A Different Gospel

"For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough." 2 Corinthians 11:4

When the subject of a different Jesus Christ comes up, it is usually focused on cults and false religions. You have the Jehovah's Witnesses who claim that Jesus is not God. There are the Mormons who believe Jesus is a separate god from God the Father. Denominations like the Seventh Day Adventists believe that God the Father exalted Jesus to be His Son, provoking Lucifer's jealousy and a war in heaven! Even Judaism, although of God, only sees Jesus as either a false messiah or a good, but martyred rabbi. This doesn't even begin to touch on what religions like Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism believe about Jesus. But, what about those who seemingly believe in the true Jesus of the Bible and of history, God in the flesh who lived a sinless life, died for our sins and rose from the dead to offer salvation, teach about the Gospel? What does it mean to say that people receive a different Gospel? This can be more difficult to discern. Often times, as Christians, it is assumed that because someone mentions the Gospel that it is all the same, regardless of denominations, etc. Most everybody will agree with what I mentioned earlier, that Jesus is God, lived a sinless life, died for our sins and rose from the dead. But, after that things can get strange. What are some of the "different gospels" that have gained acceptance within Christianity? There are those that believe that mankind does not have free will, therefore, God chooses which individuals will be saved and which ones go to Hell. However, Jesus said, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)." There are some who teach, albeit indirectly, that the death of Jesus was not sufficient to take away our sins, leaving us to constantly have to ask God to forgive us through various sacrifices and offerings. The book of Hebrews says, "Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary (Hebrews 10:17-18)." Many teach that things like water baptism, church attendance and tithing are necessary after you are saved in order to prove you are a Christian and receive blessings from God. The Apostle Paul wrote, "For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith (Romans 1:17).""These teachings, and others like them, don't necessarily mean a person isn't saved for believing them, but they do not reflect the true Gospel message and how we live as Christians. To teach that they are part of the gospel or necessary to live as Christians, leads to confusion, disunity, quarrels, a focus on the individual and not Christ, an uneven message and hindered evangelism.

"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3)." The gospel is simple. It is sin, death, forgiveness and the restoration of life. Adam sinned in the Garden and died spiritually; the life of God that indwelt him was lost. Therefore, all mankind is born into this world spiritually dead to God, but physically alive to the world. Before God could restore His life to man, He had to deal with the issue of sin that caused Him to remove His life from Adam. Sin is so terrible that God was the only one who could take the penalty for that sin. Therefore, in Christ, God became a man in order to die for us. Then, raised from dead, Jesus could now offer the life of God to anyone who is willing to receive Him by faith. So, when the Bible says, "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will ... (Ephesians 1:11)," it is not that God chooses which individuals to save, but that He has established the criteria by which individuals are saved; in him, or in other words, in Christ. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, you have been chosen. As for the sin issue, it is finished, as Jesus said. Going back to Hebrews, it says, "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22)." Only the shedding of blood will obtain forgiveness of sins. Only the shed blood of Jesus is acceptable to God for that forgiveness. Therefore, the sin issue is over. Our confession booths, short accounts, repetitive prayers, altar calls, or any other sacrifice, is not acceptable or required by God. Ephesians 4:5 says there is only, "one Lord, one faith, one baptism ..." The baptism that saves is the only baptism that is required; the baptism of the Holy Spirit received at the moment of salvation. Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20)." Wherever two or more Christians are gathered is church; even if it just one Christian because Jesus is with them. In 2 Corinthians 9:7, Paul writes, "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." Tithing is not only Old Testament law, which Christians are not subject to, but God wants us to decide what to give. Besides, giving is not a matter of mandatory percentages, but will be a direct reflection of ones heart to give and the ability to do so. And finally, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3)." Jesus Christ is our blessing. Because He indwells every born again Christian, we have every spiritual blessing. Jesus Christ is the Gospel. There is nothing to add to it, nothing we have to maintain, nothing more we receive. Anything else is a different gospel from a different Jesus.

Which Jesus?

We often hear people say, "I believe in Jesus" or "You need Jesus in your life." Christians will, correctly, proclaim, "Jesus is the only way to Heaven." However, does anybody ever ask the question, "Which Jesus?" Depending on who you ask, you will get many different answers. Answers like:

• Jesus is not God, but He was a man who lived a perfect life. That before He lived on earth He was Michael, the archangel.
• God the Father exalted Jesus to be His Son, thus provoking Lucifer's jealousy and a war in heaven. 
• Jesus was not God, not the Son of God and not crucified or resurrected. 
• Jesus is either an extremist false messiah or a good, but martyred Jewish rabbi.
• Jesus is just an enlightened teacher, but not God.
• Jesus is a teacher or guru and is a son of God like others.
• Jesus is not uniquely God, didn't suffer and couldn't suffer for people's sins.

These are just a few of the beliefs floating around out there about Jesus Christ. But, how many people know the true Jesus in order to navigate through all of these false messages? The only way to know what the truth is about Jesus is to not only know Him as your God and Savior, but to know what His Word says about Him. 

So when others say, "Jesus was not God," you can say, Jesus said, "I and the Father are one (John 10:30)."  When others say, "Jesus was created by God," you can say, Jesus said, "Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began (John 17:5)." When others say, "Jesus is not the only son of God, " you can say, Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)." When others say, "Jesus was a great prophet, but not God, " you can say, "'In His defense, Jesus said to them, 'My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.' For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God (John 5:17-18)." The key to all of this is to build your thinking from the Bible and what it says about who Jesus is. 

Therefore, you will know the answer to the question, "Which Jesus?" 

Jesus is God, the second person of the Trinity (John 1:1). As God the Son, he has always existed and was never created (Isaiah 9:6). He is fully God and fully man (John 1:14). As the second person of the Trinity, He is coequal with God the Father and the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 9:6). In becoming man, he was begotten through the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary (Matthew 1:23). Jesus is the only way to the Father, salvation, and eternal life (John 14:6). He died on a cross according to God's plan, as the full sacrifice and payment for our sins (Acts 2:23). He rose from the dead on the third day (Matthew 12:40). For the next 40 days He was seen by more than 500 eye-witnesses (Acts 1:3). His wounds were touched and he ate meals (John 20:28). He physically ascended to heaven (Acts 1:9). Jesus will come again visibly and physically at the end of the world to establish God's kingdom and judge the world  (Acts 1:11).

That's "which Jesus". My God and Savior!

All About Jesus

"But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed." Galatians 1:8

Once, a well-known and popular entertainer, said, "There can't possibly be just one way," when discussing how a person gets to heaven. This same individual proclaims themselves to be a Christian as well. If there is more than one way to heaven, and you claim to be a Christian, then why did Jesus Christ say, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6)"? This statement is clear and cannot be dismissed for any reason. Yet, for many people dismissing the words of Jesus is exactly what they do. For example, the New Age movement, which is based on a combination of Eastern mysticism, Hinduism and paganism, says that Jesus is not the one true God and not a savior, but a spiritual model and guru. Cults like the Jehovah's Witnesses believe Jesus is not God and that before He came to earth He was Michael, the archangel. Another cult, the Mormons, believe Jesus is a separate god from the Father and is the "elder brother" of Lucifer; the devil. Judaism, albeit from God, sees Jesus either as a false messiah or a good, but martyred Jewish rabbi. Buddhism only sees Jesus as an enlightened teacher at best. Hinduism only views Jesus as a teacher or guru who did not die for sins or rise from the dead. Islam says that Jesus was not God or the Son of God and was not crucified or resurrected. There are numerous other belief systems that hold similar views to the ones here, but none see Jesus Christ as who He is and claimed to be; God in human flesh and the Savior of the world. None of these belief systems seem to address the words of Jesus Himself. They only make up what they want to say about Him in order to cling to their beliefs instead of recognizing the truth.

It is interesting to note that nearly every other religious system outside of Biblical Christianity has a viewpoint on Jesus to one degree or another. However, aside from Judaism, the Bible nor Jesus, never come close to mentioning these other faiths even though a couple of them were in the world prior to Jesus coming to this earth. Personally, I think it is because when you are the way, the truth and the life, as Jesus proclaimed, everything else by default is false. Therefore, why address any of it in specific terms? False beliefs proclaim Jesus was not God.  However, the Bible proclaims, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us (John 1:1, 14)" Others teach Jesus was a great prophet, but not God. Jesus said, "I and the Father are one (John 10:30).” Unbelievers say Jesus was just a man. The Word of God says, "This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about : His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18)." The lost say Jesus was not raised bodily from the dead. Scripture tells us, "The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay (Matthew 28:5-6)." The bottom line is that there cannot be more than one way to heaven. Jesus, God in the flesh, was the only one who had a life to give that would satisfy God as payment for our sins. And, raised from the dead, He is the only one who can restore to us the life of God we lost when Adam sinned. No matter what a popular figure states or a well-established religion believes, if it doesn't line up with Biblical Christianity and the truth of Jesus Christ, it is to be accursed.

$65,000,000 Jet

"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves." 2 Peter 2:1

Recently, I was involved in a brief discussion with another Christian regarding a pastor who was seeking to purchase a $65,000,000 jet for his ministry. Without prompting, the gentleman I was talking with started to defend this pastor's desire to purchase this jet. He said, "He needs the jet to do ministry because the commercial airlines can't accommodate his schedule." I could see where this discussion was headed; it would turn into a debate about prosperity teachers, Christians being rich or poor, believing God for things, etc. It would have been a fruitless discussion. However, before it went that route I said, "I could care less about his desire for a plane or what the justification is for needing it is. My problem is that the pastor is a false teacher and shame on his congregation for supporting him." I was adamant about saying this because another Christian was listening to us and I didn't want them to be swayed into listening to this pastor and be led astray. We were abruptly interrupted and so the conversation had to end. However, I came back later to the Christian that was listening and gave them the evidence regarding why I made such a bold statement about this pastor.

I let them listen to a couple of audio recordings of this pastor. First, he talked about what he would do to attendees of his church who didn't tithe. He said, "...but, if they were non-tithers, the bar would lock up (preventing entrance into the church), the red and blue lights would start going, the siren would go off and a voice would go throughout the entire dome, 'Crook, crook, crook, crook!' Security would go and apprehend them. Once we got them all together we would line them up in the front and pass out oozies by the ushers... and point our oozies right at all those non-tithing members, because we want God to come to church, and at the count of three Jesus' we'd shoot them all dead! I would certainly try it." Secondly, and even worse, is that this pastor denied the deity of Christ. He said, "...and somebody said, "Well, Jesus came as God!" You know the Bible says God never sleeps nor slumbers and yet in the book of Mark we see Jesus asleep in the back of the boat. You all please listen to me. This ain't no heresy. I'm not some false prophet. I'm just reading this thing [out of the Bible]. I'm just telling you all these fantasy preachers have been preaching all of this stuff for all these years and we bought the package!" 

Who cares about a jet when the man using it denies the deity of Jesus Christ, denigrates those who do teach His deity and suggests taking the lives of those who don't give to his church? Despite what he says, he is a false prophet and false teacher just like the scripture says. He is the real "fantasy preacher." We need to keep our eyes open and know the truth so we can spot these people and those who support them. Because, ultimately, it isn't the pastor who is the problem it is those who sit under his teaching. "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3)." The time has come when people gather teachers around them to say what their itching ears want to hear! 

Plead the Blood of Jesus

“Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death (Revelation 12:10-11).” I remember a pastor telling the congregation I was in to, “Plead the blood of Jesus.” It was meant to act as some sort of defense against bad stuff happening to you or to ensure that something good would happen. For example, if you didn’t like your job you were to, “Plead the Blood” when you walked into work. If people around you were getting sick with colds and the flu you were to, again, “Plead the Blood.” To be honest it was one of the main reasons I left that church. They made being a Christian out be some kind of circus at best and a form of witchcraft at the worst. I guess that is why some even view saying this phrase as a way to “release” someone from demon control. One of the key passages used to support the idea of Pleading the Blood of Jesus is Revelation 12:10-11. There is the belief that because the devil referred to as the “accuser of our brothers,” has been “hurled down” it is because of the “blood of the Lamb.” Therefore, all Christians are said to have “authority” over our circumstances because of the “power of Christ’s blood.” But, does the scripture really say that? This passage is more of a salvation passage then it is some verification that we can manipulate God into doing our will by saying some “magical” phrase. My attention is drawn to the last part of the passage where it says, “they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” This is telling me that through the death of Jesus Christ taking away our sins and the testimony of believers, we have overcome the devil to the point where we don’t love our lives here anymore and would rather die than go on being tormented. 

This lines up nicely with the words of Jesus Christ who said, “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life (John 12:25).” Yet, those who, “Plead the Blood,” are actually guilty of loving this life. The reason why I can say this is because they are using the “blood” of Jesus to get what they want out of life. They want to use the Lord for things like making their jobs easier or overcoming health challenges. That is a form of loving this life. The passage from Revelation 12 talks about not shrinking from death. This means the believers hated life in this world and chose to die and enter into eternity with the Lord instead of remaining here in this life. Furthermore, like with most of what is taught in Christianity, this is just one more way to keep the focus on ourselves and off of Jesus. Instead of taking His life, His forgiveness, His acceptance, His unconditional love and living life with the attitude of participating in what He is trying to accomplish, we are trying to use His “power” to accomplish what we want out of life. Jesus Christ “came to seek and to save what was lost (Luke 19:10).” He did not come to give those who are saved the authority to manipulate their life circumstances to their benefit. To “Plead the blood of Jesus” is not in the Bible. Rather, the shed blood of Jesus Christ is what made it possible for God to restore His life to us; a life that carries through death and on into eternity. 

Canonization

“To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours (1 Corinthians 1:2).” 

How is a person recognized as a saint in God’s eyes? Well today marks the day where two former Pope’s, Popes John XXIII and John Paul II, will be canonized. Canonization is the process the Catholic Church uses to name a saint. The Catholic Church is quick to note that Canonization does not "make" a person a saint; it recognizes what God has already done. The process the Catholic Church uses starts after the death of a Catholic whom people regard as holy. From a biblical standpoint, if you are not a saint prior to dying it is too late to be recognized as one.  This is because the Bible clearly states, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment (Hebrews 9:27).” When a person dies they go before the Lord to be judged, not before a panel of men to determine whether or not they are a saint who lived a holy life. In fact, it is said that a panel of theologians at the Vatican evaluates the candidate to determine whether or not an individual’s life, writings and orthodoxy were worthy of what they call veneration; respect or awe inspired by the dignity, wisdom, dedication, or talent of a person. This is interesting to me because the Bible says that our works are worthless when it comes to our right standing before God. 

“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy (Titus 3:4-5).” Beatification is the next step in the process. Beatification is the recognition of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name. The Bible talks about this as well. “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).” Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and men. There are no dead saints that we pray to in order to “intercede” on our behalf with God. To say that there is only diminishes the finished work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. Part of this beatification process is proof that a miracle has taken place after the candidate’s death.  This miracle had to have taken place as a result of a specific petition to the candidate. And apparently there has to have been more than one miracle to have occurred. Personally, this has to be one of the most subjective of the requirements because anybody can say they prayed to someone and received a miracle.  Quite honestly, every time a person accepts Jesus Christ as their savior a miracle occurs. There is nothing more miraculous that can happen to a person then new birth. Jesus Christ specifically said, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again (John 3:3).” To have the Holy Spirit of God come to indwell a person, raise their spirit from the dead and make them alive to God is the most incredible miracle anybody will ever experience. And that leads to the conclusion about all of this. Every born again Christian in the world, now and throughout history, is a saint. It is not because a group of people said we lived a holy life after we died. It is not because people felt inspired by our perceived dignity, wisdom, dedication or talent. It is not because someone said they prayed to us and received a miracle. It is only because of our faith in Jesus Christ that we were set apart by God, sanctified, and called to be saints along with every other Christian who names the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. God determines who is a saint, not a religious organization. 

Jesus' Wife

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless (Ephesians 5:25-27).” Did Jesus have a wife? I guess that is the question of the day, albeit an old question, after the discovery of a fragment of a papyrus text that allegedly offers evidence that Jesus was married has apparently  been “authenticated.” If something was confirmed to have been written about you hundreds of years after you lived, does it mean that what was written is true? No. It just means that something was written about you. As one Christian writes, “What’s all the recent excitement over? Well, the fragment itself is just a few unfinished sentences, and the one people are talking about states, “Jesus said to them, ‘My wife . . .’” That’s it! That’s all of their evidence—but some skeptics believe this may shake the foundations of Christianity. Our culture is certainly working hard to discredit the Word of God.” 

This only should worry a Christian if they aren’t secure in their faith. This fragment was apparently written in the fourth century A.D.; some three hundred years after Jesus walked the earth and way too late to have been written by someone who was an eyewitness to His life. The Bible never mentions Jesus having a wife. You have four Gospels written about Jesus’ ministry and none of them mention Him being married. That same Christian continues, “On the Cross, Jesus commended His mother to the care of John. If Mary Magdalene was His wife (as proposed by many who claim Jesus was married), why didn’t He provide for her care at this time since she was standing with Mary and John? If He was married to someone other than Mary Magdalene, then where was this woman during His ministry? Where was she during His Crucifixion? What about after He rose from the dead? Would she not have been among the 120 disciples in Jerusalem waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost? Surely someone would tell us about Jesus appearing to His wife. Why doesn’t she ever make an appearance in the Gospels or the remainder of the New Testament?” You know what? If Jesus did have a wife, the next question would be if He had children. That leads to another question about whether or not there are half God and half human descendants walking around and on and on. And we don’t even want to speculate about people trying to worship His wife. We have enough of that heresy with people worshiping His mother. Ultimately, this is all a distraction to keep people focused on anything other than who Jesus is and what He came to do. However, there is a sense in which Jesus is married.  “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him (2 Corinthians 11:2).” The Apostle Paul refers to believers as being promised to “one husband;” Jesus Christ. In a spiritual sense born again Christians are the “bride” and Jesus Christ is our “husband.” Jesus Christ is God in the flesh that came to save mankind by dying on the cross for our sins and rising from the dead to offer us the life of God.  When an individual accepts Jesus Christ as their savior they become united with Christ. That is why when Paul was encouraging husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the Church, he did so in the context of equating the Church to Christ’s bride. The bride that He loves so much that He gave Himself for “her” in order to cleanse “her” and present “her” holy and blameless. Therefore, unbelievers should realize that why they try to prove that Jesus had a wife in order to diminish Him and those who trust in Him for salvation, they miss the fact that He came to offer them the chance to be His “bride.” 

Reformed Theology

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (Romans 5:8-10).” 

Regarding the sovereignty of God, Reformed Theology states that “God rules with absolute control over all creation. He has foreordained all events and is therefore never frustrated by circumstances. This does not limit the will of the creature, nor does it make God the author of sin.” I was inspired to research this when I heard a discussion about healing with a pastor who claims to teach Reformed Theology. He said that if he sustains a broken leg that it was God’s will. I do not believe this one bit. Is it God’s will that His children endure pain and suffering caused by Him? I certainly believe that God can use our pain and suffering to teach us about His love and faithfulness, but He doesn’t cause it. Ultimately, regardless of what it says at the end of the quotation, this belief does teach that God is the author of sin. A broken leg is an example of living in a fallen, sin-cursed world. Therefore, if God is in absolute control over all creation to the point He arbitrarily injures Christians, He then becomes the author of sin. But, scripture teaches, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned (Romans 5:12).” And what about the idea that God has “foreordained all events and is therefore never frustrated by circumstances”? There are at least two things wrong with this statement. Did God cause Adam and Eve to sin? Did He cause Sodom and Gomorrah to engage in the immorality that caused their destruction? I mean we could site example after example where instead of man choosing to sin, God is therefore responsible. And if God is never frustrated by circumstances, why does the Bible say, “The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart (Genesis 6:6).” If God was sorry and grieved in His heart that He made mankind because “every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5),” then that indicates some frustration He had. In fact, He was so frustrated that He wiped mankind off the face of the earth except for Noah and his family. Even Jesus said, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling (Matthew 23:37).” Jesus, who is God, shows His frustration by lamenting over the unwillingness of the Jews in Jerusalem to accept Him as their Messiah. 

These are just two examples where God is clearly showing frustration over the actions of the people. You cannot say God has foreordained all events and is not frustrated by circumstances and then see examples of Him clearly being frustrated by the circumstances created by the choices of the people. In conclusion, the biggest problem with Reform Theology is that if it is true then man cannot be held accountable for his actions. How can I be accountable for my sin and accountable for the decision I make about Jesus Christ, if God caused it all? Conversely, how can God hold a man accountable for his sins if He is the one who “preordained” all of the sins we commit? Why would Jesus have to die for sins we commit if God is the one who makes us commit them? The only reason I believe the statement made that God preordained everything is followed by, “This does not limit the will of the creature, nor does it make God the author of sin,” is because they know their belief is flawed. It is basically a form of damage control. Reformed Theology is a clear example of the truth that if your premise is off than your conclusions will be off as well. This is why it is so important to understand the Gospel; sin, death, forgiveness and the restoration of life. Adam sinned. Spiritual and physical death entered the world. Jesus, God in the flesh, was the only man born with a life to give that could pay the penalty for our sin. Then God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, could offer His life as a free gift to all who accept Jesus as their savior. We, in Adam, chose to sin. Also, we, in Christ, chose to accept God’s forgiveness for our sins and receive His indwelling life. What God preordained was that in His love He would extend His grace and mercy to mankind who are dead to Him in our sin. It is our choice if we want to receive it or not. 

Jehovah's Witnesses

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).” There is one particular cult, the Jehovah's Witnesses, that denies many truths about the Bible. First, they affirm their unbelief in a literal six day creation by saying they have “no objection to credible scientific research that indicates the earth may be billions of years old.” Secondly, they say that “God does not punish people in hell.” Now, these are just two beliefs, among many great and small, that is not supported by the Bible. However, the worst belief is their denial of the deity of Jesus Christ. They say they do not worship Jesus because “we do not believe that he is Almighty God.” In order to validate their heresy they have even gone so far as to rewrite the Bible. For example, in John 14:1 the Bible says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” However, they rewrite this to say “and the Word was a god.” In Colossians 2:9, the Bible says, “For in Him (Jesus) all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form…” But, they rewrite it to say, “it is in him that all the fullness of the divine quality dwells bodily.” So, instead of Jesus being God in the flesh, He is a god with a “divine quality.” It is almost comical to read if it weren’t so dangerous. I find it interesting that on their website they say that the online version of their Bible “translation” was revised as recently as 2013. To me this is because they are continuing to find truth that denies their own beliefs and have to keep rewriting it. But, I submit that there will be another “revised” version to come. This is because there are still some scriptures in their “translation” that affirm the deity of Jesus Christ. 

In John 20:27-29, their translation reads, “Next he said to Thomas: “Put your finger here, and see my hands, and take your hand and stick it into my side, and stop doubting but believe.” In answer Thomas said to him: “My Lord and my God!”  Jesus said to him: “Because you have seen me, have you believed? Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.” They forgot to rewrite the reaction of Thomas to encountering the risen Christ. He clearly says, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus didn’t correct him, but affirmed Thomas’ belief in Him as Lord and God. Jesus also said that those of us, who have not seen Him, but accept Him as our Lord and God are also blessed! Yet, there is one passage that even true Christians don’t often refer to that affirms the deity of Jesus Christ. It is in Revelation 1:17-18. Again, from their “translation” it reads, “When I saw him, I fell as dead at his feet. And he laid his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last, and the living one, and I became dead, but look! I am living forever and ever, and I have the keys of death and of the Grave.” John is describing who it is he saw in his vision and he quotes the Lord as saying, “I am the First and the Last, and the living one.” Who is the First and the Last? This is God. You may also here phrases like the “Alpha and the Omega” when referring to God. This is the same thing here. But, the key is the next thing He says. He says, “I became dead, but look! I am living forever and ever.” The question must be asked, “When did God die?” It clearly says “I became dead.” The only time God died was when Jesus died at the cross! In their own “translation” they have the words of Jesus Christ Himself affirming His own deity that He is in fact God, yet they continue to deny that He is God! If He is not God, but just a man like you and me, or any other created being, then what is the point of putting faith in Him? There is no point in it. You can see that despite their efforts, this cult still cannot suffocate the true word of God. As certain people like to say, “The Devil is a lie!” In order to keep his lies going I suspect there will be another revision coming soon in their false “translation” of the Bible. Saints, let us pray for those who believe the lies of the devil and let us also trust the Lord to help us rightly handle His Word so that we can stand against false teachings about our Lord and our God, Jesus Christ.