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[ Created: 2020-06-06 13:27:27  Updated: 2023-03-26 17:19:31 Owner: rl ]
Title: Any plan of Salvation other than through Christ Jesus    
     
     
     
     
 
    
 
     
     
     
     
 

 

I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
Grace and Law are incompatible.     Grace is all about the Lord's work to provide salvation.     Law is about man's attempt to save himself.     The Galatians were being drawn back to legalism.

Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
Any combination of performance with Grace is a perversion of the Gospel.     do not let anyone trouble you with thoughts of you being unworthy of Christ.

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Paul curses those who preach a perverted gospel because they are doing the work of Satan.

Hhhmmm, this sounds serious!   

What is meant by Another Gospel?   

When we step back from the narrow religious definition of salvation - to be saved from hell fire damnation - and consider its broader meaning, we begin to understand what Another Gospel is.   

Salvation is really defined by the teachings of Christ Jesus.   Very simply He came
to change the way people think about their Creator,
to deliver them from the guilt and penalty of sin,
to make it possible for them to be Born Again and
to enable them to be filled with His Holy Spirit.   

When we look at what Jesus did day to day we see Him healing the sick, casting out devils and generally meeting the needs of the people.   

All the while He was teaching them about His true nature and the principles of His kingdom.   

In His death He contractually settled all of our debts and made it possible for all of us to be healed.   

In His resurrection He defeated the last enemy - death - so that we too can experience Eternal Life and Abundant Life.   

In His promise of the Holy Spirit He brought us into full relationship with Himself.   

In that relationship we have access by faith to all spiritual blessings in heavenly places which includes prosperity and good health.   

From this brief summary, we see that Christ has met all of humanity's needs.   There is not one deficiency in the His plan which we call the Gospel.   And all the benefits of His plan come to us by Grace Through Faith In Christ Jesus.   

So, Another Gospel would be one which addresses any of man's needs outside of Christ.   

"Woah!   Are you saying that all of man's systems are part of AnotherGospel?"

Yes.   But, I am not attributing maliciousness to any person who has created, worked in or supported those systems.   

I am simply stating facts based on the Word of the Lord which communicates the perfection and finality of the Gospel.   

In defense of those who have created, worked in or supported systems in conflict with the Gospel, they did so because of unbelief which is man's natural state.   

They did not believe, and those with whome, for whom and to whom they served in these other systems did not believe.   

So, they did the best they could in unbelief.   

But that is exactly where humanity was before Christ came.   They were doing the best they could in ignorance and unbelief and perished in that state.   

Paul is very emphatic in denouncing Another Gospel because he understood that it undermined everything that Christ had appropriated.   It undermined the Lord's Plan.   

He knew that its foundation was unbelief and that without faith it was impossible to please the Lord or receive anything from the Lord.   

Where are we today?   

Even the church operates in unbelief, denying the Word (in fact), denying the power of the Holy Spirit and essentially living under Another Gospel.   

The power of Satan to deceive is manifested all over the world today.   Lying is accepted, self-deceit is encouraged, immorality is rewarded with wealth and honor.   

This has happened because we have accepted Another Gospel.   Paul cursed with the authority of the Lord those who would espouse Another Gospel because of the corruption that would come from it.   

It is time for us to repent:
Remember therefore from where you are fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto you quickly, and will remove your candlestick out of his place, except you repent.
What are the First Works of a believer?     
To hear the Word, to believe it, to receive it and to do it.     

To resist the teaching and leading of the Word and Holy Spirit puts one in jeopardy of losing their influence - i.e.     having their candlestick removed.     The church at Ephesus no longer exists.

The "first works" is believing the Gospel of the kingdom of Christ Jesus and following Christ in obedience as a disciple preaching the Gospel to every creature.   It is forsaking the Old Covenant and taking into our minds and hearts the New Covenant.   

Yes, this is serious stuff.   


Judaism and Christianity - are they compatible?   

The short answer is 'no'.   

Judaism is based on the Abrahamic Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant.   It is largely a traditition based false religion.   I say false, because Christ Jesus has instituted a new, better covenant based on Him being the Truth and implicitly saying that the earlier covenants are not Truth.   

Rather than taking my word for it, listen to what James and Paul had to say about Judaism (or at least the covenants it was based on).   
For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
walking by sight puts you back into the Physical Realm of the law.

For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
The never ending cycle of sacrifice was incapable of achieving the Lord's objective for mankind - oneness with Him.     

It took the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ to reconcile us to the Lord.     And it takes our faith in the Faith Of Christ to bring about the New Birth whereby we are created New Spirit beings in and of the Holy Spirit and therefore perfect as He is.

For then would they not have ceased to be offered?     because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
One of the benefits that many Christians never appropriate for themselves is having no conscience of sins.     

This is because they remain Carnal Minded looking at their flesh rather than who they are In Christ by reflecting on the grandness of His finished work.     We are to replace our conscience of sin with a conscience of Christ.

But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
The remembrance of sin is depressing because of the guilt that it brings.     This was the consciousness of the Jews - depressing guilt.     Depression and guilt destroy life and therefore had to be removed in order for Abundant Life to manifest in us.

For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
Though tradition made them think to the contrary, all their sacrifices were worthless except to the extent that they caused the people to look to the coming Messiah.

Wherefore when he comes into the world, he says, Sacrifice and offering you would not, but a body have you prepared me:
Jesus was slain before the foundation of the world in the sense that He knew that the precious gift of Free Will would result in rebellion and sin which could only be covered by the shedding of His own blood..

In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you have had no pleasure.
The reality is that such religious rituals never made any practical sense.     To think that the Creator the Lord who made the stars and organic life was so petty that killing a lamb, goat or bull and sprinkling and spreading its blood somehow gratified Him was ludicrous.

Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me), to do your will, O Lord.
Our spiritual separation from the Lord was the issue that had to be resolved.     relationship with the Lord had to come by people being filled with the Lord's Spirit.     To make that possible, the house must be cleansed of all that is evil.     Christ Jesus came and cleansed everyone's house making it possible for them to be filled with the Holy Spirit and thereby in eternal, intimate relationship with the Lord.

Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin you would not, neither had pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
Those sacrifices were to teach the people that the Lord is holy, that they are separated from Him by that sin and that the Lord Himself would have to become the human sacrifice to take away the sin of the world.

Then said he, Lo, I come to do your will, O Lord.     He takes away the first, that he may establish the second.
With the once and for all time sacrifice of Christ Jesus, not only was animal sacrifice done away but all sacrifice was done away.     The sacrifice of our body to the Lord is really not a sacrifice because we were bought with the price of Jesus' blood and we are not our own.

By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
We are sanctified by the Will Of God which was legitimized by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesyus Christ once for all.

And every priest stands daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
The Old Testament sacrifices never took away any sin.     They simply spoke to the coming sacrifice of our Lord the Lord which took away the sins of the whole world forever.

But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of Majesty;
Jesus the man, the Son Of Man, is seated at the right hand of the majesty as the Son Of The Holy Spirit.     There is no more need for sacrifice.     To sacrifice now is to denigrate the perfect finished work of Christ Jesus.

From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
The enemies of Christ are those who reject Him as Lord and Saviour.     Even though He shed His blood for them and has forgiven their sins, their rejection of Him is unpardonable.

For by one offering he has perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
We are perfect In Christ forever.     There is no condemnation to those who are In Christ who, by the way, DO walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh.

Whereof the Holy Spirit also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
The Holy Spirit is our teacher.     He reveals Christ Jesus to us.

This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
We see how most believers do not have the Mind Of Christ perfected in them.     The Spirit wars against the flesh and the flesh wars against the Spirit.     At His return, our soul and body will be redeemed and made new just as our Spirit was in the New Birth.

And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
The Lord willed it.     Christ paid for it.     And this is the reality of those In Christ.     We are Accepted In The Beloved.

Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
Anyone who does not believe in the Gospel of Grace Through Faith by Jesus Christ is doomed because they have rejected the only payment that the Lord accepts.

Having therefore, brothers, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
We Honor and respect the Lord.     But we also believe the Lord.     In believing the Lord we understand that we are His children and that He has given us the keys of His kingdom so that we may come at any time into His presence boldly.

By a new and living way, which he has consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
Our privilege to approach the Lord is by virtue of the perfect finished work of Christ Jesus.     We are to walk in newness of life in our New Spirit.

And having an high priest over the house of the Lord;
Jesus is our High priest and He has all power in heaven and in earth.

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
A true heart is an honest, open, informed heart that rests in the Word Of The Lord.     It reflects a Pure Conscience.     Whereas, an Evil Conscience is one which condemns us by denying the total, perfect efficacy of Christ's shed blood.     

We ought to draw near to the Lord because that is what He wants and made possible for us.     
It is what we were created for and it is how we experience Eternal Life and Abundant Life.

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Do not let Satan or anyone else convince you to doubt the Gospel of Grace Through Faith whose provision is yours by faith In Christ.

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Concern yourself with the spiritual welfare of others so that they may be partakers of Grace and experince the love of the Lord in the Holy Spirit who enables us to do good works.

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the day approaching.
Assembling together to fellowship in the Word and Holy Spirit is how we are edified as individuals and group of believers.     We need to do this more and more often as we see the Spirit Of Antichrist taking control of the hearts of unbelievers.

For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins,
The willful sin that would require another sacrifice is the rejection of the Christ Jesus and His finished work.     All other sins are forgiven.

But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
Adversaries are those who reject Christ Jesus whose end is the Lake Of Fire.

He that despised Moses' law died without kindness under two or three witnesses:
There is no other Saviour than Christ Jesus the Lord.     Those who reject Him will receive the same judgment as past rebels.

Of how much severer punishment, suppose you, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden under foot the Son of the Holy Spirit, and has counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and has done despite unto the Holy Spirit of grace?
This verse applies to all who reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

For we know him that has said, Vengeance belongs unto me, I will recompense, says the Lord.     And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
The White Throne Judgment followed by the Lake Of Fire is in store for those who reject Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living Holy Spirit.
Apart from Christ Jesus the Holy Spirit is a consuming fire.     

This warning was directed to Jewish believers who were falling back into judaism and 'trodding the blood of Christ underfoot'.     

We are saved by Grace Through Faith.     Turning from Grace to works whether of Jewish tradition or Christian tradition is an affront to Christ Jesus.     

Believers are required to believe in the total efficacy of the blood of Christ for their standing.     Anything else represents unbelief and blasphemy.

But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great fight of afflictions;
persecution for Christ's sake is the affliction that Paul speaks of.     

When the pure Gospel of perfect Grace is preached there will be persecution from the religious leadership whose focus is control, gaining it by teaching salvation by works using fear of condemnation and loss of relationship for leverage.

Partly, while you were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, while you became companions of them that were so used.
All who will live holy in Christ Jesus will suffer persectution.     

A good aspect of persecution is that it draws the persecuted into greater fellowship with others so persecuted.

For you had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that you have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
They had supported Paul through his trials for which they will be rewarded.

Cast not away therefore your confidence, which has great recompence of reward.
stand firm in the faith and you will be victorious and rewarded.

For you have need of patience, that, after you have done the will of the Lord, you might receive the promise.
patience to endure persecution is needed.

For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Those who draw back from the Gospel of Grace Through Faith fail to please the Lord.     Everything and everyone was created to please the Lord.     

Not only do those who reject Christ Jesus as Saviour fail to please the Lord, He sees them as an enemy of the love, peace, unity and order that characterize His presence and His kingdom.     
Consequently, they will be destroyed in the Lake Of Fire.

But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.