Do you know the full scope of God's character as revealed by the Holy Spirit and the Bible? Is God's love and mercy the only part of Him you know? Have you been blessed with God's discipline and chastisement when you sin and grieve His heart? Do you picture God as all love and no judgment? If God's Word goes against some belief you have deeply held for years, are you willing to admit that you are wrong and God is right? Are you willing to leave everything sinful and truly become a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ? Will you forsake all others? I can promise you one thing, eternal life. I can also promise you that it is going to cost you dearly; time, effort, mockery, heartache, you may well be rejected and hated by those you love most in this world. Has God ever told you to leave everything sinful of this world behind to follow Him? If not, then you are not truly His.
Be honest with yourself: Would you still love and honor God if He allowed your family to be taken from you, your health to fade, your home to be lost? Will you stick with Jesus if your family forsakes you? Do you blame God for things that happen that you don't like, as if He needs to explain Himself or stoop to your level of understanding? Do you think God would be unjust or mean to send sinners to Hell for eternity? When we don't understand life's trials, we have a choice to either agree with God or find our own answers apart from God. For those who claim Christ, we must humbly agree with God, as He is always good and righteous and just and without sin or error. Is this perfect God of love and judgment the God you believe in? If not, who IS your god?
The real question is this; “Does the God you believe in really exist?” I am sorry to say that for many I know personally, their god is no god at all, but rather a mixture of religious experiences over a lifetime that has led you to continue in religiosity, to have a form of godliness, but deny the power of it. A false god reigns in your lives and makes the true God jealous! God is righteously jealous when we worship any other god, and He is full of wrath toward those who deny His justice concerning sin. The true God, the God who wrote the Bible is a jealous God. He is the all powerful God, the only one with the power of life and death. We see in the commandments handed to Moses by God's own hand, written by His own finger, this righteous jealousy.
Exodus 20:2-7
And God spoke all these words, saying, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. "You shall have no other gods before me. "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
This is no petty human jealousy, but a righteous, divine, and perfect jealousy. You see, He is God and deserves and demands loyalty. He does not force it on us, but He does demand it. Disobedience and rejection of God will earn you a one way ticket to Hell, a literal place of torment and eternal death apart from God's presence. The wages of sin is death. Some have placed themselves as higher than God in saying Hell does not exist, yet Jesus Himself spoke of Hell more than Heaven. He spoke mostly of Hell as a warning not to reject Him as God's Son, the Messiah.
The Jews for centuries worshiped the one true God, looking for the promised Messiah who would once and for all pay for sin against God. In the old covenant, God had not yet sent His Son, and those who believed God awaited His coming. Today, many Jews still claim to worship the same God as us, but they are deluded. If they have rejected God's own Son, God in human flesh, Jesus the Christ, then they are against God so long as they continue this rejection. I echo the words of Jesus, John the Baptist, Paul, and Peter when I say “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!”
To those who have made a God in their own minds who does not care about your sin, your disobedience, your attempts to play the field and make God out to be a liar, you are accursed. This is how Paul the apostle put it in his letter to the Galatians.
Galatians 1:6-14
“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel 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. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it and profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. “
Adding baptism, miraculous gifts, or other paths than faith alone in Jesus Christ are some examples. Paul here was addressing the Judaizers who added circumcision to the list of things necessary to gain salvation. If you are inclined to take the half hour of time needed to read Paul's letter to the Galatians, you would see that believing in any message that claims to be the gospel besides that which Jesus proclaimed is leading you to eternal damnation and separation from God in Hell. Worse than that, proclaiming and teaching a false gospel is something that God warns here is making us accursed, that is “cast out, doomed, excommunicated, detestable and wicked”. I know there are some who believe what I am preaching is hate speech, scare tactics, etc. If that is the case, then Jesus Himself would be the worst offender. Such a charge is lunacy if you truly believe the Bible to be God's Word. There are many who claim this is the case, but in practice are doing this very thing.
Many have said that all roads lead to God, and surely God does await us at the end of this life, no matter your religion, your good works, or your sin. Yes, God is the One who awaits us. Hebrews 9:27 promises “It is appointed unto men to die once, and after this the judgment.” That's right, not a time to plead your case, purgatory, or a giant scale to weigh your sins from your good deeds, but judgment. For those who die outside of Christ (Not just faith in God, but in Christ) He will also be there. He will stand as Judge and punish the wicked, giving them a righteous sentence for their sin against His holy nature. There is, as Paul says in Romans 1 and Acts 17, “no excuse”, but rather a built in knowledge of God of which no one is exempt.
To the Christian who rests in the work of Jesus Christ on their behalf, who have come to Him in faith without doubt, He is the Savior and Lord of our lives, the one who has assured us victory over death and eternal life with Him, “and so shall we ever be with the Lord!” For those who would rather hear it from someone else, let us see what Jesus tells us here in His own words. What happens to those who do not believe?
John 3:34-36
“The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him”
Did you catch that last phrase? It says that those who believe have the life, but that those who reject the Son shall not see life, but that God's wrath abides on him. I have seen the wrath of the United States military, the wrath of an angry mother bear when her cub is in danger, but I cannot fathom the wrath of God Almighty! Some see this wrath as unjust or extreme, and I believe that is mostly because we don't want to think about God's wrath in this way. We like to talk about the God that is love, that gives peace and joy. Those are true and absolute attributes of God, but they do not negate God's absolute attributes of justice and holiness.
Consider this: We see things through the eyes of sinful human nature, but if we look at it honestly, we would see that it is not so much that God is unjust to send anyone to Hell, but that His justice should keep us all from Heaven. What a great, merciful, just, and loving God who rescues souls from their deserved place in Hell! Praise His name! That God would or could ever allow a fallen human being to enter His presence is nothing short of mind blowing! It is only by the perfect and sacrificial blood of Christ shed on the cross of Calvary that there could ever be a washing and cleansing from sin that would clean off our sin laden and filthy selves.
With these truths as the backdrop, and in view of the fact that the name of this group and our associated building is “Gospel Chapel”, I feel sad that I have to state these facts as if I were not being redundant. We wish to be known to the world as a group of Christians gathered not to a denomination or sect, but only to the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the history of the Gospel Hall (which this once was) and Gospel Chapels. For those not well read concerning the Brethren movement or the Plymouth Brethren, the founding of such meetings was due to the desire to go beyond the standard religious and liturgical norms in churches, but to dig deep into the history and practices of the churches we see in the New Testament of God's Word, and to do the best we can to follow that pattern.
Some have gone over the deep end and rejected other Christians due to their zeal for purity, and have lost love and grace for others. Others have gone beyond what is written and rejected the pattern as impossible to achieve in today's society, and have just become another so called “non-denominational” church. I think both are wrong. We can do things God's way, but it starts with the basics. I feel that those basics of salvation and Christianity have been rejected here in the name of love and tolerance. It is fine for one who is new to the faith or ignorant of Biblical truth to not understand some of these things, but it is not acceptable for those who have been taught from God's Word to deny His truth and replace God's truth with their own opinions.
If there were other ways to acquire eternal life with God, then why would God have sent His Son to take on human flesh and die such a horrible death. Surely, Jesus didn't do anything deserving of this treatment. If God the Father were only causing Jesus to live and die on this earth as “one way, but not the only way”, then God would be a mean and terrible Father to torture His own Son like that. This could never be the case, and the illogical nature of such an argument against the Creator of the universe would be beyond any intelligent human reasoning. God punishing Jesus for the sin of the world is downright stupid and vicious unless there was no other way for sin to be covered. We can learn from this more about God's character and nature. Truly, God's holiness and perfection demand a payment for sin, and Jesus became that payment, shedding His precious blood on the cross once and for all paying for the sin of the world. That is why we start each Lord's Day with the Lord's Supper, that it always be at the forefront of what we do, a reminder that Christ is the only reason we exist, the only One we can trust, and the One we live and die for. He is the ONLY WAY!
It is because that was the only way of true justice that Jesus offered Himself to die in our place. The beauty of Jesus' death lies in the fact that it was the only way, and that He willingly suffered because of love for sinners like us. The beauty of the heart of God, the passion Jesus Christ has for His creation, the depth of His mercy! With these in view, we cannot help but worship our great God and the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our hope, our joy, and our salvation. I hope you have this joy and truth guiding your life today, but I know some do not.
I am sad to have to bring up this topic in a church, that place that even the worst sinner in the world would say is a place to learn about and worship the God of the Bible. Sadly, many so called churches today are abandoning the Bible and replacing it with man made theology. We hear often that there must be unity in the body of Christ and that is so true. Unity is necessary if we are going to accomplish anything for God. The problem is that we have tried to find unity outside of God's Word. We have found unity in recovery programs, feeding the hungry, and in electing political officials. This is not unity in Christ.
I feel inclined to add that man made unity is not what Jesus preached either. Indeed, Christ Himself said that He did not come bring peace, but a sword, to divide households between those who would believe and those who would incur God's wrath for not accepting Christ as their Savior. Jesus endured persecution, as did those who were called by His name, in every decade since Jesus earthly ministry. At times it has been worse, and at times there have been few called to suffer in this way. Yet those who are truly His were always marked by persecution. The reason why is that God has offered only one way to please Him and receive grace and the gift of eternal life. In our society, proclaiming that there is only one way to do anything is considered intolerant, or even hate speech. God calls us to love our enemies, but not to condone sin or be tolerant of sinful ways.
There is only one way to please God, and that only way is faith in Jesus Christ. If you are putting your faith in Christ as an insurance policy, but trusting in other things to save you, then you are still in your sins, dead to God, and will spend eternity in Hell. If you have rejected Christ altogether to follow Buddha, Islam, a salvation of works, or anything except Christ alone, then you must repent and change today! The situation could not be more dire, the consequences could not be more grave. Eternal life is for those who are made alive in Christ. All others are dead in sin, there is no other route to take. Don't try to add anything to your faith. If you are trusting faith plus works, then you truly have no faith in Christ at all. He is either everything that has saved you or you are trampling underfoot the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
One might be inclined to challenge these statements, but the Bible is full of them. If I am wrong, then I am wrong with God. If I am right, it is only because God is right and He has revealed these truths in His Word. Please listen to these words from God's own mouth, breathed from His own lips, that speak of the drastic nature of salvation only through Christ and only by faith. I could spend weeks delving into Scripture after scripture that prove this point. In fact, it is the main reason for having God's Word, to point us to salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.
If you don't know for sure that what you say or believe is God's truth, you would be better to keep your mouth shut than to proclaim a lie. Those who stand up to teach others are held to a stricter judgment according to James 3:1, so be cautious. It is an incredible responsibility to teach God's Word, and is not for the novice. We must have reverence for God's Word. If you have questions, ask a more mature believer, an elder or teacher.
A new or immature believer ought to learn from those more mature, to humbly submit themselves, to not think more highly of themselves than they ought. This is why we are told never to allow immature believers to lead or teach, as they are easily led astray or are simply ignorant of the whole counsel of God. If mature believers teach you something, and it agrees with God's Word, then submit to God and do so with gratitude. I have also seen those who have taught for years who deny basic truths of God's Word. Do not be trapped in pride and self righteousness to think that you know better than God. How arrogant one must be to contradict God's Word!
For those more mature, it is time for you to do your job, as called by God, to teach and disciple those who are less mature. This will cost time and effort, but it is commanded, so we ought to be doing it. I believe the lack of this commitment to discipleship has us in the place we are today to some extent. Pairing that with a disdain of Godly leadership you have the recipe for disaster, and a church that would be better off with the doors closed. Malachi. 1:10 warns of what may happen if we continuously offer God second best. It says it would be better to close the doors than to uselessly kindle fire at His altar. Let us take our worship, teaching, and prayer as seriously as God does.
The essentials of the Christian faith:
Deity of Christ
Salvation by God’s grace through faith, not works, through Jesus Christ alone
The resurrection of Christ
The Gospel
Monotheism
The Holy Trinity
These are the main “essentials” that we should understand and believe if we are followers of Jesus Christ.
The deity of Christ. Quite simply, Jesus is God.
Salvation by grace. We are all sinners separated from God and deserving of eternal punishment for our sin. Jesus’ death on the cross paid for the sins of mankind. God did not have to do this for us, but He loves us so much that He sacrificed His only Son. This is grace, or undeserved favor. There is nothing we can do to earn God’s favor or gain access to heaven apart from His grace.
Salvation through Jesus Christ alone. God in His mercy has provided all of us the only means for salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 tells us that “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). No one gets into heaven except by faith in the saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ on his or her behalf.
The resurrection of Christ. Perhaps no other event in the Bible, aside from Jesus’ appearance here on earth and subsequent death on the cross, is as significant to the Christian faith as that of the resurrection. All other religions are based on works or a powerless deity or person. The leaders of all other religions die and remain dead. The Christian faith is based on Christ crucified and resurrected to life. “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). Lastly, to deny Christ’s bodily resurrection (John 2:19-21) is to deny that Jesus’ work here on earth was a satisfactory offering to God for the sins of mankind.
The gospel. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Paul spells out what the gospel is and how important it is to embrace it and share it with others. He reminds the Corinthians of the gospel he preached among them: “That Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” This is the essence of the gospel. Paul also warns us to be wary of the many “false gospels” that are being offered to the unsuspecting: As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8-9).
The gospel. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Paul spells out what the gospel is and how important it is to embrace it and share it with others. He reminds the Corinthians of the gospel he preached among them: “That Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” This is the essence of the gospel. Paul also warns us to be wary of the many “false gospels” that are being offered to the unsuspecting: As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8-9).
Monotheism. Quite simply, there is only one God. Exodus 20:3 states very powerfully, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Monotheism is the belief that there is only one God to be worshiped and served. “‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the LORD, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me’” (Isaiah 43:10). A Christian will know that there is only one God, the God of the Bible. All others are false and are no gods at all.
The Trinity. If we look at Matthew 28:19, we see the verse calling out the Trinity: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Faith. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). As Christians we live by this verse with the understanding that we believe in a God we cannot see. But we see His work in our lives and all around us in His creation. We do all of this through faith because we know that faith pleases God. “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
The Trinity. If we look at Matthew 28:19, we see the verse calling out the Trinity: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Faith. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). As Christians we live by this verse with the understanding that we believe in a God we cannot see. But we see His work in our lives and all around us in His creation. We do all of this through faith because we know that faith pleases God. “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
