Post by ambassador on Apr 30, 2009 17:37:35 GMT -5
Abandon the “Gospel Clichés!”
God commissioned one man to go to the non-Jewish world: Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles. Most of us know, but I will repeat for any new readers. From the ascended Lord of glory, Paul received what the Bible calls “the revelation of the mystery,” which was a set of doctrines not previously revealed to any man, apostle, or prophet (Romans 16:25-26). The Lord committed to Paul the “Dispensation of the Grace of God” (Ephesians 3:1-9 KJV), and God also entrusted Paul with a special Gospel. The Gospel of Grace, not previously revealed to any man, apostle, or prophet, would be God’s ONLY means for salvation in the Age of Grace. It would be by this Gospel of Grace ALONE that God would form the Church, the Body of Christ.
How sad to see that most of Christendom is watered down today (nah, not just with the modern English Bible versions!): many professing Christian pastors and preachers have tainted everything that the Apostle Paul preached. Oh, what a shame, what a shame, what a shame. There are people who are not promulgating the pure Gospel of Grace! It is oftentimes a watered-down version of the Gospel of Grace. Paul had to put up with the same false teaching in Galatians 1!
Now, of course, I acknowledge that there are few people who have remained faithful to the Lord in ensuring Paul’s pure Gospel of Grace is being taught and preached. Praise the Lord we have these few faithful Christian brethren! However, predominantly, there are far more people peddling false gospels, gospels that are damnable! They either add to Paul’s Gospel, or they subtract from it—one is just as bad as the other! This is a serious matter, and I hope everyone here is basing their faith on the pure Gospel of Grace, not on some religious ritual or denominational doctrine (more on this at the end).
I am sure you have seen and heard of these “religious tag lines” before:
“NAME IT, CLAIM IT”/“FAITHFUL FINANCIAL SUPPORT”
We have the prosperity preachers and teachers, claiming you just need to faithfully and financially support their ministry, and God will pour out blessings on you. What a lie!
“ACCEPT JESUS INTO YOUR HEART”
It is serious when people are told to “accept Jesus into their heart” as means for salvation! This is NOT the Gospel, and we are hearing this cliché so much. Now, once a person is saved by believing the Gospel, then Jesus Christ indwells the person in the presence of the Holy Spirit. But, salvation is not received by simply “asking Jesus to come into your heart.”
“WALK THE AISLE FOR JESUS”
Walking an aisle has nothing to do with salvation: it is a denominational doctrine. The Bible says absolutely nothing about walking an aisle, for salvation or otherwise.
“SAY THE SINNER’S PRAYER”
There is no salvation in saying any prayer, and you probably hear more about the “sinner’s prayer” than any of these other clichés. What Paul instructed us to do was to believe the Gospel, and that will bring about our salvation. Every “sinner’s prayer” is different: there is only one pure Gospel of Grace! If a person wants to pray AFTER believing the Gospel (after they are saved), that is fine.
Maybe you have told people these things before. You meant well, but you did not know better because you were taught wrong for so long. At one time, I was guilty of doing the same thing, until my eyes were opened about this matter. There is NO salvation in saying prayers, walking aisles, accepting Jesus into your heart, or financially supporting a ministry. It is my hope that we can reach those who are erring, and bring them back to that pure ol’ Gospel of Grace, THE ONLY GOSPEL that has been saving lost mankind these past 2,000 years! God will hold you accountable for what you teach—me included—so we better be sure we are preaching and teaching the PURE Gospel of Grace.
And to think of all those poor souls out in a lost eternity right now, all because they placed their faith in something other than the pure Gospel of Grace! How heart-breaking!
THE PURE GOSPEL OF GRACE
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV
“1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
God commissioned one man to go to the non-Jewish world: Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles. Most of us know, but I will repeat for any new readers. From the ascended Lord of glory, Paul received what the Bible calls “the revelation of the mystery,” which was a set of doctrines not previously revealed to any man, apostle, or prophet (Romans 16:25-26). The Lord committed to Paul the “Dispensation of the Grace of God” (Ephesians 3:1-9 KJV), and God also entrusted Paul with a special Gospel. The Gospel of Grace, not previously revealed to any man, apostle, or prophet, would be God’s ONLY means for salvation in the Age of Grace. It would be by this Gospel of Grace ALONE that God would form the Church, the Body of Christ.
How sad to see that most of Christendom is watered down today (nah, not just with the modern English Bible versions!): many professing Christian pastors and preachers have tainted everything that the Apostle Paul preached. Oh, what a shame, what a shame, what a shame. There are people who are not promulgating the pure Gospel of Grace! It is oftentimes a watered-down version of the Gospel of Grace. Paul had to put up with the same false teaching in Galatians 1!
Now, of course, I acknowledge that there are few people who have remained faithful to the Lord in ensuring Paul’s pure Gospel of Grace is being taught and preached. Praise the Lord we have these few faithful Christian brethren! However, predominantly, there are far more people peddling false gospels, gospels that are damnable! They either add to Paul’s Gospel, or they subtract from it—one is just as bad as the other! This is a serious matter, and I hope everyone here is basing their faith on the pure Gospel of Grace, not on some religious ritual or denominational doctrine (more on this at the end).
I am sure you have seen and heard of these “religious tag lines” before:
“NAME IT, CLAIM IT”/“FAITHFUL FINANCIAL SUPPORT”
We have the prosperity preachers and teachers, claiming you just need to faithfully and financially support their ministry, and God will pour out blessings on you. What a lie!
“ACCEPT JESUS INTO YOUR HEART”
It is serious when people are told to “accept Jesus into their heart” as means for salvation! This is NOT the Gospel, and we are hearing this cliché so much. Now, once a person is saved by believing the Gospel, then Jesus Christ indwells the person in the presence of the Holy Spirit. But, salvation is not received by simply “asking Jesus to come into your heart.”
“WALK THE AISLE FOR JESUS”
Walking an aisle has nothing to do with salvation: it is a denominational doctrine. The Bible says absolutely nothing about walking an aisle, for salvation or otherwise.
“SAY THE SINNER’S PRAYER”
There is no salvation in saying any prayer, and you probably hear more about the “sinner’s prayer” than any of these other clichés. What Paul instructed us to do was to believe the Gospel, and that will bring about our salvation. Every “sinner’s prayer” is different: there is only one pure Gospel of Grace! If a person wants to pray AFTER believing the Gospel (after they are saved), that is fine.
Maybe you have told people these things before. You meant well, but you did not know better because you were taught wrong for so long. At one time, I was guilty of doing the same thing, until my eyes were opened about this matter. There is NO salvation in saying prayers, walking aisles, accepting Jesus into your heart, or financially supporting a ministry. It is my hope that we can reach those who are erring, and bring them back to that pure ol’ Gospel of Grace, THE ONLY GOSPEL that has been saving lost mankind these past 2,000 years! God will hold you accountable for what you teach—me included—so we better be sure we are preaching and teaching the PURE Gospel of Grace.
And to think of all those poor souls out in a lost eternity right now, all because they placed their faith in something other than the pure Gospel of Grace! How heart-breaking!
THE PURE GOSPEL OF GRACE
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV
“1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
