by David J. Stewart | March 2016
Philippians 1:17, “But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.”
I was listening to the King James Bible
today on my computer and this phrase caught my attention. Paul said: “I AM
SET FOR THE DEFENCE OF THE GOSPEL.” What a great statement! What a precious
truth! Today, just as in Paul's time, “the simplicity that is in Christ”
(2nd Corinthians 11:3-4) is under attack. Paul was resolved, proclaiming
that he was “SET,” which comes from a Greek word meaning “to lay
outstretched on the ground” (literally or figuratively). Laying prostrate on
the ground can be an act of humility, surrender or worship. In this case,
Paul is totally surrendered to his divine task of DEFENDING THE GOSPEL!!!
The “Gospel” (i.e., the Good News of Christ crucified, buried and risen) has always been under attack by the Devil and his minions. The Gospel has many enemies; namely, Calvinism, Satanism, Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, Seventh-day Adventism, Scientology, Christian Science, Freemasonry, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lordship Salvation, materialism (living for things), relativism (nothing is absolute), Evolution, Atheism, ecumenism (unequal yoking of believers with unbelievers), Judaism and Islam, to name just a few. The woeful trend of our generation is to follow religion and stray away from “THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION,” which is “THE GOSPEL” (i.e., only to every one that believeth):
Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
The truth is that many people ARE ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL, so instead they use unscriptural jargon; such as, “Ask Jesus into your heart,” or “Invite Jesus into your life” or, “Turn away from your sins,” or “Make Jesus the Lord of your life”! These are all unbiblical teachings, which are not the Gospel, nor do they produce the new birth by faith alone in Jesus Christ. Please listen to the MP3 sermon by Pastor Jack Hyles titled, “FUNDAMENTALIST HERESY” (false Gospels exposed). The Bible foretold that in the Last Days, perilous times would come when people would desire religion without being born-again. Many people nowadays have churchianity, but they don't have Christianity. The missing element is the saving power of THE GOSPEL:
2nd Timothy 3:1-5, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”
You can invite Jesus into your heart and life,
and live for Christ with all your heart, and still go straight to Hell when you die. YE MUST BE BORN-AGAIN!!! Notice
in 2nd Timothy 3:3 the phrase, “despisers of those who are good.” The
heathen world despises Christians, because they see Christ in us.
The Gospel is under attack by the Devil. Satan's greatest weapon is to con people into living the Christian life without ever being born-again. I humbly thank God for convicting my heart about the purity of the Gospel. The Lord has set me for the defence of the Gospel. Philippians 1:17, “But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.”
The apostle Paul exclaimed that he was NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL. Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Many religious people (particular on radio) are ashamed of the Gospel. They don't want to offend Roman Catholics, Mormons, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Church of Christ, United Methodists and other unsaved religious groups, so they retreat to a shallow “FORM OF GODLINESS, BUT DENYING THE POWER THEREOF” (2nd Timothy 3:5). The airwaves are filled with junk theology, leading people to “Invite Jesus into their life,” which is a false Gospel.
Every Christian believer ought to defend “the Gospel”:
Galatians 1:6-9, “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.”
The Bible refers to “the Gospel” as “THE SIMPLICITY THAT IS IN CHRIST”:
2nd Corinthians 11:3-4, But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”
It
is simple to be saved. You don't have to commit to changing your ways to be
saved. Talented cartoon Evangelist Jack Chick teaches in all his Chick
Tracts that you must “Be willing to turn from sin (repent)” to be saved.
That is not the Gospel. “Repentance” is not a willingness to turn away from
sin; but rather, the admission of one's SINNERSHIP in God's holy eyes.
Romans 3:19, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to
them who are under the law: that every mouth may be
stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” The
purpose of God's law is to show men their sinfulness, that all the world may
BECOME GUILTY BEFORE GOD. When you “repent” (Greek: metanoia, i.e.,
to change your mind) to agree with God, you acknowledge your sinful
condition and believe the Gospel to be saved. Evil men refuse to repent;
therefore, they won't come to Jesus to be saved. John 5:40, “And ye will
not come to me, that ye might have life.” When a man repents, he comes
to Christ.
1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
Satan is smarter and more clever than any human being, or group of human beings. Our text verse above is as simple as can be, direct from the holy Scriptures. Argue as some may, no one can debate the meaning of “the Gospel” in view of 1st Corinthians 15:1-4. Jesus Christ DIED on the cross for our sins, was BURIED, and bodily RESURRECTED three days later. This is “the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16b). There is no other way to be saved, than through the power of the Gospel.
I am committed to spend the rest of my earthly life defending “THE GOSPEL,” to thwart Satan's attempt to hide the cross from the unsaved. I am set for the defence of the Gospel.
“Everything that's hard and complicated about salvation is God's side of it!” —Pastor Jack Hyles, a precious quote from the MP3 sermon, “Yea, Yea, And Nay, Nay!”
I love Alex Jones, who often professes to be a “Christian,” but kindly, since 2002 when I began listening to him on Infowars.com, I have NEVER heard Alex preach THE GOSPEL. Not one time! I've heard tons of religious jibber-jabber over the years on The Alex Jones Show, but no Gospel. Folks, life is short, Hell is hot, and eternity is a long time! The New World Order is not the worst threat to humanity today, it is the Gospel being hidden from the unsaved. When a true believer remains silent about the truth of the Gospel, they are helping Satan's cause. Either Alex Jones loves money and despises God (Luke 16:13), or he is not saved at all, or both.
I'm tired of people professing to know and love Jesus Christ, who haven't the foggiest idea what “the Gospel” means. I've listened to the alleged Christian testimonies of Alice Cooper, Bruce Jenner, Dave Mustaine and Brian Welch, and I'm not convinced any of them believe the Gospel. At some point in their lives they decided to follow Jesus Christ, get religion, and commit their life to serve Christ, but they have never been born-again!!! Alice Cooper speaks highly of his father's faith, who was a hellbound Mormon minister. These are not Biblical Christians! Giving your life to Jesus is not the Gospel.
“More people will die and burn in Hell, because they're trusting too much!” —Pastor Jack Hyles, a precious quote from the MP3 sermon, “Yea, Yea, And Nay, Nay!”
Hollywood Actor Chuck Norris' False Gospel
I was looking today at Hollywood actor Chuck
Norris' website, at a resource page titled “FREE
GIFT.” Chuck Norris is a professed Christian. Although I admire Chuck's
good reputation and work to help youth, he is theological wrong in some of
the things he teaches. First, repentance concerning salvation is always
defined as “a change of mind,” and never to “turn from sins.” Mr.
Norris has been deceived no doubt by some of today's apostate religious
leaders. On Chuck Norris' website (see quote below) they teach the heresy,
“If you are willing to repent of your sin, He is waiting to forgive you.”
That is not THE GOSPEL. Where in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 are we told that
we must be willing to forsake sinful bad habits and cease from
intentional sinful behavior? My friend, at best, the only thing you could do
is replace your sins with self-righteousness (which is a sin too)!!! Kindly,
Mr. Norris has it wrong!
Here is a more lengthy quote:
“Jesus died for you. You can be saved by asking Him for forgiveness from your sins. If you are willing to repent of your sin, He is waiting to forgive you. It doesn't matter what you have done in the past, if you cry out to Jesus for forgiveness, He will not reject you. The word 'repent' literally means 'to turn away from.' You need to look at your life, admit that you are a sinner, genuinely desire to turn your back on that sin, and ask Him to forgive you. If you do this, He promises to forgive you.”
SOURCE: Chuck Norris, personal website, Christian resource Page: 'Free Gift'.
Mr. Norris fails to understand that we don't need to ask Jesus to forgive our sins. You see, Christ has already paid for our sins on the cross with His precious blood. Therefore, forgiveness is a “gift” that we simply receive to have eternal life. God does not require anyone to “turn away from” sinful behavior to receive what He has already paid for in full on the cross.
And the word “repent” does not literally mean “to turn away from.” That is the Roman Catholic definition of repentance, not the Biblical Greek meaning. In Acts 20:21, the Holy Bible speaks of “repentance toward God.” Who says repentance means “to turn away from”? Why not toward God? Friend, repentance is toward God from unbelief. It may be a man's sinful ways that hinder him from coming to Christ to be saved (John 3:20). That man doesn't need to repent from his sins to be saved; but rather, he needs to repent TOWARD GOD, believing the Good News (the Gospel) of Jesus Christ crucified, buried and risen! When a man “repents,” he thinks differently TOWARD GOD, believing the Gospel by faith to be saved. The entire notion of a man turning away from sins to be saved is self-righteousness—a works-based plan of salvation, which does not produce the new birth by the Holy Spirit of God.
Galatians 3:2, “This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”
Notice carefully in the preceding Scripture that no mention is made of “turning from sins” nor of “being willing to turn from sins” to be saved. No, rather, we are saved by simply receiving the Gospel by faith when we hear it preached. It is that simple to be saved. On the Day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter preached the Gospel and 3,000 souls were saved in one day.
Repentance is not “from sins”; but rather, from the “unbelief” that has been hindering you from being saved. Mark 6:6 and 12, “And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching. ... And they went out, and preached that men should repent.” You don't need to pray to be saved. The Scriptures tell us that whosoever BELIEVES is saved. 1st Corinthians 1:21, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”
Here is the best quote that I've found on repentance, by Dr. Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951):
“Which comes first, repentance or faith? In Scripture we read, 'Repent ye, and believe the gospel.' Yet we find true believers exhorted to 'repent, and do the first works.' So intimately are the two related that you cannot have one without the other. The man who believes God repents; the repentant soul puts his trust in the Lord when the Gospel is revealed to him. Theologians may wrangle over this, but the fact is, no man repents until the Holy Spirit produces repentance in his soul through the truth. No man believes the Gospel and rests in it for his own salvation until he has judged himself as a needy sinner before God. And this is repentance.” ('Except Ye Repent,' p. 16)
Beware of all the dangerous false teachings nowadays which tell you to: “Invite Jesus into your life,” and “Ask Jesus into your heart,” and “Confess Christ before men,” and “Turn from sins,” and “Follow Christ,” and “Pray a prayer,” and “Have a relationship with Jesus,” and “Say 'Jesus is Lord'” to be saved. None of these constitute “the Gospel.” Here's a great writing by Dr. Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951) titled, WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
