did? Will

you notice that the LORD said "...when I see the blood...."(Exodus 12:13),

and not "...when I see your behavior,good works, "willingness to surrender"...................."?

Scripture's constant unifying theme is that regeneration, and the whole

transforming work of redemption, are accomplished solely on the ground of

the sacrificial blood of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross and his

resurrection 3 days later; and if these statements of scripture are

rejected, whether that rejection come from the pope, a priest, a nun, a

minister, a "reverend", a pastor, a bishop, an elder, a so-called "biblical

expert", a "theologian", a "professor", a "philosopher", or extra-biblical

authority(for example, the "Book of Mormon", the Watch Tower Society of the

Jehovah's Witnesses, the Catholic Catechism............), the discussion

can never be one of interpretation of the scriptures, but it becomes a

question of the authority of the testimony of the scriptures.

[carlos123]

John...

I sincerely hope that you will not take this the wrong way. My intention is not to be offensive or otherwise argumentative or un-Christlike in my response to you but I perceive that discussing this at length with you on this thread will serve no purpose other than to perhaps frustrate the two of us. Or worse yet...we may end up getting into an argument that would not glorify the Lord through us both.

So I think I will leave what you have said on this thread to stand on it's own merits as I will let what I have said stand on it's own merits too.

I have read most of what you said...with the exception of the last posts which I have not yet read fully and completely. And I have brought the whole matter before the Lord. I do think I need to change a couple of things in my article but for the most part I believe the Lord would have me leave it as is at this point in time. May the Lord have mercy on me if I am deceived or mistaken about this.

This is not to say that I am entirely unwilling to enter into further discussion with you or others respecting the subject matter. I am only saying that from what I can see...the tone of our responses to each other are not going in a direction where the Lord's truth will win out but rather in a direction where we may end up getting into an argument or otherwise. I do not wish to engage in a theological debate. Discussion...yes. But not a debate which it seems that we are headed to if we have not already arrived there.

I hope you can understand and sympathize with my concern if not be entirely in agreement with what I am saying.

The Lord may do with what we have shared whatever He wills to do with it.

Carlos

[jmwhalen]

"...the tone of our responses to each other are not going in a direction where the Lord's truth will win out but rather in a direction where we may end up getting into an argument or otherwise. I do not wish to engage in a theological debate. Discussion...yes. But not a debate which it seems that we are headed to if we have not already arrived there."-Carlos

Carlos,

I will argue(argument:reasons for a conclusion) for the defense of the gospel of Christ, without compromise. Arguing, or "apologetics", or "defense" is a biblical command-this is how we perusuade others of the truth of the doctrine of justification by grace through faith,-no works or "fixin' up" , ahead of time.

If the purity of the gospel of Christ is not worth "arguing" and fighting for, what is?

________________________________________________________________________________

____

No Compromise

By John M. Whalen

(bold my emphasis)

I may at times seem quite "abrasive", but understand that believers have been charged with an enormous responsibility-to be ambassadors for Christ(2 Cor. 5:20), to "...do the work of an evangelist...."(2 Tim.4:5), to "...preach the word...."(2 Tim. 4:2), for we "...serve the Lord Christ...."(Colossians 3:24), to a predominantly Christ-rejecting world.

To use a "western idiom", "This is serious business, folks". People's eternal destinies are at stake. You don't throw a drowning man a set of swimming instructions to save him(save: to be delivered from a danger).

With this responsibility comes our obligation to communicate "...the truth of the gospel...."(Galatians 2:5, 14; Eph. 1:13), the "....glorious gospel of Christ...."(2 Cor. 4:4) as it is presented in the Holy Bible-unity among those who call themselves Christians cannot be at the expense of the truth. I will not compromise on the gospel of Christ. Any presentation of a gospel that has as it's core some type of works-based performance system, which Paul refers to as "another gospel'', a "pervert(ed)...gospel of Christ...(Galatians 1:6,7) is "accursed"(Galatians 1:9), and I will not be silent.

We are all soldiers in God's army. We are not to get out, sell out, be talked out, or pushed out. We are either to retire in this service at the Rapture, or die in it. We are to be volunteer soldiers, not babies or wimps. We are to be reliable, capable, dependable, and faithful. We are to "...stand fast in the faith, quit you like men...."(1 Corinthians 16:13).

I will oppose any such presentation of another gospel, "...Speaking the truth in love...."(Eph. 4:15), but sternly reproving, rebuking, and correcting(2 Tim. 3:16, 4:2). These presentations "....are enemies of the cross of Christ...."(Philippians 3:18). We are to show tolerance for people, but not for ideas that contradict scripture. "All mushrooms are not good". And I expect most will react just like Cain did-tell people that they can do nothing to affect their salvation but believe (a non-meritorious act per Romans 4:5), and they will "...rise up and kill you"(Gen 4:8). Cain, representing religion("fruit of the ground an offering"-Gen. 4:3-"works"), hates Christ and his redemptive work through the shedding of blood, which is "pre-figured"by Abel's presenting to the LORD a blood sacrifice(Gen. 4:4). Religion says "Do", Christianity says "Done". Religion says "Behave", Christianity says "Believe". Religion says "Try", Christianity says "Trust".

A Christian is not called to be popular. Scripture repeatedly testifies that those who align themselves with this great Saviour of ours, the Lord Jesus Christ, will be hated by the world. The world wants approval, not truth. Why should this be so surprising? The Lord himself was hated 2000 years ago, and is hated today. We should expect no different. And this hate has at its core the message of the cross, the "offence" of the cross, which excludes anything man can do or be as a basis of acceptance by a Holy God(Did you know that the #1 attribute of the LORD God is his Holiness, and not his love?), i.e., the human race's continual effort to present his works as a basis for acceptance, instead of the God decreed basis of our acceptance, which is faith in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice at Calvary, and his resurrection 3 days later(1 Cor. 15:1-4) . Scripture refers to this as "...the way of Cain..."(Jude 11)-we refer to this as "religion". Religion is man substituting himself for God-Salvation is God substituting himself for man.

My brother is a doctor, so perhaps a medical analogy will clarify my argument that we need to be clear on the remedy for man's separation from a Holy God. If one of our loved ones were physically ill, we would not want to be deceived. We would not want to make life and death decisions based on superstition or mysticism. We would want precise answers to specific questions. We would not want general notions, opinions(one of the reasons the Lord Jesus Christ sharply rebuked the Pharisees-relying on their traditions/opinions instead of the word of God), or empty words. We would actively engage all our faculties to judge the truth. We should desire to know the right standard by which to judge these crucial matters because physical life is at stake. How much more should we value the truth and the right standards when questions concerning eternal life is at stake? Someone may claim to be physically fit and well, while they may have cancer inside beginning to eat away at their physical life. When you visit a doctor, you want the truth, the right prescription, even if does not "make you feel go

Popularity ("strength in numbers") and sincerity do not determine truth-God's word does. I do not care if I am the only person presenting this message-so be it. Each of us are called to please God, to be faithful to God(notice I said faithful, not successful-success is the LORD's responsibility), not men(Proverbs 29:25,Acts 5:29,Galatians 1:10,Eph. 6:6, Colossians 3:22, 2 Cor. 4:2, 1 Thel. 2:4, John 5:44,John 12:43). Scripturally, strength in numbers is not only ill-founded, it is not true. Scripture provides abundant testimony to this fact. Consider "the minority":

Noah-only 7 people saved by the LORD through Noah(and yet Noah is called "...a preacher of righteousness...." in 2 Peter 2:5-this should be an encouragement to those who feel they are the only one preaching the gospel of the grace of God)

Joseph-all his brothers opposed him

David- took on a giant

Elijah- outnumbered 450 to one(1 Kings 18:22)

Gideon-Had only 300 men(31,700 eliminated -Judges 6-7)

Paul- "...all men forsook me...."(2 Tim. 4:16).

The Lord Jesus Christ-No commentary is needed here.

And now, I am ready for "the Cains". However, as it is written:

" Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" Galatians 4:16

As one wise person once said, the only time the truth hurts is when you do not tell it.

___________________________________________________________

My main assumption in writing about "the things of the Lord."(Acts 18:25) is this:The LORD God can use me more effectively to reach more people with a clear, simple message of the gospel of the grace of God than a murky, cloudy presentation. An "MBA from heaven" is not a guarantee of clarity( nor of truth). In Colossians 4:4, Paul prays to God that his communication would be "manifest", which means clearly. The underlying word "manifest" carries with it the idea of "to make visible, to light up". Thus, Paul placed high priority on a clear, concise message, and understood that he was not only charged with unaltering the message, he was not to present a "garbled" gospel. He was charged with the responsibility of "shedding light" on the gospel of Christ, not to obscure it.

And how important was both the truth and clarity of presentation of this message to Paul? Paul understood the "gravity" of his responsibility, for only in this gospel is "the power of God unto salvation."(Romans 1:16), and "accursed"(Gal. 1:8,9-twice to emphasize the seriousness of the issue) anyone, including "an angel from heaven."(1:8), who misstated or misrepresented the message. Solemn words, indeed!.

This message focuses on this "good news" as revealed to the apostle Paul by revelation from heaven from the risen, ascended, and glorified Lord Jesus Christ. The elements that make for a clear "witness"(a witness who is silent can be held in contempt of court!) to this "good news"(news, by definition, is something that already has happened):

1. A clear motive:

A compromise with the integrity will likely result in "shortcuts", "catchy phrases", or gimmicks. No one should "tricked" into hearing, listening, or responding to the gospel of Christ. When one is concerned about "impressing others"/popularity, personal gain, numbers of "souls saved", instant results, and the like, the danger is that "the truth of the gospel."(Gal. 2:5,14;Col. 1:5; Eph. 1:13), the scriptural purity of 1 Cor. 15:1-4, is sacrificed to achieve these concerns. Paul's approach is given in 2 Cor. 4:1-6:

" Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

He renounces "the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully"-no devices, no tricks(whether that be an "altar call", "raise your hand", etc.) to achieve an end. He would not distort, "water-down",or falsify God's word, and would not manipulate or pressure people into a profession. He understood that improper motives may fog the message/methods of preaching/proclaiming the gospel

He disdains all unworthy techniques. In contrast, he preaches "by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God". The word "manifest" reoccurs-he preached clearly, openly, and honestly even when a "quick" result was tempting given his circumstances. The result was that "every man's conscience", whether saved or unsaved, commended him for his honesty in adhering to scripture, and more importantly, so did the LORD.

Our standards must be more than "If it is in the Bible, I'll preach it"! Although all scripture is "...for our learning.", not all scripture is written to us for our obedience. And we must absolutely say only what God says, and the way He would say it. I admit I have "a lot of work" to do in the 2nd area! However, I always try to "reason out of the scriptures" whether these things "were so"(Acts 17:2,11).

Someone once said, "a candle is best seen in the dark". In a ministry of light, there is no room for darkness. Paul reminds us that a dark, demonic veil blinds the lost(verses 3- 4), and it is only penetrated by "the light of the glorious gospel of Christ.". Dark motives or methods cannot disperse or penetrate darkness. Hence Paul's statement, "we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord"(verse 5), i.e., his preaching did not call attention to himself, like the "super apostles"(2 Cor. 11:5-"chiefest apostles"), who were subverting his reputation in Corinth. He exalted the Lord Jesus Christ as the one who died for our sins, rose from the dead, and now reigns as Lord(also notice his rebuke of "another gospel"-2 Cor. 11:4).

The apostle Paul uses the word "preach"("kerysse") continually. At the time of Paul's writing, a person who proclaimed /published in this sense was referred to as a "keryx", or a "herald". A herald was one sent by his "boss" to proclaim the boss's message publicly. The herald was charged with delivering this message unaltered because it was not his own. He was charged with the responsibility to proclaim it accurately. This was the "earmark" of Paul's gospel ministry. Paul knew the gospel accurately preached was the only antidote to dispel darkness and bring life. That is how Paul got saved, and that is how we are saved.

2. A Clear content: What does a person have to "do" to be saved?

"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how 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: And that he was seen." 1 Corinthians 15:1-5

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." Romans 1:16

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".preach the gospel" Romans 1:15, 10:15, 15:20; 1 Cor. 1:17,9:14, 9:18; 2 Cor. 10:16

"preach the gospel of Christ." Romans 15:19

"the gospel which I preached to you." 1 Cor. 15:1

'"preach Christ's gospel." 2 Cor. 2:12

"preaching the gospel of Christ." 2 Cor. 10:14

"preach any other gospel." Gal. 1:8,9

"preached the gospel" Gal. 4:13

"the gospel ...which was preached." Col. 1:23

The content of the gospel:

Proposition 1: "Christ died for our sins"

Scriptural proof is "according to the scriptures"

Physical proof is "he was buried"

Proposition 2: "he rose again the third day"

Scriptural proof is "according to the scriptures"

Physical proof is "And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once.. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me, also."

"Christ died for our sins": "Christ" means 'the Anointed One' and demands divinity according to the scriptural understanding of this term("Messiah" is the transliteration of the Hebrew equivalent). That the Lord Jesus Christ "died for our sins" conveys that we ar! e sinner s, and thus in need of forgiveness. The word "for"('hyper' in Greek) conveys the idea of "in place of", "on account of", "in behalf of",i.e., to deal with the sin issue .

"according to the scriptures": The "Old Testament" signified, pictured, and prophesied the suffering of God's Anointed one, the LORD's servant(for example, Exodus 12, Lev 16, Psalms 22 and 110, Isaiah 53).

"he was buried": The best evidence of a "death certificate" are "eye witness" accounts. This dispels any such "swoon" theory, since only dead people are buried.

"he arose again the third day": This confirms that the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and is proof/the "receipt" that God the Father accepted the Lord Jesus Christ's sacrifice. A dead man is not in a position to save anyone, for"God is not the God of the dead, but of the living"(Mt. 22:32). A Saviour must be alive, "...For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth."(Job 19:25).

"according to the scriptures": Job 19:25,Psalms 16:8-11, Psalms 110:1. And much of the OT describes the Messiah's reign, which necessitates a rising from the dead(Is. 53, for eg.).

"he was seen": This includes "credible" witnesses

3. A clear condition:

The only condition of salvation is "faith alone in Christ alone", faith being a nonmeritorial activity(Romans 4:5). However, this is where most "gospel preaching" takes a space-walk. Language such as:

-"Ask Jesus into your heart", "Give your heart/life to Jesus", "Invite Jesus into your life", "Make Jesus your Lord and Saviour","Give your life to Christ", "Put Jesus on the throne of your life","Confess and Repent of your sins","Bow your head and pray this prayer"........ may have bits of the truth", and not all of the preceding are totally void of the truth, but the point is they are often misleading, confusing, and often times are "...another gospel." which "...pervert the gospel of Christ."(Galatians 1:6-9). These are "fighting words" from the apostle Paul, and should give all of us pause when presenting "... the glorious gospel of Christ."(2 Cor. 4:4). We need to be as biblically sound as possible in our communication of this condition of salvation of "faith alone in Christ alone". In "the gospel according to St. John", the verb "believe" is used 98 times, a clear message from the Holy Spirit, especially in light of the Holy Spirit's testimony as to the reason this book was written was to bring the lost to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ:

"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." John 20:31

We do not find any of the above language in the preceding language.

Clear communication is an art. In communicating the gospel of Christ, it is not an art worth refining, but it is imperative that we do so. I have had some previous experience on radio and T.V., and I have learned that "news", by definition, is "something that has already happened". I would encourage fellow believers in Christ to please remember this when presenting the gospel of Christ! We may not be successful, but our responsibility is to be faithful in accurately communicating this wondrous message, this truly "good news", not successful-that is the LORD's responsibility. We should be encouraged, and joyful, that the LORD God can still use us to bring glory to Himself in spite of the misplaced approaches and methods we use. However, we also know the tremendous responsibility He has given us, and with this responsibility means we must be clear in our motives, our content, and our statement of the condition of salvation. Given the enormity of the stakes, we want to communicate the gospel as clearly as possible in a manner and way that is pleasing to the LORD God, not just convenient to men, as it is written:

"But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts" 1 Thessalonians 2:4.

In and with Christ,

In the Lord

[Iryssa]

If the purity of the gospel of Christ is not worth "arguing" and fighting for, what is?

I don't think he's saying that it's not worth fighting for, JM, I think he's saying that you two are disagreeing and that further discussion about it is not going to change that and is not beneficial. You may disagree about that too, but I think that it would be wise to respect that your brother does not wish to argue further in this instance. Don't worry, I'm sure you will have plenty of opportunities to argue these things with other people.