November 8, 2017 ONE GOSPEL
Galatians 1:8 “But even if an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse.
Romans 1:2 “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an Apostle and set apart for the gospel of God,”
We live in a culture that rejects the idea of absolutes and promotes the idea that each individual decides what is right in his own eyes. The danger of such belief is that a society cannot survive for long when there is no moral compass or foundation. And when individuals live according to their own judgements of what is right what is wrong, the repercussions are sure to come. John Calvin once said: “For there is no one so great or mighty that he can avoid the misery that will rise up against him when he resist and strives against God.” Many reject the fact that the heart of man is evil, and herein is why living according to one’s on dictates puts an individual and a nation on a path of decay and breakdown. “For we also once were foolish ourselves, deceitful, deceived, enslaved to various lust and pleasure, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.” Titus 3:3. Evil comes in various shapes and forms, but the essence of evil is rejecting and denying the creator God and insisting on living according to self instead of submitting to the rule of God. Today, if one says that there is only one way to God and one truth, he is quickly labeled as narrow minded and hateful. But, the truth is that there is only one way to God, and that is through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior; anything that is not in agreement with the truths of scripture, is a lie, or untruth. The reality of there being only one way to God and all truth being in God is viewed by many as limiting or restraining life is some way. However, just the opposite is true. When one becomes a part of God’s kingdom, life takes on a much greater and higher purpose because the creator of the universe is alive and at work in us, transforming us into His very image! The Apostle Paul understood the power of the gospel of God and it was his all consuming passion to preach the good news of the gospel with no compromise. Contrary to popular thought, there is ONE gospel, and there are no contradictions in the gospel. As Peter Parris has said: “The gospel may contradict itself, but only in our minds.” To a great extent, there is a “church on every corner” because there is disagreement and division within the body of Christ that is centered around various interpretations of the scripture. We need to know that it is not our place to ‘interpret scripture’, but to let the scripture interpret itself and let it change how we believe. Our part is to study the scriptures, realizing that after all, the scriptures were authored by God, and understanding the scriptures is not reserved for a few-but for all who have a heart to know Him. This is not to say that we do not need teachers and preachers of the word, but we need teachers and preachers who do not present their own viewpoints and preferences but preach the gospel ‘as it is.’ There are some mysteries in the ways of God and we will find some things in the word that we do not fully understand yet-but that is ok. It is the gospel of God that has the power to change us and to transform us into His image. The good news is that God has given us His Holy Spirit to guide us into truth and to open our eyes to the truth of the gospel. Yes-there is only one distinct gospel, and through this gospel, God reveals Himself to those who seek Him first.
2 Timothy 3:16-17: “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.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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