The Biblical View of Works

"Nevertheless, the Firm Foundation of God stands, having this seal:
1.) 'The Lord knows those who are His,' and,
2.) 'Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.'" 2 Timothy 2:19

Evangelicals have been so spoon fed and thoroughly programmed to regurgitate the mantra that we are "justified by faith" and "not of works" like a parrot that it is no wonder an animosity toward works has resulted. As I have demonstrated several times prior, when Evangelicals proof text such verses, they deliberately misquote them and ignore where it says (or alludes to) "works of the Law." Evangelicals have been fed this lie for so long that it is no wonder they find it nearly impossible to actually obey the Lord Jesus.

What do the Scriptures—God's Holy Word—actually teach us concerning works?

"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Paul gives four uses for the Scriptures, but all these uses have a single goal in mind: "that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." Ponder that promptly. The purpose of Scripture is to equip followers of Jesus to do good works.

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds." Titus 2:11-14

Jesus died to redeem us from iniquity so that He might own "a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds." One of the purposes of Jesus' death was to produce a people for Himself who would be zealous for good works. The grace of God is central for producing such people. Grace teaches us to live sensible, godly, and righteous lives.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." Ephesians 2:8-10

Evangelicals are taught to focus on verses 8-9, however, after we have been saved and re-created in Christ Jesus apart from works, our purpose is to do the good works that God has prepared for us to do.

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified." 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Good deeds are the fruit—the product of—"remaining" in Jesus (John 15:1-11). The only way we can do good works is if we "walk after" (Rom. 8:4), "walk by" (Gal. 5:16), and "sow to" (Gal. 6:8). the Holy Spirit. After all, apart from Jesus we "can do nothing" (John 15:5). "Those who [believe in] God will be careful to engage in good deeds" (Titus 3:8). In other words, we are not sitting around waiting expectantly for something to happen, we are actively applying ourselves to doing good! This includes Philippians 2:13, but does not exclude Philippians 2:12. If you were not required to put forth any effort into works, then please explain how you could possibly "lose heart" and "grow weary" in doing good (see Gal. 6:8-9).

"...and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near." Hebrews 10:24-25

The purpose of assembling ourselves together as a congregation is to "stimulate one another to love and good deeds." This is done by "encouraging one another." This is envisioned by 1 Corinthians 14:26.

You have just witnessed six purposes that lead to good deeds. Would you care to try and argue the ignorant and godless theology that tells you that you need only "believe" and do nothing else and you will be good to go? I assure you, Scripture has a drastically different message from the one that you have been fed via Easy Believism. It is about time you started to read your Bible, pay attention to what it actually says, and ignore the chapters and verses that lead to proof text methodology (ripping random isolated verses out of their immediate context and forcing them to say what you want them to say). Read the following passage and think carefully about what it is saying:

"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'
Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.'" Matthew 25:31-46

The idea that one can be a Christian and not obey Jesus was not only rejected by Jesus and His apostles, but James 2:14-26 specifically addressed this problem. Paul identified such people as "[professing] to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed" (Titus 1:16). Jesus addressed it in Luke 6:46. If Jesus is truly your King, then you will obey His every command and teaching. There are no if's, and's, or but's about this. Either you believe Jesus, or you believe theological dogma. Which is it going to be?

If you believe that obeying the commandments and teachings of Jesus is difficult, then I direct you to The Shepherd of Hermas. It consists of three books: one of visions, one of commandments, and one of similes. The book of commandments contains twelve commandments, at the end of which Hermas states:

"Sir, these commandments are great, and good, and glorious, and fitted to gladden the heart of the man who can perform them. But I do not know if these commandments can be kept by man, because they are exceeding hard."

An "Angel of Repentance" replies by telling him:

"If you lay it down as certain that they can be kept, then you will easily keep them, and they will not be hard."

This agrees with Paul's commands in Romans to "reckon yourselves" and "present yourselves." If you lay it down as certain that you have been crucified with Christ Jesus, having died to sin, and are indeed dead to sin, then it will not be hard for you to live a holy life separated from sin. This, of course, does not refer to "sinless perfection," but to a Spirit-filled person who recognizes sin, repents when he/she has sinned, and presses forward, becoming more and more holy by relying on the grace of God that teaches us to "deny ungodliness and worldly lusts" (Titus 2:11-12). We should be growing in virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love (2 Pet. 1:5-8), but "if anyone sins," we have a Helper with the Father, not a wrathful Judge (1 John 2:2). The angel continues:

"O fool, senseless and doubting, do you not perceive how great is the glory of God, and how strong and marvellous, in that He created the world for the sake of man, and subjected all creation to him, and gave him power to rule over everything under heaven? If, then, man is lord of the creatures of God, and rules over all, is he not able to be lord also of these commandments?"

According to Scripture, the answer here is a resounding, "Yes!" The angel continues:

"For ... the man who has the Lord in his heart can also be lord of all, and of every one of these commandments. But to those who have the Lord only on their lips, but their hearts hardened, and who are far from the Lord, the commandments are hard and difficult."

Again, the Scriptures are in complete agreement, as are the first three centuries of Christians.

Scripture explicitly warns us against thinking we will receive eternal life without good deeds. If you doubt me, please allow me to put those Scriptures front and center for you to wrestle with and (hopefully, if you are humble) submit to.

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." Galatians 6:7-9

"But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them." Ephesians 5:3-7

"Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe." Jude 1:3-5

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

"Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother." 1 John 3:7-10

John is not teaching that those born of God never commit a single sin, but rather that their life is marked by habitual obedience—not by habitual sin. Again, either you believe Jesus, or you believe something else (e.g., theological dogma). Which is it going to be? Choose this day whom you will obey!

The Preserved New Testament

by J. Warner Wallace

The students of the apostles played a pivotal role in preserving and promoting the eyewitness Gospel accounts. While many skeptics claim the New Testament Canon was formed during 4th Century Church Councils (such as the Council of Nicea or Laodicea), the earliest believers had already preserved the canonical gospels and letters centuries prior. In fact, the early Church leaders prior to the first council at Nicea (known as the Ante-Nicene Church Fathers), began to collect and affirm the canon of Scripture in three separate geographical areas. The first surviving list of canonical texts dates to approximately 170AD in what is now known as the “Muratorian Fragment”, a partial copy of an ancient text discovered in the Ambrosian Library in Milan in the 18th century. This document affirmed and acknowledged Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Jude, 1 John, 2 John and Revelation as reliable, apostolic Scripture. The author of the Muratorian Fragment was also careful to warn his readers about Paul’s alleged letters to the Laodiceans and Alexandrians, and a document known as the “Apocalypse of Peter” (identifying these as forgeries). Even this early in history, in regions spanning Europe and the Mediterranean, Christians already possessed and guarded the New Testament texts:

IN FRANCE: Irenaeus (185AD) Affirmed as Many as 24 New Testament Books
Irenaeus grew up in Smyrna while Polycarp (the disciple of the apostle John) was the Bishop there. Irenaeus eventually became the Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul (now called Lyons) and wrote an expansive volume called “Against Heresies” in 185AD. Throughout the many chapters of this text, he quoted the New Testament (over one thousand times) to make his case against a variety of heresies appearing on the scene. In quoting the New Testament documents, he referred to at least twenty-one of the books we presently possess in our Bible (including Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, 1 Peter, 1 John, 2 John and Revelation). But, in addition to this, scholars believe Irenaeus alluded to a number of additional texts, including Hebrews, James and perhaps even 2 Peter. Irenaeus is silent with regard to Philemon, 3 John and Jude, although this does not necessarily mean he was unaware of the books or rejected them as inspired. Irenaeus also referred to the Shepherd of Hermas and the Apocalypse of John, but no other 2nd Century book related to Jesus was recognized as authentic.

IN ITALY: Hippolytus (220AD) Affirmed as Many as 24 New Testament Books
Hippolytus was born in Rome and became a disciple of Irenaeus. He was a prolific writer, and one of his most important works was a text known as “Refutation of All Heresies”. Over the course of his many writings, Hippolytus acknowledged and affirmed most of the New Testament documents (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1 Peter, 1 John, 2 John and Revelation). It also appears, however, he was aware of 2 Peter and James, but he does not list them openly. In addition, Hippolytus quotes from Hebrews directly (and also the Shepherd of Hermas), but not as though they are Scripture.

IN EGYPT: Origen (225AD) Affirmed as Many as 27 New Testament Books
Origen of Alexandria was a brilliant Church leader who travelled broadly and was fully aware of the catalogue of differing views related to Jesus. He was also fully aware of the teachings within the Church from region to region. Perhaps for this reason, Origen’s use and affirmation of the eyewitness books and letters is significant. Even though late emerging texts were known to Origen, his many letters and writings fail to affirm heretical non-canonical works. Instead, Origen categorized the existing texts of the ancient world into three classes: the universally accepted eyewitness writings of the apostles, those books whose apostolic authorship was doubted, and those books clearly not the product of the original eyewitnesses. He acknowledged Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1 Peter, 1 John, and Revelation as Scripture. He also acknowledged believers within the church had their doubts about Hebrews, 2 Peter, 2 John, 3 John, James, Jude, Barnabas, the Shepherd of Hermas, the Didache, and the Gospel of the Hebrews (a version of the Gospel of Matthew). While Origen believed the books in this second group were also reliable Scripture, he recognized and tolerated other views.

IN PALESTINE: Eusebius (324AD) Affirmed 26 New Testament Books
Eusebius was the Bishop of Cæsarea. Like Origen, Eusebius acknowledged a list of trustworthy apostolic writings, and he also divided his list into three categories. Eusebius’ first group included the universally accepted eyewitness accounts and letters of the apostles (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1 Peter, 1 John and Revelation). His second group included contested books. He divided the contested texts into a superior and inferior group. The superior group included James, Jude, 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John. Eusebius maintained that these books should be considered Scripture, but he conceded not everyone agreed on this issue. His second group of contested books included the Epistle of Barnabas, the Didache, the Gospel of the Hebrews, the Acts of Paul, the Shepherd of Hermas and the Apocalypse of Peter. All other ancient texts related to Jesus were placed in the third category which Eusebius considered fraudulent.

Many early church fathers wrote prolifically in their own effort to nurture and encourage the local churches, and many of their writings still exist today. Imagine if every canonical text of the New Testament had been destroyed, leaving only the writings of these Ante-Nicene Church Fathers. These second and third generation documents would provide us with the same image of Jesus offered in the New Testament. Jesus would still have been born of a virgin and He would still have claimed to be God. We would still have a record of His divine teaching and miraculous activity. Most importantly, we would still possess the descriptions of His resurrection. The details of the apostolic eyewitness accounts were carefully and accurately preserved by the Ante-Nicene Church Fathers from Ignatius, Polycarp and Clement to Origin and Eusebius. The Bible we possess today is a reliable record of the earliest documents written about Jesus.

Goodbye, and Good Riddance, Disney!

Wow! Disney sure has gone full-blown woke. Certain Disney films are now preceded by this absurd notice:

“The following program shows mistreatment or negative representation of people or cultures. Such stereotypes were not correct then and are not correct now. Instead of removing such content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it, and invite dialogue to create a more inclusive future together.

Disney is committed to creating stories with inspiring and uplifting themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the world.

Visit www.Disney.com/StoriesMatter for more information on the effect of stories on society.”

Newsflash, folks! They are cartoons, fictional stories! Grow up and get over yourselves. Stereotypes exist for a reason — because they are frequently true. If some clown is going to get "offended" from a cartoon, they have bigger issues in life to deal with.

Not only that, but Disney continues to press its homosexual / transgender agenda, trying to confuse, brainwash, condition, program, and groom children with their filth.

Disney and Pixar’s new film, Lightyear, presses the boundaries of decency and morality, having a female character get engaged and married to another female character (and magically get impregnated, which cannot happen gay on gay). Disney's latest film, Strange World, presses those same boundaries of decency and morality, portraying two male characters as love interests. The homosexual perversion even made it into their latest Marvel films, Thor: Love and Thunder and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

I absolutely loved the 1993 film Hokus Pokus, so I thought I would give the sequel, Hokus Pokus 2, a shot. Disney absolutely tarnished the name of the original. All through the film were references to feminism, homosexuality, transgenderism, etc. They are desperately pushing their woke agenda.

This perversion even makes it into their cartoon series. In Baymax, episode two deals with an inappropriate issue for a children’s cartoon (a female getting her period), and has a “non gender” bathroom, and a “man” (really a woman) recommending the menstruation products she uses. In episode three, one dude asks another dude on a date. What next? An episode dealing with a male getting his first erection? Sheesh!

Disney has no decency or morality left. Walt would be turning over in his grave at what the company has become. They know no boundaries. No doubt many of the people working there and invested in them are pedophiles and perverts. Disney was started on the basis of wholesome entertainment for children and families. It has since become a woke activist company for sexual perversions, mental disorders, and victim culture.

After watching The Eternals, Lightyear, Hokus Pokus 2, Strange World, and seeing the contents of some of their series, knowing the direction they are headed, I am through with Disney forever! They have lost me as a customer. Their live-action remakes of their cartoons have been abysmal and utter disgraces to the originals. They are just money grabs. The company is utterly despicable.

Goodbye, Disney! You have lost me as a customer — forever. And good riddance.

UPDATE: Disney's The Proud Family just went full "woke" by pushing the "reparations" stupidity. Their episodes have been filled with racism, hatred, and divisiveness. All Disney's programming has went this "woke" direction. It's time families withdrew their support and watched Disney's funds circle the toilet.

Our Response to the Atonement

The enemy continuously tries to tell us that sin still holds authority over us. Many preachers even preach the same godless message, holding believers in a state of defeatism. But this is not the message Yahweh's Scriptures speak to us time and time again. Paul reveals two keys clarifying the foundation message of atonement for believers:

"For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for liberation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."" Romans 1:16-17

Verse 16 reveals that the Gospel of the King "is the power of God" to liberate people. The Gospel is not the message of Yahweh's power. The Gospel is Yahweh's power. Yahweh uses the proclamation of His Kingdom to liberate humans from "the kingdom of this world." We are not door-to-door salesmen. We do not need to sell people on their need for liberation. We need only preach the Gospel of the King, and when they believe Jesus is King, that message empowers them with their liberation from the domain of darkness, sin, and death. Paul expounds on the power for liberation from Romans 5:12 through 8:39.

Verse 17 reveals that the Gospel of the King has unveiled a justification of Yahweh. This justification of Yahweh is repeated in Romans 3:21. Notice that Paul did not state in 3:21 what people needed to believe about King Jesus in order to be justified. Believing in the Kingship of Jesus (the Gospel) unveils a justification of Yahweh from belief into believe just as it is written: "the justified will live by faith." The foundation of justification is the atonement of our King as granted to His citizens. The foundation of atonement is in action. The foundation of atonement is taught in the simple verb logizomai, meaning "consider" or "reckon." Paul expounded on our justification in King Jesus through the atonement from Romans 1:18 through 5:11.

King Jesus' apostles demanded Kingdom citizens to respond to the atonement with two (2) actions: reckoning and presenting. The first command to action is to reckon ourselves. The second command to action is to present ourselves. After describing the atonement of our King, Paul wants Kingdom citizens to take action: we reckon! Our action (reckoning) is a response to the atonement. Citizens of the King respond to their King's atonement. We reckon ourselves as being justified or made righteous. King Jesus has always reckoned righteousness through belief (see Abraham, who believed Yahweh to give him descendants; he did not believe in an atoning sacrifice). Kingdom citizens are not literally sinless, but we are reckoned sinless through belief. The message we are to believe in order to be reckoned righteous is that Yahweh has placed one Man, the Anointed King Jesus, in authority over all the Earth, having proven it by raising Him from the dead. Hence Romans 10:9.

Our modern Evangelical "Gospel" requires belief in substitutionary atonement in order to receive the benefit thereof. But this is not the message Yahweh's Scriptures present us with! Scripture requires belief in the Kingship of Jesus!

Here are a few things Kingdom citizens should reckon to themselves through King Jesus:

• We died to the world (Col. 2:20).
• We died to sin (Rom. 6:11).
• We rose from death (Rom. 6:5).
• We walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4).
• We are free from Sin's chains (Rom. 6:6).
• We are free from Sin's authority (Rom. 6:7).
• We are alive with the King (Rom. 6:8).
• We are free from Death's authority (Rom. 6:9).
• We are alive to Yahweh! (Rom. 6:10).

How few believers live like this? We need to be daily "transformed by the renewing of [our] minds." We need to reckon the atonement so that we can live out the will of God and prove with our lives that His will is "good and acceptable and perfect."

Ryan Reynold's character from Spirited had one thing right: "Maybe you gotta put in the work. Wake up each day, get out of bed and decide, How about today I don't wish anyone a Good Afternoon." In Romans, in response to Paul's explanation of the atonement, Kingdom citizens are commanded to do two things. The first command given in Romans is to "Reckon yourselves dead to sin and alive to King Jesus!" Take God as His word and agree that it is true. The second command given in Romans is to "Present yourselves to God as alive from the dead and your body parts as instruments of righteousness." Some people employ a "Fake it until you make it" mentality. Just wake up each day, get out of bed and decide, "How about today I walk in the strength of the Holy Spirit and make no provision for the flesh, especially my pet sins." Yahweh is able to keep you from stumbling. If you practice the things mentioned by Peter, you will never stumble. If you walk in the Spirit you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. These are promises made in Scripture concerning the King's citizens. Reckon them as true because King Jesus has defeated, and liberated you from, the domain of darkness, sin, and death, making you a new creation and transferring you to the Kingdom of Light.

Who Corrupted the Gospel?

In the first century A.D., Clement of Rome, a direct disciple of the apostles, wrote in his letter to the Corinthians:

"The apostles have preached the Gospel to us from the Lord Jesus Christ; Jesus Christ [has done so] from God. Christ therefore was sent forth by God, and the apostles by Christ. Both these appointments, then, were made in an orderly way, according to the will of God. Having therefore received their orders, and being fully assured by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and established in the word of God, with full assurance of the Holy Ghost, they went forth proclaiming the kingdom of God was at hand."

If we examine the first 1,500 years of Church history, we discover that while some came awfully close to redefining the Gospel, no one actually did. In fact, in the thirteenth Century, Thomas Aquinas wrote:

"Since Christ said at the very outset of the preaching of the Gospel: 'the kingdom of heaven is at hand' (Matt. 4:17) [sic], it is most absurd to say that the Gospel of Christ is not the Gospel of the kingdom."

It is not until we reach the Reformation where the Gospel is redefined in light of the atonement. Who is the culprit of this grave error? None other than Martin Luther. Luther's redefinition of the Gospel first appeared in print in May of 1520 in "A Treatise on Good Works," where he wrote:

"It must, therefore, be a grievous sin not to hear the Gospel, and to despise so rich a treasure and so rich a feast to which we are bidden, but a much greater sin not to preach the Gospel, and to let so many people who would gladly hear it perish, since Christ has so strictly commanded that the Gospel and this testament be preached, that He does not wish even the mass to be celebrated, unless the Gospel be preached, as He says, 'As oft as ye do this, remember Me'; that is, as st. Paul says, 'Ye shall preach of His death.' [1 Cor. 11:26]"

In August of the same year, he wrote in "A Treatise on the New Testament That is the Holy Mass":

"What is the whole Gospel but an explanation of this testament? Christ has comprehended the whole gospel in a short summary with the words of this testament or sacrament. For the whole Gospel is nothing but a proclamation of God's grace and of the forgiveness of all sins, granted us through the sufferings of Christ, as St. Paul proves in Romans X [Rom. 10:9, 11, 13]; and Christ in Luke XXIV [Luke 24:46-47]."

Luther's agony over the justice of God led him not only into embracing "justification by faith" but also in redefining justification by faith as "the gospel." I believe in justification by faith, but it is not the Gospel. Romans 10 does not mention the suffering of the King, nor does it "prove" the gospel is grace and forgiveness through the King's suffering. Romans 10:9-13 offers salvation only to those who "confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead."

Luke 24 does not "prove" the atonement was the gospel either. The word "gospel" does not even appear in this chapter. Why did Luther not reference Luke 16:16 where Jesus used the word "gospel" and explicitly defined it as "the Kingdom of God"? Like most people today, Luther looked for proof text to support his logical leap.

No one in Scripture or outside of Scripture ever called the atonement "gospel" until Martin Luther. The sharpest mind of the Reformation period, Desiderius Erasmus, caught Martin Luther in his gospel crime. In typical Luther fashion, he insulted and attacked Erasmus with vehemence and crassness, calling Erasmus a liar, a blasphemer, and a closet atheist, deeming his words to be feces or dung served for consumption on gold and silver plates. Erasmus chided Luther for his logic and his unscholarly and unspiritual insults, claiming that any theologian who would dare break from all tradition should be a man of exceptional character, not of crass insults. (Erasmus strongly protested the corruption in the Catholic hierarchy and sought to reform the institutions from within the system.)

While the Reformation sought to improve the corruptions of the Catholic institution, nevertheless they introduced their own grave errors. For example, Luther embraced the teachings of the Gnostics, that "there can be no such thing as free will." (See the first three centuries of Christians for their beliefs on free will.) The Reformers sought to improve the existing institution, which was the Catholic system. Their grave error here was in not seeking to restore the apostolic traditions and practices. Instead, they sought to retain certain elements of the existing institution while reforming only certain elements. A lot of their reform that resulted in errors just as corrupt and grave as that of the Catholics was due to their use of proof text methodology. From the time of the Reformation onward, Christians have divided into hundreds of different denominations all based on their own particular proof text methodology. From the time of the Renaissance onward, Christians have become selfish and individualistic in their thinking and behaviour, leading them to many grave errors in assumptions imposed upon Scripture.

The atonement is not the Gospel! Period. Those who preach otherwise demonstrate their own ignorance and lack of legitimate education (which does not come from a Semitary—er, I mean, Seminary). Without a first-century model, and without understanding historical-cultural background, you will necessarily and inevitably misinterpret Scripture, as most preachers do today. They may have good intentions, but their intentions are ignorant.

Instead of supplanting the message Jesus and His apostles explicitly called "Gospel," we should inquire how repentance and forgiveness of sins are part of the message Scripture explicitly calls "Gospel": the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus is King, Yahweh's Anointed, and the Kingdom of God has come near. Die to yourself, give up your right to yourself, and submit yourself to the rule of Jesus over your life. Then you shall have salvation! That is the Gospel! If Jesus is not your King, the ruler of this world is your ruler, and your sin (for which you believe Jesus died) still governs you! Repent today!

False Teachers and Deadly Doctrines

Tim Challies once provided the following chart when writing about false teachers and deadly doctrines, accompanied by these words:

True doctrine (content) originates with God (origin), comes from the Bible (authority), and agrees with the whole of Scripture (consistency). Because such doctrine is sound (quality), it is healthy (benefit), and profitable (value) for us, and we are responsible for holding it (responsibility).

False doctrine (content) originates with man (origin), does not come from the Bible (authority), and contradicts portions of Scripture (consistency). Because such doctrine is unsound (quality), it is unhealthy (benefit) and unprofitable (value) for us, and we are responsible for rejecting it (responsibility).

The problem is, who determines whether the content originates with God or with man? The bigger problem is that every denomination has engaged in and engages in proof text methodology. Because they do not have a first-century model, they read their own assumptions and opinions back into Scripture. They search Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, grab a bunch of random isolated verses, rip them out of their immediate context, and jam them together to create their doctrines. None of the epistles were written as theological treatises, least of those written by fishermen.

The epistles were written to congregations and believers. They were written for specific reasons, and unless you understand the historical-cultural background that led to their writing, you will necessarily and inevitably misinterpret them, just as Tim Challies does with 1 Timothy 3 (among other passages). Tim Challies and others impose upon this passage based upon reading their experience, assumptions, and opinions into it. It does not mean what they think it means, which they would know if they bothered to have a first-century model so that they could correctly understand the New Testament.

So while Tim Challies' chart is not wrong in and of itself, his assumptions surrounding the chart are wrong. He assumes that everything he believes meets the first category, despite several of his beliefs being labeled as heresy by the first three centuries of Christians. Tim Challies would do well to study the writings of the believers from the first three centuries. He would learn that God is more concerned with your fruit than your particular theological dogma.

Let us start living out our faith like we actually believe it (lending a hand to widows, orphans, the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned), and doing good to our enemies. So many of these preachers and people with their own ministries ought not to have one because they have never been broken, they do not know how to lose, they do not know how to die to self, and they have never lived in biblical community long enough to develop actual character, integrity, and honour. With one hand they think they are serving the Kingdom, and with the other they hurt God's people because their egos got bruised. That is not how they learned Christ; but then again, they never learned Christ—they just learned a bunch of theological teachings (whether right or wrong) about Christ.

The Apostles' Gospel

The so-called "Romans Road" is not the Gospel message. The "Romans Road" is soteriology (the doctrine of salvation). Romans was written to Christians. It is not the Gospel the apostles preached to the lost.

The apostolic letters are written to congregations, scattered groups of believers, or specific individual believers. Only the "Gospels" and the book of Acts record the Gospel as the apostles preached it to the lost. If you are looking to the epistles for the Gospel message to preach to the lost, then you are looking in the wrong place and you are engaging in proof text methodology (ripping random isolated verses out of their immediate context and forcing them into your own imaginary context). Anyone who directs you to the epistles for the "Gospel" message is ignorantly leading you astray because they do not know any better. They were taught these errors and so they perpetuate them.

The message preached by the apostles was always the same. When you look throughout Acts, all the preaching of the Gospel to the lost contains these same elements:

• The Jews killed Jesus (2:32; 5:30; 10:39; 13:28-29).
• God raised Him up (2:24; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30).
• The apostles were witnesses of the resurrection (2:32; 5:32; 10:41; 13:31).
• The resurrection proves that Jesus was anointed as King and appointed by God to judge the living and the dead (2:36; 5:31; 10:42; 13:33).
• Everyone who believes in Him can receive forgiveness of sins (2:38; 5:31-32; 10:43; 13:38-39).

The same points over and over again. The blood, propitiation, life after death, and even Hell are all true, but none of these were preached by the apostles to the lost. No one is told they are sinners. No one is told they are going to Hell. No one is told they cannot save themselves. Heaven is not mentioned, nor are any free gifts. There is no "Romans Road" to be had here; no "Four Spiritual Laws." The resurrection—not the crucifixion—was the focus of the apostolic Gospel. Why?

The Biblical Gospel!

Do You Believe Jesus?

"For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions." —Jesus, Matthew 6:14-15

This is absolutely true! Some professing believers claim it is not and that we are already forgiven and that it matters not what we do now. That is a lie straight from the pit of Hell! They attempt to pit other passages against this one by use of proof text methodology, and then attempt to explain it away. Jesus, Who is God, said it; He said what He meant and meant what He said. Such professing believers are denying Jesus' words and claiming He was wrong.

I suggest you watch your step with such assertions; you are standing on thin ice.

No, Jesus was not being "extreme" here. This is often people's response when they do not like what Jesus had to say, especially when it conflicts with their personal theology. Rather than let go of their theology as being in the wrong, they put Jesus in the wrong. This is an excellent example that demonstrates how professing believers' claim of Scripture being their ultimate authority is false. They filter God's Word through something else, such as their personal theological views.

Do you have faith in Jesus, or in the theology taught to you by your organized religious institution falsely called a "church"? (The Church is the people; you cannot "go to" something that you are!) When it comes down to a conflict between your "church's" theology and Jesus, whose side will you choose? Who is necessarily correct?

Our faith is in Jesus—not in some theological "truths" about Jesus (which amount to mental assent). At least it is supposed to be. But most professing believers have their faith placed in their theological dogma rather than in Jesus. They think God is more concerned with their theological dogma than with the fruit they produce, and that simply is not true.

If we are going to call ourselves followers of Jesus, then we had best believe the things He said. Otherwise, our faith is not in Jesus but in a set of beliefs taught to us by the opinions of men borne from proof text methodology. If Jesus' words say one thing, and the opinions of men say another, the opinions of men are wrong, no matter how "godly" the person speaking may appear or present themselves.

When the Bible says something, do we believe it? All Scripture is God-breathed, not of any private interpretation. When God spoke through His vessels, did He say what He meant and mean what He said? Or did He just mumble a bunch of nonsense for the sake of hearing Himself speak? Ponder that point promptly, because it will reveal a great deal about your position in Christ.

When Scripture says, "Resist the Devil and he will flee," do you believe it? Do you accept it as true?When Scripture says, "Consider yourselves DEAD to sin," do you believe it? Do you accept it as true?When Scripture says, "If you walk in the Spirit you will NOT fulfill the lusts of the flesh," do you believe it? Do you accept it as true?
When Scripture says, "If you practice these things, you will NEVER stumble," do you believe it? Do you accept it as true?
When Scripture says, "God is able to keep you from stumbling," do you believe it? Do you accept it as true?

There are many more statements I could refer to, but the point is clear. They either mean what they say and say what they mean, or they do not. You either believe them, or you do not. If you do not believe what they say, then you do not trust in Jesus. Period. You are essentially calling Him a liar, saying that He was wrong. Think about that!

Make sure you are a believer in Jesus and not a believer in "Christian" theology! Your personal theological dogma will not save you; but Jesus will!

The Biblical Gospel

This is not the Gospel!!!

The Gospel is not merely that Jesus came to die for our sins and grant us eternal life if we trust in Him and obey His commandments and teachings. That is part of it, but the atonement is not actually the Gospel. The true Gospel is much simpler. So what is the Gospel?

Twenty-eight verses in Scripture declare, "the Gospel of ..." Twenty-five of those twenty-eight verses explicitly refer to the Good News that God has anointed Jesus as King: the Gospel of Christ (11 times), the Gospel of God (8 times), and the Gospel of the Kingdom (6 times). The other three occurrences refer to the Gospel "of salvation," "of grace," and "of peace." These are not different Gospels; they describe the one Gospel.

The very first words out of Jesus' mouth concerning the Gospel are defined for us in Mark 1:14-15: "Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Gospel.'" In other words, "Believe in the Gospel of God concerning the Kingdom of God."

Matthew 4:17 records, "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, 'Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.'" Six verses later, we read, "Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom..." (4:23). Six chapters later, He instructed His followers, "As you go, preach, saying, 'The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand'" (Matt. 10:7). Luke recorded the same pattern of preaching in 9:60 and 10:9-11. (By the way, "preaching" is for the lost only. The Greek word euaggelizo means "to evangelize." [The other word translated "preach" is kerusso, which means "to proclaim."] Believers have no need of being evangelized. "Preaching" is not for the Body of Christ!)

In the final week of Jesus' life, He explicitly stated in Matthew 24:14, "This Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in the whole world..." Hours before His death, Jesus still claimed to be King and to rule a Kingdom which was "not of this world" (John 18:36). When Jesus rose from the dead, Acts 1:3 states that Jesus taught His disciples over the course of forty days "the things concerning the Kingdom of God." Acts 8:12 records for us, "They believed Philip preaching the Good News (the Gospel) about the Kingdom of God..." The book of Acts ends by stating, "[Paul] stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus the King with all openness, unhindered" (28:30-31).

Jesus is God's Anointed. The Hebrew word Meshiach (Messiah) and the Greek word Christos (Christ) both mean "Anointed." The New Testament use of "Christ" hearkens back to Psalm 2, which meant the King whom God had anointed to rule the world. The apostles' use of "the Christ, the Son of God" also hearkens back to Psalm 2, demonstrating that they were proclaiming, "Jesus is King!" This is why their enemies said in Acts 17:7, "they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus!" The Gospel is that the King has come and inaugurated His Kingdom.

Observe Peter's words in Acts 2:36: "God has made Him (Jesus) both Lord and King—this Jesus whom you crucified." Acts 5:31 records, "[Jesus] is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Ruler and a Liberator." A few verses later, "every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the King" (2:42).

The Gospel is: Jesus is KING!!!

If we are truly Sola Scriptura, as many of us claim to be, then please explain how in defining the Gospel we have skipped right over every single definition that King Jesus and His apostles gave, such as Mark 1:14-15. Sadly, despite our claims to the contrary, many of us do not have a clue what Sola Scriptura actually means (or how to perform it). Most of us are actually Sola Traditio (Tradition Alone) while making false claims of Sola Scriptura.

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God finds its fullest definition based on Daniel 2:31-45 and Psalm 2:1-12, and on the authority of John 3:3-5 and 1 John 4:15-5:1: The reign of God's Anointed King which begins with the indwelling Holy Spirit and destroys the rulers and authorities of the world. A ruler named Sin and an authority named Death.

Numerous people believe the Evangelical message of Jesus' dying for their sins but do not have Jesus as their King. If Jesus is not your King, then the ruler of this world is your ruler, which means your sin (for which you believe Jesus died) still governs you. Either you want King Jesus to rule over you, and you submit to His authority and rule, obeying His every command and teaching, or you do not. There is no option to be liberated, have your sins forgiven, and go to Heaven and yet Jesus not be there. Either you want Jesus and Jesus alone, or you want none of it. Choose this day whom you will serve. As for me and my family, we will serve King Jesus!

Never Hurt God's People

This first law is on a par with the Law and the prophets. The cardinal law above all others is to never hurt God's people.

Before you nod in agreement, let me unravel what I mean.

Countless ministers have inflicted pain on the Lord's sheep while trying to advance their own ministries.

They not only defend themselves when under attack (perceived or real), but they seek to sever the heads of their detractors and "slaughter the villains."

Such fleshly reactions prove that they don't know the ways of God. (Perhaps they know them in their minds but not in their hearts.)

I refer not to the obvious, like the pastor who robs his church blind and scandalously spends church money set aside for missions on extravagant personal expenses.

Hurting God's people is often more subtle.

I've known some incredibly gifted men in my life who have hurt the Lord's people in the following ways:

• Insulting individuals privately and publicly when they felt threatened by them.
• Outright lying to manipulate an outcome.
• Threatening people when they believed their reputation was at stake or they wanted to take full credit for something.
• Masking hatred with sarcasm and ridicule with humor.
• Leveling false accusations against people in order to put them down and lift themselves up. (This is usually done out of jealousy or a spirit of competition. See 1 Samuel 18:1-16 for an example.)
• Mocking people out of envy.
• Demeaning those who make them feel insecure.
• Employing guilt, condemnation, fear, and/or shame to motivate God's people into doing something, even things believed to be right and good.
• Correcting a believer in an ungracious way.
• Using people to advance their own ministries.

Such things wound the Lord's people at best or devastate them at worst. The result is a carnage-filled trail of damaged souls, lost friendships, broken relationships, and zero peers.

The Lost Art of Taking the High Road

Over the years, I've watched ministers engage in some of these tactics, resulting in massive wreckage. They leave people's live in shambles, with no easy road back to healing.

Those who behave in these ways haven't learned to free themselves from their own self-sabotage.

By contrast, the Lord always calls His workers to take the high road, to repeatedly absorb the blows for the sake of God and His people. And most importantly, to hand their egos over to the cross.

Consequently, like the Lord Jesus Himself, God's servants can endure injustice, mistreatment, and misuse without moving into the flesh and responding in kind.

They're also secure enough in themselves to not feel threatened by or jealous of other servants whom the Holy Spirit is using.

Put another way, God has called His stewards to put themselves in front of the train before sacrificing one of the Lord's sheep.

For this reason, Paul told Timothy that the Lord's servant must be kind to everyone, "Patiently enduring evil" (2 Timothy 2:14, ESV).

That said, damage is sometimes inevitable. Some people will take offense, even if it's not your fault.

Still, hurting God's people is never an option.

It disheartens me to write this next sentence, but Christian leaders who have been sufficiently broken, who respond gently when criticized, who react with grace when corrected, who feel no jealousy toward others whom God has gifted, who don't feel threatened by those who have God's favor, and who refuse to return evil for evil are rarer than red diamonds.

Yet this is the standard to which the Lord has called each of us who serve Him.

The good news is that if you've hurt the Lord's people in the past, you have time to apologize to them and not repeat the same mistake.

In my early years in ministry, I made some boneheaded decisions that ended up hurting the Lord's people. Thankfully, I quickly apologized and made things right whenever I could.

Though some people will never accept your apology, the Lord will honor it if your apology is sincere and you've truly repented. And it's really His opinion that matters, anyway.

Scratch a Christian and Find Out What's Underneath

The most dangerous person on the planet is the one who will do anything to save his or her own work. But we have not so learned Christ.

Most Christian leaders hurt God's people when they are attacked, criticized, or threatened, and they react in an ungodly way in order to "win."

I recall speaking at a conference with a group of other leaders. When the conference ended, some of us who ministered had lunch together.

One speaker, a well-known pastor, was livid. He began to describe to us a letter he had received from one of his congregants. 

We could detect his smoldering anger as he rehearsed the letter, written by a woman who raised a legitimate concern.

She had tried to reach the pastor about an issue important to her, and it puzzled her why he didn't respond, despite her many attempts.

The pastor summarily dismissed her.

Instead of owning the problem, the pastor threw his chest out and told us how wrong this woman was for expecting him to respond to her. He bellowed, "I'm so tired of morons like this!"

Unhinged, he finally peeled off a letter to her. He laced his angry tirade with snide comments as part of his defense. He intended to "put her in her place" and justify himself as he did so.

He eviscerated her with his words.

This all proved one thing: Although this man could speak well in front of an audience, he knew nothing of the cross of Jesus Christ.

He knew nothing of brokenness.

He knew nothing of losing.

He reacted purely out of the flesh.

Equally sad, it appeared that none of his buddies saw this for what it was. None of them called him out on it. Instead, they quietly affirmed his fleshly reaction.

They, too, had been taught to castigate the opposition.

Here's the point: The reality of your discipleship gets exposed whenever you get scratched.

Those who truly walk in the Lord, not in pious rhetoric but in reality, can get scratched and not fire back.

They know how to absorb the hits and exhibit the Spirit of the Lamb in the face of criticism and persecution.

If this well-known pastor got in the flesh because a sister in Christ expressed her dismay that he didn't respond to her, then what would he do if someone attacked him unjustly or slandered him with malicious intent?

If racing against mere men makes you tired,
how will you race against horses?
If you stumble and fall on open ground,
what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?
Jeremiah 12:5, NLT

I don't think I have to answer that question.

I wish I could say that this was the only time I've seen this sort of thing.

I've watched famous Christians respond similarly—defensively and in the flesh—and I've thought, How can they lead God's people while showing no signs of the cross in their lives?

The cross is never easy to absorb. Not for you or for me.

When I first began serving the Lord in my midtwenties, at times I reacted in the flesh, I would get upset when I felt someone had treated me unjustly. I sometimes reacted with sarcasm when it would have been better to remain silent.

But the Lord used those mistakes to teach me the profound lesson to never, ever—under any condition—hurt God's people

But to lose instead.

The Lord wasn't wasting His breath when He said,

Whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Matthew 10:38-39, ESV

Herein lies a critical principle: When we lose, lay our lives down, and absorb mistreatment for Jesus' sake, then God gives His power to us.

Paul underlines this discovery when he describes the pain he endured from his "thorn in the flesh."

He [Jesus] said to me, "My grave is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I believe Paul's "thorn" was a man motivated by Satan who mounted a calculated assault on Paul's life and work. But even if you disagree, the undisputed point is that God's power rests upon us when we are humble.

So you, dear Christian leader, whether actual or aspiring, how do you react when someone scratches you?

Don't make the mistake of silencing your conscience or justifying yourself. We all makes mistakes. We all blow it from time to time.

But if you automatically react in the flesh and no instinct in you tells you that your reaction is carnal, then something is desperately wrong with your heart.

Here's a yardstick to evaluate your spiritual maturity: How do you react when threatened? And what do you do when under pressure?

I don't care how many followers you have on social media, how big your congregation is, or what big names you can drop. This question gets down to the naked reality of what you're made of.

Your reaction to criticism and pressure reveals more about your spiritual stature than all the glorious messages you've ever delivered, all the books you've ever signed, or all the "great" people you've taken selfies with.

Unfortunately, the air of brokenness is too rarified for many ministers to breathe today. So I exhort you: Stand apart and breathe it in.

Confront your own self-sabotage and never hurt God's people. Be willing to die instead.

Even if it means losing your work.

by Frank Viola, from 48 Laws of Spiritual Power

Biblical Christian Unity

What Did the Early Christian Meetings Look Like?
Are you aware that for the first 300 years, the Lord's Congregation did not have the complete New Testament? In fact, the first words of the New Testament were not penned until approximately 20 years after Jesus' ascension. There were no "church" buildings, no Bibles, no Bible schools, no Bible study, no pews, no pulpits, no sermons, and no "pastors." So what did the early believers do in their meetings? How did they function? At the heart of their meetings was fellowship, comprised of upbuilding, admonishing, discipline, edification, service, instruction, and reconciliation. They continued in the apostles' teachings, prayer, and the breaking of bread (Acts. 2:42), which consisted of a full meal (not a shot glass and a wafer/cracker/crumb of bread). They were learning how to live as a community, looking out for and caring for one another. (There are 58 “one another” statements contained in the New Testament as to how we are to conduct ourselves toward others.) This is vastly different from the "services of worship" (so-called) that take place every Sunday within the organized religious institutions falsely called "churches." (The Church is the people; not a building. You cannot "go to" something that you are!)

How to Achieve Unity in the Lord's Congregation:
• Ephesians 4:1-3: Check your own attitude first. There are seven specific attitudes listed here to check ourselves on.
• Ephesians 4:4-6: Focus on all the things you have in common. There are seven characteristics listed here that all believers have in common.
• Ephesians 4:7-10: Regarding the things you do NOT have in common, praise Jesus for those, because He made you all different by giving you different gifts. Three words introduce this paragraph: "grace was given." This is how we are to deal with the differences between us. Grace is unmerited favour; receiving something good that we do not deserve. Our differences are good, and they are given to us by the Lord Jesus.

Instructions on How to Walk:
• Ephesians 4:1-16 is about walking in unity.
• Ephesians 4:17-32 contains instructions about walking in purity.
• Ephesians 5:1-6 is about walking in love.
• Ephesians 5:7-14 is about walking in light.
• Ephesians 5:15-21 is about walking carefully.
• Ephesians 5:22-6:9 about how to walk in this world.
ALL of the instructions about how to walk properly as a follower of Jesus have one main focus in mind: The reason we are to walk as Jesus walked is so that we can show the world the best way to live.

"[Jesus] gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as shepherd-teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ, so that we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of [teaching], by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming, but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the Head, that is Christ, from whom the whole body, being joined and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the properly measured working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love." Ephesians 4:11-16

The measure and fullness consists of:
Width: Unity
Depth: Maturity
Height: Christ-likeness

Jesus was concerned more with community, with behavioural practice, right living, the kind of fruit you produce, than with a list of beliefs. God is not concerned with our theological dogma; He is concerned with our fruit! He taught His disciples how to live in community and love one another. There are 58 "one another" statements in the New Testament, but 0 information about the "pastor" or even the "sermon." Challenge yourself to read through the New Testament again and note everything Jesus and the apostles command you concerning community living. Then produce such fruit in keeping with repentance.

Creeds Kill

by Jeremy Myers

Very early in the life of the church, creeds and doctrinal statements became tools in the hands of political and religious leaders to control crowds and dominate others. While taxation and imprisonment is often a good way to get others to support your causes and force obedience to your laws, such tools do not always work among those who seek to serve a Higher Power, or believe they are following a Divine Law which supersedes human courts.

And so when Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire in the fourth century AD, the church rulers and political rulers joined forces to accomplish God’s will “on earth, as it is in heaven.” They saw great benefit in being able to decide where a person would spend eternity, based on how they believed and behaved.

But not everybody believed the same thing. Disagreements arose about what the Bible actually taught, until eventually, both sides of a doctrinal debate condemned and excommunicated their opponents. This led to heated theological debates, and even military skirmishes and minor wars. In an attempt to keep the peace, councils were called and creeds were formed to help determine which side was correct. Often, the Roman Emperors would get involved in these debates, and occasionally it was the Emperor who made the final decision about which theological perspective was correct.

These doctrinal disputes were not so much determined by who had the majority, but by who had the most power and influence in the Roman Empire. This was especially true when one side could gain the support of the Emperor. Whichever side had the ear of the Emperor were most likely to win the debate. And how does one get the ear of the Emperor? Usually, something more is needed than logical arguments about biblical passages. Rulers tend to care more about their coffers and their borders than what the Bible says. So money, power, and land were often used to gain the support of the authorities, rather than sound reasoning from the Scriptures.

And once the Emperor made his decision, the losing side was often condemned, not only to eternal punishment in hell, but sometimes even to death by stoning, beheading, hanging, or by what became the most popular method: burning at the stake. Emperors do not like it when people in the Empire disagree with them. Dissent was seen as a threat to the peace, order, and prosperity of the Empire. The simplest way to gain unity within the Empire was to get rid of dissenters by killing them. (For a book on this, try Jesus Wars by Philip Jenkins.)

Though most Christians do not want to admit it today, this was the process by which most of our traditional theology was developed. Not through careful exegesis and logical debate of what the Scriptures say, but through power politics, greedy rulers, and declaring war on all who disagreed.

Thankfully, we don’t do such things today…. Or do we?

The Early Christians on the Role of Women in the Church

The early Christians had much to say about the equality of women with men in both nature and salvation. However, this is what they had to say about the role of women in the Lord's Congregation:

Clement of Alexandria, c. 195, E
Paul did not hesitate to mention his "companion" in one of his epistles. . . . He says in his epistle, "Do I not have the right to take along a sister-wife, as do the other apostles?" However, the other apostles, in harmony with their particular ministry, devoted themselves to preaching without any distraction. Their spouses went with them, not as wives, but as sisters, in order to minister to housewives.

Tertullian, c. 198, W
But the woman of pertness, who has usurped the power to teach, will of course not give birth for herself likewise to a right of baptizing! . . . For how credible would it seem, that he who has not permitted a woman even to learn with over-boldness, should give a female the power of teaching and of baptizing! He says, "Let them be silent and consult their husbands at home."

Tertullian, c. 207, W
Paul instructs women to be silent in the church, not speaking for the mere sake of learning. In doing so, he goes to the Law for his authority that women should be under obedience. However, when he veils the woman who prophesies, he demonstrates that even they have the right of prophesying.

Tertullian, c. 207, W
It is not permitted to a woman to speak in the church, nor to teach, baptize, offer, or to claim to herself a lot in any manly function, not to mention the priestly office.

Cyprian, c. 250, W
A woman should be silent in the church. In the first Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians: "Let women be silent in the church. But if any wish to learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home." Also to Timothy: "Let a woman learn with silence, in all subjection. But I do not permit a woman to teach, nor to be set over the man, but to be in silence."

Apostolic Constitutions, compiled c. 390, E
We do not permit out women "to teach in the church." Rather, they are only permitted to pray and hear those who teach. For Jesus Himself, our Master and Lord, when He sent our the twelve to make disciples of the people and of the nations, nowhere sent out women to preach—even though there was no lack of women available. For there were with Him the mother of our Lord and His sisters; Mary Magdalene; Mary, the mother of James; Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus; Salome; and certain others. . . . For "the head of the wife is the man," and it is not reasonable that the rest of the body should govern the head.

I challenge any individual (such as Frank Viola, Jon Zens, etc.) to provide evidence of women's role in the Congregation's open, spontaneous, and participatory corporate meetings. We are removed from the teachings of Jesus and His apostles by 1,900 years! The first two quotations are removed by a mere 100 years! Do you honestly believe your idea of how the biblical house congregations functioned with the inclusivity of women is somehow more accurate than what these godly men have said? If you believe these men were/are wrong, then make your case . . . biblically! I am eager to hear it. If these men were/are indeed wrong, then convince me. I will be waiting...

Apart From Works

The majority of evangelicals, by use of their proof text methodology, misquote and abuse the various verses that say "apart from works." This is where their erroneous Sola Fide—faith alone—doctrine is derived. First of all, they willfully leave off the fact that, if they bothered to finish quoting such verses in their entirety, they either say or allude to "works of the Law." It is a specific type of works. Second, they miss the fact that "apart from works" applies only to our deliverance from slavery to sin.

Yahweh transforms us by forgiving our sins and giving us the Holy Spirit to make us new creatures, created in Christ Jesus to do good deeds. Yahweh does all of this apart from works (Eph. 2:8-10). None of this, however, has any effect upon the judgment of Yahweh's mercy. His judgment was already fair, and He was already merciful.

I have written several times on the fact that the majority of evangelicals misinterpret Romans 7:14-25. They keep attempting to interpret it experientially rather than exegetically. They interpret it based upon tradition rather than upon Scripture. In order to understand what is going on in Romans 7:13-25, you need to understand verses 7-12. When you understand these verses, Paul's statements in verses 15 and 19 are not difficult to comprehend.

Romans 7 is the Law of Sin and Death. Any Bible teacher worth his salt understands this. Romans 7 informs us that sin in our flesh prevents us from living righteously. The chapter ends with a cry for deliverance from the sin that dwells in our wretched body. We commit sin and it leads to death because of the judgment according to works. Our sins cause us to perish at the Judgment Seat. Yahweh's judgment has never changed. Hundreds of passages of Scripture acknowledge that Yahweh has always been merciful, so His mercy has never changed. So what needed to change?

"But if the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has done and keeps all My statutes and does justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die. All his transgressions which he has done will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has done, he will live. Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares Lord Yahweh, “is it not that he should turn from his ways and live?" Ezekiel 18:21-23

Please pay close attention to this passage. If people repent, Yahweh will forget all their wickedness and they will live because of the righteous deeds they perform after their repentance. This is a very merciful and fair judgment, would you not agree? Again, what needed to change?

Our ability to repent and live righteously (holy) needed to change.

Yahweh also put in place the Law of the Spirit of Life (Rom. 8:2). Romans 8 is the natural life of the Christian. Because Jesus became a man and obeyed unto death, all who believe in Him become righteous. We become obeyers (Rom. 16:26). Romans 8:3-4 informs us that "what the Law could not do, ... God did by sending His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin ... so that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled by us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." This all happens "apart from works."

Our works cannot deliver us from our Romans 7 state. That is the point, which many evangelicals miss. Apart from works and by faith in the working of Yahweh, He delivers us from the flesh by putting it to death. He crucifies us with Jesus (Gal. 2:20), buries us with Jesus (Rom. 6:3), raises us from the dead by giving us the life of Jesus (Gal. 2:20; Rom. 6:3-11), gives us the Spirit of faith, and baptizes us for the remission of sins without requiring any works of us (Acts 2:38). This is how we are born again, made new creatures who were created to do good deeds (Eph. 2:10). Problem solved!

Through faith in Jesus, we are transformed into obeyers. We have been delivered from our past sins. We are now the people Ezekiel 18:21-23 described. This transformation is so great that Peter says we become "partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust" (2 Pet. 1:3-4). Romans 8:12-13 concludes with this simple fact: "So then, brothers, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die, but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the practices of the body, you will live."

Paul verified this when he said, "I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified" (1 Cor. 9:27). That word, "disqualified," is the exact same word as used in 2 Corinthians 13:5 where Paul instructs his audience to test and examine themselves as to whether they are truly in the faith.

Christians live in John 1:7. We live holy lives obedient to Yahweh. When we fall into sin, we repent and mourn and weep. This is how we end up blameless at the Judgment Seat of Jesus (Jude 24-25). This is righteousness by faith apart from works combined with judgment by works. This is how Paul could say we are justified by faith and James could say we are justified by works (living faith; faith in action).

The early Christians understood that obedience was a key element of salvation. The majority of evangelicals today believe that all you need is faith, without any obedience. These people would do well to re-read the words of Jesus. Though maybe they believe He was merely making a suggestion...

The Early Christians on Non-violence

From the very beginning, Christians had always renounced war, violence, and killing of every sort. The writings of the early Christians make this clear:

"We who formerly murdered one another now refrain from making war even upon our enemies" —Justin Martyr

"We have learned not to return blow for blow, nor to go to law with those who plunder and rob us. Instead, even to those who strike us on one side of the face, we offer the other side also." —Athenagoras

"The Christian does no harm even to his enemy." —Tertullian

"God puts His prohibition on every sort of man-killing by that one inclusive commandment: 'You shall not kill.' " —Tertullian

"To those who inquire of us from where we come, or who is our founder, we reply that we have come agreeably to the counsels of Jesus. We have cut down our hostile, insolent, and wearisome swords into plowshares. We have converted into pruning hooks the spears that were formerly used in war. For we no longer take up 'sword against nation,' nor do we 'learn war anymore.' That is because we have become children of peace for the sake of Jesus, who is our Leader." —Origen

"Christians do not attack their assailants in return, for it is not lawful for the innocent to kill even the guilty." —Cyprian

Many Christians today spout off about "self-defense," trying to differentiate between "persecution for their faith" and "being assailed in general." What does Scripture teach? What did Jesus say? You profess to be a Christian and yet oppose the very words of your Master. Surely you can see the irony and hypocrisy.

It is an interesting fact that Augustine, Luther, and Calvin repudiated several of Jesus' teachings, and willfully contradicted Him, saying it was perfectly fine for Christians to go to war and commit violence as long as they did so with "love" in their heart. Both Luther and Calvin set themselves up as the Pope of their own religious sects and committed the same atrocities that the Roman Catholics had committed in the name of "God." Many professing Christians today have embraced this same unbiblical mentality, especially professing Christians in the United States. American "Christianity" is a joke! Pride and self-preservation are elevated in today's professing Christians, while the Christians of the first three centuries were humble and counted their lives as nothing. There is quite the stark contrast between the early Christians and today's professing "Christians."

Letter to Diognetus, A.D. 80 - 200
Christians … love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death, and restored to life.  They are poor, yet make many rich;  they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all; they are dishonored, and yet in their very dishonor are glorified. They are evil spoken of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and bless;  they are insulted, and repay the insult with honor; they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life. They are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred. (ch. 5)

Justin Martyr, c. A.D. 150
"For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" [Is. 2:3]. And that this did come to pass, we can convince you.

For from Jerusalem men went out into the world, twelve in number and these illiterate, of no ability in speaking; but by the power of God they proclaimed to every race of men that they were sent by Christ to teach to all the word of God. Now we who used to murder one another do not only refrain from making war upon our enemies, but also, that we may not lie nor deceive our examiners, willingly die confessing Christ.

For that saying, "The tongue has sworn but the mind is unsworn" [a justification for lying used in Justin's time], might be imitated by us in this matter. But if the soldiers enrolled by you, who have taken the military oath, prefer their allegiance to their own life, parents, country, and all kindred, though you can offer them nothing incorruptible, it would be truly ridiculous if we, who earnestly long for incorruption, should not endure all things in order to obtain what we desire from him who is able to grant it. (First Apology 39)

We who were filled with war, mutual slaughter, and every wickedness have each, through the whole earth, changed our warlike weapons—our swords into ploughshares and our spears into implements of tillage. In their place, we cultivate godliness, righteousness, philanthropy, faith, and hope, which we have from the Father himself through the One who was crucified. (Dialogue with Trypho 110)

Athenagoras, A.D. 177
For when they know that we cannot endure even to see a man put to death, though justly; who of them can accuse us of murder or cannibalism? Who does not reckon among the things of greatest interest the contests of gladiators and wild beasts, especially those which are given by you? But we, deeming that to see a man put to death is much the same as killing him, have abjured such spectacles. How, then, when we do not even watch, lest we should contract guilt and pollution, can we put people to death? And when we say that those women who use drugs to bring on abortion commit murder and will have to give an account to God for the abortion, on what principle should we commit murder? (A Plea for the Christians 35)

Clement of Alexandria, c. A.D. 190
For we are not to delineate the faces of idols, we who are prohibited to cleave to them; nor a sword, nor a bow, since we follow peace. (The Instructor III:11)

Tertullian, c. A.D. 210
The Christian does no harm even to his foe. (Apology 46)

Hippolytus, c. A.D. 225
They will inquire concerning the works and occupations of those are who are brought forward for instruction. If someone is a pimp who supports prostitutes, he shall cease or shall be rejected. If someone is a sculptor or a painter, let them be taught not to make idols. Either let them cease or let them be rejected. If someone is an actor or does shows in the theater, either he shall cease or he shall be rejected. If someone teaches children (worldly knowledge), it is good that he cease. But if he has no (other) trade, let him be permitted. A charioteer, likewise, or one who takes part in the games, or one who goes to the games, he shall cease or he shall be rejected. If someone is a gladiator, or one who teaches those among the gladiators how to fight, or a hunter who is in the wild beast shows in the arena, or a public official who is concerned with gladiator shows, either he shall cease, or he shall be rejected. If someone is a priest of idols, or an attendant of idols, he shall cease or he shall be rejected. A military man in authority must not execute men. If he is ordered, he must not carry it out. Nor must he take military oath. If he refuses, he shall be rejected. If someone is a military governor, or the ruler of a city who wears the purple, he shall cease or he shall be rejected. The catechumen or faithful who wants to become a soldier is to be rejected, for he has despised God. The prostitute, the wanton man, the one who castrates himself, or one who does that which may not be mentioned, are to be rejected, for they are impure. A magus shall not even be brought forward for consideration. An enchanter, or astrologer, or diviner, or interpreter of dreams, or a charlatan, or one who makes amulets, either they shall cease or they shall be rejected. If someone's concubine is a slave, as long as she has raised her children and has clung only to him, let her hear. Otherwise, she shall be rejected. The man who has a concubine must cease and take a wife according to the law. If he will not, he shall be rejected.(Apostolic Tradition 15:6-7; 16:1-16)

Origen, c. AD 225
Who among the believers does not know the words in Isaiah? "In the last days the mountain of the Lord shall be revealed, and the house of the Lord on the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills. All nations shall come to it. Many people shall go and say, 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us his way, and we will walk in it." For out of Zion shall go forth a law, and a word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people. They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more [Isa. 1:2-5]. (Letter from Origen to Africanus 15) [The early Christians used Isaiah 1:2-5 so regularly that every Christian was familiar with it, believing this passage to be fulfilled by Jesus and His apostles who brought the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem to the entire world, creating a kingdom that lived in peace and refused warfare.

Cyprian, c. A.D. 250
The whole world is wet with mutual blood, and murder, which in the case of an individual is admitted to be a crime, yet is called a virtue when it is committed wholesale. Impunity is claimed for the wicked deeds, not on the plea that they are guiltless, but because the cruelty is perpetrated on a grand scale. (Letters of Cyprian I:6)